When Our Worlds Collide {Chapter 2}
Kibum awoke, only to find Jinki’s face next to his. He smiled softly, burying his face in Jinki’s neck to awaken him. Kibum smiled at the cold. It worked; Jinki’s eyes opened sleepily. Kibum pressed a kiss to Jinki’s ear, “I didn’t know ghosts slept.” Jinki shrugged. “I didn’t either,” he replied, grinning, “must’ve missed the memo.” However, he stopped Kibum when the younger boy reached for his lips.
“Kibum, don’t,” he said.
Kibum pouted, “Why not?”
Jinki sighed, sitting up, “Your kiss did something to me, made me more human, I don’t know. You got so tired after that; it was like you transferred some of your life into me.”
“I don’t care,” Kibum paused to yawn, “It felt nice.”
Jinki lifted the covers and Kibum obediently hopped off the bed. “Yes, it did,” Jinki’s eyes softened, “but it might be dangerous for you.”
Kibum made a face at Jinki. “Fine, whatever. I’ll just go kiss Jonghyun then.”
Jinki smirked, “Have fun. I haven’t forgotten about you kissing my sister though.”
Kibum just rolled his eyes.
That day, Kibum walked to school alone. Well, Jinki was with him, but he doubted that Jinki counted. At first, he was against the idea that Jinki went to school with him. After all, wouldn’t the other students freak out when they saw Kibum with a supposedly dead student? But he finally relented when Jinki promised to show himself only to Kibum and no one else. When they arrived at the school gates, Ha Young was waiting, shuffling her feet nervously. She smiled when she saw Kibum approaching.
“Hey!” she grinned before her face turned serious, “I, uhm, kind of saw what happened yesterday. I’m really sorry.”
Kibum wondered what she was talking about until he realized that she had most probably seen what had happened with Jonghyun. After all, she took the same route home as he did. Kibum shook his head, “It’s fine. He was being a jerk.”
Ha Young glared and both Jinki and Kibum instinctively took a step back. “It’s not fine,” she snarled, “you fought with your best friend because of me. How would you feel if,” - Ha Young winced - “my brother and I fought because of you?”
“I don’t know? The same way you’re feeling now?” Kibum offered.
Ha Young nodded, satisfied with Kibum’s answer. “Exactly,” she continued as she walked off, “by the way, Jinki oppa, I can tell you’re there. Kibum is cold as fuck.”
Jinki smiled sadly at his sister, “She’s always been too observant for her own good. Ah well, I guess I better return to your bedroom then.”
Kibum grabbed Jinki’s hand. He was never much of a loner, and without Jonghyun he was practically nobody. “Kibum, I told you, you can’t,” Jinki warned when he saw Kibum’s expression. Kibum, however, ignored Jinki and kissed him, uncaring of the stares from passers-by. Kibum laughed internally at how odd he must look to the passers-by - a boy kissing thin air. He smiled as they pulled away.
“There,” he announced, “you’re much warmer now.”
Jinki kissed the top of Kibum’s forehead, “You silly boy. Are you feeling okay?”
“Totally,” Kibum lied.
Jinki shook his head - “Liar,” he muttered - and laced his and Kibum’s fingers together, pulling him to class.
Kibum managed to get through the school day half-asleep - his kiss with Jinki had lasted longer than necessary. Through the crowd, Kibum spotted a familiar head of wavy hair. He grabbed her arm, causing her to turn back and glare; only dropping her glare when she realized it was Kibum. “You just don’t give up, do you?” she complained. Kibum grinned widely and shook his head. “Yah, oppa, you’re letting him do this to me?” she spoke, staring at the space where Jinki was standing. “How did you--” Kibum started, but was interrupted with a shrug. “Just a wild guess,” she replied, “Are you walking me home then?”
Kibum laughed, “Even if I’m not, we’re going the same way.”
Jinki kissed Kibum’s cheek before waving goodbye, “Have fun Kibummie, I’ll be going now!”
