Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Taeng honey! Could you please open the door,” He heard Kim umma ask her son to open the door.

“Oh, you here,” Taeng feel a little surprised seeing him in front of the door. He only gave him his dorky smile.

“Ummmaa! It’s Amber,” Taeng told Kim umma, obviously wasn’t in the living room.

“Where’s Kim umma?” He ask Taeng.

“In the kitchen. Come in, Am,” Taeng told him while he opened his shoe and step into the house, following Taeng  to the kitchen. Kim umma smile at him when she saw him.

“Oh Amber, you got home early today,”

“Yeah, Hyo noona cover up for me. Emm…where’s Kim appa? I didn’t see him,”

“Appa in reading room, doing his work,” He only nodded hearing Taeng’s answer.

“Just wait a little bit more, it will finish soon,” Said Kim umma to him while her hand busy stirring the porridge. He only nodded.

“While you waiting, why not you go home and change first,” Kim umma added while her eyes look  at his work uniform. Now, he remember, he dashed out from the store without changing the uniform since he want to get here as fast as he can. He rubbed behind his neck and smile shyly.

“Yeah, and take a shower too. You smell like a goat,” Taeng said while faking covering his nose after sniffing at him.

“Yah, hyung do you expect for me to smell like a fresh bread? I just got home after working,” He said and narrowed his eyes at Taeng. Taeng only make an innocent face. Kim umma only can smile seeing both of them bickering. She know Taeng likes to .

“Taeng’s right, Am. You certainly doesn’t want to bring any more germ to her, right,” Kim umma said to him. Then, he think what Kim umma just said was right. He bid them goodbye for a while and went to his house. He take a quick shower and check the things inside his bag that he want to bring to her house. Luckily, he remember to make some grocery shopping last week so he only take it from his house and doesn’t have to buy more. He heard someone knocking his door. He opened it.

“This is porridge and soup for your ice princess,” Taeng said to him while handing him the porridge and soup container. It’s still hot.

“Umma said he put it a lot so you can eat it too. And the recipe, I send it to you later,” Taeng added.

“Thanks,hyung and tell Kim umma, I say thank you,” He take the container from Taeng. Taeng leave his house and he closed the door, start walking to her house.

He reach her house a few minutes later, it’s dark. He take her house’s key and opened the door. There’s no light at all in the house except the bedside lamps. He the lamps  in the living room, giving a little light in the house. He went to her bed and switch off the bedside lamps, he look at the tray. Everything were still neatly there just like how he left it before. He bet the ice princess still didn’t eat yet. He take the dried towel from her forehead and put it at the sink. He touch her forehead, it still hot. He take the thermometer from the drawer where he found it when he cleaning her house and put it on the table beside her bed. He shake her lightly and her cheek softly try to wake her up. She stir a little, slowly opened her eyes. She coughed while try to get up from her lying position. He helped her to sit and put a pillow behind her back.

“Krys, why didn’t you eat? You still didn’t take the medicine?” He ask her.

“I don’t have any appetite,” She said with a low tone.

“But you have to eat. You didn’t take anything for the whole day. You need to eat so you can take the medicine,” He try to coax her.

“Nooo….not the medicine,” She shook her head while covering , just like a kid.

“Krys, you have to take the medicine so you can get better,” He try to reasoning with her.

“Nooo…not that ugly med…(cough..cough)…it taste..yuck!..(cough),” She said it with a disgusting face.

“But Krys how can you get better if you don’t take it,” He still trying to persuade her. He feel like he’s dealing with a 4 years old kid than a teenager.

“No! Don’t  want…..(coughh..cough)..that stupid med,” She protest it. She lay down and pull the blanket covered up to her chin, she turn her back to him.

“Krys, don’t be like a child. You have to eat and take the medicine, ok,” He said it softly, still trying to persuade her. He really wasn’t a good persuader because he wasn’t the type of kid that trying to run away when his mother brought the medicine. Since he was a little kid, he take the medicine when his mother ask him too because he want to get better and play with his friend again.

“Krys, it’s maybe doesn't taste so good but it’ll make you feel better,” Still trying. Her back still facing him but he still can see, she shook her head. He try to touch her shoulder but been push away by her hand.

