When Roses Wither (3/?)
Title: When Roses Wither (3/?)
Pairing(s): Kyuhyun x girl!Sungmin
Genre: Angst, Romance
Warning(s): swearing, epic failure
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,355
Summary: Sungmin has always felt alone; unfavored, unwanted, unloved. She has always felt out of place; family, school, even the public. She's never felt special before. She doesn't look forward to anything in life. But this all changes when she sees him, Cho Kyuhyun; he makes her feel even worse. He's a popular, handsome boy. She's an average, plain-looking girl. How could he ever fall in love with her? Based on my life a true "story".
A/N: Hai guys... I know I would post my FB fic first, but life got in the way... And summer hw. D: I wish I started THAT earlier. Damn you procrastination!!!!! D:< So I shall make up for that with an update to "When Roses Wither"! :'D
Chapters: 1, 2
Continued off from Chapter 2...
I stare at Kyuhyun with a mixture of embarrassment and slight terror.
"Um...," I pipe up, "Kyu-Kyuhyun... What a-are you doing here...?"
Kyuhyun's looks of surprise quickly changes into one of exasperation. His frown makes me feel so uncomfortable. Did I do something wrong...?
"I can't believe this...," I hear him quietly murmur.
...That my true love has finally arrived!, is what I want him to say. But, come on, really? Like the coolest guy on earth would say that to me? Pfft, as if.
Kyuhyun continues, "Sungmin... You..."
-Le gasps!- That's right, Kyuhyun knows my name. It's not because he stalks me or anything, not the way I stalk him, since he doesn't, although that'd be nice, but it's because we were in middle school together. Of course he knows my name! Although school is the ONLY reason why he knows my name, sigh...
"You did it again...," Kyuhyun says in an accusing voice.
Huh? What exactly did I even "do" in the first place?
"Er... W-What did I do?" I ask him.
He gives me a knowing look. "Don't act so innocent."
Oh gosh, if he said that with different circumstances... -shudders- Sigh, this is like a drama again. Really? Why is it, that I keep getting put into these situations, but I get the opposite outcome?! It's always a sad ending for me! Where's my happy ending?
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about...," I answer with a confused expression.
Kyuhyun looks away and face-palms. "God, wherever I go, you just have to ruin everything..."
My chest feels a pang of pain at this. I... ruin everything?
He continues his hurtful comments, "I came here so I could relax, but of all the people in the world who could be in this room, why did you have to be the one?"
I realize that I'm starting to get this ticklish sensation in my nose... If it's what I think it is, it's a signal that I'm going to cry. ... Is it weird that I'm being so calm about the fact that I might cry? Perhaps it's because I expect it whenever I'm around Kyuhyun. Hah, how sad...
Kyuhyun sighs, "Now look what you did. I'm all stressed out and frustrated."
Another blow to my self-esteem. I know I shouldn't be taking crap like this from him, but I can't help it. My heart sucks at choosing people. It's never been a part of my jurisdiction.
I notice that I am now sitting up and tightly embracing my knees as if they're my only salvation left.
With the both of us now silent, an awkward silence unwelcomely breezes into the room.
I decide to look down at my knees, avoiding Kyuhyun's resentful stare.
Biting my upper lip in anxiety, I wonder why I'm in like, the worst-est situation ever. The guy I'm in love with seemingly hates my guts. What did I do to deserve this?
"Sungmin," Kyuhyun speaks up, startling me, "Why won't you leave me alone?"
My head snaps up in surprise.
He continues, "Why are you even here? God, it's so weird. Wherever I go, you're ALWAYS there! I'm getting sick of seeing you everywhere!"
My chest throbs with pain.
"Even in this room! You actually got here before I did! It's like you knew I was going to come here...," Kyuhyun goes quiet, before saying, "I bet you were even waiting for me here."
I can't take it anymore. I can't take any of his ridiculous and false accusations. I decide to take a stand for myself.
"That's not true!" I shout at him, throwing him off with my sudden burst. "I came here because I got hurt! In fact, I didn't even know it was you when you walked in!"
"Then why did you hide?!" Kyuhyun suddenly raises his voice and stands up, provoking me into flinching.
I gasp because I have never seen this part of Kyuhyun before. He's always been so calm and composed; I've never seen this angry side to him.
"Because I wanted to be alone!" I return, yelling even louder than before, "I panicked when I heard someone outside! I didn't know what to do, and my first instinct was to hide!"
I'm so upset that I am now shaking. Who knew Kyuhyun could instigate this kind of behavior in me?
I feel another overwhelming sense of pain and heaviness in my heart again, and I can't help but clench my chest in response.
Kyuhyun scoffs at me. "What? Your chest hurts? Don't you think you're overreacting?"
Hearing the word, "overreacting", my eyes widen, and something inside me snaps. "Shut up!" I scream in frustration, "You don't know anything! You'll never understand!"
