---

 

[Seunghyunnie's POV]

My hair seems to have come alive, snaking upwards. But really, it is the hands of air that push them, as I fall backwards. I land. My head feels cool against the concrete floor. As I descended downwards everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The two pairs of humongous shoes appear behind the glass door. Close together, both of them touching.

I had seen. I had seen the two figures embracing each other.

Yet, I did not want to see it.

Why isn't there a power called "Unseeing things" included in my list of plushie powers? Why do I only have stupid powers such as "Unable to feel anything as a plushie"?  Even after Yoseob's heavy footsteps had long trudged away, I still lay there. On the snowy floor, on a Saturday evening. Not that I could move if I had a choice.

Then again, from the point of time since I was stuck in this curse, when did I ever have a choice? I say that I have the "power" of being unable to feel anything as a plushie. And yet, that is a lie. I didn't even feel anything when I was tossed around as a lifeless doll. But now....

Why? Why was she hugging him? A myriad of situations hit me, but it only serves to bring up more questions. What is she doing with Zico? Did they have a date? Does he like her? 

Does she... Does she like him?

A pair of woolen boots stop in front of me, and I feel myself being lifted up. The tremours in her hand cause my whole body to tremble as well. Ji Eun's brows are furrowed, as she stares at me. I know that dazed look in her eyes: She's looking at me, but not seeing me. She bites her lips (in embarrassment), and if I could move on my own now, I would grab her by the shoulders and ask her, "What were you doing with Zico?"

She heads home, the entire time staring dreamily out of the bus window. 

Once home, she locks herself in her room, leaving me on my bed.

Time drags by painfully slowly, and I only have the million questions as my friend. Why does merely seeing her in Zico's arms affect me so much? If he confessed to her will she accept him? How did they get close so fast? She seemed very happy on the bus. Did he...? 

And then in the middle of darkness, the sweet control of my limbs return. I stretch my arms in front of me, and float out of my room. Twisting the doorknob gently, I push the door open.

In the darkness, I make out the silhouette of Ji Eun, a lump of blankets huddled together. My fingers feel for the smooth walls to guide me to her cabinet, and then her bed. 

I stand limply beside her bed, unsure of what to do. I had just followed my legs... and they brought me here.

I open my mouth to ask her questions. Ji Eun, even though you're asleep now, I just wanted to tell you that I'm concerned for you. Actually, I'm worried. What happened back there? Why were you with Zico? He's obviously not a good guy, you can see that right? And speaking of bad guys, you know Yoseob isn't as good as he seems right? You're smarter than that, right?

The words bounce around in my brain, but even though they make it to the tip of my tongue, they don't escape my mouth. I sigh, frustrated and confused. What am I doing, standing here, beside Ji Eun's bed? My heart feels like it's reduced to a deflated lump of matter, as I fight the urge to wake her up, to hear her voice.

To tell me, that she doesn't like Zico.

Tonight is a moonless night, with no stars in the sky. The sky is but an expanse of nothingness.

And this nothingness envelopes the house we're in.

 

[Clara's POV]

It's the tenth ring, and Yoseob still isn't picking up. With what he's saying lately, I'm really unsure if making him responsible for the TOP-eun deal was a wise choice I made. Sure, he is Joo Rin's cousin, but how could I entrust Ji Eun's happiness over to someone whom I've never even met before?

I gnaw my lip. Pick up the phone Yoseob!

The ringing stops so abruptly that I am unsure if the call got disconnected. "Yoseob? Yoseob why did you take so long to pick up my call?" I say, edginess creeping into my voice.

I wait for a full second before I hear a murmur I don't catch.

"Yoseob?" I ask again, suppressing the anger threatening to burst.

"Yes." He answers, voice barely audible.

"Yoseob," I acknowledge, trying hard to control my cool, "How are things going along with TOP and Ji Eun? Have they fallen in love with each other yet? You didn't do anything stupid did you?"

To my utter astonishment, he laughs at what I say. I'm about to zap him through the phone, when he speaks up.

"The only stupid thing I did was agree to help Joo Rin." he whispers.

"Yoseob, what did you do?" My tone rises.

