"Do you ever feel like someone is talking about you?" Haruki sipped his drink while narrowing his eyes, looking up as if to find where the sudden buzzing sound was coming from. He had felt this before and had been told it was the sign of people talking about you.
"All the time. People think backs and mailboxes are the same at this point," Jisoo replied unbothered, although in the back of her mind she did sense someone wished something worse than death towards her, the feeling brought a sense of familiarity along.
"Hey…" Jihyo called, having the same feeling while she stopped enjoying her food.
"Has anyone heard from Junseo?"
At that question, the rest of the group froze, remembering how the day before they had sent their friend over in a more or less suicidal mission. Jisoo suddenly remembered not seeing the brunette come home last night.
"Turn on the news," Yeonjun commanded. Haruki, who was close to the TV remote, switched the channel to the morning news, everyone listened attentively for any announcements of a lost guy (maybe half dead) found in the outside areas of the city.
When nothing was announced, everyone shrugged and returned to their meals, although the small feeling of someone talking about them still remained.
On the outside of the city, at the feet of an apricot door, a young man in his mid-twenties kept muttering insults to his so dear 'friends'
"Go and check up on her. What's the worst she can do? This! This is what that jerk can do!"
"Assholes, as soon as I get my hands on them, I swear I will put to use the years of forced martial arts and boxing. " He muttered while aggressively folding the blankets and deflating the tiny air mattress he had been forced on last night. He took all the air out at once by performing a jump similar to the American MMA fighting style, making sure his elbow gave the biggest impact. In the back of his mind, the mattress represented one of his dear friends who he foreshadowed to receive a well-deserved beat up as payback for his miserable night.
Oddly enough, his anger focused on the people who were not even present, rather than the shameless individual who had kicked him out of her apartment within the wink of an eye. He remembered that and knocked mercilessly on the door, with the full intent of waking the inhabitant of the apartment.
A couple of minutes later, he heard the deadbolt click and then feet dragging away from the door, he took it as an invitation to come in. He was surprised to see bags full of trash and the apartment in a better state than it had been yesterday, also the addition of light allowed him to appreciate the space with a lot more clarity.
While yesterday, he had paid attention to the red flags indicating Miyeon was not ok, he now took the time to admire the dedication with how the place seemed to be taken care of. The floor was clear and had no remnants of trash in it, the aspect of it revealed it had to be mopped regularly. He looked at the kitchen where he had blindly placed the medicine and comfort food the night prior and saw the table empty and clean, as well as the pile of dishes done. And from the small hallway leading to the bathroom and only bedroom in the apartment, emerged a not-at-all disheveled Miyeon.
Her hair was brushed and tied back in a low ponytail, and the clothes from yesterday had been substituted by a pair of black shorts just above her knees, and a navy blue shirt. Her once barefoot feet were now covered by a pair of fluffy slippers, and high socks reaching her shin. Her face also looked less emotionless and a bit brighter if Junseo said so himself.
He allowed his jaw to drop a bit as he was taken aback by the full 180 degree change his friend had had after their small encounter the day before. Although this Miyeon didn't wear the natural fierce eyes he was used to seeing, she had let go of the dead expression she had been carrying around the whole week. Yet, for some reason, when she locked eyes with him, he was unable to read her gaze, and it didn't help when she averted her eyes and focused on picking up a stray blanket and folding it over the couch.
He watched static as she approached him, not knowing why he suddenly felt speechless. Miyeon reached out her hands, and he looked puzzled while he saw how her eyes went up and down, from his eyes to his arms.
Miyeon rolled her eyes and snatched the pillows and rest of the stuff she had provided for him to have an improvised bed last night. He watched her disappear to what he deemed as the laundry place, which happened to be a small closet with a basket. He then remembered Miyeon had used the laundromat where Jisoo worked, meaning she didn't have one at home. He was left with his own thoughts of wonder, meanwhile, the shorter girl was having her own inner dilemma.
Miyeon felt strange, although not fully recovered she had woken up with a feeling of slight motivation. But, it could also be the guilt of having been so 'lazy' during the week and seeing her place turn to shambles because of her lack of care for it. She had woken up at seven o'clock and not bothered to even entertain the idea of breakfast before having her place turn to a more socially acceptable state, now at exactly ten o'clock when she had heard the knock on the door, she was reminded of her last night visitor. She had looked around to spot any other major mess, and when she deemed the place decent enough, she unlocked the door to allow the guy in.
