Chapter Thirty Seven

Ouch. My head and back. I think I’ll be having some serious cerebral hemorrhage…hemorrhoids? Hemorrhage? Aish. See? My brain’s really messed up right now.

I continued shutting my eyes close due to the impact my body had made with the floor just now. I partially gave a small grunt of pain.

In addition to this was the warm, supple object lying on his chest against mine. Pressed onto my body.

I slowly opened up my eyes. My vision may still be dizzyingly unstable, and the room maybe slightly dark, but I could clearly see that serious yet tamed face that I called handsome earlier. Even up until now, and oh gosh, he has grown much more handsome. It’s probably just the impact in addition to my drunkenness. Yes, it probably is.

With his chest so close, or rather in contact with mine, I could feel our breathing starting to get in sync with one another. We were breathing fast, with the sound of our heartbeats becoming much more evident.

He was glancing at my features. He had his gaze unyieldingly plastered to my eyes for the longest time. 
Then he started shifting his gaze down to my nose…
Slowly transitioning to…my lips…

He returned the direction of his gaze to my eyes.

“You have beautiful dark brown eyes, Myunjae.”
I heard Joonmyeon whisper to me in his deep, husky voice, with his expression still serious.

Why thank you, Mr. Handsome.

However, I couldn’t smile because of that statement. Instead I grunted subtly more, because my back and head were aching like hell.

“Joonmyeon.” I whispered as I shut my eyes once more.

He softly hummed once questioningly.

“You’re heavy.”

With my eyes still closed, furrowing my eyebrows, I heard him sighing a laugh to himself. After a good number of seconds, as I opened my eyes, he started supporting himself off of me, with his elbows now on both sides of my head.

I wasn’t able to keep track of how long we stayed in that position. He continued gazing down at me, still stern and expressionless. And I, was just looking up at him, with the lighting from the moon being shed on one side of his face. Why does he have to be in that position? Well, Kim Joonmyeon should thank the moon because it’s helping him enhance his handsome features more.

He started slipping his palm under my body, on my back. He leaned down as he tightened his arms around my upper body, our chests coming into contact with each other once again.

“Joonmyeon…what…heck…you doing?” I asked, still drunk-mumbling.
“Go to bed.” He answered firmly as he attempted carrying me.

“No…clothes…still wet.” I protested. Or more like howled.

I just weighed my body down back to the floor.

“Myunjae.” Joonmyeon spoke. “Don’t be stubborn.”

He, once again, lifted up my upper body from the ground.
I just weighed my body down to the ground once again.

“Myunjae, don’t make this difficult.”
“Nooo! Clothes…still wet. I think I’m gonna sleep on the floor.”

He pulled my upper body up once again, bringing it close to his chest.
I just brought my weight back to the ground once more.

“Myunjae, don’t you know how ‘inappropriate’ our positions are right now? I keep on carrying you up and you keep on weighing yourself down.”
“How ‘inappropriate’?” Actually, I don’t really know. I’m drunk. Don’t wanna repeat it for the nth time.

He sighed to himself, scrunching up his eyebrows shortly.

“Then I have no choice. I’ll have to get you out of those clothes.”

Blink once.
Twice.
Thrice…

That was when I shot my eyes open out of my drunken self, though I was still dizzy. 
I realized I was still holding onto the hem of his robe by the chest part when I immediately pushed him off me. He landed to his side, with his right elbow supporting his upper body up.

“Fine.” I said groggily. “I’m gonna go to bed.”

Sighs. Smart, handsome guy.

However, I didn’t move up instantly. I don’t know if it's due to the fact that I just can’t move my body anymore or I’m still enjoying pissing Joonmyeon off.

Actually, I have something better in mind.

I mumbled. “Call granny.”
“Who?” Joonmyeon expressed in a soft tone.
“Granny.”
“Myunjae. Stop muttering non-sense-”
“Call graaaaaannnnnyyy…the maintenance ladyyyyyy.”

I continued. “She can change my clothes. Rather than you.” I pointed at Joonmyeon, who was still glued on his spot at my left side, just looking at me.

“Call her. I’m sleepy.”
“Call!” I demanded, still like a messed-up drunk that I was.

Joonmyeon gave a sigh to himself once again before supporting himself completely off the ground, and walked out of my bedroom. 

