Sooyoung sat on the ledge of the rooftop, letting his feet dangle in the open air. Raising his face to the moon, he began to hum a melancholy melody. It was the melody of sorrow, pain and tears. Sooyoung traced the charm of the necklace with his long, slender fingers as the memories of hundreds of years came bounding back. His face fell with each memory that passed his mind. Sighing, he closed his eyes and continued to hum the melody. Jessica, who had been following Sooyoung all the while, watched as the boy leaned back on one hand and watched the moon. Jessica wondered why he was watching the moon. Does he always do that? What a strange boy. Jessica crept up to him, but stopped in her tracks when Sooyoung turned his head to the left.

“I can hear you, you know,” he said, his voice was cold, but he was forcing himself to thaw out the ice and replace it with warmth.

Jessica froze, not even daring to breathe. “How could you hear me? I was as quiet as I could ever be.”

Sooyoung shrugged carelessly and turned to look at her with an amused expression. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Hmm…you came up here after me?” Sooyoung averted his lazy eyes towards her.

Jessica swore she saw a flash of red in Sooyoung’s eyes. The irises diluted and flashed red before changing back to their normal brown. Jessica blinked rapidly, not able to believe what she had just saw.

“Go back to your dorm, Ms Jung,” Sooyoung waved her away. “I’m sure you need all the sleep you can get.”

“As if you don’t need any sleep,” Jessica retorted, unable to stop herself.

“How do I sleep when this beauty is watching me? How do I fall asleep knowing that she is going to leave me in the morning?” Sooyoung looked at the moon with such loving and affectionate eyes.

Jessica laughed incredulously. She couldn’t decide whether to feel sorry for Sooyoung, who had fallen in love with the moon, or to feel sorry for herself for envying the moon.

“O…kay. You’re drunk,” Jessica jabbed an accusing finger in his direction.

“Maybe. But who cares? When you’ve seen sights, done things you shouldn’t have, I’m sure it’s a nice change to get drunk once in a while.”

“Uhuh. You shouldn’t be out here; you’ll get a cold.”

“You shouldn’t be out here, Jessica Jung, you’ll get a cold,” Sooyoung replied.

“You watch the moon every night?” Jessica decided to change the subject as she sat next to Sooyoung.

Sooyoung glanced at her, as if he was giving her credit for staying. Then, his expression softened and his voice was coated with a kind of love that Jessica had never seen before. It was sweet, yet harsh. It was smooth, yet rough. Jessica couldn’t describe it, but she knew that she wanted to hear that from Sooyoung again.

“It reminds me of someone I knew some time ago,” Sooyoung smiled at the moon wistfully.

Jessica turned away when his eyes flashed a pale blue. “Are you sick or something? Your eyes flash different colours.”

“Genetic disorder,” Sooyoung answered finally and shortly, as if he didn’t want her to dwell on the subject.

“It’s cool,” Jessica said softly. Sooyoung’s ears perked up, and he turned to look at Jessica with wide, curious eyes.

“You think so?” his eyes became liquid brown, expressing his happiness. “I’ve never had anyone say that before. Everyone thinks it’s strange. You’re the first.”

He gave her a heart-warming smile that melted Jessica’s ice heart. As he felt happy, Jessica was happy too. She felt good just by knowing that he was feeling delighted. It reflected in those beautiful features, those lovely brown eyes.

“I don’t see why people should think it’s weird. I think they’re beautiful.”

Sooyoung took her hand and put it on his head in a gesture of patting him. He smiled sheepishly at her as he patted himself with Jessica’s hand.

“Thank you, it really means a lot to me,” Sooyoung said, releasing her hand.

Jessica felt disappointment when he let go of her hand. It felt cold and empty without Sooyoung’s warmth.

“But why does it affect you when you’re hungry?”

Sooyoung frowned at her question. “It happens more frequently when I’m hungry, that’s why.”

“Who does the moon remind you of?” Jessica asked, deciding to change the subject.

Sooyoung was quiet for some time, a faint smile gracing her face. When he spoke, his voice was velvety and soft. “Someone very dear to me.”

“Really?  Who was that person? Your girlfriend?”

Sooyoung barked a laugh. “Hmm…if people nowadays would call it that.”

“Why? What happened to her?”

“She died some time ago.”

“Oh,” Jessica cursed herself for bringing up the matter. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“Of course not, and there is nothing to be sorry for. She was gone before your time.”

Jessica was confused by Sooyoung’s words. What did he mean by that? Before she could ask anything else, he stood up and dusted his clothes. Jessica realised that his shirt was ed and it exposed his toned, well-sculpted body. He draped his blazer over Jessica’s shoulders.

“It’s a cold night tonight. Be sure you’re warm. It’d kill me if you were to fall sick,” Sooyoung said wryly.

Jessica smacked him on the arm. It was hard, but Sooyoung didn’t even seem to feel it. Instead, he was still looking at her with that teasing light in his eyes.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“No,” he mused. “Temperature doesn’t really affect me, I guess. It’s late. You should get some sleep. You don’t want to be sleeping in class again tomorrow, now do you?”

“What if I do?”

“Then I’ll just wake you up,” Sooyoung buttoned up his shirt, leaving only two buttons untouched.

Readers’ Note:

Let me clear up a few things. Firstly, Jessica is dating the school heartthrob, Kwon Yuri, meaning that she is the target of many girls who are envious of hers and Yuri’s relationship. Sooyoung is somewhat of a messed-up ‘guardian angel’, who have failed before and is being punished for failing to protect, Soo-Yeon. Soo-Yeon is dead, and Jessica is alive. They only resemble each other, attracting Sooyoung to her. I hope things are clearer now.

Thank you for reading!

Yours Faithfully
Jazzign