From her point of view, he looked tired, and that only added guilt to her, imagining how uncomfortable it must've felt to sleep outside. In reality, she would've preferred for him not to suffer, but she found herself opening up to him more than what she'd like and decided it was more suited for him to be outside. One night outside killed none.
Yet, she gulped silently and with a semi-guilty expression, which she didn't know how it had puzzled Junseo, she asked for the pillows and other stuff. After putting them away, she returned to look at a confused Junseo.
"Hey, ummm…" She hated her verbal skills at the moment. Yet, managed to organize her train of thought.
"I've already showered, I have some boy clothes that may fit you, they are in the bathroom, you're more than welcome to take a shower." She let out as she passed Junseo and went to take out the trash, as she opened and closed the door behind her, Junseo was left speechless.
'Did she just…" He stared at the door and heard the sound of footsteps going down the stairs. "Allow me to use her bathroom? For a shower? After making me sleep outside?'
The sole idea prompted him to recall a time Jisoo had apologized to him by buying him a meal of three dollars after forgetting it was her time to cook and letting him starve for a whole day as he had been at work and had no time (or money) to get a decent meal. He felt just as at that time, confused by the change of actions, and how the apology wasn't even verbal.
Nevertheless, he hadn't showered since the day before coming here, and his dirty Janitor Jacket hung around his waist, as he had slept with only his t-shirt and Janitor pants. The night had proven to be chilly but not to the extent where he needed the jacket. And he would also rather freeze to death than deal with the smell any longer.
Without stopping his feet, he let them guide him to the door Miyeon had pointed at before she had exited the place. Once entering the bathroom he also looked around, it was small but the tile floor and sink shinned and smelled like fresh lime scent. The toilet was just beside the shower, which featured a tub big enough for one person, its white color harmonized to the gray walls and navy blue sink and the desk it sat on. He swung the curtain open, finding the small squared spaces where Miyeon let her soap, shampoo, and body wash rest. He also found a big blue towel at the edge of the tub, topped with a pair of men's shorts, just about his size, and a long-sleeve gray sweater. Underneath, there was a pair of men's socks, again just about his size.
He wondered where the hell she had gotten all of this stuff from. Then remembered that she had been wearing a pair of men's shorts last night, similar to these but in a darker tone of green. Now, thinking about these clothes he envisioned Miyeon wearing them, and for some reason imagined the clothes were actually his, so he basically visualized her wearing his clothes.
His eyes grew twice their size, and he rushed to get rid of his clothes, moving the clean ones out of the edge of the tub and placing them on the sink, so they would not get wet. He hopped in the shower and turned the water on, rushing to let his face get hit with the cold water, and gently slapping himself to grasp the common sense he believed he had lost for a second while staring at the clothes.
Twenty minutes went by, in which he was challenged as to what body wash to use, there were two, and both he had smelled before on Miyeon the times they had fought each other, and he had caught a glimpse of her scent before he gagged dramatically. One was almond milk and cinnamon, and the scent tranquilized his senses a bit. The other one was a pink bottle that smelled amazingly sweet, and it was the ultimate choice for him. For his choice of shampoo, it was easier, as the shampoo Miyeon had happened to be scented like cherry and pineapple, which, if he remembered well, were believed to do miracles for brunettes. The fact that it was the only shampoo insight also lowered his choices. He didn't realize how much he appreciated the minimalist choices. At home, he had to scramble between deciding which products were not for his hair as he and Jisoo shared a bathroom; His best friend had a shopping addiction to body washes, shampoos, and anything bathroom-related. He had chastised her before finding out she got all of that stuff for free while trying out coupons with some girls from school. After all, he loved free stuff, even free stuff which he couldn't use because of his 'delicate' hair.
Another twenty minutes went by as he dressed and found a toothbrush with his name written on a sticky note. He exited the bathroom, with his dirty clothes in a bag and a towel over his shoulders, shielding his shirt from the drops of water coming from his damp hair.
He sensed the smell of something cooking. And walked towards the smell. Miyeon wore a black apron and had flour all over it. She heard the footsteps and greeted Junseo with a nod.
