Park and Violet (18 page)

      What on earth was happening?

      The sight had Violet rooted to the ground, just a few feet away from the gates, her gaze hopelessly drawn to the painfully unfamiliar sight of Park being receptive, if not responsive, to other girls’ overtures.

      Seeing him like this made Violet realize how much she had taken his Nordic ogre ways for granted. Dear God, she prayed desperately, if I survive this, I will never complain that he’s an Asian Yeti ever again. She would even try not to get mad every time he grunted his way through mornings. Oh God, she would take the blond gorilla jerk anytime over this…this seductively mysterious stranger.

      “Hi, Violet.” Every boy who passed her by greeted her, their voices ranging from shy to excited.

      She barely noticed them. She still couldn’t stop staring at the way this quiet, mysterious, non-scowling Park was drawing girls to him like bees to honey.

      The school bell rang. The girls began to leave and Violet was about to turn away herself when she saw one of the few remaining girls at Park’s side steal a kiss, her lips landing dangerously close to Park’s mouth.

      Violet turned around and walked away. She had seen enough.

      “Hey, Violet.” Park was suddenly walking next to her. “Didn’t you hear me calling?”

      She didn’t say anything.

      “What’s the hurry?” Park asked innocently.

      Violet gritted her teeth. “Nothing,” she snapped.

      “But you look angry,” Park remarked.

      “Good of you to notice, now shoo! Go away.”

      When he did just that, Violet let out a shriek.

      It was all the warning he had before the screaming banshee from his nightmares was back. Violet launched herself up in his back and began pulling his hair hard.

      “Ouch! Dammit, stop it! Ouch!” Park finally managed to pull Violet away from his back. Jeez! Didn’t she realize she had the entire school staring at them? “What’s gotten into you?”

      Violet took a deep breath and then spat out in Spanish, “I hate you!” She knew Park didn’t speak a word of Spanish, and it was the only reason she felt safe revealing her emotions this way. Finally, her love for languages was put to some use!

      Park’s eyes narrowed. He might not have understood what Violet had said, but he was goddamn sure it wasn’t nice. “What did you say?” he asked ominously.

      “I hate you, hate you, hate you, because I love you!” she answered still in Spanish.

      “This is how you want to play it?” he demanded.

      Violet raised her chin.

      “Fine.” And he said in Korean, “You flirt too much. I think you’re obsessed with other guys’ attention, and I think it’s pathetic that you’re using it to get to me. Yes, I’m attracted to you but the true reason I’m letting you in my life is because I can fuck you whenever I want.”

      “Thank you,” Violet said stiffly and waved her iPhone on his face. “I’ll let you know what I have to say when I get this translated by Jun-Yee.” She had recorded every word he said.

      And that was the moment Park realized he was in big trouble.

* * * *

      Violet had skipped her classes for the day. He had found out about it too late, though, and Park knew whatever chances he had of reversing the tide were slim to none by the time he arrived at their workplace, still breathing hard after getting off the bus before its stop and just running all the way here.

      Park rehearsed what he would say to Violet in his mind, but all his plans instantly crumbled when he saw Violet and Jun-Yee standing at one corner of the store. They looked at him almost simultaneously, Jun-Yee appearing disapproving and embarrassed while Violet looked…blank.

      Shit.

      This look was even worse than seeing Violet breaking down because of Schwartz, and it became even a hundred times more agonizing knowing he had been the one to make Violet look that way.

      “Violet.” Park struggled to sound calm as he swiftly strolled to her side.

      “Excuse me,” Violet said very politely before moving away.

Chapter Fourteen

      Tonight was the third day that Park and Violet hadn’t gone to work together, the third night they hadn’t gone home together, and just about the third day straight they hadn’t exchanged one word.

      Was this it?

      If so, Violet was bloody smart because it was the best way to torture Park.

      At first, he had been more than wary, waiting for what Violet would do. He had expected for her to ignore him, yes, but Park was waiting for the ultimate revenge act. He imagined her making him insanely jealous, which would be agonizing, but he’d bear it. He imagined Violet publicly humiliating him, which was also bad but again, he was prepared to bear it.

      Whatever it was, he wanted it to happen and get it over with as quickly as possible just so he could finally apologize and things would return to normal.

      But nothing happened.

      And when the fourth day had passed, Park realized that nothing would really happen. For Violet, he was good as dead.

* * * *

      “Violet.” It was pure chance that he had finally gotten a hold of her, and Park made his move, blocking her way so she would not have any choice but to look at him. He devoured her with his gaze. It felt like centuries since he had last seen her. It could be his imagination, but Violet seemed even more beautiful than he remembered.

      She was dressed in another one of her Tokyo doll outfits—her words, not his—the kind that was skimpy and lacy and guaranteed to have men’s eyeballs popping out at how stunning she looked.

      Park. It was Park catching hold of her wrist. For one fraction of a second, fury and hurt rushed up simultaneously to her heart, making Violet unable to breathe.

      But when she turned to him, her eyes were just questioning. “Yes?” She deserved a freaking Oscar just for managing to say that without breaking down. He was so gorgeous, with the kind of presence that had every girl sit up and take notice the moment he passed by. Gazing at him, Violet still couldn’t believe that someone who looked so perfect could hide such a cruel side.

      She was only a fucking lay to him.

      Even Andrew hadn’t just wanted her for sex.

