“My name? My name...” she paused slightly, looking down at the sheet of paper on her lap as she searched for the answer to the question. As her eyes lighten up once coming across to what she's been she's looking for, she answered in a quick pace, stumbling on her words. “K-Kim Jihwan”

 

Acknowledging this, the person in front of Jihwan nodded and placed a forced smile on her face; her teeth glistened white and the lip gloss on her lips stretched across her face, so tight that not even a pinch can move the smile. Her smile suddenly slackened and Jihwan fidgeted in her seat, muttering to herself as she twisted the strands of her hair around her finger. “Now...” the young woman said slowly as she carefully formed her words in her head when speaking to Jihwan.

 

“Tell me. Tell me what you're here for,” her lips moved slowly, as if the world suddenly slowed down. Jihwan snapped her head towards the woman, trying to make sense of the question as she bit her fingernails out of instinct; her eyes constantly sprinting around the room.

 

“I-I—“

 

“Yo Jihwan! How did you do on the test?” Jihwan looked to her side and smiled, a cheerful grin on her face as she posed with a victory sign. “A perfect of course! How about you Megumi? Hmm~?” Jihwan taunted, jokingly peering at her friend. The said person laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her neck. She could only stick out her tongue and say, “The usual,” Jihwan sighed and shook her head as she shrugged slightly.

 

“Oh-My-God Megumi! You should try harder next time!” Jihwan cockily spoke with an English accent, Megumi just stared at her best friend for quite some time before bursting into fits of laughter. Jihwan followed suit soon after.

 

What seemed like a billion years of laughter, Jihwan wiped a tear that flowed from the corner of her eyes from laughing too much, asked “Later at my place?” Megumi nodded, a thankful smile on her face. This was how the routine would go, if Megumi had a low score or whatever seemed like a 'not good enough' score, they would go to Jihwan's place and study like there's no tomorrow, but not without talking and playing around before separating ways, of course.

 

The bell that dismissed the students rang, and the two girls stood in a hurry as they raced down the hallways towards home, yelling at each other while doing so. Jihwan who sprinted first since she sat near the exit would usually say 'I'll get there first' but then Megumi would always counter with a 'Nu uh! It's me who will get there first!” and the two would just continue like this until they reached home, and as Jihwan half-jogged tiredly, half-ran to the house's door steps, she placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath; triumpthly raising her hands in the air, as soon as Megumi finally arrived few seconds later, she yelled: “I won! Yet again! Woohoooooooo!”

 

“Oh please!” Megumi rolled her eyes as she paused to breathe between haggard breaths, “You cheated! You sprinted first since you seat close by the exit!” Jihwan chuckled and stood up straight as she fished her house keys from her school bag, and unlocking the door to the house afterward. “Sure I cheated~ or it could have been because you have shorter legs, or perhaps you're just slow~?” Megumi lightly touched her chest in mock hurt, “Short legs? Slow? Oh now you've done it young lady!” Jihwan cursed under her breath, but inside she was happy at their playful arguments, and began sprinting again to her room as she was chased by Megumi.

 

 

---

 

Megumi closed the door behind her and tried not to laugh as Jihwan tried not to spill the snacks and refreshments on their notebooks. She carefully placed the things on the small round table that was situated in the center of the room, in between the bookshelf and bed, and smiled at her accomplishment. “Okay! Break time~” Jihwan announced happily, munching on her brownies. Megumi giggled and shook her head, “We've only started, and now it's break time?”

 

“Well, you gotta rest from all that running, you know?” Jihwan answered with full.

 

“I think I'll study for a while,you go regenerate yourself, and don't speak with your mouth full! What would your mother say if she sees you like this, huh?” Jihwan rolled her eyes hearing this, and waved her brownies in the air, as if waving the idea away nonchalantly.

 

“Manners shmanners! My mom's at work right now, both of them really, you know they usually get back at eight-ish so don't be so uptight now, loosen up grandma!” Jihwan joked. Megumi stuck her tongue out, whilst not looking away from her notebook, making Jihwan sigh.

 

She lied down on the carpeted floor, staring at the fluorescent light that hang from her ceiling; from there, her eyes moved around the room, scanning every nook and cranny she could see from her position. The room was quite plain, and classical despite her attitude. She never bothered to work on its appearance and let the room as is when she first came to the house, though her parents placed some decorations, her mom especially, to make it more appealing, though there wasn't much change.