"I agreed to help you... Or rather, you forced me to help you. Why? Why did you do that?" He says, his voice shaking. Something isn't right. "Do you know how much pain you've caused me? Asking me to watch their progress?" He laughs bitterly.

My hand slowly rises up to my mouth. 

"Yoseob.. you... you like Ji Eun?" I ask, even though the answer is obvious.

A strangled cry escapes him, as if to answer my question. A sense of guilt washes over me, for this person I barely know. Did Joo Rin not know that her cousin liked Ji Eun? Why did she make him the guardian over the two of them? I struggle for words as his heartbroken sobs resonate through the phone. 

"I should have... I should have confessed to her..." he whimpers, catching his breath, "before that darn Kibum showed up. But too bad for you and Joo Rin. Your plan seems to have some... hiccups. It looks like Ji Eun likes someone else."

Disregarding his crying, and the contempt in his voice, I demand, "Who?"

"Why? Are you worried now? That Ji Eun would be stuck in this curse forever? Why didn't you and Joo Rin consider all this before casting that stupid curse?!" 

"I said, who? My patience is running out Yoseob." I hiss, with gritted teeth.

The silence lasts for a few seconds, before finally, 

"Zico." 

And then the phone line goes dead.

 

[Seunghyunnie's POV]

My eyes blink open slowly, the fogginess disappearing. The warmth of Ji Eun's blanket embraces me. The room is filled with sunlight; the birds are singing. With a start, I sit up. What time is it?

"Ji Eun?" I call, looking around, but of course, only the faces of poster-perfect TOP greet me back with their aloof grins. I scramble out of bed, the blanket dropping to the floor. I don't know why I'm anxious. I don't even know why I wanted to see her before she left for school. 

But yeesterday....

Flashes of images pass before my eyes-- A girl (a stranger) slinging her arm around a guy's waist, and the guy drawing the girl to him.

For some reason this image nibbles at my heart. Maybe this was who Samdong addressed as "Eun Jung". There are only fragments of my past, but it's better than nothing. At least now I know who I am, not just a nobody who doesn't have a life. 

The headache still hasn't left me yet, though. It comes back in small bursts of throbbing pains, back when you think it has finally gone away.

I hope this doesn't mean I'm dying. From a website that I was searching through, I found out that according to mythology, certain spells have time limits. I didn't fully understand what it meant, but it certainly sparked a fear within me. 

If that's true, every day I don't find a cure for my plushie disease is a day where I'm closer to D-Day. And who knows what D-Day means. 

I shudder at the thought but push it at the back of my mind. There are more worrisome things at hand. With a swing of my arm, my wardrobe opens, and I flip through my clothes, the array of colours blinding me. Argh, this is no time for fashion. I hastily grab a tee, a pair of jeans, and a jacket.

Ji Eun, here I come!

