“Ya, Jeongmin, I’m reading!" 

 

Jeongmin was holding window cleaner and a rag.  He sighed and turned around, throwing his hands in the air.  "And?" he asked exasperatedly.

 

"You’re blocking the sun." I complained. "Can't see.” 

 

“If you can't tell, I’m cleaning the windows right now like you asked.  Go somewhere else if you want to read," he snapped.  He turned back to wipe the window.

 

I scowled. “Whatever.” 

 

Twenty minutes later, I got bored of reading.  I thought of something fun to do and set my book down.

 

“Ya, Jeongmin!  Did you sweep the floor?” 

 

He sprayed the window with cleaner. “No, not yet.  I'll do it after this."

 

I stood up and walked to the bathroom. “Nah, it's fine, I’ll help you,” I said sweetly.  I got the broom and walked over to the kitchen area.  Jeongmin looked over to raise an eyebrow, suspicious, but shrugged and kept wiping the window.

 

“Lalalalala” I sang.  I saw an opened chip bag and "accidentally" smacked them off the counter.  Chips scattered all over the floor.  “Oh oops…” 

 

Jeongmin heard the noise and turned around.  He dropped the window cleaner and the rag and ran at me. “YA!"  He got in my face. "Why would you do that?”

 

I raised my hands. “I really didn’t mean to!” I insisted innocently.

 

He narrowed his eyes.  We stood there for a few more seconds.  I felt really uncomfortable, but something in my head told me he should make the first move.  He stepped away from me and sighed.  “Just go away.  Play somewhere else.”  He snatched the broom. 

 

He watched me crunch a few chips under my feet.  I cringed and took a bottle of water from the fridge and poured it into a cup.  After I headed to the living room area, he turned around and knelt to sweep up the chips.  I headed to the windows.

 

I looked closely at them.  I looked over at Jeongmin. “Wow, they're clean... clean, clean, clean!” I "tripped" over the chair leg and my cup flew out of my hand.  Water spilled everywhere.  It trickled down the windows, dripped over the edge of the table and chair, drenched the carpet.

 

Jeongmin looked up from sweeping.  "Jaemi, you okay?" He stared blankly at the water everywhere and me in the middle of it. 

 

“Uhm… Jeongmin..." I looked at him with big, innocent eyes. "I’m sorry?” 

 

Jeongmin threw the broom to a side and rushed over.  He scanned over the damage I'd done.  He turned to me.  His lips pressed together in frustration and he breathed out through his nose. “OMG!  Jaemi, can you please stop?”

 

I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay...” I left him shaking his head at the mess and flopped on the bed.  I reached over for the open box of walnuts I'd left there last night, but instead of picking it up, I knocked it over.  Walnut rained all over the floor.  I looked over at Jeongmin.  He had dead stopped at hearing the walnuts fall.  “Jeongmin..." I held up the walnuts box. "I spilled half of this everywhere.” I waved it a little and looked over the side of the bed. "Make that all of it."

 

He turned around.  “Jaemi, I’m getting really tired of this.  Can you stop messing around?"  he begged. 

 

He dropped to his knees and started picking them up in his hand.  I stuck out my tongue quickly and looked away.  I looked back.  He looked so... not Jeongmin.  He looked worn out, not ready to snap back.  Like someone just took the life out of him.  For some reason, I felt tears pricking my eyes at the sight of picking up the walnuts here and there.  I couldn't tear my eyes away from him and felt a stabbing feeling in my heart.  I couldn't let him see me like this.  I finally found the will to get off the bed and walked to the bathroom.  

 

I closed the door quietly behind me.  I put my hands on the sink and looked at myself in the mirror.  What's going on with me?  Why'd I do that?  I am I feeling like this? I wanted to scream.  I couldn't stand looking at myself in the mirror anymore.  I put my back to the mirror.  I held my hands to the sides of my head and I screamed. “AHHHHH!”

 

I heard a thump by the bed and then urgent knocks on the door.  “Jaemi?  Jaemi, you okay?” Jeongmin sounded scared and knocked again.  My heart hurt.  Why does he care so much when I've been so terrible to him?

 

I took my hands off my head and smoothed out my shirt nervously. “Oh, yes... I’m okay, I just saw a bug, that's all!” I lied. 

 

The knocks stopped.  ”Okay." I didn't hear him step away from the door.  I held my breath.  "You want me to kill it for you?" he asked quietly.  

 

I bit my lip. "Uh, no, it's fine, there's no bug.  I thought there was one."

 

I heard nothing on the other side of the door. "Okay," he finally said.  I heard him walk away.  I let out a breath.

 

“What should I do?” I muttered to myself.

