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All my life, I’ve loved reading journals, writing in diaries and mostly, observing life happening all around me. Why? Because it passes my time and also because it’s one of- no, my only OCD problem.

At first, it didn’t seem much of a problem. It started with me writing diaries about my daily (yet boring) life. My parents knew I had a knack for writing and when I got older, I got myself involved in journalism through my middle school years until now- high school. Senior Year to be precise.

The thing is, it’s not that big of a deal. Okay, maybe it is. But only to my psychologist and my neighbors.

Why my neighbors?

Well... let’s just say that they always seem to attract my attention.

Somehow.

By now, the next-door house owners have changed 12 times, yesterday being the 12th, and that's for the last 3 years.

I don’t get it. Aren’t they flattered that I’m writing about them? I mean, people keep whining and try to attract attention because they don’t want to be forgotten and yadi yadda yadda. But here I am, documenting their life in my lonely room because I find them interesting (in their own way) and instead of thanking me, they call me crazy and run away the second they know I find their life eventful!

That’s bull crap.

Utter bull crap I tell you!

"Song Rim!" I hear my mom call me. Of course she’d interrupt me when I’m in my zone.

"What mom?" I yell back, loud enough so she can hear me through my door.

I can hear her feet climbing up the stairs and stop when she reaches the foot of my door. Something tickles at the back of my neck, it does whenever I know she’s going to lecture me for something I did wrong. She’s done it 11 times already. I knew it was coming.

The doorknob turns and there she is.

Long dark straight hair that shines under the sun, almond shaped eyes, small nose and heart shaped lips… When I look at her, I see myself. But at the same time, I don’t because my mom does not have an OCD like I do. We look alike, share the same blood but we’re not similar internally.

"We need to talk, Song Rim."

"Of course, mom. But what would you have to tell me on such a beautiful day as today?" Trying to make her understand that I’m immune to her nagging, I shake my head like I have absolutely no idea what she’s going to say with a forced smile. Plus, it’s raining so she must have caught my sarcasm.

There’s something in her eyes that show me that I’m in no place to speak to her like that. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself.

She gives me a pointed look and I’m almost sure she wants to hit me upside the head.

"Song Rim." She pauses and sighs for the umpteenth time. "This has to stop."

I lightly roll my eyes and say nothing. As usual, I let her talk and then when she’s done; I say what I always say.

"You know." Another pause. “We’ve had so many complaints throughout the years just because you can’t control and stop yourself from writing things that don’t concern you.”

I nod. There’s nothing much I can do other than that at the moment. That’s how it is with Asian parents. You retort? Either you say hi to the bamboo stick or the broom. I choose neither.

"And how can you write about the woman’s affair! Their marriage ended mainly because they found your diary, do you understand that, Song Rim?" Her voice got louder, more impatient and I grimace, close to protesting, but I hold my tongue because I know I’ll have my time to say what I need to say. Or I think so.

"The husband wanted to sue us for invasion of privacy and for ruining their wedding. We’re lucky that all those past neighbors didn’t actually mean their threats. But that man is a lawyer Song Rim. A well known one of that!"

Yes, I felt bad. Seeing her flustered and exhausted all because of my usual behavior… It makes me feel like I’m not normal nor controllable and she’s been living and feeding me for 18 years, but still expects me to easily let go of my (what do they call it again? oh yeah.) OCD?

I’m sitting on my bed and I can feel the bed lower a bit as she takes a seat next to me.

There’s sudden warmth on my knee and when I look down, I see her hand lie there like she’s trying to reassure me in a way.

"I know you’re not the main cause as to why our neighbors have moved away- in that next door house I mean. Not the whole town."

I snort. "I know what you mean mom. But you know it’s all because of me so you don’t need to make me feel like I’m not sort of responsible." I confess, half-heartedly. For 3 years they've told me it was my fault and it's hard to not start believing their words when you're constantly told the same thing.

Her head softly lies on mine and I hear her sigh.

"You're lucky that we live in a well-off neighborhood with easily sold houses." She says and pokes my forehead gently.

I scrunch up my nose and let out a small laugh, "I know mom."

She slowly got up and straightened her pants before she turned to me again, "If my instincts are right, it might take about a week minimum before the real estate agent settles down with a choice. 2 weeks tops."

I nod. Mr.Oh had this habit of always choosing the right owners after a week of having shown the house to a multiple number of clients.

