CHAPTER 28: Help

Mark asked, “Jihyo ya, are you okay?”

But Jihyo was surprised. She stepped back in shock and stole a glance to look at Mark. For a moment she observed him and then finally asked softly, “Who... are you?”

Mark was dumbfounded. "W-what?"

Jaebum tried to take over the situation with distracting his attention. "Chef, why don’t we just take Jihyo home? She need to take a rest.."

But Mark was still confuse. "Oh? Ah yeah.. lets go.."

-00-

Jihyo sat on the back seat with Jaebum, while Mark drove the car and Youngjae sat next to him. They all went home in silent. For once or twice, Mark was looking at Jihyo’s reflection on the rear view. She was looking at the outside through the window in silent. There was actually a big question in Mark’s head why on earth Jihyo didn’t recognize him, but he tried to calm himself. He didn’t want to give Jihyo a hard time by his question.

-00-

As they reached the house, Jihyo was brought to her bedroom. And there she told them to go home.

"I'm fine now.. You all can just go home.."

"Let me stay here Jihyo ya, so if you need something I can help you.." Jaebum said

"Yeah, let us stay here too.." Youngjae added.

"But..." Jihyo seemed hesitate to say, but she finally said, "I'm not used to be in the same room with... s-strangers.."

"Strangers?" Both Mark and Youngjae asked in disbelieve.

"Ah, you better go now.. I'll call you if anything happened" Jaebum once again tried to take over the situation.

Even though Mark was still confuse, but he nodded in agree, he thought that Jihyo indeed needed some time to rest. But Youngjae was the otherwise, he kept standing as he stared at Jihyo.

Mark grabbed Youngjae's arm to lead him to go out of the room, but Youngjae even asked Jihyo, "Do you remember me?"

Jihyo looked up and observed him in silent.

"Do you know me?" Youngjae asked again.

Before Jihyo could answer, Mark already yelled at Youngjae. "Yaa, you punk!"

Youngjae shoved Mark's grip on his arm. "Let her to answer.. Do you know me, Jihyo ya?"

Slowly Jihyo nodded. "I guess you're my classmate.."

Youngjae asked again fast, "Do you know my name?"

"Yongjae, just give her time to rest.." This time Jaebum was the one who tried to stop Youngjae for asking another question.

But Jihyo managed to answer Youngjae's last question with shaking her head softly. " I... I don't know.."

With that answer, Youngjae's heart was dropped. He couldn't believe that the day Jihyo forget him finally came.

Didn't want to give Jihyo another hard time, Mark dragged Youngjae to go outside, leaving Jaebum confused at how he should handle the situation. But before he could say anything, Jihyo told him, "You should go home too Jaebum ssi.. If I need anything, I will call you immediately"

"Ah, yeah Jihyo ya.. Now just sleep.. Good night.."

"G-good night.."

-00-

As soon as Jaebum stepped out the house, Mark directly asked him. "You told us that everything was fine. But what's this? She forgets me!" Mark who looked so calm in front of Jihyo, now voiced out his feeling when Jihyo was not around.

But Jaebum was only sighing, he also confused over what happened. Slowly he told Youngjae. "Seems what we scared of finally becoming true, Youngjae ya.."

"What? What are you scared of? Is there something that I don’t know?" Mark asked fast.

"Jihyo ever told Youngjae that someday she will forget him. And now that thing is really happening." Jaebum explained.

"What do you mean? She predicted this happened?" Mark asked again

"She is sick, Chef.." Jaebum answered softly.

Mark widened his eyes. "Sick??"

"I have asked the doctor to check Jihyo condition in details, but he told me that there was nothing physically wrong with her. If there was a sign of losing memory it might related more to her psychological."

"Psychological??" Mark asked loud.

"I guess it’s related with Jinyoung. She was changed since Jinyoung died. Maybe it gave her an utter shock." Jaebum gave his opinion.

With that Youngjae responded. "So what should we do now, hyung?"

"Doctor said not to make her stress. So I guess we better don't question her anything about this." Jaebum told Youngjae.

Youngjae could only bend his head down, while Mark was massaging his forehead, still confuse about Jihyo.

-00-

Back at the bedroom, Jinyoung showed up and approached Jihyo. As he sat on her bedside, he asked, "How are you feeling right now?"

"Still a bit confused.." Jihyo answered softly.

"It's okay, let's take it slowly.." Jinyoung said as he smiled to Jihyo.

"Oppa, do you know the two guys who were here before? Seems they know me, but I don't remember them.." Jihyo asked.

"Yeah, they are your good friends, I mean when I possessed your body." Jinyoung explained more. "The one with a bright brown hair is Chef Mark, he's the Head Chef in the restaurant where I worked. And the other one is Youngjae, your best friend at school. They all are very kind people, Jihyo ya.."

Jihyo bent her head as she said, "It's sad that I don't even recognized them.."

"It's okay.. You can read my diary until the last page. It helps you to know everything happened when I possessed your body."

With that Jihyo slowly got up and took the diary. Then she went back to the bed and rested her back on the board of the bed while started to read. Jinyoung sat next to her and accompanied her, explaining the details of every single things happened when he possessed her body.

-00-

Morning came and Jihyo has just finished dressing up to go to school. But then she asked Jinyoung, "Should I go to school today?"

"Why? Are you having a headache again?" Jinyoung started to panic.

But Jihyo softly said, "No.. it's just.. I'm worried at how they see me now.."

Jinyoung heaved a relieve sigh, that it wasn’t because Jihyo still sick. He approached Jihyo and told her in her eyes. "Don't worry.. Now they all are your friends. What you need to do is just smiling.."

Jihyo looked at him, a worry was still seen in her face.

Jinyoung repeated, “Please smile, my little sister..”

Finally, Jihyo started to smile softly.

-00-

As Jihyo went out of the house, she met Jaebum in the halfway.

"Oh? Are you ready to school?" Jaebum asked her.

Jihyo nodded.

"Do you want me to walk you there?"

"No, thank you.."

"But--"

Jihyo cut Jaebum’s words, with.. "I'll be fine, don't worry Jaebum ssi.."

Jaebum didn't want to force Jihyo so he nodded. As he looked at Jihyo walk leaving him, he questioned himself. “Jaebum ssi? Huh, Why are you calling me with –ssi again, Jihyo ya?”

-00-

Jihyo stopped her walk at the school front gate as she looked at her own school in a frightened look. Jinyoung who stood next to her, tried to support her. "Everything will be alright, Jihyo ya.. I'll be right next to you.."

With that, Jihyo took a deep breath before stepping inside the school. Along the way, she was greeted by people she didn't recognized. Jihyo looked so confuse, so did Jinyoung actually. It made Jinyoung thinking that this change was caused by the advertisement he did with Tzuyu and also the incident happened in the KKU Lake with Mina. Surely people are weird, they can changed from ignoring to adoring just because of few trivial things.. Jinyoung thought in his mind.<