Ha Young stared at Kibum, who was still standing in the middle of the crowded corridor. Kibum shook his head slowly. “Your brother is weird,” he stated as he took Ha Young’s hand and started on the walk home.
Ha Young rolled her eyes, “Tell me about it.”
The journey home was quiet, until they stopped in front of their houses. “Shit!” Kibum exclaimed, “Your brother stole my keys!”
Ha Young made a face, before sighing, “If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought that he was trying to get me killed. Want to come over for a while until your parents get back? If you have a spare key, oppa probably took that as well.”
Kibum shrugged, “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
Ha Young smiled just a little as she held her front door open for Kibum, “No, you don’t.”
“Mother!” Ha Young called out as soon as they were both in the house, “I’m home! I have a friend here; we’ll be in my room!”
With that, Ha Young quickly pulled Kibum up the stairs and into her room, but not before Kibum had heard a train of insults. (“You slut! You ungrateful whore!”) Kibum raised an eyebrow at Ha Young, who locked the door neatly behind them. “Ignore her. She’s drunk most of the time. I’m sorry to say, but your exit will be my window. My mother will probably hack you into pieces if you went out of my room. She nearly killed the first male friend I brought over.” She added with a sigh, “Safe to say he never came back.”
Kibum snorted, “I don’t blame him.”
As Kibum walked around the small room, he saw that there were many pieces of sheet music around the room, all of them torn apart and put together again with tape. “Jinki oppa wrote them,” Ha Young said when she saw where Kibum’s gaze was at, “the other students at school always tore his music sheets and he would come home and throw them into the dustbin. I make it a point to save all the pieces and repair them. I’ve been teaching myself how to play the piano, and I’m learning how to play one of his songs. It’s the only one he where he wrote lyrics to go with the song.” Ha Young pulled out a keyboard from underneath her bed and plugged it in. She smiled apologetically at Kibum, “I’m not a really good pianist or a good singer, and the keyboard doesn’t sound anywhere as good as an actual piano, but it’s all I’ve got.” Kibum took her hands and placed them atop the keys, “Just play.” Ha Young nodded, taking in a deep breath before starting.
My hands are cold
Dimly, the memories of love gather.
I know that I no longer
Want to impose my feelings on you.
Because I realize that I cannot love you
Even though you are so close to me,
It’s too hard for me to be waiting
For someone that cannot be mine.
I can’t endure any longer
Because it will never happen
Kibum held his breath as she sang. Her singing wasn’t perfect, and Kibum could hear the mistakes she made in her playing, but the fact that she seemed to be singing from her heart awed Kibum. It was as if Jinki was singing through her. He listened intently as she finished off the song.
The name that I once loved
Travels further away as I call it,
I write down that name, holding back tears,
I want to hide it within myself.
Please understand the days,
When I had no choice but to love you
Even a short love, is still love.
Just as Ha Young, finished the song, the sound of a car was heard. “Someone’s back,” she whispered as she nudged Kibum towards the window, “you should go.” After one last look at her, Kibum left wordlessly. As soon as he was out the window, Ha Young lied down on her bed. “Hey, oppa, what are you trying to do?” she asked. Jinki appeared out of nowhere, “You knew I was here?” Ha Young smiled at that. “Of course I did. I’m your sister,” she said as if Jinki hadn’t known, “now answer my question.” Jinki sighed and lied down beside Ha Young. “I know you like him too, don’t deny it. You’re much better for him than me; after all, you’re alive.”
Ha Young sighed and hugged her brother. “You are such an idiot, it doesn’t matter even if I like him, he’s yours,” she said as she released him, “now go back to Kibum. He’ll be wondering where you are.”
Jinki laughed softly as he returned his sister’s hug, refusing to let go. “I’ll stay here tonight,” he said as he kissed her temple, “I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“I still hate you for dying, you know,” Ha Young murmured.
“I know,” Jinki sighed, “now go to sleep.”
A/N: For those of you who don't know. the song lyrics are the translations of Jinki's solo, The Name I Loved. (; I love that song.