The Keeper's Destiny

CHAPTER 3 | THE RED EYE

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The drive home is quick and painless. Well, kind of.

You've given yourself a headache from thinking so hard. You sit on the couch, not wanting to move; not wanting to breathe.

What just happened?

There's not even enough energy in you to try and think it out, so you decide to call Sungji and tell her everything. After a couple of rings, a tiny voice yells "Where are you? I thought you were coming to get your crap!"

Vicious little mouse.

"Sungji, I need you to come over."

You can tell this isn't what she wants to hear, and you prepare yourself.

"You want me to bring your things? Lee Haeyeon, do I look like a delivery service?" she scoffs.

The mention of your full name makes you hesitate a bit before continuing. "No, that's not it. Something kind of weird happened." You exhale into the speaker of the phone. "Just... please."

The last word is forced, and it sounds so desperate coming out of your own mouth. You're sure now that Sungji has caught the hint and you can hear her rummaging around on the other end of the phone. "ETA fifteen minutes, okay?" is all you hear before she hangs up.

Even after the call is over, your phone still sits comfortably in your hand next to your ear. Eventually, you move your phone onto your lap.

You allow yourself to sit completely still as your mind runs at a thousand miles per hour. 

If he was in the car, why wasn't he hurt?

Why do I keep bumping into him?

How did he do that?

Who is he?

For Christ's sake, I don't even know his name.

And why—

There's a loud knock at your door.

You tap the display on your phone to check the time - 12:15 pm. You wonder how long you've been sitting in the same spot.

Trying not to seem too anxious, you take your time making your way to the door and look through the peephole.

Sungji is standing outside with coffee and sushi. You almost have to physically stop yourself from smiling at the sight. She knows you so well.

Just as you open the door, she bursts in and drops your backpack behind the door. She then places the coffee and sushi on the middle cushion, and finds her favorite spot on the couch: right cushion. It's kind of a thing you guys have; she sits on the right, and you across from her on the left.

"Okay. I'm ready," she says as she kicks off her shoes and brings her legs up to sit criss-cross on the couch. As you take your respective spot, you spend the next half hour telling her everything to do with him: the first time you saw him, the "near-death" stair trip, and the car.

At first, Sungji prepared herself for a hopeless romance story, or perhaps just a lengthy rant about an ex. But as the story progressed, she became more and more curious about the mysterious guy.

By the end of your story, the coffee had disappeared and only an unopened package of soy sauce remained.

You both sit in silence for a few seconds, until Sungji shifts in her seat a bit.

"So..." she begins. "What are you going to do?" She places her empty coffee cup on the table to the side of her, and turns back to face you. "I mean, you have to talk to him. It's not like he doesn't know that you know about, you know, the whole disappearing thing."