Chapter 15~Kim Hyuna (1/1)

When you wake up you’re lying across Bang Yong Guk’s chest. His arms are wrapped around you and his head is turned to the side. He seems stiff. You worry that perhaps he didn’t sleep well because of you.You gently and slowly pick up his arm and slide out from under it. Then you scoot to your own side of the bed and turn the other direction. You look over your shoulder when you feel him shift. He stretches out and rolls onto his stomach, closer to you, but he’s still asleep.His face looks gentle. Calm. He seems like a normal guy. He’s very cute when he sleeps and this makes you smile. You turn away again and feel a sense of happiness. Real happiness.

You decide you deserve a mental health day from school. You reach over to your night stand. It’s still pretty early. You text Miryo telling her that you two aren’t going to today. She’ll get the message when she wakes up. You reposition yourself and smile.Even though you didn’t know JunHyung too long, you knew Guk even less and yet you felt better around him. With JunHyung you felt self-conscious. You couldn’t be yourself. You worried more about what he thought about you then about what you thought of him. Which was a main reason in why you felt that you two really didn’t have much of a relationship anyways.You smile to yourself, thinking about Guk. The guy that came to your rescue all the time. He helped you with Hara. He tried to keep you from JunHyung. He’d ward off some stranger in a night club. He was there to protect you from your nightmares. Your nightmare. You had been in a crowded club. Dark. You couldn’t see or hear well. You were in a daze. The stranger from the club was everywhere you turned. He had a wicked smile and dark glasses. You’d called for JunHyung but heard nothing. No one came. You tried to run from the stranger but there was no way out. In the corners, those eyes from the robbers stared back at you. Those eyes. Everywhere. Then out of a corner Guk had walked out. Guk had been in your dream. You start to run to him. His arms are out for you. Then you woke up.

Night. He was your Night Warrior coming to your rescue whenever you really needed him. Even if you didn’t know it. And then you want to keep him as your warrior. You wanted him to always watch over you. You wanted him with you all the time. What a drastic change this was from when you couldn’t wait to have some alone time. When you thought about him you felt happiness and warmth. When you thought about JunHyung, you felt ache and sadness and confusion.You’re lost in your thoughts and analyzing when you feel the bed shift again. You hear a moan come from the other side and you stifle a laugh. You stay still, pretending to be asleep. You don’t want to wake up. You don’t want to leave yet. This is your dream and you want it to last.You hear him grunt and you know he’s awake now. Is he disoriented? Was he too drunk to remember he’d stayed with you last night? You suddenly feel nervous about this. You were both drunk last night, but you were okay enough to ask him to stay and to really mean it. But was he okay enough to accept? He had tried to leave didn’t he?These thoughts frighten you and give you more reason to act as if you’re sleeping. You feel weight move on the mattress and soon you feel him behind you. He sighs and his breath goes into the back of your hair. Then you feel his face in your hair as well. He’s breathing calmly. Perhaps half asleep? Then his arm wraps around your waist and he pulls you gently closer. Your eyes open as you slide easily up against him. You can feel his elbow is under his head supporting him as his other arm goes around your abdomen and tucks underneath you, holding you fast to him. A smile comes to your lips as he breathes calmly. Not a part of you isn’t against him. You feel him from your head to your toes… and it feels good. Safe. Warm. Strong. Soft. Happy.You subconsciously sigh in contentment. His arm tenses around you and he shifts again. He raises his head and looks down at you. DAMN! You were caught with your eyes open. You turn slightly to look up at him above you. You meet his eyes. They’re gentle and happy. A small smile plays on his lips as his forehead comes down and rests on yours.“Did I wake you?” he whispers.“Hm, no.” you answer honestly.He smiles and rolls back behind you, tightening his grip once again. His face buries in your hair and you think you can practically feel him smiling. You can’t help but smile and your arm wraps around his. His skin is soft. Smooth. Warm. You trail your fingers up and down his forearm.“I don’t want to go to school.” You whisper.“Me either.” He whispers back.You both giggle and you start to turn towards him. He loosens his grip on you so you can turn around, but keeps his arm on your waist. You scoot closer so that your foreheads touch. He brings his arm back and his fingers brush your hand. He draws patterns on the back of it and you smile.“Are you happy?” he asks quietly.Your smile widens. How could you not be happy?

“Yes.” You state simply.“Good.”“Are you?” you ask.“Yep.”You two giggle again.“Why’d you ask?” you ask after a moment.“Just curious. I was worried you’d be mad to find me here this morning.”“I was worried you’d be mad to find yourself here!”More quiet laughing.“I… I meant what I said last night.” he whispers.You nod. “I did too.”

“How can you?” he asks, becoming serious.“What do you mean?”“You don’t… you don’t really know me.”

