Chapter 4 – The Immortal Loves a Human

Jaemin found me standing outside the apartment which overlooked the park, and I had been standing there for a good hour - just simply watching humans interact with their loved ones. It was the second day in this new place, and I was getting used to the smaller space and the new environment.

Jaemin seems to know what I think.

"Isn't this a good place?" he asked, reading into my innermost thoughts.

Sometimes, I forget that we can read minds but I knew that he did not attempt to read mine. He dare not to. Yet I keep forgetting to put up the mind blocker, like I always do back at home. This place has gotten my guard down, and I was slowly chipping myself away.

"It is filled with humans."

"You know, sometimes I forget you're an immortal," he replied with a laugh. "How long were you living in that old estate anyway?"

"I lost count," I replied. "It might've been a few hundred years."

"You must have been lonely," he replied. "After … you know."

I blinked and nodded. "Sebastian told me that I needed company. I needed someone to be with me. He cannot be there with me all the time as he had to run the company. That was one of the few reasons why I was out by the battlefield. I was looking for a reason. I found you," I said and turned to look at him as I added, "It was a selfish decision."

He dislikes it when I say that. "Hey, you did ask me if I wanted to live," he pointed out.

"You were still alive when I found you," I replied.

He grabbed my hand suddenly, his hand was cold against my own. I forget that he is as immortal as I am right now. I looked down at his hand. Do I crave a warm touch instead? I am selfish. I really am.

"It was my decision to live," he said firmly. "And I get to live with you."

"You are merely saying that to make me feel better about what I had done to you."

"Can you stop it?"

"I am being pessimistic," I explained sadly. "Sometimes I think I might have done something against your wishes. It is a lonely life, being an immortal and though I love your company, Jaemin, I fear you would despise me later for robbing you of a normal life."

Jaemin looked like he was in pain and the grip on my wrist tightened. "Don't you dare say that again," he warned, his voice was shaking. "I will never despise you. I owe you my life. You gave me a chance I wanted and begged for. You saved me from the life I did not want and I get to live freely."

I looked away and nodded. Hearing it made me feel better.

"Don't you dare die on me, Alice."

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I opened my eyes to daylight. I glanced to the left, I had left the curtains open last night and I could see the city view from where I lay. Honestly, I will never get bored of this view. It was a good purchase afterall. Glancing at the clock, I got up from bed. It was nine in the morning. It was time for work.

Well, being me, I do not need to come to work but I do need to today.

Sebastian wanted me to check on the clubs that we owned.

Yes, well I did not inform Jiminie about this part since it is linked to my secret. But I assure you, there is no illegal work here.

Hopping into the shower, I washed away the dirt that had accumulated overnight and got ready for the day. Since I was working, I dressed accordingly and made myself a pot of coffee which I poured down a tumbler Jiminie had bought for me before I made my way out of the loft.

My heels clicked on the ground as I made my way to my Maserati, a sleek design which Sebastian had chosen specially for work and I got in the car - placing my handbag on the passenger seat and my tumbler on the cup holder. I checked my mobile phone for messages and put it on the holder as I buckled in.

The first destination was a club I owned near the quay and it was a fifteen minute drive from my loft. What I would usually do was drop by, check on the welfare of my staff, ensure that our sales were doing good and gain feedback or suggestions from the staff.

I would usually do this on a monthly basis as they could run fine without me. I have a team of capable managers who knew how to run clubs without the owner, and I trusted them to do their work with ease. Unless my presence was needed, I usually let them run freely.

After the fifth club, I received a call from the little one. If my dead heart could beat once more, it would've galloped when I see his name on my caller ID - like a school girl in love with her sweetheart. Shooting my men a warning look, they quickly stopped talking and looked away when I answered his call.

"Hello, little one."

"Hi Alice!" He was always excited whenever he's on call with me.

"Are you done with school?" I asked curiously as I glanced at my watch. It was still too early though.

"Yes! My professor cancelled the last class and I'm heading to the dance studio for practice," he explained. The background noise was rowdy and it sounded as if he was making his way out of the university.

"What time will you be done, little one?"

"Ten o'clock," he replied and explained. "We have a lot of things to rehearse, we're preparing for the recital and we're doing a full dress rehearsal today! I'm so excited! Are you coming later to fetch me, Alice?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

"Great! I'll see you later!" he exclaimed. "Bye!"

