Two weeks later

Myungsoo wears his favorite black shirt today, also his favorite blue backpack. He smiles as he saw the figure who still lying on that bed. Slowly he sits beside his bed, holding his hand, like he used to do this past two weeks.

“Hyung, how are you today? Don’t you feel bored sleeping this whole time? The doctor allowed me to get discharged yesterday, because my injured shoulder is not too dangerous. Well, I did get eight stitches on my back but since I’m young it will recover soon. It will leave marks, but you once said scars makes a guy looks y, so I’ll bear with it. Hyung, don’t you know Barcelona beats Real Madrid with 4-1 and Messi made a hat-trick? Too bad you miss the match. It was awesome. “

He laughs, imagining the figure in front of him used to laugh like that too.

“Hyung, I’m gonna do you a favor, about the present that you want to give to Bora-noona. I’ll look for it. I know it’s little bit difficult, but trust me, I’ll get it for you. I’m just feeling so glad that she forgave me, that we’re being friends again. That’s why you have to wake up soon. I might steal her from you again, right? No…I'm kidding. She’s yours forever.”

Myungsoo smiles. He’s not sure before, but now he believes that actually Hoya is listening. He listens to every joke that he told. So maybe, behind that pale face and closed eyes, there’s a Hoya laughing at his joke like he used to be.

“Anyway hyung…I know you’ve been tired and lack of sleep since you took care of me. But you should know, too much sleep also not good for your skins condition. That’s why…just wake up. I miss you. We miss you. I have to go to college right now; aunty will accompany you after this. I’ll be back after classes. It will be good if you greet me with opened eyes that time. Bye, hyung…I love you.”

Myungsoo stands up and get ready to leave the room. At the moment he reaches the door frame, he turns around and gives another smile

***

After his classes Myungsoo walking around the shopping district near his campus. He’s on the phone with someone talking about arranging a meeting. It's about 1 PM and the sun is burning hot. Myungsoo regretting why he wear black shirt today.

“Ah…actually it is possible to make appointment? Ne…if I can I want to meet him in person. I have a big interest on playing guitar actually.” He keep talking at the phone while wiping sweats on his forehead.

“Yeah…just a couple hours. Okay…wait, let me grab a note. Hmmm…” He stops a little taking some notes on his sticky paper.

“Okay, thank you Mr.Goo. You don’t know how much I feel grateful for your help. Ne…anyeong haseo.”

Myungsoo smiles while hang up the call. That’s the moment when he feels someone bump into his shoulder. He groaned in pain, because the stitches still hurt. But the person who bumps into him didn’t react. She keeps walking like she didn’t see Myungsoo.

“Excuse me…uh…Soyou? Hey!”

Myungsoo was about to yell before he realize that that person is someone he knows. It was Soyou still in school uniform with guitar case on her back. She walks in a rush.

“Soyou-ah…where are you..go-ing…”

Myungsoo called, but Soyou didn’t respond as if she can’t hear it. Unconsciously, Myungsoo follows her. She walks to a small park near the crossroad where some high school girl sitting in the bench. Myungsoo gasped in shock when Soyou suddenly without warning punch one of the girls in the face. What the hell is that?! Myungsoo screams on his mind.

“What are you doing?!” The girl that just being punched shout. Looks like she's reeady to puch Soyou back, but the latter just too strong.

“I’m doing what I supposed to do long time ago.” Soyou calmly answers.

“Mwo?”

“You spread the rumor saying that I hit you without clear reason. Well, we both know the truth that I didn’t even lay any finger of mind on your milky skins, princess. But people already call me bully thanks to your rumor. It’s not fair. That’s why I figure out I should hit you for real so the rumor will not just be rumor and it will be more fun.” Soyou smirks. Myungsoo feels a chill on his bone watching the scene. He doesn’t know that mysterious high school girl that he met is actually that scary.

“You’re crazy girl.”

“And you are a .”

“Do you want to die?!”

“No. I’m the one who should ask you, Barbie. I kept silent all this time, but you’ve provoked me once. Don’t blame me if next time you do it again I’ll make sure you’ll get black and blue tattoo all over your skinny milky body.” Soyou said with the most devilish smile Myungsoo ever saw. The other girls look trembled. They’re in shock. That’s the moment when Myungsoo think he needs to interrupt. He run to those girls and grab Soyou’s shoulder. The latter seems surprised after noticing it was Myungsoo.

“Hey…Soyou-ah…You’re here. I was looking for you. Emm…hi…you guys must be Soyou’s friends, right? Okay…excuse us. I’ll borrow your friend for a while.” Myungsoo said awkwardly.

Soyou still look at him dumbfounded, but Myungsoo drags her away from those girls. It’s about 50 meters from there when suddenly Soyou react by letting go Myungsoo’s hand from her shoulder.

“What do you want, ahjussi? Why do I have to keep meeting you?”

She said with raised voice. Myungsoo just smiles.

“You don’t like to see me. I was your drinking buddy, kid.”

“You’re ruining my moment. I was about to make all of them cry.”

“Don’t you see that they’re almost passed out? They thought you’re going to kill them.” He scoffed. Soyou just sighed.

“Soobin and her friends are just es. They're bullies. It’s not I’m the only victim of their rumor. But everyone is too afraid of them. I just wanna be the first one who will put a sense on their dull brain.” She said coldly. Myungsoo eyeing the girl in front of him from head to toe. She’s actually quite short physically, not skinny, but she doesn’t look like fighter type. But her fiery eyes is the one that indicating how fearless she is. Myungsoo laughs out loud.

