The sound of giggling woke her up, with one eye opened, she noticed she was tucked in her bed and arrived safely in her room. Sitting up, she looked around to find the source of the giggling sound she heard that disrupted her sleep.

To her disappointment, the sound stopped. She was certainly heard giggling sound just now or was the sound she heard only in her dream? Ignoring the curiosity, she laid back on her pillow and faced to her right side. That was when the mysterious and creepy giggling sound reached her ears once again, making Jooyoung sat up immediately as her eyes darted to her pillow.

Her heart raced as her hand slowly reached for the pillow. The unpleasant giggling turned to cackling and it made all the hairs on her skin to stand, and the sound still played in her mind. From the pillow, it came from under the pillow.

She was not dreaming. The sound really came from under the pillow.

As her hand managed to hold the corner of the pillow, she instantly pulled it away and threw it away across the room to see an empty bed sheet. Could it be the sound came from under her bed? Her heart pounded against her chest, as if it was hammering its way out and cold perspiration began to form on her forehead.

Collecting her courage, she bravely put her ear down to listen if the cackling still could be heard. Silence filled her ear but it was not enough for her to exhale a relief sigh. Her attention then returned to the pillow that had flown down near the door.

She was hearing things, it was impossible for human sound to be produce from inside the pillow. That was insane.

Pushing the blanket over her away of her body, she attempted to leave her bed with her eyes gaze connected to the motionless pillow but before she saw it coming, the pain on her ankle struck her like lightning that she fell on her knees.

She forgot that she hurt her ankle last night.

Hissing, she sat comfortably before she pulled her twisted ankle closely to assess if she would need extra help with it. The face of the guy that sent her home suddenly flashed back through her head, making her wonder how he managed to get in and safely put her on her bed last night.

Her eyes grew widened all of sudden; he didn’t knock the door and alert her grandmother about her being a naughty girl, right? Where was he? Why didn’t he wake her up when he knew she had fallen asleep? Why bad luck always visited her every time he was around? Why?!

---

Due to her twisted ankle, she was not allowed to stray around like she usually did at that time of the day. Her grandmother appeared clueless about her sneaking out late last night and she managed to make Grandma believe that she slipped while she was in the bathroom.

While her grandmother was out to buy medicine for her ankle, she was resting on a long couch in the living room, staring into space. There was nothing fun she could do that day with the condition of her ankle. She couldn’t go out and meet her new friend and especially, looking for that creepy guy.

Thinking about the emo guy she came across last night reminded her about how freezing cold he felt. Despite the coldness he brought, she still could fall asleep on his back and he didn’t fail to send her home. How did he do that? Was that a dream? But she wouldn’t have a twisted ankle if it was a dream.

A sad sigh escaped as she leaned her head to the head of the couch. The sound from the front door attracted her attention, she expected her grandmother to appear with the medicine and Grandma’s voice told her that she was right but she didn’t expect for a visitor.

“Hey,” called the guy who appeared behind her grandmother.

“Do you know Jaehwannie? He told me that you know him so that’s why I allow him to come along,” informed Grandma as she sat close to Jooyoung’s feet to treat her injury.

Jooyoung stared at Jaehwan as a curve of smile developed on her lips; she lifted one of her hand to greet him. Even though she couldn’t go out, at least there was Jaehwan to see her. “Hey!”

“Your wounds on your elbows still not recover completely yet you have another one. What’s going to happen to you?” nagged Grandma. Jaehwan took a seat not far from Jooyoung and shot Jooyoung a concern look, “Is it really bad? You have another injury before this?”

“Look at those poor elbows, she should be careful and stay at home so she won’t have scars,” Grandma continued to nag causing Jooyoung to frown, embarrassed in front of Jaehwan. She didn’t ask for these wounds and pain. It was all because of that one bad man.

Chuckling, Jaehwan scooted closer, “Grandma, let me help. I heard you have works to do?” His words gained Jooyoung’s attention as she felt her grandmother stopped massaging her ankle. “Right, I have to deliver those vegetables. Thank you for reminding me!”

Quickly, Grandma stood up and was about to leave Jaehwan with Jooyoung alone in the house. Panicked, Jooyoung called her grandmother immediately, “Grandma! You can’t leave…” Jaehwan looked at her direction, leaving her sentence hanging.

“Jaehwannie is a good kid, you don’t have to worry. I’m going,” Grandma ended as she rushed out of the house, leaving her granddaughter to Jaehwan.

Jooyoung froze on her spot as her eyes slowly moved to see smiling Jaehwan. Without asking permission, he took a seat at where Grandma had sat and paid his attention to her ankle. When he was about to lay his fingers on her skin, Jooyoung immediately pulled he knees up her chest.

