99 Days of Love

1^st day

The same scenery nearly every day again. The girl is now standing in front of him, clutching the fabric of her uniform. She hangs her head low, even when she did that, everyone could see there's obvious sparkle on the corner of her eyes, tear.

He lets out a sigh and Once again he bows to the girl slightly, and left her behind, not wanting to keep it any longer.

"Jungshin-ah!" A familiar voice calls him from afar, he doesn't bother to stop his walk, he knows what's going to come next. Not now, he doesn't want to talk about it right now, that's why he speeding his walk without any motive to look back.

But it wasn't a good choice though, reminding how crowded the corridor he's in, he might BUMPED--

"Ouch!" There he's, trying to get his balance, when someone who had just bumped into him thrown aback, fell to the floor.

"M-mianhe" the girl is surprisingly apologize first. Jungshin was still-- more like speechless, he can only shakes his head and bents down.

"Sorry, you okay?" He asks just as sound a bit carelessly. But the girl smiles at him brightly, Jungshin swears his heartbeat seems out of rhythm, feels like racing sensation in his chest. Just as sound as cheesy it is, it's exactly what he feels right in the time.

"I'm fine" she gets up immediately, reaching Jungshin's offered hand. But there's an absurd silence in between. He's still in denial of his heart rate increased.

"Um...” It's when he heard another annoying bark from the one that has been calling him from a moment ago, which forgotten for awhile now. It's surely snapped him into reality, because he's now ready to continue his escape. He sighs and nods slightly to the confused girl in front of him as a goodbye sign, then walks away casually.

"Ah.. Thank you" she whispers inaudibly to herself.

***

"Please?" he pleads, throwing away his pride as he begs to Jungshin.

He sighs all over again, for many times so far "I've told you no"

Yonghwa head desk "Damn, you're so stubborn, come on!"

"Which part of 'NO' that you don't understand? The N or the O?"

"Yah you! How dare you say that to me?" He shot a death glare to the younger.

Another sigh, "Sorry hyung"

"....fine" Jungshin answers half heartedly. The familiar smirk creeps on Yonghwa's lips as he finally wins over the younger.

"Alright, at 5. Don't be late or I'll drag you there" Yonghwa remind him as he walks outside, not forgetting to spread his charming smile to the girls at Jungshin's class. Jungshin can only raise his eyebrow watching his reckless brother.

***

“Naeun-ah!” She peeks in her head to her classroom

“Oh Sushi! Why are you here? Don’t you have a class to attend?” it’s how she calls her bestie, Suzy

“Our favorite subject~” she grins slyly

“mwoya?” She frowns confusedly

“Free subject!” Suzy chuckles sloppily. When the other rolls her eyes as response to her ‘joke’. “No teacher” she smiles proudly.

“Hmm me too, I guess” Naeun answer, looking at teacher’s desk which is still so empty.

“Anyway, did you—omo what’s that?” She’s practically shocked looking at her best friend’s elbow, it looked bruised.

“Ah aniyo, I fell on the corridor. Really, this guy was so tall” She shakes her head recalling what was happening to her lately.

“This guy?” Naeun nods.

“Nugu nugu nugu?” She asks curiously like a 5 years old girl.

“I don’t even know his name, I just bumped into him. But as I remember he’s the same guy that always chased by squealing girl like almost every day” she makes an analyzing face

“OH! Ice prince!”

"Ice?"

"You didn't know?" Suzy gasps dramatically, Naeun shakes her head doesn't understand.

“But why Ice?”

“Well, as I know He never accept any girl who confessed to him. Not even once. Though he played it cool and everybody still staring at him” Naeun nods while listening carefully, she’s secretly wondering why there are people in this world as cold as him.

“And oh! How is it?” Suzy surprisingly change her tone into excitement.

“Uh… hurt?” Naeun answered bluntly.

4^th day

-Jungshin’s POV-

I sit and wait

Does an angel contemplate my fate

And do they know

So that’s all I know when finally I met the doctor, it was my daily check up actually. I still don’t get the point of coming back here, why would I keep seeing the doctor? He won’t be able to help me fight this illness, or severe he won’t ever be able to keep me alive does he? Well no one can.

The places where we go

When we’re grey and old

This is the stage when you don’t feel any necessity to do anything anymore, what for? It would just be such a waste. Because he had just told me, the doctor, that I got an… injury time.

Cos I’ve been told

That salvation lets their wings unfold

Should I or should I not fight against this… in no time, a hundred days last.

Well, isn’t it such a quite long time? A hundred days, two thousand and four hundred hours. I can do a lot of things in between, can’t I? So what am I doing here? This place has become my place to escape, from whatever I tried to be away with.

Wait!

I rub my eyes lazily, trying to remove the imagination in front of me. Why is she here? Okay, I do know that 'it' changes vision or other senses, but is it affecting my sanity? Is my brain just turning into dumb? Why would I saw that girl, who had made my heart… malfunction?

