Chapter 15: My Savior

"Surrendering isn't an act of cowardice, surrender is devotion. So next time you smile, remember that you're surrendering to happiness."

~~~

Jihye

Should I let it go and leave it to him?

No, it's a game. Keep it fair and square. I turn around and pass from under his arm, which is easier than I thought it to be because of how tall he is. I jump as high as I could and aim a clear shot.

Strike! I fist bump the air, unconsciously. When I notice what I'm doing, I frown and almost topple face first on the floor when my team mates come hugging me.

"Good job!" Dongwoo laughs, a look of happiness and content on his face as I nod back and return the favor.

"That was some good show." Myungsoo praises, his voice coming out deeper as his hands marvel a clap.

"I'm astonished!" Howonexaggerates astonishment and I feel the warmth of my face.

"Thank you." I mutter and turn around and to notice the same girl from earlier still eyeing me, her eyes read anger, hatred, rage, and fire- bad, promising fire. Puzzled, I shake my head and convince myself that nothing is wrong because I, in fact, never spoke to her before.

At least I think I didn't.

The game goes on, running, passing, bouncing, and scoring. Our team wins with a four to three, and I win many hugs too. Dongwoo, Howon, Myungsoo and even Sungjong give the occasional at the moment hugs that feel overwhelmingly flattering. I change out of the sports shorts and put on my uniform, Janna and I play around in the changing room for a while which explains my formerly loose hair tied in a low bun again, but this time disturbingly similar to Janna's.

"Copycat." she mocks.

"Not, I'm helping you look better. You seriously need to put that brown hair in something other than a low bun, who even does that?" I remark brushing the stray hair strands that fell over the sides of my face.

"Curl your eyelashes," Janna says looking at the mirror with her fingers, literally, brushing her eyelashes up, "Trust me, it makes a difference."

"Yeah right." I laugh but do it anyway. Turns out she is right, the bells fill the room and we jog to class. Last class passes by in a blur of exchanging notes with Janna and brief smilie faces between me and infinite, excluding Sungyeol.

They can do music, you know. I read Janna's neat handwriting.

How is that? They can't be that perfect. My reply makes her purse her lips and nod desperately.

I seem to develop a constant feeling that I'm being watched and the fact that it's irrational for a random klutz like myself to gain stalkers on the first day of school doesn't help.

So, I must be mistaken. The teacher turns to write something over the board and I take that chance to confirm, my heart hammers in my rib cage when I see Sungkyu seated on the far right back corner with his eyes staring at me. He doesn't even bother to look away.

We share brief eye contact and the bells pick that time to go off. Relief washes over me and I start collecting my things while the teacher blurts some last words and retreats.

Janna is long done with her bag while I am still packing mine, "I need to go to my locker." I muse.

"Seriously? I will miss my bus dude, hurry!" She hisses so she won't attract the attention of the couple of students left in class.

"Uh..." I'm still going to add some touches and set my books according to my schedule, I told Sungyeon to come late today so I won't leave her waiting, "you know what, you could just go. My mom is going to pick me up later anyway, I don't take the bus."

"Okay then, see you tomorrow." She turns on her heel and leaves, strange enough, her bag is full. Very heavy, I tsk wondering what's in there.

I nod to myself and take my bag with my locker number in hand, darn I don't know where the lockers are even. I take a look around, only deserted corridors greet me till I'm about to turn to inspect the other side.

"Hey there." The voice is masculine and cheery, sweet even. I look behind to see a Sungkyu with a board smile lighting up his face.

"Hey."

Awkwardness clouds the air before he chuckles to himself, "need someone? I'm right here."

My heart picks up, the fact that it's so sweet of him was just a bonus to the cute face he pulled. I remember I need help and all of a sudden his action is ten times more heart throbbing.

I breathe in, trying to stop my cheeks from heating up, "yeah, actually. I don't know where the lockers are."

He looks back at me and nods, smiling all along, "Sure." We walk there as he helps me with carrying the books out of my bag and the like.

"Thank you so much, Sungkyu." I say as we walk down the hallway heading to the school gates.

"It was nothing, see you around Jihye." He stretches out a hand for me to shake and I willingly accept it.

"Of course."

We part with that, I walk to the gates and almost choke when I see Sungyeol standing there. Headphones on and hands shoved into his uniform trousers, his black hair hung perfectly over his forehead. This is not how people look at the end of a school day.

As much as he looks so alluring I managed to remind myself that we aren't on good terms to start with, I go and stand on the other side of the gates waiting for Sungyeon to rescue.

Sungyeol, Sungyeon, why are they so similar? Thinking about this is pointless but that wasn't the reason I stopped thinking about it. "You." Sungyeol calls beside me. That was why, let alone how he came all the way here and I didn't notice.

"Yes?" As formal as I could get, my reply comes out monotonous. He huffs in frustration and gives me a judgmental look. I hate this. He takes his phone out and shoves it in front of my face.

Noona💕: Hey Yeollie, something came up and I need you to take Jihye back to the apartment. Thanks!

I read the text and the only thing my mind utters is: Whoopsie. Sungyeon is being too obvious, and she gets it the wrong way. I'm tremendously thankful to the woman but doesn't she get the picture? Her brother and I are not going to get along! Ever.

