Akari
Anna drags me all the way on the road. I don't want to go. I seriously said I don't wanna go! But she won't listen.
"Agh, Ari! You're not even walking an inch by yourself!" She says through gritted teeth and gives another violent pull on my arm.
My body looks lifeless. In my white oversized shirt and cargo jeans, I look like a huge water bottle being dragged to be recycled.
"I told you, I don't… wanna go." I say in a somewhat zombie-tone.
Anna drops my arm and I droop forward, my hands hanging from the joints.
She pants and looks at me with such an annoyed look. Then fixes her uniform (yeah she's still not changed into homewears), pulls the hair spiraling in front of her face and cracks the joints of her hand.
"Now, come on." And she grabs my hand again. My body gives in and I stumble forward only to be dragged again by her.
"This is for your own good." She says while pulling me. "Do you intend to stay in a no-talking phase with him for months?"
"Why does it matter anyway? We'd be better like this." I reply with a tired pout.
"Don't be a stupid. You yourself won't be able to handle it."
"Why won't I? I'm totally fine with it." I say with defiance.
"No, you won't. Because you like him."
"...." What! "What did you say?"
"You like him, don't you?" She smiles even while taking ragged breaths. "So don't push yourself hard and just come with me."
I stop there. She stops too. There was a bench nearby. Anna sits there, trying to catch her breath.
"Why do you think… I'd like him? What if I don't?" I ask her. My throat feels dry.
"Do I look like an idiot? It's obvious! You both are not even subtle about it!" She snaps.
"...Both?" My voice comes out rasp.
"I mean.. it looks like it." Her voice softens. "Jae seems to be happier around you." She smiles. "And as for you, well.. you're terrible at hiding your feelings. It shows up all over your face!"
"What!" I immediately go and sit beside her. "You mean Hyun Jae must've also understood it all!?"
"Uh… I can't say.. he sometimes does look like a mentally distracted person. I'm not sure if he even understands his own feelings or not."
"Oh, I see.." I fall silent. Thoughts I don't want to name, claws at my chest, making me feel uneasy. "Anna, there's something I wanted to tell you." There's so much actually.
She looks at me. "Yeah, you were saying this earlier today. What's it?"
"Hyun Jae… he called me last night. Midnight actually."
"Midnight? Why?" The concern slowly comes on her face.
"It was a mistake. He meant to call you. And.. ended up calling me instead."
I see it—the color draining from her face.
"What was he saying? Did.. did he tell you any names?"
"Names? He only said that he was so scared. Maybe he had a nightmare."
Mireille. I don't tell her that I've heard the name. I don't tell her what happened today in the bathroom with me either. Because it feels so wrong and so bad—I don't want to drag her in this.
Though I know that she might be able to connect the dots and form a conclusion. But still, I don't want the thing that happened to me to happen to her too.
"Alright. I'll talk to him later. Don't worry, he often gets those nightmares." Anna reassures me. "Now, should we go? It's already past seven. We'd be too late if we don't move now."
She gets up. I get up too. And we start to walk toward Hyun Jae's apartment. This time, she doesn't drag me.
"And there's something else I want to apologise for." I say to her.
"Huh?"
"I thought you and Hyun Jae were more than just friends." I bite my inner cheeks.
She looks confused. "Yeah we are more than just friends. We're almost like siblings?"
"No, not that…" I look at her with a sheepish face. "I'm sorry."
It takes her a moment to realise. And when she does, she bursts out laughing.
"You're such an idiot, Ari! Why would you think that? I mean, we have known each other since we were this little! And on top of that, he's not even my type. Nor am I his." She shrugs nonchalantly.
"Yeah.. I realised it late… wait a minute, you even have a type!?" I ask, shocked. I've never seen her dating anyone. And this girl even has a type!
Anna looks at me being dumbfounded. Then thinks something for a moment, and immediately shakes her head sideways.
"N-no, I don't. I just said that. Now shut up and hurry!"
Huh? What was with that reaction?
***
The door opens and all my shyness evaporates into thin air, replaced by shock.
