He Started It by Hitting on Me

Hea Won and I

I was given the chance to go first; because Key promised me he would let me go first. No one objected because they knew better than to argue with me. So I went. I placed my hand on the doorknob, my hand being steady and slow at its pace. I stared at the doorknob. It was a metallic golden color. I looked back at the door. And I opened it.
The door was opened halfway when I stuck my head in. I looked around and my eyes landed on the hospital bed. In the hospital bed, there was a small limp figure looking out the window. She was staring out with a blank expression on her face but when she heard the door open, her head slowly turned towards my direction.
Her eyes met mine and an instant smile spread on her face.
"Mi Young?"
I did not answer her. Instead, I stared at her and kept my head poking out from the door. My body was too afraid to move. My eyes never moved away from their position as they stared at her. She picked up her hand and weakly motioned for me to come forward. I kept staring. She gestured again. "Come," she whispered.
I moved an inch. She smiled a bit more. "Come," she said again. I moved another inch.
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GO IN-" Someone kicked my and pushed me in. My body stumbled forward and my arms went all over the place. The door closed shut and I heard a couple of mutters behind the door.
Whoever the that was, I'll deal with him later. I stood in front of the hospital bed, awkwardly scratching my arm while looking at the floor. I couldn't even bring myself up to look at her.
There was a small silence between us in the room, the only sound being the birds from outside. Sunshine was streaming through the window, but it didn't help the hollow pit in my stomach.
When I found out she was awake, a huge wave of relief washed over me. She was going to live. So there was nothing to worry about. So why was I reluctant about this? I dug my foot onto the floor as I scratched my arm.
"Mi Young."
Squish, scratch, squish, scratch, squish, scratch, squish, scratch, squish-
"Mi Young."
"What."
"Talk to me."
"I am talking."
"I want you to really talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind."
I looked up at her. Her pale hollow face stared back at me. "You knew what could have happened to you," I say.
She nodded once. "Yes, I do-"
"Then why'd you do it? Look where you are now."
"I didn't know it was going to happen-"
"But you said you knew what could've happened yet you still went for it."
She sighed. "Mi Young, it was unexpected-"
"But you would have been safer if Key was with you!" I yelled out. "You would have at home now, safe and free of injuries. But look where the you are now. You're here in the hospital!"
She gave me a strained look. "Please, Mi Young-"
"You were so healthy Hea Won. So healthy and now you're so freaking weak and fragile and-"
"Mi Young, it was unexpected. I didn't know it was going to happen," Hea Won tried to yell, but her voice was hoarse.
"And you never moved once when I kept an eye on you-"
"Mi Young, please-"
"And Key was broken into pieces-"
"Mi Young, please!" Hea Won pleaded.
"You were bloody. You were bloody all over. I saw so many scratches and your blood was dark. It was so dark. It was all over you and you looked dead. You seemed to be dead. It was scary. It was scary because this was the second time you were in here. But this time, it looked worse. Much worse. The thought that you were going to die was just..." And I couldn't continue anymore. My mind was full of images of Hea Won without a heartbeat. She was lying lifeless on the hospital bed. I was shaking her but she wouldn't wake up. Her eyes would be glazed while looking up at the ceiling while I shake her mindlessly, screaming for her to wake up. Wake up! I'd scream. Hea Won, wake up! Wake up! She's not going to wake up...
I threw my hand in the air. "You were going to die..." I trailed off, my voice cracking. My voice. Does. Not. Crack.
Hea Won stared at me with her huge eyes, both surrounded by tears. Tears were glazing her pupils but they didn't roll down her cheeks. "Mi Young... please don't," she whispered.
I rubbed one of my eyes even though there were no tears. "You... you were going to... di... die-"
"I'm not dying, am I? Do you see me dead? Do I look dead?" she asked.
"Yes," I muttered. She smiled at me. Her face may look hollow and dreadful, but her smile showed courage and confidence. The same smile before the car accident.
"I'm not dead. And I'm not going to die. You shouldn't get so worked up about it, Mi Young. I knew you were worrying but I hate it when you worry. You are a total mess. I always want the strong Mi Young to show on the outside. And also on the inside. You have to be strong, Mi Young. What will happen if we do separate? What are you going to do Mi Young? You can't crumble and think about such horrible things. You won't benefit from that. You need to be strong."
I looked at the floor.
"If something happens, I want you to be strong. I want you to overcome the obstacles that stand in your way. If they want to start war with you, I want you to fight back with all your might. Don't let them overtake you. For 11 years, this is what you've been doing. I don't want you to stop now or later. If you do, I'll never forgive you. And that is a promise," Hea Won added.
