Bonus Chapter: The Night We Met

This is what happened on the night that Kai and Krystal met.

"Krystal, please show me the way out." Kai already sat up from the bed and walks towards the door.

"I think you're a man enough to figure your way out." Krystal throws her a sympathetic look. She continued munching on her drumstick while looking at Kai.

"But Krystal, your father's outside! I just can't go out of your room and tell your dad nothing happened." Kai starts to panic. With this girl inside the room and her dad outside, he remembers his nightly adventures that turned to apologetic ones the next morning (he really hated the fact of hooking up with someone he doesn't know yet again but somehow, his night always turns out that way).

"You can just deny it. We didn't really do anything, right? You'll be fine." Krystal doesn't want to let him go. She just doesn't want to say so. She wanted to appear tough—like she really is one, she thinks. Who am I kidding? "Or you can just escape this room the way you entered it." She still wonders how Kai got in her room when the windows and the door are all locked.

"I went in through the windows. I told you."

"You're a very inexperienced liar." She rises from her seat and walks towards the windows. She draws the curtains to reveal the lock of the window. "You see, I don't really unlock this. I've never opened my windows before. So tell me how you got in." She sits on the windowsill and looks at Kai with a curious gaze.

"Teleportation," Kai surrenders. He sighs and looks at her with an earnest look. He didn't smile or what. He just stayed silent waiting for her response.

"Silly! Only children will ever take that as an answer." Krystal stands up and walks towards Kai. "C'mon, you don't look like a thief to me and it's not as if you'd be stealing my heart. Am I right or am I right?"

Kai goes back to the space on the bed where he sat earlier and Krystal follows him. They sit beside each other and Kai just looks right into Krystal's eyes. Krystal quickly averts her gaze to the windows when she realizes how deep Kai's stare is getting. "What if I tell you that's exactly what I was planning to do?"

"It’s not as if I’m worth anything — even someone with the likes of you." Krystal picks up the drumstick she was eating earlier. Kai helps himself to the food and quietly plans on how to escape from Krystal's room. "Fine. If you're really a thief, get whatever you want now. Don't feel guilty anymore. I'm already giving it to you for free." Krystal reaches for her journal on here study table which covers she has painted herself and protectively embraces it. "But not this one."

"What's written in that?" Kai points at the journal with a drumstick.

Krystal's eyes light up the moment Kai drops his question. "You see, it's painted from white on the spine and slowly transitions to black. Actually there's this blackest black shade of black and instead of coloring its side with that shade, I assume that the blackest shade of black would be the ones that's written inside. My darkest thoughts."

"Darkest thoughts?" Kai thought. "It's not like a murder list, right? Like, a death note?"

"If it was, I'd be the first on the list."

Kai felt sorry for joking like that. He thought, he didn't mean it that way. He feels greatly uncomfortable for being indifferent. Krystal noticed how Kai suddenly fell silent and uncomfortable so she assured him, "Hey, it's okay. It's not as if I feel offended. You're just trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Nice try, though. It was quite good it's just that I don't really read much manga.”

“I figured it wasn’t even a nice joke either even if you get it…,” Kai scratches the back of his head and laughs awkwardly. Krystal passes him a bottle of beer and motioned at the chicken boxes. Kai graciously receives the bottle from Krystal. Krystal smiles to herself when Kai finally takes a sip of the beer. To her, this means Kai isn’t leaving any time soon…

“It was just last year when she left us… She was a preschool teacher in Taiwan like she had always wanted to become. She was cheerful all the time as she was surrounded by kids,” Krystal starts telling Kai a story about her sister, her only best friend. “It still feels weird making everything in past tense. I’m still not quite used to it. I still can’t believe she’s gone. Sometimes when I talk to myself, I can hear her voice telling me that I’m so stupid and that she didn’t do anything like what I did before.” She laughs bitterly. “I bet she’d be so thrilled to know I’ve finally talked to a guy. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t have any motive to-“

“I don’t have any either.” Kai was quick to deny as well.

“Good. It’s nice to hear that we’re on the same page. Anyway, going back to the story… When she was still alive and overseas, I was worried stiff that she might be in an accident one day and we can’t go there immediately. She just told me to be happy, to enjoy life – to be myself. She told me that there’s a lot life has to offer and I should enjoy living. But when she left, I thought to myself, how can I enjoy living if the one’s I’m living for is already gone? Having to lose my very reason as to why I’m still holding on to life makes me lose myself too. It’s like I already have nothing to be alive for.” Kai is silent throughout her storytelling and keeps silent even after she finished. Krystal noticed Kai waiting for her to continue even if she’s already done telling her story. “What about you, Kai? What’s your story?”

Kai thinks hard of his own life – his own story. Do I have anything as meaningful as hers? Aside from all the trips I’ve gone made possible by my teleportation skill? Do I even have a life?

“All I know is that ever since I was young, I already wanted to save the world. But growing up, we learn that we also save ourselves from the world too. And right now, I have changed what I want to do with my life.”

“No, Kai. Like, your life before meeting me.”

“I didn’t have one. I only got one today when I met you. I want to save you, Krystal. Please stay alive. This time, for me.”

“Why would I for you?”

“I would lose myself if I lose that someone I want to be alive for. I would lose myself, Krystal, if I’d be losing you. I want to save you.”

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I've written this bonus chapter because it's my birthday today and I decided to give you all a birthday present from me <3 Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Much love,

shineonmesf9