Minji was in a good mood, her stride was light and she filled her lungs with the crisp winter air as she walked down the campus square. Her most recent project had received great praise from their professor at critique, and she was making excellent time to meet the final deadline. The sun was high, and the sparse clouds meant the rays beamed unobstructed, warming the air around her. She raised her head towards the light, letting it shine across her face as a soft flush creeped up her cheeks. An almost spotless blue sky hung above, she watched as a plane made its way lazily across as if it too was looking to savor every moment of this perfect winter day.
She turned, her feet almost skipping as she contemplated a small treat for her efforts. Haneul was working at the coffee shop, she was sure Yohan would be there too if Yuna was working. She mentally ran through the menu, debating whether an iced coffee or a lemonade would pair better with a slice of strawberry cake. She was weighing the flavor profiles that would pair best with strawberry cream when she spotted him in the midday crowd. Her cheery expression sank. Minji sank intuitively, taking cover behind a bench. Oh god not again. Did he see me?
She caught a smile and a wave from the corner of her eye as she pivoted hard, darting behind one of the school buildings. If only he wasn't so damn tall. She cursed, her breath already heavy as she plotted her escape. Why was he always around? At first she had found his act mildly amusing, but it had quickly lost its charm. Everywhere she went it seemed Jaehee was waiting for her. Honestly, didn't he have homework to focus on?
Though they were in the same department and often ran into each other in the past, this new development had really begun grating at her. His nice gestures, carefree laugh and playful insults were nothing more than a ploy to get closer to Haneul. She wasn't in the mood to entertain his whims today. She would not allow his childish behavior to ruin her perfect day.
"Minji!"
She gripped her bag strap and quickened her pace, remembering the extended stride of his long legs. Determined to lose him, she took a quick glance backwards to see if he was still in pursuit. A grin spread across her face when she didn't see him, she was already gloating when suddenly the ground gave out below her. Her hands reached out for something to hold on to, but grasped only at thin air. In what felt like a heartbeat her body tumbled onto the concrete, her sensitive skin burning as it made contact with the unyielding ground. She clenched her eyes shut, the world spinning around her as she gathered the strength to pull herself together. A whimper involuntarily escaped her as she began to lift herself up, her eyes blurry as she held back hot tears, a burning lump in her throat.
Minji could already hear whispers and feel the stares of onlookers boring into her as she lay half sprawled on the sidewalk, doing all she could to hold back her tears and shame. It was through the blur that she watched as somebody gently gathered her scattered belongings.
"Hey, are you okay?" the warmth of a large hand rested on her shoulder, she blinked through wet eyes and looked up at Jaehee. He had crouched beside her, an arm tucked against his chest clutching at the items that had tumbled from her bag. His eyebrows were knitted together in concern, his dark eyes running over her body as he assessed the damage. She shrugged his hand away, and shuffled her legs to regain her footing. "I'm fine" she had wanted to sound confident, but the words came out shaky, catching on the lump still stuck in her throat.
Jaehee clicked his tongue in disbelief, his head tipping to the side as he began to return her school supplies back into her bag. He stood and stretched a hand out to her. "At least let me help you up" The crowd that had gathered began to dissipate, and she began to regain her courage. Minji let out a shaky breath before steadying her quivering lip, she lifted her chin at him definitely. "I can get up by myself" She carefully planted her feet and started to rise when a sudden pain shot down her ankle like a lightning bolt. Her hand instinctively reached out to Jaehee's arm for support, air hissing through her clenched teeth as she winced in pain. If the crowd hadn't been mortifying enough, now her body chose to betray her, forcing her to rely on this man of all people.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he slung her bag over his shoulder "You're impossible you know that? Come on, let's go to my room, I have ice and a first aid kit" Before she could reply he crouched down and draped her arm over his shoulders, supporting her waist with the alternate hand he lifted her off the ground. He shortened his stride to match hers and Minji limped beside him as they slowly inched their way towards his dorm room.
