Chapter 74: Deep-Rooted Fear
It was after school.
Yeo Ri was told to wait for Hyuk, so she did.
Yeo Ri sat on one of the benches near the school gates. She had one final paper tomorrow so she tried to get some reading done as preparation.
After waiting for forty minutes, Hyuk was still nowhere in sight.
Yeo Ri sighed. She made the decision to call him.
"Oppa, where are you?"
"Yeo Ri-ah, sorry. I'm on my way. Just wait for a little bit longer, okay? Fifteen minutes! Oppa will be there in fifteen minutes," Hyuk breathlessly replied, sounding quite rushed.
Yeo Ri felt bad for urging him to rush. "It's fine, Oppa. Take your time. Drive carefully, okay?"
"Yeah," Hyuk replied.
Yeo Ri hung up afterwards, afraid of disturbing him any longer. It sounded as if he was on the road, so she didn't want to distract him.
Yeo Ri pouted after putting away her phone. She swung her legs, feeling bored.
Usually, there would be some boys playing basketball or soccer in the schoolyard, but because it was exam season, no one dared to play outside. They might get punished for playing around, after all.
Bored of waiting all alone, Yeo Ri decided to go out.
She exited the school grounds and loitered around. Hyuk said he arrive in fifteen minutes, so she hoped to be able to catch sight of him quickly so they can go to Jin Goo's house faster. It would be the first time she stayed over at someone else's house, and she was quite excited.
Yeo Ri looked around for any signs of Hyuk. Every once in a while, she would look at the clock on her phone, counting the minutes.
The fifteen minutes was almost up, but there was still no signs of Hyuk. Yeo Ri ended up walking down to the end of the road where students would usually get dropped off or picked up at.
Just as she was scanning the area for Hyuk, her blood ran cold.
"!"
She could see a familiar figure staring intently at her from a corner.
The man, noticing her gaze, smiled. He mouthed towards her, "Yeo Ri-ah." He cocked his head to the side, looking at her with a ridiculing gaze, as if saying, 'you think you can get away from me?'
"...!"
Yeo Ri took a step backwards, a scream stuck in her throat. She breathed heavily as her heart began to pump. She looked for a place to run, but when she turned to look at the corner again, the man was gone.
"Wh—?!" Yeo Ri stifled a scream. Where was he? Where did he go? Her whole body screamed for her to get away.
Yeo Ri wanted to ask for help, but there was no one around and her voice just wouldn't come out. She whimpered harshly, tears brimming in her eyes.
Yeo Ri crouched on the ground, hugging herself tightly with her eyes closed. "Oppa, Oppa, please come faster...!" She whispered between sobs.
The next few minutes felt as if they were stretched into an eternity.
When Yeo Ri heard the loud roar of a motorbike engine, she immediately looked up. She wiped away her tears and tried to suppress her trembling.
The bike breezed past the the streets and directly stopped near Yeo Ri.
Hyuk took off his helmet, his brows scrunched apologetically. "Sorry, Yeo Ri-ah. The thing I had to do earlier took longer than I expected," he apologised.
Yeo Ri heaved a silent sigh of relief. Her body relaxed as she took in Hyuk's presence. She felt much more safer with Hyuk around.
Yeo Ri wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, "Where have you been, Oppa?" Her voice was muffled but he could hear the wronged tone in her voice.
"Sorry, sorry..." He realised that she must have been scared after waiting for him for so long. "I'm really sorry," he rubbed her back reassuringly, trying to comfort her. He kept repeating his apologies, feeling as if his heart was being scratched. He felt so guilty towards Yeo Ri.
"I'm sorry, Yeo Ri-ah," he said softly. He peeled her away off of him, wiping away the remnants of her tears.
Once she was calmer, he helped her with the helmet, led her to the seat, and instructed her to hold on tight.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone