Love really is strange. When you love someone, it's like they've consumed you. They're all you can think about, all you want, all you need. Kino and I were friends for another month or so before anything 'romantic' happened. I never thought it would happen, knowing my luck.
We went on our first date around the same time the first murder happened.
I remember that day well. We went to a small coffee shop and had some coffee and donuts. Most of all we just talked. I would stare into those dark, beautiful eyes and lose myself in them. He'd smile and I'd immediately smile back.
We were both getting used to college life. I tutored him in Algebra because it wasn't his best subject. It wasn't mine either, but it gave me an excuse to see him more.
That night we were walking back to the University, my arm looped in his. I was on cloud nine. I had the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen on my arm and we were having a pleasant conversation.
Then it happened for the first time.
Well, not the first time for him. It was the first time I'd seen it happen. Kino all of a sudden stopped walking. I had turned to him and asked him if he was OK, but he didn't respond. I had narrowed my eyebrows and unlooped my arm from his. He was staring off into space, eyes wide. I started to grow more worried when he started crying. "Kino," I remember saying. "Please tell me what's wrong. Did I say something?" Seeing him cry just scared me more and made it more difficult to figure out what to do. I tried my best to be helpful. "Kino, please answer me."
He stayed like that for another minute or so. I was holding his shoulders, shaking him lightly. When he finally snapped out of his trance, he screamed and pushed me away from him. I backed up, eyes wide. He looked around and seemed to remember where we were and what we were doing. "Oh my God, did I push you?" He asked me. I nodded, still dumbfounded and confused. "Oh God Eden I'm so sorry."
"W-what happened?" I asked him. I remember moving closer and putting my hands on his shoulders.
"I-It's nothing," Kino answered me.
I knew he was lying then, but I didn't pry. Whatever happened was his business, and while I worried, I let the strange incident go.
Until it happened again.
It wasn't for another few days or so. We'd been studying for Algebra in the library when he all of a sudden started staring off into space again. I remember not knowing what to do. He started crying again, which as I said, made me cry too. I rubbed his back, trying to get him back to reality. "Kino, please come back," I remember saying.
This one lasted longer. He was gone for about three minutes. When he came back, he screamed again and thrashed a little, but didn't push me away. The few other students and the librarian stared at him in shock and irritation."I-I'm sorry," he said. I knew he meant it, but I couldn't keep my curiosity in.
"Kino, what was that?" He wiped his eyes and looked at me.
"Something bad is happening around here Eden."
That's all he said about it.
I remember meeting a few of the others that day. Yuto and Shinwon.
They were other friends that Kino had. When we walked out of the library after one of his incidents Yuto and Shinwon were sitting outside talking. Kino introduced us.
They would become very important later.
_____________
The news of two murders on campus came the following morning. Classes were canceled that day and we were supposed to stay in our dorms. My roommate wasn't there to begin with. She'd probably snuck out the night before to go see her boyfriend.
Kino snuck out too. I remember the knock on my door and when I opened it Kino was there, looking disheveled. I let him in and he proceeded to tell me what was happening to him.
It made me love him more, but I remember the shivers it sent down my spine.
He told me how whenever there was a murder around him, he would see it. He wouldn't just see it though, he'd see it through the killer's eyes. He could never tell who it was or where it was happening unless the killer looked around. He told me that he saw the two murders on campus. After telling me they were strangled to death, he started sobbing. I held him as he cried, shocked, scared, saddened by his obvious distress.
It seemed impossible, but I believed him wholeheartedly. Why else would he do what he'd done on our date or in the library? He'd cried so much that when we finally pulled apart the front of my shirt was soaked with his tears.
He stayed with me all day. I didn't ask him any more questions about his 'gift', and I think he was glad. He fell asleep for a while, and I covered him with a blanket. Even in sleep he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. I remember kissing him on the forehead, then trying to do some homework. I couldn't concentrate though. The thought of Kino seeing those things and not being able to do anything about it deeply hurt me. He must have had this ability his whole life.
When he woke up, he told me to join him on the bed. I did. No, we didn't do anything like that. Neither of us were the type to just jump into things like that. He just wrapped his arms around me and we stayed like that for a while.
No, we weren't 'official' yet. It didn't bother me. I loved what we had.
There were no more murders that day.
Kino went back to his dorm and I laid awake, thinking about him, his ability. I didn't sleep well that night.
The next day classes started up again.
"Are you feeling better?" I asked Kino the next day in Algebra. He nodded.
"Yes, a little," he replied. He was wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt. It suited him well. We went through Algebra like normal.
During our break, I met some more of Kino's friends. Yuto and Shinwon were sitting under a tree with a few others. Kino introduced me to them. One of them was named Jinho, and the other was named Wooseok. We sat with them.
