I DON'T HAVE HERPES

Being in a car with Kyungsoo was a nerve-wracking experience and I had no idea why. 

Actually, that’s not true. I was afraid of being with Kyungsoo in the first place because I always managed to say something absolutely horrifying and I was really trying to adopt a normal social identity. 

Luckily, I didn’t have to say much to begin with because my mouth was still leaking like a faucet. And that was a really gross analogy and is probably why I spend my life hiding in a cave. But really, though, I was mainly concentration on how not to bleed on the interior of Kyungsoo’s car while he and Yixing engaged in normal conversation. And normal conversation means a lot because they weren‘t being all touchy and dirty like how he was with Jongin. 

“Avery, are you alright back there?” Kyungsoo tried to make eye contact with me through the rear-view mirror. 

I was sitting in the backseat, in case you hadn’t picked up on that. I was way too awkward to sit in the front seat. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied because I was actually getting slightly freaked out by the amount of blood that I had lost. “Are you okay?” What the hell? Why would he not be okay? 

“Oh, I’m fine,” I could see Kyungsoo’s smile in the mirror. “What about you, Yixing? How are you feeling?” 

“I’m pretty good, mate,” Yixing nodded. 

“Well, would you look at that? We’re all just doing lovely on this fine afternoon!” Kyungsoo smiled again. 

I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me or if he was generally that happy. I was leaning towards the latter; Kyungsoo was always happy when I saw him. Either way, we spent the rest of the ride to the hospital in silence. Well, not really, because Kyungsoo had the radio on, but no one was trying to start a conversation or was trying to get me to say dirty things. Which was a nice change of events for me. 

We finally made it to the hospital. I had somehow managed to not make a complete fool of myself. Probably because I didn’t speak. Or that I was forcing myself not to speak because I knew that nothing good would come out of me opening my mouth. 

Yixing got the door for me, both to the car and to the building while Kyungsoo went to park the car. That was weird. You would think that with an older brother that I wouldn’t be so shocked to see manners being used. Not that my parents are bad parents or anything. Luhan just can’t be tamed. 

“I can get that,” I told Yixing before he could grab the second door that led us into the building. He was about to get an back x-ray. He probably shouldn’t have been moving all that much. 

He shook his had. “No, it’s fine, I’ve got it,” he assured me, reaching out and opening the door anyway. Although now that I think about it, that hospital should have had automatic doors. It’s a hospital. It’s supposed to be as easily accessible as possible. 

“But your x-ray!” I protested. 

Yixing wrinkled his dark eyebrows at me. “What x-ray?” 

What did he mean ‘what x-ray?’ The x-ray that we were there for. 

“M-Minah said ...” Damn it, Avery. When were you going to learn not to trust things that Minah said? Remember your blind date? And how Naeun accused you of having with Kyungsoo? And that time when she told you that your skirt was cute when it turned out that it was actually one of the ugliest things on the planet? And now, when she acted like you were going to die because of a tiny flesh wound? I did not deserve to go to Hanyang. 

“I’m just having a check-up done. I don’t think I have to get an x-ray done. Well, maybe Minah thinks I am. She does have a tendency to blow things out of proportion,” Yixing shrugged as we walked over to the waiting room. There was a long line of people waiting to fill out those papers that they make you sign at the front desk. And that line just gained two more people. 

Alright Avery, try and make yourself look cool in front of Zhang Yixing because apparently, he was a big deal. 

“I’m not kidding,” Yixing continued because I didn’t say anything. Wait, what? Someone actually wanted for me to respond after every sentence? Yixing, where have you been my entire life? “One time we went out to eat and the line was rather long so she told the hostess that I was one of the children from the ‘Make A Wish Foundation.’ I told them the truth, though. I’m not a fan of lying.” 

I nodded. “That sounds a lot like Minah.” Well, of course it did, Avery. That was why Minah had said it. Quick, say something else before Yixing comprehends what you just said! “Why were you at brunch this morning?” Hey. That was probably some of my best ‘quick!’ work to date. I had progressed greatly from my days of naming my friends ‘Meth.’ 

Yixing turned to look at me as if he was debating wether or not he should answer my question. Crap, someone had told him that I was socially awkward. Please don’t let it have come from Kim Minseok. No, no, it was probably Jongin. Jongin would do something like that and think that he was doing me a favour. 

Instead of letting him answer, I blurted out another question because God-forbid that I ever stay silent. “How do you know Minah in the first place?” That sounded kind of rude. And there are two people in a couple, Avery. “Or Kyungsoo.” 

“Soo and I had been friends for a while now. Minah’s family is close friends with mine. Her and I go way back,” he answered. Way back? Was he hinting that him and Minah dated in the past or what? “She’s like a sister to me.” Was he confirming or denying that superstition? Maybe I was over-thinking it. 

Either way, Yixing was making an attempt at having a conversation with me while I was bleeding from the mouth and the two of us were standing in line at a hospital. I typically ignore people when I’m at the doctor’s office. Then again, I still go to the pediatrician back home even though I’m nineteen and there are parents in the waiting room with me that already have multiple kids of their own and probably think that I’m some kind of lady-e or something. 

