“What?”

“I didn’t believe it either.”

Rather than having an extrimely pleasant feeling when Jasmine said Chanyeol was looking for her, Annisa felt more of a confusion. This unusual reaction somehow shocked herself, isn’t she supposed to like, be happy or something? Chanyeol was looking for her, for pete’s sake.

“Sehun really said that?” She asked again to her friend whose eating calmly in front of her.

“He chased me all the way to library’s door,  grabbed my arm and told me Chanyeol is looking for you. There’s no way I’m being mistaken here.” Jasmine repeated her story. She stopped eating for a while, putting down the spoon and looked straight into her friend’s face. “Aren’t you suppose to squeals in happiness?” She asked later in a confusion.

“I guess.” Annisa shrugged, “I don’t know I just feel something’s not right.” She started to look around to order some food, she’ll think about it again once there’s food in front of her, she was starving.

“Just don’t forget, Sehun said Chanyeol will probably sitting on the pool if you want to see him.” Jasmine said, repeating Sehun’s last message before the guy finally turned his back and went away. 

“Did you ask why Chanyeol’s absent for three days?”

“He left before I can ask anything more.”

Annisa nodded to her friend’s answer. Everything with Chanyeol seemed okay when they had that accidental meeting on the pool, after that, everthing flipped like a page on a book, it was like Annisa could almost see an entirely different side of something. There was an uncomfortable feeling she tried to repressed when she saw the fresh bruise on Sehun’s face and the absence of Chanyeol. She didn’t want to speculate but the circumstances were too obvious and peculiar Annisa couldn’t help to think that maybe, Chanyeol and Sehun’s relationship was not as it seemed. Maybe, they were hiding something.

“Come with me to the pool, okay?” It was more of an order rather that a request from Annisa to Jasmine.

“Why?”

“Just, come with me. It’ll be awkward if there’s only me and him.” With that sentence, Annisa stood up and walked to one of the counter to order food. Still, she couldn’t rid the growing uneasiness she felt.

 

***

 

 

When Annisa looked at her phone’s screen, it was already 7 o’clock. She enjoyed her quality time with Jasmine way too much at the coffee parlour in their campus after they had lunch this noon. It started when Jasmine said she needed a desert, and when they got there, the quick desert turned into a talking session lasted for hours. But unfortunately, after that Annisa had to walk all by herself from the coffee parlour because Jasmine suddenly remembered she left her oh-so-important binder on their previous classroom. So Jasmine gave Annisa her apartment key and asked her to go back first.

When walked through the busy street to Jasmine’s apartement building, she couldn’t help not to look at her phone’s screen. It wasn’t like she was waiting for a call or something, well, maybe, kind of. She might not talk about it much to Jasmine earlier, but the moment she heard Chanyeol was looking for her, she was thinking about it the whole time, until now. That was why Annisa kept looking at her phone’s screen, assuming that if Chanyeol was really serious he would call her, even though Annisa knew Chanyeol didn’t have her number, if he was serious he would look for it and call her, told her directly that he wanted to see her. On the contrary, hours had passed by since she heard the news and she hadn’t receive any notice from the tall guy. 

There was a soft sound of ‘ding’ when the elevator in front of Annisa opened. The girl waited for all the people inside to get out, and she walked in when the elevator’s empty and pressed the button with number 15 craved upon it. Annisa watched as the number on the LCD keep changing, but it stopped when the elevator reached 13^th floor. She automatically stepped back, knowing someone will get in, but when the door crept open, she saw no one.

Then she heard a loud bang, followed by a muffled grunt.

“Stop acting like a kid!” It was a man’s voice, coming from the hall that wasn’t visible from the elevator. Annisa was about to push the close button when she heard another loud bang, like someone smacked the door hard. She hestitated at first but decided to hold the elevator’s door open, she wanted to hear more.

“I’m sick of following orders! Can’t we just do it?!” There was obviously two grown man involved in a fierce argument. Annisa frowned when she heard the conversation, she wondered wether this conversation might be the kind of thing she shouldn’t hear. After that there was a hanging silence, it was so quiet Annisa could hear her own heartbeat.

