Engraved

4. Awaken

Sorry my updates took so long. I hope this makes up for a bit of it.

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Hyunjin resurfaced with a gasp, his lungs littered with icy needles. Raindrops hit his face and stung his eyes when he opened them.

He was being pulled towards the shore. But by who?

"Hey, it's only 3 feet deep here, can you stand up?" the person said, their voice slightly muddled by the water in his ears.

He felt with his feet for the bottom and stood up, immediately feeling the wind chill his upper half.

"Jeez, dude, you could easily touch the bottom but you stayed down there for a whole minute! If you had wanted to throw yourself in, you chose the wrong place."

Hyunjin struggled to get the words out, his voice raspy both from crying and from the shivering that now wracked his body.

"I- I slipped..."

"Relax! Get out of the water, you're going to get hypothermia."

Hyunjin was stunned.

This person wasn't coddling him like he had grown accustomed to everyone doing. He turned around, only for his eyes to be assaulted by the bright yellow of the person's raincoat. He slowly looked up, taking in the pale skin, dark hair, pink lips, and finally deep brown eyes. They stared at him with a concerned stare, yet the eyes held no pity, only a resolve to make sure he was alive. These eyes held no stars, they were as cold as the air around him.

A girl, no older than her early 20s, he guessed. She was shorter than him, but not by much. The hood of her coat had fallen off her head, and she was dripping wet.

"Call someone to pick you up, and get out of the rain. And... make sure not to 'slip' next time." She said, her eyes not quite meeting his, and her words a bit less stern.

She studied him for a few more seconds, as if to make sure he was alright, nodded, and then turned on her heel.

Hyunjin stood, his feet still submerged in the pond water, watching her walk away. That girl had seemed so... weird. There was little kindness in the way she spoke to him, but her eyes told a different story.

He shook his head, snapping out of it. He pulled out his phone and tapped it to turn it on, only for a black, unyielding screen to greet him. He turned it over, and water dripped out of the charge port.

It was safe to say his phone was dead. Worse than dead, it was probably broken beyond repair. He felt a strange camaraderie with the device. He felt pretty broken, too.

He couldn't feel his fingers and toes anymore, and he wondered if it was all just fate. He was alone, cold, and now that he thought about it, hungry and tired. And a long way from the comfort of the dorms. From his friends. From home.

Shit.

How was he going to get home?

He frantically searched through the pouring rain, looking for someone who might have a phone he could borrow. But the park was now empty. That is, except for a bright yellow blob slowly moving away from him.

He broke into a run, the weight of his wet clothes slowing him and the cold making his joints feel stiff.

"Wait!" he could not push the word out of his mouth loud enough to pierce through the rain. His feet dragged on the stone path, but he kept his eyes on that yellow jacket.

He felt weak, and so, so cold. He couldn't give up now

He finally caught up with her, his breath ragged. He gasped for air, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, her eyes burning until she saw who he was. Those orbs softened a bit, but still regarded him warily.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Please," His voice broke. He felt helpless, and as much as he hated asking total strangers for anything, he knew he needed to. He pulled out his phone with shaky hands to show her its state.

"Please, help me."

She paused. Looked him up and down. Scrutinized him, her eyes staring straight into his.

"Well, when you put it like that, it's hard to say no." He thought he saw a small smile grace her lips, but it was gone as soon as he noticed it.

"You could have just asked to use my phone, though. Drama Queen."

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed the on button, only for the screen to turn green and then shut off. She tried again, but had no luck.

"It must have gotten wet," she said quietly, as if talking to herself. She sighed, and then looked up at him.

"We can go to the laundromat just up the street, I know the owners and you can use their phone.

He nodded, his voice didn't quite work anymore.

He followed her to the street, cars slowly passing by. He couldn't quite remember how much time had passed. The rain blurred the lights illuminating the stores and shops on either side as they trekked up a small hill.

Finally, they reached a small building wedged between two others, a cartoon washing machine with bubbles coming out plastered to the window. The girl in front of him pulled the door open without hesitation.