The wind of autumn greeted her face when she comes out of the house.

Krystal is ready to go – with her luggage and bag already packed up with her clothes and stuffs inside. There’s also her favorite doll – Miss Cookie. She’s wearing her new school’s uniform now – white shirt, gray tie, and gray knee-length skirt.

Gray isn’t her favorite color and she’d rather choose brighter colors to wear, but she can’t. If she can, she would wear purples or blues or pinks or even better, oranges. But since she’s happy, the color of her outfits is no longer a problem.

The matter is; she is going to study in that Five Tower School, a boarding school outside the town.

Krystal, somehow, is feeling an excitement and worries all at once. And when Jessica, her older sister, exclaimed her name, she once again convinces herself: everything will be okay, before get in the car and leave.

***

Five Tower Bus Station, 09.45 am.

“Mm-hm… so, Krystal…”

Krystal looked up to see Jessica and Taeyeon are glancing at each other. And then she turns to see the tall guy beside her. Jongin.

“We have talked, and decided too.” Taeyeon continues. “We are just too worried about both of you, since you two are going to be far from home for the next three months. So, we have to make sure that both of you are safe, and that you two will have someone you can trust there.”

“And the point is?” the cold voice of his asked. Krystal once again turned to Jongin.

Jessica looks directly into his eyes, before answering, “And our point is, we want you to look after each other. You two have known each other for years; we hope that could make you best friends.”

Or more, Krystal secretly wished. Jongin seems to be thinking about it for a few minutes, while Krystal is trying her best not to scream out loud.

“You’re treating us like a kid. But I’m not a kid anymore, and so isn’t she. I think we’re mature enough to take care of ourselves well.”

Krystal freezes for a moment. Those words are like a knife of ice, it’s cold and it hurts. But however, she still managed not to cry. Her sister has taught her a lot to be a strong girl, though she still cried sometimes when things get harder and harder.

But not now.

She smiles faintly, “I don’t think they treat us like a kid, Jongin,” Krystal sighs. “It only shows they care. Besides, there’s no harm after all, right, in looking after each other?”

Jongin, uncertainly nods.

Krystal’s smile gets brighter just by seeing that. But that would be nice, she thinks, if Jongin smiles too. It seems like he doesn’t like to be with me… to look after me. What did I do wrong?

It also seemed like he hates her for like, forever.

She tried to shake away those thoughts out from her head, but she just can’t. Jongin is cold to everyone, but Krystal knows, he’s even colder when he’s with her. You may tell that Krystal is exaggerating, but no, Krystal could feel herself shiver just by standing next to him. And it is true. It was like, all of the hate that he has for her was contaminating the air, making it grow colder and colder, and determined to make her feel uncomfortable, and at the end, stays away from him.

But she doesn’t, though.

She won’t give up. No matter how cold is he, she would be there.

Krystal knows, someday, the Ice Cube Jongin, will melt. She just knows.

***

Well, certainly, that day isn’t today.

Krystal is already seated in the bus, next to the window and next to Jongin. The first years are in the bus 1. This bus is unlike the other bus we’ve known, it is way different. It’s bigger, with the capacity of 105 people. 100 of them are the students, and the other five are teachers.

They are now on their way to The Five Tower. It’s a famous boarding school in the country. It is located in a village, where the air is clean and fresh, and according to the headmistress, is where the students can study well, without pollution poisoning them in every breath they take.

“So… aren’t you excited?”

Jongin only shrugs, but Krystal insists on making conversation with him. “You better be. The Five Tower is just so awesome, that’s what Jessica Eonni said to me.”

“I don’t know.” He replied, still with his cold intonation and not even looking at Krystal. “I haven’t seen it for myself.”

Great, at least he wants to talk. “Didn’t Taeyeon Eonni tell you anything about this school?” she asked again. She could not believe there is someone who isn’t charmed by Five Tower history and the school itself. The building and activities they can do there, and of course – those five towers the school has! Krystal can’t wait to see the classroom, the student living room and the dining room, and the delicious food they serve (Jessica said each tower has their own dining room and living room and also, the food’s great).

“She did.” He answers shortly. Krystal sighs.

“Then why aren’t you excited? It must be fun, you know, there wi—”

Jongin turned to her, and look at her in the eyes with his piercing gaze. He cut off her sentence. “Because I don’t want to be there. And if you don’t mind, stay out from my business, stay quiet and do not disturb me. I had enough of people who always act like they know me so well.”

Krystal was taken aback. She did not expect those words from Jongin.

Then let me know you well, Jongin. Why won’t you?

***

Krystal stays quiet for the rest of the trip to Five Tower. She was sad for quite a moment, but then she decided just to e-mail her sister. She didn’t text because she knew she would talk too much. She takes out her iPad from her backpack, turn it on and touch the screen a few times until she reached the mail feature.

It’s been two hours, and there’s still 3 hours more until they arrive. Some students choose to sleep. Some of them are chit-chatting, some of them are playing with their phones, and some of them are just sitting in silence, looking out the window.

Krystal, who isn’t tired at all, is included in the third kind. She doesn’t talk to the others because the one she wants to talk to right now is only him, and he doesn’t want to talk to her.

Before she even typed anything, she shifts her gaze to Jongin.

That guy has fallen asleep, with earphones plugged into his ears.

Krystal giggled quietly. She pays attention to the guy she’s been admiring for the past five years. He didn’t change much, she thought. Unless the cold self he is now. As long as she can remember, Jongin is not that cold when they first met.

Then she looked at her iPad one more time, before switching to the main menu, and clicked the camera icon.

She took the photo of Sleeping Jongin, and when she looks at the preview, she smiles. He’s cuter when he’s asleep, maybe because he’s not pouting like usual.

Krystal attached the picture of Jongin to the mail she’s going to send to Jessica.

To: Jung Jessica

Subject: I’m Shivering

Hi, Eonni!

I know it’s only been 2 hours, but you should know that I’m sooo bored. I’m sitting next to Jongin now, but he doesn’t want to talk. Uh, he’s mean. I’m not really sure if we will look after each other once we arrived. He didn’t care about me, at all, and it seemed like he hates me.

But I don’t know why. What did I do wrong to him?

And, can you believe it, I’m wearing my sweater now, Eonni! Just in case that I would shiver just by sitting next to an iceberg ㅋㅋ

Anyway, have you cooked lunch, Eonni? Or are you going out somewhere? It’s almost lunch time. Eat well, okay, I don’t want my Eonni to be sick :)

Missed you already. Oh, and I wish things could work out between me and Jongin. Pray for me, will you, sist?

With love,

Krys

P.S. I attached the picture of Jongin sleeping. You should see it for yourself. He’s sooo cute when he sleeps, right? He doesn’t pout, and his face seems to be so peaceful…

Sent.

***

“Wake up, Jongin.” She whispers. But Jongin stays still. She started to shake his shoulders, “Wake up! We’re here, at the Five Tower!”

Jongin slowly opens his eyes. His eyes narrowed, adjusting themselves to the 3 pm sunlight that goes through the windows.

“You’re disturbing my sleep.”

Krystal just shrugs, “Well, sorry for that, but hey, we’re just arrived! You don’t want to be left in this bus and have to travel back to Seoul all alone, do you Jongin?”

“I told you, I don’t want to be here.” Jongin said, a little bit harsh. Then he grabbed his backpack, and left without saying anything.

Indeed, Krystal was shocked. But she quickly shakes her head. That’s alright, she thought. We still have five more years to melt your ice and warmth your words, don’t we?

In the end, all she says before she gets out of the bus was, “Pfft.”