“I’m done with you. You’re going back next week. Let the others decide what do, I can’t back you up anymore.” The man stated his sentence in a serious hushed tone, but Annisa still managed to hear every word clearly. After she heard that last words, soon she could hear a door was being slammed shut, and the later sound of approaching footstep. Annisa hurriedly pushed the close button. But when the elevator’s door was about to close entirely, there was a hand blocking it. Whoever owned the hand must’ve been strong because he pushed the door open without any difficulties.

Annisa held her breath, ready to welcome the misterious figure who just had a bicker few moments ago.

“Chan . . yeol?”

His name slipped from Annisa’s mouth automatically. The moment she saw a battered face in front of her, she couldn’t help to call his name. Chanyeol stood, face to face with the girl, he gaped a little. There was a little shock drawn on his now battered face, he too, didn’t expect seeing Annisa here, out of all people. Chanyeol stepped in and the elevator’s door closing slowly behind him. He pulled down the snapback’s cap that he was using to cover his face. He then turned his back right away on Annisa and kept his mouth shut.

Soon Annisa came to one conclusion, the fierce argument she just heard, must’ve involved both Chanyeol and Sehun. The rumors that spinned within their classmates seemed to be true.  She could feel her heart beat increased gradually. Even though it was for only for a short moment, she was pretty much convinced that Chanyeol just had a fight¾with bodily contact¾and a terrible one. There was even a possibilty that he was the unfortunate party, he might lose whatever fight he was having. Hundreds of question popped inside her head like a balloon during that excruciating silence inside the elevator. Annisa wanted to question everything, she wanted to know what actually happened. She wanted explanation about Sehun’s bruises, Chanyeol’s absence, and the bicker she just heard before. But she knew she couldn’t do it. It was unethical, and it wasn’t her place to ask to begin with.

Who is she to Chanyeol anyway? When that question appeared, dissapointment spreaded inside her chest.

The awkward silence persisted when the elevator finally reached 15^th floor, Annisa’s destination. In front of Chanyeol the door started to crept open, Annisa was about to step forward and get out as fast as she could when Chanyeol suddenly turned his head, and looking back to Annisa. He locked her stare with his. Only then Annisa can see how bad the bruises and scars on Chanyeol’s face are. She wondered what on earth did this guy do.

“Sorry you have to see this.” Said Chanyeol pointing at his wounded face. His voice sounded hoarse, low “And heard whatever you’ve heard.” Annisa knew he reffered to the argument that happened earlier.  

Annisa stepped back again, letting the elevator’s door closed behind Chanyeol. She braced herself to keep looking at Chanyeol’s eyes, well, eye, because the left one was swollen. Annisa knew Chanyeol could only see only with his right eye.

“Have you seen the doctor?” Was one of the many questions that Annisa thought proper enough to be asked. She got her answer when the guy in front of her shook his head. The next question that almost slipped from was, what happened?, but she managed to hold it back.

“I think Jasmine has first aid box in her room if . . . if you want to . . “ Annisa groggily pointed at Chanyeol’s swollen eye.

“Is it okay?”

“Of course.” Annisa answered short and nodded fast. Chanyeol’s face somehow looked terrible Annisa couldn’t stand to look at it anymore, because she would imagine about the pain Chanyeol felt when he got those bruises. “Come on.”

Annisa quickly pressed the open button and got out of the elevator first, Chanyeol followed behind her. She took Jasmine’s apartement key and opened the door. Annisa didn’t walk directly inside the room, she stood at the verge of the door for a while and turned back to Chanyeol first.

“Wait here, I’m calling Jasmine first.” When Chanyeol nodded, Annisa got into the room without closing the door and took her phone. She dialed Jasmine’s number right away and waited for her friend to pick up. Annisa could feel her fingers were trembling when holding the phone, she never thought this kind of experience would ever come to her, especially there was Chanyeol inside this experience. All of this made Annisa entirely forget about the message Sehun delievered to Jasmine this noon. The girl stole a glance to the said guy who was already leaning back on the door frame. His stare was blank.