“I can help myself, you don’t have to burden yourself,” Jooyoung sheepishly grinned.

Jaehwan quickly sense the discomfort in her voice that he distanced himself, small smile plastered on his face. “If the owner says no, I won’t do anything.”

Hearing that, she felt guilty as she gave him an apologetic smile. If there was Grandma around, it would feel right to have him around in the house as well but with the quick disappearance of Grandma, why did she feel it was so wrong and being watched? The sense of being watched from invisible entity out of the blue visited her once again. He couldn’t help but to rub the back of her neck in response.

“Did you really slip in the bathroom? How much clumsy can you be?” Jaehwan asked to ease the tension.

“I was being careless…” she felt even guiltier for having to lie to him. Couldn’t Grandma keep at least the reason of her falling to herself? Now, she had to be a bad friend towards him.

“Can I see the wounds on your elbows…? Is it really bad?” he arched his eyebrows. The first time she met him, he was goofier than he was today. Was it because of her attitude towards him that he controlled himself?

“It’s just small cut, won’t leaving scar,” Jooyoung showed her plastered elbows. Jaehwan looked at the covered wounds and nodded and the sense of being watch was killing her slowly. “Jaehwan,” she called, she looked very bothered, worrying Jaehwan.

“Yes? You’re not comfortable–”

“No, not that.”

He let out several chuckles, “So you’re comfortable?”

His question managed to make her smile but she needed to know from his view. “Come closer,” she leaned forward and the smile on his face faded away. Obeying, he leaned closer as she reached for his ear, whispering, “Do you sense like someone is watching us?”

Leaning back, their eyes met and he felt strange all of sudden. His eyes then wandered around the house and the sense of eeriness crept into his heart. From the reading of his face, he looked bothered in a second making her felt bad for frightening him but he already give her the impression that he was unique as her.

Success at making an eye contact, she gave him a questionable look. His face didn’t look good as he leaned closer and she gave her ear, understanding his intention. “It’s that Lee Hongbin friend.”

Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes rounded. Averting her eyes to make an eye contact, instead of a serious Jaehwan, it was a silly Jaehwan who was laughing like a mad person. Disappointed, Jooyoung hit him lightly but couldn’t shove the feeling of being watch away.

“No one is watching us, are you sure you didn’t hurt your head this morning?”

“I think so,” she sighed heavily, what was happening to her? After the creepy giggling sound moment, now she felt as if she was being watched and of all time, it happened while Jaehwan was around. Perhaps, Jaehwan did bring an invisible friend.

---

After Jaehwan left, Jooyoung made an effort to drag her leg to the porch. She needed fresh air, shutting her eyes, she inhaled the day breeze. Suddenly, she felt someone was behind her. Turning quickly, her eyes met with the one eye guy.

“You!” she called as she moved towards him with clenched teeth and fist.

“Wh–What?”

“You made me like this!” her hands reaching his neck to choke him but he was fast enough to prevent it from happening. “I sent you home safely! Aren’t you being too much? I can’t believe this.”

“So what? I become disable person because of you!”

Hongbin averted his eyes to her injured leg, guilty feeling rushed into him. The thought of responding rough toward her died off instantly. “I’m sorry…”

An annoyance huff escaped , “Yeah right. Your apology will heal my ankle magically.”

“I know I bring trouble to you a lot of time, but can’t you be a little nice towards me? You’re not even light as I expected.”

She softened as she relaxed her facial expression, clearing ; she crossed her arms against her torso. As much as she hated him for causing a lot of trouble towards her, she couldn’t help but to feel awful for being disrespectful towards him. He also had feelings as she did. “How did you sneak me into my bed? Grandma appeared clueless about it.”

Hongbin could smell her interest but he didn’t have the intention to let her know because he was still a normal human being in her eyes. He watched Jaehwan with her just now and he had this feeling where he shouldn’t let Jaehwan came closer to her and he hated how he made her smile. He was the first one to meet her, not Jaehwan so he felt he had more right towards her.

“I sent you in the way you sneaked your way out,” he answered casually. “Is your ankle okay?” he crouched down and his hand reached her ankle, his cold fingers startling her making her flinched. “I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly as he stood up.

“No, it’s okay.”

Silence then filled the atmosphere, the raging she had towards him all blown away along the gently breeze. He then hummed to gain her attention, “Do you mind if I come and see you again after this?”

His request surprised her, “Yes?”

However, before she could even give him the answer he wanted, his facial expression changed. “I’m sorry, I need to go.” He then quickly disappeared, leaving her dumbfounded. He looked rushed for no reason all of sudden but then the voice of Grandma earned her attention.

“You manage to walk yourself out, that’s good news,” spoke Grandma.

Looking at Grandma, her eyebrows furrowed. So it was true that he was afraid of her grandmother?

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