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Chapter 5: Calming a Storm – December 28, 2020

Something was bothering Jumi.  Jimin could tell.  The night of the wedding he’d brought her home.  She’d headed to the bathroom to take a hot shower.  She’d disappeared in there for over half an hour.  When he’d finally wandered down to her room, he’d found her sound asleep.  But she’d appeared to have cried herself to sleep.  And she hadn’t been the same since.

He gazed down at his bowl of rice.  They were eating dinner together in his room.  Sitting on his bed as they often did.  But Jumi wasn’t eating.  She was staring out into space.

“Where are you?” he bent his head towards her and whispered in her ear.

She jumped and turned towards him, her lips nearly grazing his own.  But she sighed as he didn’t seem to notice.

“I’m right here,” she whispered across his lips.

Jimin pulled abruptly away from her.  Every day it got harder not to reach for her.  Not to pull her into his arms and ravish her lips with his own.  But Jumi had made it clear several times that she just wanted to be friends.  He had felt her withdrawing from him.  He couldn’t quite explain what made him think so.  

“Jumi.  What’s wrong?”

She gazed up at him.

I’m in love with my best friend.  But he’s never looked at me the way he looked at another girl a few nights ago.

Her eyes traced his lovely features.

“I love you,” she admitted.

He grinned at her.  “I love you too, Jumi.”  Then he reached up and tweaked her nose.  Like she was a five-year-old.

She sighed.  “I need to find a job.  I have eight weeks to work before school starts again.“

“Maybe you can help Harmony in her shop.”

She shook her head.  “I can’t hide behind you and your grandma forever, Jimin.  I’ve got to learn to stand on my own two feet.  I’m going to go apply for everything within walking distance today.”

He just looked down at her.  

—

Several hours later, she walked home exhausted.  Yet triumphant.  She had wandered into dozens of shops that day to apply for a job.  She’d been met with no enthusiasm.  Until she’d stepped into the last shop.  A bakery.

There had been only one guy working behind the counter.  And he’d looked positively swamped.  But she hadn’t paid too much attention to him.  Her focus had been drawn to a little boy in the dining area.  He’d been sitting in a corner throwing an absolute temper tantrum in full view of the entire restaurant.  He had flung himself on the floor and screamed.

Jumi had, for some unidentifiable reason, completely understood his pain.  She had also felt the distress emanating from the other customers.  So she’d slipped over into the corner.  And noticed the mortified expression on his eomma’s face as she tried – to no avail – to distract her son.

“Can I help you?” Jumi asked the distraught woman.

She shook her head.  “He has autism.  When he gets like this, nothing calms him down.”

“May I try?” Jumi asked quietly.

“At this point, you can’t make it worse,” the sad woman responded.

Jumi reached into her purse and pulled something out.  Then she sat down next to the little boy on the floor.  

“Mmm.  I just love lollipops.  Should I eat the grape one or the cherry?”  She turned her head towards the screaming boy.  “Which would you pick?  Purple or red?  They’re both so good.  I find it hard to choose.”

She was speaking in a calm, well-modulated tone despite the fact that he was practically screaming in her ear now.  She held the lollipops up in front of his face.  Suddenly, he stopped screaming.

“Which do you like?” she asked him point-blank.

He reached up and grabbed both before scrambling into his chair.  Like he was afraid she’d take them away.  

His eomma gasped and turned towards Jumi, “I am so sorry.  I’ll make him give them back.”

“No!” Jumi rushed to stop the coming confrontation.  “He can have them.  I was just trying to calm him down.  I don’t care about the candy.”  Then she smiled in her sweet way before standing up.

“Thank you,” his eomma responded gratefully.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Jumi replied, “I need to apply for a job here.”

“Wait,” the woman spoke again, “you’re looking for a job?”

Jumi nodded.  

“I would like you to apply at my son’s school.”

Shocked, Jumi stared at her.  “What?”

“His teacher needs an aide.  You would be a perfect fit.”

“I don’t have an education degree.  I’m sorry.”

“The position doesn’t require that.  Only a year of college.  Do you have that?”

Jumi nodded.  “I do.  Three semesters, actually.”

“You are a natural for working with distressed children.  Please apply.  Do you have a phone?  I’ll type the information in.  If you’re interested.”

Jumi frowned.  “Where is the school?”

“It’s just around the corner.  We’re headed back there in a few minutes.  I just picked him up during my lunch hour to buy him a treat.”  She turned to smile at her son.  “Apparently, he likes candy better than pastries.”

Jumi chuckled.  “Can I walk back to his school with you?”

“Yes!” The woman’s eyes lit up.  “I can introduce you to his teacher and tell her what happened.”

“Honestly, I think it was just the candy.  And they probably wouldn’t let me use candy at a school.”

The mother gave her a measured glance.  “It wasn’t just the candy…What’s your name?”

“Jumi.”

“Baekho,” his eomma addressed him, “this kind girl is named Jumi.  Jumi wants to walk back to school with us.  Would that be okay?”

He suddenly shifted his attention to Jumi.  And grinned as he bobbed his head.  “Walk back to school with Jumi,” he agreed.

“Shall we go?” the woman asked Jumi.

She nodded.  They stood up, and the little boy followed suit.  As Jumi watched him, he tugged on her heartstrings.  Something about him reminded her of herself when she’d been cowering in some dark corner as a child.  Fearful her appa would pounce.  

