Episode 12: Lonely

 

(His POV)

 

“I feel…very secure…like this”

 

She was clinging to my shirt, but suddenly let go after she said that, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

 

Wide-eyed, I was surprised at my own reactions.

 

“She feels secure?” I repeated almost in disbelief.

 

She must be under the drug’s effect. She wouldn’t have said that if she was fully awake.

 

But now that she passed out, will it be ok if I carry her?

 

After a long inner struggle, I ended up lifting her in my arms.

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She slept soundly and I placed her delicately on her bed, I took off her shoes then pulled the sheets over her body.

 

“Good night” I whispered before I my heels, to get interrupted by her sudden utterance:

 

“D-Don’t do it!” she started to struggle, she must be having a nightmare.

 

I let out an abrupt sigh and headed to the door,

 

“Please… everyone…don’t leave me alone”

 

I halted,

 

“It’s dark and cold… in here”

 

Just what kind of dream is that?

 

She must be ok… it’s not real, she’ll wake up sooner or later.

 

I left the room and stood behind the wall, my fist clenched against my chest and I fell slowly to sit down, gripped my forehead:

 

“Even if you had feelings for her, you mustn’t allow them to get any more serious or deeper you jerk”

 

I suddenly felt a vibration in my pocket. I realized that I kept her phone in my possession earlier when I carried her to the room.

 

I took it out, and it surprisingly was a phone call, and the caller ID showed something written in Japanese.

 

“Just who could this be?”

 

I looked back at the room,

 

She should call them back tomorrow, right?

 

But for some reason, I recalled what she was saying in her dream.

 

Is she that lonely?

 

I stood up, and decided to let her know about the call. I thought back at how she kept waiting for a phone call yesterday so maybe it’s very important to her.

 

“Jin, Jin wake up” I patted her on the head “Someone’s calling you”

 

“Mmm…” she flinched

 

“They’re hanging up! Hey!” I started to shake her “Weren't you waiting for this call?!”

 

“Stop yelling… you’re annoying” she her other side.

 

“Fine, then don’t start crying tomorrow when you can’t reach them ok?”

 

“Mmm… whatever”

 

I sighed and shook my head then I decided to pick up:

 

“Hello?” I hope they’ll understand Korean.

 

“Huh?! Jin-chan?” oh , the guy’s talking in Japanese.

 

“Umm… this isn’t… Jin-chan… please call back tomorrow” I responded in some basic Japanese and the rest in English.

 

“Huh? Who is this?! Hey! A foreigner?! What is Jin-chan doing with some guy at this hour!? And why’s he calling her by her first name? Heeeyyyy!!!” ok, so this person seems like he doesn’t get anything I’m saying, and neither I am, so hanging up is the best choice.

 

“Sorry, call Jin tomorrow” and I hung up on him.

 

I put the phone aside on the nightstand and made sure to turn off the early alarm she had set every day to go and workout in the early morning because she was too tired and needed some rest.

Then I went to study and do my assignments.

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(Her POV)

 

I rose up from my bed, seeing that the sun already came out I checked my phone’s screen and found that my alarm has been set off,

 

“No! On this rate, I won’t be able to go for my every morning jogging!” I was very upset. “But… how could that happen?”

 

I looked at the bed of the only suspect but found it arranged and neat.

 

“This cleaning freak” I blew at my bangs in irritation, but found myself smiling eventually.

 

I wonder where did he run off to this early? I was yawning as I looked around me, but then glimpsed…

 

“Oh… he didn’t go anywhere”

 

I saw Jin, sitting to the desk with his head laying down on his folded arms.

 

I approached him carefully,

 

“He must’ve slept while studying” I chuckled at his messed hair.

 

It’s still early to wake him up, so I went to get him a blanket and draped it on his shoulders.

 

“Ok then, today I’ll be the one to prepare the breakfast meal”

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I prepared a western-styled meal with eggs, bacon and coffee. I hurried to wake Jin up but I saw that he was standing with the blanket in his hand, looking at it as if to ask where it came from, I leapt behind him and yelled:

 

“Good morning sleeping beauty~!!”

 

He jarred slightly and looked back to glare at me, I was smiling.

 

“Don’t even dare to call me that again! And why are you screaming so early in the morning?!” he kept rubbing his eyes.

 

“I prepared breakfast!” I clapped my hands together.

 

“Huh? You did?” he looked at me with narrowed eyes.

 

“Why? Do you think I’m only good at punching and kicking?”

 

“No, but it’s rare to find rich girls that can cook these days”

 

We were setting the table together:

 

“Hey, much less rich guys!” I scoffed

 

“I love cooking, and it’s something that I doubt you could understand”

 

“Humph” I shrugged “The perfect prince and his flawless confidence” 

 

He flicked my forehead:

 

“Ouch! That hurts!”

 

“Don’t be like them” he was pouring the hot coffee in the cups

 

“Like who?”