"I expect you to try to behave with them." When she says behave... Does she mean having manners? I'm already polite as it is.

I think she saw my not-understanding-you face because then she continues.

"I mean to act less... Abnormal."

It almost comes out as a sneer, "It's not abnormal, mom. You know that." I hated when they used that word. It's not abnormal for god sake's. Why can't they just understand that I love writing? Nothing's wrong with that!

I see her pinch the brige of her nose, something she always did when she was too tired to talk some more, I noted.

Her voice is quiet, but I hear her well, "Promise me you won’t go on and invade the new neighbors privacy. Or any neighbors at all."

I blink. She raises her head and looks at me expectantly, like she can find an answer if she looks at me long enough.

"Promise me Song Rim. Please." I’m sure she didn’t mean to crack, (she never does) but I can hear the desperation in her voice and that pinched something inside me.

I take a deep breath. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

"I…"

"I promise." I whisper.

When she leaves, I still have my fingers crossed, but that's something I'm keeping to myself. 

By now, I'm not sure if the new neighbors will be as interesting as the past few. I've seen it all and can't imagine what person could live through to actually get my attention as much as the others did.

I either have high expectations or the opposite. And if it's the latter, I think I'm going to try and keep my mom's promise.

Try, not stop.

***

15 days, or 2 weeks and a day if that tickles you fancy, have passed and there is still no sign of new neighbors. Not to say that I'm disappointed or anything, well I am. But Mr.Oh was never one to procastinate when it came to his choices.

Then I grab my personal journal and jot down the fact that Mr.Oh is a day late from his usual routine.

"Song Rim! Are you still up there?" I faintly hear my mother's voice and I tighten my lips in a thin line. School. I forgot about that.

And I'm late.

Oops?

As quick as I can, I throw my books in my book bag, not leaving out my diary, and throw the handle over my head before sprinting down the stairs.

"Bye mom!" Planting a small kiss on her cheek, I then take the lunch she made for me and take a bite out of the toast she left on my usual plate before running out of the door, almost falling in the process and shout with my mouth full. "Lub yah moh!"

"Song Rim! You didn't eat it all!" I hear her scold me before I shut the door and run to grab the bus.

I don't usually change my daily habits. So when I get inside the bus and find a place to sit, or more instinctively, I pull out my journal and write down how I got distracted by Mr.Oh and that I didn't get to eat my breakfast properly.

Closing it and putting it deep inside my bag so that no one will find it, I let out a breath and look around the bus.

I see the boy in the navy colored hood sitting at the far back, as usual.

The old man, with his cane to support his weight as he walks, is sitting in the front. He likes to go to Chinatown on his own early in the mornings. His 'morning exercise', he told me once. 

Wearing a beige and dark blue uniform, Ji Hye, a girl that goes to my school, is sitting on a bench for two on my right, but not the one next to the window. I noted that she doesn't like having people sit next to her, so she doesn't sit next to the window because then she'd leave an open space. And we wouldn't want that would we because having manners and leaving a place to sit for someone is not cool.

People these days. So rude.

Then I glance around again and everyone is sitting in their not officially designated seat, but the seat they always sit on.

There's a free seat next to me that I always leave open. I don't even put my bag on it, as if I'm expecting someone to sit there one day.

But I don't.

It's only because I always do that and I'm polite and well mannered.

I smile to myself and wait for the bus ride to start. It didn't take off yet. Why is it so long? We're still at my bus stop. It always takes off the moment I put both feet in.

I frown. This isn't normal. Far from it.

And then I get my answer because someone barges in the bus, almost drenched in sweat. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but he looks exhausted, like he just ran a mile to get here.

From his profile I can see some of his features. Light skin, fitted body, dark brown hair, coiffed in a really good way, small but not too tiny eyes.

Wait.

Is that eyeliner?

My hand flies to my mouth as I try to force down the giggle that's threatening to come out.

It's not funny, it's not.

It's just that I don't wear eyeliner so it's a bit weird- but who am I to judge when I'm the one with a, and I quote, disorder.

Though I'd be lying if I said it didn't look good on him. It realllly did.

God, too good even.

He does a small bow to the driver, as an apology I guess, and he isn't dressed in a uniform. Just casual clothes, loose black shorts and a white sleeveless shirt with a big and bold 13 plastered on it. So I deduce that he's not going to my school. Pity, really.

As fast as I my hands can be, I take my journal out and jot down as much details as I can. Not forgetting the eyeliner of course, but I freeze when I feel something hover over me. Or someone.

