Chapter 4

The touch of his hand continues to linger on my palm. The way his lean fingers that were grabbed around mine. Despite it being so brief and short, I could still remember the temperature of his hand. It was warm, it is warm. I bring up my hand this time, opens it and then closing it again. “He has big hands,” I stated.

“Who has big hands?”

Being too engrossed in my deep thoughts, I jump a little hearing the sudden voice. I quickly drop my clenched fist and place it on the desk.

“I scared you, didn’t I?” I finally gain my composure and roll my eyes at the commenter who seems a little too happy that I was shocked by him.

“No?” I retort.

“Liar,” he continues chuckling before taking the seat in front of my desk. “You totally jump off your seat!”

“Stop exaggerating,” I reply, sounding almost too monotonous.

“Just admit it alright?” he gives a flick on my forehead.

That’s what I hate about Sanghyun the most. He always fights even the smallest thing with me, always wanting to win in everything, even in small little argument like this.

With a sigh of exasperation, I stood up from my seat, “whatever,” I mutter before walking out of the classroom.

❧

It’s Wednesday and for our school, it is a day when all club activities are held. Jiyeon has some dancing to do and Luna is too much involved in Archery. Yet here I am, skipping my Sign Language Club and wondering off to the territory I claim on this special day. For these few hours, in this empty and serene atmosphere lays the place I call paradise. Located in the back of the school, somewhere position in the middle of the layers of bushes and trees, there holds a pond, a Koi pond. And that is my paradise in school.

I play with the koi food on my hand, throwing it up high in the air and then catching it back with my hand. And when I finally reach my destination, I place some on my hand and lower it down to feed them. Maybe I am weird, maybe I really am abnormal, but I find talking to these fishes more comfortable than talking to humans.

“You guys are going to become really fat if you continue to eat like this,” I giggle to myself before placing another handful of koi food onto my palm.

The scene of them gapping and fighting over food never fails to crack me up. The moment the fish food in the plastic ran out, I shrug and take out a piece of wet tissue saying to the fishes, “well, that’s all for today.”

I laugh again when the sight of those fishes didn’t seem to disperse even the food’s long gone. Without further ado, I walk to the nearest bin in the area and throw away the litter I have on my hand. However, with a turn of my head, I notice a black shadow at the side of the tree. It isn’t the shadow of a green nature but a living thing call, homosapien. The shape of it, I am absolutely certain. Afraid, I tip-toe towards the object carefully with the adrenaline rushing in my body. I am not someone who gets scared easily however, on a day like this and at this unusual hour, those people who holds authority – teachers, if they see me, I could be consider as a piece of dead meat.

The moment I see the same blazer I could easily recognize under the dim light, I wobble down in relief. My knees are soft and weak. I crumble down beside the sleeping student with his head facing to the other side. Though I am relieve that it isn’t any teachers, I can’t help but to get a little angry with this body who gave me nothing but fright. In rage, I poke the body in front of me and I poke more harshly when I received no response.

After much effort, I finally witness the body moving and he uses his hand to bring it up to his face before making motions of him rubbing his eyes. And before I could start my rant, I heard a soft rustling sound. Someone is making their way here.

Before the man let out a groan, I pull him up and drag our bodies over into a hut at the end of the forest for camouflage. I cover the man’s mouth with my right hand in total rashness and the other hand on the wall, with his body coming in contact with it. Strangely, the man, who’s held in my hands remain silent. Neither does he tries to struggle nor does he tries to hold me back. In total darkness, I gain conscious over the fact that this man is obeying me and even allows me to lay hands all over him. Somehow I am glad that it is dark here, or else I could die of embarrassment.

Peeking out of the tiny hole, I hold onto my breath. “Strange, I thought I heard noises here,” I hear the intruder speaking loudly before setting his foot out of my territory with loud rustling sound this time. And when the sound’s gone, I feel frail with all my energy depleted as I finally let go of my hands.

I catch up with my breath when I exited the cramp hut. Yet something else shook me hard instead. The man, following right behind me exits the hut and my mind goes blank when I find out that the man is the man that has been roaming in my mind for weeks. Before I can keep myself calm, my mouth takes over irrationally and blurted out a string of words without any pause.

“Don’t misunderstand, it’s just I’m worried the teacher might catch us and I just wanna be safe and I don’t want detention and-”

“Hey, relax,” my mouth zip automatically when his smoothing voice rings. “I know,” he smiles this time, “I understand.” And before I could react properly, he adds another word, “thanks.”

My face flushes hard this time as I quickly fan myself and breathe hard, “It’s hot here, eh?” I try laughing yet I know I sound totally like an awkward turtle.

I catch him chuckling upon my super un-natural reaction and I quickly steal a glance, “yeah, it sure is warm here.”