Haneul didn’t mean to, but she was pretty sure all her singing was making her neighbors’ ears bleed.

“ – LAST I SEE THE LIIIIIIIIIGHT! AND IT’S LIKE THE FOG HAS LIFTED!”

                Admittedly, it was more like wailing than singing. Then again, it was better than sulking (which has been a common occurrence as of lately) so her neighbors are just going to have to deal with it.

                It was a little silly how much her love of Tangled could turn an adult woman such as herself back to being a child, just like when she had first seen the movie all those years ago. There was something about the really catchy songs and the hilarious characters that she just couldn’t resist the movie, no matter how cliché and predictable it was.

                If she was honest, she hadn’t liked the movie much when she first saw it. It was nice and the songs were really catchy, but that was pretty much it. It wasn’t until she had to babysit her five-year old cousin Seulbi that she began to appreciate the movie after being forced to watch for an entire day on repeat. Since that faithful day five years ago, that movie has become her go-to especially when she wasn’t feeling all too good about herself and life in general.

                Hence, here she was watching the movie for the second time this evening and going through her fourth bowl of popcorn.

“NOW THAT I SEEEEEEEEEE YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU~”

                Hani had left a few hours earlier for her night shift at the hospital (but not before throwing her a concerned look, which she purposefully ignored) and Haneul has since then been bingeing on both her favorite movie and snack. A quick glance at the time on her laptop screen told her that it was already half-past eight, making her realize that she hadn’t even eaten anything besides popcorn since her lunch with her sister.

                Knowing that she shouldn’t starve herself, Haneul paused the movie and trudged to their small kitchen to reheat the leftovers from breakfast which consisted of kimchi fried rice, some sausages, and soybean sprout soup. As she ate her dinner alone, she was immediately reminded of how she and Jackson would always order a ton of pizza and fried chicken whenever they would have Movie Nights.

“He would always say that he wants to order something new for a change,” she muttered, her heart heavy. “But we’d always end up ordering from the same place for the same food.”

                Lost in her thoughts, she absentmindedly stared down at the shirt she was wearing. It was a shirt Jackson had lent to her when she had spilled her soda on her white blouse that one time that they were eating at his apartment. She had forgotten to return it for so long and didn’t even bother to do so anymore when Jackson’s own clothes began to accumulate in her apartment and eventually occupied an entire drawer in her closet.

                She never admitted to it but she would sometimes snatch his hoodies from that drawer since his were more comfortable. If Jackson had noticed, he had never confronted her about it so Haneul figured it was fine. It had then become second nature for her to wear something of his when she wasn’t in the best mood and needed something comfy to help her feel a little better.

                Now that she thinks about it, nearly every room in the apartment had something to remind her of Jackson. The lamp that he had bought her and Hani when they had first moved in a year ago. The picture frame on her desk in her room that they took together on his birthday earlier this year. Heck, even the stain he left on the couch when he spilled wine on it reminded her of him!

               He had become some a permanent fixture in her life that even her home was proof of how close the two were. With him being gone for so long, without even a text to let her know he was still alive, made staying alone at home more unbearable. Hani had once commented that Jackson stays in the apartment more than she ever had since they had moved in. He basically lives here, just like I basically live at his apartment with the boys, she mused.

               She continued to wonder about how he’s been even when she was back to watching Tangled. Her mind kept wandering to Jackson and then to his friends. Ever since their argument, she hadn’t caught a glimpse of either Mark or Jinyoung. It was even more difficult to see them at the university since their classes were on opposite sides of the campus, just like Jackson. Those two were like the older brothers she never asked for, but Haneul loved them despite how protective they could be. They made up for it by buying her coffee whenever she’d stay over and helping her gang up on Jackson whenever she wanted to prove a point.

It didn’t take long before her eyes began to droop. Not even Flynn Rider’s devilish looks could keep her awake, not when her mind was clouded with so many questions.

I miss Jackson, even though he never fails to talk my ears off, was her last thought as she drifted off to slumber, quirked up in a small smile.

               She’s drooling again; blackmail material! Jackson thought when he pulled his phone out to take a photo of Haneul sleeping. Her head had lolled to the side, making him think that her neck was going to hurt like hell in the morning. A trail off saliva from to the side of her chin glinted in the dim lights of her lamp, casting shadows around the room that would’ve seemed eerie if it weren’t for the jolly music coming from her laptop which remained propped on her lap.

               For a moment, he considered turning back to let her sleep in peace and get back to her next time. He knew how cranky she would get whenever her sleep is disrupted and would rather avoid getting pummeled by her small yet surprisingly strong fists. Then again, he knew himself too well and knew that there may not even be a next time.

“Well,” Jackson said to no one in particular. “The least I can do for now is make sure she doesn’t get a stiff neck.”

                He made sure not to make a sound as he took her laptop away from her and placed it on her bedside table. Along the process of shutting it down, he caught a glimpse of her wallpaper and felt his heart skip a beat. It was a photo he had taken of her the day they watched the latest Star Wars movie. Haneul stood with her back to him, looking at him over her shoulder while she was walking along the Han River. Behind her was the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. The rays of the sinking sun seemed to highlight every feature of her face and also managing to make her hair seem like fire against the darkening sky.

                He wasn’t the best at taking photos, but he took much pride in the one her took of her that day. Even she had loved it so much that he immediately send it to her so she could post it on her Instagram. Jackson refused at first, claiming that he wanted to show of his work of art, before Haneul scolded him and said that it might give others the wrong idea about the nature of their friendship.

                That was the first time he realized how hopeless his crush was. Of course, he played off his hurt pride with an obnoxious laugh and sent the photo to her anyway.

                Jackson heaved a sigh and set the laptop aside and tried to ignore the dull ache in his chest. Taking a seat on the bed beside Haneul, he reached over and gently maneuvered her into a more comfortable position. Grabbing the blanket at the foot of the bed, he leaned down and tucked her in and made sure she was as warm as possible. He was so close; close enough to count her eyelashes and see her eyes twitch beneath her eyelids. Absentmindedly, he let his thumb caress the bridge of her nose down to her pouting lips.