Slowly, I raise my head and see the unfamiliar boy glance down at the seat then at me again, as if silently asking if he could sit next to me.

Holy moly's. Nobody sits next to me. Ever!

My mouth was open, ready to say something, but the second I'm about to say yes, he turns around and sits somewhere else.

Where? Next to Ji Hye. Wasn't she blocking the seat next to the window just now?! Now she's sitting there. Oh that little...

Okay. Alright. I see how the world works now.

I shrink a litte in my seat, feeling a tad bit disappointed that the cute boy didn't sit next to me.

With a sigh, I hold my pen again and write down all about the small situation in the bus.

Crap. 8:15AM. 

Now I'm even more late because of this. Of him.

I hate drastic changes and one of the reasons being, it unbalances the constancy of life. My life. Just sometimes. Maybe if he sat next to me I wouldn't feel as crappy, but whatever.

The bus stops near the school and I run out, not caring if my skirt flies all over the place (fyi, girls should always wear shorts underneath their skirts). Being clumsy as I usually am, my bag somehow slips from my shoulder and all of my contents slip out of it. 

"Ugh." I groan. I'm late, the boy made me even late-er, my things are all over the sidewalk. Things are bound to get worse. Somehow, I can feel it.

Picking everything up to put them inside the bag again, I see my diary a few feet further and I jump to grab it, hoping nobody steals it from me. I don't know what I'd do without it.

Carefully pushing it in the bag, I heave a breath and jog to my first class.

"You're late Song Rim." The teacher gives me a confused look. I'm never late.

I explain. "I know. I'm sorry, something happened-"

She cuts me off with a wave of her hand, "It's okay. Just go sit." She raises her brows and I understand she's letting me go for the time being. Giving her a small bow, I quietly make my way to my desk and sit down.

"Kim Song Rim late? That's definitely a first." I hear my closest friend whisper near me.

Hiding a smile, I turn to her with an eye roll, "I'll tell you later."

"Or..." She drawls. "I could just read it off your journal." It sounds like a question but I know she's stating it like a fact.

"No!" I whisper-shout and hold my bag tighter against me to keep it out of her reach. Then she shakes her head and laughs at me before looking back the teacher.

"So this guy, that you've never seen before... Is the cause of your tardiness?"

I nod.

Mi Hyun laughs and closes her locker after taking all of the things she needed, "Wow. That's new."

"I know right!" I'm glad she understands me. We have a similar way of thinking, the only difference being that I have an OCD while she doesn't.

We walk along the hallways and see a bunch of girls run towards us, out of reflex, I pull Mi Hyun and me out of the way and stare at the commotion happening near the cafeteria.

Mi Hyun gives me a questioning look and I shrug back, not knowing what's happening either.

"Do you want to see what the commotion is about?" I ask Mi Hyun. I'm always looking for trouble, not literally, but it's fun to note down when things that don't usually happen, occurs at a certain part of the day. Like right now.

She makes a noise with her nose that indicates she's lazy, but she says, "I don't know." She sighs. "But we still have to go the cafeteria to eat so..." Then she turns to me and interlocks our arms together with a mischevious smile, "Let's go."

We practically run there, like all the other girls are doing. 

When we get inside, there's more people than there is usually. 

We're an all genders school, and I don't know if that's bad or good. But anyway. So girls and guys usually tend to eat together when we have our lunchbreaks. I guess that's good for both of 'em because they're very hormonal people. I'm kidding.

Not totally because they are. The thing is, when we have classes, boys are with boys while girls are with girls. So it's impossible to have like Phys.Ed with boys or any other classes either. That's how it is since long ago.

The minister of education thinks its better so that the boys are more focused on studying and girls too. But then if our classes were mixed, all hell would break loose and people would make out all the time!

That's what they're afraid of.

But now we're all in the cafeteria and the most skinship I've seen was a guy hugging a girl.

Ooh. Let's not move too fast now buddy (note my sarcasm here).

Other than that, it doesn't seem like anything big is happening in the cafeteria. People are still in a bunch but we can't see anything from here so we just walk by and watch.

"Why are people getting hyped up for what seems like- nothing?" I hear Mi Hyun mumble loud enough for me to hear.

I snort, "Right? Let's just go sit at our table."

She replies with a nod and we're still looking at the big bundle of people in the middle of the spacious room as we walk to our usual table.

