“ Kim Jonghyun, ha! I can’t believe it!”

                 “ Jonghyun-ah, congrats!”

                 “ Yah, Jjong, you didn’t cheat, did you?”

Kim Jonghyun punched his friend’s shoulder lightly.

                 “ No way. Who do you think I am, eh?”

A very wide grin never left his face that morning.

                 “ We proud of you, son,” his father said, patted his shoulder. His mother cried, hugging him tight. His sister only grinned back at him, shrugging.

                 “ My scores are still better,” she said. Jonghyun didn’t care. He released himself from his mother’s hug.

                “ A moment,” he said to his family before disappeared from sight. He craned his neck, his eyes looking for something. Or someone.

               “ Wait, Hara!” He called, when he saw someone he exactly sure knows about person he was looking for. “ Do you see Minjung?” He asked.

                 “ Ahh, you late! She has just gone home.” Hara answered. Jonghyun nodded his head understandingly.

                 “ Oh, I see. Okay then, thanks, Hara,” he waved his hands, then ran back to his family. “ Let’s go home!”

***

Choi Minjung hugged her pillow. She bit her bottom lip.

               “ Minjung-ah, what are you doing here?” Her mother’s head suddenly popped out of nowhere. “ Come downstairs!” She said, smiling. Minjung shook her head lazily.

                 “ You all eat first. I’ll join you later.” Minjung threw her back to bed.

                 “ But this is your graduation party, sweety,” her mother stepped in, took a sit beside her. “ How come the star only sit in her room all by herself?”

                Minjung brought her hand to her forehead.

                 “ I….don’t know,” She shut her eyes. His mother only could gaze at her before leaving. Minjung sighed.

“ He will move to Seoul after graduation,”

***

                 “ … Jjong?” Jonghyun looked up from his report card to Jung Yeon, his sister.

                 “ What?”

                 “ What do you want to eat?” Jung Yeon repeated herself.

                 “ Oh!” Jonghyun smiled hearing about food. “ Hem…how about,”  his brows furrowed, ” Samgyupsal?”

“ Just make a bet with me! If you can pass 6.5 or enter the top 100, I’ll treat you anything!”

“ Okay! Just see then! Make sure you have your money! I want a lot of Samgyupsal!”

“ Ehh, o-okay! Deal?”

“ Deal!”

    “ Hey, Jjong, what the hell? You creep me out!” Jonghyun blinked his eyes.

                 “ Why?”

              “ You’re smiling like an idiot!” She smirked, “ What’s up?” What? What did she say? Kim Jonghyun was smiling while thinking about… Choi Minjung? She must be kidding.

                 “ No-none of your business!”

***

            Minjung could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She picked it out, then sat up, staring at the screen. One new message.

From : Kim Jonghyun

To : Choi Minjung

Yah Choi Minjung! Are you free this afternoon? Wanna meet! :DDD

Minjung closed the message window. What the….? She needed to opened and read the message over and over again to convinced herself that she’s not reading it wrong. Or she’s just too desperate until dreaming about it. She pinched herself. It hurt.

                 She gulped, calming herself before replied the message.

From : Choi Minjung

To : Kim Jonghyun

Where?

                 Her heart beating even faster waiting for the reply.

From : Kim Jonghyun

To : Choi Minjung

Namsan Park. 3 p.m. Is that okay?

                 Minjung reflex nodding her head to the thin air.

From : Choi Minjung

To : Kim Jonghyun

Fine then. See you later^^

                  Choi Minjung had never been happier than this.

***

                  “ Hey, Jung Yeon,” Jonghyun poked his sister’s shoulder who didn’t even budge to take a look at him.

                  “ What?”

                  “ What do usually girls like?” Jung Yeon took a glance to him.

                “ Perfume, shirts, accessories.” She answered simply. Jonghyun shook his head. She doesn’t like things like that, does she?

                 “ No. She doesn’t like things like that I guess…” Jonghyun mumbled. Jung Yeon finally looked at his brother, smirking.

                 “ A doll then. Trust me, she will like it,”

***

It’s dark. The sun was out of sight and cold wind was blowing. Slowly, it’s started raining hard. Everybody was running everywhere looking for shelter. Everybody, except one. Minjung was standing still on her spot, letting herself drenched by the rain. Her hand was holding her phone.

From : Kim Jonghyun

To : Choi Minjung

You’ve arrived? Sorry, I’ll fly and be there a.s.a.p~!

***

Choi Minjung opened her eyes slowly. A very bright neon lamp welcomed her. She brought one of her hand to shielding her eyes.

                “ Minjung-ah! Finally you wake up!” She could hear a familiar voice.

               “ Mom,” she whispered. “ What….?” She furrowed her brows then sat up. She looked at her mother. “ What happened?” She asked, confused. The last time she remembered, she was at…..Namsan Park….waiting for someone. For Jonghyun.

             “ My gosh!” She face palmed herself, started panicking. She kicked her blanket, got up from bed. Her eyes wandering every corner in her room.

                “ What’s wrong, Minjung?” His mom asked, worried.

                “ Phone, phone,” she said, couldn’t find her phone at it’s usual place. “ Where’s my phone???”

             “ Calm down, honey,” her mother said, taking something from her pocket. “ Here, it’s almost broken,” She handed the phone to her daughter.

             “ Oh, thanks, mom,” Minjung her phone and found ten new messages together with twelve missed calls. She opened every message. Beside two messages asking where she was and what she was doing,  almost all the contents are similar.

From : Goo Hara

To : Choi Minjung

Minjung-ah,  Jonghyun has got into a car accident.

