The afternoon was the same as always as students flocked the hallway. School just ended for the day, and Bom was very eager to go home. For the whole day, she wasn't thinking of anything else but Dragon. She hadn't been able to keep him off of her mind ever since the ferris wheel incident. I wonder how he's doing now? Bom thought as she went down the stairs. On the way down, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"I-I'm sorry, unni," the student apologized with a bow.

"It's nothing," Bom said. "I should be the one apologizing, in fact."

"Aniyo, unni, it's not your fault," the student said while she still kept her head down. The girl extended her arms and gave a box of cookies to Bom. "I-I made this for you, unni. I hope you like it."

"Ah, kamsahamnida," Bom accepted the box of cookies with a smile. The girl bowed once more and hurried to the other direction. Am I that scary? They always run away everytime they see me, Bom thought as she placed the small box of cookies in her bag. Kyaa, Dragon will like these cookies. Bom slowed down. Omo, why am I always thinking about him. She stomped her feet in annoyance.

"Bom unni?" a voice called out.

"Ah," Bom straightened herself up and looked to her left. "Ne?"

"Someone's looking for you at the gate, unni."

Someone? Bom thought as she walked towards the school gate. Who could it be? Bom saw an unfamiliar guy's silhoutte leaning against the brick walls. She squinted her eyes to get a better view. When the guy saw her approaching, he raised his hand and gave a little wave. Bom heard little squeals from around her.

"Oooh, is he Bom unni's boyfriend?"

"He's hot."

"He looks like an ulzzang!"

Bom frowned as she slowly approached the guy. She finally recognized him -- it was Se Hun, the guy she had met at the library and at the cafe. He gave him a little smile when she was in front of him.

"Annyeong," he greeted her with another wave. "You're quite popular here."

"What are you doing here, ahjussi?" Bom said in a low voice. She could feel a hundred stares from her schoolmates focused at the two of them. She held on to his coat's arm and dragged him away from the school.

"I just came for a visit. I haven't seen you around that much and was worried about you," he answered once they were a good distance away from the school.

"There's nothing to be worried about," Bom said coolly. She was unsure what Se Hun wanted from her today that he came to visit her at school.

"And the cat?"

"W-what do you know about the cat?" Bom stammered and gulped in nervousness. She started to walk in the opposite direction, but the persistent guy followed her behind.

"Have you started falling for him?" 

Bom stopped dead in her tracks and slowly faced Se Hun. "What do you mean--"

"I know all about your secret," he cut her short. "As I've told you before, I was the same."

"Oh," Bom remembered their conversation at the cafe which seemed ages ago. 

"Listen, don't get too attached to him. He might fade soon."

"Mwo? What do you mean by that?" Bom asked as her voice rose. But Se Hun has turned his back and began to walk away. "Yah, ahjussi!" Bom called out but he didn't look back. 

"We'll meet again, Bommie, don't worry." He waved and disappeared at the corner of the street.

Bom stood frozen, unable to comprehend what he just said. What does he mean by 'fading soon'? Without giving it much though, Bom ran as fast as she could all the way home.

~~

"Oh my, Bommie, you startled me," her mom said as Bom bolted inside their house. She ran non-stop and cold sweat lined on her forehead. She panted as she tried her best to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry, umma," Bom said as she got herself a glass of water. She was about to go straight to her room, but her mom called her out.

"Bommie?"

"Ne, umma?" Bom said as she slowly walked to her mom who sat on their living room. The television was on but it was on mute. Drama reruns played silently. She noticed her mom's sad eyes with invisible tears that she tried to hide away.

"Uh," her mom cleared and faced Bom. "Have you talked to your dad? About Yonsei?"

"Mmm, about that," Bom started to say as she sat down beside her mom. Bom's brow furrowed as she felt her heart pounding in nervousness. Umma, I want to tell you.. I don't want to go to Yonsei, I don't want to study medicine. I have other dreams, Bom thought as she opened to speak. But no words came out of . Bom didn't want to disappoint her mom and dad, and she tried hard to follow everything that they wanted.

"Your appa will be so proud of you," her mother finally said as she tucked a stray hair behind Bom's ear. "It will be such a good news for him."

A lump formed in Bom's dry throat as she tried to find the words she wanted to say. "Ne, umma, I'll tell him when he gets home later." Bom found herself say. I can't be a disappointment to them, she thought as she excused herself to go to her room. Bom's footsteps were heavy as she went up to her room. She found Dragon lying down on her bed with the cat on his feet. He looked at her as she dropped her bag on the floor and sighed.

"What's wrong?" he asked her as she slumped in front of her dresser.

Bom just shook her head and faked a smile at him. I'm relieved he's okay, she thought. She suddenly remembered to box of cookies in her bag that she received a while back. She took it out and opened the box. The cat twitched its nose as the familiar scent hit him. The cat jumped to the floor and rubbed his body against Bom's legs.

"Meww~" he purred as he reached for a piece of oatmeal cookie. He gobbled it up in one go like a starving cat.

That ahjussi must be laughing his of by now. I can't believe I easily fell for what he said, Bom bitterly thought as she reached out to the immaculate white fur of Dragon. I wonder how it is to be a cat, I don't have to worry about all these things. All of a sudden, she heard a choking sound coming from the cat's mouth. 

"Yah, Dragon, gwenchana?"

The cat hissed in reply as he opened his mouth. His hair stood up and his bottlebrush tail was in disarray. Bom stood as fast as she could and grabbed a dish of water from the bathroom. When she came back, a brownish foam was beside Dragon who lied down on his side. The cat's chest was still moving up and down steadily, but it was weak. He looked at her with his blue eyes. Bom set down the dish of water beside him and cleaned up his vomit on the floor.

"Dragon?" her voice echoed through the four walls of her room, but the weak cat was helpless and couldn't even let out a purr. Bom grabbed the box of cookies from her dresser table and smelled it. It smells normal, she thought. She broke a piece of cookie and taste it. The moment it reached her tongue, she spat the cookie out. It tasted horrendous and very spicy -- it was as if the cookies were spiked with gochujang and red pepper flakes.

What the hell? Bom emptied the contents of the box of cookies on her waste bin. Her eyes widened as she saw a message written at the bottom of the box. Written in bold, black letters was the word F A K E. In fear, Bom quickly tore up the box and threw it as well. Now is not the time to worry about those, she thought as she carefully picked up the weak Dragon and her bag. Her footsteps thud as she went down the stairs.

"Umma, I have to go take my cat to the animal clinic," Bom said as she rushed out the house. "It's an emergency."

Her puzzled mom was taken a back and wondered out loud, "Since when did Bommie had a cat?"

~~~

annyeong O u O another random thought~ do I have silent readers? just curious kekeke please comment below!

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