Here I am, back in my childhood bedroom.
The doctor advised me to stay in my rest mode and not stress over anything or anyone at any time and place. 'But he fully knows that it won't be easy.' especially in my case.
A lot has happened so far.
Ever since I came here.
Things have become complicated from being just simple.
Like the surface of the ocean, it was as if I came in as a tsunami in their peaceful lives.
Or rather, I became the storm that represents their innermost feelings.
Feelings that are like grenades require the trigger to be pulled to explode.
And the truth is out.
Most of the truths are out.
Things that are meant to be out are already out by now.
To sum it all up, everyone now knows about my mother's existence, well, almost everyone... Almost everyone now knows about my face blindness as well as how much I struggle to let go of the past.
I still haven't healed and I wonder every single day that passes by, how and when will I heal?
'Must I leave and venture somewhere distant?' just so I can try to find a piece of my mind.
If I had to, then I would do just about that.
Eventually, without a doubt, without any hesitation, and without looking back no more.
--Cho Jihyun's Point of View--
My phone lit up from the notification it received just now. I reached for it as I was lying on Ji Eun's sofa with Sihyeon on my other arm, and Daniel's name appeared on the message!
"Nice." was my older friend's comment.
Her support was as clear as water but I have been beginning to doubt her intentions, given the fact that she would put Dan and Honey together along with the others most of the time.
'It's like she's two-faced.'
"You're no better." right, she can read minds too. "I guess you can say that." she added before getting up and looking for Ji Eun-eonni who was currently in the kitchen, still doing some experiments on that cheese-ham sliced bread.
["Free tonight. Come over if you want."] was his reply to my message when I asked him out, but I guess he doesn't want to go out so we're hanging out at his place like usual.
["Kk."]
I deeply considered what would be romantically casual for the two of us to do at his place.
I waited until 5:00 PM before leaving my Ji Eun-eonni's place, I ordered a bunch of things online for us to eat during dinner since he rarely buys groceries to keep food stock in his home and cooks anything when I come over.
I decided to walk to his place because I may have been gaining weight lately, I wouldn't want to humiliate myself and show him that I look a bit plump than I used to be.
"All in the name of love, why do I even bother?" it's not like I'll get anything out of trying to impress him or flirt with him if he's already into Honey Lou.
I envy that girl because she doesn't have much appetite like me to the point that she never gains any weight nor loses any.
"But this is my chance to seize him." if things go well tonight, he'll surely be all mine.
I arrived a few blocks from his house, contemplating how I should greet him once he comes out and... I ended up finding out that he wasn't home.
Even when he promised that he'd be around to hang out with me.
I waited though.
All night if I'm being honest.
I felt desperate, hoping still to have a chance but I guess this is the end of it.
--Yun Oh's Point of View--
Days have gone by since I last saw her.
'And I'm not referring to the love of my life at the moment.'
I'm thinking about my first love.
'Min Seo who should have been the one I was supposed to marry soon.'
If only she hadn't gone through that surgery...
"But I am happy that she's doing well now in terms of her health."
There is no point in dwelling in the past when things have already happened, when life has already moved forward, and when time has kept on pushing us away from the moments in life that we could never get over.
I looked out the glass window with the white blinds folded above it, resting my palms on the thin shelf right beneath it.
The sky was dim so I ought to bring an umbrella today though I have the privilege of going to and from school using a car.
I sighed and brushed back my hair with some hair gel before changing into my school uniform, I removed the towel from around my neck and threw it on my bed.
My uniform was laid flat on the bed as well, and I changed my white shirt into a thin one so that it would be easier to move in my polo while tucking in the top under this school pants of mine.
"Mr. Yun!" our family head called.
"Is there something going on, Dad?" I came fast-walking down the two sets of circular stairs, dragging my red school bag as I answered my father's call.
"There is an emergency with Ms. Lou's family. I need you to stick around with her till they handle the matter. That's all." he formally responded with a tight grip on my shoulder, patting it thrice then exiting the room.
"How are things going with Min's mother?" the backbone of the family entered the room, followed by her numerous girls.
'And when I say girls, she has an entire entourage of female staff.' she was hitting her heels so hard on the slab floor.
"Auntie is still lively as ever, mother. I'll be attending school now. Bye." I coldly replied, placing the cup of half-filled water on the table, and left the moment I received a loud kiss on my forehead from her.
"Still the sweet baby I coddled, see you!" she went ahead of me and got inside her car, leaving her entourage to manage the house in the meantime.
My parents act so cold around other people, especially when we're in fancy restaurants but in reality, they just truly care about me and my older brother. 'Although, I do wish I could make them proud.' to look at me as not only a shadow of the three, or anyone's...
"I need to work on that too." I nodded at the thought of reminding myself of the goals I had.
"Ready to go?" the driver asked me as he turned off his phone.
After we drove away from the house, I had completely forgotten about the umbrella I was planning on bringing with me! 'How am I to act cool in front of her later then?' given the fact that it is pouring quite frequently this week.
I glimpsed out the car window, seeing many other students enter and exit the school grounds with their umbrellas opened, either sharing with their loved ones, and friends, or all on their own.
I unlatched the seatbelt and unlocked the door of the vehicle, using my red school bag as a cover from the rain.
I planned on running as fast as I could but before I even reached a yard away from the car, I felt someone place half of their umbrella above my head, and I knew at that moment that I totally messed up that night...
Her scarlet red auburn hair wasn't braided in a ponytail today, exposing her now wavy hair as it slightly got wet from the raindrops as she shared her umbrella with me.
Her face was covered with a mask as well, hiding her beautiful face from the eyes of those who desire to see through it.
"Take it!" she threw the umbrella at me before joining her girlfriends while they were waiting for her. They were giggling but she had no sort of expression on her face.
I picked up the umbrella from the side of the road and thought that it was of no use now that I was drenched in rainwater, all because of my foolishness.
"I still like her for her kindness." easily forgiven but not forgotten.
The pain that I must've caused her now of all times.
Class began in a few minutes and I was late for the first period.
Not due to the weather that we're having but instead, I decided to walk slowly and sink in with the mood that the rain gave me to feel today.
"But my dad told me to stick around with Catherine, I have no time for any relapse." my head was shaken after remembering that particular task from him.
I gently knocked on the door of the class I was assigned to, opened it without waiting for an answer, and found out that we didn't have classes anymore.
"They suspended the classes." Sihyeon sat on the desk of my seat, her brows were going downhill from the unnecessary decision that our school had made today.
"And I got ready for nothing." she complained.
My eyes roamed around the classroom as I left my school bag in my seat, my eyes landed on an unfamiliar face, a person with what looked like pink hair.
"She's new here. Kind of a temporary exchange student." my friend informed me without even knowing whether I was really going to ask about the newbie or not.
"I did not ask." she glared at me.
"Your eyes tell me a lot." she added before stepping back in her place.