5: Pork Belly

It was the morning.

Picturing my painting displayed on the back board of the classroom, I was very excited walking into school. The first thing I saw as soon as I walked into the classroom was handful of my classmates clustered in a group in front of the back board.

 

“What is happening?”

 

I dropped my bag on my desk and walked toward the group. When I asked them a question, they recoiled a little and turned around.

Instinctively I realized that something was wrong. The group in front of the back board split in two, allowing me some space to look at the back board.

 

My steps quickened as I approached the back board, but abruptly slowed when I had the clear view of the board. Everybody was so quiet, and their eyes were on me. I stopped moving before fully reaching the board.

 

What was in front my eyes were definitely my painting, but it was not the only thing I saw. Except for the four corners of the painting that were taped onto the board, every surface of my painting was sliced with an x-acto knife.

 

“My…painting..”

 

I unconsciously mumbled in a small voice.

 

“Jung-Ah..”

 

One of my friends called my name in a tiny voice but I could not answer her.

I was taken aback by the intensity of my rage. Even though I knew anger, I did not know rage.

What is this? Why is only my painting ripped up like that?

 

“Jung, are you okay? Is that.. that is your painting, right?”

 

I heard a familiar voice from the side and one by one my classmates filled in the distance between me and my painting as they crowded around me.

 

The students who just arrived at school noticed the cluster of people in the back and approached. Number of the students gasping and questioning increased when more and more arrived into the classroom. Some held their breath, and some just stared as they saw my painting.

 

In the midst of all the commotion, I could not utter a single word.

 

I forced myself to move closer to the back board and inspect the painting. I just had to make sure that it was really my painting.

 

I could not believe. For the first time, I felt like I achieved something along side Yun-Su but…But now, everything was ruined.

On top of that, someone did this intentionally!

 

“Who did this..?”

 

My voice came out rough like I was drained, but it also had sharp edges. I could feel the classmates’ eyes on me.

 

“WHO DID THIS?!”

 

I made fists and gripped them tighter when I turned my body toward my classmates to shout.

 

“Who ruined my painting!!”

 

I realized that some students were startled and backed up a few steps because of my loud voice, but I did not loosen my grip.

 

“Jung-Ah…It’s not me..”

“Not me either..”

 

One by one, students shook their heads and spoke up for their innocence. Because my dam of emotion just burst open, I could not easily calm my raging heart.

 

“Shit..”

 

They were saying nobody did it. Then who did it? I felt wronged and victimized. The feelings surged up from my inside and gathered in my eyes in the form of tears.

 

“What is going on?”

 

Among the voices of my classmates, one voice burrowed into my conscious. I turned my head toward the direction the voice came from.

Yun-Su who just came into the classroom left his bag on his desk and was wearing a socked expression on his face. He walked over to where I was standing.

 

Sudden sense of security came over me as soon as I laid my eyes on him. The tears that were gathered around my eyes now reached their limit and were about to spill out.

 

“Hey, Ha-Jung. What is wrong?”

 

Yun-Su’s eyes caught mine and became wide. He walked over in no time and draped his arms around my shoulders to pull me into his embrace.

 

“Shh…someone..did that to my painting..”

 

I bit my lips as I unfolded what I saw since I walked into the classroom. Yun-Su quietly listened and patted my back.

 

“Do you think maybe he did this?”

“Who?”

“Pork Belly, I mean..”

“What? Why do you think he did it?”

“He is the only person would do something like this..”

“True..”

“Maybe it is possible that Pork Belly did it.”

 

The classmates started their speculation on who might have vandalized my painting. My heart that was softened by Yun-Su’s appearance began flared up again as I listen to their conversations.

 

That is when I suddenly remembered what Pork Belly had said to me when I ripped my watercolor paper for him two days ago during our art period. It was the memory I clearly remembered because of amount of thinking I did after I volunteer to help Pork Belly.

 

For the brief moment, I contemplated on how Pork Belly had accepted my action at the time. It was possible that whatever Pork Belly had felt at that time could have caused him to shred my painting.

That is when the back door of the classroom opened with a ‘drrrrrrk’ sound. The person who walked into the classroom through the door was the suspect that all the classmates agreed on, Pork Belly.

 

Pork Belly might have been shocked to found all the students in the back of the classroom because he stepped back a few inch before frowning. He found me and met my eyes.

 

“What..”

 

Pork Belly opened his mouth to ask something, but I immediately cut him off and said,

 

“You bastard..”

 

Without time for anyone to stop me, I ran for Pork Belly with my fists at ready.

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TN: Ha-Jung, you stupid.