Hoseok awoke with a splitting headache. He gave a low, disgruntled moan as he threw the covers to the floor and made a beeline to the kitchen for a glass of cold water. The cool liquid tasted like paradise. He downed another glass. Finally coming to his senses, he backed out of the kitchen and cautiously walked towards the living room. He opened one eye, almost as if in a grimace, and looked at the sofa only to find that it was deserted. The blankets sat at the foot of the sofa, neatly folded—as if they hadn’t even been touched to begin with. He frowned, scratched his head, and headed back into the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast.

Was it a dream?

He shrugged and opened the refrigerator. He then closed his eyes again and suppressed a laugh. It was empty. He was about to cry.

--

“Mr!” she exclaimed excitedly, waving her hand in front of the driver’s face to catch his attention.

The man frowned and leaned his head to the side to get a better look at the road. Ye Seul frowned.

Is he ignoring me?

She unbuckled the strange contraption that stretched across her chest and shoved her head in front of the window, coming face to face with the driver. The man screamed and pressed the breaks with immense force, causing the vehicle to lurch to a chaotic stop. Ye Seul winced at the sound the tires made.

“What? What? What is it, young lady?!” The man shouted, annoyance evident in his tone.

“What do you call—” she waved her hands in the air, motioning towards the car in its entirety, “this thing we’re in?”

The man gave a shaky sigh and ordered her to sit back down. The light turned green.

“A car, young lady. Now please stay seated, we’re almost there.”

“A car...” formed an ‘o’ as she nodded thoughtfully.

She dug into her purse and produced a neatly wrapped pastry. She bit into it, closed her eyes in absolute bliss, and began to hum. Then she proceeded to look out the window at the passing scenery in amazement, cherishing every bite of the bread. The human world was simply put, out of this world.

--

“You’re early,” Yoongi said, taking a seat next to Hoseok.

“I had to eat breakfast here,” Hoseok replied with a soft sigh.  

Yoongi raised an amused brow. “Here? Why?”

Hoseok laughed as a mental image of the girl appeared in his mind. “Because… Because life is unpredictable.”

Yoongi gave a short, blunt nod. “I see.”

Hoseok returned the nod and leaned forward, planting his chin between both hands. He couldn’t—frankly—stop thinking about her. He wondered where she had gone. If she was okay. An image of her bare, bruised feet flashed into his mind. She had probably caught a cold too.

Yoongi patted him on the shoulder.

“Let’s go, class is starting.”

“Right.”

--

After the painful argument with the driver who accused her of being homeless, she had finally managed to make it to the hotel. The hotel was a tall, ancient building dyed a deep hue of violet. It looked tacky, at the least. Ye Seul frowned. Out of all the buildings she had seen so far—mostly during the car ride—this building took the cake in terms of ugliness. She shrugged and carefully stepped onto the pathway lined with rocks of various sizes and colors. She knocked on the aged door with visible strips of peeling paint and waited for a moment. Then she bit her lip nervously and pushed the door open.

The woman sitting at the front desk was a whole different story. She had flaming short red hair and a nasty smile that revealed, among yellowed teeth, a golden tooth. Her face was round and scrunched up into a rude, countenance of judgmental displeasure. Her lips were plump and painted a hideous shade of red that seemed way too strong for the rest of her mellowed makeup. An ugly wart jutted from the side of her big nose. She got up from the stool and hobbled towards Ye Seul, her short stubby legs propped up by a pair of red high heels. Ye Seul gulped. This is not what she imagined her aunt to look like.

“Ye Seul?”

“Y-Yes, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you, aunt.”

She grunted and handed her a clipboard with a few papers.

“These are the terms and conditions. After a month, you’ll need to either pay rent or leave. That’s all your mother paid for.”

Ye Seul stared at her aunt blankly. Her aunt raised her tattooed eyebrows in an expectant manner, almost as if challenging her to protest.   

“Yes, ma’am…” she replied numbly.

She gripped the pair of keys tightly and stalked off into the hallway, her head bowed in a brooding, depressed manner. There was a strange lump lodged in .

What had she expected to begin with? It had temporarily slipped her mind that she was dying. It had temporarily slipped her mind how cruel reality was…

She inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

The room was dauntingly empty save a simple white desk and a mattress covered with a flimsy cloth that had gone yellow with age. A black, basic clock hung from the cream colored wall directly across the entrance. There was a cracked square window that sat above the clock, with remnants of dried rain on its glass. She sighed as she placed her purse on the desk. She opened the door to the bathroom and was everything but surprised to find that the mirror, too, was cracked. It looked as if someone had obliterated it during a fit of pure rage and then had made a shabby attempt to piece it back together with a measly bottle of super glue. A dried, dead roach laid upon the tiled floor, its legs shooting upward in a ceremonial pose. She flinched.

Then there was a heavy knock on the thin, flimsy wood that served as a door.  

“Yes?”

It was her aunt, with that same frown of displeasure glued to her lips. She bluntly handed her a white envelope.

“You’ll be starting school once you’ve settled in. Your mother paid for a semester worth of tuition.”

Ye Seul tilted her head to the side in utter, plain confusion.

“She thought it would be best for you to… socialize. This is the remaining amount.”

Oh. The best way to get to know people… school.

Then she shut the door and left, without even saying a goodbye.

