Allea’s POV

 

 

I pulled away from him. Perhaps I’m enjoying the dance too much.

“Right, I should return this to her.” I told Kwangmin and hurriedly left.

I couldn’t find my cousin anywhere in the gym so I went out knowing where she could be. And I was right, she is in the school’s greenhouse but what I didn’t expect is that she was with Youngmin. She was playing the piano, probably showing off or weirdly doing it for the plants. I was on my way in to interrupt their romantic moment when someone from behind pulled me back with great force and pushed me against a huge old tree. I was going to scream that moment when his hand covered my mouth.

“Can’t you see they need privacy?” It was just Kwangmin, thank god.

I pulled his hand off my mouth while he peeked behind the tree.

“Hey, I thought you like my cousin?” I asked him still leaning against the tree.

“Sssh…keep you voice down.” He said and I felt reality hit me. I blushed when I realized he was so close to me that I could feel his warm breath and his heartbeat. “I love her, that’s why I want her to be happy.”

I bowed my head down. Is that what love really means? What a joke!

“You watch too much drama.” I told him.

“Well your selfish and naïve.”

“What??? Seriously??? You’re not a gentleman at all. How can you say that right in front of me???” I almost exploded but then, it hit me. It’s all true. But what can I do? I was never loved so how will I know what the heck love is?

“Hey, don’t cry.” He said when I suddenly went silent.

I was actually not going to cry but when his hands suddenly wrapped me, tears started to swell. I never really see this guy as a man but why on earth couldn’t I pull myself off from his hug?

“Alright, I’m sorry for saying that.” He apologized with a chuckle.

I don’t know whether he was making fun of me or if he really is sorry for his mistake but what I know is, I do like the feeling of him hugging me. It’s the first time I felt someone really cared. I could feel my heart beating faster this time and it made my tears fall.

“Eh, guys???” Minwoo suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

To all of the people in school that night, why on earth was it Minwoo, the innocent little kid saw that scene?

My eyes grew wide in surprise. I pulled him away from me and I backed off only to bump the huge old tree’s trunk.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I was just passing by when I heard voices.“ He explained scratching his head. “You can go on with what you’re doing, I’ll go.”

I pinned my eyes to the ground in embarrassment.

“Minwoo-ah,” I heard my cousin’s voice coming closer. “Why are you—“

Youngmin and my cousin froze with surprised eyes when they turned to our direction.

“Right, now everyone misunderstood it.” I spoke with only Kwangmin hearing it.

I slowly walked away heading back to the gym alone. I lay my hand on my chest and made a blowfish expression. Finally, my heart is back to normal.

----

Kwangmin’s POV

 

I don’t know what went inside their minds that they keep bugging me about Allea. I was just being nice and there’s nothing wrong with that. Is there?

 

 

Two days before we go back to Korea and I’m in the library with the new couple: ~~~ and Youngmin; and Jeongmin-hyung.

“So you mean Allea’s parents are both Korean, right? Then why does she live here?” Jeongmin asked the story teller, ~~~.

“Well her mother is not totally Korean.” She said sharing a book with Youngmin.

“If her mother’s dead, what about her father?” I asked while reading a book.

“Hey, guys.” Allea suddenly came.

“Well I guess you gotta ask her yourself.” ~~~ whispered to us.

“Hey, ~~~, I—“ Jeongmin broke her sentence.

“Guys, I remember there’s something Donghyun-hyung wants me to do. I’m going already, bye guys.”

We watched him go out of the library.

“~~~, there’s something—“ She said again when Youngmin butted in.

“Hey ~~~-ah, I got something for you outside. Come on!”

Seriously??? Are they doing this to me as a punishment of what? I didn’t do anything.

“Hey, ~~~. I need to talk to you!” She yelled but none of them heard her.

The couple were already outside when she decided to catch up to them. She was holding the door handle to open the door wider but she tripped which caused the door to shut loudly.

“Ouch!” She groaned scratching her head.

I get up from my seat to help her up.

“Are you alright?” I asked her chuckling, finding her stupidity funny.

“I am not, so stop laughing!” She tried to stand up but she failed. “Ow!”

“Your ankle is twisted.” I said examining her ankle now getting red.