"And what? Like you do? Do you believe that you understand everything?" He sighs and shakes his head in disbelief. "You know, one thing I've always hated about you, is how you always act like you know everything. Well, you don't. So shut up, and get over it. You're such a whiny brat."
The fact Kyuhyun's the guy I'm in love with proves to be a disadvantage to me, because even though I'm trying currently trying to calm down, I can't help but feel even more distressed now, since it still hurts to hear this from someone I cherish.
I feel my nose tingle again, an all too familiar precursor from before, although this time, the sensation is much more noticable now. I wrinkle my nose in discomfort. Then my eyebrows start to crease, and my expression changes into that of a lamentable one, or rather, what my mother calls it, the "kicked puppy face".
When my vision starts to blur, I realize that I'm about to cry. Shit.
Unfortunately, a stray bead of water manages to make it out of my left eye. I shake my head in retaliation. "No, I can't cry. I have to endure it," I murmur with clenched teeth and fists, "As long as I endure, everything will be fine. Everyone will be happy." I close my eyes in despair, unintentionally causing unwanted tears to roll down my cheeks. Yes. That's right. Everyone will be happy this way. Even if I'm not... That's alright... Sacrificing one person to save the rest is worth it, if that one person is me... I can't be a burden, not anymore...
I hear a loud sigh, and I wince, looking over to the source of the sound, Kyuhyun.
He gives me a straight face. "Please, don't cry. That kind of expression doesn't fit your face."
The way he says it; I wish it was with a sympathetic tone, because then, it'd be so much more comforting and assuring... But, did he really have to say it with such a monotone voice and straight face? I mean, I know he doesn't like me, but he didn't have to be so cruel about it!
I bite my bottom lip to stifle the potential whimpers that could slip out of mouth. I sniffle as my body starts to jerk from the heavy sobs that are threatening to escape.
For a moment, the room seems to be full of just ridiculous sounds that I am producing due to my attempt to halt my cries. When I try to rub the tears away from my eyes with the palms of my hand, I notice Kyuhyun sigh again, although this time, he doesn't sound as agitated. I don't bother to look at him because I don't want him to see my face.
Eventually, another awkward silence develops.
I jump in surprise when I feel my left hand being pried away from my face. I look up at the culprit, Kyuhyun, and I wonder why he would do such a thing. Doesn't he hate me?
He hands me a tissue. "I told you to stop crying, didn't I?"
I look at Kyuhyun in bewilderment. Is he... being nice to me?!
I stare at the tissue until he shakes in front of me. "Go on, take it. What, you want me to wipe your tears for you or something?"
Nevermind, I take that back. He's not being nice or anything... it's just out of common courtesy.
I obediently accept the tissue, and wipe my eyes with it, just as he instructed. During the process of eradicating my tears, Kyuhyun says something rather unexpected.
In a gentle voice, he states, "Sungmin, I'm sorry."
I stop wiping, and stare at him with wide, yet tear-swollen eyes. Oddly, all the pain in my chest and tingling in my nose seems to have instantly gone away.
"You...," he quietly continues, "You shouldn't cry over a guy as me. I'm just not worth it."
I don't get it. What is he trying to say here? Why is he sending me such mixed signals? One moment, he practically loathes me, now he's trying to give me advice?
However, my thoughts are interrupted as he asks something that I'd never thought he would in a million years.
"Sungmin, are you in love with me?"
I accidently drop the tissue, and it floats onto my lap.
I can't believe he just asked me that. ...WHY IS HE ASKING ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! I am starting to feel panicky and nervous again. Damn, what should I say, Yes, I have been for nearly ten years? If I say something like that, I bet he'd just get mad again. But, what else can I say? It's not like I want to say "no" either!
"Because if you are," Kyuhyun continues, "You shouldn't be. Not with someone like me."
Huh?! Why shouldn't I be in love with you? Is there something wrong with you, or me? Are you trying to imply something?!
"I'm not this 'cool and handsome' guy, like you probably think I am, because I know myself, way more than you know me, and there are just so many flaws. In fact, you just saw one right now. That's right, one of my flaws is that I am easily irritated."
I am trying to process everything that just happened. So Kyuhyun got mad at me, now he's sorry and is telling me to give up on him?!
When Kyuhyun doesn't hear a response, he says, "And if you're not in love with me, good. Let it stay that way. We'll both benefit from this. Mostly you though. You'd be happier, and I'd never have to see you cry again."
How would I benefit from this?! I'd be even more depresssed!
Kyuhyun moves away from my side, and turns to walk towards the door. When he reaches the foot of my bed, he announces, "I'm going back to class. You should go back too."
Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't it be better to just leave without saying anything? And no! I can't go back! I can't even stand yet!
I shake my head. "I can't, since I'm hurt."
