"Are you Park Bohyun?"
I was almost dozed off, from sitting inside the infirmary. I jerked off when I heard him. It was Ahn Sungjae sunbae.
"Ah, sunbae—" I groaned a bit, "Yes." Then I bowed to him.
"Did I wake you up?" He asked, lowering his voice.
"No, sunbae. I was just dozing. Is there anything you need?"
"I have heard a student named Choi Aera passed out and you are with her—"
"Ah yes, she's still sleeping." I retorted, gesturing at the bed, surrounded by the curtains now.
"What happened to her?"
"The doctor couldn't find anything actually—"
"Is that so?" he trailed off. "Anyway, you have been here since the morning, did you eat anything?"
"Yes, sunbae—" I lied.
"If you want, I can send someone to watch over her for some moments. You can take a rest."
"It's alright, sunbae. You should go. You are the Students' President. Everyone will look for you."
He broke a small smile, saying, "It's your opening day. I cannot believe you two have wasted the whole day here."
I nodded, rubbing my neck.
"Alright then, I will go now. If you need anything, we are all at the department hall, okay?"
"Thank you, sunbae."
I dropped myself on the chair again. It was surely a long day. Notification from Sunghoon's message buzzed my phone in my pocket. I took it out and saw— he sent a voice message. I connected my earbuds and clicked start.
"It's about Lee Yumi," he started. I smiled immediately. I already knew the story.
"She was my first love—well, it was one sided. She is from my old middle school before I transferred to yours. She wasn't in my class. We had only one class together, that was P.E. where I first saw her. She never knew I existed, dude! She wasn't just my first love, she was every guy's first love." Paused for a second, sighing. "Anyway, I never thought I would see her again. Don't you dare tease me about her! Just be a good friend if you can. This will be my last chance."
I exhaled, pulled out my earbuds and typed him a text: "Oh!"
"OH! OH?" He typed back instantly. I could sense he was annoyed. "Is that how you respond to your best friend?"
"Didn't you just put restrictions on me?"
"What restriction?"
"Leave it—"
"EH? Answer me." he nagged.
"I will text you when I get home."
"Still not home? She hasn't woken up yet?"
"Nope."
"God! I should have stayed with you—" he said.
Just then I heard a soft cough from behind the curtain. I straightened up. It was almost 9 p.m., and the sounds of laughter and chatter were coming from the outside. It was the first day of university; of course, everyone was out having a good time. Meanwhile, I was here, sitting and watching over this girl, I killed—or not—last night, Christmas Day, December 25th, original timeline, before somehow being thrown back in time.
"You awake?" I asked quietly.
"You can come in," she responded in a tired voice.
I swept the curtain aside and stepped to the edge of her bed. She looked fragile, her face pale.
"Um— I'm Park Bohyun, a freshman in the Computer Science & Engineering department. You passed out in the morning. We had to bring you here. Your bag, phone, and skateboard are on the table," I said, gesturing to her belongings.
"Thanks. What time is it?" she asked, sounding groggy.
"9 p.m."
Her eyes shot open, and she jolted upright. "What the hell? 9 p.m. already?"
I stood there, just watching her. It was surreal—how much a person's look could change overnight.
"Bohyun, right? Thanks for looking after me, but you should go. It's getting late," she said, her gaze avoiding mine.
"Are you sure you're okay? The doctor in charge just went out a few minutes ago for a break. We can wait for some minutes before he gets back. It's safe to check before we leave." I said.
"I'm fine." she muttered, swinging her legs off the bed, though she was clearly anything but. She wobbled, trying to stand, but her legs gave out, and she tipped forward. Without thinking, I caught her again just before she hit the floor.
"Alright. Let's get you home," I said firmly, feeling the awkwardness of the situation but knowing she couldn't manage on her own.
She looked embarrassed but nodded. "Thanks… but you really don't have to. I made you wait here a long time."
I slung her bag over my shoulder and picked up her skateboard and phone. "Who would leave someone in a situation like this?" I muttered.
Her slow movements stopped for a second. "Nothing really changed," she uttered quietly.
"What?" I asked.
She shook her head, saying, "You shouldn't trouble yourself for me. I am feeling bad that you had to pass the opening day here with me."
I ignored her, exhaling, "Just walk slowly, okay? No rush."
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine," she insisted.
"Yeah, I probably don't need to worry as it's already enough for me to know you're alive. Let's get you home before you collapse again," I murmured under my breath.
She stopped in her tracks and finally looked at me, her eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean, 'enough to know I'm alive?'"
Crap. Why did I say that out loud?
"Let's just go," I deflected quickly, hoping she wouldn't press further.
She stumbled once again. I glanced offering her a hand. She stared at it for a few seconds. She was hesitant.
Did I just make her too uncomfortable?
As I was about to put my hand back, she put her hand on my forearm. I took a quick glance and then turned away. We walked in silence to the main gate, where I called down a taxi. As we got in, she gave her address to the driver. "Oh, it's very close to my place," I said.
I already knew Aera moved here just before university started. In the original timeline, I remembered how she'd wait for hours for Jinwoo when he was in his practices, and sometimes, he'd send her home with Sunghoon and me on the bus. Sunghoon would always crack jokes to make her smile as we walked her home. In our sophomore year, Jinwoo moved into the neighborhood too.
She gave a small smile. "Well, that's good. Otherwise, I would've felt bad."
As the taxi rolled on, I hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. "While you were out, you got a few calls from someone named Jinwoo. He even came to the infirmary, worried when you didn't pick up. I asked for his name when he showed up."
Her expression darkened instantly, "Did he say anything?"
"No."
She scoffed a laugh, "What was I even thinking?" She muttered under her breath bitterly.
"So, did he just leave?" She asked, staring outside.
"Hm!"
"Nothing has changed," she muttered once again. The tension in the car suddenly became suffocating, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong. She stayed quiet until we pulled up in front of her home and got out of the car. "Well, thanks, Bohyun. This is my home," she said, her voice devoid of warmth. "How long is it from here to your place?"
"Six or seven minutes on foot," I replied.
"You should head home then."
She gave a half-hearted wave and walked off. I watched her disappear into the building before turning to head home myself.
As I turned the corner into a dimly lit alley, I noticed a group of boys standing there, holding sticks, might be in middle or high school or a bit older. I wasn't sure. At first, I thought maybe they were just messing around, but something about the way they looked at me felt off. There were no other kids around—no one they seemed to be harassing.
I realized.
They weren't here for fun. They were here for me.
This didn't happen in the original timeline.
And one thing was clear—these guys were not here to make friends.
I couldn't make out their faces under their hoodies and masks, but it didn't matter. I clenched my fists, preparing for whatever was about to go down. One of the guys stepped forward, the glint of a metal pipe catching the dim light. "Hey, pretty boy, where do you think you're going?"
I smirked, despite the anxiety bubbling inside me. "Home. But I guess you guys have other plans."
The guy chuckled darkly. "Yeah, something like that."
"Are you guys sure you are here for me?" I asked.
"You look surer than us," one replied, laughing.
"Why do some school kids like you do this?"
"Look, he is calling us school kids. How can you be sure we are school kids?" A guy, taller than the rest of them, stepped forward.
"So, you are not a minor?" I asked.
"Why? What if I am not? You got some experience of getting beaten up by minors?" He laughed mockingly.
"Oh hell yeah. More than you think," I retorted, smirking. "Only you— I will focus on you!"
"You sure talk too much, pretty boy. Let's get this over," another guy said and all started running towards me.
Oh Lord!
That is sure going to hurt.