I see 2 of my other friends already sitting there and we all greet each other as I sit down.

"Do you know what's happening there, KyungMi?" I ask the shortest but cutest of our group.

With a pout, (she always pouts) she tells me, "No. We just came here and it was already like this."

"I think I know though!" Sora pipes up and her eyes have that glint of excitement shining through them.

All the girls leans over to hear what she has to say, including me.

"You know BTS right?" At the mention of BTS all the girls giggle and squeal at the same time.

"Shush!" I hush them. There isn't a need of getting giggly over a bunch of boys. Even if they are all cute, adorable, handsome, manly, talented- whatever. The point is, it doesn't matter. They're still just boys.

Sora continues, "They're supposed to recuit another person in their group. A boy of course." She precises.

We wait for her to say some more but she only blinks at us and Mi Hyun raises her brows, "That's it?"

Sora shrugs and smiles bashfully, "Kind of. Yeah."

"Aye!" The girls exclaim and lightly shove her playfully. And I hear some, "You built that excitement for nothing." "It's not that big of a deal Sora!"

But she adds, "I guess it's the fact that the guys will hold some kind of audition to find their new member. Which means..."

They lightly tap on the table to create some kind of drum roll and I watch in amusement.

"Time to watch Bulletproof Boy Scouts in action!" They yell in unison and I laugh at how noisy the three are. We're loud, but there's still the big bunch in the middle of the caf so it's not much of a big deal.

Usually, when BTS was searching for a new recuit, they would hold these many events for dancing, singing and rapping to find new meat-I mean new talent.

The crowd clears up a bit, enough for me to see that there's someone dancing in the middle of the circle.

I watch in admiration as the boy makes dangerous but fluid moves with his body. Squinting my eyes, I see that the dancer is none other than the youngest of the group, Jeon JungKook.

Probably showing off his skills to make the others understand how talented they are and won't choose someone who's any less than them.

"Wow. That new member better be darn talented to get in." Mi Hyun comments as she watches Jungkook finish his dance.

Kyung Mi nods in a dreamy way, "Yeah. Definitely."

Sora whistles, "I hope the guy is as hot or more than them. Damn." She bites her lip in a seductive way and I shove her lightly with a laugh at how unbelievable she is. "What?" She shrugs innocently and I shake my head.

"I just hope the new guy will be interesting." I comment.

Kyung Mi and Sora nod like they understand what I mean, but it's Mi Hyun that turns to me with a pointed look. She's the only one who understood what I meant.

I give her a sheepish smile and she slowly shakes her head like she was scolding a puppy. She leans closer to me and whispers ugently, "Song Rim. If the guy is as hot as the others are and as talented, you better leave him be okay?"

I whine, "No. I'll have to write about him! I already have the other members noted down in my diary."

Mi Hyun blows her fringe and seems to be in an internal conflict with herself. "Okay. Just a few information about who he is and what he does, but no more!"

Giddily, I nod in anticipation. I can't wait to write about their new recruit. I'm really curious who it's gonna be though.

Sora and Kyung Mi got up and Sora was the one to speak up, "We're gonna get something to eat." 

Mi Hyun looks at them and raises a brow, "And to go fawn at the boys too?"

"Maybe..." they both laughed and ran away.

She turned to me and gave me a serious look, "Though promise me."

"But-" I start but she raises a hand to stop me.

"Promise me," she pauses. "That you'll only write the main information about him. Not some crazy detailed documentary about his daily life and whatnot. If he's really handsome, I'll let you write about him even less!" She says in a joking manner which causes me to laugh lightly.

"Okay." I assure her.

"For real? You won't?"

I sigh and put a hand on my heart and the other in the air, "I'm not going to write a full documentary about the guy."

"Good." She smiles and looks proud that I'm taking the innitiative to write less. I'll just concentrate some more on my neighbor then, but that I don't tell her.

Then when I look around the room, I see someone near a pillar with a concentrated look directed towards the crowd. I look closer and realize it's the boy from the bus.

And he's wearing our uniform.

How. When- what? How did he get here without my knowledge? I'm always up to date with these kinds of things. I'm never unaware of my surroundings.

This guy is a complete nightmare when it comes to my routine.

And I really hope he'll find some stability in it or else I don't know what's going to happen to me.

***

When I'm in front of my house, I look at the house next door and see a car parked in front of the garage.

Oh my gosh. Are my new neighbors here already?