 

~~~

 

[Seunghyun's POV]

I pace up and down outside the school gate, rubbing my hands over my arms. Somehow, I managed to find my way to Ji Eun's school. But the gates are locked. I shoot a glance at the security guard, and find that he has been eyeing me suspiciously for a while. I reavert my gaze to the front. How much longer must I wait here?

Finally after what seems like ages, the bell rings and students file out of the gate. The chatters arise, hindering my attempt in rehearsing what I should say to Ji Eun. I stand in the middle of this crowd, akin to a school of fish rapidly swimming around me. Craning my neck, my eyes scan the faces for Ji Eun.

Finally I spot her, hands in her coat's pockets and gaze diverted downwards. My mouth gapes open, in an attempt to form coherent words, or to just shout her name. But instead my throat clams up. 

I watch as she turns slightly to the left and heads off in another direction. Wait, where is she going?

I snap out of whatever trance I was in and hurrily catch up to her. Walking slowly in front of me, something is weighing down her steps. My mouth gapes like that of a fish, open, close; open, close. Instances of her stomping off yesterday remind me of the possible scenario that could happen now.

Out of the sudden, a figure beside me takes the hasty steps I needed to catch up to her. 

"Hi Ji Eun! Going to work? " he cheers, slinging a hand around her shoulder. I feel my gut tightening. And that is all it takes for me to take the steps I couldn't, and twist his arm behind him. He yelps in surprise, throwing a glare behind his shoulder.

I feel Ji Eun's gaze on me, as she says, "What do you think you're doing, Seunghyun?" 

I freeze, but don't release my grip on Zico.

"Yah, stop it!" He huffs, struggling to keep his balance even with one arm heaved up in the sky.

"Ji Eun, are you really going out with him?" the words spill out of my mouth, taking me by surprise.

"Yes!" She gives me a blank look. I continue staring at her. "I said yes!"

"I'm not asking you, you idiot!" I grunt, looking at Zico. He narrows his eyes at me. 

"Look, can I talk to her in private for awhile?" I ask, releasing my grip on Zico's arm. He flails, albeit falling to the ground in one swift motion. I stride over to Ji Eun, and tug at her arm. She struggles slightly, but I succeed in tugging her over to a corner of the pavement.

I turn to her, but she faces the road, away from me. Now that both of us are alone, I can only hear my heart drumming steadily. Say something, you idiot. I run my hands through my hair. 

"I..." I fumble with my words, "I saw you and him... You... Hugged him. Right?" Please tell me you weren't a willing party. My words aren't making sense, but right now, for me to even say something is a feat as great as climbing Mount Everest. She continues to stare ahead at the road, not even giving me a single glance. This is harder than I thought.

"Ji Eun, are you mad with me? Still?" I say, in a timid voice. She still refuses to look at me. 

"You can be mad at me, but please," I say, my voice gaining confidence with each word said, "Please, just stay away from Zico and Yoseob."

Finally, she turns to look at me slowly. "What are you talking about?" she says. I stare at her hazel eyes which I haven't seen since forever, looking past the frown that is making them appear hard.

"Stay away from Zico and Yoseob," I repeat, not taking my gaze away from her eyes, "They're not good guys."

"What do you mean? Yoseob's the nicest guy I've ever met!" She says, her gaze becoming dangerously sharp. 

I scoff, "Nice? He's far from nice. Do you even know that he was the one who landed me in this curse?"

Now is her turn to scoff, "He won't even kill a fly."

"I'm telling you," I say, exasperated, "he was the one who made me in this state. He has powers Ji Eun. You have to be careful of him."

"Powers?" She snorts, "I've known him far longer than I've known you!"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "It's true! He's one of them! Don't trust him!" I exclaim, hands hitting the air with every word.

"Zico," She calls, turning away from me,"Let's go to work now."

"You're going to work with him? " I say, my voice a few octaves higher, but she merely walks past me to Zico. 

My fist clenches tightly at my side, as I stare, helpless, at her retreating back form. Zico jogs to catch up with her, and then walks alongside her, with a sickening grin on his face.

"Why aren't you going after her, Lover Boy?" a smooth voice says, and I turn my head to see Jonghyun standing beside me. 

I stare at him in confusion, until I finally process his words.

"Me? Lover Boy?" I choke.

"Do you see anyone else here?" He says, walking ahead. I stare at him with raised eyebrows.

"Come on," he says, turning back to look at me with what I think is a sparkle in his eye, "Why aren't you following? I'll give you a treat."

My feet hesitantly take a few steps forward. Well, a treat does sound nice.

~~~

The coffee warms up my entire system, its sweetness enveloping me. I sigh in contentment, placing the cup back down on the table in front of me. The cafe Jonghyun brings me to is filled with the soft scent of coffee, with a few people scattered around its corners, enjoying the snacks and warmth the cafe gives. Its setup is akin to the cafe Ji Eun works in... The one where she was embracing Zico. 

At this instance, it feels as if all the warmth I collected had evaporated from me. 

I clear my throat, as Jonghyun takes a seat in front of me. 

"You don't like coffee?" He asks, raising his eyebrows.

I shake my head grimly, and say, "It's not my taste."

He shrugs, and offers cake to me (chocolate) , but the cake looks measly and overly sweet. I shake my head again. 

"So..." he begins, taking a bite of the cake, "I wanted to talk about you and Ji Eun."

I stare at him eating away, not sure if I heard him correctly. "Me and Ji Eun?"

