[[ Jae Hwa's POV ]]

I’m here waiting for Yongguk’s promise, the promise he did yesterday about him returning the broom, but I’m waiting here not because of the broom, but because of the guy who will return it to me. I may sound like a creep, but talking to him that close made a very different effect on me.

I want to forget him, but when he did that, I can’t. I can’t forget him, his gummy smile, his deep laughter, his awkwardness and his eyes. Everything about Yongguk seems like a drug for me, a drug that keeps me awake and a drug that makes me want him more.

I leaned on the back of my wheelchair and smiled bitterly while staring at the ceilings. I became pathetic again, Jae Hwa … he will not return any kind of feelings you have, and he will only turn you down and let you suffer alone. I reminded myself but my heart seems to shut itself off, off from the facts that were sent by my brain.

The irritating ticks of the clock once again echoed inside my hollow house. Everything became gray to me, it looked like I was sent back to the past, to change things that gravely damaged my life, the main reason why I became like this, the reason why I’m sure that Yongguk will never love someone like me.

__FLASHBACK__

 I saw my parents once again, talking to the little me. Their hands so tender holding my little ones, guiding me towards the door. My father opened the door then lights coming from the sun blinded me for a second, before my eyes adjusted to it.

I rubbed my eyes and smiled at the car in front of us, it was the first time where my family bought a car. It was bought in a very cheap price, it was bought from a friend of my father. I smiled then turned to my father. I kissed his cheeks and so as my mother. “Wow..” I gasped again when the sun hit the gray-ish color of the car.

I pulled my hands from my parents and opened the door. Everything inside the car was clean, the smell was nice and so as the softness of the chairs. I quickly sat on the backside of the car and closed the door, claiming all the space behind mine, and mine only.

I saw my parents laugh as they walked towards each other’s respective seats. My father opened the driver’s one and sat on it. He placed the key inside the keyhole and twisted it clockwise. My mother also did the same beside him.

My family was normal, we are happy despite the tightness we had when it comes to money, but at least we can eat thrice a day. I never had the things I wanted because I was afraid to ask my parents for material things like that, despite the young age of 14 I already knew that we, as a family suffers a financial crisis.

I looked happily at the changing images of the screen, my father said that we will visit a friend’s grave somewhere, I don’t want to visit anyone’s grave, but as long as I can spend the whole day with my parent’s I will ignore it.

The next images suddenly flashed with a bloodshot red all over it. Things became uneasy and twisted. The car suddenly wagged and zigzagged all over the road causing the other cars to either move away or stop in the middle of the road. I looked at my father and fear was all over his face, I turned to my mother who was crying with her hands covering her face.

My grip on the seat tightened, I know something will really happen to us, and I would really dislike it.

The car flipped when it hit something on the ground, it literally became a ball, twisting here and there. We bumped some cars along the way but the force was not enough to stop the violent car from spinning. Things suddenly became stable, the spinning stopped but there’s a new problem occurred, the breaks snapped causing us to lose the ability to stop.

No one dared to talk inside the car. Everything was plain silence, and tears. We were about to cross the intersection peacefully but then a 10 wheeler truck crossed which directly hit us. The damages are severe, the car split into two, and so as the lives of my parents vanished.

I felt a surging pain in the lower region of my body, I looked down and saw both of my legs stuck between the metals of the car. I screamed but no one helped us, I turned and saw the bloody figures of my parents; my mother’s eyes are open and yet her forehead down to her neck was covered with red thick blood. My father’s head was on the steering wheel, his arm was twisted in a very unnatural shape.

Everything was new to me, my family was just laughing a while ago, but right now I fell unconscious. Darkness covered me, filling my past with hatred, pain and anger.

I shot back up from the short yet painful nightmare I was into, then there I noticed that my doorbell was ringing, I pushed the wheels of my chair closer to the door. I reached out for the knob and turned it around. There came someone, someone not Yongguk.

“Uh … yes?” I asked, I don’t know who the guy is, but he was smiling at me.

He took a step inside my house without my permission, his actions made my brows rise. “Yes?” I asked again after he did not answer my first question.

 He turned around then gave the broom Yongguk borrowed. “Yongguk couldn’t return that, so I did that for him.” He casually said before waltzing inside my house.

His cockiness never failed to irritate me, I followed his movements after I closed the door. I don’t want to be mean especially to Yongguk’s friend, but I have some limits too, even though I’m nice and all.

I faked a cough to take his attention, which I succeed. I sighed then fixed the blanket on my lap. I caught a glimpse of the stranger looking at it, and I was already expecting that he would ask questions about it, but much to my amusement, he didn’t not even a single word. Pity.

Words suddenly stopped inside my throat, I don’t know what to say anymore, maybe I’m just disappointed that Yongguk wasn’t the one who returned the broom, maybe I’m just being all delusional about how Yongguk smiled at me, maybe I gave too much color behind his soft laughter and gestures, maybe I’m just making a fool out of me.

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, I looked up and met eyes with the guy who owns it, the guy named Himchan. He flashed out a cheerful smile which made me smile weakly again, “I know you like Yongguk.” He suddenly said, which made me blink furiously. My cheeks instantly turned red from her words, I turned around and rolled the wheels of my wheelchair backwards.

“.. please don’t tell him.” I felt like whatever lie I came up, Himchan wouldn’t believe it so I just spewed out the truth and confessed, at least I now have someone I can share these constricted feelings, or will he ever visit me again after this?

I looked at him, then I saw him smile, I couldn’t understand what that smile means, but I can smell trouble from it. “Why are you smiling?” I asked him, still nervous about the smile he just did.

Why did he smile like that? What’s the reason behind it? He didn’t answered my question earlier, all he did was to pat my head like I’m sort of animal and dashed out of the house leaving me stupefied and confused.

“Himchan… you amuse me … soo much.” I whispered while shaking my head, I closed the door slowly while watching Himchan’s steps disappear right before my eyes.