“What made you call oppa?”

 

Somehow hearing her call Jinwoon hyung her oppa sounded not that good. Oh well, it’s not like it’s for endearment or something. I know, it’s just out of her being courteous.

 

She now nervously stood, “Neh?” she barked at the phone then looked at me with wide eyes and then back to the phone.

 

“Really?” I heard her tell Jinwoon hyung while she kept looking at me uneasily while listening to whatever he was telling her. The whole duration of the phone call, she continued giving me the looks that something was wrong. I really wonder what happened.

 

She finally ended the call. The way she was weirdly looking at me, I was starting to freak out, and so I asked, “What’s wrong?’’

 

She emptied her remaining soda all at once before she took a deep breath and started talking,
 

“Eottoke?” she was all tensed up when she said that and was biting her lip.

 

“If you don’t start telling it, I’d have to excuse myself for panicking,” like really hyperventilate. The way she was all so worked up just because of that call, there must be something really unfortunate that had happened. I was secretly crossing my fingers that it won’t be that bad.

 

“JB ssi..” Uh-oh. Her voice even faltered.

 

“It’s okay Jiyeon ssi. You need to relax, it’ll be alright.” I tried calming her as I approached her but,

 

“Pfft,” her cheeks suddenly puffed and red.

 

“HA HA HA HA HA,” she exploded into laughing and sat back through the couch to support herself.

 

Did I just get pranked again?

 

That was one of a fruitful laugh from her.

 

She’s now clutching her stomach because of too much laughing. And I’m speechless again for the many times I got tricked by this girl.

 

I actually got humiliated again.

 

When she regained composure, “ Yah. JB, you really need to loosen up a bit,”

 

“That wasn’t funny at all,” I admitted honestly and added, “You always tell me that I love making fun of you but it’s the other way around, it’s you who loves to pick at me,”

 

“Well, is it that bad if I want to joke around a bit?” she said, totally clueless of how the way she’s tricking me makes me feel less confident.

 

“It’s not like that. It’s just that,” I couldn’t make the right words to let her understand my point of view.

 

“Then let me get this straight, okay,” she seemed to have something serious in mind. I remained in silence, waiting for what she was  trying to say.

 

The air around us suddenly became lacking. I needed air.

 

“I just don’t want you to be awkward around me anymore, that’s why I do pranks at you so you would at least feel that I’m just like your any other friends,”

 

Sincerity was all I could hear from her voice and all I could see in her expression.

 

I was kind of shocked at her thoughtfulness. She really tries hard to get along with her co-stars while I’m being the wimpy coward me with too much pride.

 

I still remained speechless, unable to gauge what to say to her. My feelings for just kept growing the more I spend my time with her.

 

“Just in case you’re wondering the real reason Jinwoon oppa called me is that he just had successfully installed a tracking device software on his phone..”

 

“So through his call with you, the software would automatically identify your location,” Thank goodness I still have my voice with me.

 

“Precisely,” she shortly answered and continued, “Jinwoon oppa’s the best,right?” she squealed like Jinwoon hyung’s some kind of a superman or something.

 

Although it was against my will to agree, I just forced myself to it, “Yeah. Anyway,is he going to send help any minute soon?”

 

“Nope. Maybe later this evening?”

 

“Why so late?”

 

Couldn’t he send help sooner than that?

 

“They still had to finish filming.”

 

“Why couldn’t he just tell the tracked location to others so they could send help immediately?”

 

“Well, he asked me if I could wait, I said yes. I guess he wanted to personally help us both,”

 

“Ohh,” I was dumbfounded. Jinwoon hyung sure is something. I didn’t question her any more than that.

 

“So, how do you plan to spend our time while we wait for their help?”

 

I don’t know why I felt a little bit of annoyed right now. Something about feeling so useless kept bugging me.

 

“JB? You seemed spacey again,”

 

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

 

“How do you want to kill our time while waiting for Jinwoon hyung?”

 

“I have no idea. You, do you have something in mind?”

 

“I want to play..”

 

“What game?”