"Oh, really? I thought you were actually making things up. What happened?" he asks.
"Um... I fell down the stairs because the bell scared me...," I murmur sheepishly.
Kyuhyun chuckles, "Hah, I knew something like that'd happen. You were always so clumsy anyways. Well, I gotta get back now. Hope you feel better." He continues walking, and exits the room, leaving me in a state of confusion.
WHAT?! What am I supposed to interpret this as?! How does he know I'm clumsy?! I didn't even know he knew that I existed! Why is he wishing for me to feel better?! I thought he disliked me or something! Is this supposed to be some sort of cryptic message?
I let out a big sigh in response to the emotional reck that just happened as my head falls back onto my pillow.
I guess my first day of school wasn't that boring after all.
Just then, the door swings back open, and I instantly sit back up. Hmm, that's weird, Kyuhyun has returned, and with a blush on his face?! Could this be...?
"Sorry, I forgot something," he explains, and goes back to his bed. He grabs his schoolbag, which I hadn't notice he had brought in, and after slinging it around his shoulder, he heads back towards the door.
"Well, bye, and I hope you feel better... again," Kyuhyun says as he walks through the doorway.
Ah, I knew it was too good to be true. I thought there'd be some other reason why he was blushing, but I guess it was just because he was embarrassed about forgetting his schoolbag after he just made a somewhat cool exit. I smile fondly to myself. Hah, even Kyuhyun has his awkward moments.
~
After sitting in the infirmary bed for like an hour, the bells rings again to signal that it's time to head to the next class. And yet again, I flinch at the sudden alarm. Before long, a flurry of footsteps sound outside the door, along with the excited chatter amongst my fellow classmates, and I wonder where Tiffany could be. Is she even going to come back for me?
I take out my schedule to check which class I have next. Hmm, I see that I currently have Global Linguistics class [A/N: just a fancy term I made up for "language class" LOL]. Global Linguistics? I am like, going to learn a different language or something? Why couldn't they just make it more specific instead? I don't see why they'd use a vague term like "Global Linguistics". What does "linguistic" even mean? Better check the definition later.
My thoughts are interrupted again (which seems to happen pretty often for some odd reason) when I see that someone's opening the door. The door flies open, and when I see Tiffany, I experience a unexpected rush of relief and happiness.
"Sungmin!!!~" she squeals as she rushes over to give me a bone-crushing hug.
Another moment passes before I manage to squeak out, "Let, go!!!"
She quickly releases me when she hears my pleas. "Ah! Sorry!" Then she notices that I have taken out my schedule. "Do you feel better now?" she asks with a concerned face.
I shrug, "I dunno. I haven't tried getting up or anything."
"Then you can try now, since I'm here! I'll help you if you fall or anything," she offers.
Hmm... Should I try walking? My butt and legs aren't numb anymore, like they were before. But the thought of going back to class slightly scares me.
Tiffany grabs my right hand, and gently tugs on it, indicating for me to get out of the bed. I stare at her until she gives me a genuine smile. I look at my hand, which is in her grasp, and then my eyes flicker back to her face.
She laughs, "Don't worry!" Then she plants her feet down on the floor, like a soldier. "I'll be right here. I won't leave your side. I promise."
I can't help but curve my lips into a smile at her reassurance. "I'll be right here. I won't leave your side. I promise"... The line sounds so familiar, but I can't seem to recall the last time I heard something this nice... and caring.
I look at Tiffany and give a nod, placing my trust in her to help me.
I slowly peel off the blue blanket covering my lower half, and I slowly start to sit up. Hmm, so far so good, I guess. No random shots of pain, and I hope it'll stay that way. I turn my entire body to the right side of the bed, and my legs slide out with my feet reuniting with the floor. I take a deep breath, before pushing myself off the bed.
"Almost there!" Tiffany encourages as she guides me onto my feet, holding my hands with a gentle, yet firm grip.
Eventually, I manage to stand up again, although my legs are feeling kind of tingly, but that's probably because I haven't used them for about an hour. I bend down to see if I can still touch my toes. ... Yup, I think I should be fine.
"YESH!" Tiffany shouts, nearly scaring the shit out of me, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!~"
"Huh? What mission?" I ask after I calm down.
"The mission to get you back on your feet!" Tiffany explains, as if the answer was quite obvious.
"...The fact that you called it a mission... I... Nah, nevermind..." I swear, I'll never truly understand what goes on in that mind of hers.
Tiffany merely giggles and shrugs in response. Then she looks around the room. "Did the nurse ever arrive?"
I shake my head. "Nope. It's just been me and-"
"Ooh, you poor, poor thing!" Tiffany cuts me off as she hugs me, an attempt at consoling, "You've been alone all this time and-" She breaks off the hug and stares at me. "... Wait, what? 'You and' who? Was there someone else in this room besides you and me?"
