a/n: originally this was supposed to be chapter 28- but I decided to push it two chapters later since I wanted to write less than 4k words hehe 😅 I'm also running out of GIFs... 😂
" Eighteen, this moment won't ever come back,
I'm giving it to you,
All in all in...
Eighteen, right now,
This might be my everything,
Everything, everything... "
- A-TEEN by SEVENTEEN
3rd POV
The sound of the violin plays out into the air from the rooftop of Seuli High. Lee Dohwa stood a couple of feet away from the edge of the roof and played his violin passionately but something was going on in his head.
I have to hurry and find Danoh and Ara... But why do I badly want to play my violin?
Then a few seconds later, someone steps out into the rooftop with a bag full of equipment from the soccer game. Yeo Juda enters the stage and a tear fell down Dohwa's cheek.
What the..? What's wrong with me?
"Dohwa," Juda calls out from behind him.
The tall boy stops playing his violin and wipes his tear-stained cheeks while turning around to face her but when he did the smile on her face turns into a worried expression.
"Oh, is something wrong?" She asks him gently. "Um, this may be out of the line, but if you're struggling with anything, you can always tell me. "
Dohwa smiles at what Juda said and then she continueson, "I know I don't look like it, but I'm a great listener."
Then red and pink flowers suddenly shows up around Juda and Dohwa's eyes went wide at this.
"Huh? This is odd... This is very odd," He speaks up while pointing at the flowers. "This is extremely odd- Wait, I can finally speak again!"
"Dohwa, are you okay?" Juda asks but the two were soon interrupted by their friend's voice.
"Oy, Juda, what's taking you so long?" Ara speaks up after stepping out into the rooftop.
The stage ends and Dohwa and Juda look over at Ara. The two were surprised to see her but Ara was not since she had seen the story play out in the manhwa a few minutes after Juda had left with the bag of equipment from the soccer game. Also, Ara remembers what her older brother had told her earlier. Dohwa was looking for her and by the looks of it...
"Juda, I'll take care of the equipment," Ara adds in with a smile as she walks over to the two. "Why don't you get back inside and change into your school uniform?"
Juda smiles back at her and nods her head. Then she places the bag of equipment down and bids a short goodbye to Dohwa before walking back inside. Once Juda had left, Dohwa and Ara both stared at each other before one of them finally spoke up.
"Are you finally aware, Do?" Ara asks softly, making Dohwa's eyes widen in shock.
Then she sighs, "I guess you are."
"Wait, there were flowers around Juda earlier," Dohwa exclaims, still trying to understand what had just happened. "H-how..."
"That's not important right now," Ara tells him while putting the bag of equipment away. Then she pats her best friend's shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go find Danoh."
Oh Ara's POV
"We found you!" Dohwa called out as we opened the doors to the school's cafeteria.
"Oh? This sounds familiar," I heard Danoh say from inside the kitchen.
I chuckled at my two friends and walked inside to where Jinmichae is at. Then Dohwa followed after shouting Danoh's name.
"Oy, get in here," I told him after messing Jinmi's blonde hair and earning a glare from my older friend. I stuck my tongue out at him and innocently smiled when Dohwa walked inside the kitchen.
"Since when was it difficult to find the cafeteria?" Dohwa asked, making me raise my eyebrow at him.
"It was not difficult," I said with a shrug. "You were just going down the wrong hallways."
Dohwa gave me a shocked expression before saying, "And you did not even bother to tell me that earlier?"
I softly laughed at him and shrugged.
"You never asked. You just dragged me with you after I told you that Danoh might be in the cafeteria and then you said that you'll lead the way."
"Wow... What a friend..." Dohwa muttered under his breath while scratching his head and pulling his necktie down which made me laugh even more.
Then Jinmichae spoke up, "This is much quicker than I expected."
I looked over at the blondie and raised my left eyebrow at him. Then he continued on once he had everyone's attention. "And four characters, at that?"
"Is he also aware of himself?" Dohwa asked me and Danoh, his hair all messed up from his frustration in not being able to find the cafeteria.
We both nodded at him as our answer.
Then Dohwa took a step back and looked at each one of us. "That's right... I knew something was off... I should have gone to the hospital for my memory loss... But I was on the rooftop playing the violin!"
I bit my bottom lip from laughing and had to hold onto Jinmi's right arm for support.
"One moment I was fine and chatting with my friends. Then suddenly, I'm playing the violin and crying!"
I can't hold it in anymore.
I burst out laughing and slapping my right thigh. I knew that Dohwa would be disappointed in me for laughing at him in this kind of situation but honestly...
It's been a while since I got to laugh out loud...