“Baekho, I’m Jumi.  Can I hold your hand?”

“Oh, no, he won’t let —“

Baekho reached out and slipped his fingers into Jumi’s hand.  His eomma glanced up in surprise and met Jumi’s eye. 

“He’s never done that before.  He doesn’t usually like to be touched.”

Jumi shrugged.  “Ready to go?” she asked the little boy.  

He nodded and tugged her towards the door as he popped the second sucker in his mouth.  His mother watched in wonder as her son welcomed Jumi’s attention.  They walked in silence to the school.  Except that occasionally Baekho would comment on something they were passing to draw his new friend’s attention to it.

A few minutes later, Jumi had been introduced to his teacher, a Miss Choi, who was instantly impressed by Jumi’s calm demeanor.  The girl had entered the classroom with Baekho and allowed him to tug her towards his table.  She’d sat down with him while his eomma explained her presence.  Miss Choi had watched Jumi interact with Baekho before she’d turned her attention to the only other person seated at his table.  A tiny girl who was staring blankly at the wall.

“Baekho,” she asked, “who is your friend?”

“Not my friend.  That’s Bohee,” he responded petulantly.

“Are you sure she’s not your friend?  She sure looks like she needs a friend,” she commented quietly.

Baekho seemed to consider the girl for a few moments.

“Bohee, I’m Jumi,” she spoke gently to the girl.

But the little lass simply ignored her.

So Jumi turned her attention to Baekho.  “Hey, Baekho, do you have a piece of paper I could have and some crayons I could use?”

He nodded and found some in his bag.  He set them on the table in front of her.

“Baekho, Bohee,” she addressed both children, “I love music.  And I write songs.  Would you like me to write you a song?”

Suddenly, Bohee’s head pivoted towards her.  “You write songs?” she breathed.

Jumi nodded.  “I play the piano.  I’ve just written a melody that has no words yet.  But now I’m going to put words to it for you.”  She picked up the crayon and began to write down the lyrics as she sang them.

“Trapped in a black-and-white world,

I’m just an ordinary girl.

Waiting for my rainbow,

Waiting for my moonglow.

Waiting for true love to show.

Waiting for a friend, you know.”

“Sing it again!” cried the little girl.  Excitement was dancing in her eyes.

Jumi sang it again.  Then she said, “How about another verse?  Maybe from Baekho’s perspective?”

She cleared her throat.  Then she began to sing again as other children migrated to their table.

“Trapped in a corner, no joy,

I’m just an ordinary boy.

Waiting for my daydream.

Waiting for my sunbeam.

Waiting for true love to gleam.

Waiting for a friend, it seems.”

As she hummed, another student began to clap.  “Sing more!  Sing more!”

These words were greeted by several other children exclaiming some sort of agreement.

“All right,” Jumi responded.  “Well, it needs a chorus.”  She began to hum again.

“Now I’ve met you.

What can I do?

I think I love you.

I think I need you.

“Your eyes, they shine.

Wanna make them mine.

Your smile too

Could bring me through.

“Can we be friends?

To the very end?

Will you hold my hand?

Help me understand?

“I need you, friend.

To comprehend.

Please come sing with me

Just wanna be free.”

By the time she finished developing the chorus, nearly the whole class was surrounding her.  She glanced up as she finished writing the lyrics.

“Can you play it?” one small child asked as she pointed at the piano in the corner.

“Oh,” Jumi replied with a smile.  “We need to ask Miss Choi.”

As one, the whole group turned beseeching eyes on their teacher.  Miss Choi laughed.  

“By all means,” she murmured, gesturing to the worn piano.

Jumi stood up and took her piece of paper to the piano.  Then she began to sing the song through from start to finish.

“Trapped in a black-and-white world,

I’m just an ordinary girl.

Waiting for my rainbow,

Waiting for my moonglow.

Waiting for true love to show.

Waiting for a friend, you know.”

Then she played a few bars before beginning the chorus.

“Now I’ve met you.

What can I do?

I think I love you.

I think I need you.

“Your eyes, they shine.

Wanna make them mine.

Your smile too

Could bring me through.

“Can we be friends?

To the very end?

Will you hold my hand?

Help me understand?

“I need you, friend.

To comprehend.

Please come sing with me

Just wanna be free.”

She vocalized a bit as she played the airy interlude again.  Then she sang the second verse.  

“Trapped in a corner, no joy,

I’m just an ordinary boy.

Waiting for my daydream.

Waiting for my sunbeam.

Waiting for true love to gleam.

Waiting for a friend, it seems.”

This time a few children joined her in singing the chorus.  When they finished, Miss Choi clapped her hands.

“Bravo!” she shouted.  “Class, do you enjoy singing with Miss Jumi?”

Many of them nodded while a couple shouted, “Yes!”

“Shall we invite Miss Jumi to spend the remainder of our class time with us today?”

“Yes!”

Many nods greeted the teacher’s question.

One little girl walked up to Jumi and held her hand out to her.  “Wanna sit at my table?”

“Hey!  She’s my friend!” Baekho took exception to the girl’s sweet request.

Jumi glanced up at him.  “I am Baekho’s friend.  But, Baekho, surely we have room in our hearts for another friend.”  She glanced down at the little lass.  “What’s your name?”

The tiny girl beamed.  “Gyudam.”

“Gyudam, would you like to sit at the table with me and Baekho?”

And so began a beautiful friendship.  And Jumi’s first day of an intriguing, new job.