But unfortunately, Jasmine didn’t answer her phone, so Annisa decided to just texted her friend about the weird circumstances she was having, took the first aid box on the top of the pantry’s cupboard, and walked toward the door where Chanyeol stood. The guy walked away from the door automatically the moment he saw Annisa already held a first aid box in her hand.

“Let’s go. Is the pool sounds good?” While closing and locking Jasmine’s apartment door, Annisa asked Chanyeol. There was no way she was going to be in Jasmine’s room with only her and Chanyeol inside.

“I guess.” They both walked to the elevator again, going down to the 3^rd floor where the pool’s located. Inside the elevator Annisa was looking at Chanyeol’s face, trying to see which part of his face that had the worst injury. Definitely his swollen left eye, and then there’s a clotted blood on the corner of his mouth surrounded by a purple bruise, then there was one more darken bruise below his eyes, right on his high cheekbone.

“Chanyeol, look at me.” When Chanyeol turned his head Annisa tried her best not to look right into his eye. She was already nervous and she didn’t want to make it worse by staring into Chanyeol’s dark brown iris. For a moment Annisa examined the face in front of her and nodded once she knew what kind of treatment that Chanyeol might need. She learned all this first aid thing when she was a medical committee in her highschool’s sport tournament.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?” Out of nowhere Chanyeol asked something to Annisa when the elevator’s door finally opened, he even smiled a little. It was somehow remined Annisa that Chanyeol had a bright personality, somewhere behind those bruises, before she saw this side of him. They both got out and walked straight to the pool.

“I’m not going to ask anything.” Annisa answered. She walked toward the pool’s side rather than to the sitting area where the lighting is much better, Chanyeol just followed her.

“Really? Aren’t you supposed to be curious?”

“I am. But I think it’s not my place to ask.” Annisa answered honestly while she took a seat right on the pool’s ceramic edge. She gave a sign to Chanyeol to take a seat in front of her, and he obeyed.  

“How is it not your place to ask?”

“I’m afraid it’ll be some sensitive subject that I’m not allowed to know.” She said this while opening the first aid box, and took an instant cold pack. “Please take your cap off.”

Chanyeol took the cap off his head and revealed his totally out of control hair. Annisa almost laugh when she saw strands of hairs stood up on Chanyeol’s head, “sorry.” He mumbled before he muffled his hair and pulled it back using his fingers. As he did that there was a long cut revealed on the upper part of his forehead, the girl shook her head in disbelief, there was so many scars in his face alone.

“Aren’t people always curious about other people’s sensitive subject?” Annisa was about to put the instant cold pack to Chanyeol’s swollen eye, but she stopped when Chanyeol asking this.

“You asked a lot, you know that?” She said.

“I wanna know why you didn’t ask what happened.” Chanyeol received the instant cold pack from Annisa and put it on his left eye. He felt an instant soothe on the numb area. Annisa sighed over Chanyeol’s persistence. Didn’t Annisa make it clear enough that she didn’t want to disturb Chanyeol’s private life by not asking any question?

“Remember I asked you how long have you been friends with Sehun when we bought that midnight coffee?” Annisa was putting a single drop of betadine on the tip of a cutton bud when she asked this, after that she lightly tapped the cutton bud on a cut on the corner of Chanyeol’s mouth. The girl tried to focus on the scar, and not on the striking pretty lips that was very much close to her.

“Yeah, why?”

“You didn’t answer my question.” She recalled Chanyeol changed their subject right away when asked about his friendship with Sehun.

“I did.” Chanyeol pulled back a little, still holding instant cold pack to his eyes. It caused Annisa to stop putting betadine for a while.

“You only said forever.” She continued rubbing the medicine into the wound.

“It was an answer.” Chanyeol replied.

“Not for me.” Finished with the medicine, she took a band aid and tear the wrap open, “I asked you again how long is forever actually, but you didn’t answer. That is why I assume you don’t like people knowing details about your private life.”

Annisa could see clearly when Chanyeol’s right eye was looking at her instensly, before she saw a smile finally flared upon his face. She could see those high cheekbones raised along with his teeth-bearing smile. Only then Annisa realized she missed the smile so much.