“YOU don’t know ME either.” You counter.“Exactly.”“…But you like me?”“Yes.”“Then I can like you too.” You smile in the logic of your argument. Win.He groans and rolls onto his back. He acts as if you’re missing something.“What?” you ask becoming worried.He turns and looks into your eyes. You know how they look. They show what you’re feeling and you’re feeling as if he’s going to leave and you don’t know why.Then he sits up and puts his head in his hands and groans. You slowly sit up next to him. You scoot closer and put your hands on his shoulders. You rub them for a moment before leaning your chin on his shoulder and wrapping your arms around his abdomen. He sighs.Then he turns around and takes you by the waist. He slides you onto his lap like a child. One arm supports your back while the other drapes over your waist. Your eyes open at his sudden movement and your hand grips his arm as you stare into his eyes.“I just want to see something.” He says.You’re silent. The arm over your waist goes up to your chin. He cups your face and pulls you closer. Your lips part just as his meet them. He presses his lips to yours for a moment and then draws back slightly. You still feel his lips there. Your heart is beating as loud as a drum and faster than ever before. Your breathing increases. Your face feels warm. Then he brings his lips to yours again, this time pressing harder and staying longer. His face twists to the side and your lips meet closer now. When he pulls back again you open your eyes. Your eyes were closed? Had his been closed? You suddenly can’t remember, but now your eyes are wide.He sighs again and you don’t know how to take it. His arms wrap around you again and he pulls you into him, your head tucked into his neck. He holds you tightly for a moment. Two moments. It’s quiet and comfortable.Finally, you decide you can’t stay there longer or your heart may pop out of your chest. You slowly and gently pull away. He’s firm for a second before loosening his grip and allowing you to get up.“I’m going to take a shower.” You breathe.“Okay.” He says.“Wait here. Miryo is still sleeping.”

He nods and you leave. Quickly. You take your time in the shower, letting the water be cooler than usual. You stand longer and think. Thing about Yong Guk. And think about him only.You dry off and change into new clothes before going back to your room. You open the door quickly and look up. Behind your bed. The eyes. They look shocked to see you as they had on the other night. They’re wide. They’re from your dreams. Your nightmares. The shadows. They’re THERE. Right in front of you. Your scream gets caught in your throat and you gasp at the realization. You back up a couple steps back towards the door. You clutch your old clothes to your chest.Guk’s eyes don’t change. They look just as shocked as they did when you walked in. He was crouching behind your bed but now he stands up. He seems confused. His cell phone is in his hand.

“What are you doing?” you ask quietly.“I… dropped my phone… what’s wrong?” he asks cautiously, taking a couple steps towards you.You back up. The eyes. HIS eyes.“No.” you breathe.“What?”“It’s you. It was you. YOU!” your voice raises in alarm.He takes another step, his hands out defensively.You throw your clothes at him.“Stay away from me!” you shout.“What’s going on?” he asks loudly now.“It was YOU! You were the one here earlier! You… you chased me…”Realization hits his eyes. Those eyes. Then guilt.“Now just wait…” he begins, coming towards you.“NO!” you thunder, turning quickly for the door.His arms hook your waist and you scream. His lips are at your ear as he has you in a hold.“Just wait! Let me talk!” he grunts as you struggle.“Don’t touch me!” you shout. “Let go!” your elbow meets his stomach hard and you feel the air leave him.You break free from his grasp and get out of the room. You slam the door behind you but you hear his gasp your name.“What’s going on?” Miryo asks. She heard you screaming. She’s still in her pajamas, phone in hand, eyes wide.“Get out!” you bellow. “Run! Downstairs!”

“Why?” she screams as you push her. You both sprint down the steps and you look up to see BYG coming out now. His eyes on you. Those eyes.“Oh, dear God, run!” you yell.Miryo runs for the kitchen and you go for the front door. You yank on the knob but Guk’s hand slams into it, shutting it. He traps you with his arms.“Please, let me explain!” he speaks urgently.Tears of desperation trail down your cheeks and you scream more. You try to push through his arms but he pushes you back into the door.“Get out! Get out.” You cry.“Please, Hyuna, just wait!” he urges.His hand comes to your face and you duck under his arm. You turn and face him.“I want you OUT!” you command in anger now.“Hyuna…”His eyes are alert. Shocked.You stomp forward in control and yank the door open behind him. He stands and lets you. Then you throw both hands hard into his chest, pushing him out the door.“Just wait!” you hear him as you slam the door shut. You lock it and turn around. You lean your back against the door as you catch your breath. Miryo runs back to you, kitchen knife in hand.“What’s going on?” she whispers.“Call father.” You say weakly.

You feel Guk leaning his hands against the door as well.“Please let me speak.” He says quietly but loud enough for you to hear.

“Go away.” you match his tone.Miryo dials the phone and puts it to her ear.“I can explain.” He continues.“Explain what?!” your voice is full of anger now. “Explain about how you climbed into my window one night as a robber? How you chased me from my own house. How you attacked me?! How you caused me nightmares for a week now. Or… how about how you tried to blame it on JUNHYUNG!? Remember that?? What have you been doing here this whole time?! Stalking us? Waiting to take something when our back is turned?!”

“…Maybe we should talk about this later…?” he asks unsurely. “When you’re less angry?”

WHAT?!

“Hyuna, Dad’s on his way now.” Miryo says quietly.“Get the hell out of here, Guk! I never want to see you again! I hate you!! I HATE YOU!”