And why is everything happening so fast? I usually never miss a single detail, ever.

I groan internally but smile afterwards when I realize I can go back to analyzing my neighbors.

2 weeks and a day was pure torture. I had nothing to write about so instead I wrote about the bird that kept flying near my window. It pooped on the edge of my window and I shooed it away because I had to clean it. It was nasty.

Happily walking to my front door, I open the door and skip inside.

"What are you so happy about?" My big brother asks, watching me as he takes a bite out of an apple.

"Nothing." Trying to look as void of emotions as possible, I walk by him and open the fridge to take out something to drink.

"Chyeah right. I know what you're all jolly about." I hear his voice near my ear and almost flinch at how close he sounded.

"Get away from me." I scrunch up my nose and walk away from him to get to my room.

"Wait!" He yells but I continue to walk up the stairs.

Throwing my bag on the floor, I go sit down on my desk chair and open my computer to start my homework.

I hear his steps make my floor creak and I sigh, "What do you want Jung Rim?"

"Mom told me about the old neighbor. He almost sued you." He burst into laughter but I could care less about him right now. He always made fun of me instead of actually help me. Jerk-.

"If that's all you have to say, please get out when I'm still nice about it." My tone was monotone and I hope he got the message.

"Well."

Or not.

"I actually wondered if you could keep yourself from writing about the new neighbor."

I stiffen from his words and stop flipping the pages of my book.

"Do you think you can?" His voice sounds quiet but loud as it echoes off my walls.

I don't reply because I don't actually know if I could.

"Mom said that she wants you to start your sessions with the psychologist again."

"No!" I hear myself exclaim in panic.

My brother raised his hands like he hads nothing to do with it but I know he agrees with my mother, they always did.

"I can't go back there again! She's trying to mess with my mind and make me say things that I don't want to say and just..." I almost want to hyperventilate. My heart is beating out of my chest. Too fast.

Something rubs my back in soothing motions and I immediately feel myself relax a bit.

"Hey, hey. It's okay." He whispers. "Just talk to mom about it okay? Convince her that your problem is less intense than it used to be. Maybe she'll rethink the situation." 

I grab the bottle near the corner of my desk and gulp down the rest of the water in it. "Can you just leave please?" I say in shaky breaths and he leaves without protesting, giving me a last glance before shutting my door and I fall on my chair.

She wanted to send me to that crappy place? Is she still not aware that the psychologist made me even crazier  than I was?

Therapy with the mind they said. More like ing up with your system the patients said. Not all of them, but they're thinking the same thing, I'm sure.

I don't feel like doing anything else so all night I end up working on my school projets and fall asleep without coming out of my room.

At least sleeping doesn't up with my mind. Maybe dreams, but otherwise, it doesn't.

***

Saturday. God, it feels good to sleep in.

I look at the time, 10:19AM.

"Oh." My neighbors should be up by now. I slowly and groggily get out from bed and walk to my window.

I stretch a bit and let out a noise at how good it feels. With a sigh, I open the curtains of my window to find myself staring the opposite side with my eyes as wide as saucers and jaw hanging wide open.

I wheeze.

Then I stammer out a bunch of incomprehensible words.

Someone is doing chin ups in front of his window. Technically, mine too.

With no shirt on.

And his chest being directly in front of me. Not literally, but 4 meters away.

Which is close enough (definitely close enough) to see his pecs and 6 pack evidently shining from the sun that reflects from his sweat sweetly, oh so sweetly, trickling down his abs.

I wheeze some more.

Is this real. Please. Someone. Help.

He jumps down from the bar hanging horizontally at the top of his window and he closes his eyes before raising his head, relieving a sigh, leaving his neck completely exposed to my eyes.

Oh my gosh. Never have I thought that a neck could look so inviting.

Right now, I just want to jump from my window to his to plant kisses all over that marvelous neck.

No! Where are these thoughts coming from?! No!

Still with his eyes closed, he flexes his arms and doesn't move from his spot. Oh, those godly arms.

When he seems like he's done, he opens his eyes and my eyes roll to the back of my head before I lose balance and fall back.

Then all I see is black.

But not before the image of his face flashes inside my mind.

It's him.

Eyeliner boy.

Word count: 4900

A/N: There's so much I want to say. But I was really fangirling at the end. So much fangirling. With the window and him just doing chin ups. OMG KNFKHRGFKH. OK. BYE MY LOVELIES. ;-;