Crackle, bang!

Thunder crackled among the clouds, inviting loud booming sounds above Itaewon district, as if the sky about to fall at any moment. A while later, rains gushed out in torrents off the roofs, creating pools of water on the pavement. People began to take shelter in a rush. Soon, the street was devoid of pedestrian. Amidst the silent street in a corner of Seoul, a construction truck pulled over then a man wearing a white construction worker suit jumped down from the back.

"Hyung-nim,, thanks for the ride. Call me anytime if you have other job.. "

The truck driver, A middle-aged man in a dirty worker suit, grinned while flexing his big fist.

"You brat, dont you dare go back on your words. I like passionate young man like you the most. Hahaha "

After saying this, the middle-aged man kicked the pedal hard, bringing the truck roaring through the rain, inviting severe curses from the nearby people who got splashed. The young man shook his head, wondering if he would be okay driving like that. On a second thought, the old man had been a driver for almost thirty years, or so he said. So, he should be fine, right?

SPLASH!

Another speeding car went by, right through the pool of water in front of him, dragging the young man a way back to reality. With a curse, the young man ran to the nearby building along with the other pedestrians.

...***...

Twenty minutes later, the hard rain finally stopped. People began to resume their activities and so with the young man in white construction worker suit. At first, the young man decided to take a shortcut through the small alley between the two buildings behind, as usual. But then he remembered that he already ate the last egg at home this morning. He walked for another two blocks before stopping in front of a convenience store.

"Welcome,, ah, Ren-Oppa!"

As soon as Ren went in, a girl in part-timer uniform gave him a warm welcome. Her monolid eyes brightened up when she saw him, while a smile pasted on her cherry lips.

"Yo, Cho Ye Na-ssi, why are you still here? Its almost 7 p.m. I thought your shift ended an hour ago."

"Seok-goo Oppa is late because of the rain. But he said hell be here soon. Ah, how many times do I have to tell you,, Oppa should call me Ye Na! Ye Na! "

She was Cho Ye Na, the daughter of the building owner where Ren lived for the last five months. She was a 2nd year student in Hanlim High School, one of prestigious school in Seoul. Eventhough her family could be considered as a well-off one, Ye Na still wanted to earn her own money. She was a hardworking girl indeed. If only she would apply her passion in her study too, Yena could get less scolding from her parents.

"Alright. Alright, im just messing with you. I need to buy some eggs. "

"Eggs again? There are some fresh meats in our hallal corner too. "

"Are you teasing me? You know that Im too poor to buy meat."

She pointed her finger to one end of the shelves. An independent shelf where variety of halal product could be seen. Apparently, the store where she worked at was one of the few stores in Seoul which sold halal-certified product. It was also the main reason Ren met with Ye Na in the first place and was offered the place at her dads building.

"Lets see, a pack of eggs, a bag of rice, oh,, this brand is nice! What? That expensive?. Damn, why cant the government lower the tax for overseas products? . . . "

Ren grumblingly picked his needs. Actually, he didnt buy much. Besides eggs, Ren also bought some noodles, a bag of rice, and new umbrella since the one he had was . . . well, he left it in a sub-way this morning. As usual.

"17.600 won. Oppa, it seems you eat less and less. You have to take care of your health. Here, take this bottle of vitamin. Its on me."

Yena gave a wink and put a big bottle of vitamin in Ren-s bag. He could only smile wryly, as he knew with her personalities, she would not accept a no. Even though Yena was five years younger than him, she was so attentive, kind and caring. It reminded him of his late mother.

"Thanks, Yena. Ill treat you some meat later."

"Pfft. With that pitiful wage of yours? Dream on.. "

Ren scratched the back his head. Actually, he wanted to correct her, as today was his last job with Daeshan Construction. Starting tomorrow, he needed to find another job. Then again, it will only made him looked even more pitiful.

"Alright then, Ill head home first. Bye"

Without waiting for Yena's reply, Ren ran out of the store. The night already fell but he hadn't had his Isya yet. The lucky thing was that it only took him about five minutes running to get to his home. Well, not his real home of course.