--------

Allea’s POV

 

 

“Hey, Kwangmin put me down!!! What are you do you think you’re doing?!” I yelled when he lifted me up. He was stronger than I thought—manlier than I thought.

I blushed when I realized my eyes were glued on him.

“Stay there; I’ll go call the others for help.” He said then hurried up to the door.

He was standing there much too long than the usual duration of opening the door.

“What are you still doing there? Open the door!” I shouted.

“It’s locked!!!” He shouted back.

Those two words rang over and over in my head. The worse thing about it is the fact that I caused it. It was locked because of my clumsiness. And the other worse thing is that it could only be opened through the owner’s fingerprint!!! ARRRGGHHH!!!

“You got your phone?” I asked Kwangmin.

“My phone doesn’t work here in your country so I didn’t bring it with me.” He explained.

“Then I guess I gotta make a call.” I dialed Faye. Surely she got ~~~’s number unlike me, the uncaring evil cousin who doesn’t even have her number.

“Hello?” Faye asked at the other end.

“Can you pass on to me ~~~’s digits? This is an emergency and I got no second to talk to you about anything else so just pass it on. Again I repeat: Pass on to me ~~~’s digits!!!” I abruptly said then ended the call.

“That was way unfriendly. That’s not how you ask a favor.” Kwangmin corrected me.

“If you just know I’m saving up my phone’s battery cause in any minute now it’ll be gone. And that can’t be happening.” I said irritated.

“Learn to be calm, you know. You are always losing your temper.” He advised. “Does your ankle still hurt?”

I just nodded and prevented to talk. My phone suddenly vibrated and I hurriedly picked it up from the table. What a heartbreak!!!

“What?” Kwangmin asked seeing my horrified face.

“Battery’s dead.”

 

 

He sat beside me reading a book. I rested my head on the table staring at him. Why couldn’t my eyes get contented with a peek? I hate how I’m slowly getting immune being with this guy.

“Hey, stop staring at me. I couldn’t concentrate with what I’m reading.” He said and I nearly cursed him for being overconfident.

“Well nobody told you to concentrate on me.” I said calmly like what he said.

And just this suddenly he leaned in closer to me putting his book down. My heart raced again. Blood all over my body was boiling, maybe irritated. No, not irritated. It’s something unexplainable.

“I wonder why you keep turning red when I am this close to you.” He teased me again.

“It’s simply because I’m allergic to you.”

That did it. He leaned back and held his book again.

“So what about your father?” He asked me out of the blue.

“He’s dead.” I lied.

“He’s not.”

“Ok so he’s alive. What about him?”

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know.” But he just gave me a scolding look. “All I know is that he’s still in the universe, in the Milky Way, in the solar system, here on earth. That’s all I know nothing else.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“I’m not lying. Don’t accuse me of lying.” I defended. “I only see him for like… twice, once a year. Or sometimes I don’t.”

“Then that is maybe the reason why you’re like that.” He pointed.

“Like this? Why, what am I? How am I acting? Who am I?” I seriously said. But I know there’s no correct term to describe me. “Am I bad? No? I’m worse right?”

“Yes, you are.” He said without hesitating.

I leaned back staring blankly at the glass window.

“You really don’t get your lesson. Can you stop being honest when you’re with me?” I wailed.

“You’re crying again?” He asked with a laugh.

“Yes, but it’s because of the fact that I’m stuck here with you.”

His arm was on my back resting on my chair. He pulled my head to his shoulder like those ones in a romantic movie. I felt safe; his hands now patting my head softly.

“I’m sorry for being here stuck with you.” He apologized. “But if you got a chance to pick, who would you want to be stuck in here with?”

I thought hard. Who do I have? Kaye? I’ll just get bored with her life stories. Nico? He’ll never talk to me. Youngmin? He would never be bewitched by me.

“I guess I really don’t have anyone whom I’ll enjoy being with.” Reality hit me again. I have no one. “I guess I’m a loner. Nobody really likes me.”

“Then consider it luck being stuck here with me.”

“Thanks.” I said out of the blue.

“For what?”
“For being stuck here with me.” He smiled and continued patting my head like his dog. I closed my eyes and it came to my senses how lucky I am really to be with him. I just wish it’ll be like this for a long time.