Actually, I made him do that because I’m really sleepy, I want to sleep dry on my bed, with clean clothes. And with Hulck being in my bedroom, and due to our position just earlier, I was really uncomfortable…in a bad way…and in a good…aish. No. ‘Just’ in a bad way.

I pushed myself up, with all of my remaining strength. I crawled towards the bedroom door, closed it, and locked it. I then proceeded to the left side of my room to get some change of clothes. Sloppily, I went to put on some new set of clothing. Just underwear, plain white track pants, and a loose, light blue shirt with a superman logo on it. I walked ‘zigzagly’ towards the metal rack beside my bathroom door. I got a white towel from it and messily wrapped it up my head. You ask how a drunk like me can do it? I am not sure myself. Looks like another talent of mine discovered.

Although I was feeling disoriented, with my head bobbing in the process, I still wouldn’t want to lay down on my pillow as I sat down at the edge of my bed. Illogical? Well then…you’re pretty right about that. I think after this night, I should right a book entitled ‘The Workings of a Drunkard’s Brain’.

I heard knocking on my locked bedroom door.

“Myunjae?” Joonmyeon asked from the other side. “The maintenance lady’s here.”

I didn’t answer. I’m not in the mood…and I don’t care. I have changed my clothes already.

“Myunjae. Open the door.”
Knocks.
“Myunjae.”

Aish.
A drunk’s trying to ‘meditate’ in here.

I wobbled towards the door and opened it. Upon seeing the maintenance lady, I took a straight stance, pretending I wasn’t drunk. Which is really hard.

Kim Joonmyeon just eyed me from head-to-toe.
Can I hear a ‘good job’, mister?

I noticed him sigh in frustration to himself before turning to look at the familiar old maintenance lady. I couldn't keep count of how many times he sighed out of annoyance or something for this night. Kim Joonmyeon just bowed, seemingly in apology, at the maintenance lady before politely gesturing her to carry on with her duties as they walked towards my front door, through the ‘dim-lighted’ living room. 

As I was clutching onto my pounding temple, looking at the ground, I heard the front door closing.
When I lifted up my head, still with a hazy vision, I realized Joonmyeon was storming towards my direction. He was not happy.

Operation making Hulck pissed off: cleared.

But looks like I wasted his effort.
Hulck alert!

I was about to close the door…

“Don’t even think about shutting it close.” 

He stopped the door with a thud using his hand, as I just backed off, swaying left and right.

“Joonmyeon. I’m just a drunk,” I tried calming him down as he continued advancing towards me. “Pardon the drunk.”

I realized the bed was just behind me, touching the back of my knee. I grabbed a pillow near the headboard and used it to shield myself.
Joonmyeon pinched the upper part of his nose for a moment, sighing…yet again.

“Just sleep, Myunjae.” He reminded me.
“No. Hair’s still wet.”

“What am I going to do with you, Seo Myunjae?” He uttered blankly. Not irritated though, unlike earlier. 

“Sit down.” He muttered.

What? Am I a dog? “Why will I sit-”

“Sit down, Myunjae.” 

His voice was not commanding, but it was enough for me to do it, though hesitatingly.
Kim Joonmyeon walked towards the left side of my bed, where I was seated, stopped about half a meter from me and sat down beside me.

He started leaning forward, raising his hands.
“Hey! What are you doing-”

He gently unwrapped the towel from my hair. He folded it in half as he shifted sitting closer to me.
He focused his eyes on my hair and he carefully started dabbing and rubbing the fabric against my hair.

It didn’t take another couple of seconds before I chuckled to myself. 

He’s like a hairdresser.
Triple H, the wrestler. Okay, maybe with his body.
But really. He’s Triple H.
Handsome Hairdresser Hulck.

He stopped the gesture and looked sternly at me.

Ooops.
The hairdresser’s getting mad.
Better keep the laughter in my mind.

My head was still a bobbing mechanism that would end up left, right, back, and forward. I didn't realize that my body had become some kind of an unmoldable goo right now...and I ended up resting my head on Joonmyeon's right shoulder, with my nose nuzzling onto his neck. He smells really good.

"Seo Myunjae."

I didn't reply.

"Myunjae."

Looks like a rewind  of Hulck's drunk-slash-sick incident. Only now, I'm the main actress. But I'm not acting. I'm genuinely drunk.

