Prologue:

Deceased love

there are a several not so good words. i do not recommend this for kids haha nvm even kids swear these days

It has been one week and two days since scientists identified a cure for this virulent disease which affected two-thirds of the globe. Half of the world, two-thirds of South Korea, and one-thirds of Seoul have been waiting impatiently for the procedure; including my household (even though the only person requiring the procedure is my little sister). I've yet found a reason why I should inject useless in my body. Not like I caught the disease anyway. And I never will. My classmates often ask me, "What's your modus operandi?" And I will always say: "I have bad eyesight so I can't see your faces. Whether you're pretty or ugly or whatever... I don't care." 

What they don't know is: I actually have a thing for boys; especially breathtakingly handsome males. But because of this stupid society, whom will humiliate if you have a thing for the opposite (or even the same ), I cannot fall in love no matter what.

That's right. In this society I live in, the opposite is the cause of this so-called deadly disease. What's the name of this deadly disease? 

Love.

In my opinion, love is not serious enough for it to be in the 'disease' category. Infatuation seems more like a disease to me. Anyways, I'll be safe for a while if I never fall in love with a boy. I'm assuming that it's okay for us humans to fall in love with the same . It's strange how the world is telling us to stop making love slash giving birth. I guess the world population is getting too big.

"Hey Eunji," my little sister says. "I don't really wanna take the shot. Being infected with love is an amazing thing! You should.. like.. convince Mom.. so that I don't have to take the shot thingy."

Silly kid. 

"Amazing thing?" I say. "Amazing thing? Right. So you're telling me that having 'butterflies' in your stomach is an amazing thing?"

She smiles. "There's more to that, y'know?"

"Oh," I say, though I am not interested at all. This kid drives me crazy. I figure she's in love. The question is: with a girl or boy?

I don't understand what's so nice about falling in love. The person you fall in love with will control your brain and brainwash you; he'll make you think about him twenty-four seven (I'm assuming that my lil sis is in love with a boy).

"Eunji! Eunji! Eunji!" this kid who claimed himself to be my best friend shouts. I don't really like this kid. Everytime he talks to me, classmates-- or even everyone in the school looks at us with disgust. 

"Go away, boy."

He pouts. Even though I cannot see, I'm pretty sure he just pouted. "You must not know how handsome I am."

"Yeah. I'm nearsighted," I say.

"Then get glasses.. or contacts!" he says. "Or is it because you don't wanna catch the IF-I-FALL-IN-LOVE-I-MIGHT-DIE disease?"

Busted. I turn red; maybe I didn't blush, but I have a feeling I did. "G-go away," I say as I stutter a little. "Boy."

This kid wasn't the type of kid that goes away when you tell him to. This kid was the stubborn, obstinate, headstrong, willful, strong-willed, pigheaded, obdurate, difficult, contrary, erse, recalcitrant, inflexible, iron-willed, uncompromising, unbending, and all the "stubborn" synonyms in the world type of kid. "Call me by my name and I'll leave you alone forever," he says. 

Though he claimed to be my best friend, I don't know his name. "What's your name?" I ask.

"I'm glad you asked, baby. My name is Mr. Byun Baekhyun III."

I laugh a little. This kid is in high school but his soul is in infant world. "Go away, Mr. Byun Baekhyun III."

I pretend I don't notice, but I did. All the ugly stares and glares were directed towards us. Though their eyes slowly shift away as this infant kid leaves. I let out a sigh of relief, but my relief slowly changes into confusion. The infant's face is with a diameter of four inches away from mine. One of the cons of having bad eyesight is this; you'll always get surprised. He hands me a paper with a bunch of numbers on it. Baekhyun's left hand forms into a shaka sign. "That's my phone number. Call me." he says.

I want to tell him that I don't need it. We're not best friends and I'll never call him. Based on his voice, I am absolutely sure he isn't a good-looking kid.  But I didn't say, because the nasty stares and glares might be aimed at us again.

"Hey, did you tell Mom to cancel the appointment?" My lil sis says.

"For what?"

"For the so-called love disease thing. They made an appointment for me to take a shot. They say that it'll erase all your feelings and symptoms of love."

I cringe. "Just take it. It's not like being in love is that nice."

"Shut up sis," she says. "I'll tell you a secret: my oppa and I are in love. That's right, I'm dating him privately. Nobody in the world knows about this except him, me, and you. Since I just told you a secret that I'll carry to my tomb, you should tell me one too. Is there a boy you like?"

I did not volunteer to hear her secret, but I figure I should tell her something (not exactly a secret though). I told her about this Baekhyun kid and how he claims to be my best friend.

"Is he handsome?"

"I dunno. I'm nearsighted, remember?"

My sister overreacts to everything. She mishears (I know she heard clearly) and thought I'm dating Baekhyun. 