Ren soon arrived in front of a four storied-building. It was not that kind of large apartment complex, but your typical old-style one with some stores on the lowest floor and some rooms for rent in the upper floors. As for Ren, well his room was none of the four floors.

After spending some time on the staircase, Ren arrived on the top floor. With a push of his shoulder, he opened the door, and soon greeted by the cold wind of December.

Although the rain had stopped some time ago, but there was still some splashes brought by the wind here and there. He went out the door and headed straight to one corner of the rooftop. There, a small house(?) could be seen. It used to be a shed, but Ren transformed it into its current form.

At the beginning when he moved to this building, he planned to rent a normal room. But when he saw the rooftop, he changed his idea. After bargaining back and forth with Mr. Cho Myu Hyun, Yenas father, Ren got to rent the entire top floor. Although the price was a little bit more expensive than if he rented the normal room, Ren thought it was worth it. He still remember his late mothers dream of having a house.

Although it was just a rooftop, a rented one, with its own sky, it still gave him the illusion of having a real house, instead of living in some closed room in a building. He spent almost two months working on the rooftop, changing the shed, and adding some extension space to make it larger.

His effort finally paid off. He now own(rent)ed a small house, with its own kitchen and bathroom. He also made a small green house to plant some vegetable and flowers, like what his family used to do back in his hometown in a village in Busan. Ever since then, he liked to call the building as greenhouse, as in blue house of the state.

Clack. The door was opened as soon as he pressed the code.

"Mom, Im home. I havent had my Isya yet.. Ill tell you later that today was . . . "

On the rooftop of a four-storied apartment, a small semi-wooden house was stood there.

...***...

"Sigh, another rejection. I guess it is hard for a high school dropout like me to get a proper job. "

The sun had only shown its edge a while ago, making the sky looked so picturesque. Ren sat cross-legged on the table in front of his small house, wrapping himself with a thick blanket, waiting for the arrival of the rare autumn morning sunlight. A cup of coffee and an empty bowl of ramen were right beside him. He kept looking at his phone. It was already more than a week since his last job ended, yet he still could not find any new job.

"Ah forget it. Ill consider this week as my holiday. At worst, I just have to go to the labor office for another construction job. "

He got off the table and walked into the green house. He took a watering can in the corner. His bad mood soon getting better when he looked at the sparkling plants.

"Oppa, what are you doing? Lets have a breakfast together. I brought some bananas from the store."

Yenas cheerful voice broke his tranquil morning. Her light footsteps resounded through the stairs beside him. Soon a lithe figure with a ponytail hair walked through the already opened rooftop door. She already wore her school uniform inside the white jacket. Her round glasses were reflecting the sunlight.

She took large strides towards the table, and put some sandwiches, bananas and a big cartoon of fresh milk on it.

"Oh, Yena, you are up already?.. I guess there will be another hail today."

Ren looked out through the transparent plastic wall of the green house, and saw that it was Yena.

"Are you mocking me? I had to. My science club will have a short meeting before the class begins. Gosh, its cold up here. "

"Science? I thought your school is an Art school. There was a blanket over there. " Ren hinted at the table.

Yena happily took the blanket, wrapped herself up with it. She casually sat crosslegged on the table and hurriedly eating her breakfast.

"Gosh, can you be a little bit act like a girl? Dont sit like an old man." Ren's voice was heard from the glass house.

"You are the old man! A city girl like me can sit as she likes! " Yena jeered her tongue out.

Ren could only shake his head. This little princess of his landlord was really a headache. He put his hose down and walked out of the green house. Soon, he nestled himself back on the table. He took a banana and gleefully peeled its skin. He liked banana so much, but since it was expensive he rarely buy it.

"Thats why we have a science club, because we dont have that subject there. " Yena got on with her previous talk while munched on his bread.

"Ugh, I dont get it.. "

"Yep, you wont. Thats why you are the old man and dont get a new job until now."

"Hey, thats too mean!"

