Fallin' - Janno Gibbs

Donghae's POV

"Sorry, I don't have any," I replied when we both pulled away. She chuckled lightly and walked towards the couch. "Have you eaten breakfast?" I asked as I yawned and stretched. Well, she was the reason why I lack sleep. "Eat...eat...?" she brought her finger up to her chin and pondered deeply. "I've heard that word somewhere before. I just don't know what it means," she sarcastically added.

"What did you eat for dinner last night?" I demanded, scrunching my eyes before grabbing the telephone, ready to call for room service. "I didn't eat anything at all yesterday," she answered. "SERIOUSLY? And you just drank soju?!" I exclaimed, the telephone almost falling from my grip. "Yes, seriously...DO THEY SELL SOJU HERE?" she asked with her eyes as wide as the full moon.

My finger abused the telephone as I jabbed each number angrily. "Hello, good morning. How may I help you?" the person on the other line answered in English. I bit my lip and handed the phone over to Min Yu. "What?" she asked, somewhat irritated. "I'm not good in English!" I exclaimed and shoved the phone towards her. "NO!" she whined and pushed the telephone away.

"Uhh...hello?" I mumbled against the speaker, and Min Yu could only laugh. "I told you!" I whined and pouted in frustration. "Aish. Fine," she took the phone from my hands and pressed it against her ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Park Min Yu from room 152 and I want to order food," she stated in her unaccented tone. She sounded foreign and different as she spoke, and I could only stare at her.

I must be dreaming, aren't I? Everything seems so surreal, and it's pretty impossible that she is here with me right now. Never have I realized she would end up in my door, face to face with me, asking for medicine. Why was she here, anyway? Why was she alone? Why did Chunji let her go here without him? Why did I kiss her? And why was the ring still on her finger? There were so many questions I needed answers to.

She awoke me from my daydream with a snap of her fingers. "Earth to Donghae? Earth to Donghae, please?" she called out. "W-what?" I blinked my eyes a few times and sat comfortably beside her. "I just asked you a question," she said. "About?" I pressed dumbly. "What do you want to eat?" she repeated. "Do they have fried noodles or something? Or a sandwich...and milk," I replied groggily.

She relayed my order to the person on the other line, and she hang up with a sigh. "They said you have to go down and get the food. They ran out of staff," Min Yu informed and pushed me to stand up. "Where will I get it?" I asked. "Go down to the lobby and ask where. I don't know either. I want to sleep," she whined and climbed onto my bed. "Fine. We have to talk after eating," I reminded and went out.

I took the elevator to go downstairs and people started staring. I stared at my reflection on the elevator and saw I was still wearing my pajamas. Genius Lee Donghae. I arrived at the ground floor and walked towards the front desk. "I'm here for the food?" I half stated, half asked in trashy English at the guy in charge. "Oh...wait here," he replied and ran towards somewhere I couldn't see.

I rested both my forearms against the counter and slumped forward. Even just a few minutes of sleep were very much appreciated. "Sir? Sir?" the man from a while ago shook my arm repeatedly. "Ne?" I asked. "Here," he handed me a plastic bag stuffed with food and a huge cooler, like the one used for camping. "What's this?" I asked, balancing the weight between my two hands.

"Coffee," he nodded and helped me towards the lift up to my hotel room. I opened the door with great difficulty because of the coffee Min Yu had asked for. I dragged it by my feet inside and closed the door with my shoulder, my hands just too preoccupied to do the job. I heard muffled sniffling and saw her on the bed, staring at something in her phone.

"Min Yu?" I called out, rushing towards her. She immediately sat up and composed herself, although whatever effort she makes won't help. It was obvious she had been crying. "Oh, you're here," she exclaimed and took the plastic bag from my hands and walked towards the small table for two. "Are you okay? Do you feel fine? Are you sick?" I blabbered all at once.

"I'm fine," she replied. Those two words never meant what she truly feels inside, the two-worded lie never worked anymore. She was exactly the opposite of fine. "Why are you crying?" I asked straight-forwardly. She knows she can't hide anything from me. "I'm just jealous of your bouncy bed," she laughed and poured coffee into a glass up to the brim.

I pushed the chair back to let her sit and I did the same across from her. "So...since when have you been living next door?" I asked, sipping from a glass of water. "I arrived at noon yesterday," she answered. "What brings you here?" I pressed, still not contented with her answers. "Ch-Chunji..." she seemed to cringe at the name and tried masking her emotions, but it failed.

"He told me to come here. He bought me a ticket and told me we'd go together. When I arrived, I waited and waited, but he never did..." she stared blankly into space and left the sentence hanging. "Then?" I cued for her to continue. She sat up straight and continued eating. "Then we broke up," she replied softly and downed her coffee in one gulp, eager to drink more.

Her expression told me not to ask any more questions, as it would only worsen how she feels,,,not that it's any better. "So...why are you dressed like that? Where were you supposed to go? Sight-seeing?" I demanded and she looked down at her clothes as I talked. "I was about to look for you," she responded and munched her food slowly. "Because you can't stand being single?" the words blurted out from my mouth carelessly. But since it was the truth, I never regretted asking it.

