Today dawns the seventh day. My mind digressed into something macabre, so suddenly, about the death of an angel. Since when do I dream about angels? But to be straight, it wasn't as morbid because the death was calm and when the fall was the end, the angel looked placid. I stood in my dream, thinking if death would be this peaceful.

 

Waking up with anticipation for the day was something new. I don't usually wake up with the same expectancy because every day's the same. Cold wind, dreadful school, an unworldly family. However, I tried looking everything in a different way today. Alas, it's the last day of my pledge.

 

---

 

I walked out and was intrigued by the sound of dogs barking. Was Kai here already? I turned to my right, towards the barking. They were just dogs, stray dogs, to my dismay. Kai must have forgot. I knew his threat were solely words. I turned around to go to the way to school and-

 

“Good morning,” a beaming Kai greeted me. I almost fell back because I was startled but he had pulled me by the arm.

 

“Oh gosh, you startled me!” I placed my hand over my chest, calming in down, not literally.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“You actually waited? How long?” I asked.

 

“Not that long. I had to make sure you come to school and not drown in the bath tub today,” a blank smile, but at least he's smiling.

 

“Did you have breakfast yet?” he asked and I shook my head. Then, he stick a hand in his back pack.

 

“Here,” he gave me a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice. Considering several situation where he had given me food and drinks, he's Mary Poppins slash feeder slash high school student. I looked at the labels; smoked ham sandwich and freshly squeezed orange juice.

 

“You need to eat breakfast to boost your metabolism.”

 

“Did you just quote Kyungsoo-sshi again?”

 

“You're so formal about hyung,” I replied with a shrug.

 

“Yeah,” he confessed later. I knew it! Kai was predictable at this point. I'm not surprised if everything he said was said by Kyungsoo or something. Every single word uttered was pure plagiarism perhaps.

 

---

 

When we entered school grounds, I realised other students were glancing at us, whispering amongst themselves. Just as I thought I'd stay invisible forever; nothing stays forever.

 

“Dasom must have spread rumours again,” I muttered under my breath.

 

“They're just rumours. Want to make it look real?” Kai questioned. What was he talking about? He knew there were new rumours about me? Then, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I was shocked but I couldn't pull myself back because he had me in his arms, too strong to be released from. And I'm hearing gasps now.

 

“What are you doing?” I whispered heavily.

 

“Keeping you preoccupied,” he replied. From what? Oh gosh. Walking together like this was really uncomfortable. I had to match his steps to prevent myself from tripping. And whenever he tried to tickle my neck I had to swat his hand away. He kept giggling and such. How did I get into this situation? How do couples even walk like this? This has officially gotten annoying.

 

---

 

“You didn't think about what was happening around you, right?” Kai asked after we had taken our seats in class. I was still disturbed about how close I was to Kai earlier on that I practically wanted to curse him down and wished the world was spinning around so I would just collapsed and- Wait. A light bulb in my head and I finally clicked to what Kai had said about keeping me preoccupied.

 

He had gotten me into a very, very uncomfortable state so that I would only think of that. My mind would deviate from whatever the other students were doing; throwing looks and hissing whispers about what was going on between Kai and I. Smart...

 

---

 

Recess was time spent with Kai and Kyungsoo. Chives kimchi was served as one of the side dishes and I was happy. No egg dishes today and I was happier. Kai had told us a joke; so he called it, when we were eating but none of us laughed, except for the joke-teller himself. I didn't want to be told off for not laughing so I looked down, kept my eyes on my food. Kyungsoo was always the nice one. He laughed a little before going back to his stir-fried anchovies.

 

“Did you guys saw Junhee during Halloween? She was a zombie bride, got all the weird grey makeup. She looks exactly like a stingray,” I just wanted to saw something to the table, not meant to be a joke, honest. But Kai and Kyungsoo had laughed so hard they went red. Kai was hitting Kyungsoo's arms a few times with is face scrunched up and Kyungsoo's lips curved into a heart shape as he laughed noiselessly. I gaped at their unforeseen reactions. Such a lame joke could crack them up. If a real joke was told I bet they'll laugh to until they're blue.