 

The bed was plain white, and it was accompanied with lavender colored sheets, decorated with numerous printed polka dots that was also accompanied by lavender pillows. The surrounding walls were white, but the corner of each wall had ivies running towards the ceiling, accented with ripples of lavender flowers on each end. The other things were merely school necessity, clothes, books, a round study table in the center, and a laptop.

 

Everything screamed lavender and plainness everywhere no matter where Jihwan's eyes roamed. She had noticed this months ago when she first moved here, but it never occurred to her like now, that her room really needs to show some signs that a person is living in here. Then again, she really doesn't know what to put, when she doesn't have an interest in things that much.

 

It's true she's a very knowledgeable person in various of areas, but none really strikes to her as interesting. Jihwan sighed and moved to her side, not really paying much attention to the brownie anymore, as she has already lost the interest in eating the delicacy, or more to speak, her appetite. There was something wrong with the young girl, she did everything almost flawlessly and everything was how she calculated it to be. Her test scores; her friend's reactions; everything... yet, her life seemed dull, with the exception of Megumi around.

 

“Hey Jihwan... Jihwan... Jihwan...” a voice mumbled close to Jihwan's ears. The said person sat up and rubbed her eyes, shaking the remains of sleep. “I slept? Sorry...” she muttered more to herself. “Geez, you'll have a hard time going back to sleep after taking such a long nap. Anyways, your parents are going to be home soon and I thought I should at least wake you up before I leave, so... bye” Megumi smiled and waved as she grabbed he school bag and left out the door. Jihwan scratched the back of her head sheepishly, she couldn’t even react fast enough to say goodbye, or yet smile.

 

Jihwan shrugged it off and went to bed, surprisingly tired. She didn't bother cleaning up a thing, nor turn the lights off, all she did was went to bed that last night.

 

 

---

 

The next morning she woke up only to see her alarm clock with bright red alarming digits that warned her that she's almost late for school. Jihwan stood up and almost choked on her own spit; eyes bulged, she quickly changed into her school uniform and dashed out the door with her backpack in hand.

 

As she arrived to school, the school gates were begining to close, and with the last bit of energy she has left for the morning, she sprinted and made through it, only for the homeroom bell to ring.

 

Great, perfect attendance completely ruined. Never in my life have I been late for class. Jihwan shook her head and started walking to class. She greeted everyone with a bow and apology before walking to her designated seat. She tripped halfway and stumbled carelessly to the floor, everyone in the room snickered, and Jihwan couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. She quickly sat down, and faced the front, as if unfazed by the event that just happened. Today isn't really my day... should've checked my horoscope or something, well it's not like I really believed in those things too.

 

“You alright there Ji?” Megumi whispered worriedly from Jihwan's right, class was starting now and the teacher was handing out the Math test, which she assumed is a pop quiz. Jihwan nodded slightly to answer Megumi's question earlier; forgetting that she couldn't really see her since she was facing front, she quickly replied a 'yes'.

 

Megumi smiled in return before putting back her poker face as the teacher passed her seat to give her the test sheet. Jihwan looked down on the test before her and furrowed her eyebrows, somehow everything that was printed on the piece of paper was blurry to her and she grew worried. She forgot to wear her contact lenses, better yet, she never brought spare pairs of glasses with her since she thought she never really needed one, and all because she slept in late.

 

Jihwan answered the test anyway, though you can't really say she was answering it, when she's doing it practically blind. When Jihwan finished she rose her hand and notified the teacher, and as she did, the teacher merrily walked towards her knowing that she would have a perfect score. She quickly checked over her paper, but the more numbers she checked the more number of wrongs she crossed out. Afterward she placed down the test paper and looked at Jihwan disappointingly, she raised her voice slightly loud enough for everyone to hear but low enough to see as if she's not scolding her.

 

“Do better next time Jihwan.” Ms. Hwa rarely says those words, because when she does, it marks that your scores were beyond low, and the whole class knew that right away. Wave of murmurs were heard around the small classroom, and Ms. Hwa quickly hushed them with a mere “Be quite. Tests are going on.”

 

The time was ticking and so was Jihwan's sanity. Only much could she handle on this day that were full of bad lucks and mistakes. Class after class, it seems as if the whole world was laying an eighth of their burden on Jihwan's shoulders. She gave a long sigh once lunch time arrived and she rested her head on the desk, too tired, but she suddenly stood up once Megumi crossed her mind. She knew that her friend would comfort her after this long and tiresome day. Only her would have the power to do so.

