"Han-haaaan!" squealed the girl in front of me as I opened the door halfway through.

"Hyosung-ah!" I returned the gleeful greeting with surprise evident on my face.

"It's so good to see you again" she said excitedly, pulling me into a tight hug.

"What brings you here? Oh sorry, come in first. Have a seat" I motioned to her with the door wide open.

"Ahh, this is such a cozy place. It's definitely a good-- AAH!" she suddenly screamed.

I jumped a little from the shock of her high-pitched voice as I locked the door. When I faced her, I realized what made her startled.

"Ya, Kris! Don't lurk in the shadow like that! You scared my visitor," I reprimanded, "anyway, this is my friend Hyosung. And this is Kris, my classmate."

Kris gave a slight yet polite bow.

"Oooh," Hyosung wagged her eyebrows, "you're the one who was following Haneul during the first day of cla--"

"AH HYOSUNG! HOW'S YOUR FATHER NOW?" I cut her off before the embarrassment came. I think Kris already heard her though.

"Oh, that's what I came here for! I wanted to tell you personally that he's perfectly great now. He woke up a few minutes after we talked on the phone," she narrated happily, "I think you are my lucky charm. Even mom who was feeling weak from the sadness suddenly livened up!"

I could sense Kris giving me a knowing look. After all, he watches the things I write in the notebook.

"That's so good to hear then! But you know it's you who was always my lucky charm, not the other way around" I beamed.

As if on cue, one of my phone's shrill and annoying alarms went off.

"Omo! I'm gonna be late for work. Hyosung, I am so sorry. I gotta go change and report at the cafe" I pouted.

"It's ok. I should have tipped you off about coming here first. Guess I was just excited. I'm so proud of you, my barista! Please make me one of your specialties soon, ok?" she smiled that signature gummy smile of hers, "and can I come back on your day off? So we can hang out?"

"Of course, I'd love that" I smiled back.

"Oh, before I go," she said with a finger held up as she took a paper bag from the floor, "I got these for you. I thought you'll be lonely living alone here so it's a little something to pass the time."

"Always so thoughtful. Thank you, you didn't have to" I said, giving her a goodbye hug.

--

Saturday morning can get boring when exams are over. There's no obligation to study. Well, at least I was able to sleep in. I made it home quite late last night because the cafe customers wanted to make the most out of Friday night. Mr. Bang can never say no to those who come in almost during closing time.

Well, well. How do I pass the time?

Pass the time. I suddenly recalled the gift from Hyosung. I hadn't opened the bag yet.

The paper bag had a glossy pink finish and was decorated with purple ribbons. It looked very much like her favorite dresses when we were younger. I pulled at the ribbon at the top that fastened the two sides together and took out a black cardboard box.

I opened it to find a personal DVD player. The remaining contents of the paper bag are drama albums. 'This is my favorite!' said a pink note stuck to one of the albums.

Hmm...should we give this a try?

--

"Oh no no no! They're behind you! No, don't move! Stay behind the tree!" I found myself screaming at the tiny screen on my palm as I stood in front of the rice cooker. Wow, dramas can surely hook you. I can't even stop watching while making my lunch.

I wonder if Kai already watched this one.

Aish, Jang Haneul. You're supposed to be moving on, right? Stop thinking about him.

"Omo! They're going to shoot Boong-do" I gasped as one of the men shot an arrow at the lead actor.

He was holding on to that talisman that pretty much made the entire plot possible. With that, he disappeared from the scene. The next scene shows him in modern day Korea, glaringly out of place in his hanbok.

Ah, six episodes in and I still continue to torture myself.

I knew that the guy just keeps on reminding me of Kai. He travels through time with the help of the talisman, but only does so when his life is at risk. The wound on the actor's temple reinforces the idea. Maybe I should be glad that Kai's case is not as bad?

But still, I can't help but wish that Lay had stopped to listen to that young boy before putting a curse on him.

If he had, would I still have met Kai now?

And will it even matter? He isn't here anymore anyway. Oh well, as they say, it is better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all.

"YA, JANG HANEUL!" I screamed at myself in a sudden panic, "what are you saying? What love? Stop talking nonsense..."

I held a hand to my chest to steady my breathing and sighed, "And stop talking to yourself as well."

Aigoo, I think I smell burning rice.

My phone rang as I was unplugging the rice cooker so I had to pause the drama and put the video player down.

"Have you opened it, have you opened it?" came Hyosung's excited and sing-songy voice.

"Hyosung-ah! Yes, thank you, this is too much! This player is worth quite a lot I'm sure" I said as I gazed at the paused scene in the player as if she can see where I am looking.

She dismissed that point right away with a solid argument of friendship being worth more than any possible gadget. I know she won't let me win there because if I were in her shoes, I'd say the same thing.

"I'm actually almost halfway through one" I told her.

"Oh great! Which one?"

"The one with a post-it note. Your favorite?" I answered, realizing how poor I am in remembering titles.

"Queen In Hyun's Man!" she squealed, "Aigoo, that drama gives me a lot of feelings. Can you imagine being in love with someone and always being unsure of whether he's coming back or not? Aigoo, aigoo..."

