Chapter 2: chapter one
"no need to be sad, hanbyeol." i stared at my reflection on the mirror, "shit happens, you'll be fine." i smiled to myself.
looking at my reflection, i let out a laugh. a deceiving smile on a face of a broken girl, how pathetic.
my eyes roamed from one feature to another, my mind being clogged up with the words that girls from university would tell me.
my hair was dry, my eyes were tired and swollen, everything just seems horid. i threw on one of my sweatshirt and laid down back on my bed.
i was ready to get to bed when someone knocked on my door. i glanced, turning my body to face the door that slowly opened.
"dinner time, go downstairs." my older brother came in, a smile playing on the corner of his lips.
i nodded, following him downstairs.
of course, we weren't complete as always.
my dad didn't dare glance at me and maintained focus on his food. i grabbed my utensils and started to dive in as well, taking small bites.
"i saw your grades this semester, i expect higher ones next time." my dad said, referring directly to me. i stopped, glancing at him and quickly nodding.
and that was it, our daily conversation. it was always like that, him asking about my studies and telling me what i should fix about myself.
dinner ended and all of us went on our separate ways, my brothers going out and my dad going to work.
we all live in the same house yet it didn't feel like it. no one's usually at home except for me, everyone's always out and finding ways to avoid being here.
i closed my eyes, feeling drowsy with the sleeping pills i had taken. and just before i knew it, i was in deep slumber.
—
i woke up and got ready for school. i had my usual routine, eating breakfast, saying goodbye and heading straight to school.
i headed to my seat, ignoring everyone's presence.
"won't you smile atleast for one day?" my seatmate, taehyung said.
he sat next to me, his face on the palm of his hands as he stared at me.
out of everyone, he was the only one who talks to me. everyone else thinks of me as the freak who is always at the corner reading her books.
"if you're going through something, you can always tell me. we've been seatmates since highschool, don't you still like me?" he asked, his lips slightly pouting.
"our professor's here." i mumbled and opened my book, avoiding any further conversation with him.
classes started and before we knew it, it was lunch time. all students started rushing out of the room, excited that they were finally free from the boring lectures.
i followed, going out and heading straight to one of the empty spots of the school which was near the soccer field.
i rested my head on the trunk of the tree, my thoughts drifting somewhere else. i grabbed my snacks from my bag and ate them, enjoying the silence of my surroundings.
my eyes then drifted to a boy walking on the fields of the school, his head was down and he was walking in such a slow pace.
he then suddenly raised his head, his eyes meeting mine. i furrowed my eyebrows, not avoiding eye contact.
his eyes widened and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the straps of his backpack.
he looked at me as if he knew me. do we know each other?
i watched how he jogged towards me, he stopped when he was right in front of me and kneeled all of a sudden.
the guy suddenly started waving his hand in front of me, "can you see me?"
great, before people only think i'm a study freak and now they think i'm blind?
"does it look like i don't?" i mumbled, my voice low. his face then lit in happiness and his eyes glowed with joy and relief.
he grabbed my shoulders, smiling as hard as he can.
"you do? then why doesn't anyone else see me? they act as if i'm a ghost." he asked, finally calming down and sitting next to me.
"if this is your way on playing with me, please stop." i stood up and dusted off my clothes, slinging my bag and walking away.
i heard the guy calling out my name and walking after me, "i'm not playing with you, just watch and see." he stopped in front of me, his eyes pleading.
he then took his chance and went to some of the students. he waved and muttered a quick hello but both the students did not respond.
he proceeded to others and did the same thing. but no one said anything back and acted as if he never existed in the first place.
"am i actually going crazy?" i shook my head. he came back to me, his face filled with confusion.
"see, i told you i'm not joking. it's weird, how is it that it's my first time seeing you here?" he asked, his hands going to his hair and fixing it.
"i've been studying here ever since i got into college, i haven't seen you as well." i muttered, i then looked around and saw people looking at me weirdly.
i then looked at the guy, "i'm jimin, park jimin. my major is filmmaking, how about jungkook? do you know him?" he asked, his hands forming different gestures.
"jungkook? of course i know him." i answered.
"we're friends, we're always together." he smiled, nodding his head eagerly.
"no you're not, he's always with taehyung and the other senior students." i said, my mind much more confused than before.
the bell then rung and i quickly excused myself from him, my pace fastened. jimin then came walking next to me, his eyes filled with such an unreadable expression.
"you have to help me, i don't know what's going on." he said, "what date is it today?" he asked, making me stop again.
"eleventh of april." i answered him and quickly went back on my way. but just before i could get inside my classroom, jimin grabbed me by my wrist.
"what year?" he asked once more.
"please stop, everyone's looking at me weirdly." i said, my voice getting lower each second that passes and my eyes drifting to the people who looked at me with fear and disgust at the same time.
i glanced at jimin who then loosened his hand on my wrist, his eyes softening.
"can we talk after classes are finished, please." he pleaded, i then nodded and flashed him a smile before heading inside the room.
the whole time, my mind drifted off to the thoughts of jimin. what exactly was happening? i looked at the board, my eyes widening when i saw the date written on it suddenly glitching.
