Chapter 13: Please Stay

“You take too much snacks. Take them back!” shouted the girl, pointed to the snacks on trolley. The boy shook his head, refused to listen to the girl’s words.

The boy took two packs of pad and put them to the trolley, “You need this. I think your period is getting closer.”

“Stupid.”

“You look cute when you’re mad.”

“Okay. I’m going to get mad every day, then stay away from me.”

“You are so scary yet so pretty.”

“Shut up.”

“But I like it. So much, too much.”

“Shut up, I said!”

//

{ Jen’s POV }

I woke up with a painful headache. I opened my eyes completely and swiping around. In a second, I realized this wasn’t my apartment—I mean, Junhee’s. But this place smelled lavender, which I like the most.  I stood up from the bed; it was a large-sized bed.

I heard my phone was ringing. The phone was actually on the table next to the bed. There was ‘Junhee’ name appeared on the screen.

“You were being serious about kick me out from you apartment, weren’t you?” I asked just right after I swiped the screen to accept the call. She laughed loudly, “I’m not.”

“You better have a good explanation about why am I here,” I said.

Junhee stopped her laughs, “Okay, okay. That is yours.”

“Mine? What?”

“The apartment.”

“Don’t joke around, Junhee. This apartment is too big for me, and I am not a rich kiddo like you,” I replied, disbelieving. “And moreover, what’s with you? Are you not allowing me to sleep at your place?”

“Calm down. I think it is a normal thing that you suppose to live in your own, due to get your memory back,” said Junhee. I sighed, “Stop using my memory as the reason why you did lot of nonsense things to me, Junhee. You never changed since we were in high school.”

“You know I love you,” she hung up.

I put my phone back to the place it was before. I stepped out from the bedroom, but in a flash, I saw photographs on the table before the room’s door. They were on frames, and they were a lot.

I gasped.

I lost my breath, couldn’t believe on my own eyes.

It wasn’t Ken who stood next to me in every photo. It wasn’t Ken who wore a couple clothes with me. It wasn’t Ken who wrapped his arms to my body, while we were taking selcas. It wasn’t Ken who smiled happily with me.

Those photos.

It wasn’t Ken who was my boyfriend.

I grabbed one photo frame, holding on it and tried to remember. Was it real? Was it really me? Was it really happen?

“Good morning.”

I turned my body as I heard someone greeted me. I jumped off shocked. It was him, who smiled at me at this moment. I didn’t want to believe, I couldn’t believe it.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

He looked at me, puzzled, “I suppose this apartment is also mine.”

“Leo, you are not my real boyfriend, are you?” I trembled; this was far from my expectation. Leo was not my boyfriend, he wasn’t! He couldn’t be! It should be Ken! Ken not Leo!

He shrugged, “You should find it yourself.”

“I’m not into this game, Leo. I’m tired enough!” I walked out from the room and looked for the front door. I heard steps behind mine, Leo was chasing me and he pulled my arms, said in very low voice—almost whispered, “Please. Stay.”

“I don’t know you!” I screamed, “Let me go!”

“I would love to telling you all the truths, about things what you’ve been forgotten, about what we were. But what is the point if you can’t remember any single thing? What is the point if you don’t want to remember?” he said, with his cracked voice.

I pulled out my hand off him, but he refused to let me. I looked at him and I saw those eyes.

“I won’t force you to remember me, or anything related to us in the past. But please, stay. Just for a while. If after those times you still can’t remember, I won’t beg you to stay,” he added.

I saw those teary eyes. It was really painful—to see.

He released me, but I didn’t move. It wouldn’t be fair for him, if I leave. Sometimes, we only need to give the second chance. Maybe he needed one. Or either I am. Whatever happened in the past, whether it was a beautiful memory or a painful one, it deserves to get a chance, once more time.

I really hoped it was worth to remember.

And these words they have no meaning

If we cannot find the feeling

That we held on to together

Try your hardest to remember ^*)

//

{ Leo’s POV }

“Do you want something for breakfast?”  I asked. She shook her head and said, “No. Thanks.”

To see her uninterested face made me sad. I wasn’t used to get a rejection from her, not for any single thing I offered. I walked to the kitchen, took two ramyuns and boiled some water. I couldn’t cook very well but I was sure that my ramyun was the best food I could cook—even the members said so.

I heard her steps moved closer. I turned my back, while cutting the vegetables from the fridge.

“What are you doing?” she asked, leaned her back to the wall.

I pointed at my stuffs, “What do you see?”

“Cooking.”

“Yes.”