I hesitantly nod, "Um..., yes?"
She grabs my shoulders and practically shakes me to death. "OMG WHO WAS IT?!"
"Kyu... Kyuhy-"
"OMIGOSH IT WAS KYUHYUN?!?! NO WAYYYYY!!!!!!" Tiffany flails her arms in excitement. I laugh at her because she's starting to look ridiculous. What is she even doing? It looks like she's dancing some sort of weird octopus dance [A/N: an example of the "octopus dance" is provided below in my actual author's note ^w^].
Eventually, when Tiffany calms down from her high, she turns to me at excitedly squeals, "Kyah! My plan is taking off even without me doing anything yet! This must be some divine intervention!"
Divine intervention? Yeah, probably at keeping me and Kyuhyun apart.
"So, how was it? Why did he go to the nurses' office? Did he talk to you? -le gasps- Did 'stuff' happen?!" Tiffany interrogates.
When I recall my account of meeting with Kyuhyun, my nose tingles again, and I look down in sadness. "Not really. He just came here to relax, but it seems like he got pretty mad at me for being in this room, probably because he didn't want to see me, although I'm not sure why."
"What?! He got mad at you? ... Maybe he's just embarrassed to be near you because he likes you!"
"I don't think so. He... He said some mean things, which made me cry-"
"HE MADE YOU CRY?! I WILL KICK YOUR ASS, CHO KYUHYUN!" Tiffany practically rawrs.
"No! ... I mean, um, he said sorry afterward, and handed me a tissue, so it's alright. Then he told me that I shouldn't cry over someone like him, and that it'd be better if I didn't like a guy like him. I... I think he might know that I have feelings for him..."
"What... What kind of guy says things like 'don't cry over me' and 'don't fall in love with me' to a girl?! How can he expect such things from you? Argh, he's so insensitive!" she growls in frustration and disapproval.
"M-Maybe it's a more gentle way of rejecting me?" I suggest.
Tiffany lets out a huff of anger. "I don't know, but I don't see what you like about Kyuhyun, besides his good looks, but looks aren't everything. So far, he just seems like a jerk to me."
"He's not a jerk!" I defend. Then I freeze. "Um, I mean, there's more to him than just being a jerk."
Tiffany puts on a confused face. "Huh? How would you know that? Didn't you guys just meet each other for the first time today?"
"Um..." No, we met ten years ago, which is also how long I've loved him. "Can we talk about this later? I think we should get to class first..."
Noticing the silence in the room and hallways, which means everyone is in class, Tiffany nods and says, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me now, that's ok. But, Sungmin, if you ever need me, I'll be there, ready to listen to your troubles."
My nose tingles, although, not out of sadness, but out of happiness at such heartfelt concern. Thank you, Tiffany..., is my heart's response.
__________________________________________
A/N: Yesh~ another update~ :'D Although it's not for the fic I promised I would... D:
Man, I really need to stop making promises I can't keep. :(
Well, here's the octopus dance!~
Disclaimer: This video does not belong to me. I just found it off of YouTube. :]
I couldn't find a smaller clip of Yesung doing the octopus dance from EHB, so I just put a part of the episode. ^w^
His octopus dance starts from 6:38 to 7:02. xD
Well, here is the video!:
Please tell me if you are experiencing any trouble with the video. ^w^
Anyways, I am swamped with the homework I should've started at the beginning of summer! TT_TT
Gotta read this 500 paged book in 6 days, and then write this analytical thesis paragraph about the "American Dream" using the notes that I am supposed to take about the book, and notes that I am supposed to take from this really boring poem. I also have to read another book and take notes on it too, and write a long winded account of my family's immigration to America, and remember the names and locations of all the states in America. D:
But I couldn't help but fulfill my urge to at least write an update to compensate for not posting the FB fic. (I actually tried to finish that fic, but I got writer's block again D:)
Hmm, it's so weird how I can only work at night time lol, when I should be sleeping. xD I was listening to "Afraid Of You", which is by HIT-5 (a Chinese-Pop group, or Mandarin-Pop to be more specific... I think? I don't think they're Hong Kong-Pop or Taiwanese-Pop, so it's probably Mando-Pop), while I writing this chapter, so I was kind of sad and a bit nostalgic lolol. xD Well, I guess I have to cut things short (which is ironic because my A/N has gotten this long again), since my mom's yelling at me to go to sleep. >_> What's the rush? It's only like, about 5:30 AM over here... Which is the regular time I usually sleep lol. xD
Here's a mini-spoiler for the next chapter!: When Sungmin and Tiffany go to their next class, "Global Linguistics", more of SuJu is introduced, and Sungmin gets a somewhat unpleasant surprise. D:
And silent readers~ don't be afraid to comment~ I welcome all comments (as long as they're nice please ^w^) at any time~ :]
Thanks for reading!~ :'D ♥
Pairing(s): Kyuhyun x girl!Sungmin
Genre: Angst, Romance
Warning(s): swearing, epic failure
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,355
Summary: Sungmin has always felt alone; unfavored, unwanted, unloved. She has always felt out of place; family, school, even the public. She's never felt special before. She doesn't look forward to anything in life. But this all changes when she sees him, Cho Kyuhyun; he makes her feel even worse. He's a popular, handsome boy. She's an average, plain-looking girl. How could he ever fall in love with her? Based on my life a true "story".