 

“The other girls”

 

Wait… does this mean that he thinks I’m somewhat… special?

 

“Would you stop looking like an idiot?”

 

“Ah…” I glanced down at my plate,

 

We were eating and I waited for him to comment about the food, but he didn’t say anything. I laid my fork down that it made a loud sound to catch his attention:

 

“What was that for?”

 

“You didn’t even tell me what think!”

 

“About what?”

 

“About the food of course!” you idiot! And saying that I was the one lacking wits.

 

“It’s just eggs and bacon, there’s nothing special about making them”

 

Haha, this guy’s better than I am.

Shut the up

Hoho, do I smell a fire now?

Yes, it's my head and you're not fireproof so shurt up before you turn into dust.

 

I got up and started to clean my plates.

 

“Wait… did that make you angry?”

 

And he still dares to ask?!

 

I regretted showing him the good side of me.

 

“Hey! Jin! Wait!” He called at me but I put the dishes in the sink, picked up my phone and bag than headed out.

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To think that I wanted him to see a girly side of me… I’ve been so naïve.

 

He’ll never see me as a girl, yes, I’m just his boyish roommate.

 

What? Wasn’t it your wish for him to accept you as a roommate? Why are you whining now you greedy girl?

 

I was the first to reach class, there’s half an hour left before the teacher comes.

 

I decided to check my messages, I was surprised to find an unread message, and the sender was to my greatest delight:

 

“Ahhh!!! It’s Yuji-kun!”

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(Minho’s POV)

 

I don’t want to show my nerdy side in front of anyone, not even my roommate who came last night and who turned out to be a real geek. So for me not to be kicked out of this academy and also to remain the center of attention, I had to study when no one was looking. For that, I headed to the classroom before everyone.

 

Or that’s what I thought:

 

“Ahhh!! It’s Yuji-kun!”

 

This voice… I strode as I recognized the voice that echoed in the empty corridor.

 

To hear her scream this loud, something must’ve happened to Jin.

 

But as soon as I reached the classroom, I saw her swirling around with her phone in her hands.

 

“What the hell…?”

 

I rubbed my eyes, then jerked back.

 

Wait, what if it’s a ghost?

 

I covered my mouth, and started to freak out mentally.

 

But then, as I looked closer… seeing the shiny sunlight making her look like… a fairy…

 

My lips parted in a gape, seeing how happy she looked and she kept swirling around, I felt something warm blooming within me.

 

I couldn’t keep myself from watching her. She stopped dead in her tracks as her phone started to ring, she immediately picked up.

 

What are you doing now Minho!? Eavesdropping on someone like her!

 

“Hello! Oh! Yuji-kun!”

 

Yuji? But isn’t that a guy’s name? Her brother maybe?

 

“Ohh! I missed you so much! I’ve been so lonely without you and Yumiko-chan!”

 

Lonely?

 

And to my biggest bewilderment, she started to sob.

 

“No, I’m not crying! I’m just too happy to hear your voice”

 

She was wiping her face with her sleeve, doing her best to laugh.

 

“Yes… this place is very nice” she sniffled “Haha, everyone is very nice to me… I made many friends”

 

My eyes widened.

 

“Haha, no! Of course you and Yumiko-chan still my very best friends, but even here I met… umm… Joonie and Yuna-chan…”

 

She’s making up the names…

 

“Yes, and there’s a cool guy at my class called Minho, he makes the place so lively with his sense of humor and…”

 

I felt so surprised, and somehow… sad…

 

“Oh! The teacher is coming, I must hang up now, I’ll call you later Yuji-kun!”

 

And she dropped her arm down, and kept wiping her eyes:

 

“What’s wrong with you Jin, you’re looking very pathetic now” her voice was hoarse and I couldn’t see her face expression. “You can’t even control your emotions… what a shame”

 

I turned back and stared fixedly at the wall, I fell slowly down to the floor and dropped my head down.

 

I just… had… tears in my eyes.

 

What I saw now… was a familiar scene from long ago…

 

Back when I was a child, I used to think that hiding my problems and grieves from my mother would make her feel happier and stop her from fighting with my father.

 

I was totally convinced that my mother loved me enough to stay and take care of me so I kept working hard at school and endured the bullying I got because of being a crybaby and for not having my mother or father pick me up after school… I endured all of that just for the sake of having a happy family life with my parents.

 

Every time she asked me about my classmates and friends, I just responded the same way Jin did.

 

But eventually, she and my father divorced despite all what I did, I learned that she was cheating on him, and that was her reason for wanting to make him divorce her. She had another man in her life and I was only 6 years old when all of that happened.

 

A tear dropped on my hand, the tear of the child I’m burying within me.

 

I got up to my feet and dusted my clothes off then walked in class.

 

Jin was taken aback when she saw me, she quickly looked down at her desk and started to clear .

 

“Um… g-good morning”

 

I smiled warmly, as I saw her pretending as if she was picking something up from the floor.

 

****To be continued