CHAPTER 13;

I pressed the doorbell once, waiting while an unknown anxiety seemed to fill me up with every passing second. Half anticipating….half dreading that the white door will open by him….what expression and words should I make about my sudden arrival?

But the white door remained closed. I pressed the doorbell again and waited. Then I knocked the door softly, and then with more strength.

Still, it remained closed.

Was he asleep?

I stood at the entrance, my fingers twirling with the keys in hand. Trying not to think further and chicken out later, I shoved the keys into the slot, twisted it to hear a satisfying click, before turning the knob and entered inside.

“Sorry for the intrusion.” I said out to the empty living room while closing the door behind me. “Hello?” I called out.

Only silence greeted me.

“Min…Taemin…are you there?”

I started walking around, impressed by the homely feel of the interiors. The shelves are stacked with trophies and collections of Slam Dunk manga.  The game controllers were set out and placed on the sofa as if someone had played and left them there.

“Taemin?” I opened the first door of the short walkway and found myself staring at a dorm bedroom.

And right in the middle, laid the person I was looking for, pale faced, eyes closed, a haystack of brown hair spread across his pillow, snoozing lightly in his sleep.

Afraid to disturb the scene before me, I walked delicately to his side and sat lightly on the mattress.

He tossed slightly and frowned, as if facing great discomfort even in his rest.

A pang of guilt hits my heart as I looked at him.

Was he that sick?

Wondering if he has a fever, I gently brushed his fringe away and placed my hand lightly over his forehand while my other hand pressed over mine.

Gazing absentmindedly, I measured his body temperature. A mild fever. I frowned at my diagnosis. My eyes flickered back to his face and I had a slight shock when I met his opened eyes.

Blush crept up to my cheeks instantly as I pulled my hand away, only to find his hand gripping on my leaving wrist.

“It hurts.” He whispered hoarsely and pulled my hand back to his forehead. For an instant, I thought I was the culprit and my heart unexplainably winced in pain.

“But your hand, the moment your hand touches it, it doesn’t hurt anymore...” He smiled slightly and closed his eyes. “it feels so long ago….”

“L-Long ago?” I stuttered as I tried to pull my hand away, but his grip was far too strong despite his ill state. I gave up and left my hand in place, not wanting to fight against a sick person’s request. “like what your mother did when you were young?”

“No…” He said. “longer. A long, long time ago...this happened as well.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. I shuffled slightly, feeling nervous from his gaze that was so piercing, as if he was trying to look for something deep within me.  

Taemin has never looked at me this way before.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” I took deep breath to calm myself, hoping my blushing cheeks weren’t too obvious. “And why are you speaking so formally?” I pointed out his strange speech.

He was talking in Korean, but it was nothing like the modern day speaking language. It was overly formal...as if…..he spoke from an era not belonging to the present.

His soft laughter broke my train of thoughts.

“I am not so sure of myself as well…” he admitted and started closing his eyes again. “my mind seems to be filled with haze….”

Then a gentle snoozing sound escaped from his lips again.

I stared at him in disbelief as numerous questions flew into my mind.

What had just happened?

I thought as my eyes trailed over to his grip on my hand that was still resting on his forehead. I pulled my hand away, but his softened grip tightened its grasp. I let out a tired sigh and leaned my back against the bed board.

The room turned slightly chilly. From outside, I could hear the sound of the rain pelting against the window panes.  A strange smoothing sensation overcame me as I continued listening to the rainfall and…….

I found myself staring at the blanket of rainfall before me. A sigh escaped from my lip

“What strange weather…” I mumbled out as I turned my head to glance at the shelter, a large oak tree with leaves dense enough to shield most of the rain away.

My eyes trailed down and I sighed again, staring at the person lying in my lap. I was placing my hand over the person’s forehead and my wide sleeve covered his features.

“My lady…” Beneath my silk sleeve, Woon’s voice weakly called out. “we shouldn’t do this.”

He tried to struggle up but it only took a gentle shove from me to set him back in place.

“Woon!” I said out exasperatedly “you’re having a high fever! Do listen to what I say and stay still!”

He laid still upon my commands and silently chuckled. “My lady is fuming. I haven’t seen that in a long while….”

I huffed. “It wouldn’t have happened if you had allowed me to share my coat with you when it rained. Now this cold winter rain had completely drenched you. ”

He was silent for a moment before adding. “My lady, I am only a humble servant.”

“I….” I started to protest but he cuts me off.

“Not everyone value us as much as you do, my lady. A servant is still a servant to their eyes.”

He said a truth I was not willing to admit yet I could find no words to reply. Instead, his words trigger out a question I unknowingly let out from my lips.

“Woon...have you hated me before?”

I could feel his body stiffen in response and for an instance, I felt as if someone had tightly squeezed my heart.

