✓ laundry boy | yang jungwon

18: save me

hisano

"i don't know why you didn't believe me yesterday." said the girl in front of me, who i later learned that her name was aeri. "and you ran off when i asked you something." she crossed her arms and slightly glared.

"i'm sorry?" i replied, "what do you need?"

"i asked you how you got him to talk. well, how you befriended him, i should say."

i looked up, was it okay to tell her? what if laundry boy suddenly gets upset with me for telling this random girl? "why do you want to know? we just did..."

the girl sighs, starting to get impatient, "is it your first year here?" she asked.

i shook my head. that's right, i didn't even know if laundry boy was in my grade or not.

i held up two fingers to say that i was in my second year, "second, but i was in the B side." meaning, i was in the smaller building. (main school building, smaller. u get?)

"ohh. okay, so you probably don't know me well. anyway, my father is a doctor, he's probably your family doctor too." she explained randomly.

i tilted her head, "um, oka-"

"i'm not finished." she put a finger near my lips to shush me, "he's jungwon's doctor too."

my eyes widened in confusion, and in surprise. "jungwon?" i repeated.

aeria sat on my desk, "yes, jungwon. that's his name... come on, don't act so confused like yesterday"

"so that's his name..." i muttered while looking at the ground.

i couldn't tell if i was happy or not, the name was beautiful, it's just that i found out by someone other than him. i wanted him to be the first one to tell me.

"what? are you telling me you never knew his name?" aeri asked, putting her hand over her mouth.

i shook my head, "no... i didn't know his name."

she gasped, "you're lying! so was he just chasing you that one day and you didn't even know him? that's so weird, he's  so weird."

i shook my head again, "no, that's not it. we are friends, but he never told me his name."

she tilted her head, still not understanding this whole thing, "you're friends and you don't know his name?"

"nope."

the girl on the desk sighed before checking her nails, "mkay, whatever. back to the point, he has a condition, and he's supposed to be visiting my dad often after his last doctor's appointment. but then his mom passed away and we had no contact of him." she explained, "i tried searching for him all summer, but i couldn't find him."

her hand slammed the desk gently, "that's why i need you to tell him. deal?"

i hesitantly replied, "okay, deal. if...! you tell me what his condition is."

"heart condition, something like that. he's not even supposed to be running and using his energy like that," she paused.

my eyes widened, every time he's been with me, he's used a lot of his energy. we always run around and play together.

what if his heart's getting worse because of me?

"or else," aeri began, "he'll die."

my heart dropped then and there, i felt sick to my stomach. laundry boy, no, jungwon will die?

"just kidding!" aeri laughed, "did you see the face you made just now? it was like this." aeri tried imitating my expression before laughing.

"that's not funny." i said quietly, sulking.