Jongin’s world is full of sounds. Jongin’s world is full of chatter, chuckling, and playful shouts. Jongin’s world is never silent.

Jongin hates silence. He can’t put a finger on why he hates the silence; he just doesn’t like it. Maybe he doesn’t like how it envelops him, engulfing him almost. He doesn’t like having to hear his own heart softly, steadily, pulsating against his chest. He doesn’t like having to hear the ticking of his watch on his wrist. He doesn’t like to having to hear his own shallow breaths, in, out, in out.

Perhaps, Jongin hates the silence because it reminds him that time is painfully ticking away.

Jongin isn’t lacking anything. He’s got the looks, he’s got a pretty good brain, and he’s in the school soccer team playing as a striker. Kim Jongin pretty much leads a good life.

Jongin isn’t lacking anything; except time.

Jongin immerses himself into sounds, laughter, mindless chatter, gossip; he immerses himself into the babble of voices every day and he feels at ease. Jongin is a chatterbox; a huge one in fact. His mouth blabbers on with no end and sometimes he wonders how his friends tolerate him. Sometimes he wonders if his friends are even listening to whatever he’s gone off rambling about again. But, really, that doesn’t really bother Jongin much. He just wants to surround himself with chatter, mindless or not.

Jongin never expected his seat mate to be mute.

Do Kyung Soo.

The first meeting was brief and abruptly ended. Said boy was dressed primly in his crisp uniform, name tag reading Do Kyung Soo proudly pinned on to his left pocket, hair neatly parted to the side, shoes polished till they gleamed. “Hi,” Jongin had greeted, eager to make new friends. The shorter male didn’t respond normally , instead, Jongin was greeted with a writing pad with words in a rich black ink scrawled over the paper: Hi, I’m Kyungsoo! Can’t wait to know you better! :)

It didn’t take him long to realize that his seat mate couldn’t talk.

Jongin doesn’t really know when he stopped greeting Kyungsoo. Jongin doesn’t really know why he stopped either.  Maybe it’s because he’s uncomfortable with the silence that greeted his babbling. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t like speaking to someone who can’t respond to him. Maybe it’s because he feels bad; feels bad for going on and on and on, when the person he’s addressing can’t even respond with so much as a “shut up”.

Jongin doesn’t know why he accepted the bet. Maybe it’s because he wanted a thrill? Maybe it’s because he wanted to have some fun just for the sake of it? Maybe it’s because he promised himself to have all the fun, all the excitement the World can offer to him before his time is up.

Jongin doesn’t know why he didn’t carry out the bet. He had walked back to class that day, and sure enough, there he was. Do Kyungsoo. Jongin was supposed to ask Kyungsoo out for a date. Jongin was supposed to make Kyungsoo fall in love with him. Jongin was supposed to dump Kyungsoo after that. Jongin was supposed to be cheered on by his friends as they gathered together to laugh at Kyungsoo. Jongin was supposed to humiliate him in public; did you really think a popular guy like me would ever like you?

Jongin didn’t do it. How could he? How could he even think of doing such devilish acts when that innocent pair of eyes were looking right at him? Jongin catches sight of the shorter male’s scraped elbows; and he almost reaches out to inspect them. He stops himself in time and looks away.

Kyungsoo is waving to him and truth to be told, Jongin doesn’t know what to do. Does he wave back? Does he say, “hi”? Does he tell him the truth; “I’m sorry to disturb you but I just kinda accepted a pretty sick bet from my friends. They want you to fall in love with me before I kinda ditch you and laugh at you.”?  

Jongin doesn’t know what to do when his seatmate is standing right in front of him, waving his hand excitedly, left, right, left, right.

Jongin isn’t sure if it’s his increasing white blood cells count that’s making his head dizzy, or if it’s because of that extreme look of hurt he spotted on Kyungsoo’s face as he brushed past him, towel in hand.

Jongin doesn’t know, and truth to be told, Jongin doesn’t want to know.

Jongin isn’t hungry again today. He’s with his friends at a restaurant which, according to goalie Kris, serves the best Kimchi stew ever. The atmosphere is jolly. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are fooling around and their chuckles and shouts are a welcoming respite to a very weary Jongin.  The huge steaming bowls of kimchi stew send their stomachs into a growling mess. All except for Jongin. Jongin doesn’t have an appetite again. He watches his friends slurp up the red-coloured, richly seasoned soup, and for some reason, Jongin feels like he needs to vomit.

He stands up from his seat, a little too fast to steady himself and he ends up taking a tumble, long limbs sweeping the table clean of all of its cutlery. Jongin watches in shock as bowls of kimchi stew clank to the carpeted floor.

He hears the owner shouting, “Son! Son!” and he hears her bustling out of the kitchen, mop and towel in hand.

Jongin expects a harsh scolding and a mop s