"No," her eyes flickered from her food to the ring on her finger. "Because Chunji told me to." Cold, icy water seemed to wash over me from above. She was just forced into this. Min Yu didn't really want to see me. She just followed what Chunji wanted. I bit my lip and just nodded silently. I had no right to complain. All I wanted was to see her, and now she was here. The reason for her arrival didn't matter, just as long as she was here.

Min Yu's POV

"Yoboseyo?" he answered his phone after the second ring. "Hey," I greeted awkwardly and shifted my weight to another foot. "Hey," he replied. He seemed surprised that I would call. He was probably expecting someone else. The thought of him already moving on that fast made my heart clench like a crumpled piece of paper "How are you?" I asked, tugging at the ends of my shirt harshly. "I'm fine," he responded. "You?"

"I'm okay," I lied yet again. "How's Min Young?" "She's looking for you. I already explained to your parents about everything," he stated, and I cringed as I imagined how my parents must have felt. "What did they say?" I prodded. He sighed deeply before giving an answer. "Well...we talked about it. And I guess they understood my side," he explained.

"By the way, I already found him," I bit my lip to prevent unnecessary words from slipping out. There was a short pause before he could react. "Really? That's great," he exclaimed, and I cringed at how he sounded like. "Are you happy?" he asked, his tone changing from ecstatic to serious. I couldn't contain the hot tears anymore and let them fall.

"I miss you," I cried, instead of answering his question. He sighed and sniffled. He felt the same way, and he didn't need to lie. "We talked about this, remember?" he said. "I know but--" "But Donghae's already there. Move on for him and for yourself. If you do, you're helping me too. You don't realize how much I'm still attached to you in every possible way, but I can manage. You can manage too, arasseo?" he interrupted my sentence.

"Fine," I replied and masked my trembling voice. "Alright. I have to go, okay? Manager hyung is looking for me. Get enough rest. Bye," he said in a hurry and hung up. I glanced at the ring on my finger and wondered why I never dared take it off. I was still entitled to Chunji and I wish I could just throw every memory, every moment, and every love I still had of him. Sadly, this was reality.

A soft knock sounded against my door. Who would want to disturb me at 6 in the evening? I fixed myself and opened it only to find Donghae. Oh right. I forgot he lived right next to me. He walked past me and covered his face with his hands, his cheeks flushed red. "Uhh...come in?" I stared blankly on the door and closed it when he didn't budge.

I sat beside him on the squeaky and wrinkled sofa and examined his face. "What happened to you?" I asked. He only groaned and walked towards the door. I thought he was about to leave and go to his own hotel room, but he just made sure to lock the door and slump on the floor, his face still buried in his palms. "Donghae?" I called out, thinking he was just having a nightmare and sleepwalked to my room. What was wrong with him?

He pressed his back against the door and threw a fit like a little kid who didn't get what he wanted. "YA!" I hurled a pillow to his face. His hands dropped to his sides and he continued kicking around. "What's the matter?" I pressed. "I'm so..." he sniffled, his nose red like he was about to cry. Wait, scratch that. He WAS about to cry. Aish. This five-year-old nuisance.

"SO?" I cued for him to continue. "I'm so...EMBARRASSED!" he exclaimed and burst into tears. I blinked my eyes a few times to absorb into my mind what he was saying. He was crying out of embarrassment?!? "S-see, I-I w-wa-wanted to...t-to go here. B-But th-then I g-got...I got l-lost. I-I stumbled to my n-next d-door n-neigh-neighbor...a-and I t-thought it...I th-thought it w-was y-you," his shoulders heaved up and down in time with his breathing.

I scooted closer next to him on the floor and tried my best to understand despite his sobs. I comforted him by running my hand lightly behind his back to calm his cries. "I-I w-was w-wr-wrong. T-the o-old Me-Mexi-Mexican l-lady g-got a-angry a-and w-want-wanted to h-hit...hit m-me wi-with her st-stick," he continued, replaying his bad experience from the foreigners living next door.

"She's Portuguese, Donghae. Not Mexican," I corrected and watched him as tears streamed down his flustered cheeks. His lost-boy attitude and easy-to-fall tears didn't just look pitiful. It was amusing too. A light giggle erupted from my mouth, and I couldn't control the outbursts of laughter that followed. "Y-you got lost?!? On a single floor?" I asked and he nodded, making me laugh so boisterously.

I laid back on the floor and continued laughing until hot tears rolled down my cheeks. After I had laughed my lungs out, I sat up and saw him just staring at me. "What's so funny?" he sniffled. I wiped the tears from his eyes and kissed his forehead. "Thanks. I needed that," I smiled and stood up to just watch cable television, one of the few things the hotel provided.

My mood lifted up a little after my hearty laugh, and everything seemed to get brighter, easier, and better. "I cry so hard and you just laugh at me?" he complained and pinched my cheek harshly. "OW! That hurt," I exclaimed and rubbed my aching face to avoid bruises. "Here, my kiss would make you feel better," he sat beside me and leaned closer, his lips puckered up, ready for a kiss.

I shoved his face away with my hand. "No. What if we go out and eat dinner somewhere? You eat kilograms of Thai cuisine and I get drunk on their alcohol beverages. What WOULD make me feel better is you paying for everything," I suggested. "No," he shook his head with a pout on his face. "Do I hear a yes?" I cocked my head to his side. "I didn't--" "Let's go!" I pulled his hand and dragged him out of the hotel room.