I was on my way home, alone this time, for my two best friends had other engagements that they had to attend to. The absence of both Yixing and Hyunji made the walk very quiet, serene in a way, but dull. Yixing and Hyunji never failed to make me laugh, be it with their antics or our constant playful banter that would always end up with us taking sides. In most cases, it would be Hyunji and me against Yixing, but despite being outnumbered, Yixing held his own pretty well in arguments, often winning against the both of us with his sharp tongue and quick responses.

It was a sunny day –a stark contrast to the weekends which I had spent watching raindrops falling onto the sidewalk. School was mostly deserted when I finally trudged back home. I had been called upon by a teacher to discuss my college entrance application, and that meeting had lasted until a good half an hour after the final bell.

I wiped the trickling sweat off my brow as I trudged down the sidewalk that ran the length of a tar road. The road stretched from the main gates, circling around the school before ending at the staff parking lot. On my right were the school buildings, rising up to three stories high with glass windows running its entire length. On my left was the soccer field and running track, currently occupied by the soccer team as they practiced for their next tournament.

I had my hands shoved in my pockets, watching as the school’s soccer team’s captain and superstar, Luhan, send a ball flying to the goal from the middle of the field when something –or rather, someone –pushed me hard from behind. I stumbled and fell, landing hard onto the rough concrete on my hands and knees. I looked up and flashed an angry glare towards the culprit, only to have my eyes blaze at the sight of a familiar head of chestnut coloured hair that was so light, it was almost blonde.

“Whoops,” Minhee said, looking down at me with devilish smirk. “I guess I didn’t see you. You should really stop dallying so much if you don’t want people to bump into you.”

I could feel my palms and knees start to sting. I was pretty sure that I had cut them, but I refused to let my pain show in my face as I continued to glare at her. Minhee bent down and leaned in closer to me. Her sickeningly sweet perfume almost made me choke.

“Next time,” she whispered to me, “don’t get in over your head. Just because he didn’t choose me now, doesn’t mean he won’t fall for me later.”

She flicked her hair over her shoulders and straightened up, shooting me an arrogant smile as she turned in her heel and stalked away. She paused in her step to glance back at me. Rolling her eyes, she said, “Geez, get up. You’re getting blood all over the concrete. And I have to walk over that tomorrow when I come to school.”

It was all I could do to not pick up the large stone next to me and throw it at her head. Just as I was considering a few other indecorous deeds to perform as revenge, she skipped away, leaving me all alone on the sidewalk. I cursed her under my breath and heaved myself up, wincing as the pain shot up my arms and legs. My legs wobbled slightly from the pain, but I managed to hold myself up long enough to limp over to a nearby bench.

I stretched my legs out and inspected my knees, hissing when I accidently pressed the skin the wound a little too hard. My hands weren’t as bad, but my palms were lined with fine scratches that had traces of blood in it. Careful to not have the cuts come into contact with anything, I began rummaging in my bag for some tissues.

“Aeri-yah, is that you?”

Damn it. He really has unfortunate timing, doesn’t he?

“Hey, I didn’t realise you’re still –” Joonmyun’s smile disappeared when he saw the wounds I was nursing. Within seconds, he had jumped off the sidewalk and was walking quickly towards me.

“Hey, what happened?” he asked, bending down on one knee to inspect my cuts. His voice sounded gentle, worry lines creasing his forehead.

“I fell,” I lied. I’d rather not discuss about Choi Minhee with him.

Joonmyun looked up to meet my eyes; I averted my gaze to keep him from sensing the lie I was telling. I distracted myself by staring at the white clouds above us, bobbing softly as the wind carried them away. My eyes were drawn back to him when I heard the sound of his bag ping.

“I think I have something in here that could be of use,” he said as he dug into his bag. To my surprise, he withdrew from it a white first aid kit.

“You carry a first aid kit with you everywhere you go?”