"Whew! Sorry, Do," I said once I calmed down. "It's just that... Your reaction to being self-aware is so priceless! Ah... If only, I had it recorded-" But then I stopped in mid-sentence when Dohwa glared at me.
I laughed nervously and said, "I'll make some hot cocoa..."
Then I heard Danoh telling Dohwa, "Poor you... Your character is old-style as well. You seem like a cheerful person in front of others, but you are hurting deep inside."
I froze in my spot and looked over at Danoh. "Did she just describe me?" I whispered to Jinmi.
"Why was that your description of your character?" Jinmi whispered back, teasing me.
I mentally groaned at him and jabbed my knuckles at his side, making him wince in pain. "Nevermind. I'm going to eat some chocolates instead." I whispered again and went to the storage room for some chocolates.
"How is it possible that this is the world of comics?" Dohwa asked once I reached the storage room.
Then I heard both Danoh and Jinmi's answer.
"Everyone reacts that way at first."
"But not me..." I muttered under my breath, remembering the headaches all due to my memories from my past life.
I decided to let Jinmichae and Danoh explain to Dohwa everything while I do my own business. Because it's been days since I last had a chocolate bar, and the only time when I get to have a taste of chocolate is when I get those painful headaches.
Now, where did Joon hide 'em?
"So tell me where did Joon hide the chocolate bars?" I asked Jinmichae for the 16th time while watching Danoh watching Dohwa reading Secret.
Then Jinmichae replied, "If I told you, Joon will cut my fingers off, so no."
I groaned at his reply and grabbed a nearby kitchen knife. Then I faced him and raised the sharp tool while saying, "If you don't tell me, then I'll be the one who will cut your fingers."
The blondie gulped nervously and pointed behind me. "They're inside the fridge behind the containers of the kimchi and strawberries," he exclaimed, sounding disappointed in himself.
I chuckled in victory and went to get my treasure. I opened the fridge and moved the containers aside. I instantly found the bag of chocolate bars but only took one since I didn't want Joon to find out and have Jinmichae to lose any of his fingers.
Then I poked Jinmi's shoulder and whispered, "Don't fuss, Jinmi. I won't tell Joon," and left him back to his work while walking over to the table where Danoh and Dohwa are at.
I sat across from Danoh and heard Dohwa laughing at one page. I knew right away that it must've been Danoh and Kyung's stage since Danoh glared at the boy sitting beside her. I grinned at the two and opened the wrapper of the chocolate bar before taking a bite.
"Oh... It's J-Juda..." Dohwa gasped, making Danoh shake her head at him. But then when my best friend turned the page, he soon noticed that something wasn't right. "Wait... Hold on..."
I bit my bottom lip and felt nervous when Dohwa flipped the pages back to the beginning wherein the characters' list is at.
"Um, Do... I think that's enough reading-" But then he cut me off when he said, "We're not the main characters."
I mentally sighed and placed my chocolate bar down.
"Namju and Juda are the main characters," Dohwa continued on. "I knew it! Their names were so unusual!"
I mentally facepalmed at what he said and was going to cut him off but then I decided to just let him be. Dohwa must be finding it hard to accept the fact that he isn't the main and that we're all just characters in a manhwa. So I sat back and grabbed my chocolate bar and watched as my best friend lose his mind.
"That's right! I was wondering why Juda was in every moment of my life. Before I realized it, I started to like her!"
I choked out of nowhere at the sudden confession and saw Dohwa looking at me and looking back at the characters' list. Sooner than I expected, he gave me an apologetic look and said out loud while reading something from the book.
"Oh Ara. 18. Lost her memories in a car accident. Namju's only cousin, Dohwa's best friend who she... has liked for 10 years."
I blushed at my character's description and grabbed the book from Dohwa. I closed it and placed it on the table.
"Like, I said, earlier that's enough reading," I exclaimed while avoiding Dohwa's eyes.
Then Jinmichae showed up with a familiar box in his hands. My eyes went wide when I remembered making the Stage and dolls for everyone's characters weeks ago.
"Oh my God, you found it," I spoke up and earned a chuckle from Jinmichae.
"What? Did you think I would let it disappear?" Jinmi told me as he placed the box down on the table, making it face Dohwa and Danoh.
"What's that?" Dohwa asked while Danoh gave me a proud smile.
I blushed again and smiled back after seeing my effort in making an example of the Stage out of a box and DIY dolls out of the Yakult bottles.
"It will depend on whose perspective. You see this," Danoh started and grabbed one Yakult bottle with a Danoh's name written on it. "Lee Dohwa, look at the world from your perspective, then you'll be the main character."
That's a nice way to put it... and it's better to think like that rather than sulk in a corner about your past life- ugh, wait, I'm talking about me again.
Then Dohwa looked away from the Yakult bottle and over at Danoh, me, and Jinmi.