He’s quiet on the other side for a moment before you feel the door move slightly as his hands move away. He’s gone. Gone. This is good. Is this good? This should be good. What are you feeling? Sad. Hurt. Confused. Miserable. Angry. Terrified. Like you want to climb into a dark pit to hide from the world and die. You slink to the floor and cry.~♥~Your father and mother had come home. You made up a story about BYG. You said you didn’t want to talk about it but that you fired him and didn’t want him back. They had asked questions but you danced around them. Almost protecting him. But why? Not even Miryo told about anything. She must feel conflicted as well.You spend the rest of the day in silence. In the bathroom. In the tub. Quiet. Your mind…blank.~♥~The next morning you make yourself get out of bed and go downstairs. No Guk to make breakfast. Mother and father are at the kitchen table. Mother with a book and tea and father with the newspaper and coffee. Miryo sits in silence and pushes her food around.“I guess I don’t mind getting rid of that kid anyways.” Your father suddenly says as you pour yourself some coffee. It’s nasty stuff but you will drink it anyways in hopes that it may improve your mood.“Hm.” You grunt in response.“He wasn’t much anyways.” He continues. “Just some high school dropout, good for nothing kid.”

“He had to drop out.” You mumble.“What?” father asks.“He had to drop out.” You say more clearly. “He lost his parents and has a younger brother. So he dropped out for work.”

Are you defending him?! You shake your head trying to clear your brain.“Hm, well anyways, like I said, we didn’t need him much. The boy didn’t do anything. Just got a security job because of his big physique. No REAL talent.”

“He has talent.” You say again and then bite your tongue.“Oh yeah? How so?” father asks.“He can uh… draw.” You mumble.“Oh yeah!” Miryo smiles for once. “He’s really, good, papa!”Father rolls his eyes. End of conversation.Miryo and you leave for school. You tell CL everything and wind up crying in the bathroom again. She’s a good comfort to you though. She listens well and doesn’t judge anything. She just sympathizes, which is what you need.You walk out to your car in silence after saying goodbye. You go to open the door when you hear feet behind you. You turn to see JunHyung. His backpack slung over one shoulder. He has a backpack? He’s smiling.“No body guard today?” he asks.“Uh, no.” you say.“Is he with Miryo?”“Um, we actually let him go.” You mumble.“Oh!” his eyes open in shock. “That… that wasn’t because of me was it?” he asks.“No. We decided we didn’t need one.” You shrug.“Oh.” He smiles again.You look back and force a smile as well.

Out of nowhere he steps up to you. Both his hands trap your face. He leans in and presses his lips to yours just for a second and then pulls back. Your eyes must be HUGE.“I just wanted to say thank you.” He smiles as he steps back.“For what?” you ask as you touch your lips with your hands.“Because of what you and I talked about at the dance on Wednesday, I was feeling pretty lousy. I went right up to Hara and told her off. Told her everything I felt. I basically repeated my song for her!” he laughs. “So then me and some guys decided to leave the party. You were right, it was stupid. We went to some nightclub. And… well… I met someone really nice.” He looks down to hide his blush. “She’s… amazing. A little older than me.” He laughs. “I’ve never felt like this before. But…I like her a lot. And I’m going to treat her well. Gosh, she’s just great.”You genuinely smile for him.“JunHyung, that’s great!” you exclaim.“Yeah, it is.” He gets shy as he reaches behind his head.“Who is it?” you ask.“Her name is Son Dambi.” He smiles at the name.“That’s a pretty name.” you smile back.“Yeah.” He says again and his eyes seem like they’re a million miles away. To wherever that lucky girl is. “So I just wanted to thank you for that.” He shrugs.“No problem.” You laugh.“See you around then.” He waves and he goes and you wave back.You are really happy for him. You’re still smiling when Miryo comes out and you drive home. But… you’re not only happy for JunHyung’s weird revelation of love. You’re happy about something else too. When he kissed you… there were no bells going off, no fireworks. Nothing. Sure you didn’t get those when Guk had kissed you, but at least your heart had pounded from inside and you felt strangely. But with JunHyung… nothing.But why is that good? Guk is gone. As he should be! And now JunHyung is gone too. And you feel incredibly alone. You feel confused. Tears build in your eyes and threaten you again. Your heart feels like it’s being slowly ripped apart into two pieces and it physically hurts.You pull up to the house and race inside. You run through the family and down the hall of the first floor. You go to the guest room and kick the door in. It’s orderly. No REAL possessions. An empty bed. A desk with papers. You walk over and seize them. Tears flow down your face with no control as you observe them. Pictures. Drawings. Of you. Of Miryo. Happy. It’s you smiling at the table. Another you with tears in your eyes. A picture of Miryo looking happy and as if she’s in the middle of telling a good story. The picture of the piano room. And one last picture. A picture of a meadow. A lake in the middle. A couple sits under a tree. A girl sitting on a guy’s lap, their hands intertwined. The girl is smiling at their hands and the man is smiling at her.Your knees give and you fall to the floor. You clutch your legs to your chest and cry.