A/N: Hai guys... I know I would post my FB fic first, but life got in the way... And summer hw. D: I wish I started THAT earlier. Damn you procrastination!!!!! D:< So I shall make up for that with an update to "When Roses Wither"! :'D
Chapters: 1, 2
Continued off from Chapter 2...
I stare at Kyuhyun with a mixture of embarrassment and slight terror.
"Um...," I pipe up, "Kyu-Kyuhyun... What a-are you doing here...?"
Kyuhyun's looks of surprise quickly changes into one of exasperation. His frown makes me feel so uncomfortable. Did I do something wrong...?
"I can't believe this...," I hear him quietly murmur.
...That my true love has finally arrived!, is what I want him to say. But, come on, really? Like the coolest guy on earth would say that to me? Pfft, as if.
Kyuhyun continues, "Sungmin... You..."
-Le gasps!- That's right, Kyuhyun knows my name. It's not because he stalks me or anything, not the way I stalk him, since he doesn't, although that'd be nice, but it's because we were in middle school together. Of course he knows my name! Although school is the ONLY reason why he knows my name, sigh...
"You did it again...," Kyuhyun says in an accusing voice.
Huh? What exactly did I even "do" in the first place?
"Er... W-What did I do?" I ask him.
He gives me a knowing look. "Don't act so innocent."
Oh gosh, if he said that with different circumstances... -shudders- Sigh, this is like a drama again. Really? Why is it, that I keep getting put into these situations, but I get the opposite outcome?! It's always a sad ending for me! Where's my happy ending?
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about...," I answer with a confused expression.
Kyuhyun looks away and face-palms. "God, wherever I go, you just have to ruin everything..."
My chest feels a pang of pain at this. I... ruin everything?
He continues his hurtful comments, "I came here so I could relax, but of all the people in the world who could be in this room, why did you have to be the one?"
I realize that I'm starting to get this ticklish sensation in my nose... If it's what I think it is, it's a signal that I'm going to cry. ... Is it weird that I'm being so calm about the fact that I might cry? Perhaps it's because I expect it whenever I'm around Kyuhyun. Hah, how sad...
Kyuhyun sighs, "Now look what you did. I'm all stressed out and frustrated."
Another blow to my self-esteem. I know I shouldn't be taking crap like this from him, but I can't help it. My heart sucks at choosing people. It's never been a part of my jurisdiction.
I notice that I am now sitting up and tightly embracing my knees as if they're my only salvation left.
With the both of us now silent, an awkward silence unwelcomely breezes into the room.
I decide to look down at my knees, avoiding Kyuhyun's resentful stare.
Biting my upper lip in anxiety, I wonder why I'm in like, the worst-est situation ever. The guy I'm in love with seemingly hates my guts. What did I do to deserve this?
"Sungmin," Kyuhyun speaks up, startling me, "Why won't you leave me alone?"
My head snaps up in surprise.
He continues, "Why are you even here? God, it's so weird. Wherever I go, you're ALWAYS there! I'm getting sick of seeing you everywhere!"
My chest throbs with pain.
"Even in this room! You actually got here before I did! It's like you knew I was going to come here...," Kyuhyun goes quiet, before saying, "I bet you were even waiting for me here."
I can't take it anymore. I can't take any of his ridiculous and false accusations. I decide to take a stand for myself.
"That's not true!" I shout at him, throwing him off with my sudden burst. "I came here because I got hurt! In fact, I didn't even know it was you when you walked in!"
"Then why did you hide?!" Kyuhyun suddenly raises his voice and stands up, provoking me into flinching.
I gasp because I have never seen this part of Kyuhyun before. He's always been so calm and composed; I've never seen this angry side to him.
"Because I wanted to be alone!" I return, yelling even louder than before, "I panicked when I heard someone outside! I didn't know what to do, and my first instinct was to hide!"
I'm so upset that I am now shaking. Who knew Kyuhyun could instigate this kind of behavior in me?
I feel another overwhelming sense of pain and heaviness in my heart again, and I can't help but clench my chest in response.
Kyuhyun scoffs at me. "What? Your chest hurts? Don't you think you're overreacting?"
Hearing the word, "overreacting", my eyes widen, and something inside me snaps. "Shut up!" I scream in frustration, "You don't know anything! You'll never understand!"
