Chapter 10: Glitch

Mi Ra POV

I saw Dong-Yul snatching a wreath of pink carnations secretly from the hospital's gardens, hiding it behind his back while strolling. He looks so nervous, taking heavier breaths with each step.

He knocked on my door. I tried to reach him with my voice but he couldn't hear me. I shouted as loud as I could, still, he couldn't hear me. He knocked on my door again. He couldn't feel my presence. The door seems to be unlocked as he turned the doorknob and entered. I entered the room as well, feeling shocked knowing that my stuff was gone. Every single one of them. Only the hospital bed remains.

He dropped the flowers he was holding on my bed and left. I tried to pick the flowers up but couldn't. My hand went straight through the flowers. I couldn't grab it. I followed him as he left, hoping that he could feel my presence.

I found out that it is his last day in this hospital as he went over the information desk and cashier. I heard him say something to himself under his breath."I wish I could have told her from the start. I'll miss her company."

He asked the nurses if I was discharged or transferred to another hospital. They didn't give him any answers. He went to different spots I'd usually stay in the hospital where I mentioned would have a great view or have a peaceful and quiet atmosphere around.

"I'm right here Dong-Yul-ah, why can't you see me? Why are you crying? Don't cry, I'm still here."

I tried to put my hand on his shoulders but realized that I can't. It's like I couldn't touch him. It felt like I'm a wandering soul following my friend. He couldn't feel my presence. I embraced him from his back again, fooling myself that he could feel it a little.

Then I realized, I could've died. I only came back to this hospital because my condition worsened despite my family's financial struggles. I came back to this hospital after I vomited blood and fainted. My doctor told me that it is best to stay confined in this hospital to observe my condition every day. Until now, there isn't much that I could do anymore. I’d never thought that I would meet Dong-Yul. Maybe this is a sign of my last goodbye.

I looked at my blurred reflection on the clear translucent glass door pane. I felt a sudden glitch on my wrist. After, glitches started showing up on my face and my whole body. Before I knew it, another unfamiliar girl appeared in my vision. "Who are you?"

***

Everything around me began to change. The glitch appeared on my right arm and continued to spread throughout my whole place. Glitches appeared everywhere. The corridors warped into a dance practice room and someone else was standing right in front of me now. The same girl from the reflection standing in front of me now, speaking with a familiar person. It's...

"You can't? Why? Shin, you know that I have to leave soon right? Please tell me. I know that you're lying. Tell me the truth."

His face looked pale with the words she burst out in frustration. He shrugged. "You couldn't love a person like me. I'm broken."

She went closer and held onto his hands. "Hey, don't say that to yourself. I fell in love with you, and I want to understand you." He glanced at his wound on his arm and suddenly dropped on the dance floor trembling on his knees, covering his face from mine. "Shin? Shin! Please, tell me what's wrong."

"That damn painting brings back unpleasant memories. Please stay away from me. I am afraid of my hidden self. Don't get any closer! I'm begging you. Don't take me away.” He couldn't look straight at me.

Is this the reason why he cannot love me back?

***

Mia POV

Suddenly, I woke up from the ringtone of my alarm filled with confusion. I came back as Lee Mi Ra in my dream but I've also dreamt of being another person with a familiar boy whose fear has taken over him. A girl who just discovered his fear.

I should stop thinking about it. It's just a dream. It didn't even happen. It's just an illusion. A terrible illusion.

I glanced at my phone's clock. It's already 7:30 AM?! I'll be late if I don't hurry.

I took a quick bath after I waited for my turn. I rushed fixing my bed and putting all my necessary stuff inside my bag. I have a long quiz today in Filipino, and I haven't reviewed it yet.

I got frustrated. Mia, why did you have to be late on the day of your quiz? What's worse is that it's your first subject. If you're late, you are going to be screwed. You'll definitely fail this quiz in this current condition.

I should have taken my medicine early in the morning but I slept all the way through. It doesn't matter anymore, I'll just accept that I will fail today's quiz.

I rushed down the flight stairs and went straight towards the logbook found on the dorm managers' desk. My dorm manager, Ma'am Tala, puts her hand on my forehead. She also lent me a thermometer.

