Hot And Cold
A Cup of Sugar
You slid down your front door until your knees were tucked into your chest. In your right hand was the bill for repairing your sink. It turns out that there was a leak in the plumbing due to faulty plumbing. It would not have been a very big deal if the leak had not damaged some of the flooring. The repair guys said that the repairs would be expensive and that you would have to find somewhere else to stay for a few days. Apparently they needed to correct the piping or something. You made just enough money at your part-time job to afford your apartment.
You hear footsteps coming up the stairs but you do not care. It was your other neighbor from across the hall Mr. Hwang. He was in his fifties and a divorcee. He was usually nice. “Hi Da-Eun-ah.” You greeted him back. He nodded and smiled before walking away. You really wished it was your new neighbor, Nichkhun, instead of Mr. Hwang. He seemed to have this easy-going attitude that you knew would have made you feel even a little bit better. “Oh well,” you say out loud as you pick yourself up. “Hwaiting!” you whisper as you lift your fists up into the air and bring them down in a boxer’s stance.
You spend the rest of the morning calling your mom, relatives, friends, and hotels. You thought it would be best to sit outside of your apartment door since the construction across the street produced a cacophony created by bulldozers and other machines. Your grandmother decided to visit your parents so you could not stay with them. The drive would be too long from home to class anyway. Your friend Bo-Min was out of the country and your friend Ha-Na was visiting her family. You even thought about calling your ex-boyfriend but decided you weren’t desperate enough to call him just yet. You called the three closest hotels and they are all booked for the weekend. It was beach season in Busan so it is virtually impossible to get a room. After mumbling an insincere thank you to the clerk of the last hotel you hang up and take a deep breath in and make a sound that is similar to that of an elephant.
“Are you okay?” You jump at the sound of someone’s voice. You look to your right then left before you see your neighbor carrying some in a cage; you did not bother checking to see what. “Not really. I’ve been trying to find a hotel room. Apparently the issue with my sink is going to take three days to fix.” “Have you thought about staying with family or friends?” You nod, “Yeah I called them first. Heck, I even thought about calling my ex. No luck yet.” Nichkhun’s face lit up. “Your ex? You should call him!” You let out a cynical laugh. “It would be very awkward. Would you stay with your ex if you were in my position?” you ask. “ It can’t be that bad. Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures.” He starts walking towards the elevator before doing a 180 spin. “You should try the Lotte hotel. I will stay there from time to time. It isn’t too expensive.” “Thanks,” you look back down at your Samsung Galaxy Note as he walks into the elevator.
You cannot lie. Even though the previous clerks told you that it would be nearly impossible to find a hotel, you held onto hope that the Lotte Hotel would be different. There was something about Nichkhun that made him very easy to trust. Anyway, the Lotte was dead booked and the only thing that was available was the presidential suite that you definitely could not afford. Your stomach began to whine after hanging up. You had only a breakfast bar all day. You went inside and heated up a small packet of noodles. A small smile graced your face as you took a deep inhale and smelled the delicious delicacy. You had eaten ramyun during your early college years and found their smell and taste to be oddly calming. After wolfing down a small cup, you crack open your Microbiology book and read until you inevitable fall asleep with your book laying open on your lap. You were not necessarily physically exhausted. However, your index finger and your right shoulder were sore from dialing phone numbers and propping the phone up.
You ended up dreaming of, oddly enough, your neighbor Nichkhun. You were standing on a tightrope in a ridiculous circus costume that revealed more skin than you liked. The journey to the other end was difficult. You were sweating bullets but the cheers from the crowd comforted you. Somehow, you made it safely and kindly bowed with your ridiculously small umbrella in hand down to the crowd. Next, you were swinging back and forth on the swings. There was someone else swinging back and forth as well. He was Nichkhun. He kept swinging trying to build up enough momentum to reach you. Your heart pounded so hard you thought it was going to fly out of your chest and onto the ground far below. There was no safety net. He was now arm length away from you. His eyes were wide open and playful. You could tell he was not scared, or at least not as scared as you were.