"Hey, thanks for, you know…" Junseo tilted his head in the bathroom direction. Miyeon nodded again, then silently directed him to sit at the table, and then she brought him a plate and one for herself with waffles and strawberries topped with syrup.
If someone had told this two a week ago they would be sharing breakfast together, they would've made a truce and smacked the idiot to help him regain his senses.
The whole thing felt surreal, and the heavy awkwardness increased when they both started chewing in silence. Junseo had thanked her for the food beforehand, and after taking a bite of the first waffle, he felt a spark inside and looked up at Miyeon, she smiled knowingly, almost smug. Junseo found the smile appealing rather than the usual annoyance that her smugness came with.
Miyeon, on the other hand, felt the tip of her ears heated. As soon as the guy had looked at her with the eyes of a puppy after receiving an amazing treat, her heart had done some random gravity check as she felt it jump, and slam back inside her chest. He continued eating, and she returned her attention back to her food. That is until she gazed back at him and witnessed how he let the corners of his mouth curl up and his eyes half disappeared behind his smile while devouring his food. Miyeon stared at him smiling, something in her mind clicking.
"Stay like that. Don't you dare move!" She shot up from her seat and darted down the hallway. Junseo let his smile drop, involuntarily disobeying her command and crane his neck to look in the direction in which she had rushed to. A minute later she came back with a notebook at hand which to him looked like a simple black pencil and a big eraser.
Miyeon froze in her tracks when she saw Junseo looking at her, doing the one thing she had told him not to do.
"Junseo!" She whined, calling him out while she walked to the chair in front of him and flopped down, slamming the pencil and notebook on the table.
"What?" He sort of choked out, suddenly aware he had upset her. His heart beat fast at the mention of his name.
"I told you not to move!" She crossed her arms and scowled at him.
"You didn't tell me why!" Junseo retorted.
"Why does that matter?" Miyeon spatted.
"Why? Why?!" Junseo had suddenly lost it. "Because yesterday I had to sleep outside, then out of nowhere you let me use your shower, then cooked breakfast for both of us, but all the while all you've said to me was that sentence where you let me use the bathroom. Then out of nowhere you spring up out of your seat and tell me to move. You're confusing me, woman!" He was breathless at the end of his rant, he didn't want to address the elephant in the room so soon. But, he had begun to enjoy breakfast, and once again one of her weird antics had confused him, and he was tired of being confused.
He was tired of not knowing what the hell was wrong with him when it came to her and his weird sentiments over the past week. Or more specifically, since that day she had called his name for the first time. He wanted these random feelings, random heat of waves to stop. He wasn't in control of his actions or couldn't keep them under check, this was unexpected. He hated the unexpected.
Miyeon remained silent, then muttered something under her breath and puffed out her cheeks as she turned her gaze away from his.
"What?" He asked, tilting his head and fighting to meet her eyes again.
"I said…" Miyeon began, and when her eyes finally met his, his breath was taken away. "I wanted to draw you, you asshole." Her eyes had that fire again. They had lit up and were burning, and Junseo for whatever reason was grateful for being the reason her undying passion and drive had returned even for just a minute.
Then, the fluttering feeling of her wanting to draw him dawned on him. He gulped.
"Come again?" He asked, checking his ear to make sure he wasn't wearing any earplugs.
"I. Wanted. To. Draw. You." Miyeon slowly repeated.
And there it was, her sarcasm and ability to piss the heck out of him with just her tone. Well, bring it on, he hadn't argued with her in a good minute just for the sake of arguing. He sort of missed it.
"I charge by the hour," Junseo smirked.
"I'll be done before that hour," Miyeon wasn't backing down, understanding the tone he had just used for his sudden comeback.
"Then I'll charge by the minute," Junseo challenged.
"How much?" Miyeon raised an eyebrow.
"A meal. My choice." He said.
"Deal," She smiled, and he smiled back.
Putting their almost finished plates aside, Miyeon instructed him to smile again. Junseo did.
And again they began to argue.
"No, not like that." She said.
"What do you mean not like that?" Junseo sounded offended, it was his smile, he knew how to do that at the very least.
"I want a genuine smile," Miyeon called him out.
"How did you…?" Junseo opened his eyes wide.
"That's a forced smile, trust me I know, I work in customer service." She told him. "I fake smiles on a daily basis at that place."