I looked up at her again. She was staring at me with a stare that read confidence and potential. She thought I had the potential to be strong and she was confident that I am strong. Was I? Was I really strong? Or was I a coward who didn't know who she really was and won't try to find out what kind of person she really is. What would I be able to do in the time I have left in my life that will show Hea Won, I was going to be strong through thick and thin, no matter what the consequences will be. How do I show her? How?
There was only one way for now to show Hea Won. I walked up towards her bed and bent forward. She stared up at me. I stared back at her and I returned the look of confidence and potential she had given me. I raised my eyebrows. "There's no other answer than yes, is there?" I asked.
She grinned at me. "You got that right ."
I smiled at her remark and threw my arms around her, unable to stop the urge from hugging her. She immediately put her arms around me, but her grip was not as strong as it should be. I squeezed my eyes shut and held her tighter. If she weren't in the hospital... this wouldn't have happened. But she's alive now.
Hea Won will always be my best friend. No matter what the consequences might be and through thick and thin, Hea Won would always be my best friend.
I had no doubt in that.
"Please don't get in to another accident. Promise me that. Please," I said, waiting for her response.
She stayed silent for a while, her breathing and the bird's chirping and flapping being the only sounds available. I waited for her to respond back to me, wanting her to say the answer already. Suddenly, her grip tightened around my neck.
"I promise."
And the constant bird's chirping immediately stopped.
NOBODY'S POV
Jonghyun swung his legs back and forth. He stared at the floor as he kept playing around with his legs. He and the others were relieved Hea Won was awake and alive. When Jonghyun saw the worried expressions on Key and Mi Young's faces, he couldn't help but to feel the same worried feeling. He disliked the concerned faces his friends put up because it ached him to see them so lost and upset. They held a place in his heart.
Jonghyun tilted his head to the side. What were they doing in there? Mi Young was given the chance to go first because she was the most anxious one out of the group. Besides Key, Mi Young was the closest to Hea Won. They were the best of friends. Jonghyun furrowed his eyes. Why couldn't he be Mi Young's best friend? He knew he was acting inconsiderate in the situation, but if they met each other when they were little, maybe Mi Young would have acted the way she acts with Key or Hea Won. To Jonghyun, it sucked not being part of Mi Young's past. He did not realize that the present was better than the past.
Jonghyun turned his head to the side. He found Key sitting emotionless, his eyes fixed to the door. Jonghyun stared at the door as well. "You okay?" he asked quietly. Key turned his head to face Jonghyun. He nodded.
"Yeah."
"Then don't look like that."
"Like what?"
"You look sad behind those glazed eyes," Jonghyun replied, gesturing to Key's eyes. Key blinked twice.
"Is it gone?" he asked.
Jonghyun shrugged. "Not sure. It still looks... sad." Key rolled his eyes.
"Whatever Jonghyun. I'm not sad. I'm relieved."
"I know that,'' Jonghyun voiced.
"She'll still be here and I'm glad that she won't be going. It makes me... happy, you know..." he trailed off.
"I'm pretty sure there's another word for happy. You just can't find it," Jonghyun commented.
Key smirked. "When did you get so witty? You were yelling at me almost half an hour ago," Key, said.
Jonghyun shrugged. "I gave up ing on you because I saw that you still loved Hea Won."
"Now why in the world would I stop loving Hea Won?" Key asked.
"There's a possibility for everything," Jonghyun shrugged.
"Yeah, like how the biggest player in school falls for an uninterested, violent girl," Key retorted. Jonghyun placed a finger to Key's lips.
"Ssh! Not so loud! She might have cat-like ears!" Jonghyun whispered. Key rolled his eyes.
"Have you even thought about confessing?" Key asked.
Jonghyun shrugged. "I've tried once-"
Key gasped. "Oh my god, when?" he asked quickly. He was desperate for juicy details between his close friends. He has always wanted something between them, ever since finding out about Jonghyun's feelings but both of them were too dense to do anything. It annoyed him to hell yet he stayed put with it. He knew one day or sooner one of them would accept the fact they liked the other. And of course, it would not be Mi Young.
Jonghyun scratched his head. "Yesterday..."
"Yesterday?! When?" Key asked.
"Before you called and ruined everything," Jonghyun spat.
Instead of pouting and groaning in frustration, Key smirked and pretended to pop his collar. "Well you know how I am," Key smiled.
Jonghyun nodded once. "Yes I do. An inconsiderate, selfish, conceited, ugly-"
"You wanna call me ugly one more time?" Key asked menacingly, his glare darkening each second he stared at Jonghyun. Jonghyun's eyes widened and he put his hands up.
"No ma'am," Jonghyun muttered. He honestly did not want to make Key angry. What's worse than seeing Key act like Key is he being mad. That was not such a pretty sight to see. Key's death glare softened and he sighed.