"And what? Like you do? Do you believe that you understand everything?" He sighs and shakes his head in disbelief. "You know, one thing I've always hated about you, is how you always act like you know everything. Well, you don't. So shut up, and get over it. You're such a whiny brat."
The fact Kyuhyun's the guy I'm in love with proves to be a disadvantage to me, because even though I'm trying currently trying to calm down, I can't help but feel even more distressed now, since it still hurts to hear this from someone I cherish.
I feel my nose tingle again, an all too familiar precursor from before, although this time, the sensation is much more noticable now. I wrinkle my nose in discomfort. Then my eyebrows start to crease, and my expression changes into that of a lamentable one, or rather, what my mother calls it, the "kicked puppy face".
When my vision starts to blur, I realize that I'm about to cry. Shit.
Unfortunately, a stray bead of water manages to make it out of my left eye. I shake my head in retaliation. "No, I can't cry. I have to endure it," I murmur with clenched teeth and fists, "As long as I endure, everything will be fine. Everyone will be happy." I close my eyes in despair, unintentionally causing unwanted tears to roll down my cheeks. Yes. That's right. Everyone will be happy this way. Even if I'm not... That's alright... Sacrificing one person to save the rest is worth it, if that one person is me... I can't be a burden, not anymore...
I hear a loud sigh, and I wince, looking over to the source of the sound, Kyuhyun.
He gives me a straight face. "Please, don't cry. That kind of expression doesn't fit your face."
The way he says it; I wish it was with a sympathetic tone, because then, it'd be so much more comforting and assuring... But, did he really have to say it with such a monotone voice and straight face? I mean, I know he doesn't like me, but he didn't have to be so cruel about it!
I bite my bottom lip to stifle the potential whimpers that could slip out of mouth. I sniffle as my body starts to jerk from the heavy sobs that are threatening to escape.
For a moment, the room seems to be full of just ridiculous sounds that I am producing due to my attempt to halt my cries. When I try to rub the tears away from my eyes with the palms of my hand, I notice Kyuhyun sigh again, although this time, he doesn't sound as agitated. I don't bother to look at him because I don't want him to see my face.
Eventually, another awkward silence develops.
I jump in surprise when I feel my left hand being pried away from my face. I look up at the culprit, Kyuhyun, and I wonder why he would do such a thing. Doesn't he hate me?
He hands me a tissue. "I told you to stop crying, didn't I?"
I look at Kyuhyun in bewilderment. Is he... being nice to me?!
I stare at the tissue until he shakes in front of me. "Go on, take it. What, you want me to wipe your tears for you or something?"
Nevermind, I take that back. He's not being nice or anything... it's just out of common courtesy.
I obediently accept the tissue, and wipe my eyes with it, just as he instructed. During the process of eradicating my tears, Kyuhyun says something rather unexpected.
In a gentle voice, he states, "Sungmin, I'm sorry."
I stop wiping, and stare at him with wide, yet tear-swollen eyes. Oddly, all the pain in my chest and tingling in my nose seems to have instantly gone away.
"You...," he quietly continues, "You shouldn't cry over a guy as me. I'm just not worth it."
I don't get it. What is he trying to say here? Why is he sending me such mixed signals? One moment, he practically loathes me, now he's trying to give me advice?
However, my thoughts are interrupted as he asks something that I'd never thought he would in a million years.
"Sungmin, are you in love with me?"
I accidently drop the tissue, and it floats onto my lap.
I can't believe he just asked me that. ...WHY IS HE ASKING ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! I am starting to feel panicky and nervous again. Damn, what should I say, Yes, I have been for nearly ten years? If I say something like that, I bet he'd just get mad again. But, what else can I say? It's not like I want to say "no" either!
"Because if you are," Kyuhyun continues, "You shouldn't be. Not with someone like me."
Huh?! Why shouldn't I be in love with you? Is there something wrong with you, or me? Are you trying to imply something?!
"I'm not this 'cool and handsome' guy, like you probably think I am, because I know myself, way more than you know me, and there are just so many flaws. In fact, you just saw one right now. That's right, one of my flaws is that I am easily irritated."
I am trying to process everything that just happened. So Kyuhyun got mad at me, now he's sorry and is telling me to give up on him?!
When Kyuhyun doesn't hear a response, he says, "And if you're not in love with me, good. Let it stay that way. We'll both benefit from this. Mostly you though. You'd be happier, and I'd never have to see you cry again."
How would I benefit from this?! I'd be even more depresssed!
Kyuhyun moves away from my side, and turns to walk towards the door. When he reaches the foot of my bed, he announces, "I'm going back to class. You should go back too."
Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't it be better to just leave without saying anything? And no! I can't go back! I can't even stand yet!
I shake my head. "I can't, since I'm hurt."
"Oh, really? I thought you were actually making things up. What happened?" he asks.