 

She hummed towards the cafeteria where her friend usually buys her lunch, and smiled thinking about what jokes she would make. As she passed the girl's bathroom, a familiar high pitched laugh renounced the place. She stopped mid-step and hid behind the walls, listening to the conversation yet trying to act cool as if she was waiting her friend to come out from the bathroom, not to attract passerby's.

 

“--Wah, you really did it this time Megumi! Ms. Hwa even said those words to her after the test!” The voice said to Megumi whilst squealing. Jihwan couldn't help but grimace at the the girl's voice, it was too high-pitch to be human, and that person could only be Hwayoung, her classmate.

 

“Yeah! You really placed those sleeping pills in her drink yesterday, huh? Man, she was even late to homeroom! Those pills last almost forever, well I dream it to be.” She finished with a chuckle.

 

“Well, that was really annoying. Whining about her 'flawless' self! The only thing that's good about her is her rich parents. That's why I'm with her, plus with all that's happening to her today, she'll come whining to me like the she is, and well, you know what's next~”Megumi whistled. Jihmin stared at the cold floor, her bangs poking her eyelids, already knowing what's next.

 

“KACHING!” the three girls said simultaneously before cackling loudly, and with that being said, Jihmin slowly made her way towards the school's front doors, mindlessly drudging towards home. No one could stop her, knowing that her parents were big donators to the school.

 

One step. Two steps. Five steps. She continued to count as she walked towards home, and as she reached the door steps, she followed the routine she always does as she enters the house. Keys, unlock door, go in and then lock.

 

She walked up the stairs in a painstakingly slow pace, almost as if the whole place slowed down. A habit gradually growing on her when she was in a state of mixed emotions.

 

She could only laugh as her back slid down the wall of her bedroom. The ivies in the corner of the room felt surreal at the moment, and so where the lavender flowers. It's as if they grew around her, wrapping around her. Jihmin hummed and chuckled once in a while, as she picked at the flower's petals, as if the ones that are staring back at her where real.

 

“Reality... dream... reality... dream... reality.” She continued, but only to frown as she stopped at reality. She smiled, her lips twitching upwards, but frowned, then gave a slight giggle. She suddenly gazed at the (imaginary) flower in her hands and crushed it, letting her nails dig in the palm of her hands, blood seeping down her arms. The color of blood accented her eyes that showed anger, frustration, and emotions of all kinds.

 

“A dream! YES! A dream, this is a dream. A dream. A dream. A dream...” she constantly repeated, as she rocked back and forth. Countless of times has she transferred and moved homes, and countless of times have this kind of things had happened. Sh believed that Megumi would be the last as she seemed like she wasn't going to do her harm, but Jihwan sought wrong.

 

In a spiral of emotions, she finally lay flat against the corner of the wall, and just let the ivy wrap around her frail porcelain body. She smiled and stared at the flowers, that now was splashed with the tint of red, marveling at its beauty. She whispered a few words to the elegant paintings before closing her eyes and falling into unconsciousness from the loss of blood.

 

 

---

 

 

“I'm Kim Jihwan. I'm not sure why I'm here. I don't know why I'm here. Don't ask me--" Jihwan took a large breath, and shuddered as she curled into a ball. The white walls of the room were staring at her and she could only stare back, she was strained with a white jump suit that tied behind her arms. She continued to mutter under her breath, words that only she can hear,

 

"Everything was fine. Everyone loved me. I had perfect scores, and I was a good girl. Why would that happen--No! No! Nothing happened, everything is completely fine, peachy, lovely, and daisy! Daisy? reminds me of a flower, oh! I love flowers, lavenders especially, they look so sad--" as she continued to mutter, the young lady who was knocked out earlier cowered in fear, and she sighed in relief once she found back up trying to open the door, and with one swift they took the frail girl away, though she didn't let them get away without a fight. 

 

"No! NO! Where are you taking me?! Why are you taking me away! Help! MEGUMI HELP ME!" she kicked and screamed, though it all went to vain as soon as the security guard, who looked like he did a lot of excercising with the looks of his built muscles, caught her. She whimpered and stared lifelessly at the girl who lay in the floor, terrified. 

 

Jihwan muttered in a low whisper as she was dragged away from the room, but the girl caught her words clear as crystal, "Please... let this be a dream..." were her words, the young lady stood slowly and fixed her messy hair as she walked out of the room, a smile on her face. White teeth glistening, and lips stretching across the face, that not even a pinch can move. "Sorry Jihwan, this is reality." She chuckled to herself as she re-applied the lavender colored lip gloss, the same colored that adorned her her cute friend's, Jihwan, room.