Minji stared up at the winding staircase inside the dorm and shook her head "It- It hurts, I don't think I can" The thought of hobbling up the flight of stairs chipped away at her remaining dignity, she whimpered and slumped her body in dismay. A hot pain pulsed at her ankle, her body was clammy from the pain and tears began to well back in her eyes.
"Hold on to my neck okay? I can carry you" Jaehee pulled her arms up around his shoulders and bent over to reach behind her legs. After counting down from three he gingerly lifted her to his chest. Minji clenched her eyes shut, her stomach churned in embarrassment and suddenly she felt like a child again, gripping at his neck. A clean, masculine scent wafted from his shirt, mingling with the familiar smoke of cigarettes. She suddenly remembered the night he had walked her home, the warmth of his arms and scent enveloping her now as the jacket had then. Her stomach tensed, a sharp jolt twisting at her insides. She swallowed hard, pushing the unwelcome memory from her mind.
"Here we go" Jaehee skillfully kicked the door closed behind them with one foot and gently lowered her onto an unmade bed. Minji blinked, taking in her surroundings as he rummaged through containers on a shelf. She rubbed at her teary eyes and frowned at what lay before her. Clothes and nick nacks littered the dirty floor. She pushed a dirty sock away with her good foot, the garment dragging a cluster of dust with it along the hardwood floor. A half empty glass and a tissue box sat on the table next to the bed, she rolled her eyes at the torn condom wrapper laying beside it. The rest of the space didn't fare much better, dirty dishes cluttered by the kitchenette, and an artfully stacked pile of recycling threatened to tip over. A collection of notebooks, empty cans, art supplies and USB drives littered his desk. Stacks of clothes were haphazardly thrown over the computer chair, an indent on them from his body. A dry erase calendar was scribbled with deadlines and dates from months ago.
"Okay here we go" Jaehee kneeled on the ground below her, oblivious to the state of his room. He opened a small plastic container with a red cross over the top, laying first aid supplies beside her on the bed. He shook an ice pack to activate it, and gingerly rested it on her throbbing ankle before turning to inspect the rest of her. He frowned at her right leg, her stocking had ripped from the fall and a mess of blood and rubble lay smeared over her knee. He reached for the back of her calf and brought her leg towards him before unrolling her stocking down to her ankle with deft fingers. Minji internally groaned as she envisioned how many girls he had likely undressed in this very room. "This might sting" He mumbled as he raised a soaked cotton ball towards her. Minji nodded in agreement, looking away as she strained not to cry out when he dabbed disinfectant over her raw skin.
He continued this way methodically, inspecting her limbs and cautiously dabbing at wounds before applying ointment and bandages. "That's what you get for trying to avoid me" A sly grin returned to his face, his dark eyes glinting at her mischievously. A red flush creeped up Minji's ears, she couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or angry at him for the whole situation. She turned her face away, incapable of coming up with a clever retort in her current state.
Suddenly, she felt the warmth of his hand on her chin, his long fingers resting across her jawline. He turned her chin to face him, his dark eyes holding hers, the pad of his thumb tracing at the contour of her lower lip. Minji recoiled, her mouth dry as she tried but failed to speak in protest. "You have a cut here" he stared up at her, his eyebrows meeting in concern "Did you bite your lip when you fell?" Minji brushed his hand away and licked at her lip, the metallic taste of blood lingering on her tongue. "It's just a small cut" she muttered, shuffling uncomfortably on his bed.
Jaehee shrugged, fully unbothered by the intimate gesture. "Well, I think you're all set. You can sit here as long as you need to." He fidgeted with the ice pack before carelessly cramming the supplies back into the plastic box.
Minji's tongue fidgeted restlessly at the cut on her lip, her hands clenching at the sheets beneath her. "Thank you… for looking after me" she finally mustered, the words heavy and reluctant on her lips. Jaehee was facing the shelf, debating which messy cubby to return the first aid kit to before shoving it against a stack of wrinkled papers. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her before shrugging, as if to say he couldn't imagine doing anything else.