It's been 4 days since I woke up in Hyunjin's body, I'm seriously getting tired every day of it. We've been going to school together, kind of. He'd wait for me every day at the entrance of my house to walk with me, and it's annoying. No matter how late or how early I walk to school on purpose so I can't run into him, he's always there, always.
I walked down the small hill from the neighborhood, which I didn't even know it existed; I've never walked around here before, and there he was again, well, him in my body.
"Stop following me." I said as I walked passed him.
"I'm not following you, I'm walking with you." He snapped back.
"Stop walking with me, then."
"Will you ever tell me why do you hate me so much?"
"You're inside my body, that's enough."
"You're inside mine and I don't hate you. I kinda like you on the contrary."
He made me stop suddenly, facing him with widened eyes.
"Huh?"
"Don't get me wrong, geez. I'm saying I think you're friendly and easygoing, so I like you in that way, like I'd like to be friends with you, we're similar."
"Okay first, yes I am, but not with you. Second, don't like me, because I don't like you at all, and finally, we're not similar, never. So stop walking with me to school." I said that as rude as I could, to make him hate me. I don't want him thinking we're friends just because we're stuck in this.
"If you think you're going to repel me with your words, you won't. You have no idea of how my life is and how people constantly talk to me like that, so no, I won't stop walking with you." He said, very calmly.
How irritating.
"See you on the way back." He winked at me while leaving to class. I felt disgusted, one, because it's Hyunjin, and two, because that was my face doing it. I cringed at how I looked "flirting."
"Good morning!" Felix said to me while I headed to my desk, which was beside him.
"I'm still Aeri."
"I know." He put a confused face.
"Why are you so kind with me?"
"It's called manners."
"Touché."
The teacher wasn't there yet, of course maths teacher. I kept busy analyzing Hyunjin's writings, as well as adding some notes to myself, I did like to study. Hyunjin didn't seem to do so tho.
"Aeri, can I ask you something?" Felix poked his head almost on top of my desk, making me flinch.
"Uh... sure."
"Why do you hate us?"
"Just because."
"I've seen you with other people and you look much more friendly, how come you're not like that with us?" He has seen me? Like before changing with Hyunjin?
"Okay." I sighed. I don't know why did I feel a bit of trust towards him. "You guys constantly make fun of my friends, and I think you're all superficial and annoyingly flirty."
"Ouch."
"You wanted to know didn't you?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"You know, we did made fun of others last year and past years, but we're not like that anymore. We did talk about it together and decided not to be like that again."
"I don't believe you."
"Have you seen us recently doing so?"
He was right, I didn't. Did they really change?
"No. But you still hurt my friends back then."
Felix got closer to my desk, grabbing my hands and looking at me.
"I'm truly sorry, on behalf of all of us, if we hurt your friends, or even you. We're not like that anymore, so if you want, we'll personally apologize to your friends about it."
I felt really touched, I can't deny it. His words were sincere and touching, and of course I was going to make them apologize, including Hyunjin.
"Why did you guys decided to change? I mean that's great, but why so sudden?"
"Hyunjin asked us to."
"But he made fun of others too."
"Nope, you got it wrong. Hyunjin always told us to stop, we were just too imature to listen to him."
"But he-"
"Tell me honestly, Aeri. Have you ever seen him bully someone? Or you just heard rumors?"
Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him. But he was around when his friends did it.
"No. But when you guys did, he was around, and did nothing to stop you guys from it, so that makes him a bully too."
"Well... you're right, in some way. But you can't hate him because he did something, because he didn't. Hyunjin is a complicated guy, you just have to understand him well to get to know him."
"I don't really want to get to know him."
"You sure are harsh on him." He chuckled, going back to his seat. I noticed some girls were staring at us, gossiping and smiling. I then remembered, that Felix was holding my hands tightly, both of us completely forgetting that I'm on a guy's body, more specifically, on Hyunjin's body. Those girls must ship them really hard.
Classes continued all morning long, but there was something that kept going around my head, and I couldn't focus because of it. Why was something like that worrying me? I couldn't care less about this guy. Still, I felt he urge to ask Felix, maybe that'd calm my thoughts down.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked Felix quietly. We had already finished our asignments for class.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Hyunjin told me earlier today that he constantly heard harsh words towards him, do you...know why?"
"I thought you didn't want to get to know him?" He teased, raising a brow.
"I know I know, but I just can't take that out of my head. Do not tell him I asked, I'll kill you if you do." I raised my fist playfully.
"I won't, don't worry. Don't tell him I told you either."
"Deal."
"Well, Hyunjin's relationship with his parents is quite roller coaster-ish. His mom left to work abroad, and hasn't come back since, that was about 3 years ago. His parents aren't divorced, but his father keeps saying they are." He continued
"His mom doesn't want to come back for some reason, and his dad once told him it was because of him, that his mom couldn't take care of him anymore and that's why she left, although his mom never said so; but she hasn't contacted him since she left, she just sends money."
"That's... horrible." Coming from a loving family, I couldn't imagine that happening in my family.
"It is. His dad eventually did the same and he isn't around either, as you've noticed. Hyunjin doesn't call him dad anymore, since he's been very absent as a dad. He buys Hyunjin expensive stuff and fixed his house for him because he thinks that'll make Hyunjin "happy", but that doesn't make his dad happy, he does this just to "fulfill" his duty as the parent. His dad constantly blames him for almost everything wrong in their family, that's why he told you he's used to harsh words."
Finally, what he told me next made me feel horrible.
"So if you think he's superficial and not humble, you're totally wrong, and if you've told him, you probably hurt him horribly. He's nothing like that, and never will be. Hyunjin is extremely humble and kind, but he's built this wall to protect himself from other people's comments, and people still talk about him. If you didn't say anything to him, you better don't. You don't have to like him, but don't have to be rude to him either."
I wish I never asked Felix anything.
My heart felt hurt for him.
Why?