He stops munching, and gives me a look that says, "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" I ask, shifting my weight around as I sit, which only serves to intensify his stare. "What?" I ask, exasperated.

"You-" he says, breaking into guffaws. "You don't- Oh man-" His guffaws intensifies into a huge bellow of laughter, and a bit of cake spill out from his mouth.

I cringe, glancing at the annoyed glares people are throwing towards our table. 

"Hey," I say with gritted teeth, "Stop it."

"Okay, okay," he says, calming down (thank goodness!). "But I can't believe you..." he doubles over again in laughter: HEE HEE HEE HAW HAW HAW.

I cover my face with my hands. Thank goodness I'm wearing a low hat which hides my face. Or rather TOP's face.

"What's so funny?" I ask, when he still sobs in laughter after laughing for a good TWENTY MINUTES.

"Seunghyun," He says, wiping the tears from his eyes, and fanning himself. When he catches my glare, he takes in a deep breath to calm himself, and finally begins to speak properly.

"Seunghyun," he tries again, still with that annoying grin on his face, "Tell me, what do you see Ji Eun as?"

I stare at him. Did he just ask that? What does Ji Eun have to do with anything?

"Just answer my question," he says, sensing my hesitation (or rather, confusion).

"Erm..." I say, narrowing my eyes at him, "She's this crazy girl...?"

Jonghyun nods approvingly, as if egging me on. 

I shake my head as I try to understand what is happening here. He sighs, "That can't be it, right?"

"What else am I supposed to say?" I ask, annoyance treading my voice.

"Gosh..." he says, his grin widening even more, if that was even possible. Jonghyun shakes his head with shaky laughter, saying, "Fine, then let me ask you: Why are you so protective of 'this crazy girl'?"

Why? His question echoes through my brain, and bounces around its walls. 

"I think... I..." I look down, playing with my fingers. From the corner of my eyes I can see Jonghyun nodding, prodding me to continue.

"It's because... I'm her oppa." I reply, looking up to see Jonghyun's exasperated face.

"Seriously?" He begs, throwing his hands into the air, "Seriously, dude? I thought you were better than that!"

I stare blankly at him, but inside, the real answer is starting to surface itself. I know where Jonghyun is getting at. 

"You obviously like her, dude!" He exclaims, punching me in the shoulder.

The answer was lying underneath all along, and yet the moment he said those words, I felt as if a wall of bricks had just hit me.

I... Like... Ji Eun?

"Come on... You've never realized that before?" Jonghyun laughs, "You being so over-protective over her, getting so upset when Zico asked her out, and most importantly, feeling happy just seeing her; wanting to be the most important person in her life instead of just a TOP-lookalike-guy. It's never crossed your mind?"

My mouth gapes open after the words leave his mouth. Me... and Ji Eun?

What?

"I.. but.. No... I'm her Oppa," I stutter, frowning, "She's so annoying! I don't like her!  I don't..."

"I mean, of course you don't!" Jonghyun throws back his head laughing, "You just kissed her the other time for fun. And you just wanted to protect her from the bad oppa," he pauses, pointing to himself, "from her, for fun. Psh,you like her? No! Of course you don't!"

The possibility is there. And deep inside it somehow feels right. Well that would explain this thing scratching away at my heart ever since just now when I saw her.

I like her?

I like her?

I like her?!

But Ji Eun is so disgusting! Her overexaggerated fangirling! Her selfish thoughts of only protecting TOP!

Her horrible cooking!

Her food which she bought, what, when she had no money?

And even when a jerk treated her so horribly after all she'd done?

What an idiot!

A stupid, selfless idiot! How could I possibly like someone like her?

I let out a long sigh and bury my head in my hands. "No......" I mumble, "I don't like her....."

But Jonghyun answers what my heart has already admitted, "Yes Seunghyun. Yes you do."

In the past few months Ji Eun had been nothing but kind towards me. Even if her kindness was because I looked like her favourite idol, I was still touched. Never in my life did I meet a girl as selfless as her. Well, not that I'd remember her if I really did.

But when she laughs, when she massages my face to calm my thunderous headaches, when she cries...

