Mirage

48

"I'm scared".

Haeun was looking straight into Sunwoo's dark orbs though she knew his focus was not on her. He might have looked calm but the gulp surely did not go unnoticed.

Sunwoo was dying to look at her as well but he was afraid. He feared if he did so, she could see the emotions he had been hiding for all this time.

"What are you scared of?" he laughed that sound so obviously fake. "It's daylight, no ghost would be chasing after you".

"You definitely know what I mean", Haeun's tone sounded stern in which Sunwoo felt the urge to give up. "Right?"

Right.

Of course he knew what she meant. Of course he was aware of what they would be talking about. They had been avoiding this topic for so long just because they were scared to face the reality.

Maybe right now they really needed to stop being delusional.

"I don't see any reasons for you to be scared", he assured despite the fact he himself was unsure. "You are in the waiting list for a donor and they have guaranteed that you'll be fine. So why must you feel scared?"

"Left has its right, front has its back and positive has its negative", she replied which had left Sunwoo stunned for a while.

How could she sound so genius even during this moment?

"And...." he trailed off, his head tilted to the right side.

"Are you always being optimistic Sunwoo?" she asked but then sighing when the boy seemed won't be answering. "What they have guaranteed is on the positive side but... if I don't get any donor, my condition will get worse and I..."

"So we just have to pray for the donor to appear anytime soon."

The way Sunwoo cut her before she could have finished truly prove that he was gaslighting her -in a good way at least.

He knew he was not in her shoes, he did not know the struggles, the anxiety she had been consumed. A lot of possibilities could happen whilst waiting yet she had been fed with positivity she knew very well probably won't be coming.

He understood how scary it would be.

But he had no choice either. He wanted her to survive this battle and live her life with him, together.

"Sunwoo.."

"No Haeun, listen to me", he desperately leaning closer to her, holding her cold hand. "I know it's hard for you to be assured if I say everything is fine because none of us know what will happen. But, you still have the chance. Hold onto that and never think of the worst, hmm?"

Meeting his hopeful eyes was dreadful. They were shining with hopes that Haeun felt bad if she needed to dim the light one day. How much darkness Sunwoo would be seeing this world as?

Sunwoo always had that power. Though he did not realize it, but his loving and hopeful gaze were always been the remedy to any sore heart.

She did not know if there was anyone who had experienced it, but she did. Just by looking into his eyes was enough to give her the comfort she needed.

"I don't know Sunwoo", she looked down on her lap, once a while glancing on her steady heart rate shown on her watch. "I have so many things to do with you but I'm afraid I can't".

"Hey", Sunwoo lifted her chin with his slender finger, drowning himself in the universe inside her eyes. "You and I need to experience how it is to be a campus couple. You know, I will make an announcement to the whole university that Kim Haeun is mine. I can't wait to see all the males fall down on their knees realizing that they don't have the chances".

Haeun finally laughed, already had the whole picture in her head. It must be so embarrassing but her boyfriend was him, of course he would do something to that extent.

"Besides.." he added. "I have a tryout this weekend and you have to be there. That's final".

"Weekend..."

Haeun seemed deep in thought. She did not have any plans so far but a part of her was hesitating.

Would she really be able to come?

Or did she actually have a forgotten plan?

Why it was hard to agree?

"Haeun..." Sunwoo seemed to notice the misery in her head. She rarely scrunched her brows but now she did. Obviously something was interrupting. "What is it?"

"Nothing", she flashed a small smile, shaking her had in the process. "I'll be there".

"Good".

"Okay lovebirds! We are back!"

At a really perfect time, the door widely opened, revealing Eric with a smug smile.

"Of course he needs to be back this soon", Sunwoo turned to the other direction to curse his short friend but Eric already excelled reading his body language.

"You're talking bad about me right?" he rushed to where the couple sat, confronting Sunwoo.

"Can you please lower your voice? My Haeun needs calmness", Sunwoo glared to the other boy, his thick lips moved with no sounds, hoping that Eric could have a little fear. But no.

"My Haeun...?" Eric was in disbelief, immediately clenching his stomach. "Jia, I'm feeling sick right now".

He reached for the other girl's shoulder, asking for support but Jia was not having it as she shoved him away.

"It's true though, you're so loud", she sat on the chair by the bed, flickering her gaze between the two. "What did you guys talk about? Or.. d-did y-you guys were on s-something before we come in?"

"No!"

Haeun felt a small attack on her heart by the last question, her cheeks heating up. She might not have any experiences in dating but she absolutely know what did Jia mean. Even Sunwoo was choking on the air.

"Sunwoo has a tryout this weekend. Wanna go?" Haeun asked after calming herself down in which her friend slumped back, thinking deeply which eventually had concluded the naughty idea in her head.

"I'd love to but I'm not sure..." her finger was placed on her chin, slightly tapping. "I've never been socialising too much but Sunwoo, you really a bad influence".

"That's mean!" Sunwoo grumbled.

"She's correct", Eric chimed in from the floor, already sitting in a comfortable posture. "My mom has been asking since when I've been interested in soccer".

"That's because she knows you would never fit in", Sunwoo glared, his eyes were bigger. "That's why she asked you to focus on academics instead".

"Oh shut up!"

"Why must I?"

"Okay we really need to tone down", Haeun breathed out, her head was spinning from the loudness filling in the room.

She definitely did not know that the combination of Eric and Sunwoo would be resulted with chaos.

But somehow she would like to see it more. She wanted to unveil more sides of her friends that she probably had not seen yet. She wanted to take note every details of them that maybe she had missed out.

For she wanted to secure it in a treasure of good memories.

Because nobody know when she would stop seeing it.