 

---

 

“Where are we going now?” I whinged when Kai dragged me out of school right after the bell had rang. He didn't answer but I knew what I wanted to know when we went on the bus to Hongdae.

 

“What is with you and Hongdae?” I frowned.

 

“I want...to give you...an aspiration,” Kai was still panting because we actually ran to catch this bus. Kai and his nonsense. Why was he trying so hard?

 

“Now what are we doing here?” Kai was really being weird today. First the morning, then the unfunny joke, now we're standing in front of the university.

 

“If we make it to this university, that'll be really awesome,” his words were full of hope. So this was one of his prayers.

 

“What course are you planning to take?” Kai asked me. I didn't answer. I never planned my life until that far. His smile faded as he searched for a nonexistent answer while looking at my face. Well Kai, you won't find anything. Suddenly he put his hands into my pocket and took out my phone.

 

“Let's take a photo,” he insisted even though I shook my head. I gave up when he said he will take my phone away; yup, a browbeat. He hugged me by the neck, held up my phone, moved it around to find a perfect angle...I bet we looked like sick kids doing such things in front of a university.

 

“Smile,” we both smile. He was in faith, I'm barely hanging on. He tap the screen and the image of us with the background of a prestigious institution will be retained in the small memory card till I decided to delete it.

 

We then left the grounds and went walking through the busy alleys. Most of the side stalls are setting up and just opening. Not much of a difference than night time because there were still people, but less crowded in a way. We went into a shop that was full of cute little things, as I called them. There were printed mugs, caps, fluffy toys and what not. There was nothing I wanted to purchase so I went out.

 

“Kai? Kai? Where are you?” I looked around when I lost him. A few seconds later, he popped out of nowhere.

 

“For you,” Kai had blocked the rest of my field of vision when he held a bookmark too near to my face.

 

'Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.'

 

“Dr. Seuss?” I bemused.

 

“Doesn't matter who. Keep it. I bought it for ₩10,000. It's a special edition,” he had kept a straight face while saying all that. I let out a titter when I realised his fib.

 

“Kai, please. Stop lying. It's ₩300. The price tag is here,” I showed him the back part of the bookmark, with the clear print of price. Kai mouth an 'O' before talking about wanting a drink because he's thirsty; as a cover line. We got one of those ziplock lemonades after, really neat and cool. And convenient too.

 

We walked around some more, simply to pass the time because we wanted to run away from feeling like high school students. There's a lot of freakish people around here. Bleached hair, thick maquillage, ripped jeans, super mini shorts which can barely pass as boy shorts, cigs hanging limply between fingers and stained lips. None of them would be over 25 by the looks of it. Some people just want to grow up, too fast.

 

---

 

“Christmas is coming soon,” Kai said as he gazed at the sky.

 

“A month and two weeks away,” I murder happy thoughts, I know.

 

“It's my favourite holiday,” Kai said more.

 

“You told me,” I simply responded.

 

“Don't you have a favourite holiday?” I shook my head and he asked why.

 

“Just because. I'm a depressed kid, Kai. I don't need to reason things,” he simply nod. It was my turn to lie. Being depressed means more of which I should reason things.

 

“You should like Christmas. Try your best to enjoy it. It's coming really soon,” he grinned ever so widely.

 

“A month. And two weeks,” I repeated myself to him. I could hear his disheartened sigh and I was a tad bit guilty.

 

“Let's go back. I'm tired,” I tried to veer his mind from Christmas and it seemed to work.

 

“Oh- No. Let's walk more,” I wish I never met him in the first place. I'm not fond of walking away my feelings but this guy was the exact opposite. 10000 steps per day for a healthy, long life? If I keeping being with Kai, I would be immortal.

 

“I said, I'm tired,” I glared at him but he didn't seem to mind. He smiled instead and that just made me boiled over. I would collapsed if I were to walk more.

 

“I can carry you if you don't want to walk,” we stopped walking and he crouched to the floor. I was starting to feel inferior because if I actually let him carry me, he will break his back because of my weight. That moment was when I first felt too fat to live. He stood up again.

