It was a rare day, everything was dull and surprisingly boring. The streets were filled with skirts and parasols, of chatters and giggles of boxes and crates, as if somewhere at a faraway distance, no one was there defending these ignoramuses and their bird’s dropping make-up faces. My attention was, however, brought back to the parlor by a piece of croissant thrown at my head. I scowled at the toothy grin that greeted me, doesn’t this person know that he could save a street child with that bread he threw without so much as blink?

“Why in God’s name are you heading back to Korea?” he asked, his nose scrunched in disapproval, as if I’ve said something peculiar, his hazel brown doe-like eyes probing, waiting for me to break into a sort of laughter and declare it was just a joke but I just shrugged much to his dismay. He frowned and looked imploringly at our other companion, the much calmer and mature one. He glanced up the morning papers, one of those well-kept bushy eyebrows cocked up, looks at the younger one then at me then back to his readings finishing with a shrug.

“You need not come, you know Aiden,” I told the younger one matter-of-factly as I walked out of the parlor, taking the croissant lying on the carpeted floor, brushing it against my dress shirt before putting it in between my teeth. Aiden gasped in horror as if I’ve done some heinous crimes. “Remember the golden rule,” I muttered as I rolled my eyes.

Aiden can’t understand yet. He’s still young after all, he hasn’t seen much of the world as Andrew and I have seen that or he has just forgotten what I’ve left in Korea and by now the time was right, and she should be ripe. I hope Andrew would give him a good lecture if not a beating this time, how can he just forget the place where he was made anyway, I thought exasperatedly as I shook my head, well, he is still young.

*~*~*

“Vincent!” I heard someone whisper against the breeze, and as I looked out the window there, suddenly popped up from the roof was Aiden’s head. I sighed as I raked a hand to my hair. I moved back to make room for him.

“Oh, you cut your hair,” he uttered in complete surprise as he turned a three-sixty speculating my room.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked, curious.

“I thought you’re just going to get some unfinished business then be off or something, I didn’t know you’d –”

“Settle down,” I finished his words, he bobbed his head up and down. “I thought I’d try living a life for a change.” I shrugged. He snorted and looked at me skeptically but after a few minutes he sighed in resignation.

“Okay then, I just came here to deliver Siwon’s message,” he said. Siwon? That means Andrew’s in China or somewhere else in Asia too. “Don’t do anything stupid, he said.” I nodded impassively Aiden pouts and scrutinized me, worry etched in that innocent-looking face, though I doubt he knows what he’s worried about unlike the knowing Siwon, before he. 

*~*~*

“Would you want some coffee?” she asked, I realized she stopped at my table.

“Huh?” I asked, stunned. She was beautiful. I looked around, to ascertain that it was really me she was asking and not someone else. She giggled, and most probably found my action funny. Yes, I think I was an idiot myself. “Me?”

“Yes, you’ve probably been here longer than anyone, I’ve seen you dose off a couple times.”

“Oh,” I muttered blushing, thankfully the lights weren’t so bright for her to notice it, hopefully.

“And well, I’m kind of afraid,” she shrugged, “If you don’t drink coffee, anything is fine, it’s my treat.”

 “I think you’ve chosen a terrible sort of protector, I’m afraid of ghosts too.” I cajoled. She giggled.

We invited a few ‘shhh’ and after giving a slight apologetic bow we head outside, “Oh yeah, might I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the girl’s who’ll treat me for coffee,”

“Clumsy me…” she stuck her tongue out, “I’m Sunkyu”

“Sungmin,” I supplied as I offered a hand to shake with hers. My eyes trailed for a second on her wrist and that glittering blue dust that encircled it, the end of my lip twitched into a secret smile. Who would’ve known that she’d walk right in front of me instead? She has grown up pretty.

 For the first time, I didn’t complain about deciding in living as a college student, even though it was such a bore but much to my disappointment I rarely get to see her. I could actually track her down easily but I don’t want to be identified as a stalker. Often, I see her reading somewhere in the library, others I see her at the cafeteria chatting with her friends but I wonder why I don’t see her in class after knowing on that night that we were taking at five similar classes, does she skip them? And no one seems to be bothered about it unlike me and since no one would even spare a good two or three minutes with me I gave up on the thought and decided to find out or tell me about it instead while I try to make the best out of my ‘unfinished business’.

Two weeks.

Three weeks.

One month.

Two months…

Siwon thought it was a dangerous game I was playing, I laughed at him telling him that he’s being so uptight again. We’ve got all the time in the world, why should I not bid my time? This was my prey, my meal, my burden, not his nor Donghae’s or anyone else’s. I scoffed at Siwon’s constant lecturing as if he doesn’t understand how I do things once in a while, when I’m bored and everything is unexciting and as it is. I’ll have my meal luxuriously.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him with finality but I know I couldn’t change his worry, no, Siwon’s seven shades of anxiety as I was ten shades in trouble although at that time of argument I still had no idea.

*~*~*

She was pale, but she still had that smile on her face. It had been another long while before I meet Sunkyu again and the first thing I did was cup her face in my hands. “Do you have a cold or something?” I asked. She blushed and everyone around us, smiled all knowingly, reluctantly I let go of her face and sat at the desk beside her.