"So... back to our conversation... when do you plan to confess?" Key asked.
Jonghyun shrugged. "I don't know Key. I really don't know. I don't want her to confess and then get rejected. There's a 99 percent chance that'll happen," Jonghyun sighed, disappointed with what was true. Key shrugged.
"Maybe she'll feel the same way," Key encouraged. Both Key and Jonghyun knew there was a slim chance of Mi Young liking him back. But all he could do was hope for now. Key kept on talking.
"If she liked you back, I'm pretty sure it won't be all lovey-dovey and she won't be so sweet with you. You'll be lucky just to get a hug," Key rambled on. Jonghyun's hopes instantly fell. Key was obviously right. Mi Young wouldn't want to do the things Jonghyun would like to do. They wouldn't kiss all the time, they wouldn't give each other back hugs, and they wouldn't text each other cheesy messages. They would not be able to do any of those things. Mi Young was a person who detested romance. And that caused Jonghyun to fall in a sea of depression. Key helped no less.
"And I mean think about it: what if you and Mi Young get married?"
Jonghyun furrowed his eyes. "Married?" And his imagination takes over his thoughts.
20 years later
A cramped apartment was filled with smoke and the strong scent of moldy pizza. Flies buzzed around the over-piled trashcan that didn't seem like a trashcan anymore. A figure in the kitchen sat on one of the chairs, his gaze on the dirty table. The water pit-patted behind him by the sink. The man, now in his late 30s, heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway.
He kept staring at the table. The other figure sat down in one of the chairs, her stomach overlapping under her extra large T-shirt. She coughed a bit and took a drag on her cigarette. The man looked up barely from his staring. He looked at the oversized woman in front of him. She coughed more until looking at the sink.
"Where's my food?" she asked.
The man stared at her. Hesitating, he answered, "It's your turn to make it."
The woman stared at him with flames in her eyes. "Why should I make it? I'm the wife. You're the husband. You make it."
"I can't cook," the man answered calmly.
"There's a reason why cookbooks are in this world," she barked. The woman gave out a sigh and opened a pink plain box on the table. She stared blankly at it. "Where's the last crème puff?" she asked.
The man looked at her. He hesitated before answering her. "I... ate it," he replied. The woman stared at him with a ferocious glare.
She looked away as she took another drag on her cigarette. "Sadistic bastard," she muttered.
"You ate the last five!" the man yelled, his blank stare unfaltering. "I don't get to eat anything because your fat wolfs down everything. I mean look at me: My head is eating itself!" the guy pointed at his balding scalp.
The woman just stared at him. "Like I said before, sadistic bastard," she said. And she took another drag on her cigarette.
End.
Jonghyun's eyes twitched uncontrollably and his head was balanced on one side. He looked at Key, who was staring at him with concern in his eyes. "Oh my god. I'm going to have a fat as a wife," Jonghyun said.
Key furrowed his eyes. "What the hell did you think about?" he asked.
Jonghyun shook his head slowly. "It's better if I say nothing."
"Hey Key, she wants to see you now," Mi Young announced, stepping out of the room. She had her bored expression back on her face and her arms were folded. Key nodded and got up, giving Jonghyun a reassuring pat before leaving. Key entered the room and closed the door behind him.
Mi Young turned her head to Jonghyun, who was touching his head carefully. Mi Young tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong with you?" she sighed. Jonghyun looked up and felt a wave of sadness come over him.
"Nothing. I just checking if I still have hair," Jonghyun replied, covering his embarrassment from Mi Young. His cheeks were burning, but it seemed like Mi Young could not see it because she didn't say anything about it.
Mi Young raised an eyebrow. "Hm." She walked over to Jonghyun and sat in Key's empty seat. Jonghyun's heart beat wildly.
"So... had uh, fun with Hea Won?" Jonghyun asked. He slapped himself mentally for asking in such a wrong way. Mi Young furrowed her eyes and stared at him.
Jonghyun shook his head. "Yeah I know. It came out wrong. What I meant was... did you and Hea Won talk?" Jonghyun asked. Mi Young nodded.
"She's okay." Mi Young really didn't have anymore to say, as there really was nothing to say. What was between her and Hea Won was their private conversation; no one needed to know about it. Jonghyun nodded. The other boys were trying to find ice cream because Taemin was going crazy. There was a girl in his dance class that seemed to bother him. The girl was always saying hi to him and made small talk with him, which drove Taemin to insanity.
"Why can't that woman leave me alone? She keeps saying hi! What's her problem?" Taemin would keep saying. It wasn't a problem at all, but Taemin found it annoying.
Jonghyun coughed a bit. "So..." he trailed off.