“So did you, like, introduce them or something?” I made that sound as American as possible. Way to blend, Avery. 

Yixing didn’t think that my questions were that weird. “No, Jongin did.” I was slightly thrilled that he didn’t ask me if I knew who Jongin was. He also didn’t say ‘Kim Jongin.’ That was probably why people liked Yixing so much. He was smart. 

Wait, hold up. Jongin was the one that introduced Kyungsoo and Minah? “How?” And that was supposed to stay concealed in my mind. 

Yixing gave me a smile. I don’t know why but I am socially delayed and didn’t understand even the most basic aspects of communication. “Jongin met Minah at a party and thought that she and Kyungsoo would be a great match for each other,” he explained. “I think that was one of the best decisions that Jongin has every made.” Yixing studied my face for my reaction as he said the last part. Please don’t say that I cringed. Then again, there was a large napkin concealing most of my face so it didn’t matter. 

“Yeah.” Lie. You still thought that Minah was a raging psychopath. “I think that they’re super cool.” And the words ‘super cool’ should never be used to describe a relationship. 

He squinted at me. , he was on to me. I needed to have more conversations with people that weren’t going to analyze every response. “Really?” 

Oh, my squash. It was a trap! I was expecting for Yixing to be the type that just threw raging parties all of the time, not ask innocent American students trick questions! 

“Um, yeah?” I responded meekly. Smooth. And convincing. “Do you?” 

“Oh, I wasn’t kidding about that part, Avery. That really is one of the best things that Jongin has ever done. You should hear about some of his other decisions.” I did not want to hear about those. “And I do think that Kyungsoo and Minah are a lovely couple.” 

What the hell was going on? What was Yixing trying to get me to say? That I despised Minah and was madly in love with Do Kyungsoo? Because that was not going to happen. Ever. 

“Oh-kay.” 

We stood in silence. Well, part of the silence was because Yixing was signing in (he had tried to make me go first but I refused) and I was freaking out because there was a chance that Yixing could have been some kind of wedding spy and I was not ready for all of that. 

“I’ll see you in a bit,” Yixing waved at me before disappearing down the hall with some doctor. 

Maybe you haven’t yet picked up on it, but I am deathly afraid of doctor’s offices. That is why, at the ripe old age of nineteen, I still go to the children’s bit and get stickers and lollipops every time that I go in for an injection. Not to mention that I still drag my mom along to Dr. Johnson’s office every time that I have an appointment. 

Now I was in Seoul with a busted lip and no mom to hold my hand or Dr. Johnson to tell me jokes while he checked my ears. Life . 

The lady at the counter stared at me as I handed my insurance card to her. She shook her head before prying my hand that was holding the napkin away from my mouth and made a tsk-ing sound. “My, my, kids these day, I see that someone has been promiscuous.” 

Oh my god, had Jongin gone out and told the entire world that he ‘kissed’ me? 

“It wasn’t what he said it was,” I stammered. 

“Well, of course, it wasn’t,” she said, handing me my insurance card back. “You girls just keep getting younger and younger these days. You’re such a sweet young girl, you don’t need that,” she shook her head. 

Damn straight I didn’t. “I know. But he just keeps showing up over and over again and it’s so hard to get rid of him! Why can’t he understand that I don’t like him. At all. Whatsoever. And he looks like he should be in middle school!” I don’t know who this woman was, but she totally understood what I was going through. 

“Why don’t you just go on back? I’ll send a doctor in there soon after,” the receptionist said with a wink. Wow, she liked me! That was the second non-creepy wink that I had ever received. The first was from Kyungsoo. Nothing he did was ever creepy. “Room 118. It’s in the hallway behind the door.” 

And I got a special hallway? This day was getting better! 

“Thank you!” I flashed her a grin before taking my insurance card and bloody napkin and pushing the door open to the hallway I was told to enter. The hallway, by the way, was full of scantily dressed woman which was quite scary. 

Dr. Johnson, where are you? 

The door to 118 was already open so I walked in, sitting on the hospital bed and looked around. I hoped they weren’t going to make me put a gown on. Also, I just wanted a bandage. This was not a hospital emergency. 

The Seoul hospital room looked a lot like Dr. Johnson’s room back home, just with less animated poster and children’s books. And there wasn’t that tiny little bear that he would give me to squeeze when I had to get a shot. And this room didn’t have the- oh, squash, there was no way that I was going to be able to get through this without having a massive panic attack. 

So I did what I always did when I was scared, I called my mom. 

Yeah, I know that there’s a 14 hour time difference between New York and Seoul, but that didn’t matter to me. I needed some assurance. And luckily for me, my mom answered on the second ring. “Mommy?” 

“Avery?” It was only eight back home. Which meant that my mom should have been awake anyway. And she should have sounded more excited to hear from me. I mean, I even busted out the ‘mommy.’ That meant that some obvious squash was going to go down. 

“I’m at the hospital because I cut my lip open!” Thank god that my mom had no idea who Jongin was or that would’ve been so awkward. “And it’s not Dr. Johnson’