      The still-blank look on Violet’s face made him tired and stupid, embarrassingly so, all of a sudden. “I’m sorry,” he said raggedly.

      “You should be.”

      But there was no accusation in her voice, that frustrated him, scared him. “I didn’t mean a word I said.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I just wanted to hurt you somehow.” When she still didn’t say anything, he gritted out, “Did you hear what I just said? I said I was fucking sorry?”

      And that was supposed to make things go back to normal between them?

      Even as she pretended to blink in confusion, Violet couldn’t prevent bitterness from clogging her voice as she asked, “Why are you shouting at me?”

      The words made him mentally stumble. He hadn’t even realized he had been shouting. Tightening his grip while doing his best not to hurt her, Park repeated flatly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

But you did, and there’s no taking it back.

      The old Violet would have said that to his face, but not this new bitterly cautious version of her. She would have forgiven others for a lot more than what he said or did but not Park–not when she had trusted him so much.

     
The true reason I’m letting you in my life is because I can fuck you whenever I want.

      Remembering his words helped Violet speak. In a gentle but emotionless voice, she murmured, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. In a way, it had to be said. I had to realize that what we had wasn’t good.”

      All Park could do was gaze at Violet, unable to believe what he had just heard her say. “It wasn’t!”

      Violet flinched, not expecting he would agree so quickly. When Park cursed, she flinched again.

      “Fuck! I didn’t mean it like that. I meant…” He inhaled sharply, struggling to stay focused on making Violet see reason even when he felt his entire world was crashing on him. Vanessa leaving him had made him waver between depression and rage. But this–it felt like Violet saying goodbye to Park, and just the thought of it made him feel panicky and unable to breathe.

      “I didn’t mean it like that,” he tried explaining again, his voice tense. “What I wanted to say was that it was good between us.” When Violet still didn’t say anything, Park couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to shake her. “It was good, dammit!”

      Yes, it had been good.

      Fucking good.

      Violet closed her eyes. “Even if it was, it’s just not going to work anymore.” She said slowly, “But I’m not mad at you. What you said hurt but it was true. It opened my eyes, and…you changed my life, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

      Park whitened at Violet’s words. He had a feeling that she was getting to something—something he couldn’t quite see just yet but he knew, all he could be sure of was that it would hurt, maybe even hurt more than how Violet felt when he said those fucking stupid words.

      Violet reached out to touch his cheek, and he flinched. “Only you, Park,” she whispered. “Only you made me believe in love again so now I’m free to fall in love once more, thanks to you.”

      And then she was walking away, leaving Park stranded in the cold and empty trap he had laid for himself.

* * * *

      Another week of silence passed between Park and Violet.

      He was still in shock, and over and over her last words played in his mind.

      She was thankful to him. He had freed her to fall in love again.

      With another guy of course.

      Park wanted to slit his throat at the thought. He wanted to lie down on a bloody highway and wait for trucks to drive over his body and shatter his bones to pieces. Maybe then the gnawing hurting emptiness inside him would stop.

      He hadn’t thought he would fucking miss her this much. How the hell had she managed to get under his skin so deeply it felt like having her out of his life was having a piece of him torn away?

      Ever since she had said those words, Park was unable to keep himself from watching Violet, practically stalking from afar. The little changes he noticed were no comfort. If anything, they made him feel more desperate…more afraid.

      Violet wasn’t flirting with any guy outright–not in school, not in work, not anywhere. It would have been better if she had. At least that would mean she still cared enough to make Park jealous.

      But Violet wasn’t flirting, which meant she didn’t care for him anymore, and that was what was killing him.

      She was so much more subtle these days, as if she wanted to make sure that nothing she did would even tempt him to think she was trying to get his attention. Those small changes stood out in his vision like blood red spots that reminded him of what he had stupidly thrown away. Violet’s smiles appeared more often now, and she let other men closer, too.

      Sometimes, she would let one guy hold her hand, just a little longer than it should be. Other times, she would actually reach out to brush her fingers against another man’s arms, so quickly Park could have told himself he had just imagined it.

      And today was no different.

      Park had taken a different route to home, and he almost did a double take when he realized that he was staring at Violet across the street, her movements furtive as if she was hiding from someone.

      When Lee, that fucking green-eyed ass who was everything Park wasn’t: nice, gentlemanly, and with a goddamn smile always on his lips, took her hand before they started walking together, Park realized sickly that Violet was hiding from him.

      She was laughing. Her face was so carefree. Lee was probably halfway to falling in love with Violet already. Park followed them without thought, unable to take his gaze away from Violet. She was so beautiful he ached for her, kept dreaming of her.

      He frowned when they stopped outside a karaoke bar, just standing there as if waiting. Park scanned the surroundings and cursed when he realized what was taking place inside the bar. A fucking
goukon
—a group date solely organized to hook couples up.

      Violet really was looking for a boyfriend.

      And here he was, standing here, allowing what was once his to belong to someone else.

* * * *

      Violet didn’t have to fake a startled shriek when someone suddenly snatched her hand from Lee’s from behind. She turned around, tensing when she saw the furious tic in Park’s jaw, his eyes blazing as he looked at Lee.

      She had known–she had always known that Park had been following her all this time. Had he really thought she wouldn’t? She was Violet York, and in spite of what happened with Andrew, she didn’t forget the one or two things she had learned about boys thanks to her extensive dating history.