"You changed a stage," Jinmichae exclaims while showing me a page from Secret.
My eyes went wide when I saw Danoh's manhwa self disappearing from the page. I only see Kyung's manhwa self and then in a second, my manhwa self showed up in Danoh's place. The conversation that happened between Stage me and Kyung also appeared in the chat bubbles, and then the part where Danoh showed up while clenching her heart showed up as the last scene for the page.
"This can't be," I whispered still in shock.
"Ara, you said that you won't ever change a stage," Jinmichae scolds me while Danoh helps me stand up to my feet.
I looked at the former one helplessly and said, "I didn't mean to, Jinmi... I really didn't mean to."
The blonde sighs and closes the manhwa. "I know. I'm just worried that something bad might happen to you, Ara."
Then Eun Danoh looks at me and Jinmichae weirdly and asked with a suspicious glare, "Is there something going on between you two that I do not know about?"
I gave her a death glare while the older boy choked on the air. "WHAT?! NO! ARE YOU JOKING RIGHT NOW?" Jinmichae shouted, his face scrunching upwards in disbelief.
"No, need to shout!" Danoh exclaims and then looks back at me. "So, it's still Dohwa, right? Or, do you also not like him, like how I don't like Kyung?"
"Danoh, what's with the sudden questions about me liking someone? Does this have to do with what Kyung said earlier in the stage?" I asked, tilting my head to the side while Jinmichae holds onto the manhwa to his side.
"Not really..." Danoh answers back. "Just curious. I mean, I don't know why Kyung said that back there... Was it to make Stage Me stop liking him or something?"
That last question hit me really hard.
"What if Kyung was just using me the whole time?" I thought to myself as I bit my bottom lip.
Then Danoh adds in, "Anyways! Ara, you can change a stage! Why not help me in changing my fa–"
"NO!" Jinmichae shouts again, cutting the poor girl off.
"YAH! DIDN'T I TOLD YOU TO NOT SHOUT!" Danoh shouts, already getting pissed off by the blondie.
I sighed at these two crackheads and was about to speak up, but Danoh continued on. "You're not Ara!" She exclaimed to Jinmichae, who was already rubbing his left temple. "You don't have a say in this, Michae!"
Jinmichae glares at the shorter girl and shakes his head. "No, Ara, will not do such a thing. Earlier's stage will be her first and last change of stage," He says protectively.
Danoh groans and looks at me. "Are you really going to follow this, prickhead?"
I bit my bottom lip and sighed. "Dani... I'm sorry, but I-"
"Don't finish your sentence! Forget that I asked you for help," Danoh cuts in and then walks away, leaving me feeling guilty alone.
I clenched my hands into fists and took a deep breathe in. Then Jinmichae spoke up, "Seol, promise me that you won't change a stage."
Then I looked at him and changed the topic by asking, "Jinmi, what are the consequences of changing a stage?"
Jinmichae crosses his eyebrows together and answered, "On stage? Anything bad could happen to you or anyone around you. The Writer will draw a stage where he'd take you out or anyone who you're related to out of the story. But in the shadow? You could disappear anytime and anywhere... or, worse you can wake up one day and no longer be aware of yourself."
I promised Jinmichae that I wouldn't stage any of my stages.
But he didn't say anything about me helping Danoh change her stages.
"I'll help you," I spoke up when I walked inside the classroom and over to Danoh's desk.
"Jinmichae said 'no', remember?" Danoh reminded me, after giving me a surprised expression.
I sighed. "I remember, but it's my choice and not his."
Then Eun Danoh smiled and raises her right arm towards me. "It's a deal of partnership, then?"
I took deep breathe in to calm my heart and then I shook her hand. "Yes, it's a deal."
The shorter girl squealed happily and asked, "So, what do you wanna change in your so-called fate?"
"Oh! Um, no- I'm not going to be changing any of stages starting from today and onwards," I explained with a nervous smile.
"Yah! Come on, Ara! Don't be like that. If you're going to help me change my stages, then I should help you, too!"
Then I thought about it and smirked.
"You know what... There is one thing that you could help me with."
"What's that?"
"Ara, are you kidding with me right now?" Danoh asked in disbelief when we reached our destination.
I softly laughed and answered while holding the side of the class's trash bin, "Nope! I'm not kidding with you, Dani."
Then Danoh sighed in annoyance and pushed any strand of her hair behind her ear. "Who is your actual partner for trash duty?"
"Um, I'm not exactly sure," I answered as I walked to the recycling bin with the trash bin. Then I placed the items inside the recycling bin and added, "Our homeroom teacher only told me that it's a 'he' and that he's the 13th student in our class."
"And you didn't even bother to check the class record on the teacher's table to know who this 13th student is?" Danoh asked with a disappointed voice.
I glared at Danoh and exclaimed in frustration, "Yah! I'm pretty busy these past few days being my cousin's cupid, Juda's bodyguard and snack-bar buddy, being in sweet stages with Dohwa, and just recently, Stage Me had to eavesdrop in yours and Kyung's conversation during your stage. I had to think the same way as Stage Me, so that I can gain control over my body. But I ended up stealing your stage and changing it."