***

Minjung rushed to the hospital. Her mind was completely blank. All she could hear in her mind was her short phone call with Hara just minutes ago.

            “ Hara, what do you mean? Your messages….Jonghyun, he… what happened?” she asked, rambling, tried her best to act calm. Hara didn’t immediately answer. She just sobbing for seconds.

            “ Min, where have you been? I can’t contact you…” she said almost whispering. “ Jonghyun… he’s in the hospital.” Minjung waited for Hara to continue. “ He’s got into a car accident…”

            “ I know, you’ve mentioned it in your message. But…I mean, how’s he? He’s fine… isn’t he? Where? Which hospital?”

            “ Incheon International Hospital, ICU,”

Minjung approached the receptionist.

              “ Excuse me, where’s the ICU?” she asked.

            “ On the second floor,” the receptionist pointed the elevators across the lobby, “ ICU is right next to the elevators, ” she said. Minjung nodded her head before ran across the lobby, jumped into one of the elevator.  She pressed the button, waiting. When the elevator had arrived, she immediately slipped herself between the doors. She stopped in her track when she saw a familiar figure sitting on a waiting chair in front of the ICU.

            “ Hara!” She called, walking towards her. Hara stood up from her sit, then hugged her tight.

            “ Min-ah,” her eyes were swollen from too much crying. Minjung patted her head.

            “ Where’s everybody?” she asked, releasing herself from Hara’s hug.

            “ Joon and Jinki are buying coffee, Jung Yeon’s at the toilet…Uncle and Aunt have just gone home. Kibum’s inside,”

         Minjung stared at the door. There’s Jonghyun behind it. She wanted to went in so damn bad but…she’s nobody but his classmate. She’s not even his friend, she’s not close with him like the others. If Mr. Park didn’t point her as his tutor for final exams, she doubt Jonghyun would ever noticed her presence. She sighed.

                 “ What did the doctor say?”

                 “ They don’t know too.” Minjung looked at her friend in horror.

              “ WHAT?” She shouted, losing her control. Her whole body started trembling. “ What?” She repeated in calmer voice, refused to believe what she had just heard.

               “ The doctors even said that it’s a miracle he can still survive until now. His condition had been severe when he arrived here, ” Hara looked down. Her voice shaking. Minjung shook her head.

                 “ No way! No… I… I need to see him,” she left Hara, walking to the door.

                 “ I’m sorry, miss, but only family allowed to enter,” one of the nurse came and stopped her.

                “ Kim Kibum inside is only Kim Jonghyun’s friend like me,” she said coldly. She gripped the handle then opened it before the nurse could say anything. .

                The sound of beeping IV machine welcomed her. She passed some empty beds and stopped when she saw the only bed surrounded by curtains.   She dared herself to took another steps.

              The sight in front of her….she even never imagined it. Kim Jonghyun never looked that weak, at least in her eyes. Bandage seemed to cover his entire body. Oxygen mask was put on together with neck brace. Minjung tried to keep her tears back but failed.

                 “ Choi Minjung,” Kim Kibum looked up, noticing his classmate presence. “ Finally,” he said, sat up from his seat.

                 “ K-kibum, how’s he?” Minjung walked closer to the bed.

               “ He’s waiting for you,”  he said weakly, sure not the usual Kim Kibum. Minjung just stood beside the bed, didn’t know what to do.

                 “ Where’re you going?” Minjung asked when he saw Kibum opened the curtains. Kibum just smiled sadly before left.

                 It’s all silent for a moment. Minjung took a sit on Kibum’s chair. She cleared her throats.

              “ J-jonghyun,” she called huskily. “ Jonghyun. Yah, Kim Jonghyun,” she poked Jonghyun arms lightly. No reaction. Minjung bit his bottom lip. “ Yah, Kim Jonghyun, come on, wake up,” she gripped the edge of the bed.

                “ Y-you know,” her voice started shaking, “ you know right, that you won the bet?” Her tears were falling down her cheeks as she tried to cracked a smile. “ Don’t you still want Samgyupsal?” She hardened her grip until her knuckles turned white.

               “ If you wake up now, I promise I’ll add another food into the bet. How-how about soondae? You like soondae too right? Or, or dozens of pepero?” Minjung sunk her head into her hands, letting herself cried.

              “ I’m no one, I know. But, but, can’t you just wake up for your parents? Uncle and Aunt? Jung Yeon? Kibum? The others?” She whispered between her sobs. “ Kim Jonghyun…I…I don’t know how, but…but I love you.”

***

Everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

“ Sorry, miss, but you have to get out,”

“ Doctor, the heart beat is getting weaker,”

“ Please step aside,”

“ Please give me the defibrillator paddles,”

***

                 “ Choi Minjung,”

                Choi Minjung didn’t respond. She stared at the window blankly, didn’t even move since only God knows. Kim Kibum took a sit beside her.

               “ Here,” he reaching out his hand, handed her a paper bag. She didn’t take it. “ It’s from Jonghyun,” he added. Minjung only took a glance at the paper bag. Kibum sighed. He took one of her hand and jammed the paper bag to her before he left.

               Minjung gripped the rope. She put the paper bag to her lap, then looked inside. It’s a doll. A white teddy bear. She pulled it out. ‘Press Here’ button was seen on its left palm. She pressed it. A recording was heard.

               “ …it’s been recording,”

               “ Wha-? What? It’s been recording?”

               “ Yes,”

               “ Oh, uh, what should I do? Talking here?”

               “ Yes,”

               “ Err, okay then. Emm, Yah, Choi Minjung, it’s Kim Jonghyun here, uh, I-i--ithinkiloveyou….wouldyoubemygirlfriend?”