“No!...don’t want that stupid med….(cough..cough)… I hate it….(cough)..,” He try too talking to her again but been cut off by her lightly sob and more, more cough.

“Don’t want….(cough..cough..cough)…it doesn’t taste good..(cough..cough),” He heard her whimpers and cry. He saw her shoulder moving up and down, sobbing. Her cough becomes more and more louder and with the sobbing it looks like she’s going to choke her breath.he sighed deeply. He finally gave up. He feel totally helpless. He doesn’t have the heart to push her anymore when she looks like that.

“Krys..it’s ok if you don’t want to take the medicine but you have to eat. I brought some porridge and soup,”  He told her while trying to turn her body toward him and this time she doesn’t push it away. He wipes her staining tears from her cheek.

“Really?” She ask him, hiccuped a little because of the cry. He smiled and nodded.

“Stop crying, ok,” He told her while her cheek.

“But we have to check your temperature first while I preparing the porrridge,” He put the thermometer in . Then, he went to the kitchen, put the porridge and soup in the bowl and bring it to her on the tray with a glass of water. He take a sit beside her on the bed and take out the thermometer. He look at it.

“38.8 ^OC. It’s high. You need to drink a lot of water,” She only listened, doesn’t say anything to him. He helped her to sit and give her the tray. She only staring at the porridge and look at him.

“You didn’t put it in here, don’t you?” She ask him weakly.

“No, Krys. I didn’t,”

“Don’t lie to me,” Still look at him.

“Krys, I didn’t put anything. Now eat please,” He coax her, still try to softened the tone. She take the spoon.

“Krys, what’s that?” He ask her, pointing at one of her finger.

“Paper cut,” She answer it in a simple sentence.

“You should treat it,”

“I did. I put the plaster,” She said it while showing her finger that already wrapped with a skin-like-colour plaster. He only nodded.

“Careful, it’s still hot. Blow it a bit,” She  followed what he said and eat the porridge but after three spoonfuls, she put it away.

“You should eat more, Krys,” She only shook her head and back to lie down on the bed. He only can sigh. Looks like more for him. He wash the dishes and wet the towel to put on her forehead. He still can hear her cough, it doesn’t sound getting any better. Then, he heard some sound, he look at outside the window, it’s raining. Oh, great…he didn’t bring the umbrella. Maybe he could wait a little till the rain stop  beside he still feel reluctant to leave her alone like that. He thought. He want to switch off the lamp so she can sleep comfortably.

“No….” He heard her small voice.

“You hate dark?” She nodded. He went to her bed and switch on the bedside lamps. He switch off the other lamps leaving only that. He take a last glance toward her and take a sit on the couch while waiting the rain to stop.

 Later in the midnight, he doesn’t know when he fall asleep. He awake because of her cough that becomes louder. It still raining outside. He went to her bed. He saw her moving in her sleep.

“Krys…Krys…,” He called her. He touch her forehead. Damn! It’s burning. He quickly change the dried towel to wet and wipe her face a little then put it on her forehead. He heard her small whimpers even her eyes still closed. Her body is trembling.

“It’s cold….(cough..cough)… so cold,”  He saw her keep moving on the bed try to keep her body warm. He want to find another blanket and put it on her but before he could get up, he feel something tugged on his sweater and pulling him back on the bed beside her, so close to her. His heart pounding crazily. He barely can breath. He try to wake her, he doesn’t want any misunderstanding.

“Err…Krys..Krystal,” Only been replied a hummed  by her, her eyes tightly closed. He doesn’t think she realised it but he can feel she’s trembling in her sleep. The night must be so cold for her in this kind of state and the pouring rain, certainly weren’t helping. She keep snuggling closer to him  try to keep the warmth. He try not to move even he can feel her hot breath and her silky black hair on his neck.

He gave up. Maybe tonight, just tonight he want to hug her, give her the warmth. There’s nothing wrong of helping sick people, right. He thought. Although, he know if the ice princess awake in this kind of position, he might be sentenced to death. He grin a bit when he remembered that kind of ice princess. He definitely didn’t like this sick princess. He pull the blanket over them. He can feel her breath becomes more steady and her body less trembling. He hug her tightly. He can’t describe what he feels right now. He just think it feels right to do it, it feels good.

“Please get well, princess,” The second time he called her princess before he also drift off to dreamland.