Thirteen Days [2/3]
Part 2. Were you really Yunho’s friend?
Days later since we met for the first time, I keep on coming to the playground after school. Sometimes Yunho came first and sometimes I’m the one who came first. We never made any appointments, our meetings in the playground were purely coincidence since I kind of took a liking to the park and maybe Yunho too since he live here longer than me.
At first, I thought Yunho was a noisy, over-confident child since he dare to call me girly and oh whatever back then, but then I found out on our next meetings that he’s kind of quiet. And yes, we rarely talk with each other, unless I initiated the conversation and then he will start talking about everything until I had to make him stop. But lately, we started to get knowing with each other even though he will choose the monkey bars rather than started a proper conversation with me. Yes, yes, of all our chatting sessions, I was still the one who initiated it. Yunho maybe would never open his mouth if I never bugged him to answer my irritating questions. Much to my liking, hehe.
He told me that he is a second child with a younger sister and an older brother. His father is a native here but his mother is a Japanese that’s why his eyes is more slanted than most people here though I never even once realized that if he never told me. Oh and they live about two blocks from here, in the only house with a big tree in front of it, near the river, he even invited me to play to his house when I have a time later.
But one thing that I did notice from Yunho’s was, he never told me about himself. He was always talking about everyone and everything around him but barely about himself. I don’t know why but I wouldn’t mind as long as he’ll still befriend with me.
~March 7th 1996
I was busy writing down the notes when suddenly I feel a gush of wind passed behind my back.
‘Kim… Jae…’ I heard someone’s called my name but when I felt I get goosebumps right after I heard it, I know it right away. It must be them.
I tried to focused on my note back by taking a deep breath but to no avail, I couldn’t. The voice came closer.
‘Jae…’
It was standing right behind my back, I can feel it tough I can’t bring myself to turned my head to see it-I was too scared.
I gripped my pencil and gulped my saliva in fear. Trying to repeat the words that umma said could motivated my subconscious to get back to normal state-it usually worked, but I didn’t know, the spirit seems to get me a little more distracted. I couldn’t calm myself.
‘Jae… joong…’
It wouldn’t go away and kept repeating my name
‘Kim… Jae…’
I felt my braveness level has decreased as the voice got louder and louder as if it wanted to burst my ear. I closed my eyes unconsciously and clasped my hands tightly under the table.
‘Please-please make it go away.’
“Umma…”
“…Joong-ah?” After some moment, I couldn’t hear the scary voice anymore. It changed into a woman’s voice and it wasn’t as breathy as the scary voice before. It was a woman’s voice with a clear worry in her voice.
It sounds like my teacher’s voice.
I braced myself to open my eyes slowly and I could see a woman with bangs and tied hair bent down slightly in front of my table.
Baek-songsaengnim was staring at me with a frown on her beautiful face. She tried to call my name again and unclasped my hand from each other.
“Ne, songsaengnim?” I tried to answer her with a soft voice. She smiled when she got my voice to hear. She held one of my hands and asked, “Are you okay?”
I nodded slowly, the fear was still holding on me with it black hands. My body was still trembled and beads of sweat still dripping from my chin, no matter how hard I tried to wipe it out. I saw Baek-songsaengnim pulled out something like a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe my sweat off. She also took my water bottle to get me to drink. After that, she squatted in front of me and said, “Just focus on your study, okay? Tell me if you feel queasy again.”
“I’m sorry, songsaengnim.” And she then left to continue to teach again.
It, was already gone.
“I heard someone saw him in the park near the gas station, talking, by himself.”
“Yes, yes, my friend even said he spotted him on there playing alone when he crossed the park on evening!”
“He’s getting worse!”
Gathering my stuffs inside the bags, I could hear murmurs behind my back. I bet they’re in the middle of bad-talking me. Who else, if it wasn’t me? It was all because of that damn spirit! Oh yeah, stupid kids, I was with Yunho everyday, hello. Are they blind or what?
~March 13th 1996
Yi Fan, the new transferred student from Canada put a dead li-pip- inside my bag. It was really ugly, its limbs torn up and ugh… I didn’t know what he did to that nasty looking li-pip-. I knew it was him who did it because he came to hit my head from the back while running right after I found it. It’s hurt, but I didn’t really feel it because my big problem was the li-pip- inside my bag!
And the good news was that I found it with my bare hand! My bare right hand!
