Bipolar -- Chapter 03
"Open the door. Damn it-- let me in."
Seeing the color red seems to comfort her in ways it shouldn't. The way it swirled around the color white and combined beautifully. She leaned back, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. The banging on the door seemed to fade away as she let herself go...
Her surroundings were fading away too. Fading away to black, to silence.
To--
"So... we're all neighbors in the same building, but we've never seen each other until a few days ago. Huh, so much for communal living." Yoona took a small sip from her beer, surprising the men around the table at her statement. She gave them a small smile and shrugged, leaning closer to the table with her hand under her chin. Tiffany giggled, shrugging as she took a sip as well and looked around the table shyly.
Donghae grinned, relaxing into his chair. He stared back at her, bringing a beer bottle up to his lips and shaking his head. "You're not as stiff as I thought you would be, Miss Im." He said, studying her relaxed expression.
Yoona rolled her eyes, "Please, everyone -- call me Yoona. 'Miss Im' sounds so tragic."
"Alright, Yoona..." Donghae said, letting her name roll out of his tongue slowly. He liked how her name sounded, he thought, grinning to and taking another swig from his bottle. Casting a glance towards the other two people sitting around them, he cleared his throat and gave the taller man an easy smile. "How about you? How should we call you?"
Siwon raised an eyebrow at him, amused and surprised at how easy it was for this person to talk to him. He gave him a once over look and smirked to himself - clearly, this Donghae did not want to look to eager to get to know Im Yoona; despite how obvious his interest was. "Siwon is fine, I suppose," he replied, glancing at him then to Yoona. "Being neighbors, I guess, is enough to call each other by our names right?"
"Then we should do this more often. Let's exchange numbers and get together during the week. It could be a good escape from our daily routines." Donghae suggested, bringing out his cellphone and showing it to them.
Siwon thought for a moment, said nothing but also brought out his phone. The girls followed suit and the four of them quickly exchanged details. Tiffany could not hide her happiness. She clasped her hands together (She's leaning towards Donghae, Yoona mused, and she doesn't even realize it) grinning from ear to ear. "This is exciting! Ever since I got here, I've never met other people except for my co--teachers in the Academy."
"Really? Where were you from anyway?"
"I was born in Califronia but I've always been interested of my home country, so after college I went here to work." Tiffany said, coyly, "I became a school teacher by accident when my bestfriend's mother, who was the principal of the Academy I'm working at now, saw me teaching her little boy mathematics in a playground."
Donghae laughed. "Wow, teaching math in a playground... now, that's something I've never experienced."
"I know, I know - I never thought I'd be teaching Math either," she replied, holding her cheek with one hand and blushing furiously. "Being a teacher isn't an exciting job, unlike yours, oppa."
"Eh? Me? I can hardly finish my own album - how is that exciting?" Donghae said, shaking his head. "Our jobs are pretty lame compared to these too," he mock-whispered, pointing at Yoona and Siwon, "We live on the scraps we work to ear everyday, but they get more of them on a regular basis." Yoona cracked a small smile, rolling her eyes. Siwon did the same as well, but kept a straight face while Tiffany agreed, laughing.
"I was joking, Siwon," he said, clapping the man on the shoulder playfully. "Lighten up a little. You'll never get a girl if you're all stiff and regal like that."
"Oh, but I think he can get a girl easily," Tiffany mused. "Oh really?" Yoona asked, liking how she suddenly spoke out of nowhere. She eyed the teacher putting her chin over her hand and studying Siwon and her expressions.
Tiffany had a wistful look on her face as she spoke, "He has that look about him, the air of mystery that girls like. It's actually kind of charming."
Siwon stared at her in surprise, and she smiled brightly in surprise. And for the first time during that night, he didn't stop a small smile coming to his lips. "... Thank you." He said slowly, raising his bottle at Tiffany.
Yoona's smile widened as she saw this exchange of understanding. Interesting, she thought. Her eyes fleeted around the table, observing the movements her company was making. Siwon is a character, but he's surprised by Tiffany. On the other hand, Tiffany is obviously attracted to Donghae - by the way she leans towards him and smiles too much. And then, Donghae is - out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Donghae looking at her - well, he's clearly delusional to be looking this way.
She shook her bangles slightly, a faded wound revealing itself discreetly underneath the jewelry she wore. Yoona stared down at it for a moment, lightly fingering the underside of it before snapping back to reality and looking back to her companions.
"I can't... do this anymore. I can't always be there to protect you..." I know.
His hand is warm and trembling as he brushed her face, letting it rest for a moment on her cheek. His voice is hitched, strained.
"I'm tired, Yoona. I love you... but I can't--" He kissed her lips one last time, savoring the moment. Her eyes fill underneath her closed lids.
I love you too, Changmin...
"Goodbye."
When the door clicks closed, the tears spill over and she weeps through the night, in silence.