She stared numbly at the white envelope in her hand for a few moments. Then she pressed the envelope against her chest and sank to the ground, her head bowing weakly towards the floor. The exhaustion and realization came crashing down upon her in waves. She didn’t even have three months left to live. She was on the brink of two months, and there was no way in hell she would find an innocent, pure heart to feast upon. And even if she did, the chances that she would fail in her judgment were beyond high. The chances that the whole thing was a measly rumor were pathetically high as well.  

She hadn’t known. She hadn’t known that her mother had cared about her so much… Her mother had been saving money for the past nineteen years… Just to save her life…

The memories came rushing back at her all at once. The countless times she had shut herself away from her mother, the times she had broken her heart and gone to extremes just to prove that she was right when she was in the wrong. The fights that always ended with her mother in tears. The one time she had brutally accused her mother of not caring whether she died or not.

Her mother had always made an effort to raise her to become the best individual she could be, but Ye Seul had always objected, had always acted out of line. She had been stubborn… and so blind.

Mom... I’m so sorry…

She blinked as she watched droplets form on the chalky white surface of the floor. A sad chuckle drifted into the air as she wiped her tears away. She hadn’t cried such tears in so long. On the spur of the moment, she decided she would try. 

For the next two months, she would try her best to live. And if she could, to find what she had come for. But there was something so bittersweet about it… taking another life to extend hers. It was a selfish act.

--

Jimin turned the knob, shut the water off, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stepped into a wet pair of flip flops before walking towards the end of the locker room, his dry clothes wrapped around one arm. He made a shabby attempt to dry his cotton candy colored hair with one hand, the other outstretched towards the door handle.

“You’re still here?” Jimin questioned, looking at the back of the familiar black haired boy.

Hoseok stood in front of the large mirror embedded in the wall across from the door. He turned at the sound of Jimin’s voice.

“I didn’t know you were in here,” Hoseok replied, a trace of surprise in his voice.

Jimin chuckled softly. “What’s with you? You’ve been out of it lately.”

 Hoseok faced his reflection once more. “Just thinking.”

“About becoming captain?”

Hoseok laughed. “That’s one thing.”

Jimin ruffled his hair once more and sat down on the water coated bench, a natural sigh drifting from his lips. “What else is bothering you?”

Hoseok slowly shook his head and narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare into the mirror. However, his gaze was not focused on the duplicate glass image of him—it was distant and far, as if captivated by the beauty of something oceans away. Then the seriousness faded from his expression and he took a seat beside Jimin. Hoseok raised a leg into the air and turned it side to side.

“Say, Jimin, are my legs pretty?”

Jimin’s shoulders shook as he laughed, his eyes folding into beautiful crescents. “What kind of question is that?”

--

The sky was a serene, bright blue with wisps of pearly white. A gentle breeze wafted through the air, causing the large green trees to subtly rock side to side. The green ground was embellished with sprouting daisies. It was a perfect spring day.  

She wheezed heavily as she finally reached the top of the stairwell that led into the university. Gripping a wizened piece of paper inscribed with wobbly writing in one hand, she pressed her face onto the glass door and peered inside in amazement. Before her, on the other side of the glass, dozens of people filled the hallway. Some of them stood in front of the classrooms, waiting for lecture to start. Others walked past, with strange machines in their ears and eyes glued to a flat stone resting in their palms. A few students sat on benches and conversed with one another, while others were asleep. She gulped as she reached for the door handle with a sweaty hand.

Here goes nothing.

When she entered the building, she realized how out of place she was. She wore a long pair of faded jeans that her aunt had pulled out of a dusty closet, and a salmon turtleneck that didn’t fare well with her orange hair. A pair of old, worn out black converse with awkwardly knotted shoelaces peeked out from beneath her jeans. A vintage brown backpack, holding nothing but a notebook, pencil, and water bottle, hung from her shoulders. Her eyes darted anxiously back and forth as she looked for what would be her first class: biology.

She flinched as someone walked by her and entered the lecture room she stood in front of. She read the label on the door and shook her head with a frown.

“E-Excuse me! Can you help me find this room?” She squeaked as she grabbed onto the sleeve of a girl that passed by.

--

Yoongi his lips as he leaned back into the warmth of his seat, a low groan escaping the depths of his parched throat. His eyes were heavy with the seductive beckoning of sleep, and as soon as the lights of the classroom dipped to black for the screening of the biology film, he was fast asleep.

Hoseok chuckled softly as he watched his friend sleep. Yoongi’s head drifted up and down in tune with the opening credits. Hoseok stifled a yawn as he watched a close up of cells dance together. Then he raised his head off of his arm as he saw the door open with a quiet click. A girl stepped in silently and made a beeline towards the back of the room, her eyes wide as saucers. She wore a thick, pink turtleneck that seemed suffocating, and jeans that seemed almost a size too big for her. Her converse slapped against the floor in a disruptive, bulky manner, causing the students to stare at her with mild distaste.

“What’s with her…” Yoongi muttered bitterly, glowering at her one with one eye. “So loud.”

Hoseok stared, completely transfixed. He had recognized her almost immediately.

She nodded apologetically as she took a seat in the back row.

“You know her?” Yoongi asked with a nod in her direction.

Hoseok shook his head yet continued to stare at her.

“She’s not that pretty,” Yoongi snorted as he placed his head back down. “She looks like a salmon in that outfit. Fresh out of water.”

Hoseok fought back a laugh.

"Hey, stop staring. It's creeping me out," Yoongi said as he jabbed the boy in the arm. 

There was something about her. Something that made it impossible for him to pull his gaze away. 

We meet again.