I dial my sister's number on the payphone. "I lost my silver cross! The one I got for five hundred dollars!  The one that I bought to purify vampires! Do you have it?" I ask.

"What? No. Why the hell would I carry something that expensive around?" she says. "Where was the last place you put it? Think back.."

I think back all the way to dawn. "I do actually recall putting it in my backpack..before going to school," I say. " Go to school with me and find it.. please."

My lil sis snorts. " no. What time do you think it is? Ten o' clock in the ing evening. I'm currently busy doing my part-time job: cuddling with my boyfriend. Go ask YOUR boyfriend to help you." She hangs up.

It's not like I have achluophobia (a condition where a person is afraid of the dark), it's just that I can't see anything in the dark with and without my glasses (my glasses are presently unavaliable). I need someone, excluding Byun Baekhyun.

I spend a pretty unfair amount of time searching and calling people to help me. They somehow all refused bluntly. The only person left is my so-called fetus BFF, Baekhyun.

"Hi." I say.

"Hey," he says. His voice on the phone sounds real nice. Even though it's the same voice, I find my heart thumping a little bit. A little bit. I guess it's the effect of the phone; like how people autotune their voice. "Who is dis?" he asks.

"I'm Eunji, your classmate. You gave me your phone number at XXX High school on May 25th, 20XX. To be exact, you gave me your phone number around two o' clock in the afternoon. You also told me to call you. The reason why I called you is because--"

"Your voice sounds nice on the phone. Keep talking."

I clear my throat loudly. "--the reason why I called you is because: I lost something very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very VERY important to me. Nobody is willing to help me at the moment. I left it at school and I'm... scared to go alone. The reason why I called you is because--"

"Keep talking. I like your voice."

"--I want you to help me find my important item."

Just like my lil sis, Baekhyun also snorts. "What's the magic word?"

I hesitate a little. What is the magic word? I dont even know. "Please, Baekhyun. I'm begging you."

"Meet me at school," he says. He hangs up after that.

Baekhyun arrives shortly after. It didn't take him long. Perhaps he lives near the school, but he was panting heavily. 

"Why are you panting?" I ask. "You scared?"

"Yeah, I'm sooooooooooooooooo scared. I might leak," he says in a sarcastic tone.

I think this is considered trespassing, but my five ing hundred dollar silver cross is too important. The doors are not locked (surprisingly), and we enter the school like we normally would in the morning.

"Where did you lose your important item?" Baekhyun asks. "Like, where do you think you dropped it?"

I think back all the way to dawn again. "I remember putting it in my backpack before leaving to school. I think I dropped it in one of the classrooms."

"OK. Let's split up and find it." He points to the left. "You'll go that way, and I'll go to the right."

Baekhyun starts running to the right. My eyes have adjusted to the dark, but my vision is still blurry. Baekhyun should know that I'm nearsighted; I've told him several times. Did he plan this? 

I start running after Baekhyun. The sounds of his footsteps are slowly fading away. "Baekhyun!" I cry. "Come back!"

No response.

"Baekhyun?"

After a brief five minutes of silence, I plop myself on the floor. Man, this is scary. I'm starting to think that I do have achluophobia. I take a deep breath and relax my shoulders. All I have to do is just wait for Baekhyun to come back. 

I find myself attempting to fall asleep. I stand up and start walking.

As I stood up, I feel hands touching my s. Can't tell if it's a ghost or Baekhyun. I want to turn around and yell "stop" if it's Baekhyun, but what if it's a ghost?

I let the ghost my s for about thirty to sixty seconds. I finally gather up the courage, and yell "Stop!" I turn around only to see a bright red fetus kid: Baekhyun. He is holding my silver cross.

I let my hands form into a fist, and I raise them up. 

"Stop! STOP! STOPP!!" Baekhyun shouts. "I found your cross! No need to thank me! You already repaid me."

I grab the cross from his hand. I can feel myself heating up. It's either I'm blushing, or it's the heat of my anger. Either way, Baekhyun won't get away with this. "You ready for a beating?" I say.

"..ove you," Baekhyun says quietly.

"What? Let go, Baekhyun."

"I think.. I love you," he says. "I THINK."

I tell him to shush. "What if someone sees us?! Do you wanna be treated like ?! Shut the up and in your feelings." I say. Baekhyun starts grabbing my waist. I do not resist. 

"I love you, Eunji," he says again. "I'm your boyfriend now."

"Don't joke with me. First you claim to be my best friend, now you're my boyfriend? Don't simply think I'll accept your feelings, just because you helped me find my cross." I said it. That sounded really really really mean. I can't see, but I can tell that Baekhyun is not hurt. I did not hurt his feelings.. I think.

