"Taehyung, wake up. We have school." Jeongguk wakes me. My face feels sticky and warm, and wet with tears, my hands are ice cold. I cup my cheeks with both hands. My attempt to cool my cheeks down fails.
"Come on." He grips me from my underarms and hauls me up. The blanket gets thrown off, and the wind that touches my skin is strong, cold. I can't feel anything, I am numb.
Before I know, I am being pushed into the bathroom. My clean clothes hang on the rack—Jeongguk must've put them there—and a new towel has been taken out for me—must've been Jeongguk as well. I make a mental note to thank him for trying. If Jeongguk is trying to help me, I should help myself as well.
A drop of warm water touches the skin on my shoulder, followed by a rainfall. My skin burn after rinsing my body in warm water. I smile. The warm water helped me get back my senses. I am finally feeling something.
When I come out from the shower, the first thing Jeongguk does is to get up from the bed and rush over to me. His face scans my red with blush body.
"What happened?" He says with worry, reaching out to grab my arm. I flinch, not from his touch, but from the pain I feel. He smacks his lips together and bites them. Then he stands and leaves the room.
A pressure forms in the bottom of my stomach and gets pushed down.
+++
A few minutes later, he enters the room again, but this time with a first aid kit in his hand. My heart jumps, swelling. I watch him apply medicine to my badly burnt arm, and then I feel it—the need for more.
Now, I'm just all kinds of confuse. I've never felt this way before. I've never liked anyone, so why am I feeling so strong for Jeongguk? Is this a blessing in disguise? Or is this a curse?
"Done," He comments, a faint but proud smile painted on his face. Something drops in my stomach—dread—weighing me down. I start to space out, too stubborn to snap from my daze.
"Taehyung?" Jeongguk leans close toward me. My face warms with blood blush, matching colour with the rest of my body.
Jeongguk grabs both of our—his and mine—schoolbags, and throws mine to me. I catch it just in time before it slaps me in the face. I want to yell at him, but when I hear his laughter, my anger and annoyance wholly dissipates.
+++
"Woah! What happened to your arm? It looks . . . roasted." Is the first thing Jimin says to me as I walk into the classroom. A laugh is soon followed by his unnecessary comment. He notices my cold, impassive face.
"Just asked out of concern." He presses his lips together and gives a nonchalant shrug. I consider telling Jimin about the box, but I am afraid he might act recklessly. No. He is my best friend, I should not be keeping secrets from him, I'll have to trust him not to do anything stupid.
As I open my mouth to talk, Eunra strolls into the class, and takes her seat next to another student. Her eyes catches mine, and I continue to stare at her. I should not look away. Looking away is a sign of submission, and I have to show her I am not afraid of her.
That's when Jeongguk enters the classroom.
A strap of his bag hangs on his shoulders, his hands are in the pockets of his trousers. His eyes scans the room. He waves at me before making his way toward Eunra.
"Taehyung?" Jimin snaps his fingers in front of me.
"Yeah?" I ask, still feeling dazed.
"Hoseok is asking for you."
√a.n.
Hello. So I've disappeared for a while and his book hasn't been updated for more than a week, and I'm so sorry. School has been so tiring and I end school around 6pm pretty much on every weekday, but I'll still try to update frequently :)
Do people even read and enjoy this book anymore?