"Bye bye." I pocketed my phone and cleared my throat. "Right, where were we?"

"Right here boss."

.

Later -

I glanced at my Patek Philippe, seeing the arms on the watch's face and let out a small sigh – watching as the sky turned cloudy. The weather has started to get colder out here, and I should remind myself to bundle up warmly as the humans would find it strange. I do not get cold or hot, as my body functions differently as compared to a human being.

Mingling amongst the humans was hard work.

I was parked outside the side gate from the University which was a lot closer as compared to the main entrance. It was already ten in the evening and he ought to be done with it soon. He knew that I was coming to fetch him home and I could hear him running from a distance away.

Further down the path, I noticed that he had broken off from a large group of children and I assumed that they were his dance friends. I watched as he runs, a huge smile on his face and he stopped short in front of me, beaming happily. Mimicking his smile, I ruffled his hair and he threw himself at me – wrapping his legs around my torso as he hugged me tightly.

"Oh!"

I was taken aback by the sudden weight and I stumbled backwards, trying to dig my heels down to stop myself from hitting the car. He laughed and lets go but kept his arms around me. "Let's go home!" he announced cheerily as he pulled me towards the car but stopped short suddenly.

"Wait, is this … is this a Maserati?" he cried out in shock.

Ah. "Yes."

He looked at me curiously. His eyes were like laser beams. I could see him staring at my attire and then he looked at the car, putting two and two together. "I guess you went to work today," he said eventually. "You only use flashy cars when you go to work, don't you?"

"Well," I said as I scratched my neck awkwardly. "Yes."

"I forgot you're a CEO," he said with a chuckle. "How many cars do you have?"

"Come on, let's get inside," I said as I unlocked the car, heading towards the driver's side and entering the car, switching the engine on to get the heater working. Jiminie opened the passenger door to enter on his side, putting his bag on the floor as he got in – shutting the door.

"Answer me, Alice. Don't ignore me!"

I sighed. It's so hard not to lie. "I got a few," I answered vaguely and changed the subject. "Do you want to get something to eat before we head back?"

"Nothing's open this late, Alice," he quipped with a pout while he pulled on his seat belt and buckled in.

I pulled on my own seatbelt, checked the mirrors and switched the headlights on and the blinkers. Checking that the road was empty and ensuring that there wasn't anyone around my car, I turned left and drove away from the University. The streets were empty at this time of night and the drive was smooth.

"What do you feel like eating, little one?" I asked after a few seconds of silence. I looked over at Jiminie for a few seconds before I looked ahead. He was deep in his own thoughts. He must be feeling awkward in the expensive car. I should be careful next time.

"Convenience store food," he replied.

I tried not to make a face at his reply. There was one convenience store near his house, and it took us ten minutes to reach. I parked outside on the opposite street and we got out to enter the store. It was a twenty–four hour convenience store and I followed Jiminie around as he picked out the food that he wanted to eat.

I stopped short at the ice-cream area, the colourful and bright packaging caught my eye. I stared down at the various ice-cream packages, noting the numerous variety of flavours and Jiminie must've noticed me staring at one in particular that he simply picked that one up, much to my surprise.

"I didn't know you liked strawberry mochi, Alice," he quipped as he read the packaging. "This is one of the new flavours that they brought in. Do you want to try this one?"

I didn't think I was.

"I'll buy it for you."

He threw the ice-cream into a basket which was already filled with various food items, and I was amazed at how advanced the world had gotten - almost everything is specially made. Jiminie let out a chuckle, grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the front cashier to pay for the items.

"Let's eat here," he suggested as he grabbed the plastic bags and told me to take a seat while he heated the food up using the store's microwave. After he got all of them heated up, he carried each one over to the table and I watched as he sat down with a smile on his face – eager to eat them.

I still have yet to understand the desire behind eating convenience store food.

"Do you really dislike eating these?" he asked with a mouthful of instant noodles in his mouth.

He bought an array of foods – ranging from noodles, to rice, to kimchi and a pack of hotdog. I eyed them all with distaste and I tried hard not to shudder at them. "Well," I said, trying to find the proper words to let him know what I thought about the food. "It gives me a bad stomach ache. I'm good with coffee."

