Sound. I heard voices.

 

Mute. Someone turned off the TV and took the remote control away my hand.

 

Contact. I felt myself being lifted up from the sofa that I had fallen asleep on.

 

“Careful not to wake her up.” A familiar voice said.

 

I forced myself to open my eyes but my heavy eyelids won’t obey.

 

“Jin young oppa?” I mumbled.

 

The person who was carrying me let out a small laughed and I felt myself being placed down on something soft.

 

 

My bed.

 

A hand caresses my cheek softly as I felt a weight next to me. I open my eyes slightly and looked at the person from the corner of my eyes.

 

 

This time, I managed to open my eyes fully. I slapped his hand away on instinct.

 

 

“Don’t touch me!”

 

Hyun Jun sighed and reached his hand out again.

 

“Get out!” I screamed, backing away from him.

 

He smirked as my back hit the headboard of the bed. I kicked his shoulder with my foot to stop him from coming closer.

 

“Leave me alone!”

 

He grabbed my ankle and pulled my leg towards him and our body touched.

 

“Aww don’t say that. I’m pretty sure you were enjoying that night.”

 

I pushed him away and jumped off the bed before he could do anything. “Shut up!”

 

There was a knock on the door and Mrs Kim came in looking concerned. “I told you not to wake her up.” She said.

Hyun Jun smiled and stood up from my bed. “Sorry.”

I took this opportunity and bolted towards the door next to Mrs Kim. “I should say hi to dad.” I simply mumbled and left.

 

 

 

 

-

“……Mia!”

 

I dropped my pencil and shoot a look at Baro. “Yah!”

He nodded his head, looking satisfied. “Good. Now I’ve got your attention.”

I sighed. “What do you want…”

He zipped open his bag and took out a lunch box. “Here.”

“Erm…we’re kind of in the library…”

He chuckled and placed it on top of my book. “And you kind of have been skipping lunch every day.”

“You…you made this?”

“Yup!”

I stared dully at him as his smile slowly faded.

“No, Yuri did.” He mumbled. I laughed at him.

“Thank you. I’ll eat it later.”

He shook his head. “No. Now!”

“But we’re….”

“I promised Yuri I’ll make sure you’ll at least eat a quarter portion of food in there so come on! Let’s get out of here.”

Baro started shoving all my reading materials into my bag messily. He grabbed me by the arm and practically dragged me out of the room.

“B-but…But I was studying! Yah!”

 

 

 

-

“Is the food alright?”

I looked up from my plate and nodded. “Yeah, it’s good.”

Mrs Kim raised an eyebrow. “And how do you know it’s good when all did was re-arrange the scramble eggs.”

“Oh.”

She sighed and sat in front of me. “I heard you vomiting this morning?” She asked.

“You heard? How?”

“I thought you overslept so I went upstairs to wake you up. Then I heard you in the bathroom.”

I fork some scramble eggs into my mouth and chew it slowly. “I’ve been vomiting a lot lately.” I admit.

“And you didn’t tell me anything?” she asked. I smiled.

“I think I’m just stressing up with school.”

Mrs Kim stood up and came forward to fell my forehead. “You’re a little warmer than usual.”

“Yeah, I get that too.”

She retrieved her hands and rests them above her hip. “And what else?”

“Hmm...I sometimes wake up with a headache. Oh, even my back hurts.”

She felt my forehead again. “And you’ve been eating things that you usually don’t lately.”

I chuckled. “Yeah. Funny how stress can make you like this huh?”

She didn’t say anything but patted on my back when the doorbell rang. “That must be Jin Young. Go on.”

I walked out and sat on the bench to put on my school shoes while Mrs Kim opens the gate for Jin Young to come in.

“Untie the shoelace you lazy girl.” Jin Young chuckled when he saw me squeezing my right foot into the shoe.

“Nope! I’m good!”

 

Okay I’m nowhere near good. My shoe has been feeling a little tighter than usual. Has my feet grown again?

 

“I think I need new shoes.” I said. Jin Young squatted down and pressed a thumb in front of my shoe.

 

“Wow. That’s really tight.” He said.

“Yeah, I feel like my feet are swollen or something.” I laughed. “Looks like I’ve grown a little.”

Mrs Kim facial expression was unreadable all of a sudden. She wasn’t smiling or frowning. She’s just staring at my face then down to my feet.

“I’m going.” I said to her. She nodded her head and waved at us.

 

Jin Young wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up from the higher stair steps and placed me down on the bottom one.

 

“Come on big foot, we’re late.” He grinned.

 

 

 

 

-

 

“So I made lunchbox for everyone.” Yuri said as Baro started taking out boxed of containers out from a bag. “And it’s sushi!”

“Awesome!” Sandeul said loudly and started eating with his hand.

“Eww, that’s disgusting brother!” Hana screamed and passed him a pair of chopsticks.

I, on the other hand, was starting to feel sick from the scent of raw fish.

Jin Young open the lid of one container and put it in front of me.

I shook my head. “I…I can’t eat.”

“Why not? Isn’t this your favourite?” he said. Yuri nodded her head too.

“Yes but..it’s just..the smell…”

Shin Woo laughed. “You’ve been saying that a lot lately.”

“Yeah.” Gong Chan said. “You sound like my aunt who is pregnant. Haha!”

 

Hana snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Mia’s not pregnant.”

 

Every single muscle of mine tense up in my body. That word became so scary all of a sudden.

 

“Relax.” Sandeul said with his mouth full, spitting out some rice. “He’s just joking.”

 

“Of course he is.” Shin Woo said. “You’re not er..…right, Mia?”

 

I don’t know why I was feeling so nervous and I felt my hand shaking on my lap. I stared at the box of sushi that seems so interesting looking right now.

 

“Obviously not.” Jin Young said, patting my back with a smile. “I’m pretty sure of that.”

 

“Ooooo~” The guys echoed together.

 

 

 

-

“Left over sushi, from Yuri.”

Mrs Kim took the big container from my hand and put it in the fridge. “Looks like I’m not the only one trying to get you to eat.”

I sat on the stool and leaned my head on the counter top. “I’m so sleepy.”

“Here, drink this.” She said. I lifted my head and saw a cup placed in front of me.

“What’s this?” I asked. “Herbal tea with ginger.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I took small sips of the drink and sighed with a smile.

 

 

 

“Mi Yan.”

“Yes Mrs Kim?”

 

 

Wait, she called my real name. This doesn’t sound good….

 

 

“I need you to be very honest with me.” She said and stood opposite me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Y-yes?”

She stared into my eye for a few seconds before speaking.

 

 

 

 

“Did Jin Young touch you?”

 

 

 

“T-touch me? What do you mean-.”

 

The cup almost slips off from my fingers but I manage to balance it back, spilling some tea on the table.

 

 

“No! Of course not!”

 

 

Mrs Kim had the same expression she gave me this morning. “Are you sure?”

 

“Y-yes?”

 

She nodded and walked off to get me more herbal tea.

 

 

Okay. Today is weird. Why is everyone talking about…that?

 

 

“I should have asked you to make me those teas earlier. I’m starting to feel alive.” I said. “Hate the feeling of being food poisoning. Stress. Whatever.”

 

Mrs Kim placed the pot back and came back towards me.

 

“I don’t think it’s any of those, my dear.”

 

“Have you had such symptoms before?” I asked.

 

She hummed a reply and went back towards the stove and started stirring something inside a pot.

 

“Oh!” I said, feeling a little but curious right now. “When was it?”

 

She continues stirring the pot and it felt like hours had passed by before she opens again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Back then when I was pregnant.”