I was looking for my handkerchief when I felt something flabby stuck onto my pinkie. And I swear, half of my school population could hear my screaming because li-pip- is like my top three of things that I hate the most. I bet it was Dai’s order since Yi Fan made friends with him and the others on his first day at school.
I only took some of my books and my pencil case. The bag, water bottle, lunch box and the others, I left them all t the school backyard before I ran away to the usual place. I don’t care of what would happen to it.
As usual I went under the slides and immediately got bored five minutes after sitting my butt on there. Scratching up my head, I took my book and thinking of drawing something. Without realizing, as my hand made up and connecting all the lines, my mouth muttering, grumbling and complaining about what those boys did to me. That was when I heard a giggle and I saw Yunho popped his head up beside me.
“Jaejoongie?”
“I bet you’re crying again.” He had that goofy smile which weirdly I liked. I frowned at him but he wouldn’t seem to get bugged by it. I turned my head back to my drawing, tried to ignore his teasing.
Some minutes has passed, I heard him walking off from my castle. I only shrugged and continue to draw.
‘…joong is a crybaby~’ By the time I gathered my pencil to the pencil case, I heard Yunho singing about something and when I turned my head to his direction, I saw him in the middle of the sandy field and he was dancing by moving his folded arms like a chicken flapping its wings.
“Jaejoong is a crybaby~”
I swear, I thought he was going off to the monkey bars as usual! That Yunho!
“Jaejoong is a crybaby~ Jaejoongie is a crybaby~”
I stood immediately and run to stop his embarrassing antics. My hands reached out to pull his shirt and he stopped right after the first tug.
“Yunho, see! I didn’t cry! See!”
Yunho was looking at me with an amused face. He was making faces and I tried to give him my best glare. But I think it was not scary at all because he started laughing again and said, “But you’re sulking. Owlie is sulking.”
I tightened my grip on his shirt. Tugging on his shirt harder.
“I’m not an owl!”
“Girly it is then,” answered him back. His smirk never left his lips.
And yes, that was when I never felt this desperate by his teasings. He tend to act stupid and teasing me whenever he could is like his newfound hobby-he said so, but getting teased by him when I, myself, did not shedding any tears was like opening the old wounds to me. It’s like, he’s going to be one of them. Yunho’s going to teased and bully me like all of them. Yunho’s not going to be my friend anymore!
“I’m not crying! And I’m a boy, Yunho!” Without realizing, I was screaming my reply out and pushed him until he tumbled and fell backward.
I could feel my eyes started to get wet but before I could bring my hands to wipe it out, a pair of arms circled my body and I know, I was hugged by Yunho.
“Sorry, Jaejoongie. ‘M, sorry…”
Knowing that he didn’t really mean his teasing that way, I then let myself to give in his embrace. I leaned on his chest and hugged him back. I was releasing my tears of anger and dejected feeling of this noon li-pip- accident out on him without talking. I know Yunho could understand. He is my friend, after all.
“Boys do not crying and sulking under the slides, Jaejoong. Only girls do.” His voice that resounded on his chest, was sounds like a lullaby for me. I never felt like this, umma. No friends of mine had treated and make me feel as good as it feels.
No, no, Joongie was just too paranoid. Yunho’s not going to be one of them.
Yunho is still my friend…
After my cry has subsided, I started talking even it sounds more like a mumbling.
“Yifan put a dead li-pip- in my bag, Yunho, and I hatehatehate li-pip- the most!” Yunho’s hands that were busy on my face-wiping out the tears, stopped and he stared at me at confusion.
“Li-pip-? What’s that?”
“It’s li-pip-, Yunho! I don’t want to say that l-word!” My answer came out real quick and Yunho sighed at my stubbornness. He scratched his back of neck.
“I’m sorry, ne, Jaejoongie? For what I did and what I had said.” I nodded at his words and he smiled at me back while replied, “What can I do, Jaejoongie? I was born with this ability to make someone cry by my teasing. I used to tease my girl friends and would not stop before they started to cry, you know.”
“You are meanie, Yunho!”
“Just… don’t make me sad again, Yunnie-ya…”
“Yunnie-ya?” I felt something wet and cold touched my left cheek and before I got my consciousness back from the sudden touch, Yunho bent down to peck on my lips. “It’s cute, Jaejoong. You’re cute!” he said with a smile and then he walked off of me.
I widened my eyes in surprise. WHAT? WHAT? WHAAT?? Did Yunho just kissed me? Yunho… kissed Joongie?!!