"Hm?" Mi Young asked.
Jonghyun bit his lip. "What if... uh, say a guy, had feelings for uh... a girl? Like you. What would you do?" Jonghyun asked, trying not to sound obvious. Mi Young raised an eyebrow.
"That guy must be desperate then," Mi Young answered. Jonghyun gaped at her.
"What do you mean by desperate?" he asked, curious.
"Well, I've never really seen a guy who would like me. All guys fall for the es and whores out in the world. I'd be the only one left without a guy, which is no problem. So who would like me? There a plenty of es to go around," Mi Young explained.
Jonghyun nodded slightly. "But what if a guy liked you for your personality?" he asked.
"That's the funniest thing I've ever heard," Mi Young stated bluntly.
Jonghyun couldn't help but to smile. It was funny to him how the way she said it. "Okay, but what if? What if someone liked your y personality?" he asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you wanna know all of a sudden?" she asked.
"I'm just wondering," he answered; pleading silently she could move on to another topic.
She tilted her head to the side. "It can't be that you like me, is it?" she asked, smirking. Jonghyun shook his head furiously, a blush failing to stay away from his face.
"That's disgusting! I wouldn't like you even if all the whores and es died," Jonghyun lied.
Mi Young rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. So why the sudden curiosity?" she asked.
"Well... it would be surprising if a guy liked you. You're not easy to like."
She nodded. "Yeah. That guy must be ridiculous to like me," Mi Young sighed.
Jonghyun's face fell. "Yeah. Ridiculous. Ha," he laughed weakly.
Mi Young nodded. "Well anyway... you were going to tell me something before?" Mi Young asked. Jonghyun's heart flipped once.
"W-what?" he asked.
"You were going to ask me something before we came here. You said something about confessing? Now that everything is okay, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Mi Young asked.
Ah . I thought she would forget. Jonghyun waved his hand. "It's nothing," he sighed carelessly. I'll tell you when the time's right.
Suddenly, rapid footsteps started to come their way. "Hyung! Noona! I got ice cream!" Taemin yelled, waving two ice cream cones in his hands. He ran towards them and stopped in front of their faces. He held out the ice cream cones. "Look how beast ice cream is." Ice cream was oozing down his hands.
"Taemin-ah, eat it. It's melting," Jonghyun grumbled, annoyed that Taemin shoved ice cream in his face. He was also annoyed that Taemin had ruined his limited time with Mi Young.
Taemin brought the ice cream cone to his face. "Oh. I see. I can fix that!" Taemin unraveled his tongue out of his mouth and began to the sticky liquid from his hand. Jonghyun scrunched his nose up in disgust. Mi Young wasn't even looking at Taemin. Taemin gave out a sigh when he was done. He held out the ice cream towards Jonghyun's face.
"I'm done!" he exclaimed. Jonghyun shoved his hand away.
"Move it away from my face," Jonghyun muttered. Taemin stared at him. He put the ice cream back in front of Jonghyun's face. Jonghyun shoved his hand again. Taemin put the cone in front of his face again. Jonghyun shoved his hand away. Taemin put it back in place. Jonghyun shoved it away. Taemin put it back in place. Jonghyun shoved it away.
"Damn it Taemin, can you stop?" Jonghyun growled.
Taemin blinked at Jonghyun. He turned his head to Mi Young. "Noona, should I stop?" he asked.
"No," Mi Young mumbled.
Taemin turned his head back to Jonghyun. "There's your answer," he replied. Jonghyun gaped at Mi Young in disbelief.
"What the hell?" he roared. Mi Young shrugged. She smirked a little.
"It's fun to see you get so worked up," Mi Young commented. Jonghyun's cheeks burned with crimson but his eyes were fuming.Is this way saying she thinks I'm cute when I'm mad? Well? Is it? He thought. Jonghyun opened his mouth.
"Yah, you -"
"Jonghyun. Hea Won wants to see you," Key popped out of nowhere. He had a small mark on his neck. He stood behind Taemin, who jumped to the sudden voice.
"Hyung, you scared me!" Taemin yelled, clutching his heart.
Jonghyun blinked. "She wants to see me?" he asked. "Why?"
Key shrugged. "She told me to call you in. Get in there," Key ordered.
Jonghyun furrowed his eyes as he got up slowly from his seat, making his way towards the opened door of Hea Won's hospital room. He stepped inside and started to close the door behind him. Before he closed the door, he heard Taemin giggling, "Now it's just Noona and me."
And a smack came shortly after. "Ow! Hyung!" Taemin whined.
"Taemin, stop being ed," Key ordered. Key began to nag and nag. Mi Young sighed.
"I want a crème puff..." she mumbled.
JONGHYUN'S POV