I clench my teeth, and meaninglessly pull the sides of my blanket. I let my head down, not knowing where to look.

                "We technically aren't anything to each other. Now, and then." I flatly respond. “So let's just continue not being anything."

                Jongin walks to the sofa, and sits down. "Wow, you're still mean, after all these years."

                "I thought it'd be hard enough to spend one month in night classes, being partners with you. And now I just happened to be slashed by a knife, by a mugger who was actually targeting you. And I'm in this hospital room alone, with you. You." my breathing gets ragged. "Why did you come here, anyway?"

                "I need to check on you."

                "Why?"

                Jongin closes his eyes, and scratches his head. "You really didn't change." He presses his back to the sofa, and stares at me flatly. “Did the police come here to question you?”

                “Yeah, this morning. Thank you very much.”

                Jongin is heard sighing again. “What did you say about me?”

                I look at him, irritated. “Someone I just met in the night class. Do you expect me to explain our history?”

                “That’s not what I mean.” now he also sounds annoyed. “They questioned me too earlier, and they asked if I had some kind of enemy or something. Since the culprit hasn’t been found, they need details whether the attack was a simple mugging or more.”

                “And what could it be?”

                “I believe it’s just a random mugger, and we were unlucky with loose security. I’m just wondering if you said something more.”

                “So you’re afraid I might say something that would make this more complex. Yeah, as if getting slashed isn’t enough. Thanks for coming all the way here to check that.”

                Jongin stands up from his seat. “I’m not here just to ask you that, I also want to kno—“

                “Then please leave.” I said slowly. “I know you hate this as much as I do, being entangled again. Let’s simplify this. My mother is coming, meeting her would give you no advantage. Please—“

                The door is open, and we’re equally taken aback. Chattering of two women is heard, and it stops once they see me and Jongin inside. Mom and Sehee are having the same surprised expression, and Jongin is the first one to move between us four.

                “Goodbye.”

                He quickly walks towards the door, gives Mom a short bow, and leaves. I take turns seeing the visitors’ faces. Sehee looks surprised, and Mom looks like she has a thousand questions to ask.

                Mom hurries to the chair beside the bed, and Sehee stands properly next to her. “Is that…?”

                Oh God, she still recognizes him. I send an alarming glance towards Sehee, and Mom closes her appalled mouth. Sehee seems confused, but she breaks into an awkward smile. “Um… Isn’t that Kim Jongin? The one who saved you last night?”

                I raise my eyebrows. “Saved me?”

                “Girl, the whole school went crazy! Witnesses said that he carried you from the bloody snow after you were attacked like a drama scene—I’m sorry, Auntie.” Sehee catches my mother’s disbelieving stare.

                I massage my temple. I didn’t really get into details about the post-incident to Mom, of course this is new for her.

                If anything, I was the one who saved him—but him saving me is not wrong either. I slowly shake my head, and lie down. Sehee tells us more reactions from the people on campus, and after wishing me well, she promises to come again tomorrow and leaves the room.

                There’s a whole minute of silence after Sehee is gone, and I keep staring at the ceiling. Mom exhales, and takes a deep breath. “So… The ‘classmate’… It was… him?”

                I swallow, and secretly make a fist under the blanket. I hate that I need to explain. “I was assigned to a night class because of a missing score, and I met him there. We were under different majors but one faculty, so that happened.”

                “You’ve been attending university for two years and you just knew that he was there too?”

                “No.” my throat feels strangely blocked, and my eyes are heavy. “I’ve known that since the beginning. Since the very first day of orientation. I was surprised at first. But I… We… We never talked.”

                “Why didn’t you tell me?”

                “Why would I?” I look at Mom, and her face bears many things I can’t point out. “We’re strangers. It’s been going so well for two years!”

                Mom lets her head down. “But you must see him a lot… And so does he.”

                “Not that much. Probably just once or twice per semester. But still…” I close my eyes. “I don’t know what to feel when I see him.”

                Mom reaches out to caress my head, and pat my forehead lightly. “It’s okay. This is odd, but this will soon be nothing.”

                I wish Mom’s words would come true.

*

                I’m going to be discharged tomorrow morning, and I’m silently watching TV while sitting down on my bed. I glance at the clock, and it shows 7 PM. The night class will soon begin… What are they going to do in class? What will Professor Han teach? Will Jongin be there?

                I shake my head violently, making Mom and Dad on the sofa stop talking. “Dana? Is there something wrong?”

                “No. Sorry.” I lie down, and cover my body with the blanket.

                As if spending two years trying to pretend Kim Jongin is invisible is not tiring enough… I think I was suffering enough with that night class thingy, and now this just had to happen.

                There won’t be more questioning about the incident, right? It’d be concluded quickly, right? Then all I have to go through is the final project with him, and we’ll separately live our lives again just like before, right?

                My self-assuring method vaguely motivates me, and I make small nods to myself. Right. Let’s just be patient.

*

                I’m coming back to school a day after my discharge, and I’m instantly surrounded by my friends who wanted to hear the experience firsthand. I’m patiently telling them as it is, and at one point someone dubbed Jongin as ‘the cool guy from International Studies’. I try not to make my groan heard, and stresses that I only know him from the night class.

                I’m waiting for a class after lunch with a few classmates in the cafeteria, and I sense someone approaching our table when I was reading a book. I look down, and see a pair of long legs walking towards me.

                “Joo Dana.” a deep voice is heard, and I expected it but I’m still mildly startled. “Professor Han wants me to give you this—“ Jongin puts a few sheets of paper in front of me. “—and we have something to discuss about our final project before the next class. Can we meet in the library at 5?”

                My friends are all silent, and I can’t bring myself to look up at him. I’m staring at the papers, and my mind goes partly blank. “Uh… Okay.”

                “Well then.” and with that, he leaves. My friends start chattering, and Sehee pats my hand. “He sounds like that?”

                I swiftly shove the papers into my bag without reading them, and continue with my book. Was that a command? And did I just agree like that? Ugh.

                My heart suddenly beats faster. What is this? Am I already nervous for the library meeting?