The first day of college goes really well and so does the first week. Most of the lecturer gives out the introduction which almost last for one hour and basic materials of each subjects. The second week, they start to give out the group task. Some of them are hard, some of it is done in few span of hours. I meet other people from my major, from different places, ages and background. College is not the same with High School. People here seem different or they are different. I’ve heard that once someone enters college, they will consider it as a new chapter of life, especially to people who come far away. The less people acknowledge about them, the more different the person will be. I think its right when I look at the group chatting of my High School; most of them are different, at least from their looks, especially girls. It’s not even a month yet.

I don’t really know the reason why they change, but if they change for the better and make them happier, I guess I can’t really consider it as a bad change. Even though, myself, don’t really feel and have this must inside of me that I should change and make the new image of myself.

One month passes so quickly and I adapt to my new life really well.

Harin and I exchanges the time table on our first day, find out that we don’t have the same schedule at all. It’s either my class is earlier than hers or later. The group project that both of us have, make us busy with ourselves. Even she lives five steps away from my doorstep, I never see her. Sometimes, I only hear soft thuds of door being closed in the middle of the night, assuming that she just returns.

The tasks are endless. There are group projects at the same time the lecturer gives out the individual tasks. Both of it always has different subjects which make me have to squeeze my brain out to do them all. I’m not someone who is diligent to do homework back in High School. I never really like to study but I promise to myself to do better in college. Even the lecturer won’t even care even if the students do the paper or not, but the seniors tell us that it will affect greatly on our GPA. Of course, I don’t want that to happen. Even sometimes, my newly friends always invites me out or skips classes which I couldn’t even reject out of my stress.

The third month, the middle semester exam is coming up and I’m beyond stress when it’s around the corner.

Two nights before the exam day, I return from the group project from my friend’s apartment. It is almost 11 PM and I can’t imagine anything else but my comfy bed and warmth of my blanket. I’m exhausted and my head is spinning. I think I’m sick for a moment, but seeing that I can still perfectly stand up, I eventually doubt myself.

“Chanyeol, hey!” Someone tap my shoulder from behind and I turn around to see who it is. Harin is grinning at me when she gets my attention, but immediately frowns as she takes a good look on my face. “Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?”

“I don’t know.” I tell her honestly, turning around and proceeding to walk towards the elevator since I have no strength to take up stairs like usual.

I don’t know if she follows me or not, but when I reach my door, stumbling with my own key, I find her standing next to me with her concern look.

“You look sick.” She declares. Probably she is true because I feel nausea now. “Do you want something? I’ll try my best to help.”

It’s the first time after three month not having a proper conversation with her. I want to talk more, but my body says no.

“I think I’m just going to sleep.” I open up the door but not immediately going inside.

“Tell me when you need anything. I’m just one the other side.” She informs.

Trying my best to smile, I thank her. She tells me to get well soon then I shut the door close. Without changing my clothes, I toss my backpack to the corner of the room and throw myself to the bed. The warmth immediately welcomes my cold body and I curl up with my blanket. Not having the energy to close the window, I close my eyes and let the drowsiness and exhaustion takes away my conscious.

“...Chanyeol...”

“...Chanyeol...”

My eyes flutters open at the voice calling my name. It feels like my eyelids weigh down with something, it’s hard for me to open it. Wincing slightly at the sunlight through the window, I sit on the edge of my bed, feeling worse than yesterday. I cough my dry throat and I find out that I’m running out of water.

Then I hear knocks. Weird think is it isn’t coming from the door. As I hear closely, it’s coming from the wall near my bed. I listen closely to the knocks and sure where it come from now.

“Chanyeol? Did you wake up?”

I hear Harin now. She’s true that the wall isn’t that thick. It’s almost easy to have conversation even there is a wall between us. It makes me somehow surprise and scared at the same time. What if she heard something that she doesn’t want to hear from here? Well, it’s not like I’m planning to do weird stuff. But, well...

“I just woke up.” I tell her, realizing that my voice sounds really hoarse. I need water.

“Can you go to the window? We could hear better that way.”

I lean my body to the open window and look to the side, just to find Harin already there with her damp hair. She looks so fresh, probably just finish showering meanwhile here I am, feeling like .

“I don’t mean to offend you but you really look horrible.” She says flatly, but her face remains concern like last night.

I wrinkle up my nose at her statement. “I do feel the same way.” Not denying her words.

She let out a gentle smile, “What can I do for you?” She offers her help again and this time, I’m not going to deny it.

“I’m running out of water.”

“Open the door.”

Without waiting for my respond, she walks back inside the room. When I open the door, she already there with one big bottle of water on her hand. I welcome her inside and gratefully take the water from her. Almost immediately I drink half of it, feeling slightly refresh and my brain function again at the liquid.

“What kind of illness that you have?” She looks at me after roaming her eyes around my room.

I shrug, placing back the bottle on top of my mini fridge. “I don’t know. Do you?”

“My little brother used to sick all the time when he was still a kid. Maybe I’ll know if I feel your temperature.”

I nod