I'm sorry.
Seeing the color red seems to comfort her in ways it shouldn't. The way it swirled around the color white and combined beautifully. She leaned back, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. The banging on the door seemed to fade away as she let herself go...
Her surroundings were fading away too. Fading away to black, to silence.
To--
"So... we're all neighbors in the same building, but we've never seen each other until a few days ago. Huh, so much for communal living." Yoona took a small sip from her beer, surprising the men around the table at her statement. She gave them a small smile and shrugged, leaning closer to the table with her hand under her chin. Tiffany giggled, shrugging as she took a sip as well and looked around the table shyly.
Donghae grinned, relaxing into his chair. He stared back at her, bringing a beer bottle up to his lips and shaking his head. "You're not as stiff as I thought you would be, Miss Im." He said, studying her relaxed expression.
Yoona rolled her eyes, "Please, everyone -- call me Yoona. 'Miss Im' sounds so tragic."
"Alright, Yoona..." Donghae said, letting her name roll out of his tongue slowly. He liked how her name sounded, he thought, grinning to and taking another swig from his bottle. Casting a glance towards the other two people sitting around them, he cleared his throat and gave the taller man an easy smile. "How about you? How should we call you?"
Siwon raised an eyebrow at him, amused and surprised at how easy it was for this person to talk to him. He gave him a once over look and smirked to himself - clearly, this Donghae did not want to look to eager to get to know Im Yoona; despite how obvious his interest was. "Siwon is fine, I suppose," he replied, glancing at him then to Yoona. "Being neighbors, I guess, is enough to call each other by our names right?"
"Then we should do this more often. Let's exchange numbers and get together during the week. It could be a good escape from our daily routines." Donghae suggested, bringing out his cellphone and showing it to them.
Siwon thought for a moment, said nothing but also brought out his phone. The girls followed suit and the four of them quickly exchanged details. Tiffany could not hide her happiness. She clasped her hands together (She's leaning towards Donghae, Yoona mused, and she doesn't even realize it) grinning from ear to ear. "This is exciting! Ever since I got here, I've never met other people except for my co--teachers in the Academy."
"Really? Where were you from anyway?"
"I was born in Califronia but I've always been interested of my home country, so after college I went here to work." Tiffany said, coyly, "I became a school teacher by accident when my bestfriend's mother, who was the principal of the Academy I'm working at now, saw me teaching her little boy mathematics in a playground."
Donghae laughed. "Wow, teaching math in a playground... now, that's something I've never experienced."
"I know, I know - I never thought I'd be teaching Math either," she replied, holding her cheek with one hand and blushing furiously. "Being a teacher isn't an exciting job, unlike yours, oppa."
"Eh? Me? I can hardly finish my own album - how is that exciting?" Donghae said, shaking his head. "Our jobs are pretty lame compared to these too," he mock-whispered, pointing at Yoona and Siwon, "We live on the scraps we work to ear everyday, but they get more of them on a regular basis." Yoona cracked a small smile, rolling her eyes. Siwon did the same as well, but kept a straight face while Tiffany agreed, laughing.
"I was joking, Siwon," he said, clapping the man on the shoulder playfully. "Lighten up a little. You'll never get a girl if you're all stiff and regal like that."
"Oh, but I think he can get a girl easily," Tiffany mused. "Oh really?" Yoona asked, liking how she suddenly spoke out of nowhere. She eyed the teacher putting her chin over her hand and studying Siwon and her expressions.
Tiffany had a wistful look on her face as she spoke, "He has that look about him, the air of mystery that girls like. It's actually kind of charming."
Siwon stared at her in surprise, and she smiled brightly in surprise. And for the first time during that night, he didn't stop a small smile coming to his lips. "... Thank you." He said slowly, raising his bottle at Tiffany.
Yoona's smile widened as she saw this exchange of understanding. Interesting, she thought. Her eyes fleeted around the table, observing the movements her company was making. Siwon is a character, but he's surprised by Tiffany. On the other hand, Tiffany is obviously attracted to Donghae - by the way she leans towards him and smiles too much. And then, Donghae is - out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Donghae looking at her - well, he's clearly delusional to be looking this way.
She shook her bangles slightly, a faded wound revealing itself discreetly underneath the jewelry she wore. Yoona stared down at it for a moment, lightly fingering the underside of it before snapping back to reality and looking back to her companions.
"I can't... do this anymore. I can't always be there to protect you..." I know.
His hand is warm and trembling as he brushed her face, letting it rest for a moment on her cheek. His voice is hitched, strained.
"I'm tired, Yoona. I love you... but I can't--" He kissed her lips one last time, savoring the moment. Her eyes fill underneath her closed lids.
I love you too, Changmin...
"Goodbye."
When the door clicks closed, the tears spill over and she weeps through the night, in silence.
I'm sorry.