“Are you good at cooking?” she asked. I shook my head, “No. Not really. But you loved my ramyun. You kept asking me to cook you a bowl of ramyun every time you didn’t feel like cooking for me.”

She remained silent.

Or maybe I shouldn’t say anything about our past. She might hate the fact about it, she could be get offended.

“Leo,” she called.

“Yes?”

“Can I have a bowl of your ramyun for my breakfast today?”

I smiled, “Of course.”

Or maybe she only needed more time. She might be fight over the weakness of her lost memory; she could get it back whenever. She should be getting ready. That’s why I couldn’t stop here. I didn’t want to.

I handed her a bowl of ramyun. It was still hot, but she couldn’t stand for taste it as quick as possible. I didn’t know, it was because she was too hungry or she really wanted to know how the taste it would be like.

“Eat slowly,” I said.

She nodded.

I stood up, pulled in the chair I used. It was already 7 a.m. and I needed to go back to the dorm, I had some exercises and group schedules.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Dorm.”

“Oh I see.”

I walked to her, closer, I patted her head gently. As I turned to the front door, she called my name, “Leo!”

“Yes?”

“Can you give me Ken’s number?” she asked it with doubt tone. I gasped, “What?”

“Can you give me Ken’s number? I want to make a call,” she repeated.

It was hurt. She already saw our photographs in our bedroom, but she still wanted to call Ken. She already knew that I was the one who were her boyfriend, but she still wanted to call Ken. She already ate my ramyun she used to love the most, but she still wanted to call Ken.

“You can’t?”

I let a long sigh out, “You can find it on phonebook, and I named him Jaehwan. It’s on the buffet.”

She smiled, “Thanks!”

I left the apartment. I regretted a lot of things—on my way to Jellyfish headquarter. I hate myself. Being Leo—I hate it the most. I didn’t want to be known as Leo in her eyes. I wanted to be Taekwoon, someone she loved the most. Not someone she has been forgotten.

//

{ Hakyeon’s POV }

“She’s going to call you,” I said.

Ken looked up at me and replied, “And? Oh, you are not going to put all the blame on me, right?”

“No, I won’t,”

I heard door opened. It must be Leo. I turned off the screen and asked everyone to get their stuffs together before we would head to the headquarters for practicing.

As soon as Leo walked in the room, Ken’s phone was ringing aloud. Leo stared at the phone, tried to peek the number of the caller. Then he let a long sigh out. I was sure, it was Jen.

“Hello?”

I asked Ken for loudspeaker the call. At first, he seemed refuse but at the end, he did.

“Ken! Are you busy right now?” asked the caller—Jen, of course. I took a look at Leo who was pretending to be busy with his stuffs but actually no one gets fooled by his act. Not even Hyuk.

“Euhm, no, actually we are going to have some classes for practice. What happened?” asked Ken normally.

“Is Leo there? I mean, is he standing next to you?” Jen asked.

Ken looked at Leo, and then he answered, “No, he’s not here yet. Why?”

“I just discovered that he was my real boyfriend. Ken, do you know about that too?” she asked. Ken bit his lower lip. I nudged him, gave him a look and signals.

“Jen, I have to go now, talk to you later, okay?” said Ken, as exactly as I asked him to say. I heard Jen sighed of disappointment, “Why are you like this? Meet me for tonight dinner. At 7 p.m. I’ll text you the address. You better show up, okay?”

She hung up.

Leo walked out of the room, “You better do as she wishes you to.” He whimpered to Ken.

I walked behind Leo, “What’s wrong, Leo?”

“Nope.”

“Don’t lie.”

“What do you expect me to answer? Saying that Jen has not remembered me yet, or Jen really has something to Ken, or what? This is not a condition I’d ask for, Hakyeon,” said Leo—harshly. I could feel his head boiled up.

“Leo hyung,” Hongbin moved closer to Leo and wrapped his arms to him, “It’s okay. She loves you, right? She will remember you, for sure. Don’t worry.”

“I’m worrying a lot of things, Bin,” Leo replied.

Hongbin smiled, showed his perfect dimples, “Hyung, stars stay in the same place, they never leave the sky. Maybe we can’t see them every night, because we also have dark cloud and daylight. But stars always be there. So does your brightest star.”

I gasped. It was true that Hongbin looked older than he should, but I never thought that he would be this mature. Leo nodded; he was moved by Hongbin’s word. It was comfortable, and calmed.

Hyuk shouted, “Okaaay, let’s go to headquarters to practicing!” and in minutes more, we left dorm.

^{*) Secondhand Serenade’s song – Like A Knife}

how is it? everything is turned hot. huhu.

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