"Um... I fell down the stairs because the bell scared me...," I murmur sheepishly.
Kyuhyun chuckles, "Hah, I knew something like that'd happen. You were always so clumsy anyways. Well, I gotta get back now. Hope you feel better." He continues walking, and exits the room, leaving me in a state of confusion.
WHAT?! What am I supposed to interpret this as?! How does he know I'm clumsy?! I didn't even know he knew that I existed! Why is he wishing for me to feel better?! I thought he disliked me or something! Is this supposed to be some sort of cryptic message?
I let out a big sigh in response to the emotional reck that just happened as my head falls back onto my pillow.
I guess my first day of school wasn't that boring after all.
Just then, the door swings back open, and I instantly sit back up. Hmm, that's weird, Kyuhyun has returned, and with a blush on his face?! Could this be...?
"Sorry, I forgot something," he explains, and goes back to his bed. He grabs his schoolbag, which I hadn't notice he had brought in, and after slinging it around his shoulder, he heads back towards the door.
"Well, bye, and I hope you feel better... again," Kyuhyun says as he walks through the doorway.
Ah, I knew it was too good to be true. I thought there'd be some other reason why he was blushing, but I guess it was just because he was embarrassed about forgetting his schoolbag after he just made a somewhat cool exit. I smile fondly to myself. Hah, even Kyuhyun has his awkward moments.
~
After sitting in the infirmary bed for like an hour, the bells rings again to signal that it's time to head to the next class. And yet again, I flinch at the sudden alarm. Before long, a flurry of footsteps sound outside the door, along with the excited chatter amongst my fellow classmates, and I wonder where Tiffany could be. Is she even going to come back for me?
I take out my schedule to check which class I have next. Hmm, I see that I currently have Global Linguistics class [A/N: just a fancy term I made up for "language class" LOL]. Global Linguistics? I am like, going to learn a different language or something? Why couldn't they just make it more specific instead? I don't see why they'd use a vague term like "Global Linguistics". What does "linguistic" even mean? Better check the definition later.
My thoughts are interrupted again (which seems to happen pretty often for some odd reason) when I see that someone's opening the door. The door flies open, and when I see Tiffany, I experience a unexpected rush of relief and happiness.
"Sungmin!!!~" she squeals as she rushes over to give me a bone-crushing hug.
Another moment passes before I manage to squeak out, "Let, go!!!"
She quickly releases me when she hears my pleas. "Ah! Sorry!" Then she notices that I have taken out my schedule. "Do you feel better now?" she asks with a concerned face.
I shrug, "I dunno. I haven't tried getting up or anything."
"Then you can try now, since I'm here! I'll help you if you fall or anything," she offers.
Hmm... Should I try walking? My butt and legs aren't numb anymore, like they were before. But the thought of going back to class slightly scares me.
Tiffany grabs my right hand, and gently tugs on it, indicating for me to get out of the bed. I stare at her until she gives me a genuine smile. I look at my hand, which is in her grasp, and then my eyes flicker back to her face.
She laughs, "Don't worry!" Then she plants her feet down on the floor, like a soldier. "I'll be right here. I won't leave your side. I promise."
I can't help but curve my lips into a smile at her reassurance. "I'll be right here. I won't leave your side. I promise"... The line sounds so familiar, but I can't seem to recall the last time I heard something this nice... and caring.
I look at Tiffany and give a nod, placing my trust in her to help me.
I slowly peel off the blue blanket covering my lower half, and I slowly start to sit up. Hmm, so far so good, I guess. No random shots of pain, and I hope it'll stay that way. I turn my entire body to the right side of the bed, and my legs slide out with my feet reuniting with the floor. I take a deep breath, before pushing myself off the bed.
"Almost there!" Tiffany encourages as she guides me onto my feet, holding my hands with a gentle, yet firm grip.
Eventually, I manage to stand up again, although my legs are feeling kind of tingly, but that's probably because I haven't used them for about an hour. I bend down to see if I can still touch my toes. ... Yup, I think I should be fine.
"YESH!" Tiffany shouts, nearly scaring the shit out of me, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!~"
"Huh? What mission?" I ask after I calm down.
"The mission to get you back on your feet!" Tiffany explains, as if the answer was quite obvious.
"...The fact that you called it a mission... I... Nah, nevermind..." I swear, I'll never truly understand what goes on in that mind of hers.
Tiffany merely giggles and shrugs in response. Then she looks around the room. "Did the nurse ever arrive?"
I shake my head. "Nope. It's just been me and-"
"Ooh, you poor, poor thing!" Tiffany cuts me off as she hugs me, an attempt at consoling, "You've been alone all this time and-" She breaks off the hug and stares at me. "... Wait, what? 'You and' who? Was there someone else in this room besides you and me?"
I hesitantly nod, "Um..., yes?"