"I will change my predetermined fate no matter what," Danoh spoke up with all confidence in her. "I don't want to stay an extra until the end."
사작 !
Good timing, Writer. I didn't want to talk to Dohwa now after he found out about my character's feelings.
This is so messed up...
Wait, why am I in the playground?
"NOONA! NOONA!" a little boy's voice called out from across the playground.
Stage me turned her head around and to look for the little boy but instead, she only sees a couple of boys from another school gathering around near the swings. Then it hit her when she sees a little boy waving his hands up in the air, trying to catch her attention. In less than a minute, Stage me was already standing behind the group.
"Hey, leave the little boy alone!" She spoke up and they all turned around to face her.
Um... Ara, this isn't a good idea...
"Ooh, look at this, boys. A student from Seuli High," One of them exclaimed.
Then another spoke up, "What are you doing out here, pretty face? Shouldn't you be studying or spending your Daddy's money in the mall?"
Maybe I should take control? Because the Stage me can't fight nor can she make it out alive without getting an asthma attack.
Stage me clenched her fists after hearing the last part of the boy's sentence. "Shut up," she muttered under her breath.
"What did you say, pretty face?"
"I said, shut up!"
The boys then started laughing at what my character said and that angered me. I can hear Stage Ara's thoughts right away.
She felt so lost. She remembered what Namju's mom had told her about her memories and from what the boy had told her about her spending her Dad's money... it made her feel even worse.
These feelings were mine, too. I miss my father from Trumpet Creeper. Just like how my character misses her father here in Secret. I miss mine every day.
"I miss you, dad," both Stage me and myself thought at the same time.
Then I felt it and I was once again in control of my body.
I cracked my neck and knuckles and glared at each one of the boys in front of me. They all stopped laughing when I took a step closer towards them.
"You shouldn't have said that," I spoke up, my anger taking over me.
These boys reminded me of the Guards from back in Trumpet Creeper. They both have the same look in their eyes and that made me punch the nearest person.
"WHAT THE HELL!" The boy who I punched shouted when touching his busted lip. "HOW DARE YOU HIT ME! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM, YOU B***H!"
I smirked and shook my head while replying back, "Should I? You're just an extra with no name. You are nothing but a character that the Writer drew up in the middle of the story. You're just an idea of a bully. That's all you all are."
Then another boy started to run after me, his clenched fist up in the air, ready to punch me. But before he could someone showed up and punched him.
I looked at who the person was and my eyes went wide when seeing Baek Kyung.
"Leave or I'll call the cops," Kyung spoke up while standing in front of me and facing the male students from the other school.
"B-Baek K-kyung..." The same boy, who I punched, whispered in shock. Then he grabbed his backpack that was on the ground and said to his friends, "C-come on! Y-you, don't w-want to m-mess with h-him!"
Then the group ran off, leaving me, Kyung, and the little boy all alone in the playground.
"Didn't I tell you not to get into trouble?" Kyung asked me once he turned around.
I was going to apologize but then I saw the little boy trying to stand up. My heart ached at the sight and then I ran to his side. "Hey... Are you okay?" I asked softly while kneeling down to his height.
Then the little boy looked up, wet tears staining his cheeks. I pulled my right sleeve up to my palm and wiped his tears off. Then I patted his head and asked again. But what I heard next wasn't something I expected.
"I knew that you were alive, Noona," the little boy said.
"S-sorry, but what did you just say?" I asked while Kyung walked over to us.
Then the little boy continued on, "Noona, you promised me that you would come back home that day and push the swing for me. But you never came back. Then mommy and daddy said that you got into a car accident."
I stood up and looked over at Kyung, who was just as confused as me.
Then Kyung stood beside me and told the little boy, "Hey, kid. You've got the wrong person. She's not your older sister."
The little boy pouted and shook his head at Kyung. Then he took something out of his pocket and raised a polaroid picture up at us. Kyung took it and I tried to look at it, but he wouldn't move his arm down for me to see.
"That's impossible," Kyung suddenly said as he lowered his arm.
I furrowed my eyebrows at what he said and took a look at the polaroid picture. Then my lungs started to ache out of nowhere as I saw myself in the picture with the little boy and two older people behind us, their arms wrapped around me, like a side hug from behind.
"That's my mommy and daddy... and the girl that their hugging is my Noona," the little boy explained as I kneeled back down on the ground.
Then I looked at him and asked, "What is your older sister's name?"
The little boy giggled and proudly answered, "Seol. Hyun Seol."
🙄 a/n:
hi... don't kill me. I think it's safe to say that Ara isn't who she really is. 😅
o o f . . .
please share your thoughts about chapter 30- 😂 I wanna know what you think so far...