 

“You’re the guy, you’re supposed to be the one thinking,”

“But I thought you have a game in mind?”

 

“Eopsseo,”

 

“Okay. Now, this is how the game works…”

 

I explained to her the mechanics of the game we three often play. By saying three, I meant Jihoo, JR and I.

 

“That’s exciting!” I heard her exclaim after understanding how the game works.

 

“Are you sure it’s okay?” I mean, I only play this game with my friends.

 

“Of course, this is going to be fun!”

 

“You should be the one to do the countdown then,”

 

“Okay, on my cue. Hana .. Dul..”

 

Before she even finished her counting, the door unexpectedly creaked.

 

Oh no! It looked like the cabin’s owner is back! He arrived alone actually.

 

“HIDE!” I whispered to Jiyeon.

 

“Eodi?”

We couldn’t afford to waste any second longer in this cabin so I grabbed her hand and ran towards the fire exit.

 

“Strangers were here,” I heard the old man snarl, who I suspect to be the owner of the cabin. It looked like we actually pissed him off big time because of our uninvited stay in his cabin. Jiyeon shivered after hearing the old man cursed us. We then ran faster trying not to be heard by him.

 

We didn’t talk. Instead, we used our energy for running so as to run as far as possible because we both know how we’ll end up with if we’d get caught by the old man. When we were sure that we already ran far enough, we took a rest under an old oak tree.

 

“Whoa, that was actually fun!” she giggled while we were both gasping, catching our breaths. I just smiled in response. And all of a sudden, we realized that we were actually holding hand in hand and that’s where the awkward atmosphere again set in. We, of course, as a reflex, broke free of each other’s grasp.

 

“ So, where do we go now?” she asked trying to lighten the atmosphere.

 

“Back to the car,” we had no other choice anyway.

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah. Kaja!”

 

“But I couldn’t walk anymore,” she whined.

 

“Let me carry you then,” I suggested without giving much thought about it but when she reacted,

 

“What?”

That’s when the weight of my suggestion sunk in,  “ If you don’t then bear with the walking.”

 

“But are you sure it’s okay?”

 

“Ah huh,” It’s too late to take back my words anyway.

 

“But I’m heavy, you won’t be able to sustain it,”

 

It’s not my problem here, in fact you’re as light as a feather. It’s just that the last time I carried you, my senses became abnormal, “We won’t know unless we try,”

 

“Couldn’t we rest here more?”

 

“Okay then. If that’s what you want, but it’s going to get dark soon, and colder.”

 

“But..”

 

“And we’re not anywhere safe,” I added.

 

“I think I can actually manage on your back! Sometimes, I can be light, you know.”

 

She finally had given up.

 

“You’re a scaredy dinosaur after all,” I commented when she was already on my back and added,

 

“You’re actually heavier than you actually look like,” I started teasing her. Payback time.

 

“I told you I was heavy,”

 

“I was just kidding,”

 

“Hmp. Jokes are half-meant.”

 

I needed to keep our conversation steady so my mind would not worry on how my heart goes erratic right now,

 

“Really? Where did you learn that?”

 

“Kunyang.”

 

“Well, for me, whether it’s meant or not, or even half-meant as you said it, it doesn’t matter, as long as you don’t intend it to be offensive. Because at the end of the day, it’s a joke after all,”

 

I think I blabbered too much, eh? Despite that, I wasn’t even getting any reaction from Jiyeon.

 

Then, I suddenly felt her head lean on my back. I think she just fell asleep. I bored her again. I really at things like this, I don’t know how to keep a conversation easy-flowing and interesting.

 

Oh well, I walked carefully so that I won’t wake her up.

 

After awhile, she suddenly murmured unconsciously, “ JB ssi..”

 

I waited. Why is she talking about me in her sleep anyway?

 

“Your back’s so broad and so warm..”

 

I think I’m hallucinating. Maybe because I’m just too tired.

 

Then as if hearing my thoughts, she mumbled yet again, “Like seriously, how can your back be so warm just like my father’s?”