Kijoon hit the wall hard. Her headphones became her choice of replacement for Mingyu. Every day, every second she had them in. She tuned out the world through her music. The only time she ever took them out was when she was with Wonwoo; which recently, wasn’t as often as she’d like.

“I have study for Math, Kijoon. If I don’t pass my parents are going to kill me.” Wonwoo explained on one of their daily phone calls, “I’m barely riding on a fifty in that class right now. I’ll pick you up at lunch tomorrow, I promise.” Kijoon hummed a response hanging up the phone. Without Mingyu with her she felt like she was the only one in the world.

Being alone can have its benefits like power naps, the ability to take off the fake face she’d paint on with makeup in the morning, not having to depend on someone to do something... but it also had many bad side effects. Kijoon’s sleeping schedule was back to being upside down to everyone else. She often found herself sleeping in and being in a rush to run to school, missing a meal in the process. Then by the time lunch came around she stuffed her face with whatever food her and Wonwoo had in their bags.

It was becoming a nuisance to other people when Kijoon would tune out everyone. Her music would blast outside of her ear buds because she had attempted to ignore the world on full blast. Her classmates had this annoying tendency to tap her shoulder and ask her to turn down her music. Kijoon would make a disgusted face turning it down by only one notch.

“Wonwoo~” Kijoon yawned tiredly over the phone, “When is your math test?” She could hear the ruffle of papers as he looked for the answer to her question. He ‘umm’ed and paused,

“Tomorrow.” He said, then realized the date, “Tomorrow! Kijoon I’ll call you later. I need to go now. Love you.” Kijoon didn’t even get to start her ‘goodbye love you’ before Wonwoo was off the phone. She pouted a bottom lip laying back on her bed.

“Why do you have to be busy?” her legs flew through the air as she frustratedly kicked around. It had been only three days since they had last seen each other out of school, but in Kijoon time (as Wonwoo would say) it was three months. She had barely spent a day without Wonwoo or Mingyu around and now she was fully relying on Wonwoo’s presence to be happy.

Kijoon stared up at her roof, “Why did I have to say that stuff to Mingyu?” She asked herself getting upset. Wonwoo wasn’t around to advert her from her own thoughts. Tears threatened to form in the corners of Kijoon’s eyes. She covered her face feeling lonely. “It’s only one more day. Wonwoo will be back tomorrow.” She reminded herself dragging her palms along her eyelids hoping the tears would absorb back into her tear ducts.

---

Wonwoo picked Kijoon up around the waist while stepping foot into her house for the first time in four days. “Urg, I’ve missed you.” He moaned heaving her weight to latch onto his body, “Did you get fatter over the past three days?” He teased earning a flick to his forehead. Kijoon drew her arms around his neck bumping with every step he took.

It felt weird for Kijoon to be smiling in her own house again. She had imagined it as a lonely dark place for three days. It was like a new light had erupted and taken over everything in its way. Wonwoo threw her down onto her bed and climbed over top of her. He leaned down close so their lips almost touched. Kijoon felt her heart speed up waiting for him to kiss her, “Just kidding.” He smiled falling beside her. Kijoon jolted with the bed.

“I thought you were never going to stop studying,” Kijoon said holding Wonwoo’s hand as he closed his eyes with his other hand behind his head. She lifted her body up on one side looking down at her sleepy looking boyfriend. “Do you know how lonely I was? I couldn’t hang out with you and I couldn’t call Mingyu.”

Wonwoo opened one eye looking at her, “Why couldn’t y-oh...” He said covering his eyes with his hand like a mask. Kijoon parted his fingers looking at his right eye,

“Have you talked to him at all?” Her tone was a little threatening in Wonwoo’s opinion but he decided to be honest,

“Yes. He says he’s sorry, but he really likes Joheun.” Kijoon released Wonwoo’s hand. She rest her head on hers blowing cold air from . “Just forgive him and be friends.” Wonwoo was on the edge of begging. It was weird to not hang out as a trio at least once a week. Kijoon grunted shaking her head causing Wonwoo to bring her back down onto the bed with him.

Kijoon giggled slightly with Wonwoo rolling on top of her. “I want to do something.” He smiled letting her sit up so he was in her lap, “Can I do it?” Kijoon raised an eyebrow,

“Depends on what it is.” Wonwoo took a permanent marker from his back pocket and held it directly in front of Kijoon’s face aligning it with her nose. “What are you doing with that?” Wonwoo flicked off the cap and closed in on her face, “You draw on my face I will personally give you a new hair cut.” Wonwoo laughed cupping her face with his hands.

“That’s not what I’m doing.” He replied kissing her gently. “Give me your hand.” He demanded holding his palm open to the roof. Kijoon hesitantly obliged putting her right hand in his left. She could feel the felt tip of the marker swirl around her hand. She tried to peak around Wonwoo’s tight coverage to see what he was doing but he pushed her head away. Kijoon bopped the back of his head with her palm. “Don’t move!” He hollered hanging onto her arm until he cut off blood circulation.

Kijoon squirmed feeling the tingling sensation in her arm, “Wonwoo it hurts.” She complained, Wonwoo looked over his shoulder and released her arm. Kijoon tilted her head looking at the foreign marking on her palm. At first it just looked like a messily drawn circle with Wonwoo’s name written in the middle, but when Kijoon put her hand down horizontally she realized it was a very poorly drawn heart with his name in the middle. She laughed to herself.

Wonwoo jet his bottom lip out in a pout. He smacked his palm on her forehead, “Don’t laugh, stupid. It means something.” Kijoon questioned him tracing her thumb along the thick black lines. “That drawing represents my heart in your hand and how you have it forever.” Kijoon let only her eyes look up at Wonwoo who was looking down into her palm. “As long as you have it, it will never break.” He traced the other side of the heart with his finger until it met Kijoon’s. “Every week I’m going to redraw it because I don’t want it to completely fade away, or else that’s like I’m fading away. And when someone asks you about it you have to say it’s a present from the boyfriend that you love very much.” Wonwoo squeaked in a toddler’s voice making Kijoon smile.

“What happens when we fight and I squeeze my fists together?” Kijoon asked dancing her hand in front of herself and folding her fingers into her palm. Wonwoo gave to thumps to his chest with a closed fist,

“Then you will remember that you are squeezing my heart.” He said with a cheesy smile. Kijoon laughed falling back onto her pillow,

“You are the biggest grease ball I know.” She laughed hugging him tightly in thanks for his touching gift.