"This murder stuff is crazy, isn't it?" Shinwon said, eyes wide. I glanced at Kino, who nodded but kept his eyes down.
"I wonder who the victims were," Yuto said. "It's sad."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I can't believe it's even happening here." They all nodded.
"I wonder how it happened," Wooseok said. I looked at Kino again. He kept his eyes down. I remember putting a hand on his arm to comfort him.
It was tense on campus.
When Kino and I eventually went to the library, he told me more details about what he'd seen. Both girls, both strangled. The person was wearing black gloves. It all happened behind a building with black graffiti on the wall. He teared up while telling me this. I hugged him and we held each other for a while.
We had our first kiss that night.
Because of curfew, we had to be in our dorms by seven. Kino had walked me back to my dorm to make sure I was safe. As we were standing outside my door, I told him to be careful walking back outside and to text me as soon as he got back to his dorm, and he agreed. We stood there for a second, just looking at each other. Then he gently put his hands on my face and kissed me before I had time to even process what he was going to do. It was gentle, slow. When he pulled away he smiled at me, told me goodbye, then left. I stood in the hallway, heart racing, completely frozen. Kino had kissed me.
There was no doubt in my mind now that he was the one. A smart woman named Rachel Green (yes, the Rachel Green from FRIENDS) once said that you learn everything from the first kiss, and she was right.
I wasn't letting him go.
I walked inside to an empty room. My roommate was still gone. I was really starting to worry, especially because of the killer running around. I got the text from Kino that he was safely in his dorm, so I relaxed a little more.
I slept a little better that night.
The next day, the Police were on campus. We finally got answers as to who the victims were, and when I found out my stomach dropped and I felt the urge to throw up.
The first girl I didn't know.
The second girl had been my roommate.
The police pulled me out of Algebra to ask me some questions about her. Her name was Fiona. I answered honestly, but I didn't mention Kino at all. If they knew that HE knew all of the gory details, he would be at the top of their suspect list.
I told them when I got back to my dorm a few nights before she wasn't there and I hadn't seen her there since. I told them I was worried, but I didn't have her contact information because we weren't close.
I still felt quite bad. I mean, if I had her contact information, maybe I could have called her to warn her, or make sure she was ok. I kept looking over at her bed and being completely shocked. She was really gone.
"Is everything ok?" Kino asked me. I nodded.
"Yes, and I didn't say anything about you, so don't worry." He gave me a warm smile.
"Thank you, Eden."
"Of course."
The following day was Saturday. Kino and I decided to have a 'date night', now that we were official. I didn't really know we were until he texted me and said: "Does my gf want to have a date night tomorrow?" And when I saw those two letters, GF, I was extremely happy, but also shocked because he hadn't asked me to be his girlfriend. So I'd said: "gf?" and he said: "Are we not bf and gf?" And I remember smiling at my screen and saying: "Well, I want you to be my bf, but you haven't asked me yet ;)"
So he asked, and I said yes.
We decided to go to a movie then out to eat afterward. It was a lot of fun. He came back to my dorm and no, nothing like that happened, but we did fall asleep next to each other. It was a good night.
The next day we decided to meet up with the rest of Kino's friends. He had quite a few. We all went to the drive-in. I met Dawn, Changgu, Yanan, Hui, and Hongseok that day. It wasn't so tense while we were out. Kino and I didn't really watch the movie. I was a bit distracted, as was he. Fiona's family had come to our dorm and wanted to collect her things. The police had already searched the dorm, but found nothing. They were in my dorm while we were at the movie, and I didn't want to get in their way. They were distraught.
At the drive in, his friends were very accepting of me, despite how weird and awkward I felt. I really enjoyed talking to Yuto, who I'd say is probably one of the more normal, down to earth ones of the group. I also really liked Jinho and Hui. They were all great, but those three were probably the ones I felt most comfortable with, along with Kino of course.
Kino had gone to go buy some snacks and I was sitting with all of the others. Yuto was on my left. "You guys look good together," he said to me. I smiled.
"Thank you."
"Of course. Kino needed someone besides us, and you seem to fit the mold." I nodded, flattered.
"That's sweet Yuto. Thank you."
He nodded and turned back to the movie. He was quiet, as was I, but later on, that didn't really matter. Two quiet people can be just as good of friends as friends with opposite personalities. We ended up exchanging numbers that night.
Kino came back with some popcorn and candy and settled back in. It was a good night. Jinho and Dawn kept telling jokes about the movie. It was hilarious. I was in a good mood. It seemed like I'd found my new friend group. After the two movies, everyone went back to campus. I said goodbye to everyone and we all went in our separate directions.
I got a text from Yuto that night.