Danoh pouted and apologized. Then she continued on, "I'm also quite busy... You may be Namju's cupid, but trying being their 'Love Bridge'. Lucky you, you get sweet stages with Dohwa while Kyung ever does is yell at me for being a nuisance. At least, you can be in control of your body in a stage once in awhile."
"Don't worry, Dani..." I spoke up softly. "If we change one of your stages, then maybe your fate will change. So, I'll try my best to help you out as much as I can. But just your stages and not mine, okay?"
Then Danoh smiled in relief and said, "Okay, Ara. Thanks."
"Now, let's clean up!" I spoke up as I opened the lid to other garbage bin.
"Ew! Ara, close it! It freaking smells like gym socks and rotten fish!" Danoh complains when we both smile the bad odor.
Then I closed it while placing the class's trash bin on the ground. "Danoh," I called out with a mischievous smile.
"Yeah?" She asked while looking back at me.
"Let's ditch this here."
"But you might get a demerit!"
I laughed when I saw Danoh's shock expression. "I won't. Not exactly. Remember when a stage starts? Everything resets."
Then Danoh gave me a weird look and laughed as well. "Lazy ass," she told me as she shook her head.
"Shut up, Danoh!" I exclaimed out loud with widen eyes.
Then we both started to laugh again and went back to our classroom, but then the shorter girl stopped walking.
I heard her gasped and I quickly asked in worry, "What's wrong, Danoh? Is it your heart?"
"No... I- I saw my next stage," Danoh answered as I sighed in relief.
Then I asked what would happen in her next stage and we both made a plan in the short time that we had. Then we both heard the flipping of pages and looked at each other with determination written all over our faces while our hearts beat as we also felt nervous.
사작!
Another stage opened and here I am standing beside Namju on his right with Dohwa and Kyung right behind us as we all stood on the top of the staircases from the main hall.
"Ara, did you finish your English homework?" Namju asked as we all walked down the left side of main staircase.
Then right away in just a few seconds, Stage me and I thought about the same thing and that was strangling the daylights out of my cousin. I was once again in control of my body and I quickly hit the back of Namju's head as Stage me wanted to do after writing her to-do-list earlier today.
"Ow!" Namju exclaims in pain while looking at me in shock. "Yah! Oh Ara!"
Then I glared at him and spoke up, "Don't 'yah! Oh Ara' me! And also, are you serious right now? You can't always borrow my homework, you idiot!"
Then Namju pouted, making his fangirls nearby squeal to themselves, and then he defends himself quickly.
"I don't always borrow your homework!"
I hummed a "mhmm" and looked away from my cousin while I heard Dohwa chuckling to himself and Kyung muttering under his breathe, "You always borrow either mine or Ara's homework..."
Then everyone had stopped with what they were doing and all eyes are on us as we appeared in the scene. As A4 and I, the so-called "Princess of Seulli High", reached the middle part the right staircase, Namju sees Juda from the left staircase and then I remembered the stage between her, Danoh and Saemi. I quickly got ready as I looked over at Saemi, who already looked like she was planning to push Juda once the other girl would pass by her, Soochul and Danoh. Then I looked back at Namju and Juda, who were still looking at each other. I decided to let the two have their stage while I prepared myself to save Danoh from falling down the stairs. But when Juda started to walk from the left staircase to the main one, I wasn't able to move.
"No," I whispered under my breathe as I looked from her to Danoh. "This can't be happening now."
I tried to move my legs with every step that Juda took down the stairs. Then I felt my lungs starting to ache. My eyes went wide as my asthma kicked in. But I ignored it when my control over my body came back. As I fought against my asthma, I was able to stop Saemi, who was about to push Juda. But because of what I did, I totally forgot that Danoh would trip over her shoes on one of steps of the main stairs. I wasn't able to grab her hand when she fell backwards to the ground. Then Stage me came back and she was trying to breathe in and out, but she was already having a hard time by now. The pain my lungs started to make me cry, but before my eyes got blurry by my tears, I saw a familiar looking male student had saved Danoh from her fall.
Then I realized who it was and somehow felt relieved in the middle of my pain.
In the next few seconds, someone had picked me up bridal style and was running to the clinic. I couldn't see who it was due to my tears and Stage me panicking as she couldn't breathe.
But I heard their voice calmly telling me...
"Seol, it's alright. Just try to breathe and relax. I've got you."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
A/n:
Heyyyyy y'all! xD
I'm back hehe
I just wanna say that I'm sorry for the very long wait. I didn't mean to make everyone wait for chapter 23, and to neglect my work as an author.
If one of you hadn't PMed me about this, then I might have kept on stalling for this update.
So, again, I'm sorry. :(
Anyways...
What do you all think about chapter 23?
We all know who saved Danoh back at the stairs, but who was it that picked Ara up in bridal style and calmly spoke to her?
Don't forget to vote, comment, share & stay safe~~!! <3
[ not yet edited ]
5 / 10 / 2020
Words: 2001 xD