“You were paying attention to that?” He asked, looked somehow amazed.

“Of course I did.” Of course she did, she paid a close attention whenever it comes to Chanyeol, and the guy didn’t need to know. After tearing the ban aid Annisa patched it right away on the corner of Chanyeol’s mouth, she tapped it a little to make sure she didn’t cover too much of Chanyeol’s lips, or else the guy couldn’t talk porperly.

“I’ll give you a free pass now.” Chanyeol said, when Annisa was putting more betadine on the cotton bud. She faced Chanyeol first then frowned in confusion. “Since you’re taking care of me, I will give you one free pass to ask me about anything.”

“Only one?” Annisa showed a smile. She was stopping with her treatment for a while.

“You want more?”

“Just kidding. You don’t need to do that. Just keep it, I’m no taking it.” Annisa shook her head while letting out a small laugh. To be honest, she didn’t want Chanyeol to tell her the story just because she took care of him. She wanted him to tell because he wanted to, so she decided to just ditch the ‘free pass’ and wait for the time when Chanyeol will came up to her and tell her what really happened. This time, Annisa had to move closer to Chanyeol because she was going to apply the medicine to the long scar on his forehead, but when she was about to do that, Chanyeol moved back.

“What now?” Annisa asked, she was looking at the face in front of her, Chanyeol looked like he was a bout to laugh but confused at the same time, he bite his lower lip while smiling to hold the laugh. “Why are you laughing?”

“Why talking to you is difficult, Cha?”  Chanyeol asked, keeping the smile on his face.

“How?” Annisa shrugged, didn’t feel like she was being difficult at all.

“You supposed to ask me what happened but you didn’t. I gave you chance to do that but you didn’t take it. Can’t you just, you know, ask?” There was a sound of both amusement and just a little bit of confusion hanging on the words Chanyeol just said.

“I told you, I didn’t want to invade your privacy. If you really want to tell your story so bad, just tell!” This time Annisa moved forward to continue her treatment, but Chanyeol pulled himself back again, it made the girl in front of him sighed in frustration.

“Ask me and I’ll tell.” There was an obvious teasing smile that was thrown to Annisa. She decided to follow whatever the game Chanyeol was playing.

Annisa sighed again before finally threw the question, “Fine. What happened to you?”

“Not telling.”

Annisa gaped in disbelief and seconds later she closed her eyes while letting out a heavy breath. She almost forget that one of the reason she liked this guy is because sometimes he still looked somehow childish, but she didn’t know childish could be a little bit annoying. Seeing the reaction, Chanyeol released his laughed, the crispy kind of laugh when someone was really having a good time. She could tell by the way he was hitting his thigh while laughing.

“Park Chanyeol!” Annisa shouted, and it made Chanyeol’s laugh grew until there was no sound coming out of his wide open mouth.

“Hahaha . . . sorry. Oh my that was a good laugh . . . haha.” Chanyeol started to stop laughing and wiped the tear that was coming out of his eyes. Seeing the sight of laughing Chanyeol was entirely relieving to Annisa. She might be blind to whatever happened to him, whatever kind of secret he was hiding, or struggles he was fighting, but his laugh seemed to be one out of dozens indicator that showed her, he could still feel happiness no matter how small.

“Finished?” Annisa sarcastically asked, but with a smile on her face.

“Hehe, yeah.” After hearing his answer Annisa moved forward and cupped Chanyeol’s big face inside her hands. When their skin’s surface met, there was a jolt inside Annisa’s chest, she felt almost that instant that her heartbeat went faster as she made the contact. She didn’t expect this kind of feeling at all. She didn’t know this little contact she made with him would be this . . . shocking and exciting. Knowing that she dazed off for seconds, Annisa hurriedly look for the long scar on Chanyeol’s forehead.

His skin was unexpectedly cold and soft, except for a bump oh his cheekbone, Annisa could feel his skin grazing every inch of her fingers.

