BEFORE

"Are you sure you want to do this?" 

"We've talked this through, Kyungsoo." 

"But, just to make sure. Are you really positively utterly thoroughly sure?" 

"I should've stuffed you in my pocket during English test." Joeun managed to chuckle, even though she was sort of nervous too. "But yeah, I'm dead sure." 

Kyungsoo sighed, knowing well enough she wouldn't change her mind. Joeun's stubborness was unyielding. 

Joeun glanced at his anxious expression for the second time before her lips curved into a comforting smile. "Don't worry, it'll be fine." 

He paused, before grabbing her arm tightly. "You know I love you. Don't die. Or I'll haunt you as a spirit when I become one." 

"That's not even possible." She smirked, before closing her eyes and biting her lips, waiting for the pain. 

There was a sharp intake of breath before she felt the sharp blade dug into her skin as Kyungsoo slashed it vertically on her arm. Her fingers twitched, and she could feel his hand trembled when he was gripping her. Blood started to oozed out of the cut like rivulets, making her head spun for a moment. She heard the knife cluttered to the ground, and Kyungsoo's heavy breaths resonated around her room. 

Joeun opened her eyes, and she saw Kyungsoo's white sheet face staring back at her. She nodded towards the first aid kit, her whole body now shaking. Kyungsoo quickly took out a bandage and held a cloth tightly against the wound to stop the bleeding before wrapping it efficiently around her arm. When he was done, he pulled her into his arms. Joeun felt weak, but she returned the hug nevertheless. 

There was an odd sensation tingling at her arm, like a force engulfing the wound. She pulled away from the hug, and realized that the bleeding had stopped. 

Slowly, under Kyungsoo's stare that was so intense, she unwrapped the bandage using her other hand. Suddenly the air around the room started to become heavy. 

"No freaking way..." He whispered. 

The only indications of the wound was only the spots of sticky blood on the bandage. But her arm...her arm....there was no cut. Her arm appeared untouched. There was no scar at all. 

It had worked. She had healed herself. 

AFTER

She kept seeing it. The flames the walls like monsterous tongues, the thick black smoke billowing and choking her, like fingers curling around and strangling her, the red embers hot and furious in the inferno. 

She kept seeing it. A fire. 

Joeun knew it was just a dream, but the dream felt real, and she was drowning in the void. Sweat trickled down her neck, and she felt hot all of a sudden. She heard her name being called from a distant. Maybe she was being saved. Maybe someone is coming for her. 

Joeun....

Joeun....

Joe-

"SONG JOEUN!" 

Startled, Joeun woke up to the sound of erupted laughter in the class. She lifted her face and squinted at the morning light pouring from the windows, but to her dismay, Mrs. Jung was staring straightly at her; shooting her daggers. She wished more than anything that Mrs. Jung didn't have the desire to throw chalks today. 

"Would you like to enlighten the class about your newfound hobby, Ms. Song?" She reprimanded sternly as the whole class fell into silence. Joeun could feel all the eyes staring down on her, boring holes on every inch of her body. 

"No," she squeaked, and soon after feeling like an idiot that she couldn't find her voice. "No." she repeated, more clearly this time. 

Mrs. Jung didn't seem satisfied. She trotted back in her heels to the front of the class and pointed to the board, her eyes never leaving Joeun, who was staring down at her desk. 

"Tell me, Ms. Song, what is the meaning of this word?" 

Joeun glanced at the board and tried to squint to read the word. It was a disaster she didn't bring her glasses today. Her eyes were becoming worst from the lack of sleep. 

"Um. . ." It was a foreign word, something she had never heard before. It was probably from the novel that they were assigned to read for the year, but she didn't have the chance to do a pre-research on it. English was definitely her worst subject, so she had always done her homework first before the lesson was taught in class. But the word brought no comprehension to her, so she just shook her head. 

"I-I don't..." 

"Fatal flaw." A deep, indifferent voice called out from behind the class. 

Everyone half turned in their seat to look at who it was, including Joeun, who was almost too dumbstruck to even speak. Their attention was on him, the enigmatic and mysterious guy who always sits at the back, with a cigarette he always twirled around his fingers but never light it on.  

Kim Jongin. 

