NINE

 ‘How can you be this cute…’

‘…Joy?’

Snap!

Particular blonde shot her sleepy eyes wide open.

Drips of water was heard outside her gloomy windows.

The sky’s crying again.

One gloomy morning with drops of liquid was enough for lazy adults to skip work, ungrateful students to ditch school, even her to stay at home, all day.

Painful groan broke out the deadpan silence inside that green bedroom.

‘How can you be this cute… Joy?’

Joy…

Joy...

Joy?

“JOY!”

“Hallelujah!” She instantly shot straight awake on her squeezy bed. “Dad! You surprised me.”

“You’re awake?”

“Thanks to you.” The grumpy youngster grabbed a tip of her blanket then covered her full body in answer to her upset mind.

“I’ll hit the office now. Don’t forget to bring your umbrella, baby.”

Her dad her head over that comfortable layer before giving an audible smooch without actually kissing her.

“Hmm.” The blonde replied

Joy…

Reddish tinge stained her mocha cheeks.

Joy…

The corner of her cheeks touched the ears. Kept widening the more she thought about it,

Joy…

She liked it.

Every word was sounded like a heaven song that was being sung in God’s house when she –a certain orange-haired- said that. Every air that she breathed out was like lavender’s scent from a field of heaven’s flowers.

Suddenly Joy felt something was tickling her. Not things which cause her skin to itch, but something from her inside. Attempted in decreasing that feeling, she turned around facing the mirror there, and accidently met with her own reflection.

Joy…

“Kyaaa!”

Joy hid her whole body inside the blanket. But that thing didn’t last long cause the atmosphere around her was suddenly flaming hot.

Joy…

“Stop it!”

She kicked her blanket hard until it fell down while stomping her whole body onto the bed. Much like a stranded fish near the shore.

The shore of love.

Love…

“What the hell Park Sooyoung!” she shouted, much to herself.

Tired of whiling around with her spontaneous movements, she laid down, trying to ease her own breath –her own heart to be exact.

She just stayed like that for a good long.

Clocking sound had passed thousand times when the blonde got up sluggishly. She yawned and stretched her body with much grumpiness. Grabbing a towel then headed toward her bathroom.

Drops of water still faithfully decorating her morning until she finished taking a quick bath. Gotten out from there, unconcerned wind touched her milky white skin.

She shivered.

Papers…

Today was the time for her class to presenting the already discussed topic. With upset pout, she grabbed those papers, shoving them into a brownish envelope. She then snatched her umbrella.

The outside was much more colder than she thought. Joy tightened her grip on the jacket, in hope that that would keep her warm.

Thirty minutes trip with bus was enough to drive her close to the campus gate.

She let her sneakers paced the unavoidable muddy water on the streets. Staining them.

Joy walked while staring at her white sneaker which now already turned grey.

Left, right, left, right

Left, right, left, left-

A pair of shoes which looked a lot cleaner than hers paced up in the opposite turns with Joy’s

“Hi”

That heavy voice was sounded melodious when she heard it. Trembling, she tried to look up and saw the face of the person who walked beside her.

Kang Seulgi.

The one who made her heart bungeejumping these last few days. The one who indeliberately had been breezing her nights and warming her mornings. The one that recently always came out in her prayers.

Joy couldn’t dare to answer, moreover to stare at the object who’d been ghosting her mind. And Seulgi had to worsen it while she said that word again, which Joy not accustomed to hear it –yet.

“…Joy.”

Whilst smiling at ease she synchronized her steps with Joy’s.

“H-hi.” Stuttered, Joy tried to look at her. Still, when their eyes met, the blonde tripped over her own foot and about to be the target of attention if Seulgi did not sprightly help balancing her body before her face hit the concrete floor.

“Careful, you fool.”

Those words sounded incredibly soft, incredibly close to Joy’s ear. Sending an electrifying sensation to all of her limbs.

That sting made Joy pull her arm which still in Seulgi’s grip with reflex.

Her mind instantly told her the impudent move she just did. She then politely said,

“T-thanks.”

Just that.

That word only and their conversation was over

They reached the main gate with awkward Joy who frequently rubbed her nape.

With shyness.

“See you, then.”

She didn’t have any class with Seulgi today. Joy was holding back the urge to grab Seulgi’s hand just to let them stay together a bit longer. But she also felt suffocating if she stayed with Seulgi a bit longer. It’s a difficult choice.

She smiled and replied to the professor with a nod.

Too afraid if her voice turned hoarse,

Because of Seulgi.

Joy…

And yes, she still, very much, liked it.

***

Clack clack

The afternoon came and Joy walked past the main gate with bunch of papers and big envelopes in her. Today was absolutely not her day. The presentation she had prepared was ruined. Apparently the materials weren’t satisfying her supervisors’ thirst. But luckily they’ve arpproved half of her work.

The blonde sighed.

This afternoon was so much brighter than the morning. She stared at the sky in front of the main gate, then changed her focus to the pair of shoes which still looking grey.

Clack clack

“Hi.”

The same shoes.

Those exact same shoes from this morning appeared in her sight. Blowing out the tiredness from before. She smiled lightly then turned her head to the left

“Hi.” Joy was brave enough now to answer.

“Long day?”

The blonde shut her eyes, still smiling at the object, “Uh-huh”

She shot the eyes wide open when she felt hands grabbing those papers which were still in her grip and carrying them in one hand. And the other hand had grabbed Joy’s, bringing her to the parking lot.

“Wait Sseul-… Professor!”

“Come with me.” Seulgi said with demanding tone.

After a while they reached the lot and Joy could see Seulgi’s car from afar.

“Wait still.” Seulgi said.

She put her hand off Joy’s then putting it into her pocket. After she found the key, she clicked on it and a beep sound was heard.

“Go in!” Still with that demanding tone she pushed Joy slightly.

The blonde got onto the car first with Seulgi following short behind.

Bugh!

The professor threw Joy’s papers to the back-seat without looking at them.

Joy shot her deadly stare at Seulgi and looked to check on her papers. But the thing she found at the back-seat was bunch of Seulgi’s drafts with big envelopes dominating the seat, and below it there were five briefcases. It’s almost like Seulgi had other jobs to deal with beside in this campus.

“I almost mistook this as a wrecked-ship rather than a car.” She repeatedly changed her focus to Seulgi and to the back.

“Hey, I had long days too.” The professor replied.

“How long were them to have shattered this car?” Joy gasped

“Didn’t count on it. Let’s go.” Seulgi started to drive

The ride took about half an hour before