My heart breaks a little-- from happiness, from thankfulness, from sadness.

But this is the girl which I've always been disgusted with! The girl whom constantly talks about me as if I'm TOP and not Seunghyun. The girl who I am forever at loggerheads with!

I sigh deeply. 

"Dude, what's with the long face?" Jonghyun chuckles, dragging my mind away from lalaland and back to the cafe. 

"Anyway," He continues on without waiting for my reply, "I just wanted to say that if you really want to go for her, you have to work harder, man. Zico's already one step ahead of you. What more, with the fact that he knows her waaaaaaaaaaay before you?"

"He knows her 'waaaaaaaaaaay' before me?" I ask, swallowing some coffee.

"Yup," Jonghyun pipes up, "He's our childhood friend."

"Childhood friend?" I gag, almost spurting out the coffee. He hurriedly hands me some napkins. Isn't this like some cliche Korean drama? Childhood sweethearts always end up together!

I feel my heart sink.

"But... But Ji Eun doesn't seem to like him! He's a disgusting ert!" I exclaim, setting the cup down on the table a bit too forcefully. But then he confessed to her. And she was hugging him. And I've noticed how she reacts when she sees him, with that slight downward tilt of her head, acting all coy and everything.

"Hey man, I'm just telling you, if you really like her then fight for her before it's too late." Jonghyun says, and I look up to catch his nonchalant gaze.

He's right. With the way things are developing, it looks like Zico is her boyfr-

My eyebrows furrow in suspicion. I ask slowly, "Why are you telling me this? You know how much I disliked you."

Jonghyun props his head on a hand, and stares at me in all seriousness. Then he breaks into a grin. 

"I guess I see myself in you, 'Ji Eun's Hyunnie Oppa'," he beams, saying, "Realizing that I was on Ji Eun's side only after I hurt her." His face looms closer to mine, making me retract. 

"I don't want her to be hurt again, 'Hyunnie Oppa'," he says still wearing that smile; yet his gaze is hard. 

I gulp down, not just my coffee, but my fear that has emerged after my realization.

My fear that Ji Eun could actually get hurt, because of me.

~~~

Coffee Corner , as Jonghyun said, is indeed just a few shops next to the Cafe I was in. The style of the cafe is simple-- earthy brown walls, polite smiles on the baristas' and waiters' faces, and pop music playing in the background. Hmm.. Coffee Corner seems livelier than the cafe I had just left.

I stand, conspicuously peering over a pillar. I ignore the weird looks people were giving me as they enter and exit the cafe.

A cheerful girl with shoulder length hair mends the counter, bowing as she received money from a customer. Where is Ji Eun?

My eyes scan the area, and finally land on Ji Eun, in a pastel apron. She stands, in the corner of the cafe, back against the wall. Her slender arms cross in front of her, as she gazes up into Zico's eyes. They are talking. Their expressions? I can't see even as I crane my neck.

I feel myself cringe, both physically-- taking a step backwards; and mentally. 

My trembling hands filled my vision, then everything around me; the world suddenly seeming very foreign. I blink, but the confusion remains. It feels as if I'm watching my life from a spectator's perspective, as I let my legs lead me home. 

It is only when I reach home, home being Ji Eun's house, that I see my stoic face, void of all expression in the windows of my room.

I sit on my bed with a flop, still dazed. It's true, it's true. I lament. I like her. Her of all people! I thought my taste was better than this! Why does it have to be her?

And now that I have unearthed the surface of my feelings, I'm further away from her than ever before. 

Zico's face flashes in my mind, and I grimace. 

My head plops onto the pillow, just as I feel everything crashing down me. 

And then...

There's that.

What am I going to do about that? That being D-day...

What if... I really only have three months left to live?

 

---

 

 

[A/N]

Hello everybody! I'm back!!! :D

I lost my vigour for this story but I really really want to finish this story so I'll thrive on.

I apologize for constantly changing Seunghyun's tone. He sounds so much more intelligent now doesn't he? Haha. In a way, he kind of is, after going through so much. 

Hope you stick around till I finish the story, and thank you for reading, once again! :)

Notelights