Well if she’s not real then, it wouldn’t be a sin to look at her all the time right? A smile creeps on my lips when she suddenly turns to look at me, that I guess she had just notice me and her expression is.. cute.

Why would I smile? Somehow I could feel a warm feeling climbs to my chest as I see her smiling back at me.

Is it…Love?

If yes, I don’t want to get involved in it, no more. So I better calm my poor heart and just close my eyes, I need to fade this imagination as soon as possible, because being the very best time it is, my head feel ached. The pain gives me a Goosebumps.

“Gwenchanna?” a voice, softly uttered. And I could feel a warm touch on my arm. I know the voice very well, somehow. I snap my eyes open, to witness her presence, right in front of me, those pair of… beautiful eyes looking at mine with a deep concern. I practically dispel her hand from me, which successfully made her gasps in surprised.

“Am fine” I’m trying to... explain. But maybe it’s too late, there’s disappointment painted on her face. I don’t like it, I just don’t. My heart is ached seeing her sad, yet my head now took over the pain. I saw her and I heard her calling my name right before everything goes white.

Wait, how did she know my name…?

 

7^th  day

So when I’m lying in my bed

Thoughts running through my head

I felt a bright light hit my eyes. I open it slowly just to find a scenery of the ceiling. Where am I? I lift my body up and I immediately regret my action because it makes my head hurt so badly. I turn my head to my side instead, and shocked by what I saw, a beautiful creature sleeping peacefully across the room, on the sofa not so far.

And I feel that love is dead

I’m loving angels instead

I was still dazing when she suddenly tosses and turns she then wake up slowly and when she noticed me there, she smiles in relief?

“Thanks God you’re finally awake” She smile again, that smile which make my heart pounding madly

“What?” She seems confused, okay my question is absurd so I need to repeat it completely

“What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you remember?” I frowned in more confusion

“You did forget it? On the park, we coincidently met and.. and suddenly you fainted”

I slapped my forehead (not hardly), so it wasn’t only a dream or hallucination? I sigh. Without I even asked, she seems to read my mind, she told me that her friend which her name is Suzy is my brother’s friend. Friend? Really? And the highly unexpected news is that I had been unconscious for 3 days. Later I know that she has always come back to the hospital almost every day after school.

“I need to ask you one more favor”

“What is it? Just tell me, I hope I can help you” she smiles brightly in anticipation

I gather all the strength in my mind to utter the next words “Don’t come again. Please” Once again she silenced in disbelief. But then I don’t know how she managed to do it, but she lets a sighs and smile again. As sincere

“I can’t” she shakes her head with smile and excuse herself to go because of her own schedules

“Get well soon, hope to see you at school very soon!” I’m so tongue-tied. Not be able to express this weird feeling when I watched her back leaving the room.

And through it all she offers me protection

A lot of love and affection

Whether I’m right or wrong

And down the waterfall

Wherever it may take me

I know that life wont break me

 

30^th day

-Naeun’s POV-

I was in the cafeteria with Suzy when I saw him, Jungshin oppa. I get used to call him that now since he agreed on it. The incident long time ago was still bothering me. I was still, until now wondering what happened to him. Since no one told me, not ever his brother when Suzy persuade him to reveal the truth.

He went back to school not long after he woke up from his 3 days unconsciousness in hospital. I’m so happy. I don’t know why, but I guess he’s not an Ice prince indeed. Because somehow I feel comfortable with him. Doesn’t it prove that he’s a good friend? Does it?

“Here, eat a lot ahjussi!” I smiled, call him that just jokingly. It has always been a routine since the incident, you know I was so worried about his health, so I made a lunch at first. But then I enjoyed the activities of preparing him a lunch, and thinking of what would I cook for the next day and the next day and the next day.

I handed him the lunchbox, being the annoyingly cool guy he is, he just mouthing thanks and bows so slightly as a manner. Well I don’t need any words from him because somehow I could sense his happiness. I’m also glad to see him like this

“How is it?”

“As usual” I pouts hearing that, doesn’t he at least praise my hard work?

“So amazingly delicious as usual” he continues then. I don’t know what happened but I swear my cheeks are getting warm as I feel blood rushed and I’m sure it’s making me blushed. Is the weather getting hot or what?

“R-really?” Why would I even stuttering?

“Seriously, try it yourself” He suddenly took a spoonful of the food and feeds me, I was startled at first but strangely my body moved itself as I accept it and just eat it. But he soon seems surprised by what he just done. There’s a long silence after that, we’re both not daring to see each other’s eyes. It’s getting awkward, so I cracked a conversation, which fortunately makes the circumstance back to normal.