He was silent for a long time before I heard him whispered “Yes.”

My other hand clenched tightly into a ball and for a moment, I was glad my wide sleeve had covered his sight. I didn’t want him to see me biting my lips, trying hard not to let out a gasp of heartfelt pain.

“For a long time….when I first saw you…” He continued quietly. “I hated you. I hated everyone else. I hated why my life had turned this way. I hated why this young child before me, sitting on a branch of a cherry’ blossom tree, was able to smile so happyily and sincerely at me.  My heart was full of anger.”

My hand that was resting against his burning forehead started to tremble and he placed his hand over mine, as if to calm my fears.

“But my lady’s kindness, her words and her actions, one by one….they have removed these invisible daggers in my heart. Before I knew it, before I was aware of it, I had already forgotten the reasons to my hatred. The object of my hatred has turned into a precious treasure I fear to lose, my lady...no, Yeon Woo...”

Upon hearing him calling out my name, my heart began to beat out of pace. He had never called me by my name before. It was forbidden for him to do so, according to the status he has. It would have meant death for him.  I didn’t dare to breathe as he continued on with his sentence…..

A sudden breeze arrived and my sleeve billowed in the wind.

The tip of my sleeve was blown back.

**********

My eyes flung open and I found myself lying sideways on the bed, with a blanket draped over my body. I sat upright immediately and glanced at the spot where a sleeping Taemin should be. But I was only met with jumbled bed sheets and no Taemin in sight.

My hands flew over to my cheeks and felt them burning in return, as the dream scene repeat itself in my mind.

I pushed the thought out of my mind to focus on the more worrying issue at hand.

“Min?” I called out to the space as I headed out of the room. “Min…where are you…!” the end of my words was met with a startled tone when I laid my eyes on the sick man who was struggling to pour himself a cup of water.

I rushed over and caught the cup that had slip out from his grasp before it fell to the floor.

“You’re awake?” That was the first thing he asked and I stared at him in disbelief.

“Shouldn’t I be questioning you that?” I shook my head and poured him a cup of water. He took it gladly and drank it while staring at me. I poured him another cup of water and waited patiently.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here?” I finally asked.

Taemin smiled and set his cup down. “Why are you here?”

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. Has he resumed back to normal?

“Kibum Oppa was worried about you, so he asked me to come over and see if you’re fine.”

This time, it was his turn to look at me quizzically. “Oppa? You called them Oppa?”

Discomforted by his amused stare, I turned around and started searching through the cabinets. “Where are your medicine? Have you taken them?”

“Are you calling all my hyungs, Oppa?” He continued asking.

I ignored him and changed topics. “Is this it?” I took down a small plastic bag containing medical tablets and held it before his face.

Min leaned against the kitchen counter, not caring about the bag. Instead he was pointing his face with an exited glint in his eyes. “Then are you going to call me Oppa?”

My jaws opened slightly in surprise upon his words and I could feel heat gathering in my cheeks. “Yah Lee Taemin! What are you talking about?”

He pouted. “I’m older than you….”

“By a few months!” I corrected him in exasperation.

“Still older…” He smiled and his eyes twinkled with stubborn determination.

I huffed and slapped the bag of medicine to his chest before turning away.

“Seo-Yun, are you angry?” His tone was panicked. “I was just teasing you.”

“I’m not mad.” I mumbled, pressing my hands against my cheeks, attempting to cool the heat off. How could I tell him that right now, I couldn’t face his eyes directly and not blush?

“I-I got to go.” I said hurriedly and started to make my way out.

“So soon?” I could hear him walking right behind me, trying to get a look at my face.

“I-I have a school excursion tomorrow, in the early morning.” I bent my head low as I turned the metal knob and swung the door open. I risked a look at him as I exited the house. “Do take care of yourself, you hear me?”

“Yes…” He stood at the door entrance with a half smile and nodded his head, his hand waving goodbye at me.

I lowered my head immediately and dashed down the stairs, hoping that he wouldn’t notice my reddening cheeks.

Despite my best to forget about it, to try to pin it down deep in my mind, that dream kept floating up in my sea of memories. As I ran down the flight of stairs, I could not help but recall that last scene in my dream…..

                A sudden breeze arrived and my sleeve billowed in the wind.

The tip of my sleeve was blown back…

…….Revealing Taemin’s face and his steady, unwavering eyes…..

#Author's note =D

Boo! Anyone miss me? I'm sorry I wasn't able to update as often. This whole week had me sleeping at 5am almost every day because I was rushing my assignments. I had this zombified look on my face when I was finally done with work. After that, I went into coma for a full day, to get much-needed sleep back. Kekekeke....are anyone surprised by the turn of events? I hope so, cause in the next chapter, wheels are starting to turn because....*cough* I leave this hanging first! =P