"Kye Yon?!" I couldn't help but say his name as he was the one who opened the door. I look at Anna and she looks unfazed by the fact that Kye Yon was in Hyun Jae's apartment!
"You're late." Kye Yon says to her. He practically ignored my shocked reaction.
"What a pity, my brain cells still work faster than yours." And she walks past him inside. Kye Yon chuckles at her insult.
I stare at his smirk. This guy enjoys this too much. That to be said, he's also in his school uniform.
"Do I have to write an invitation for you to come inside?"
"Oh no, sorry." I quickly step in. He clicks shut the door behind me and walks past to the living room couches.
I spot Hyun Jae sitting there. His hair is ruffled.
"So, the thing is," Anna says standing in the middle. "The reel that was causing scandal has been removed from the internet. Thanks to…" She glances behind her where Kye Yon was sitting. "Kye Yon. He wiped it."
"Yup. And isn't there something more?" He looks up at her. I've sat across from Hyun Jae in the meantime. He just looked at me once and then lowered his head again.
"That's your words to say." And she sits on the couch beside him. Ehh! Were they always this comfortable around each other?
Kye Yon takes a deep breathe and looks up at Hyun Jae.
"I.." Then looks away. "You're a good player. You can play tournaments—ow!"
Anna nudges his arm with her elbow. "Say it properly!"
Kye Yon looks like he might disappear. But he nods. Then gulps and looks at Hyun Jae again.
Hyun Jae's face is void of any expressions.
"I'm sorry, Hyun Jae."
"...."
The room falls silent. I glance at Anna who's eyes are fixated outside the balcony. Kye Yon onve looks at her then again looks at Hyun Jae. Then gets up.
Hyun Jae looks up at Kye Yon approaching him.
"I've said such harsh things to you which I shouldn't have. But that was my way to keep you in form. Though it might be a twisted way. I've made a mistake and I'd like to correct it. Would you help me correct my mistakes, Yoon Hyun Jae?"
Hyun Jae's eyes widen. He looks at Anna who had a little smile on her face.
"Ahem.. well—" Hyun Jae speaks. "You don't have to be so formal… it sounds more like a wedding proposal than an apology."
"Oi!" Kye Yon looks offended again. "I changed my entire personality for a minute to say those weird things, and thus is how you reply!?"
Hyun Jae laughs. "Alright. How can I reject such a romantic proposal?"
"Whatever." Kye Yon backs away to stand behind Anna. "Now, we should go, have some fresh air." He arches a brow at her.
Anna gets up. "Oh yeah, we'll be at the terrace. And you," She points at me and Hyun Jae. "Better talk things between you and stop acting like two divorcees."
Would it be some other day, I'd have bore a hole into her face with my glares. But today I could do nothing but stare at my fingers.
"Sort it out quickly." And they click the door shut behind them as they leave.
Shouldn't it be a concern if one of them throws the other from the terrace?
Well, the biggest concern is sitting right in front of me now. I wonder what should I say to him.
"Ah.." I open my mouth to say sometunh. Anything.
"I—" We both say at the same time. And look at each other.
Hyun Jae's face lights up with sudden relief. And slowly, very slowly, the corner of his lips lift up.
I'msorry. I want to say this to him. But my lips seem like they're sealed.
"You don't have to talk about that." He says in a soft tone. "Forget it. Even if the students say something in school, pretend not to hear them. We don't owe them anything that they'd be so invested in us. And… please don't stop talking to me." The last lines come out barely as a whisper.
I stare at his face, at his smile, at his dimples. I'm unable to say anything. My own lips also curve up slightly.
"Yeah.. you're right." This time I don't refrain myself from smiling.
Hyun Jae gets up. "Let's do some work while they're away." And leads me to hus study room. Or I should say—laboratory?
"Whoa! I didn't know you were a fan of science!"
He laughs. "Only bioscience, Ari. And sometimes I do some miniatures. Well, for now, let's fix something."
And he pulls out my broken pendant from his pocket.