I wake up with heavy eyes that wish for more sleep, and I sit down on my bed. Memories of yesterday flash on my mind, and I actually feel relieved. I can scratch a thing out of my unsolved thought.

          Jongin must have left… Right? When I woke up from my dream, it wasn’t raining anymore. I open my door carefully, and peek to the living room. I see a pair of feet on the edge of the sofa, and I close my door. He’s still there.

          I open the door for the second time, and try to walk out before any sound. Jongin is there, sleeping soundly. His body is too long for the sofa. His soft breathing fills the room, and I carefully open the curtain. The back of his head is facing the window, so the light won’t disturb him.

          I walk to the kitchen, and stand up quietly behind the table. I’m going to make some breakfast. Should I make some for him too? Dad brought me some soup yesterday, maybe it can make Jongin better.

          I decide to cook for two, and when I’m stirring the soup I hear a creak and thud. I run to the living room, and find Jongin standing up, the table in front of the sofa is shifted by some inches. He looks at me in silence, his clothes mostly wrinkled. “Sorry.” he says in a hoarse voice. “I’m not supposed to sleep… And for this long.”

          “Well, it happened anyway.” I shrug. “Might as well as have some food before you go. There’s soup, not exactly the hangover cure but I think it’s good enough.”

          “No, I’ll go. I’ve bothered you enough.” Jongin walks to the entrance.

          “I insist.” I point the ladle I’m holding to him. “I’ve already made a lot.”

          Jongin stops in his track, and uneasily stand still. “Then… Can I go to the bathroom?”

          I point to the one behind the kitchen, and he goes there. After awhile, he appears and I’m setting the table. He rushes beside me and reaches for the utensils. I quietly observe his actions, and put the soup pot in the middle of the table. “Alright. Let’s eat.”

          “You cooked all of this?” Jongin asks.

          “This? Yeah.” I point to the rice. “The rest, somebody else did.”

          Jongin lets out a small smile, and we start eating. We eat in silence, until a ringtone is heard. That’s not mine. Jongin takes out his phone, and picks up the call. “Hello. Uh, yeah—I’m not inside. I’m… Somewhere. What? No—I’ll go to you soon.”

          He puts his phone on the table, and continues eating, now speedy. He finishes his food and stands up. “Let me use the bathroom again.”

          He dashes away, and I watch silently. He comes back with washed face and wet front shirt, then he stops in front of the table. “Aria—I need to go. Thanks for everything. I’ll see you soon.”

          I nod. “You’re welcome.”

          He rushes to the door, and I watch his movements blankly. Such in a hurry. I start to tidy up, and stop when I look at the table. Jongin left his phone. Great.

          I look at the clock, and I still have a few hours until class. Maybe he’ll be here again soon to take this.

          The time for school is nearing, and Jongin isn’t coming back. I decide to take the phone with me, and go to the campus. I met Dahye in the main gate, and we continue to walk together. I spot Jongin with his friends near the building entrance, and he looks at me. He’s approaching me, eyes saying he needs something. I take out his phone, and hands it to him.

          "Here, there were at least two calls and messages, but I didn't do anything."

          "Oh... Okay. Thanks." he takes the phone and turns around right away, going back to his friends. I stand still for a second. What did I expect? A longer interaction? I go back to Dahye, and she quietly monitors me.

          "Is that... His phone?" she slowly asks.

          "Um, yeah."

          "Why were you carrying it?"

          "He left it... Earlier."

          "When? Where?"

          I start to produce cold sweat but thankfully someone calls us from behind. It's Mari, and we continue walking to the class without Dahye asking anymore.

          The next days are basic at best, and all I can think about is going home for the weekend since Mom promises me to go shopping with her. On Friday, the classmates around me and I are waiting for the professor to come and we're talking about the people in the faculty. There are two other classes for freshmen, and after the summer camp some people got closer. We're teasing Dahye about her obvious interest to her partner Ji Hansol, and suddenly the focus shifts to me.

          "How about Aria? Someone spotted her eating with Kim Jongin during summer vacation."

          "What? Is it true, Aria?"

          "Ey, we were just waiting for the rain." I reply shortly.

          "Someone also said he took you home!"

          "Um, he was just heading that way too."

          "You guys must have gotten closer after the camp. He didn't leave your bedside in the hospital, remember?"

          "Uh..."

          The others makes teasing sounds and I shake my head. A teaching assistant comes inside to announce that class is cancelled, and the students cheer. "Hey, what if we try out that new coffee shop across the south gate?" Mari suggests.

          "I'm in. I'll just run real quick to the library to return a book, okay? I'll see you at the gate." I say as I get up.

          The others agree, and I quickly exit the class. I turn to the toilet first, and silently do my business inside a stall in the corner when I hear a group of girls enter the bathroom.

          "...but I think Aria is really dating Jongin. Jung Hyuksoo lives in the same building as Aria, and he said he saw Jongin exiting her apartment in a morning. And Lee Dojin who shares an apartment with Jongin said he arrived at their place looking like he just woke up, with wrinkled clothes and all, that time. He said he hadn't seen Jongin since the evening of the previous day."

          "Wow, so they slept together?"

          "Oh my God, I saw her returning Jongin's phone that morning, so he left it in her home after that?"

          "Don't you think they're too fast, though?"

          "Aria went to international schools, she must be used with that lifestyle."

          "Whoa, she's amazing. She's the silent but deadly type."

          “So is she a foreigner or not? She told the others that she’s fully Korean, but what’s with her eyes?”

          "I heard it’s a syndrome or something. Are her eyes bearing some kind of power? Kim Jongin has seen it and now he's with her."

          "Haha, probably! Well I've seen them and they're quite mesmerizing. I don't know that she used it to get a boyfriend."

          "She must have had a lot of dating experiences, her eyes must be some kind of weapon."

          "Ugh, I'm so curious about it, I want to see them too!"

          "Why is she still wearing contacts? People have known anyway. Well not everyone has seen it in real life, but there are a lot of her past photos in Instagram."

          "Maybe she's doing it on purpose, to gain attention?"

          "Probably. If she removes them and people get used to that, then she'll become another ordinary person."

          The saddest thing about this moment is that I recognize every single voice outside. I wait until they all leave, and stay for some more time.

          I don’t want to go with them.

          But that would be suspicious if I don’t show up, so I think I’m going to go along with the plan first, then leave in the middle of it. Okay, I’ll do that.

          I put my usual face when I meet the girls after going to the library, and we walk to the coffee shop. As we sip coffee, the topics are more varied now, and they barely talk about me. Of course, they went all out in the bathroom before. I follow their conversations as if nothing happened, and about half an hour later I pretend to go to the bathroom and when I come back, I set my best apologetic face. “Guys, I’m sorry. My mother is going to pick me up soon, I think I need to go back first to fetch my stuff.”

          “Oh, already?” Dahye asks.

          “Yeah, I have told her the class is cancelled. Okay then, see you next week!”

          The girls all say their farewell greetings, and I leave the coffee shop without turning back. I just need some time alone. My parents are both working overtime and Mom won’t pick me up until tomorrow morning.

          I’m walking to my apartment with my eyes glued to the ground, different thoughts are running around inside my mind. I’ll sort them out later. I’m too dizzy now.

          “Aria?”

          I lift my head without recognizing the voice first, and I find Jongin walking towards me. That’s not even the main point—why am I surrounded by unfamiliar buildings? I turn around, and see that I’ve passed by my apartment building for at least fifty meters. I turn back to see Jongin, distraught. “Um, I—“

          “What are you doing here?” he frowns, scanning me. “Wait—are you crying?”