Ara Kangjeon, a student from Hyosan High School, a walking shell amidst the living. It only took one event to change everything. No one knows, no one saw, they are all busy surviving while she's busy, looking for that hope.
...
I wish it was all just a dream, and I hope I never wake up again.
*Flashback
“Ara…I need you to listen to me.” Mr. Lee Byeong-Chan, the father figure that I never have, firmly looked at me while gripping my shoulder enough so I won’t go nowhere. You can see the sweat and distress in his eyes, I was about to ask his state but he quickly cut me off.
“Jin-su, his missing.”
This is taking too long, after I passed out on that rooftop, everything takes toll on me. The pain and the need to check if his alright. I then painfully run to the hospital where they took him but instead, I faced Mr. Lee. He looked shocked at my battered face and tried to get me to one of the wards but I refused, all I need right now is answers.
“W-what do y-you mean?” I quiver, I don’t know if it’s just me or there’s a very small droplets of red on Mr. Lee’s face.
“It's his gone. I can't—”
I frown and gently took off his hand and was about to run towards a nurse to ask where his room is, but the next sentences from Mr. Lee made me halt.
“He's gone. I’ve been looking from him this past hour.”
Do you feel that? Or it’s just me? Oh well, it’s just me. I thought someone stab me over and over again, but it’s just the pain. How? He can’t be missing; he won’t be gone just like that. I know Mr. Lee for a while, maybe this is one of his jokes, he always does that to us, Jin-su and me. Maybe his feeling a little joy that we are alive after the events. Right?
“Yah, i-it’s not funny to j-joke right n-now.” I weakly stared at him, waiting for him to laugh, to tell us that this are all a big joke and he’ll treat us to our favorite bimbimbap place. The ringing on my ears began, and I can feel the surroundings fading in and out.
A figure approaching me and I flinched, I felt his rough hand grab the back of my head gently and pulled me into a hug. I cried my heart out until I feel numb. Until I don’t know the differences between conscious and unconscious anymore.
“Shhh, Ara, I know. It will be fine, you’ll be fine. I’ll bring him back.” How I wish I can change everything in just a snap.
*End of flashback
I slowly sit up in this dump I called home, it’s better than nothing. I started to get ready to school or more like a hellhole. It’s been a day and I’m losing it, my sanity and hope.
Dragging myself towards my broken mirror that’s leaning on the wall, I can’t help but to be disgusted on my reflection. A sunken face, tired eyes, bruises on arms and legs, to say the least I am not proud of what I’m looking at. Just like yesterday, Jin-su was studying with me on the library, laughing at each other’s jest, but the silence on my phone told me otherwise.
Where could you be, Jin-su? First thing that I always check in the morning was his messages, telling me to take care of myself and to eat a lot.
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