Joonmyun chuckled and glanced up at me with a playful look in his eyes. “You never know when it’ll come in handy.” He unclasped the kit and began rummaging through it. “Why are you here so late?”

“Teacher’s lounge. Something to do with my college application. Why are you still here?”

“Club meeting,” he said as he pulled out a bottle and some cotton swabs. “It ended a little late. Kyungsoo and I wanted to try a piano duet, but yeah, we needed a lot of polishing.”

“Oh, what song –ouch!”

Joonmyun smiled apologetically at me. “Sorry, I thought it would be best if I tried to distract you before doing that.”

My knee throbbed before slowly reducing to a dull ache as the antiseptic settled. I watched as Joonmyun carefully plastered a band-aid over both of my knees.

“There,” he said, startling me when he looked up. I realised that I had been staring at him and blushed. He pulled himself up onto the bench next to me and reached for my hands. “Let me see your hands.”

“It’s nothing,” I said, instinctively pulling back. He already had a hold of them though, and I let out a small cry when he tightened his grip.

“It’s not nothing,” he said firmly, before gently turning my palms to look at them. A sharp jolt of electricity travelled up my arm as he gently ran his fingers over my palm to inspect the scratches. I ducked my head to hide the blush rising up to my cheeks.

“Not as bad as your knees, but it still needs treatment,” he muttered, letting my hands rest on his lap as he rummaged for a new cotton swab and a bottle of antiseptic.

“Now tell me what really happened,” he said as he began cleaning my scratches.

I kept silent. I should have known that Choi Minhee wouldn’t stand to let me bask in the glory of my triumph. Everything was planned. She already hated me; she needed nothing else to prompt her. Apart from Hyunji and Yixing, nobody would believe me if I told them that my wounds were the result of her doing, not even the teachers, for she had each and every one of them in her manicured grasp. Might as well not drag Joonmyun into this too.

“Aeri,” he said, looking up to meet my eyes again. His expression was hard and solemn, the gentle curl of his mouth replaced by a hard, thin line. “Tell me what happened.”

I didn’t think that I could lie to him with him looking at me like that. “Minhee pushed me.”

A shadow crossed over his face, darkening his eyes. It disappeared as soon as it passed through, smoothing his face into an unreadable mask.

“Can you stand?” he asked, taking both my hands and gently helping me up.

Although my knees throbbed, I was able to stand without wobbling. I straightened myself up and took a few tentative steps as he put away the kit and zipped up his bag. He turned and eyed me as I walked.

“Thanks, Joonmyun,” I said, giving him a quick smile. “You’re a lifesaver. I better get going; my mom’s going to get worried.”

I hobbled over to my bag, only to have it snatched away just as I was reaching for it.

“Forget it,” Joonmyun said as he shouldered both of our bags. “You’re riding with me today.”

I opened my mouth to protest.

“No buts,” Joonmyun said, turning to me with a frown. “You can barely walk.”

“Thanks for the offer,” I said, “but don’t you go home by subway too?”

“Not today.” Joonmyun pulled out his phone. “I’m calling my father’s chauffeur.”

I gawked at him in surprise. A chauffeur? I didn’t know he was rich. I was so busy trying to process the information to the point that I forgot to voice my protests.

“He’ll be here in a few minutes,” he said as slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Come on,” he took my hands and led me to the bench again. “Have a seat.”

Joonmyun’s car proved to be much more luxurious than I ever imagined. Apparently, his father’s venture into business had brought with it a profitable income, enough for him and his family to indulge in the luxuries of expensive European cars. I wasn’t entirely sure of the model that came to pick us up, but I was certain that it was but one of the extensive Mercedes family, and the interior itself could pledge me on my claim. It had soft and supple leather seats, a wide space between the front seat and the back seat, not to mention a lingering aura of opulence that I worried I might tarnish with my bloody palms.

I hesitated at the door, but Joonmyun merely gave me a light push before following me in, closing the door behind him and leaning forwards in his seat. He uttered a series of numbers and names that I recognised to be my address and leaned back as the whir of the engine pushed the car forward.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked.