He begins to reach out for you. You miss. He reaches out again. Your right index finger only grazes his left arm. He reaches out and finally you grab him. He lets his legs slip off his swing and holds onto you for dear life. He laughs, it sounds childish and is cathartic to both you and him. His eyes are fixated on you. You smile back. His eyes drop ever so slightly. You suddenly feel a rush of cold air in your chest area. You try to look down, which is really up, and you can’t. You’re practically falling out of your skimpy circus attire. Your face turns red and you let go crossing your arms across your chest. You hear a yell and see Nichkhun fall.
You wake up in a sweat. You unconsciously grab your chest. After making sure that everything is where and how it should be you sit up, close and place your Microbiology book that was on the other side of your bed near your lamp. You look at the clock and grown. It is only 10:00pm. You can barely breathe because you are so sticky. Your cotton nightgown is literally sticking to you. You climb down the small stairs that link your bed to the rest of your one-room apartment. You walk over to the cabinet and take out a cup and turn on the faucet to get a glass of water. “Shoot!” you exclaim as water comes gushing out faster than you expected. The sink starts to fill up at ridiculously fast rate. You grab other cups from the shelf and try to scoop all of the water into each cup. The cups start to tip over and fall on the floor. You continue to go at it for a couple of minutes but the sink has already overflown. You run to try to find a large saucer or bowl to scoop the water out and slip.
You yell in pain as your slams onto the floor. You feel a searing amount of pain coming from your left foot. You hear noises coming from the room next door. You grumble how the walls are too thin. There is blood gushing around your wound and a couple of bruises near the wounded area. You try to stand but fall back down after rising only a couple of inches from the floor. You decide to crawl. Now soaking wet, you drag yourself to the light switch and stretch your arm until you flick it on. The sink has slowed down some but water is still pouring onto the floor. You have to find some way to prop yourself up. You scan your apartment and decide the only thing that might work is a chair from your kitchen table. The chairs are a rectangular shape and have a small back which you could use maneuver around. It doesn’t work. You underestimate your upper body strength. You let out a whine as you sink back to the ground after trying to pull yourself up.
You promise yourself that you will start lifting weights after this. You crawl to the front door and eventually let yourself out. You crawl to the left and knock on your neighbor Kwon Ma Ri’s door. She’s a few years younger than you and is usually out partying. You knock a few more times before you decide that she is simply out and not hungover. You take in another deep breath as you prop yourself up against the wall and hop over to the your neighbor Nickhun’s door. You thought you had heard some noises coming from his apartment when you first fell but you weren’t sure. You run your hands through your hair in a pathetic attempt to make you look more presentable. You push yourself off the wall so you can face his door. You knock once, twice, and before you hit is door one last time the door opens revealing Nichkhun who is wearing a sleeveless night shirt paired with long pajama pants. A wave of cold air rushes at you.
“Are you-”
“Hey, Nichkhun.”
“Okay?” His eye brows are furrowed and his looks of worry are piercing into you. You give him a weak smile. “Not really.” You run a hand through your hair and nearly lose your balance. His arms shoot out and act as guard rails. You are able to stable yourself without his help. You watch as he looks you over, concern still written all over his face. You then remember your night gown is wet and you cross your arms over your chest. No wonder it felt so cold.
AN// So so so very happy I got this done. I apologize for the huge time gap between the first chapter and this chapter. I had an exam last week so I focused on that. Got an A- in the class so I’m happy about that. I didn't think this chapter deserved to be rated M, if it does though please let me know. I tried not to say too much about those parts. Anywho, as soon as I post this chapter I will start writing the next one which won't be hard to write at all. I’ll try to have that in by Thursday or Friday at the very least. Thanks for reading, give feedback (please be nice), and stay tuned. :)
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