They chatted and ate merrily, warming the cold morning. As Ren watched her eating while he sipped his coffee, he could not help but thinking of her little sister. If she were still alive, she would be the same age as Yena. Sadly, she died of car accident twelve years ago along with his father.

"Oppa.. Im done. Lets go now." Yena took Ren's coffee then wiped her mouth. He got up and head to the door.

"Ok. You go down first. Ill get a change."

Yena almost ran to the stairs while Ren went back to his room to change his clothes.

...***...

Five minutes later, when Ren went out of the building wearing his favorite red tracksuit, Mr.Cho and his daughter, Yena were already standing in front of a white van, with a plastic bag full of colorful scroll of papers on her hands. As soon as she saw Ren, Yena jumped to the front seat.

Besides a landowner, Yena's father also owned two little grocery stores. The first one was located in this building while the other one was at the other end of Gangnam district, which managed by Yenas elder brother. His products were transported from his own village in Gyeonggi-do. Especially the fruits, was taken from his own familys farm.

Actually, for Mr.Cho, selling vegetables and fruits was more like a hobby than a work, since the income of being a landowner was more than enough to support his family.

Since last week, Ren no longer had a regular job, so he had been helping Mr. Cho delivering the goods every morning to the other store, and Mr.Cho also gladly accepted his help since he will have more free time on his hands. And Ren got to pick some vegetables or fruits for free.

"Mr.Cho., good morning. Sorry I'm late."

"Not at all, not at all. Here's the key, and the papers. Oh dont forget to drop by Aunt Yee-Euns place on the way home. I already put the address on GPS. There were some packages in the car from the village. The ones with the red tape. "

“Oh, that grandma who came here last month? She seems nice”

"Don't be rude. She is only sixties or something. She's not that old."

"Hehehe, its a joke. Dont worry, Mr.Cho. I'll take a good care of it. "

Ren patted his chest and took the key from Mr.Cho. He checked the paper to make sure there was nothing wrong.

"Ren-oppa, hurry up. I'm gonna be late. "

Yena yelled from the van while hitting the honk. Her school was in the direction of the other store, hence it was Mr.Cho who usually drove her there every morning. Soon, the white van, along with its two passengers, drifted down the main road.

...***...

Hanarim Multi Art School. It was one of the most prestigious schools among entertainment industry. A number of its alumni were famous even overseas. Located in Songpa district, it was 20 minutes away from Itaewon. Since it was still early in the morning, not many people could be seen. In fact, there were only one or two students in vicinity. In this tranquil morning, a white van stopped not far from the school gate.

"I think we are too early. There is no one here."

Ren looked around and he only spotted two securities at the gate and couple students who chatted merrily walked through that gate. Damn, I hate seeing couple. seriously

“Of course, the school is only started at 8 a.m. after all. " Yena busily checking her face on the van's mirror. she's a girl after all.

"If you are in Busan, there must be a lot of students running at this hour. Our school starts at 7 something. And dont you think your skirt is a bit too short?"

Ren kept criticizing her outfits every time he drove her to school.

"Geez. Your so outdated. This is the recent mode. And we are in Seoul, not a backwater village of yours. I'm in a rush. Oppa, see you later! "

As soon as the door was opened, Yena run with all her might. She kept looking at her phone. In an instance, she already crossed the gate.

“Hey, Im not that old. Im only 23! . Eh, Yena, your paper!"

Ren looked at the dashboard, and realized that she forgot to bring her paper scrolls. He took it and about to run after her. It was still early in the morning, the students were scarcely seen. But then again, if you were unlucky, a monkey could still fall down the tree, or if you were lucky, a blind cat might still catch a mouse.

Thud. Arrgh!

By the time he opened the car door, he heard a scream and something heavy fell down.

And then he saw something unbelievable. A girl in pink jacket sprawled on grass by the side of the pavement, right in front of him.

She cursed and moaned at the same time. And Ren, dumbfoundedly watching the scene. He only came to his senses when the girl stood up with her back blocking his vision.

She cheked her body, and there was a torn on her sleeves. Luckily, she wore a thick jacket preventing her from getting scratch. Then she took out a mirror from her pocket and checked her face.

