Pandora's Box | kim mingyu & jeon wonwoo

06

"I already explained to both of you that I couldn't find the checkpoint!"

"I know but like how dumb are you?" Minghao exclaimed at Seokmin, laughing teasingly.

The pair were talking about a game Wonwoo had recommended to me, and since I enjoyed it I had let Minghao and Seokmin borrow it. Minghao had cleared it already, so it was currently in Seokmin's hands. Seokmin had been recounting to us that while he had finished the game, he had been unable to save, and his mom had accidentally unplugged his console when she was vacuuming.

I was debating whether to make fun of him or to comfort him, but Minghao was already doing both for me. And when I was about to add in my two cents, I felt someone lightly tap my right shoulder. Naturally, my head snapped in that direction, and as I looked up, I was surprised to find one of my classmates. He was typically quiet and shy, and truth be told I didn't speak to him very much. I figured it was his shyness that caused him to blush as he looked down at me.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

He shyly pointed towards the doorway. "Ah um, Lim Nayoung is looking for you," he mumbled and then quickly walked away. By the time I had fully processed what he said to me, he had already made it back to his seat.

Wordlessly, I stood up and forced myself to make my way towards Nayoung. Seokmin and Minghao had been too busy bickering to notice me, and a piece of me had been grateful. I didn't want them to question me. After all, Nayoung was currently the talk of the town, so how was it that I was already involved with her? How was I meant to answer that, when I didn't know the answer?

As I made my way to the doorway, I let my eyes land on Nayoung. She was waiting for me cheerfully, with a wide smile on her lips and her right shoulder nonchalantly pressed on up against the doorway. And while upon first glance, she seemed pretty easy-going, it was not lost upon me the way she confidently stared back at me.

When I finally reached an appropriate distance, I said, "did you need me for something?" I sold the words with a smile that did not quite match my feelings. This whole thing was making me uncomfortable, and for some reason, I couldn't shake off the sensation that I was walking into a trap.

She smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before she responded. "Yes, actually," Nayoung leaned in closer, "would you mind if we get out of earshot?" Even as she spoke, I was already aware of the curious stares we were getting from everyone in my classroom. I nodded, jumping at the opportunity to deal with this in private. Nayoung was just as quick, and she swiftly turned around and began guiding me to said private place.

Before I knew it, we were standing outside a supplies closet. Nayoung opened the door, stepped inside, and quickly gestured for me to step inside. "Quick," she said, "before anyone sees you." She was right, of course. If anyone were to catch us, they would likely get the wrong idea, and I could not begin to imagine what would happen if Wonwoo heard of this without any context.

After I stepped inside, I was quick to find a corner of the closet and try to stand as far away as possible from her. If she noticed, she didn't comment, and instead, she turned around to lock the door. This automatically made me more anxious.

Eventually, Nayoung turned her attention towards me once more.

"I know this is going to seem very sudden," she started. Already, she was starting to make me worry. Suddenly, I felt my back press to the wall to feel safe again, but not even that would have prepared me for what she was about to say.

Nayoung shut her eyes tightly. For a moment, the two of us stood there in silence. Eventually, she broke the silence and said, "I need you to let me borrow some money!"

She had spoken the words so quickly they had kind of slurred. Because of this, it took me a second to let the words click. For a moment, I stood there at a loss, unable to comprehend what she had just said. And when Nayoung's words finally clicked, I still couldn't muster anything but a weak, "what?"

She slowly opened her eyes and cautiously took in my reaction. I guess my expression didn't give too much away, as Nayoung deemed my reaction safe enough to ask again. "Please let me borrow some money," she asked again. This time, she tone had oozed confidence and she managed to look at me directly in my eyes.

"For what?" I asked. "Why?"

"Seoul," she said, with such conviction she seemed convinced the word explained everything.

In truth, the word meant nothing to me.

Eventually, I found the words to voice my confusion: "what about it?"

"As I'm sure you've heard, I'm originally from Seoul. My dad sent me down here, but I hate it here," she sighed, "and besides, my whole life is in the city! My boyfriend's there, my friends are there, everything that matters is there. But instead, I'm stuck in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere, with nothing worth staying for."

I didn't know what to say to that. I was stunned by the various things she had confessed, but because it felt like she had just dumped a bunch of shit on me, I was having a hard time keeping up. Eventually, however, I picked up on the word, "boyfriend" and what that meant for Wonwoo. My heart sunk.

And then I thought about who she revealed herself to be: a city brat who thought little of the countryside, and my heart sunk even further. She was not at all what Wonwoo thought her to be. And I knew that I could not tell him.

I said the only thing I could: "So why are you asking me?"

It came out a lot harsher than I intended, but my point still stood. "We're not even friends. We spoke for the first time yesterday. And no offense, but why would you even assume I would say yes? How do I know you're going to pay me back? And you don't even need it for something important! You just want to go to Seoul!"

"It's important to me!" She snapped back. As soon as she had spit the words out, she seemed to realize who she was talking to, and her facial expression turned remorseful. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you," Nayoung apologized, bowing her head slightly. "I just- I have no one else to ask," she admitted, "I've only made one friend here, but she doesn't have a job. And Wonwoo-Oppa is nice, but he's just as broke as me. I was about to give up, I swear."

She stared at me intensely before she said, "And then I met you. Before we stopped by your job, Wonwoo just would not stop talking about you," she half-smiled, "I don't think he even realizes he's doing it. He just can't seem to help it; it's like everything he does includes you." I knew I should probably be wary of believing her, but I couldn't help it. The way she spoke of Wonwoo, with this fondness in her eyes, told me she was telling the truth.

As her words sunk in, my cheeks grew warmer. It was something he and I had heard before: from our parents, from neighbors, and friends. Everyone loved teasing us for being attached at the hip, but for some reason, hearing Nayoung point it out, made it feel all the more real. It made me feel like our friendship was not one-sided at all, but in fact, very mutual. My heart tightened.

Nayoung seemed to have noticed the effect her words were having on me, because as she opened her mouth to speak again, she boldly stepped forward towards me and said, "He told me about what you did for him in junior high. He said it was a debt he could never repay. He said you were the kindest person he had ever met, and that you, Kim Mingyu, were truly a precious person to him," my eyes began to water but she didn't stop there, "so that's why I'm asking you to help me. Because only someone like you would," she bowed her head, "please. Please let me borrow some money."

I sighed and mentally prepared myself for one of the dumbest things I would ever do.

"Alright," I said, exhaling loudly, "how much?"