[Chapter 9] Where did My Baby Go?

Maybe I was wrong and I

Ignored her for too long and I

Didn't even notice when she slipped away

“Aren’t you going to look for her?” Dara questioned, it was past midnight and Chaerin wasn’t home yet.

“No,” Jiyong answered coldly, a frown was etched on his pretty face.

“Or try to call her?” Dara tried again, she didn’t like it, she knew he was putting up his pride high this time, blocking everything.

“No,” he answered shortly again.

“Why not? She could be in danger,”

“No, she’s not,” Jiyong answered, finally something longer than a no. Dara knew he was half convincing himself with his own words.

“She looked tired lately,”

“Because she worked too hard,”

“She fell asleep in the bathroom the other day, I wonder if she used to do that...” Dara pushed farther, Jiyong couldn’t be that heartless, right?

“No, but she can sleep wherever she wants,” okay she was wrong, maybe he could be that heartless anyway.

“But that can’t be healthy, the tile was surely cold, do you think her voice changed lately? A little bit hoarse, I think, but maybe that’s just me...” Dara tried again.

“No, I don’t think so,”

That was it, Dara’s last straw.

“Yah! Kwon Jiyong!” She slammed the door, making Jiyong jumped a little of surprise.

“Stop putting that silly pride of yours! You’re not making any sense you know? You were being blindly jealous, you accused her doing something she didn’t, you let her out in this kind of weather and she can be in any danger, she can be sick, she can meet bad guys, she can be crying somewhere and you’re telling me that it’s okay? Are you sick or something?” Dara, for the very first time since her arrival, raised her voice at him.

“Whoa, you sure are being more Chaerin-ish...” he mumbled.

“And that is surely not the point, Oh Buddha! I need to calm myself!” Dara puffed and left.

---

“Chaerin? Lee Chaerin?” She felt somebody shake her body and she wanted oh so badly to smack him dead, she just had her beauty sleep after hours of crying and now this filthy little person trying to wake her up? Not in a million years!

“Yah, Chaerin, please wake up!” Now that person was slapping her cheek, how dare he! Seriously how did he think he was? The president? No one shall dare to wake up a sleeping Chaerin! Not after the lack of sleep she had this week.

“Chaerin... Chaerin please?” What the hell! Why was he sounded like he was a crying strangled dolphin? Seriously, must she wakes up and smack him dead so she can continue her sleep? Yes, that sounds like a plan. Okay eyes, open wide after the count of three, smack him dead, and close again, okay? one, two, three!

Eh?

Three!

What? What the hell?

I said three! Why don’t you open yourself, eyes?

Three!

Three! Three! Three! Three!

Now she felt kind of stupid to repeat the word three too many times.

Three!

Ah, there, found you! Oh... Junsu, what is he doing here? Why is he everywhere? Okay, let’s go with the plan, smack him dead and go back to sleep.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the chance to go with the plan, her eyelids felt so heavy seconds after she succeeded to open them, so of course she had to comply.

Oh let’s just go back to sleep now, smack him dead later.

And with that, Chaerin found her way to the darkness again.

---

“Is she going to be okay?” Junsu asked nervously, Chaerin’s body was burning hot when he found her fast asleep in the middle of a snowy park, her knees was up, pressed to her chest. When he tried to wake her up, however, he realized that something was wrong. Her body was shaking, probably from the cold, her face pale, almost as white as the snow surrounding her, and her breath uneven. The moment he shook her shoulder, she fell limply to him, and that was when he felt the heat emanating from her.

He tried his best to wake her up, to convince himself that maybe her condition wasn’t so bad. She did open her eyes after few shakes or more, but it was only for a split of seconds before she fell unconscious again.

He knew he should take her home to the place she shared with Jiyong. Problem was, he had no idea where it was and he had no time to waste. Chaerin’s condition looked far from good, so he decided to get her to his apartment instead. That was the wisest thing he could do.

Or so he thought.

---

“How was it?” She asked breathlessly, it had been long since the last time she was engaged in any sporty activities and suddenly she had to run very early in the morning.

Jiyong’s answer was a shake of head and a gloomy look, “okay, we’ll have to try harder,” Dara said and started running again.

Apparently Chaerin didn’t come back home last night and Jiyong freaked out so he woke her up very early in the morning, chilly and all to look for her. She almost wanted to kill him because really, she talked to him until like... 3 in the morning and he didn’t budge.

But of course she couldn’t kill him. Not when he looked like on the verge of crying, not when he looked like a hopeless child who had just lost his favorite toy, and definitely not when he was Kwon Jiyong, fiance or not, there was no way in hell she could ignore him, damn his pretty face.

So there she was, running, looking for Chaerin hopelessly. Who knows where on earth she could be, she could be anywhere, she might had taken the flight to USA, or had undergone a plastic surgery so even if she find her she wouldn’t be able to recognize her anymore, she could be taking the boat to a small island wishing never to be found again, she might have kidnapped! And fell in love with the kidnapper and lived her life happily ever after with the bad man... Okay, No need to tell her, Dara knew she watched too much drama.

But really though, there was no sign of Chaerin, and that particular girl usually always stands out of the crowd, especially remembering the outfit she wore yesterday. “Where could she be?” Dara asked herself, almost desperate.

“Chaerin-ah, please be safe...” She prayed silently.

---

“Who is she”  A guy hissed, his eyes locked to Junsu who stood before her. Not far from them was Chaerin, sleeping soundly on the bed,  wrapped by thick blanket, sometimes muttering incoherent words.

“She’s a friend, I found her ill so I took her in,” Junsu explained, the other guy didn’t look convinced enough. Junsu sighed, “Really Changminnie, why would I lie to you? She’s just a friend,” Junsu tried again.

Changmin walked closer to the bed, examining Chaerin. The girl was indeed looking sick, he thought. “Well, okay. Get her back home when she’s fine enough. I don’t like girls around your house.”

Junsu smiled, “sure thing, darling,” he stepped closer and hugged Changmin, “thank you, you’re such a kind soul,” he whispered.

---

There were lots of things Jiyong regretted. For example the time when he finally got to choose his own shoes, he found a very cool shoes but the size was too small, but he wanted it too badly so he decided to buy that. He regretted his decision because his feet ached whenever he wore that shoes for more than fifteen minutes, he regretted his decision because apparently the style wasn’t so in anymore by the time he bought it, he regretted it because he was only able to use it for two days before he decided to give the shoes to his best friend, Seungri, who had been eyeing the shoes since day one.

He regretted the time he didn’t cheat on the third grade when all of his friends did, he regretted because they all got A and he got a C, he regretted because he wasn’t brave enough to tell the teacher.

Now, he regretted, more painfully than everything he had ever regretted before, to be jealous of Chaerin the day before. They’ve been through lots of ups and downs, they’ve fought countless times, shouted curses at each other, bad words about each other, being jealous, being overly sensitive, being too sensitive, being not sensitive.

Had she stopped loving me? He painfully thought, she rejected him earlier when they were about to make love, and then she met Junsu, and they fought and she didn’t come back home. Chaerin had left the house multiple times, leaving him alone to clear their thoughts and always call him an hour or so later. Always.

But not today.

---

Feels like I've just lost my only friend

Flames subsided, colors faded

Love just got so complicated

(Where did My Baby Go - John Legend)

comments, please? ^^;

♥