Hanna grabbed the first piece of clothing she could, an oversized white shirt with a large print on the back and navy blue track pants. She hesitantly approached Ji Eun who eyed her every move. She bit on her lower lip, thinking of how to speak to the girl without sounding like the nervous wreck that she is. “Wear something, will you? After all, you’re still lying in my bed .” Her head was turned the other way but through her peripheral vision, she saw Ji Eun reach for the clothes and true enough, in no time, she felt the other girl’s hand wrap around it.

            Finally, she turned to face the girl on her bed who didn’t move an inch. Hanna allowed herself to look at Ji Eun directly. Her hand formed into a fist as she held the hem of her shirt to stabilize herself. It was then that Hanna noticed that Ji Eun had round marble eyes that reflected innocence. Everything about the girl’s face seemed serene and subtle, far from what she thought a warrior who braved the woods alone would look like. Although, if Hanna was being honest, she doesn’t even remember how Ji Eun looked like in her head. Now that she had seen her, it’s all she knows.

            “Aren’t you uhh—” Ji Eun cleared , “Aren’t you at least going to turn around? I’m trying to get un-.” There was a hint of teasing in Ji Eun’s voice which made Hanna flustered and even more all over the place than she wanted to.

            “Yeah, sure… I mean, I uhh—I’m gonna, I’m just going to make breakfast. Yeah, breakfast sounds good.” Hanna tried to mask her embarrassment. She didn’t succeed in doing so. As Ji Eun watched the girl gesture all sorts of movements and sway in her place in an attempt to play it cool, she didn’t notice how her lips curled on the sides. It was only when Hanna blurted out, “Why are you smiling?” did Ji Eun realize what had happened. And just like a child caught red handed for stealing a candy from the jar, Ji Eun raised her eyebrows and she mustered the most nonchalant tone she could.

            “Was I?” She asked Hanna with the best clueless expression. There was silence for what seemed like a minute before Ji Eun spoke again, “You know, you were talking about making breakfast. And I’m still trying to get dressed.”

            “Anyway,” Hanna prompted, “Breakfast,” she added and turned towards the direction of her kitchen. The moment she was out of Ji Eun’s sight, the succession of events that just happened played like a film strip in her head. She had never stuttered in front of a girl before and now she can’t even feel her face from the ruckus that’s in front of her.

            “Well, you have never woken up next to a person without a single stitch on them on a Thursday morning. Someone you don’t know.” She mumbled under her breath as she pulled the refrigerator door open. “For goodness’ sake,” she whispered while she looked at a carton of milk, water and beer bottles inside her fridge. She lets out a heavy sigh and reached for the milk, closed the fridge and in her cupboard, she got the cereal that’s only enough for one serving.

            “Hi,” Ji Eun shyly walked out of the room. She looked petite in Hanna’s clothes and when the other girl turned, she had in one hand a carton of milk and a box of cereal on the other.

            “Breakfast?” She asked Ji Eun with an awkward smile.

            “It’s a box,” Ji Eun pointed out.

            “Well, apparently people eat breakfast from boxes. Surprise!” The sarcasm in her voice made Ji Eun chuckle. “You can sit there.” Hanna motioned at one of the chairs in her small dining table.

            She put a bowl in front of Ji Eun, put in the remaining cereal and poured an ample amount of milk over it. Hanna then handed Ji Eun a spoon, she was careful not to touch the stranger’s hand when giving it. She was afraid of what might happen if she ever comes in contact with her.

            Hanna sat down in the chair in front of Ji Eun. “Eat,” she said, not removing her eyes from the girl who just had her first spoonful of cereal.

            Aside from the muffled crunching sound made by Ji Eun as she chewed on her food, there was silence. Hanna stared at her like a painting on a museum; analyzing every detail in her features, trying to make sense of whatever the hell it is that’s just happened, how she was alone last night and now she has a stranger eating every last bit of the cereal she just served her.

            “Do you want to ask?” Ji Eun said without turning to Hanna, her head lied low and her voice snapped Hanna back to reality.

            “What?” She initially said, but when what Ji Eun said had finally registered to her, Hanna composed herself before she spoke again. “To be honest, I have tons of questions I want to ask you. I just don’t know where to start.”

            Ji Eun raised her head so that their eyes meet, “What’s the question on top of your head right now? Let’s begin from there,” she said with much care and in a manner that put Hanna at ease.

            “Well, first thing on my mind is if you really came out of the book. I mean, that’s the last thing I was holding when I fell asleep and when you first talked, you implied that you are the Lee Ji Eun.” Hanna watched Ji Eun nod at her words, as if she’s trying to find the best possible way to answer or at least make sense of it.

            “I am Lee Ji Eun. And yes, I came from the book. I don’t know how else I can prove it to you but…” There was a hint of hesitation for a moment but Ji Eun took a deep breath and looked straight into Hanna’s eyes, “When you scribble on the pages of the book, your ink leave marks on my skin.” Her eyes widened at the other girl’s revelation. Ji Eun saw this and knew that she needed to give Hanna further explanation on what she meant. She pursed her lips together and searched for words. In the lack of one, Ji Eun exposed her right forearm for Hanna to see.

            “Look,” she said, putting a finger over her wrist where the words “save me” were inscribed in Hanna’s handwriting. She put a hand over in utter shock. Her eyes darted towards Ji Eun and she saw the other girl’s expression soften. “That’s the last thing you wrote before all of these. I have your words engraved in parts of me.”

            They faced each other in the quietness of the morning; the sun started to peak through the blinds and gave the room a yellow-orange tinge. The rawness of their features was accentuated with the light the bounced through the table. The moment was cut off abruptly by Hanna’s alarm that reminded her of work. She’s about to be late—she’s never been late.

            “Oh gosh, I have to take a bath and get to work and I—” and just like that, Hanna’s back in her panicked state. She rushed off to the bathroom and in a matter of minutes she was out. Before Ji Eun could say anything, Hanna had already paced through the kitchen and into her room wrapped with her towel. A few minutes pass by again and she goes out of the room wearing loose brown long-sleeves that made her collarbones prominent and beige cropped pants. Ji Eun opened to speak but Hanna picked her bag up and went straight near the door to wear her plain white shoes. When she grabbed the door handle, Ji Eun called out for her.

            “Hanna.” Her name sounded foreign to her. It was probably because it was the first time Ji Eun ever called her by her name or maybe because of the way Ji Eun said each syllable so delicately, gently. It was the latter for Hanna.

            She turned to face her and slowly, Ji Eun walked just close enough, “I just wanted to tell you that you look pretty… and take care.” Two years. It has been two years since Hanna last heard words like that. She bit her lower lip a little and the whole world seemed to tone down.

            “Thank you,” she replied quietly. “But please…” her voice trailed, “Try not to burn down the apartment.” She put emphasis on her words.

            “And how do I do that?” Ji Eun asked.

            “Try not to touch anything. And if you ever feel thirsty, you can drink there.” Hanna pointed on the fridge, “Just don’t open the green bottles. Also, if you ever find yourself wanting to you know… eliminate things as a human, the bathroom is over there—where I took a shower.” Ji Eun noted Hanna’s words in her mind and just like that, the other girl opened the door and on to a bigger world she went.

            The keyboards continue to clack and the machines tirelessly print on pages. Inside the room, murmurs and low voices buzz through the air and Hanna hurriedly walked through all of that. It’s another day at the publishing house and despite all the commotion and out of the ordinary happenstance that morning, she arrived right in time—just like always. Mr. Choi just got out on