Ahem, Dust talking! ^^ Here's our first entry by doubleabs (as you can see above).

Her prompt/topic or whatever was "unsuccesful suicide attempt".

Here's the link to the actual story! (x) Please support her there too! ^^ 

Enjoy! And don't forget to comment, because your comments mean A LOT in this contest! ^^

-04.07.2014

Chanmi, for as long as she can remember, has had a messed up life. At age 12, she experienced her first heartbreak. Her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend. Then, her parent's died when she was 14, leaving her all alone with her uncle. Her uncle always drank and abused her with words and with his belt, until he got into a car accident when she was 16. Good riddance to him. After the death of her uncle, she was sent to a orphanage for 2 years, where she worked as a servant. An 'orphanage' that used kids instead of take care of them. When she reached 18, Chanmi finally busted out of that place. She found her home and stayed there, working and working like a workoholic, desperately trying to mend her life. That all took it's toll when she befriended a girl who was supposedly sweet and charming at her work place. Turns out? She just wanted to befriend Chanmi because Chanmi always had food on her. Shallow, she knew. That was the snapping point. Chanmi has had enough. 

An adult at age 20 wouldn't have coped the way she did, but she had to do it. It was her choice. So one Thursday morning in December, she decided to visit a local drug store. She wrote a note to whoever would read it and care about it. So she went there, purchased a green bottle that was labeled with crossbones. The cashier was a young boy with sparkly deer like eyes. He looked at her with a concerned face but Chanmi just looked back with her dull eyes. Nonetheless he let Chanmi buy it. At home, she drank all the poison, every last drop. And she waited for death.

But now?

Now she was stuck at a stupid hospital, under suicide watch. A nurse informed her that she was in the psychological ward. Chanmi glared at the nurse, who began to tremble under her glare. 

The nurse tried asking Chanmi again to take her medicine, after 8 attempts. "Miss, just please take these medications---"

"No." Chanmi glared at the nurse and swiped the bottle of pills on the ground, scattering the red and white pills. The nurse's eyes widened as she scampered away to call the doctor. Chanmi glared after her before huffing and closing her eyes. What was wrong with the poison? She didn't get it. She was supposed to die, not end up in this place.

A lanky doctor walked in and sighed at Chanmi's face. Chanmi kept her eyes shut as she waited for the doctor to leave. The doctor leaned down to pick up the pills. 

"You have a visitor," the doctor said instead, after throwing the pills in the trash can. Chanmi's eyes flew open in shock, disbelief and a teensy bit of hope. A visitor. The doctor let a boy with dark brown hair in. The boy with sparkly eyes. The deer boy. Chanmi hope-filled face turned into a scowl.

"Hi, I'm Luhan," the deer boy - Luhan - bowed. The doctor left, leaving the door ajar. Chanmi eyed Luhan wearily. Was he the one that reported her? She assumed so, since he was the only one who knew.

"What are you doing here?" She spat, her assumptions getting the best of her, "Why did you tell them!??" Luhan blinked for a couple of seconds before he realized what Chanmi was saying. He chuckled lowly in wonder. Did this girl really want to die so much?

"I did report you, if you were wondering. You have a life to live," Luhan warmly smiled. That smile and that chuckle only infuriated Chanmi even more. She despised him, loathed him, hated him with all her guts.

Chanmi retorted, "I don't want to live. I have my reasons." She turned her head away so she couldn't see Luhan. 

"Start by telling me your name," Luhan's carefree and easy voice rang again. Chanmi ignored him. As they say, if you ignore a fly, it'll eventually go away. Right? Luhan walked around her bed and knelt down so he was at her eye level.

"Tell me it. I'm trying to help you," Luhan's eyes begged Chanmi. Chanmi stared at him dully. Nothing could help her right now. All she wanted to do was to leave. To go to her parents. Was that so hard to see? Luhan stood up again and dragged a wooden chair to sit in front of her. 

"Yoo Chanmi," Luhan read off of her IV bag. Chanmi cursed the heavens and earth in her mind, making a mental note to destroy everything in sight later on. Chanmi sat up and ran a hand through her black, curly hair.

Luhan gently pushed her back down, "You should rest." That tone of voice. It was that tone that got to Chanmi. It was the tone of someone who cared. Chanmi looked at this Luhan curiously. A stranger that she had just met, yet he was so nice, so gentle to her. She had tried so many times to ignore him, get him away, only to have him talk to her with care. 

