Oh My K-POP

Chapter 7- The Little Things

CHAPTER 7- THE LITTLE THINGS

EUN MI

Wow. It was totally great up here. I felt giddy, in the need to actually jump up and down from happiness. Looking down, Ji was still struggling to keep up.

He looked at me with disbelief. "See! I told you I knew where I was going." I smiled as I tried to step back down to help him up. "Now hurry I think I see-" but I wasn't careful.

JI WOO

She fell.

The rocks were against me. Every step, I would just go down farther. How in the world did she get up here anyway? But I had to try. Making progress, I felt the sharp stick and burn of scratches on my elbows and all along my hands. It seemed long before she said something.

"Ji?" she panted. I sighed, she was alright.

"Eun Mi!" I yelled out, stepping on a big rock on my left. I grabbed a nearby branch that pulled over from where she stood. "Wait for me! I'm almost there!"

Her response was far from worry. "Ok." Was she even hurt?

I got up, sliding down as she did and getting hit by a couple of stones. "Iya, are you ok? Are you hurt?" feeling out of breath.

She sat with her knees to her chest, "Yeah, but I see you're not." taking out a first-aid kit from her bag. She gently tugged on my arm, placing it on her knees.

The littlest of injuries slipped out my mind, forgetting that I was the one hurt instead of her. Looking over at my elbows and hands, they were bleeding but it wasn't the end of the world. "Thanks for caring, I can manage." yanking my elbow away from her grasp. "It's not like I'm going to die." Seriously, I didn't know what to do with them.

Her expression was soft, concerned almost. She rolled her eyes, gently tugging on my arm once more. "A little bit of sympathy won't hurt." She pursed her lips.

I side-eyed her, "Intentionally, I have no response to this, but in retrospect, I don't think acting like you care is going to make things at hand any easier."

Her eyes never caught mine; she felt the need to be busy cleaning up my wounds. "Who said I was acting?"

I bit my lip, "Then tell me why exactly."

I could see little dimples from the smile she hid. "I wouldn't want my partner hurt now would I?" she blew on my wound softly.

"Aegyo." messing with her hair with my free hand. I laughed as she pouted at the sight of her hair. She took out a small bottle of alcohol. "Woah, what do you think you're doing with that?" I was starting to feel queasy about more painful sensations on the undressed wounds.

"Be a big boy and man up." she chuckled as she tilted the bottle towards my elbow.

"Wait, wait, wait, and let me get myself ready first. On the count of three- One," without regard, she poured it on my elbow. "AAAAAYYYY!! What the hell? I told you-" but the sting didn't seem present. It was like I didn't feel it at all. I realized that she was already wrapping the bandages around my elbow. "Where'd you learn to do this?"

Her voice was soft, deep into concentration. "I took a med class. So what?"

"Nothing really, just... you know... Komoa. (thank you)"

"No prob. Now let me see your hands." Her eyes were full, pixie like and brown, filled with... To tell you the truth, I don't really know. It seemed as if she was the only one that contained such emotion in her eye, well so far I've encountered.

"Nah I'm good, it's ok. I can do it-" again, she took my hand.

This time it felt as if her warmth spread over me. "Don't be stubborn." She wrapped a band aid around two fingers. I felt a little overwhelmed by the touch a bit, just on the verge of almost feeling something else. "There, almost done. Now..." Unexpectedly, she kissed my finger. I didn't know what else to do but look away and hold my breath. "All finished."

My cheeks felt warm, feeling even hotter as she tried to look at me. "I think we should go."

"Ok. Let's go." Grunting as she lifted herself up. She silently groaned in pain while getting up, triggering something from her right arm. She caught me staring. "I'm fine."

***

The rest of the hike to the rest area was less awkward, starting to boil up to any conversation that might pop up. Yet it was the same for her, she kept quiet and followed me side by side clutching her right arm. Something wasn't right.

"So how far-No- You go first-" we both said at the same time. We tried to break the silence in the wrong context.

"Why don't you go first," lightly giving her a smile.

She returned a small smile, her dimples outlying again. "How's the pain?"

"Good or bad?" I nudged her.

She did the same to me. "I see its better." She chuckled. "How's the other pain holding up?"

My soft spot. "Um, should I tell you?" a little unsure of how she knew that.

"It's all over your face." She slid her hands in her pockets.

"I can be the judge of that." We were climbing up the last hill.

"Well you're not alone." She climbed way ahead of me, leaving me behind. I caught up.

"Don't be so sure, you don't know how I feel." I felt my smile fade.

"Think twice, since you don't know how I feel either." She pushed.

"Well, I feel as if this argument isn't going to give you a fair chance to know about me."

"Neither will it for me. It's like I haven't been right to give you or me a chance to understand-"

"Eun Mi!" A familiar voice interrupted. Baekho. "I've been worried sick!"