“I’m sorry, I have to . . . your hair . .” The long scar was covered by Chanyeol’s messy hair, Annisa asked for a permission to pulled it back. She could hear Chanyeol mumbled a soft, “okay,” and then she pulled his hair back with her left hand, while her right hand applying medicine on the scar. This was the closest position she had ever been to Chanyeol, yet, she hoped he couldn’t hear her drumming heartbeat.

Both Annisa and Chanyeol was in a total silence. The only audible sound was the ripple from the pool’s surface, and the shrieking cars’ horn on the street below. Crescent moon hanging, silenty watching while being encircled by its own pale glow.

“I can’t tell you what happened to me.” Chanyeol was the first one who broke the silence, “But I’ll tell you how long I’ve been friends with Sehun.” 

Annisa still concentrating applying betadine on Chanyeol’s scar, and keeping his hair away from it. But she listened closely to what her friend just said. “How long?” She asked, still holding back Chanyeol’s hair while she took another ban aid and tore the wrap using her teeth.

“Listen carefully, because I’m not gonna lie,” The girl in front of him just answered with a soft, ‘hm’, still immersed in the treatment she was doing.

“Ten thousand years and counting.”  

“Ouch!”

All of a sudden there was a sharp sting Annisa felt on the tip of her fingers when she was plastering Chanyeol’s scar with ban aid. She pulled her hand from his face right away.

“What is it?”  Shocked, Chanyeol took off the instant cold pack from his swollen eye and looked at Annisa who was in pain holding her hand. “Did you hit something?” The guy took Annisa’s hand, but when his skin met hers, Annisa let out a soft shriek and she pulled her hand away from Chanyeol. Annisa felt the sting again, and it hurts so bad, she could still feel the pain few seconds after the contact.

An eerie atmosphere suddenly lunged. There was a stare of total confusion on Chanyeol’s face, and the expression of definite fear on Annisa’s face. She couldn’t believe what just happened to her. Did she feel pain everytime she touched Chanyeol?

“Icha? You okay?”

“Don’t move.” The girl slowly extended her hand into Chanyeol’s arm. When their skin made a contact Annisa felt the sting again, strucked her like an electricity, but this time it was worse, she could feel it spreading until her whole arm felt numb. Annisa moaned in pain.

What is it? Why did she feel pain everytime she touched Chanyeol?!

“What is it Cha?” The guy in front of her looked a bit desperate, because there was a girl in front of him who was suddenly in pain and he didn’t know why.

For a moment Annisa contemplated wether she should tell Chanyeol or not. This thing is really strange he might not believe what kind of experience she just had. Never in her wildest imagination that she would ever feel this kind of pain everytime she touched someone. Chanyeol might not believe what she was going to say.

“It was . . .” She stuttered for a moment, Annisa took a little glance to her hands and she saw red smudges all over her palm, she inhaled in fear. “Oh my god . . .”

“What hap . . .”

“Don’t touch me!” Annisa shouted in pain when Chanyeol suddely grabbed her arm. She stood up and felt her right arm went limp. This time, her heart beat faster for a whole different cause. The moment Chanyeol saw a bruise appeared on the place where she touched Annisa, he gawked. Annisa could see somehow a terrified look on Chanyeol’s face.

“Oh my . . . does it sting?” Chanyeol’s question surprised Annisa. How did he know the pain stings? Knowing Annisa was too afraid to answer, Chanyeol repeated his question, “Icha, does it stings?”

“Y . . yeah. I can’t feel my arm right now.” The feeling of fear and pain molded into one it made her head spinned.

“Everytime I touched you does is stings?” Annisa nodded, slowly.

“Chanyeol I’m scared, what happened?” The girl started to feel her breath got shortened.

The guy she called didn’t answer. Then, under the clear evening sky and the silent crescent moon, Chanyeol’s terrified face turned stiff. His eyebrow curved into an expression of anger before his deep brown iris turned red, blazing red. Everything happened in front of Annisa in a speed of light, she couldn’t even feel the peaking fear when suddenly darkness took over her.

But there was one voice, fading along with her consciousness

“Do you believe in magic, Cha?”