"Uhh, yeah it must be so horrible for the girl Heejin!" I gulped. Why am I so affected by her words?

"Oh, oh, but you know what? The actor and that actress got together in real life! Isn't that just sweet? Although, they broke up later on but still! It's such a beautiful love story born out of such a sad drama" she sighed. I can imagine her face right now: closed eyes and wide smile, dreaming of her own future romance. She liked to do that even before.

She always had a positive outlook about falling in love. I'm the polar opposite. Maybe it's because of my first exposure to the thought -- that time when I was asked out as a cruel dare. Ever since, I've been afraid of what could happen once I start loving someone. I always feel like happiness comes only to be taken away soon enough.

"Ya, Haneul! Which do you like?" I heard her voice ring again.

"S-sorry! The reception is becoming erratic" I excused myself from spacing out.

"I was asking if you wanted me to bring you a certain drama the next time we meet" she repeated since I apparently did not respond accordingly. 

"Oh, I am poor with titles but..."

What was that one drama Kai mentioned when he was in the bathroom where he trailed off in the middle of narrating the scene? And that one with that actor he was surprised I didn't know? There's also another one he talked about while we were waiting for pizza delivery.

"...do you know that drama where there was a girl cleaning the floor and..." I described the details that I vaguely remembered.

I convinced myself that I was just curious about the scenes that Kai did not finish narrating. This is not because they remind me of him...or that I think of him all the time. No, it isn't. No...it isn't.

"So Reply 1997, I Hear Your Voice, and You Who Came From The Stars? Anything else?" Hyosung asked.

"That's all I remember," I chuckled, "thank you."

"For someone who's not into dramas, you seem to know a lot. But how come you don't remember the titles but you remember the kiss scenes?"

I almost dropped my phone.

What?

So that's why Kai trails off so awkwardly all the time. Is that what happens in those scenes?

I think I overworked last night at the cafe. I might be having a fever. For some reason, my face heated up all of a sudden.

--

"Aish, these two keep on..." I choked on the word as the lead character Heejin tiptoed to place a kiss on Boong-do.

What did I expect from a romantic drama? I shouldn't be so flustered about it.

I continued with my marathon, closing my eyes like a kid with a parent in the room whenever that kind of scene comes up.

I rubbed my eyes several more episodes through. I was getting tired, but the intensity of the events have risen.

The man named Boong-do seems to be aware of his mutual feelings for the girl. But what is happening? Is he deliberately trying to get killed to get back to her?

"No, do not die!" I screamed uselessly at the device, as if the scene was personally hurting me.

I didn't even notice that my lips were quivering. I shut the player close right then. For some reason, I cannot continue watching. I don't know why the back of my head keeps on thinking this same thing over and over again.

Why do I keep on entertaining the thought that maybe Kai never came back all these months because something happened to him? I mean, he said he sometimes wakes up on highways. And that shaken look on his face when he came face to face with a truck's headlights is still etched in my brain. What if all this time he had already been...

I could no longer take the drumming in my chest and my eyes gave up a second later, spilling hot tears.

He used to be just a stranger. And he just so happened to come here because of a few words written on a blank page. Why can't I stop caring too much? For all I know, maybe he just didn't want to come back anymore after all the accusations that were thrown his way when he was here. Or maybe he also just thought of me as a stranger. He doesn't need me to move forward in life. Maybe I'm the only one still desperately clinging on to memories.

Why? Why do I keep on holding on?

I looked at the video player in my hand and tenderly set it down on the center table. I think I know why. I know the reason but I've been trying to deny it all this time. It's because I want to continue the story that started.

"Easier said than done. For this drama, all it takes is a press of a button and the story continues. But for me..." I sighed and laid my head on a pillow propped on my lap.

How could I have fallen like this? How could I have fallen alone for someone who's no longer here?

It's been eight months, Haneul. You should just stop and--

"Haneul" I heard a familiar voice call, freezing me in my spot.

Now I think I've gone crazy too. I'm starting to hear voices in my he--

"Jjang...Haneul..." it continued, seeming so real. That nickname...

Slowly, I propped myself up with my trembling arms. I could not look up. It felt like a bad horror movie, only this time, what scares me is disappointment. To find out that my mind is only playing tricks on me. But...

"It worked. Finally, it worked" said that voice that made my breathing hitch in anticipation.

I did not want to look up and be disappointed. But I did.

And that's one of the best decisions I've made in life.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I had to make sure so I staggered up on my feet. Two slow steps from my end was all it took for the source of the voice to close the distance between us.

It was like a drama scene, only better. And real. It happened so fast. Everything was a blur.

The voice calling out my name once again.

The sound of swift strides on the wooden floor.

The firm yet gentle grip on both of my arms.

The involuntary closing of my eyes as I felt...

The sudden warmth of softness on my lips.

Kai.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Did the title make you nervous that a character is going to die? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Aside from Haneul's expression of worry while watching the drama, it's actually my little note to you readers. Do Not Die while thinking about being kissed by Kai! Hahaha~

And today marks my 3rd anniversary in AsianFanfics. So please don't die on me too, ok? I love you~~~♥