Amelioration || Choi Jiung

3

It was cold today so mom made me dress warmly before going out.

She was right, the wind blowing on my face was so cold that it almost hurts, when I got on the train for a bit too long, it's so warm that it started to get a bit suffocating.

I shook off the feeling despite feeling like I can't breathe well. I often feel like this in the morning, sleepy and suffocated. I still feel uncomfortable being stuck in a train full of people though, no matter how I'm used to it.

Trying to distract myself from thinking of the mock exam I'll be doing today, I turned my focus to the advertisement playing on the screens of the train. It's talking about blood donation.

Oh, nice, I've always wanted to donate blood. But why did I start feeling dizzy? And I felt my head getting hot. Am I scared? No way! Don't be a coward, Chaerin. It's just blood. You're not scared of blood.

However, just right after I blinked and opened my eyes, the only thing I saw was the floor on the train.

Wait... what? I'm on the floor? Why am I on the floor?

Without noticing, some passengers helped me get up from the floor.

I fainted? When? For how long? Why didn't I know that I fainted? I didn't even realize that I lost consciousness.

I felt a strong grip on my arm and my shoulders got lighter all of a sudden as my school bag was taken off me, and I was brought to sit down on a seat that probably someone gave.

Shit, this is embarrassing. Can't believe that I fainted on the train because of the thought of donating blood.

My head was still spinning and hurting, and my vision was a bit blurry, but I could hear a guy's voice next to me, talking to the other passengers. I think I heard his voice somewhere before, but I was still too dizzy to even open my eyes, let alone look at him.

Soon, I felt someone fanning my face with probably some paper or book and I felt so much better.

At this moment, the announcement on the train was playing that we're about to arrive at the next station.

The guy next to me spoke to me. "Is it okay if we get off at this station?" he asked gently.

I weakly nodded.

By the time we got off the train, I have surprisingly fully recovered. I wonder what happened to me. However, the guy who sat next to me on the train still insisted on helping me carry my bag and held my arm just in case I will faint again.

When I looked at who was the one who helped me, I widened my eyes in shock.

It's the same boy I met from the hospital back then.

He noticed my reaction, and smiled.

We sat down on one of the benches inside the train station. Before I could speak, he spoke first.

"How are you feeling right now?" he asked, his voice deep and gentle.

"I feel perfectly fine now," I replied, "maybe it was a bit suffocating inside the train just now."

"Did you get hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head.

"Are you sure? You didn't injure your head or your face, right?" He helped me fix my hair, which probably got messy from the fall, and at the same time checked for any injuries.

I didn't dare to move nor breathe, and I was looking everywhere but at his direction. He still looked just as handsome as the last time I saw him. Despite it being quite some time ago, I didn't forget about him. Encounters with strangers are always pretty memorable for me.