riki.nishimura → twelve weeks

27

I couldn't say anything at all. Anything I tried to say either came out as an exhale, or fully refused to come out.

I walked beside him in silence, his arm still slung over my shoulder with absolutely zero care in the world as we walked into the main area of the neighbourhood.

Now the stares began.

I quickly pushed his arm off me, crossing my arms and staring elsewhere but his direction.

"You can't just say that in such a small town." I scoffed, regaining my words again. My tone was one of fluster and confidence.

"Do you like me or something? Is that why you're so embarrassed?" Niki chuckled, placing his hands in his pockets and tilting his head up slightly towards the sun.

The sun beamed onto his clear skin, shining and glistening. Not a single flaw in this man's face whatsoever. The yellowish-orange light shone down on him, there was not a more prettier man than the one stood beside me.

I cleared my throat, realising that he asked me a question and I was taking my sweet time to respond.

"What-? No! I just, don't want people to get the wrong idea." I quickly threw at him as we walked towards a house. I didn't know where we were going, I just followed beside Niki.

But, Niki didn't say anything at all. In fact, all he did was give a very small chuckle, walking into the front of some random house.

An old lady came out from the front, carrying a laundry basket. I looked closer, realising that this was the woman from the airport.

Niki went and helped her, taking the laundry basket from her hands and heading inside, then coming back outside not so long later.

The lady raised her head, looking at me and then too, raised her brows.

"You! You're the girl from the airport." She grinned as Niki looked at the two of us in confusion.

I stood by the front of her gate as she approached me, beckoning to come inside. I walked into her front garden, just stood there awkwardly like an idiot.

"Grandma, how do you know her?" Niki inquired, a small smile on his face as he constantly stared at me.

"Ah, she's the woman I saw at the airport, from Seoul. She was so amazed by the plane moving that she wouldn't move her head out of the window." She gave a light chuckle as my body turned warmer, I stared to the ground as Niki gave a light laugh.

"That sounds just like her, anyways, Yeojin, this is my grandma." Niki introduced and I gave her a respectful bow as she nodded her head with a smile, heading inside her house.

Niki walked up to me, and staring at him come closer, just made my heart thump harder and faster. Fix yourself Yeojin, I cannot be liking this guy.

I had nine weeks left in Jeju, and I refuse to like anybody, even if my heart says it does. I have to leave this place behind eventually.

"I didn't know you met my grandma earlier." Niki gave a chuckle, his eyes staring into mine, and then towards my lips. I quickly pressed my lips together in nervousness, looking down with a very awkward chuckle.

"Well, um, I didn't know I met your grandma either.." I cleared my throat, looking around as if I had never seen a front garden before.

"She clearly likes yo-" Niki tried to say, before he was interrupted by a voice.

"Niki."

We both turned towards the voice, and it was none other than Saeron. Her eyes fixated with such a glare on me that I felt a small sense of doom. She's definitely here to bury me in this garden.

"Hey Saeron! What's up?" Niki gave an innocent smiling, how the fuck did this guy not realise Saeron had full-blown feelings for him?

"I felt like I hadn't seen you in a while, came to stop by your grandma's house with some ginseng for her." Saeron would not cut her glare off me, up until she approached Niki closely.

"Ginseng? I brought her some of that and she still refuses to use it because it's apparently too expensive." Niki gave a small laughing, I stared silently around the garden, pretending as if this wasn't the most awkward thing I've ever had to encounter.

"Well, you know, your grandma always took care of me too, so I just wish to repay her." Saeron continued, giving a little giggle at the end of her sentence.

Niki's grandma came out, looking at the three of us.

"Oh. Hello, Saeron." Her tone was a little different, and I was slightly taken aback by this. I thought that since they knew each other for years, then she'd seem to adore Saeron, but to me, this felt like the complete opposite.

"I'm gonna go....." I quietly spoke, sliding away from the three of them. I quickly made my way out of there, pretty sure all three of them had their gazes on me.

Damn, was that a little too disrespectful? Now Niki's grandma will hate me, and I'll never even be able to see him again.

I stopped walking, just processing what I thought.

Did I just feel disappointed at the fact that I wouldn't be able to see Niki again?

I tapped my cheeks lightly, in disbelief at my own mind. I felt betrayed by my own self, in punishment, I started to run back home, trying to completely slap some sense into myself.