“Wow, weren’t you embarrassed at what you did back there?” she asked me as we sit under the shade of a tree in the campus courtyard. I jutted my lower lip. She giggled. “I’ve been sick though, that’s the truth.”

“Then you should be in bed,” I said repugnantly. She laughed but I could feel it was a hollow one. Her eyes didn’t even sparkle nor did her cheeks color as they would usually do when she would laugh or giggle or chuckle.

“I’ve always been in bed, Sungmin,” she said softly, “In and out, sometimes I thought maybe I should just stay in bed as the doctors advice me but it’s boring inside, you know.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, scared and anxious at the same time.

Don’t say it. I implored mentally.

Don’t be ‘it’. I prayed.

But when does God even answers my, our, prayers? Would God answer the Fallen’s plea when all we do is feed on his creation? Of course he wouldn’t, I wouldn’t if I were him.

“I’m sick Sungmin, really sick,” she admitted as she smiled. She looked away from my gaze that probably showed how heartbroken I was. She bit her lower lip, probably willing herself not to shed any tears. No. Don’t cry, I don’t know what to do if you’d cry. But why… why am I heartbroken in the first place? Sick or not, it doesn’t matter, I’ll have her soul. Her soul that is b with pure, innocent, child-like love for all things, and a love that grows for me as well. Her soul… that’s all that matter here but why?!

! Falling in love wasn’t part of this perfect plan.

*~*~*

I can’t stand it, she shouldn’t be here lying in bed the whole day! She should be out there, strolling at the park or something, with me. Not in this bed, not with this needles and medicines, not with death. It’s been another year since Sunkyu’s illness has gone for the worse and I sit her beside her, holding onto her hand mulling over the options I’ve thought of.

“What’s with the serious face?” she croaked. I blinked back a couple of times and just smiled. She looked at my fingers twirling something indiscernible for her or any other for that matter.

“Do you know,” I said softly, “that some people are connected with the Blue string, like you and me?” she bursts out laughing and for a few second a little color tinted her cheeks. She slapped me by the arm.

“Don’t you mean the Red string? If you’re going to tell me some tacky line, might as well get the facts straight,” she huffed her cheeks and crossed her arms haughtily. I shook my head, deciding to put a playful pout.

“No. I’m serious it’s the Blue string that’s connecting us, in this life time and the next,” I said deadpanned.

She laughed yet again as she shakes her head, “Fine, if you’ll just go and ruin folklore might as well make it a pink string instead,” she said as she leaned towards me until our foreheads touched.

“Why pink?”

“Cause…” she straightened up and decided to mess up my already messed up hair, “I like pink.” 

But the nurse had to ruin another wonderful moment, telling me visiting hours were over, I tried charming the nurse into letting me stay over again and failed miserably again.

“Do you like charming ladies so much?” she asked me one afternoon. I was peeling apples for her then.

“What gives you that idea?” I said casually. She studies me with those curious eyes. “I only charm them as you say, so that I’d have a few more hours with you.” She reached out for one of the slices. “Why, are you jealous?”

She nodded without wasting another second. I moved to pinch her cheek. “Then hurry up and get well soon so I won’t have to pretend and act cute in front of those old hags but never even let me stay for even an hour.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Don’t worry Sungmin, everything is going to be alright,” she said, and tightened her grip on my hand, reassuring me. I smiled pensively. “Yeah, everything’s going to be alright,” I said. I know what I should do.

*~*~*

“Are you out of you bloody mind!” Siwon barked as he threw me to the adjacent wall. I winced from the pain caused by the impact of body hitting concrete. “This is what I told you not to do, impulsiveness will cause you a century’s worth of consequences!” I saw Donghae flinched, sitting on a chaise, I’ve never seen him so stiff and quiet, well I’ve never seen Siwon this angry either.

“I thought about it the whole day, Siwon, so it wasn’t done impulsively,” I reasoned and he glowered at me, if I were Donghae or anyone else I would’ve been intimidated and cower but I wasn’t. I was at least a few decades older than Siwon and besides I’ve already made my resolve perfectly clear. He ran both his hands onto his hair exasperatedly as he lowered himself into the settee.

“This wouldn’t be the last time you’ll see her,” Donghae started to talk, “So whatever you two are worrying or fighting about is just ridiculous.” For once Donghae had said something that made sense, for once, all of us agree but Donghae, as I’ve said countless times, is far too young to understand the gravity of the situation. Or I’m just being rarely unreasonably inflexible and acting like a total lovesick puppy.

All three of us said nothing more – Donghae because he really doesn’t know what’s going on but he’s bright enough to know when the situation calls for him to be quiet, Siwon just gazed at me, studying me, hoping I’d change my mind and I, I was just standing there, that cut on my lower lip when Siwon’s fist greeted me rudely when I entered his hotel room.

“Death would be a better end for her, Sungmin,” Siwon’s voice was suddenly soft, pleading even. “As it always does.”

“No!” I yelled. “Not this time, Siwon. Why can’t her illness take over her body when she’s old and frail? It’s cruel enough that we have to live this way, why must they shorten hers for me to be punished?”

“So you’ll enslave her to this?”

I shook my head, “No, I’ll show her the world.” Siwon stood up and stormed out of the door, muttering profanities while he’s at it. Donghae heaved a heavy sigh as he climbs on the window sill and makes his eccentric exit through the window.