He settled me in a sitting position, with my back on the headboard. He walked back to the same metal rack of my towels. He got a new one and strode back to my bed, standing beside the headboard. He settled the new, dry folded towel on the other pillow beside me.

“Now. Will you go to sleep?”

Absurd. A royalty treating me like a royalty. But I have to admit, I’m liking his thoughtfulness right now.

I gave him a closed smile…in a half teasing manner. “Thaaaaaank Yooooouuuu.”
I shifted from my seat, moving forward, then I dove back onto the soft mattress with my back, the pillow supporting the back of my head.

Such a long tiring night.

However, as I turned my head to my right side, I noticed Joonmyeon was not leaving my room.
Once again, he just sat on the floor, beside my bed, with his folded arms on the edge of the bed, resting his left cheek on it, eyes closed.

Tamed. Serious. Stern.

Still drunk…without any sense whether I was bugging a person or not…

“Hey, Hulck.” I muttered just above a whisper as I shifted my pillow down to match the level of my face to his.

He slowly rested his chin on his folded arms, opening his eyes once more. Alluring dark brown eyes met me, matched with those manly dark eyebrows of his.

“Hm?” He enquired, still expressionless, with tired, sleepy eyes.

“Thank you.” I gave him a small closed smile, whispering. “Actually, here’s my token of appreciation. Your hair just doesn’t look right to me.”

It looks somewhat messily tousled...yet y...and hot...so...really, I'll have to fix that. I don't know what kind of insanity I might do to him since I'm drunk.

He just raised his eyebrows, with still sleepy eyes, and flashed a bit of a closed smile…
I softly placed my left hand against his dark brown hair and styled his fringe in its usual upward manner.

“There.” I looked at his hair, releasing it, and I smiled at him as I looked at his eyes once more. I whispered with a small smile. “Now you look like yourself once again.” 

Actually, I still have a lot to say to Kim Joonmyeon.

As he was still gazing at me, I’m not sure but, I settled my left palm against his right cheek. 
I looked at him with a gentle gaze.

Then I gave his cheek a light tap, a slight slap, a “stap”, combination of “tap and slap”…as in really light…
“This is for all those paintball pranks.”

I “stapped” him again and pointed at him, as he just continued looking at me with a furrowed expression. “This is for almost ditching me at the Halloween party.”

Another “stap.” 
“And this is for the lizard prank earlier.”

He did not give a response, as if he is indeed 'pardoning' my actions since I'm drunk. He continued gazing at me. Not showing an ounce of annoyance nor satisfaction. Just staring at me.

I’m really talkative right now, I don’t know why. Random thoughts are flying inside my head.

“Joonmyeon, can we do those shadow figures again?” I randomly continued. “Maybe at a tent in the seniors’ retreat next week…I really like the last figure after the wolf one.”

I noticed Joonmyeon flashing me a small, closed smile.

“Okaaayy. Drunk Myunjae, signing off.” I uttered as I turned around and faced the left side of the bed, closing my eyes. However, I still didn’t stop mumbling. “You know, I have many questions to ask you…but I’m tired. You’re tired.”

Silence.

“Hulck.” I called him in a soft tone, still with an unsteady tinge. “You…not leave me…right....”

“…I trust you.”

I was about to turn back to check on him since it seemed like he was already sleeping or something due to lack of response. My body was already turned halfway, but instead of the ceiling meeting my gaze, I was met with Joonmyeon’s face, watching me, trapping me in between his arms on the mattress. 

He searched my eyes for a bit…or it could have been an eternity…before giving me an unreadable gentle closed smile. It’s just the alcohol. Yes, just the alcohol.

“Seo Myunjae.” He whispered. "Thank you."

Then he proceeded planting his lips on my right cheek tenderly.

I should be thanking him, for taking care of me.

However, I still cannot decode what his gratitude is for.
Hulck’s really weird these days. He’s not even drunk.

I just replied another smile to him as I faced the right side, where the windows would be. 

I might not be getting the answers. But I believe what I said.

I trust Kim Joonmyeon.
And he’s not leaving me…or at least not tonight. He has been keeping true to his words.

However, I realized one thing. He didn’t answer my last question.

Still feeling groggy and light-headed due to the hang-over that I was experiencing, I had a hard time focusing walking to school early this morning though I had a cup of Starbucks' black coffee in hand that I was taking a sip from every now and then. Mr. Jo gave i