The only thing that's keeping me from hating him back is the fact that I owe him my life, which I didn't get to practically know of yet. But he saved me, gave me a name and lied for me. Pity or not, he is a nice boy and I totally understand why he feels like this right now. I take away the attention that he owns. His precious sister being on top of it all.

I look down shamefully, this is me throwing myself at him. Deliberate or not it still led to the same result, tedious. "Sorry about that... again." I really wish I could ask him to leave, that I will go back alone and tell Sungyeon that he did what he was told but reality isn't a story; I don't know the way back.

He scoffs and walks ahead while I follow, I intend to make no conversations because he seems busy with whatever he's listening to. His eyes tend to close for a while then open again, just slightly enough to see where he's going.

I hear an engine noise and my head snaps to the side almost painfully, a motorbike was moving towards Sungyeol but he was oblivious to it.
My eyes round in terror and I grab his arm quickly and pull him towards my side of the pavement, mentally cursing the rider who almost killed my savior.

Did I just call him that? Nothing goes smoothly, especially for me, we both end up on the ground side my side. I wince at the harsh contact my elbow makes with the pavement but that is quickly forgotten when I turn to Sungyeol.

"Are you okay?" I ask, my voice comes out laced with fear and concern as I prop myself up on my fine elbow while he lies flat on his back with headphones around his neck now.

He doesn't reply, I sit up and take my bag off before helping him, the back of his hands bleeds and his knuckles look bad.

"Oh my god, you are injured," my hands tremble and my heartaches, I take my bag and get my water bottle and pack of tissues and clean his wounds.

I frown when I feel dampness on my shirt's sleeve, near my elbow. I take a look and see the white cloth socked in red. My elbow was bleeding the whole time, I shrug it off. It's okay, Sungyeol is more important right now.

"I- I don't have any bandages, I'm sorry. We should get it covered quickly, let's go." I don't know how far is Sungyeon's apartment from here but comparing it to the car ride, we don't have much left to go.

Again, he gives no response and continues staring at me. I get up quickly and take my bag over my shoulder and attempt to help him up but I feel a sting on my kneecap.

It's okay, I sooth myself. It's so bad. I help him up quickly and silently thank the heavens when he starts leading the way again. When we reach the building I pull his arm quickly and enter the elevator, my fingers drummed on my thigh as I wait.

Thankfully it wasn't as slow as I expected it to be, with my hands banding Sungyeol's arm, I pull him to the apartment and enter the code.

"Sit here, give me a second please," I leave him and run to the closet to get the first aid kit Sungyeon told me about. I come back and see him sitting on the couch immersed in his thoughts, I silently walk to him and bend down forgetting about my knee. My face grimaces when the raw skin makes contact with the carpet.

I breathe steadily and ignore the pain, with Sungyeol's hand in mine I start applying the ointment and bandaging every wound on his big, warm hand.

When I'm done it is like I'm alive again, the big bulk of worry is off my shoulders, "Does it still hurt?" I ask him. Moments pass as I wait for his reply, when he doesn't say anything I tug at my sleeve and nod to myself, "okay then." I walk towards my room and feel my knee and elbow burning.

It's only now that I realize that I was walking dysfunctionally the whole time. I look for something to clean my wounds but I left the kit in the living room, even if there was another one I don't know where it is.

Sungyeon only told me about the one in the closet for emergencies. I lay on bed and exhale, what now?

The doorbell rings, I groan to myself and exit my room again. When I reach the door I see Sungyeol already opened it. "Hyung? Oh, almost forgot. Sungyeon told me you're taking Jihye back home." I automatically smile when I hear Daeyeol's voice. He looks over Sungyeol's shoulder, to me.

"Jihye! Hey--" he stops mid-sentence and furrows his eyebrows as he takes in my figure from head to toe, "what happened to you?" He asks incredulously.

He doesn't leave me time to register what's happening and acts quickly, he spots the kit on the coffee table and walks towards me dismissing Sungyeol's existence and tossing his bag over the sofa.

His arms go around my waist and the other behind my knees, lifting me up as I gasp, "I'm okay, Daeyeol. I was going to take care of it." I say, securing my hands on his shoulders till he sets me down on the couch exactly where I treated Sungyeol a while ago.

"Look! It has dirt and dry blood--" his eyes moved from my knee to my arms and his jaw twitches, "what happened to her?" He asks his brother in an accusing tone.

Sungyeol crosses his arms and scorns, "you think I did something to her?"

"I don't see why you say it as if can't be true, we all know that you ha--"

I smile sadly at Daeyeol's tongue slip. Don't worry, I know too. I want to say. Both of them sigh. While Sungyeol racks his fingers through his hair in exasperation, Daeyeol starts treating my cuts. He unbuttons my uniform sleeve and folds it up ever so carefully.

I laugh, "it's okay, just hurry." I smile at his hesitation. He nods and proceeds his work till the bandages are securely covering the shredded skin. I thank him and look up to find Sungyeol with an angry face and fisted hands, he was just injured. He shouldn't do that, I'm about to tell him when he takes his bag and goes out of the door, slamming it shut.

I'm a little shocked.
What's his problem?

~~~~

At someone point being an inspirit wasn't about just infinite anymore, being an inspirit is a concept and lifestyle for me. I'll never stop loving them even if I'm not as devoted anymore, I'll just surrender to the happiness they give me. And you should to, stick to loving whatever gives you happiness ;)❤❤
Sincerely, Kaye.