As I heard him screaming, “Johahae~” I covered my mouth with my hand and turned away from his sight. I didn’t want to see him. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I could feel my cheeks heated and I bet I was looking like a tomato right now. Umma, Joongie is so embarrassed!!!
“Eh Jaejoongie-yah, let’s play on the sand~” Yunho called for me but I wouldn’t bugged. I was still embarrassed and just like what I’d said before, I don’t to see him!
“Come on~”
We spent the rest of evening by on our own-I was still embarrassed so I refused to play together with him and Yunho just shrugged in respond, walking to his monkey bars as soon as I finished my word. And after that, he accompanied me back home. We were walking home hand in hand.
Yunho is still… my friend, but… does… friend kissing his friend on the lips?
~March 17th 1996
‘My house is a house painted in blue colour. It’s the only house in the neighborhood that has a big tree in front of it and a swing attached to one of its branch. You can see my hyung playing with my little sister when you crossed in front of them on evening.’
I’m on my way to Yunho’s house~ I am really excited since it is my first time exploring Gwangju further and I’m not feeling any slightest fear! Haha
Me and Yunho was supposed to meet on the usual place on Thursday. It’s our first time for making such appointment we’ve made on that day but he didn’t come yet I waited for him until the sun’s setting. I kind of disappointed by him but then a thought of him having some sickness caused by his own recklessness-oh man, he has that tendency!, came to me and make me worried instead of angry.
Yeah, and beside of that, can’t I visited my own boyfriend’s house? Kekeke such a naughty Joongie, it is as if Yunho’s pecks on the other day were a sign of us being a boyfriend and… uh, boyfriend?
Ah, mollayo!
After almost an hour walking aimlessly and have my head looking on the right and the left side, I spotted a house that fitted with his house. It seriously painted in blue colour. A very big tree in the house’s frontyard. And umm… I spotted a swing! Perfect! It’s really Yunho’s house!
I had my head peeking behind the wall while I felt someone tapped my shoulder from behind. It was a boy older than me and he had some plastic bags in his hand.
“Little boy? Are you searching for someone in this house?” He is soo tall! Seriously, I’m only his chest high!
“I am… umm… looking for Yunho.” The boys nodded at my answer, “I am his hyung.”
Ah, suddenly I remember Yunho once told me that he have an older brother and a younger sister, so I could guess that this tower is Yunho’s brother. What was his name that Yunho told me? Umm… I can’t remember…
“Is… is this… Yunho’s house?” I saw him kneeled to my height and patted my head before throwing a smile.
“Yes… you were his friend?” I nodded several times and I saw him stands up.
“Come in, come in.” He then held my hand and brought me inside the house.
“I see you aren’t his school friend. I never saw you before,” asked him as we kept moving inside the house. I beamed when I answered his question, “Yes, I met him in the park near here. He helped me to clean my wound and we are friends since then!” I got a smile as a reply again. We stopped in front a room that looks like a kitchen. He released my hand and then he put his plastic bags above the table before calling for someone,
“Umma! A friend of Yunho is coming!”
“Really, Jihoon-ah?”
I bowed to introduce myself to Yunho’s mother and give her my best smile. She was really a Japanese! I could tell because I have some relatives in Japan and they all looked like Yunho’s umma.
“Annyeonghaseyo, Kim Jaejoong imnida.”
The woman put down the bowl she was holding and washing her hands immediately. She reached me and brought her hands to hold on to my cheeks.
“Were you really Yunho’s friend?”
Omake
“Eh, what were you drawing, by the way? Elephant?”
“It’s Jiji, Yunho, my cat!”
“Elephant? How could it be a cat? It has trunk!”
“Yunho!!!”
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The next is going to be the final chapter!! Finally, I can almost finish my story. Hahaha usually I would get stuck in the middle of it~
Ah but my internship would start by Monday and I don’t know when would I post the final chapter. Hope that I’ll get plenty of times to write it and updated my other story too. Thanks for reading, sorry if this chapter is getting weirder or the words make you confused, I always said that I am bad at grammar (I never even once reached a B+ at grammar eventho I got plenty of A at trans and vocab. TT) So, forgive me, ne?
p.s. The li-pip- is lizard, because this fic is using 1st point of view, so Jaejoong didn’t want to say that cursed word. Haha
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Title: Thirteen Days
Rating: PG
Pairing: YunhoXJaejoong
Genre: Angst
Summary: Jaejoong was born with a sixth sense and nobody wants to become his friend. When Yunho come and saves his day, what would he exactly feel? Would it be his happiness or just lead him to another sadness?
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