"Oh, do you have gastric?" he asked curiously as he pulled the strawberry mochi ice-cream from the plastic bag, opened the packaging and handed it over to me. "Here, you should eat your ice-cream before it melts."

I realise that I'm digging myself deeper into a lie the further I go. He might get angry after he finds out my little secret.

"Yes," I lied as I took the ice-cream from him, blinking at the iciness of the packaging and took a tentative bite. "The doctor had advised me to avoid instant food and spicy food."

"But coffee is good," he said slowly.

"I like coffee," I said as I savoured the sweetness of the strawberry flavour and the chewiness of the mochi. "This flavour is delicious."

Jiminie looked at me like he couldn't believe a word I was saying. He was inhaling them like he hadn't eaten in days. Even though I had watched him grow, I am still taken aback at how fast and how much he can eat. Even though it has been twenty odd years, I am learning new things about the boy before me and I don't think I'll ever be bored with him.

"Do … you still want more food?" I asked finally.

He finished them in ten minutes.

"No. Alice, can I take a look at your mobile phone?"

I looked up from typing, hit send and handed the mobile to him without another word. He had a little smile on his face as he took out his own mobile phone and I watched on as he messed around. He was adorable with that look of concentration on his face, and I took a long sip of my iced americano.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

He let out a giggle and handed the phone back to me. He had changed the lock screen photo of him grinning widely and attached a dangling red thread with a jingling toy at the end. I stared at the charm, wondering what it meant when I saw him showing off his own charm attached to his phone.

"See, we match!"

He was proud.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"This is meant for those who are special to you," he replied in a stage whisper and he was grinning like he was proud of himself. "And I won it in an arcade game! This charm reminded me of you and I knew that I should have it."

If my dead heart could beat, it would've thumped a mile a minute by now and my face would turn red. I am learning too much from Jaemin. It was the first time I had received such a thoughtful gift from anyone, and it meant a lot more when it was from him, my adorable little one.

"I love it," I said as I touched the charm, it was in the shape of a cute bird and there were heart charms attached as well.

He broke into a smile and started clapping happily. "I'm glad you do!" he cried in relief. "I was worried you didn't like it."

"Why not?" I asked curiously. "I like thoughtful gifts."

"My friends said they were childish," he admitted truthfully as he explained. "We only do this kind of thing when we're in middle school or high school but I didn't have a lot of money to buy such a thing then! So I couldn't buy you one either! But since I got more pocket money, I can do just that!"

I was stunned.

Oh my.

Oh my.

"You don't have to spend your pocket money on me, Jiminie," I said gently.

"You can't say no!"

I chuckled. "I won't."

He beamed. "Let's head back home, Alice."

We left the store and Jiminie took my hand in his as we made the walk back to his apartment. Despite the many years that I've known him, holding his hand was one of the many things that I loved to do, and his hand had grown a lot. His hand is bigger than mine now, and they wrapped around my hand comfortably that it made me feel safe.

"You are twenty years old now, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing," I replied.

"Are you giving me something on the twenty-fifth?" he asked. "Please don't tell me you got me something. I have yet to give you any!"

"What do you mean?" I asked in a mix of confusion and nervousness. Has my secret been found out already?

"Did you not think I won't notice if you keep gifting me every year on the twenty-fifth of August?" he questions. "That isn't my birthday or any important dates that I know of. So, tell me, why that date? What does it signify?"

"It's the day that we met, silly," I said with a smile. "Twenty-fifth August XX00."

His eyes widened.

It was the day that you saved my life, Jiminie.

We stopped in front of his apartment building – standing under the moonlight as we stared at the other. I caressed his hand with my thumb – a soft smile on my face as I watched him rearrange his expression. He mimics my own, pulling me into an embrace – his arms encasing my shoulders and his hand pressed against my head as he held me close to him.

I felt his lips against my temple, a soft goodnight and he stepped away – heading into the building. I watched as he retreated, his back to me and a forlorn expression on his handsome face as he waited for the elevator to arrive. He turns, waves and entered the elevator. Letting out a sigh, I stuffed my hands into my pocket and headed back to my car.

Was that a good decision to let him know?

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