“Not much. You’re a good doctor.”

He chuckled and settled his bag next to his feet. Mine, he gently placed next to me. I quickly took it and placed it on the ground.

“Relax,” he said as he watched me. “No need to be so tense.”

I coughed and involuntarily wiped my hands on my skirt, trying to get rid of any blood that may have welled up on my cuts. When I looked up, I found a chocolate bar being waved in front of me.

“I heard it can make you feel better after a hard day,” he cheerfully offered.

Tentatively, I took it. It made me wonder how someone as kind as Joonmyun could exist, sitting beside me as an actual being instead of just some conjured up fantasy. I had met a lot of boys, all of them different, many of them nice, but never one whose own visage embodied his true nature. I wondered if it was a hopeless cause for me, to wish for a boy so perfect when I myself was tainted with flaws.

“You know, the chocolate was supposed to cheer you up. Not make you frown.”

I jumped at his voice and realised what I had been doing. Joonmyun leaned in closer and looked at me concernedly. “What’s bothering you?”

I had been thinking about Choi Minhee. Although I knew she hated me with passion, it never occurred to me that she would stoop this low and inflict some physical injury on me. I was wondering about how dearly she actually held on to her throne in the high school hierarchy. Perhaps Joonmyun’s choice that day had sparked some brand of insecurity within her; as someone who lived her life being liked and worshipped by other people, she didn’t take to kindly to rejection.

I waved his question away. “A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Nothing important.”

Joonmyun didn’t believe me. “Does she always do this to you?”

I let out a bark of laughter, but I had to admire his persistency, and I couldn’t help being touched by his concern. “Only if I did something to really annoy her.”

Joonmyun was silent for a few minutes. I let him ponder over his thoughts as I turned to the window, watching the scenery pass by in a rush of colours. I heard some scuffling, and the next minute, Joonmyun’s voice was right next to my ear.

“You know, I used to love that candy store back when I was a kid,” he said, reaching over my shoulder to point out an old fashioned candy store with large jars and candy canes hanging on the ceiling as ornaments.

“I loved going there when I was a kid too,” I said, surprised that we have something in common.

Joonmyun grinned at me, and with him so close, I couldn’t help but hear my heart race. “Really? I guess there must have been at least one time when we met, but couldn’t remember.”

Joonmyun walked me all the way to my doorstep. Within the twenty minute drive from the school to my house, he had succeeded in making me forget everything that happened. He told jokes, ones that I couldn’t help but laugh at their cheesiness, and shared with me snippets of his childhood. He always got into trouble, he told me, and he would always come back home only to get screamed at by his mother. His cousin and constant companion was his partner in crime, and together, they wrecked destruction all over the house. 

By the time we were at my door, I was trying to keep myself from keeling over in laughter. Joonmyun chuckled at my inability to keep my balance and gently held my arm, straightening me up before I could actually fall and hurt myself again.

I was about to search my bag for my key when the door was swept open from the inside. My mother, a tall and imposing woman in her forties, stood before us in her work suit and beautiful jewellery. Joonmyun immediately dropped into a bow and introduced himself.

“He’s a friend from school,” I explained, smiling sheepishly at her, feeling slightly anxious.

My mother was a woman who rarely smiled, but she managed to offer one to Joonmyun after she assessed him from head to toe. “Would you like something to drink, Joonmyun-ah?”

Joonmyun shook his head. “No, I should get going.” He bowed, thanked my mother for her hospitality and made his way towards his car, giving me a final wave before disappearing into it.

“Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend?” my mother asked as soon as I closed the door behind me.

I blushed at the thought of him actually becoming one. “No. Friend.”

My mother smiled teasingly at me. “Either way, I like him. You have my approval sweetheart.”

Dear You,

How have you been? My luck hasn’t been so good these past few days. I feel so tired of having to deal with people who are always waiting to pounce on me. Sometimes, I wish I can just disappear.

From,

Me