“Why do you laughing?”

“Hell…This is the first time I saw girls fight. That’s pretty ugly.”

“That was my first.”

“Well, you do have talent on that.”

Soyou smirks before finally laughs too. They both laugh while continue to walk.

“We meet again Soyou-ah…It’s been a while. What are you doing in here?” Myungsoo is the one who spoke first as they walk side by side along the park.

“I was about to go to my part-time work. When unexpectedly I meet those girls.”

“You work part-time? Where?”

“Coffee shop near the station. I play guitar and sing on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday afternoon.”

“Daebak…”

“It’s nothing. I just started a week ago.”

“But…you’re not gonna play with that hand, right? It looks hurt.”

Myungsoo points at the scratches in Soyou’s fingers. She must be got it from punching that girl before. She shook her head and quickly hides her hand on her pocket.

“It’s fine.”

Myungsoo just stares. This girl is stubborn and building up a high pride, just like him. It was silent for a few minutes before finally he speaks.

“Let me play for you today. I’ll play the guitar. And you sing. Any song that you want.”

“Can you play guitar?”

“Can the female visitors handle me playing guitar?” He smirks. She just scoffed.

“Okay…deal. But you don’t want anything from me in return, right?”

“A cup of coffee will be nice. Caramel Macchiato. Large. With extra whipped cream.”

“You’re horrible. Asking a high schooler with no monthly payment to buy you coffee.” She shook her head in disbelief, while keep walking. Myungsoo just laugh while keep following her behind.

“You already said ‘deal’….”

***

The two sit across each other in the corner of the coffee shop. Myungsoo still busy sipping into his Caramel Macchiato while Soyou just stares at him with her usual cold expression. High and Dry from Radiohead is playing softly through the cafe’s speaker. Both of them love this song.

“You’re not bad. Your voice is nice too.” She said.

“I told you those girls won’t be able handle me holding Martin HD Acoustic while singing love song.” He said. She just gives him sinister smirks. Before finally they’re laughing at the moment.

“We were met in Busan, right? Seems like it’s just a few weeks ago.” She said before sipping into her Esspresso.

“Yeah…Is Heundae nice? Was your ‘runaway from home’ episode going well?”

“It was fun. Even I did think of not going back home. Well, maybe I shouldn’t back, since people scold me a lot when I got home.”

“How long you spent time in Busan?”

“5 days.” She said calmly while Myungsoo almost spilled his coffee in shock. He looks at her in daze.

“God, you’re crazy. You’re a girl, you’re 17, skipping school for 5 days, going to another province where no one knows you while still wearing uniform? You’re no joke.” He laughs.

“That makes it more fun. Anyway, what about your meeting?  Was it really like hell?” She asked. Myungsoo gives her a vague expression.

“Well…it was…but not really hell.”

“Meaning?”

There’s a paused moment at the moment when she just stares at Myungsoo who look like thinking about something. High And Dry keep playing, along with twilight shine of the café lamp, making the quiet moment between them become calm and eerie.

“Soyou-ah…Do you remember I once told you at the hospital, that my brother annoyed me?”

“Nope. You told me, you know a person who is so kind, wise, caring and matured. He’s invincible and it annoys you. Because he's everything that you want to be.” She said bluntly.

“Yeah…and that person is my brother. Well, actually we’re cousins. But their family adopted me after my mom died.” Myungsoo said while playing with his coffee cup that now half empty. Soyou just stares in her usual calm state, even though this is the first time she hears about this stuff.

“Oh…seems like you really have rollercoaster life, ahjussi…” She sighed before faintly smiles.

“My brother and I got into an accident on our way home from Busan. He's in a coma right now.” Myungsoo said.

That’s the moment when Soyou finally look at his eyes intensely as if she is startled with the news at the moment. She doesn’t say anything, just keep staring and listening to the man in front of her.

“You may not see it; actually I got some stitches in my back.” Myungsoo chuckles while pointing at his shoulder.

“That’s why you missed a little in the interlude part.” She said calmly.

“Yeah… I missed. But the thing is…it’s not the first time I missed. My judgment at those times also missed. You know my brother, the one that annoys me the most, also…the one that I hurt the most…just in the a flip of second he becomes the one that I’m afraid to lose the most.”

“Looks like a really long and interesting story…”

“Yeah, that’s why…I’m gonna offer you another deal.” Myungsoo smiles.

He suddenly takes the wallet from his bag. He takes a band aid that he always saves in there as emergency and put it in Soyou’s scratched finger. That girl just looks at him in daze when Myungsoo casually took her hand. She looks down at the moment, before her mind snapped back to reality and pulls her hand away.

“What kind of deal?” She asked.

“You still have to play here tomorrow afternoon right? Your finger still won’t recover. So…I will play guitar for you again tomorrow. And you don’t need to pay for my coffee like this time.”

“Then what do you want from me in return.”

“Your ear and your heart…to listen to my complete story. You’re allowed to judge me. Just don’t interrupt me until I finish it. I’ll tell you everything that I’ve been kept hidden all this time.”

“Okay…But…why me? Why do you want to tell me from all of the people that you know? I’m just a random highschooler that you’ve been randomly meet, right?”

“Because I think…you will understand me.” Myungsoo smiles brightly. Maybe brighter than the light of the café that put them in the twilight corner. Soyou just sits silently at the moment. She stares at the band aid on her finger.

“Deal.” She said.