"Mia, your tutor informed me that you had a high fever yesterday and suggested that you shouldn't come to school today. Take a rest Mia, I'll inform your subject teachers. You'll come back to school tomorrow if your condition becomes better."

Why did Dong-Yul need to tell my dorm manager about my condition from yesterday? I feel a bit better. Well, sort of. I still feel the thumping headache from waking up.

Still, it's more difficult to miss a single day of classes. There is always a pile of requirements my teachers would assign us to accomplish for a short amount of time. I'll miss those major discussions and I wouldn't take any notes. Most of my roommates' notes are incomplete and some often ask for my notes.

"Ma'am, I feel really fine. I don't want to misses classes today, I'm already late for my first class, I'll be going –"

She stopped me from speaking midway. "Mia, you need to rest. Your health is more important than your grades. I'll check on your temperature later. I'll ask someone to buy breakfast too. Make sure to pay me back."

"Alright, I'll go back to my room now. Thank you ma'am."

I headed back and laid down on my bed. It's just one day of absence, I'll survive. She is right, I don't have to risk my health for school. I barely even concentrated on my teachers' lectures from yesterday. I have better concentration during class whenever I feel energized. I have no energy for today.

After a few minutes, my dorm manager came inside my room. "I had a message from your tutor and he mentioned that he will visit you today."

I raised a thumbs-up and she left. Isn't it too risky for him to come here? There are tons of students in this dormitory. Maybe someone might recognize him knowing that there is always a loyal fan of their group in every designated room.

They went to school though, I think I'm the only one who didn't attend classes today.

After I took a quick shower and wore clothes, I sat at the side of my bed and sent him a message. "Dong-Yul-ssi, you don't need to come here. I'm feeling fine today and I feel like sleeping for the whole day. I'd like to also apologize for yesterday. I couldn't practice because of my condition but I forced myself to come. I'll make it up to you soon, promise. I'm really sorry."

My phone instantly buzzed a few seconds after my message was sent. "No no no. No need to apologize. I'm more concerned about your health. Remember that I'll be there later in the afternoon. You can't convince me to stay put in my apartment. Hahahaha."

I smirked at his message before I replied back. "Dong-Yul-ssi, it's risky for you to come here. What if there is a sasaeng fan just around the corner while we're having a conversation? I don't know what to do if that happens. Someone might even make a fuss about it."

His reply popped up in my messages app. "Don't worry, I'm wearing a disguise and I'm sure that they will not recognize me, okay? I'll text you again if I'm almost there. Okay? See you soon."

I've put down my phone and reflected on his message. We both know the risks but why will he take the risk just to visit me? He could just tell me through text or some other day. Unless it is something important.

I typed in my search bar and began searching for some pdfs on basic Korean words and sentences. I'll try to study a bit of the language while waiting for Dong-Yul. I wrote down in my journal some of the most common greetings in a Romanized version.

I kept my journal inside my bag and clicked on my YouTube app on my phone. I started looking for some good K-dramas I overheard from my roommates from that other time.

I watched the first episode and felt happy that I don't need subtitles in order to understand the actors' lines. I didn't need to shift my vision anymore on captions. This is what it feels like watching k-dramas without any difficulties.

The accent of Koreans is a bit new to me. I'll be able to adjust with myself soon with everything I need to know before I'll migrate to South Korea soon.

I looked at my notifications and realized that Dong-Yul texted me that he already arrived.

I went down to the hallway and met him there. As I spotted him I chuckled so much. He appears to be wearing round glasses, and an old-fashioned cap. I couldn't recognize him at first. He may look like my uncle.

"Dong-Yul-ssi, you look so different today. I couldn't recognize you at first."

He removed his face mask and made me laugh more. It looked like a real mustache on his face.

Dong-Yul replied, "Do you like my new look? Now I look like an uncle."

I couldn't control my laughter. "Dong-Yul, you don't need to look old, you know? I think you've outdone yourself."

"Oh, I know. I even dyed my hair platinum blonde so that no one would see anything suspicious. I rarely dyed my hair in light colors, so this feels like a major change for me."

I should stop myself from laughing. There's a reason why he came here despite the risks surrounding us. "What are we going to talk about?"

"We'll talk about something related to our parallel universe. Have you heard of the ‘journals’ included from my group's previous albums?"