After assuring that there was nothing wrong with her makeup and her face, she turned around. Her jet-black long hair moved along with the wind. She was a pretty girl, and in Rens opinion, when compared with the other girl he ever met, she could be considered one of the prettiest. As expected of the school which produced a large number of artists and idols. Even a random girl that he hit was this pretty.

"Miss, are . . .are you oka-"

"Are you blind!!? Cant you see that someone is walking?!!"

"I . ."

"F****. What if I broke my hand? Could you take responsibility? Dont you know medical fees are so expensive these days?"

"Ssorry,, I- "

"...and look. There was a big hole in my jacket. I just bought it yesterday, you know!"

Before Ren could finish his sentence, the girl bombarded him with tons of swearing. He could only swallowed back his words, and watch her pouring out her rage, since he was at fault. At that moment,..

"Ren Oppa! I forgot to bring my- . .Ah, Mrs. Kim?! Good-, good mm-morning "

Yena went out of the gate in haste as she forgot to bring her paper scrolls. By the time she got close to the van, her footsteps halted abruptly. Yena saw that Ren was being scolded by a teacher.

Unfortunately, that teacher was Miss Kim Han Byul, the infamous teacher known for her strong manner of teaching, a.k.a, killer-teacher. Although she only taught Modeling, almost all students in all departments knew her due to her strict tendency.

"What class are you? Do you know him?"

Miss Kim stopped her scolding to Ren and turned around when she heard greetings. Her brows creased when she saw a female student greeted her.

"I'm from Film department. This ajusshi? N-no.. I dont know him. I-ill be going in first Maam, h-have a good d-day ,,Maam."

Yena quickly shook her head in rejection. He took the plastic bag from Rens hands, and then dashed in the school gate without a slightest bit of hesitation. While praying for Rens safety. Oppa,, mianhe..If you are still alive, Ill treat you to ramen later.

Ren was so speechless. Was this woman so fearful? Wait, she was a teacher? This girl?

"I'm sorry, I didn't do it in purpose. I apologized then. But, are you really a teacher in this school?"

Teacher Kim glared at him, and answered in thundering tone.

"Why cant I be a teacher? Wait, dont try to change the subject. You have to take responsibility! "

"NO, no. Dont misunderstand. Of course Ill take responsibility. I'ts just that you look soo young. I thought you are a student here. "

Ren shook his head and replied truthfully. However, the next course of event made him flabbergasted.

"M-me, young? Ohh, dont lie. And dont try to compliment me just to shirk your fault."

Miss Kim suddenly blushed. She touched her reddened cheeks.

"Huh? Im not trying to compliment you. I am just saying what I have in mind at-"

"Alright, alright. You win. I will let you off. I will not call any cops. Gosh. Young man these days only great at nothing but wooing a girl. " She shook her head, with a pitying expression.

"Woo? Who? Im just-"

"What about this. You dont have to pay for medical fees. Just buy me a new jacket like what I wear right now. Give me your phone."

She took Ren's phone from his front pocket in a flash then call her number,..

"Hey, what are you-"

smile..!

...and took a cute selfie with it

"Hey! Why-"

....and gave it back in seconds. Without giving him, any time to react.

"Okay. Here is my phone number. I already save yours. Ill take the jacket when Im free. Dont you dare to run. Or else humph..! I need to prepare for my class. Bye. "

And then she left with a great stride. Once for a while, she looked at her herself on the phone. And laughed.

"Wait a minu-,. hey, hey.. Miss!! "

By the time Ren came to his senses, that teacher Kim was already went into the building. Just like that, without having any chance to react, the crisis had been defused (?).

He could only blame his bad luck having running into such a formidable existence. The only thing he could do now was to look for that kind of jacket like the one she wore in the photo. It could not be helped since it was true that he was the one at fault.

Some people, felt happy that they laughed in the morning; some people, suffered anxiety that they prayed hard in the morning, and some people experienced something unbelievable even when they still have white breath, wallowing in their fortune. No matter what occasions, the morning would still have to come to an end.

...^^^***^^^...