"What do you want?" Chanmi's hate-filled voice now turned to a guarded one. It was because of the events of the past that made her hard to trust people that easily. She was used to people doing bad things to her, using her for their own good. All of them were the same - humans, Luhan and her included.

Luhan pulled out his phone and showed her a picture that read, "In the world, there is someone who cares for you, someone who would die for you and someone who can't live without you." Chanmi read it, a scowl on her face. No one would die for her, no one cared for her and if she was gone, the world would just live on. 

Luhan smiled pleasantly, "Don't ever do suicide again. I will tell your parents." Luhan wagged his finger playfully, not knowing that he hit the spot. Chanmi bit her lips and lowered her eyes. Luhan sensed something was wrong and began to stammer, "B-but I don't h-have to do that if..."

"Go." Chanmi looked at him. Luhan peered at her expression and wordlessly left. Outside her room, Luhan leaned on the wall. He was intrigued by this girl. Never has he seen a girl this bitter to him. He's certaintly never seen any girl commit suicide - or try to. Luhan bit his lips. No doubt he thought she was pretty, but he shook it off and walked off. He'd return, he decided. He would come everyday until she got sick of him.

The next day, Chanmi was moved into another room, a smaller one. She sighed and stared at the empty wall. A small table sat in the corner with a vase filled with wilting flowers. The flowers were such a sad sight. A chair accompanied the table. It was bare and empty. 

A knock came from the door and someone walked in. Luhan. Again.

"What is it," Chanmi shut her eyes, exasperated. She didn't want anyone visiting her nor was she used to it. She wanted to be alone, the way it had been for the past 8 years of her life. 

"I want to talk to you," Luhan grinned and sat down in the chair. Chanmi was tired so she didn't say anything. Taking that as a good sign, Luhan began to ramble about his sisters, his best friends (he had 11 of them!) his college life, random things, his favorite ice cream and about the sad looking flower. Chanmi found his voice soothing and in the middle of his rambling, she fell asleep, a smile on her lips, something she hadn't done since her parents were alive.

Luhan gazed her peaceful, innoncent sleeping face before brushing a strand of hair aside and leaving.

The very next day, Luhan came back again, leaving Chanmi really confused. A mere stranger that always talked to her about his life and always visited her, why did he do that? Why did he care? And why did Chanmi reply to his questions?

Luhan talked on a wide range of subjects, varying from watermelons to names of rabbits. Chanmi, to her own surprise, giggled at some of the things he said. What was it about him that made her cheerful? At the end of that day, Luhan walked out of the ward, ran to the streets and fist pumped, ecstatic that he got her to show a happy emotion.

And so it went on. For one whole week, Luhan would visit, often bring food, chatter about nonsense and ask Chanmi questions. Chanmi would listen to him intently, answer his questions and smile more. She didn't like the sudden weakness she was showing, but what could she do? Soon, she told him her entire story. Luhan consoled her the whole way.

It was now another week, Monday. She was to be discharged on Wednesday, so she had 3 more days at the hospital. Chanmi was a bit worried that Luhan wouldn't visit her once she was well again.

"Luhan," Chanmi paused to gather her thoughts on Monday afternoon after eating Luhan's green tea ice cream that he bought in, "Will you continue to visit me? To be my friend?" 

Luhan hit her head lightly, "Of course silly, everyday." He held out his pinky with a boyish smile.

Chanmi linked her pinkie with his, a wide smile forming on her own lips. Her eyes sparkled. A promise. Then, they began to chitchat again. Luhan's phone rang abruptly, interrupting them. Luhan excused himself and answered the call outside. Chanmi curiously looked after him but remained where she was lying. Her thoughts wandered to Luhan. He was a man, a boy, yes, but he was beautiful in Chanmi's eyes. On the inside and on the outside. 

"Ah, Chanmi, I have to go now," Luhan hurried back in and apologetically told Chanmi. She nodded understandingly before waving for him to go.

"Bye," Luhan smiled, grabbed his white backpack and raced out the door. 

The very next day, he did not return. Chanmi woke up at the break of dawn, waiting for her friend to come, but he didn't. She waited until midnight but he still did not come. Her sleep that night was very restless. When the sunlight hit her face again, she waited for Luhan. He did not return.

The door suddenly opened. Chanmi bolted up and eagerly waited for the deer-eyed boy to walk in with a goofy smile on his face. But her hopes were crushed when she saw the timid nurse walk in.

"Miss, you are discharged." She helped Chanmi out of the bed and handed her a set of clothes. Chanmi changed into her set of clothes slowly. Luhan did not come yesterday, nor would he visit her today. He broke the promise.