We walk back to the front of the school. He did not say a word after that. Perhaps I did hurt his feelings. But there's not way that he likes me. 

Reasons:

• 1.) we just started talking one week ago
• 2.) love is a disease in this world
• 3.) we'll both be humiliated 
• 4.) Baekhyun seems like weak type of guy. He'll get bullied if people found out that he's infected with love

"I'll prove the world wrong," Baekhyun says. Unlike his usual happy-go-lucky tone, he sounded unusually mature. "Love is not a disease. I love you, and I'm happy to be contaminated with love."

I'm sensing déjà vu. He sounds exactly like how he did on the phone. "Why do you like me? We just met-- like a week ago."

"Do I need a reason to love you?" he asks.

I bit my bottom lip slightly. "I'll... think about it. I will tell you my answer.. on Monday." I say.

Baekhyun went back to his happy-go-lucky voice. "Think about what? Answer to what?"

I shake my head. "Nevermind."

Baekhyun walks me back to my house, with me tugging his tee from behind the entire time. "See you on Monday," he says. "I'll be waiting for your answer."

I run upstairs with my shoes on, yelling my lil sis' name. I tell her everything that happened.  

The next morning, I wake up. I was probably woken up by a scream. I go downstairs, only to see my sister attacking my mom. "I don't wanna! I rather die than take the shot!" she says.

"What's going on?" I ask. "You'll disturb the neighbors."

"Ah, Eunji," my mom says. "Your stubborn little sister is refusing to take the procedure. The one that's supposed to get rid of your feelings. I recently found out about her boyfriend, and--"

My lil sis screams again. "EUNJI! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TOLD MOM, RIGHT?"

I shake my head.

"She didn't tell me anything," my mom says. "The news headlines this morning says: President of South Korea orders everyone to take the Anti Love Procedure; even if you're not in love."

My sister smiles cunningly. "Eunji should take it too, right?"

My mom smacks her head. "Our Eunji is not in love. Plus, our budget is running low. Do you think we can afford Eunji's?"

"Eunji has a boyfriend," my sister says. "She tells me about him every night. Oh, and I don't have a boyfriend. Eunji is the one who--"

"Is that true?" my mom asks me.

"Uhhh." I can't deny it, but I also can't admit it. I'm about to be Baekhyun's girl. 

"EUNJI!" my mom shouts angrily. "You have to take the shot! Forgot about the guy! Your life is more important!"

My voice is hoarse after waking up. I drink some water and clear my throat. I am ready for an arguement. "Mom, I don't wanna take the shot. Why do you think love as a disease? If it's a disease, then why did you marry Dad? Why was I born?"

Mom was the type of person who never loses an arguement. I was prepared for some intense yelling. But instead of yelling, she stayed calm. I figure she's plotting something, so I continued. "Please, I don't wanna take the procedure. I rather.."

I did not get to finish. My vision, brain, my everything went black. I probably passed out.

I wake up, expecting it to be Sunday, only to look at my phone: Monday, May XX, 20XX. I hear thumping footsteps. "Wake up, Eunji," my lil sis says. "You're kinda late. And you slept for two days too."

I sighed. I assume everything was a dream. I go to school normally. I did not forget about my answer to Baekhyun's confession. I'm going to say yes not matter what.

"Hi," Baekhyun says, with a box of something on his hand. He hands me the box. "Open it." I open it and I see a pair of Ray-Ban glasses with diamonds on them.  "I stole them from my older sister. Your visions may be different, but you'll be able to see my face with it," Baekhyun says. "Wear them."

My heart was thumping on Friday, but today, I feel normal towards Baekhyun. I feel no love. Did I take the shot? Was it really simply just a dream? I put on the glasses. "You're handsome," I say, monotonically. I want to tell Baekhyun that I probably took the shot.

"I think I--" we both say.

"You first," he says. "Ladies first."

 I hesitated a little before saying anything. "I think I took the shot. The love defying shot." I say. It was supposed to be hard to say this sentence. Yet, I said it easily. I guess I did take the shot.

"I actually..took it too," Baekhyun says. "I couldn't change the world, huh? I thought I prove the world wrong. I'm sorry, Eunji."

"If I didn't take the shot, we'd be dating, " I say. "I actually fell for you, a little."

"...Yeah."

The world after that? The world did not change at all. Society today still assumes that love is a deadly disease. I have not seen Baekhyun since that day. We both went separate ways. I later found out that I didn't take the shot. I was just paranoid of the dream.

To this day, I still cannot get over Byun Baekhyun. He may have found another girl he likes.

My resolution? Yes, I'll prove the world wrong.. in Baekhyun's place. How? I recently started writing RomCom novels. I hope I can move people's hearts. Even if it's one person.. I hope they'll be inspired to fall in love.