With his shirtsleeves half rolled up, his tie knotted loosely around his collar. The guy who no one talks to, but the girls fall head over heels for. Maybe it was the dark aura that he seemed to carrying everyday that made him looked ridiculously attractive, or perhaps his tanned skin and striking blue eyes that accentuated his features. Nevertheless, this was the first time Joeun heard him speak, and it was to answer a question directed towards her. 

"This is a question entitled to Ms.Song, Mr.Kim. I'm afraid I will not accept your answ-" 

"I apologize, Mrs. Jung, but I would like to enlighten the whole class with the true meaning, if that's okay." He looked up, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips. He didn't seem fazed at the slightest, even though all eyes were staring at him. 

Mrs. Jung looked surprise, but nodded anyway. "Enlighten us, you may." 

Jongin appeared to be loving the attention, as he stalled on the answer. Joeun started to hate him for his guts, and his vain attitude, even though his calling saved her. 

"Let me rephrase," he glanced at Joeun for a split second that she would've missed it before turning his attention back to the board. 

"Hamartia means mistake or error, or sometimes can be called as tragic flaw. But I prefer fatal flaw, as it leads to the downfall of the protagonist." 

Mrs. Jung gave a congratulatory nod of her head. "Well done, Mr. Kim. Truthfully, I did not expect you to be answering in any of my classes but well done indeed. But do keep away the cigarette, or you'll be getting yourself a trip to the office." She waved her hand away, but not before sending a last warning look to Joeun, and returned to the board to write Jongin's answer. 

As if on cue, the bell rang to indicate second period was over. Everyone shuffled towards the exit, ignoring Mrs. Jung's shoutings on homework for next week. Joeun was pushed to the side by someone when she stormed out of the room, but before she could fall, someone caught her just in time. 

She was met with her best friend's doe-like eyes, and immediately sighed in relief. "Kyungsoo."

"Hey, you alright?" He pulled her up as Joeun nodded profusely. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." 

"You had it pretty bad back there," he smiled apologetically, then ruffled her hair---the most favourite thing he likes to do---even though Joeun hated it sometimes because she was treated like a silly kid. 

"I didn't get that much sleep last night," she admitted.

"Bad dreams?" he asked knowingly.

"Bad dreams." The fire came back to mind, but she shook her head to shake the thoughts away. She shouldn't be having a bad mood today, or else Kyungsoo would sense it. 

"Well, let's go grab some coffee. It'll help you come back to your senses." He suggested with a cheeky grin. 

Joeun smiled, and looped her hand around his arm. But before they exited the hallway, they bumped into Jongin who was just walking out of the classroom. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Joeun, his expression unreadable. Joeun's tongue started to go dry when her eyes met with his intense blue ones. The cigarette was lighted up in his hand, and suddenly his face turned smug. 

"Move." he ordered, his deep gaze so unsettling to her. There was something else, but Joeun couldn't figure it out. She broke away from Kyungsoo, as Jongin slipped between the two, and disappeared into the sea of students. 

"What's his problem anyway?" Kyungsoo sounded annoyed, a little bit of anger hinted in his voice. 

"I don't know." Joeun turned back to look, half-expecting to see him again, but he was already gone. 

They both bought matcha lattes and sat at the table outside of the cafeteria that was overlooking the field. Kyungsoo was explaining his theories on her so called "power" that she possesed, much to her disinterest. Joeun found her thoughts kept coming back to her dream, but sometimes overlapping with the image of Jongin that was far too impossible to erase. It was strange, because she never found herself interested in the guy since the starting of the school year. She never even noticed that Jongin had most of the same classes as her. But today he made his debut in her mind. 

"Look, as I was saying--....Joeun?" 

"Earth to Joeun?" 

"Joeun?"

Even if I poured this hot latte on her arm, she wouldn't even feel it, Kyungsoo thought. 

"Ya!" he started to wave his hand in front of her face. After seconds later, she seemed to be awaken from her thoughts. But not by him. 

"What's. . .what's that smell?" Her eyebrows were furrowed as she looked over at Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo thought maybe she was hallucinating or something, that maybe this was one of those days of the month, but then he smelled it too. 

"Is that. . ." He tried to guess, but soon enough realization dawned on him. "Is that smoke?" 

Then it came. A blood-curdling scream that raised the hairs on their arms. 

"HELPPPP!"

Another scream. Louder. 

"THERE'S A FIRE!"

Shoutings. Screams. People shrieking in terror.

"SOMEONE IS TRAPPED!" 

A fire. Her dream. 

No.