Chanmi swallowed and looked at her reflection on the mirror. Of course. Luhan had other things to do, a life to live. He wouldn't spend his time with a girl who was so helpless, so ugly. Of course not. Chanmi sadly smiled before bowing to the nurse and plodded out the door. She looked at the chair Luhan would always sit in and brushed her hand on it for a second before leaving. 

For the rest of the week, Luhan didn't come. Chanmi's sleep was uneasy. She'd toss and turn a lot, resulting dark circles around her eyes. A week later, he didn't come as well. Chanmi returned to work and gave up all hopes that Luhan was ever going to appear in her life again.

It was nearly Christmas by then. Another lonely Christmas again. Chanmi sighed before dragging her fake Christmas tree out and decorating it with ornament and lights. Every night, she'd turn them on and imagine her happy family sitting by the tree.

Under the tree were no presents. There was no warm fireplace or hot cocoa to be seen either. She got off work late on Christmas Eve. Everyone was bustling around at the mall she worked in, buying last minute gifts. Chanmi walked into a candy store and decided to treat herself to eat a candy cane. Biting on the candy cane, she idly wandered home. 

"Mom, Dad, Merry Christmas." She whispered up to the frigid air when it became midnight. Her hand clenched on the half eaten candy cane. She was still on her way home. Chanmi looked up at the storm clouds. She predicted snow soon.

With her mind wrapped around her memories, she didn't watch where she went so she accidentally bumped into someone. Ducking her head and bowing, she mumbled apologies and continued to walk off. But then the stranger grabbed her wrist. Chanmi spun around and was met by Luhan. By instinct, she froze.

"Chanmi...I'm sorry," Luhan pulled her closer. Chanmi broke out of her daze and shot daggers at Luhan with her eyes. 

When she angrily tried to pull away Luhan only gripped tighter, refusing to let Chanmi go.

"What do you want?" Chanmi asked in her coldest voice. Luhan shook his head and began to pull her somewhere wordlessly. Her candy cane landed on the ground as she desperately tried to break away. What was he going to do with her?

Minutes later, they arrived at her house. Luhan held his hand out expectantly, waiting for the key. Chanmi glared at him and huffed, but she had no other choice but to unlock the door. When she walked in, she flicked open the lights, the Christmas lights and sat on her couch, refusing to look at Luhan.

"Whoa," Luhan was awed on the trees beauty. The ornaments were all black and white and silver. Pretty yellow lights daintily hung from thin wires that were barely visible. Peched on top of the tree was a huge gold snowflake. What struck Luhan most was the fact that the christmas tree was bare from presents. 

Luhan walked over and placed a small white box under the tree. Chanmi was on her feet in a second, gaping at Luhan. Did he just give her a present? 

"Merry Christmas," Luhan sweetly smiled at her. Chanmi stared at him. 

Luhan sat down and rubbed his palms "I have a lot to explain. I'm so sorry. My dad... he had tuberuculosis and was sent to the states. I had to take a week off to visit him since they said that his condition was fatal. And...and he d-died when I was there." Luhan looked down, quietly trailing off. 

"Oh..." Chanmi patted his back sympathetically. She forgave him. She forgave him with everything she had since she understood. Now she understood. Leaning in, she hugged Luhan. It was warm and comfortable. It was right.

"Did you get me a present?" Luhan playfully asked, breaking away a second later. Chanmi pulled out a candy cane from her pocket sheepishly and handed it to him. Laughing he took it.

"I'm sorry for assuming..." Chanmi mumbled. Luhan pinched her cheeks and gave her a wide smile. He reached for the present and handed it to Chanmi, waiting for her to open, eagerly waiting for her reaction.

Chami lifted the lid of the small box and saw a silver pendant with a heart. She had never received such an elegant and beautiful thing. It just looked so expensive. Without thinking she attacked Luhan with a huge bear hug, a sincere smile on her lips. 

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Chanmi squealed. Luhan was so happy to see her like that. So happy to see her cheerful and carefree. The Chanmi that had been hiding inside her distrustful and angry exterior.

The Chanmi he fell for.

He had to admit, he thanked that green bottle because if it weren't for that? He wouldn't have met Chanmi.

Important note to all the participants!: Hey lovelies! If you're going to post your stories yourself instead of sending it to us, please don't disable the text selection. At least until I've put your entry in here. ^^ Thank you~! ^^

Oh, and we decided to give the best two or three stories an additional prize! Look forward to it! >o<