Chapter Five

The Mask

The bright morning sun shone through the windows, illuminating the room in blinding strobes of light. Dust particles hung like stars in the irradiated section of the room. Sungmi blinked her eyes open slowly and with difficulty due to the sudden contrast of her dark slumber and the shining vibrance of the morning. She observed her surroundings in confusion. She didn’t remember falling asleep in the living room.

She suddenly noticed how stiff her back was. A sore ache coursed through her muscles as she shifted her body onto her side and placed her arms beside her stomach. She attempted to pull herself up from the floor, only to slump back due to her weight and lethargy. 

Wait, the floor? What was she doing—

Sungmi suddenly took notice of the deadweight that was asleep on the couch above her. A soft snore vibrated from his puckered lips, blowing a piece of hair on his forehead up and down. He was facing the open side of the couch and one arm was dangling off its side. Her eyes immediately softened at this sight and guilt ate at her heart. His face was still green from the previous night, though his complexion had gotten slightly better. The tuft of hair sitting on his head looked like a bird’s nest and his shirt was completely wrinkled and stained. A slight, detectable crease lay between his dark eyebrows. The trash bin still lay right next to the couch, just in case he needed it again. Sungmi had had to replace the plastic bags multiple times throughout the night.

Honestly, everything was all her fault. If she had thrown away that deleterious block of cheese a long time ago, Kai would have never eaten it and suffered such a turbulent night. She couldn’t even find it in her to blame him for not reading the expiration date; he had gone through too much in just under a few hours and she couldn’t do anything but feed him water and painkillers. How could she even  complain seeing him in such a feeble state? She even had to support him with every trip to the bathroom because he could barely make three steps without collapsing from pain. It really hurt to see him like that. She had never felt so bad for somebody in her entire life. After that episode, he had fallen on the couch and knocked out like a log, leaving her to clean up his mess. When she had come to check up on him, she had been too exhausted and disheartened to finish her noodles or trudge back to her room. So she had slumped on the floor and followed Kai into a fitful sleep. 

At the sight of Kai’s little snoring, Sungmi’s heart thumped loudly in her chest. He looked so adorable that she didn’t even remember how many colorful words had come from his mouth last night, most of them directed at her. How could she blame him for her own culpability? After all, she saw him eat the cheese and didn’t even know to warn him. Yet, despite his language and lack of manners, she felt drawn to this boy that she had barely known for a day. He had such a mysterious and enigmatic exterior, but she knew a child existed inside him. A child that had a mask of rudeness and arrogance, but one that wanted to have fun and laugh and joke around, just like other kids.

How did she know this? Because Sungmi had a mask herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had geniunely laughed or smiled at someone because she herself was hiding under a mask of indifference. No matter how many indelicate and hurtful words were thrown at her, Sungmi kept her face placid. She didn't want others to have the satisfaction of seeing her cower. Despite the constant abuse of the high school girls or her parents' incessant whining, Sungmi chose not to be affected. She was going to do whatever she wanted. Even if the words hurt and caused her to cry whenever she was alone, she would never show others her vulnerable side. She could feel the same thing from Kai. She didn’t know for what kind of reason Kai was staying with her, but she had a feeling it was probably private and would wait for him to t