Spartace: Reaper Of My Heart

Her Guardian

"Jihyo-ya, I'm sure he's okay" Jaesuk said in an attempt to comfort me.

"Yeah I'm sure he'll be back in no time so stop your moping and have lunch with us later" Kwangsoo butted in.

"Yah, is that supposed to be comforting or insulting?" I glared at him.

"Unnie, don't mind him. You know how annoying he can be" Somin complained.

Just as class was about to begin, the door flung open and as if time slowed down and everything was in slow motion, Kim Jongkook came striding in.

My jaw dropped at the sight of this well built student in uniform coming back from the hospital as if nothing happened to him but, then again he had done this already at the start of the semester. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me.

Maybe I was just happy to see him again.

Jongkook took his usual seat right beside me but there was something about him that seemed unusual. He went back to being the cold person he was. He didn't talk or acknowledge me.

It hurt.

"Jongkook-ah... a..are you feeling better?"

For some reason I stuttered, anxious to know the truth. What exactly was the truth? Why did it feel like the person beside me wasn't the same person I had gotten to know and liked.

"Eo (어 meaning yes)" he answered.

His brief and short answer made me worry more. Something changed and I didn't want to believe it because I wasn't ready for that. I studied him from head to toe, everything was in check except for his body language. He faced the front of the class and had not bothered glancing my way at least.

He answered so casually when asked a question but that was all. He never budged or tried anything else. He didn't make small talks at all.

Nothing.

Maybe he was just tired from being at the hospital and coming back to school straight away must have drained him. Maybe I overthought these things and he just needed rest and space.

"Alright class, we'll begin now" Mr. Choi said as he walked in.

He stood at the front by the board and started doing the roll call. One by one he called out the names of the students until he was midway and his eyes landed on someone's name on the list.

"Kim Jongkook" he called out.

"Here" he answered.

Mr. Choi lifted his head up from looking at the paper he held and searched for Jongkook in the class.

"You're back!" Mr. Choi said.

He simply nodded as a response then went back to doodling random things on his notebook. The person sitting next to me felt like a complete stranger, so distant.

I knew Mr. Choi was surprised to see him back as well. He didn't make that comment out of nowhere, his reaction to Jongkook's comeback was genuine.

The entire class, he didn't speak a word. He didn't do any of the work given as well but, that was normal for him. Jongkook never listened in class anyway. He came to school every day but never did the work.

Any outsider or stranger would find it strange, the way he behaved but, I knew why. After finding out his real identity, that he wasn't human to begin with, I realised he came to school for me, to ensure my safety.

I loved that about him. He was never vocal about it but his actions showed how much he cared for me. He quietly stayed by my side and watched over me, following me everywhere I went but, never told me what to do or stopped me from doing the things I liked. A grim reaper that acted like a guardian angel.