"hanbyeol? are you alright?" our professor had called out for me, my classmates then turned their heads to my direction.
i nodded and went back on taking notes.
as classes finished, i headed out of the room and dashed towards the tree where me and jimin last met.
i didn't exactly knew why i smiled at the fact that he was actually there, waiting. he immediately stood up at the sight of me and muttered a small hello.
"i can't stay long here at school, my ride would be waiting for me. is it fine if we talk in a park near my house?" i asked him and he nodded.
we headed to the car and saw our family driver waiting for me, he didn't seem to see jimin as well.
i got in and so did jimin, i was waiting for our driver to ask about the boy sitting next to me but no question came.
"can you drop me at the park? i'll just walk home." i said, he immediately nodded and stopped by as we reach the park.
both me and jimin got out, heading to the empty swings of the park. we both took a sit and waited for each other to talk.
"i don't know what's happening." jimin started off,
"while you were in class, i tried approaching jungkook but even he seemed like he couldn't see me." his voice was filled with worry and sadness.
i glanced at jimin whose head was down and his shoes playing with the sand, "i don't really know what to say." i mumbled, embarrassed of how bad i was with comforting people.
"you don't have to say anything, just knowing that you can see me and listen to me is enough." he mumbled and glanced at me with his eyes glistening with tears that were threatening to fall.
"i don't think i can help you." i said which seemed to worsen his condition more, "i'm sorry."
he stood up and went in front of me, tears were already falling from his eyes as he spoke to me,
"please, you have to." he stuttered.
i was about to say something, anything that could ease the situation when my phone suddenly buzzed.
i took it out of my pocket and saw one of my older brother messaged me.
[get home, dad and mom are here.]
i stared at my phone in shock, not knowing how to react. quickly getting off the swing, i turned to glance at jimin.
"i need to go home, do you have any place to stay?" i asked him, my tone somehow urging him to answer fast.
he shook his head no. i quickly grabbed his hand and dragged him with me, when i arrived home i told him to just go straight to my room.
"go upstairs and it's the third from the right. you'd see a small sticker on the door so you won't get confused." i told him and he nodded.
once we had gotten in, i immediately went to the dining table where my family all were. they looked at me and i apologized.
"where have you been?" my mom had asked, a strict expression remaning on her face as she took a sip from her wine.
i took a seat next to my brother who gave me a worried look, "i was at the park, i'm sorry." i answered.
she didn't respond back and went back to eating. dad on the other hand didn't seem to mind my presence and proceeded with eating his dinner.
"i'm going to bed." mom excused herself, not even bothering to say a proper goodbye to all of us.
no one talked, only the clanking of our utensils were heard.
how worse can my family get?
i then after some while excused myself.
i headed upstairs to my room. there i saw jimin standing next to my bed, his eyes roaming around the room.
"why are you not seating? have you been standing the whole time i was downstairs?" i asked him, placing my backpack on my study table.
"you never gave me the permission to." his cheeks were tinted pink as he smiled at me.
i took a seat on my bed and patted the empty space next to me. he gladly accepted it and remained a few centimeters away from me.
"you don't really need to do this, i can find somewhere else to stay." he muttered, his hands playing with the hem of his shirt.
"i want to, it's the least thing i can do." i said.
glancing at the clock, it was already past six. i had few things to do but then i didn't want jimin feel more down if i don't talk to him.
"have you heard about parallel or alternate universes?" i asked him, catching his full attention.
he nodded, "i know something about it."
"what if were from both different universe?" i continued, my eyes not leaving his face.
jimin's forehead creased and his eyes were then filled with confusion as he looked back at me,
"what do you mean? that something happened and our worlds somehow collided?" he asked.
"well nothing is impossible, i mean the people you mentioned exists but you said they couldn't see you." i explained, standing up and heading to the
empty seat next to my study table. "think about it, why can't they see you when you know them? unless you're actually dead." i then quickly muttered a sorry, thinking that i was so insensitive in telling him that.
"i don't know as well, i'm confused about what's happening in my life? aren't you too chill about this?" he asked me.
"i'm pretty calm, i mean you don't seem like a bad person. is there something i need to be afraid of?" i asked him.
he shook his head no and smiled, "what's your name? you haven't really told me yet."
"hanbyeol, lee hanbyeol." i timidly smiled.
"you know, you kinda look familiar to me. it's like i've seen you before, i just don't know where exactly."
as few hours passed, it was finally time for bed time. i glanced at jimin and started to think of where he could sleep for the night.
"i'll sleep here, if you don't mind." he said, pointing on the couch that was at the corner of my room. i
nodded and gave him a pillow and an extra blanket.
"please wake me up when you feel uncomfortable." i said before closing the bedroom light but keeping my nightlight turned on.
"is it okay if i keep this turned on? i just like my room like this." i said but no one answered, "jimin? are you already asleep?" i asked, sitting upright to check wether he was asleep or not.
"was it all just my imagination?" i asked myself as i
stared at the empty couch, "he was just right there." i whispered to myself.
my heartbeat quickened and i went to back to my bed, clutching on the hem of my shirt. i was lost at words, how? he was just there a moment ago.
laying back on my bed, i tried to convince myself that maybe i was just really delusional and my imagination was trying to come up with a guy.
and in the end, i was alone again.
Weekly Power Status
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