I Hate Me, Too | Han Seojun

6

What if I wasn't rude to her that day? What if I didn't judge her so quickly?

Did I kill her from the start?

-

I stare outside the window, watching the sun set. My vision focuses in on my reflection in the window; I scowl. I hear a few mumbles coming from someone, followed by a loud thud. I jump a little from the sudden noise.

"Why won't you just do what I want?" I hear a frustrated voice say. I bite my tongue, refraining from saying anything rude. I think I've done enough damage for today. "Ugh, I swear to g-" They pause. "Forget it." I hear them say.

I turn away from the window, looking at who they were. It was girl, in a hospital gown, wearing a frown on her face. She snatches the money back from the machine and crumples it in her hand. She lets out a sigh and takes a deep breath in and releases a shaky one. I roll my eyes. Is she really that upset?

"Do you need help?" I ask before I even processed myself wanting to say anything.

She turns to look at me, her annoyed expression morphing into a tired one.

"You can try." She says in a defeated tone.

She holds out the bill. I bite the inside of my cheek and stand up. I stand up, letting out a small groan, and walk over to her. I take the bill from her hand.

"You crumpling it isn't going to help." I mumble as I try to flatten out the bill.

I hear her let out a small chuckle. I look up at her through my eyelashes. Her smile is pretty.

"I may or may not let my anger get the best of me from time to time." She admits.

I crack a small smile and insert the bill into the slot. It takes it. I turn to her and see her shocked expression.

"I think it notices." She scoffs and crosses her arms in disbelief. "What flavor?" I ask.

She snaps out of her amazement and looks at me.

"Oh, uh, the red one."

"Red isn't a flavor." I retort.

I press the button for the drink and wait as it dispenses.

"Well, it doesn't taste like cherry or any other red things, so what do you expect me to say?" She asks.

I shrug my shoulders as I grab the drink. I hold it out for her to take.

"Not sure. Crap?" I suggest.

She rolls her eyes and scoffs.

"Fine." She says taking the drink from my hand.

I smirk as she opens it. She takes a sip, she develops a look on her face as if she's analyzing the drink for the first time. She smacks her lips a few times and takes another sip, this time slurping it. I cringe and roll my eyes.

"Is the flavor really that hard to tell?" I ask, becoming annoyed.

She looks at me, as though I just interrupted her thought process.

"It tastes like... red." She says.

I raise an eyebrow.

"Red?"

She nods her head.

"Guess I figured it out. Now I know for future reference." She says, turning around.

She begins to walk away and I stand there, confused by the interaction I just encountered. She turns back to look at me, raising the drink in a cheers motion before continuing to leave. I scoff and look at the machine from the corner of my eye. I turn to look at it fully and squint as I try to read the label on the can from the picture.