"Why do you love me? I am clumsy,I am poor,I am ugly,I am useless!" I shouted the last part. "And stupid,you forgot that part." He said calmly,his eyes fixed on me. I gave him a glare then sighed,he was right though. I sat down on the bare floor hugging my knee and faced the floor. I was really close to tears, everything was draining me. Next thing,I felt his breath on my neck. He was sitting behind me,he wrapped his arm around my tummy and leaned closer to me. "Why do you love me? I am cold, I have hurt you many times,I am not the best person there is." He said softly to my ears. My heart was pounding. "Love is stupid." I muttered. "And we are foolishly in love."
ONE
JAN DI
I ran home happily.
It was the best day of my life.
I got a job at DCOM!
'am not useless afterall' I was saying to myself.'no,I think am useless and also very stupid.'
Stupidity made me lose eight jobs within six months,can you imagine?
I was running at my highest speed,I needed to tell Appa and eomma(mum and dad).
Boom!
My leg kicked on something and I fell down flat.
I raised my face and tomatoes were all over my body.
'I poured someone's tomatoes,am dead today.'
At that point,I wondered how I forgot that the place was always busy and why didn't I look?
Why am I filled with bad luck?
People that were around started talking and laughing.
"Hahaha the girl poured Mrs choi's tomatoes."
"Is she blind? Mrs choi will kill her today."
I was about to stand up when a fat woman suddenly came and dragged my ear till I stood up.
Everyone that was around the shop was laughing,and I didn't even know when I started laughing as well.
They were laughing at me,but I was laughing at the woman.
She was very fat,like very round.
"You are laughing?" She bumped my head with her fat hand and I didn't need anyone to tell me to stop laughing immediately.
"Bia né(sorry)." I said and bowed my head. "I just remembered a joke that my father said yesterday. About your tomatoes,I......" I scratched my short black hair. I didn't even know what to say,what would I even say,I didn't have a single Won on me.
"Give me eighty Won right now!" She screamed and dragged my pink cotton sweatshirt.
What! Eighty what!
I scratched my hair again,"oh! That is a very small money. See that shop here." I pointed my finger in space. Everyone turned to look,the woman left me while trying to figure out the shop I was talking about.
Many shops were lined in the street.
"Which shop?" She asked,she was seriously straining her eyes to find out the shop I was talking about.
"Ah! This shop. This one,look very well." I moved away from her a bit. "Just look very well." I picked two tomatoes from the floor and ran away.
"Get her!" I heard the woman shout.
I ran faster.
I turned and saw three men chasing me.
"Jan di the whippet!" I screamed and put one tomato into my mouth.
I ran without looking back till I got home.
I turned and there was no sign of them.
They don't know that am a great runner.
"Jan di..the..." I couldn't complete my statement,I was panting. I chewed on the remaining tomato.
So sweet!
"Maybe my new hobby would be pushing down tomatoes."
I opened the door to our house,closed it and fell down immediately.
I needed a cup of juice,my running wouldn't be in vain.
"It has happened again." I heard my Dad say.
"Eight jobs gone within six months and now she looks beaten,look at her clothe. I said it that she took after you in bad luck." Mom said.
My eyes were still shut.
"I was a lucky man before I met you,you are bad luck itself."
"Me? You call that miserable shop luck? Many rich men wanted to marry me."
"Don't decieve yourself,you are ugly."
"What!" My mother gasped.
My stupidity really came fromy parents,their daughter is lying down,let's say unconscious,and they were busy arguing about luck.
"Appa! Eomma!" I screamed and stood up. They shut up and faced me. "I got a job at DCOM."
"What!" They both screamed,looked at themselves,at me and then back at themselves.
They screamed and hugged each other.
Just imagine? Two people that were fighting just seconds ago.
"She took after me in good luck." Mom said.
What!
"No,you said it earlier,she took after me."
"I was drunk then."
"Can't someone get a nice sleep in this house?" We heard and turned.
It was Min ah,my elder sister.
She slumped on the couch,picked the remote and switched on the tv.
"Dcom! Dcom! Dcom!" She said excitedly and we all rushed and squeezed ourselves into the cushion.
It was a Dcom commercial.
"The Dcom shopping mall that opened a month ago have decided that anyone who wants to shop there must have an ID to stop the much crowd that is coming there. Therefore, purchase an ID for one thousand Won now." They were saying while the picture of the mall was being shown.
"One thousand Won? that's unfair! Now commoners like us can't even go there,talk more of buying anything." Mom said.
"Wow! My daughter is so lucky to have gotten a job there." My Dad said and hugged me.
"Where?" Min ah asked.
"Dcom!" We chorused and laughed.
She frowned,"what! Impossible! How would an empty brain like her get a job there?"
I smacked her back playfully and brought out my ID. I waved it Infront of her and laughed.
"Whatever! She will still lose the job within a week." She scoffed and mom spanked her head.
"Ah! Eomma!"
"Don't wish your sister bad luck!"
"She is bad luck already."
"Shut up!" Dad pressed her lips together,she struggled to break out of their grip and then ran out. They chased after her.
I knew she wouldn't be happy for me.
Min ah is my elder sister and we were very close till the night of her high school graduation day.
I didn't know what happened,and we never even quarreled but she just developed hatred for me.
We even celebrated in the afternoon and was so happy till the night.
She went to somewhere,came back and started giving me cold shoulder,and it got worse by the day.
That night was still a puzzle that I swore to unravel.
Hmmmmm.
I heard my phone ring and I searched for it.
Oh! It was in my bra. I brought it out.
Ji won!
I smiled,he is my best friend that helped me get the job.
"Jan di,where are you?"
"At home,any...."
"Ah! You are supposed to start work immediately,and they are about to take someone else."
"But...."
"Come here immediately." He disconnected the call.
Why am I so stupid? Min ah would laugh at me if I lose this job.
No! I can't lose this wonderful job.
I ran out of the house,and was still running when I saw those three men.....
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