I wanted to hit something, I really did.  Really?  “I have to clean it up before he finds out,” I whispered to myself in a panic.  I grabbed a towel and started wiping the floor.  It was still a little wet, but at least the pool of water was gone.  I wiped off the mirror, leaving streaks on it.  I need to hurry before he wonders why I'm in here for so long!  In my rush, I hit the the handle off and the water ran full force again and wouldn't stop.  It sprayed up in my face and all over my clothes.  I didn’t want Jeongmin to think I purposely did this.  My heart started beating fast.  I didn't want to disappoint him again, but there wasn't much I could do this time.  

 

I heard knock at the door.  "Jaemi...?"  I gathered all my courage and opened the door.  

 

Jeongmin was standing there about to knock again.  His mouth dropped and he looked worried. “OMG!  What happened?”

 

I pointed behind me to the water.  "Jeongmin... the bathroom..." He walked past me and saw all the water.  He looked back at me.  We were both standing in the water.

 

“Jaemi... I told you to stop messing with me!  Didn’t you hear me?” I was too scared say anything.  I couldn't think of anything I could really say that wouldn't disappoint him further.  I took a step closer.  We stared into each others' eyes without saying anything.  His eyes that were usually shining with teasing and sarcastic wit weren't lit up anymore.  They looked dull and sad.  I felt tiny.  

 

“I wasn't messing with you this time.  I admit I did it on purpose all the other times, but this..."  He looked away.  I sloshed through a little more water to face him again.  He refused to keep eye contact. "This I really didn’t do on purpose. The handle broke, believe me!” I shook his arm.  He sighed heavily and looked me in the eyes again.

He pushed me away gently. “No, just please go over there.” 

 

“Jeongmin, really." I got in his face. "I will help you this time.” 

 

He pushed me away with barely more force. “I said NO.  I’ll handle this.” He turned his back to me.

 

“Jeongmin, I'll help!” I took two towels from the shelf and tried to hand one to him.  He grabbed the towels and threw them on the ground.  I stared at the towels slowly soaking up water and looked at him with my mouth open.  

 

He was breathing heavily and staring at the towels.  He looked at me.  His eyes were shining brightly... Were those tears? I wondered.  “Jaemi.  Do you really think that I'm doing this for you because I LIKE being a slave?" he said loudly.  He sloshed forward a step.  I stayed put. "Do you think I really did this just because your friend wanted an apology"  He took another step closer.  There was almost no room between us now.  I looked up at him.  I couldn't say anything.  "Do you know WHY I do this?"  My heart was beating so hard, I wondered if he could hear it.  He looked to the ceiling and blew out some air.  He looked back down at me and tilted his head.  Softly, he said, "Can't you tell I love you?"

 

I stood there frozen, staring into his eyes.  I didn't know what to say.

 

"Do you know WHY and how MUCH it hurts when you do stuff like that?  It makes me think that you don't- no, that you can't- love me back." 

 

I was stunned.  My heart stopped beating.  The only thing I could hear was the running water.    

 

“Jaemi... I love you.” I could feel his breath and before I knew it, he hugged me.  

 

I panicked.  I pulled away. "What?  I... I need some air."  I tore my eyes away from him and ran out of the water, ran out of the bathroom, ran out of Jeongmin's arms.    

 

I out of the room and stopped, my heart beating like crazy.  I heard Jeongmin calling after me. “Jaemi!  JAEMI!" I peeked back in.  He had dropped to his knees in the water.  "AISH!" he yelled and punched the floor.  I watched him angrily wipe a tear with the back of his hand.  I backed away and ran away from our room. 

Youngmin’s POV

 

I'd been sitting with Yoomi for hours, nursing her while she slept.  She was so pretty asleep.  Not that she wasn't when she was awake, but when she was asleep she wasn't mad at me.  When she was asleep, she looked peaceful.  And I liked that.  I was about to fall asleep when I saw her stir. 

 

I got off my chair and kneeled beside the bed. “Yoomi, you awake?”  She didn't open her eyes, but she nodded slowly.

 

I her cheek lightly. "Feeling any better?” I touched her forehead gently.  "You feel a little warm..."

 

Yoomi opened her eyes.  She scowled. “Stay away… Stay away from me... Don’t touch me.” She shooed my hands away.

 

I drew them back.  My heart hurt. “Yoomi, please let me take care of you,” I begged.  I tried to hold her hands, but she pulled away.

 

“I hate you Youngmin, how many times have I told you not to touch me?" I opened my mouth, but she kept going. "Why do you always smile when I’m sad?  Do you think it’s funny?  You like me being sad?” She looked so tired.

 

“No, Yoomi, I smile to cheer you up.  I smile because you're so pretty, even when you're sick,” I whispered and touched her face.

 

“I don’t trust you, I know you..." Her voice caught. "I know you hate me, you don’t like me,” she finished.  She closed her eyes and a tear trickled down.

 

“No, I don’t hate you, I couldn't hate you,” I pleaded.  She was tearing my heart into little pieces with each word she spoke.  I wondered if she knew it.  I wiped the tear with my thumb.