“Thanks for everything… Naeun-ah” oh I’m a bit surprised, maybe it’s the first time he called my name like that. Why am I feeling so happy again? I couldn’t help but smiling as response and I nods to him

“I’ve told you. No problem at all”

When I come to call she won’t forsake me

I love angels instead

 

92^nd day

I woke up in the same situation as ninety-something days ago. When there’s a beautiful creature in the room, but this time she’s not sleeping, she sat on a chair right beside my bed. I found myself is trapped on an unmoved body. Because right now I feel so miserable.

“Oppa… what’s wrong with you?” she asks softly, I could sense a worry in her voice.

Why would she stay there looking at my weak side? I started to feel all the pain and the burdens accumulate on my chest, that for the first time in my life except when I was kid, I cry.  And that’s when she extends her arms to reach me, she hugs me, tries to… give a comfort that I’ve been perhaps needed the most.

When I’m feeling weak

And my pain walks down a one way street

I look above

And I know I'll always be blessed with love

I snapped my eyes open, I didn’t even remember when I closed it. My natural instinct tells me to look at the calendar. Well it’s finally counting down. This is the 89^th day. And I’ll soon leave this place

And her…

Suddenly all perception, all my faith to forget about love crumbles to pieces. There is a little voice in my heart that was very strong convince me that I should tell my feelings to her. I'll surely tell her, but maybe not now. That's why I told my brother about this, he listened very carefully. And I asked him to promise

"Do not ever let anyone else tell her about my feelings towards her" He reassured me with his nods and smiles. I know, I Could always rely on him. So… we’ll meet again tomorrow Naeun ah.

And as the feeling grows

She breathes flesh to my bones

-End of POV-

 

99^th day

From what the doctor said, tomorrow will be the last day for Jung shin.

Yes, the 100^th day.

But then again, doctor is not God. And as his plan, though he didn’t sure that he could even walk now, but he had convinced himself that tomorrow will also be the day when he finally declare his secret feeling to Naeun.

“Yoboseyo?” Jungshin did his best to answer the phone as he knew who’s calling

“Oppa, it’s Naeun”she smiles to herself

“No need to say” Jungshin chuckles a bit, teasing her. Earning a pout from the latter even though he couldn’t see it.

“How are you feeling today?”Naeun was purely concerned, until now, she couldn’t discover what is exactly wrong to Jungshin, and it makes her more worried. Maybe, just maybe she treats him like her own brother. And to make it severe, saw him crying on the other day makes her somehow want to just panic.

“I think I’m getting fine every day” he fakes a chuckle,

Of course he lied.

“Jeongmal?”

“Mhm”

“Arasso, I’m glad to hear that… umm, may I visit you tomorrow?”

Yes, without she asked, he will meet her tomorrow, as what he planned.

“Sure” but that’s the only word he manage to say, yet he couldn’t help but smile at this.

“Why don’t you sleep?”

“I can’t”

“Wae?”

“Because I’m talking to you now” he chuckles a bit

“Omo, mianhe mianhe, let me just hang up, so you can go sleep ok?”  She was going to end the convo when suddenly

“No no, please...”

“Huh?”

“Please don’t hang up on me.” He utter, now all he wanted to hear is Naeun’s voice. He didn’t know why, but it’s so peaceful to hear her.

“…sing for me, or just keep talking” he feels so sleepy all of sudden, her voice has just vanished all his doubt and pain, makes him so comfortable.

“Alright, but tell me if you’re sleepy okay?”he said yes inaudibly, but Naeun could hear it. So she sings, and sometimes does a story telling to him, making his heart filled with a warm feeling.

“Naeun-ah, I’m so sleepy, let me sleep just for awhile okay?”

She’s somehow felt a bit disappointed, but she shrugs it off and says

“Of course, just sleep, I’ll stay”she smiled

“See you…” that’s the last word he said before he drift himself into a wholesome white scenery, as he felt so peaceful, recalling Naeun’s-angel like voice along in the process.

And when love is dead

I’m loving angels instead .

But that’s what a wise man say, you should… avoid the circumstance where there’s no second time to tell her how you feel.

Because the 100^th day is never come for Jungshin.

Just right in the next day Naeun found that he’s not in the hospital anymore. And his brother had just told her the most shocking thing in her little world.

Jungshin is dead.

And later she knows that he had a brain tumor, since a year ago.

So that’s why he always pushed everyone around him, he didn’t want to fall in love, and didn’t want to be loved. Because he knew that someday he will leave the person, in no time.

Naeun feels her legs weaken as she cries to Suzy’s embrace. Yet she couldn’t figure out why she cried that hard. Maybe, just maybe… because she had finally found out that the butterflies in her stomach when he’s around told her that the affection she has for him this long is not a sisterly love.

It’s more than that.

But somehow she could be at ease knowing that Jungshin’s fortunately not in love with her, so she wouldn’t make a great pain on him.

At least it’s what she thought…

 

 

 

The End