She grabs my shoulders and practically shakes me to death. "OMG WHO WAS IT?!"
"Kyu... Kyuhy-"
"OMIGOSH IT WAS KYUHYUN?!?! NO WAYYYYY!!!!!!" Tiffany flails her arms in excitement. I laugh at her because she's starting to look ridiculous. What is she even doing? It looks like she's dancing some sort of weird octopus dance [A/N: an example of the "octopus dance" is provided below in my actual author's note ^w^].
Eventually, when Tiffany calms down from her high, she turns to me at excitedly squeals, "Kyah! My plan is taking off even without me doing anything yet! This must be some divine intervention!"
Divine intervention? Yeah, probably at keeping me and Kyuhyun apart.
"So, how was it? Why did he go to the nurses' office? Did he talk to you? -le gasps- Did 'stuff' happen?!" Tiffany interrogates.
When I recall my account of meeting with Kyuhyun, my nose tingles again, and I look down in sadness. "Not really. He just came here to relax, but it seems like he got pretty mad at me for being in this room, probably because he didn't want to see me, although I'm not sure why."
"What?! He got mad at you? ... Maybe he's just embarrassed to be near you because he likes you!"
"I don't think so. He... He said some mean things, which made me cry-"
"HE MADE YOU CRY?! I WILL KICK YOUR ASS, CHO KYUHYUN!" Tiffany practically rawrs.
"No! ... I mean, um, he said sorry afterward, and handed me a tissue, so it's alright. Then he told me that I shouldn't cry over someone like him, and that it'd be better if I didn't like a guy like him. I... I think he might know that I have feelings for him..."
"What... What kind of guy says things like 'don't cry over me' and 'don't fall in love with me' to a girl?! How can he expect such things from you? Argh, he's so insensitive!" she growls in frustration and disapproval.
"M-Maybe it's a more gentle way of rejecting me?" I suggest.
Tiffany lets out a huff of anger. "I don't know, but I don't see what you like about Kyuhyun, besides his good looks, but looks aren't everything. So far, he just seems like a jerk to me."
"He's not a jerk!" I defend. Then I freeze. "Um, I mean, there's more to him than just being a jerk."
Tiffany puts on a confused face. "Huh? How would you know that? Didn't you guys just meet each other for the first time today?"
"Um..." No, we met ten years ago, which is also how long I've loved him. "Can we talk about this later? I think we should get to class first..."
Noticing the silence in the room and hallways, which means everyone is in class, Tiffany nods and says, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me now, that's ok. But, Sungmin, if you ever need me, I'll be there, ready to listen to your troubles."
My nose tingles, although, not out of sadness, but out of happiness at such heartfelt concern. Thank you, Tiffany..., is my heart's response.
__________________________________________
A/N: Yesh~ another update~ :'D Although it's not for the fic I promised I would... D:
Man, I really need to stop making promises I can't keep. :(
Well, here's the octopus dance!~
Disclaimer: This video does not belong to me. I just found it off of YouTube. :]
I couldn't find a smaller clip of Yesung doing the octopus dance from EHB, so I just put a part of the episode. ^w^
His octopus dance starts from 6:38 to 7:02. xD
Well, here is the video!:
Click to viewPlease tell me if you are experiencing any trouble with the video. ^w^
Anyways, I am swamped with the homework I should've started at the beginning of summer! TT_TT
Gotta read this 500 paged book in 6 days, and then write this analytical thesis paragraph about the "American Dream" using the notes that I am supposed to take about the book, and notes that I am supposed to take from this really boring poem. I also have to read another book and take notes on it too, and write a long winded account of my family's immigration to America, and remember the names and locations of all the states in America. D:
But I couldn't help but fulfill my urge to at least write an update to compensate for not posting the FB fic. (I actually tried to finish that fic, but I got writer's block again D:)
Hmm, it's so weird how I can only work at night time lol, when I should be sleeping. xD I was listening to "Afraid Of You", which is by HIT-5 (a Chinese-Pop group, or Mandarin-Pop to be more specific... I think? I don't think they're Hong Kong-Pop or Taiwanese-Pop, so it's probably Mando-Pop), while I writing this chapter, so I was kind of sad and a bit nostalgic lolol. xD Well, I guess I have to cut things short (which is ironic because my A/N has gotten this long again), since my mom's yelling at me to go to sleep. >_> What's the rush? It's only like, about 5:30 AM over here... Which is the regular time I usually sleep lol. xD
Here's a mini-spoiler for the next chapter!: When Sungmin and Tiffany go to their next class, "Global Linguistics", more of SuJu is introduced, and Sungmin gets a somewhat unpleasant surprise. D:
And silent readers~ don't be afraid to comment~ I welcome all comments (as long as they're nice please ^w^) at any time~ :]
Thanks for reading!~ :'D ♥