 

“I'll take this silence of yours that you will continue walking,” he linked his arms with mine. Why does he like skinship so much? I pulled my arm back but he linked it again. I realised there was nowhere going around this so I just let him be. We walked. To where? Perhaps everywhere, until the end of the road.

 

---

 

I end up going home around 10pm, way later than I had wanted and my legs felt like they would dysfunction anytime now. Again, Kai had not the slightest idea of my suffering. He even made time to stop by a bakery on the way back. I waited outside since he said he was only going to take less than five minutes. He bought a small cheese cake and that was it. Nothing to be floored of, Kai's mostly unpredictable.

 

“Hyerin,” he called out when we reached my neighbourhood and I stopped ambling.

 

“Yeah?” I turned around to face him and he gave me the small cake that he had bought earlier on.

 

“What for?”

 

“To celebrate,” sometimes, Kai has his weird moments where he's talking total crap. Things that I understand in terms of language but totally disconnected by the meaning of what he's saying.

 

“What?”

 

“You survived the seventh day. And you shall survive for another 77 years! Congratulations, Son Hyerin. Congratulations and celebrations, when I tell everyone that you survived the week~” Kai sang while swaying his body side to side. Say, he was being absolutely adorable I could just pinch his cheeks and bring him down to the floor to tickle him or something.

 

“But I don't eat cheese,” not to spoil the mood but I was being real.

 

“Liar,” Kai retorted.

 

“No, really Kai.”

 

“Then, I'll eat on your behalf,” he pulled back his extended arm and kept the packed dessert to his chest. Hugging it just like a precious child.

 

“Sure sure. I wouldn't mind. I'll get going, okay?” I smiled and turned to walk back home.

 

“Oh wait! You'll come tomorrow, right? You must, okay?” Kai pleaded. I just nodded and he took that as a yes. It should be a yes. Yes.

 

“Good night, Kim Jongin,” it was my first time saying something with such high spirits. Even my voice was different, I noticed.

 

“Good night, Hyerin,” well, I still couldn't beat this fine lad's mirthful heart with a beatific smile. He suddenly pecked my lips and I felt my face heat up. He kissed me. He kissed me! My first kiss was Kai. Kim Jongin. Kim Jong-ing-in.

 

He slightly bowed before he left. I bet he was embarrassed by what he did, that's why he was suddenly so polite and awkward. I wasn't exactly cool about it too. I just stood there like statuette, frozen despite how hot I got because I was blushing. After a while, I finally got back to my senses.

 

I walked pass my house and decided to go to the lake park nearby. I sat on the ground, right on the lakeside. Everything was serene here. No one visited it tonight. Probably because it was too cold to. So I was having a wonderful time with the complete silence. I took out my wallet, the purple diary, a pen and laid it down beside me. A deep breath. Cold. Just, cold.

 

I wrote a lot tonight. Because plenty of things were in my mind that I had to pen down. And I wanted myself to be remembered, so I wrote a load about myself. To be recognised in the future, if likely. As well as other insignificant things like the last time I cried in the shower, what flowers I want to be laid for me, my jeans size, how many teaspoons I favour for my tea, how much I wanted to learn how to bake. Simply things that are pointless and minutiae. There were several polaroids that I had kept in my wallet, took it out and put it in between the pages of the diary. Jotted down short captions for them.

 

I had wrote about Kai too. I must say, it's full of 'eccentric', 'idiosyncratic', 'peculiar', 'unpredictable', 'surprising' and a hint of Kyungsoo. I could never leave the chivalrous and similar of quirk best friend. Pages of which I can smile about and nothing otherwise. I wrote them all. By the end, I was contented to had spent almost three hours leaving my legacy.

 

As I take a good look at the still water, I thought about how cold and untroubled it would be to sink right to the bottom.

 

 

 

My seven days have ended.

 

---

 

A/N : OH MY GOD THE BLASTED WEEK IS FINALLY DONE! So what's left of it will be finished off soon. A long Monday for Hyerin wasn't it? What will happen when the Sun rises though? Will Kai see Hyerin again? Will Kyungsoo need to keep pestering Kai to make more friends? Whatever happens to Kai, Kyungsoo and Hyerin will be unraveled in the epilogue~ 기대하세용!