"Where do you work?" He suddenly asked, Miyeon shushed him and instructed him to stay still.
But, answered his question nonetheless.
"A place meant for the very dreads of our society." Miyeon deadpanned. Junseo raised an eyebrow.
"A convenience store in a secluded corner where only creeps and marriages at the verge of divorce decide to visit at 2 in the morning." She made it sound like that particular event had happened not too long ago.
Junseo chuckled, imagining a dead-faced Miyeon having to deal with such a circus. Soon, his chuckle turned into a full-on laugh. Miyeon stared at him, eyes fixed in the way his features seemed to brighten up.
'Wow,' She thought.
She let her body move on its own, and in a second her hand grabbed his chin and had gently swayed it into a favorable angle. Junseo had stopped laughing abruptly, eyes suddenly fixed into those chocolate-shaded ones that looked at his face with great detail.
"Stay. Still." Miyeon breathed out, eyes darting to every feature.
This time, Junseo obeyed.
Miyeon released him slowly, and the boy before her stayed still as a statue, mouth semi-open and eyes somehow still locked on Miyeon's. He dared not even close his mouth.
Miyeon felt a rush of adrenaline like she had not felt in forever. Her hand itched and clung onto the pencil with great force, yet her lines were precise and neat. The figure in the blank page began taking form. She would give cursory looks up and then will go back to her drawing.
'That shine, I must capture that shine somehow.' Her mind raced. The moment Junseo had laughed, his face had done such a wonderful thing, it had shined. In her eyes, the pure bliss and joy his laugh had reflected, even if out of something she said, was truly fascinating.
'Out of something I said' Her ears heated up, and she was suddenly regretting wearing a ponytail. She gulped a bit and gave a cautious look up to see if Junseo had noticed, not knowing why she cared, though.
The sight before her amazed her even more than the shine his face had a couple of seconds ago.
Junseo had not averted his eyes, and now that she looked up she was met with such an intense gaze she could feel it penetrating her soul. His mouth seemed to close bit by bit. But, the sudden change of color in his usually pale skin knocked the air out of her.
Covering his nose, and then the rest of his cheeks, the blush that adorned his face made her think that nowhere in her pile of red shades would she ever find the same softness, yet intensity as his blush conveyed. She noticed, by going a bit lower, and returning her gaze to his mouth, that if anything, the only other shade that matched the blush, was the sweet tone of apple red in his lips.
She must've stared for too long, to notice the tiny space between his parted lips become nothing. She returned to her duty and noticed her black and white drawing could use some color, too.
Junseo, on the other hand, silently wished he was painted in black and white. His heart pounded against his chest, and his hands were so sweaty that he swore they had been introduced inside a bowl of sticky water.
Just, what the heck was all of this?
Both youths focused on the task at hand, one staying still and keeping the tiny tread of composure he had left. And the other one, fought with her sudden clumsy hands. It took longer than expected to finish the drawing. The sudden movements when Miyeon would look up, and lock eyes with Junseo, adding to the brunette's darkening crimson shade, and to her own heated ears, added more time than necessary.
At last, the drawing was done, and when Miyeon told Junseo he could relax, he pretended to scratch his nose. He was desperate for a way to salvage his dignity, or whatever was left of it. Miyeon untied her ponytail and allowed her curtain bangs to cover the blush that was crawling its way from her ears to her cheeks.
"Well…" She called.
"Miyeon." Junseo surprised her, and she felt a sudden leap her heart had randomly made.
"We don't talk about this," He pointed to his face, circling his cheeks and nose, where the blush was beginning to dissipate. Miyeon understood him, and almost wanted to make sure he would not say anything about her ridiculous ears, but when he didn't mention it, to at least tease her, she deemed it was because he hadn't noticed.
Regaining her usual attitude, she stood up and walked next to him, flopping in the chair beside him.
"Look." She shoved the notebook to his chest. Junseo gave her a glare, and Miyeon almost wanted to sigh in relief, no awkwardness at the very least.
Junseo stared at the drawing for longer than her anxiety would've liked. She gulped silently. She was about to say something when he spoke.
"Do…" He paused for a second. "Do I really look like this…" He turned to face her, the blush spread across his face once more, only this time, he didn't seem to mind.
"To you?"