A gentle breeze was brushing against my face.I didn't want to wake up.I pressed my eyelids tighter together, as if I feared that opening them would steal something from me.
My mind felt empty and dark.I didn't care why I was here, where I was, or what I was doing.All I could feel was the softness of the bed beneath me and the warmth of the blanket resting over my stomach.
Then suddenly, a faint whisper stirred the darkness in my head.It was an ordinary sound… repetitive… yet strangely special.I couldn't tell whose voice it was.I only felt that someone was sitting a little farther away, slightly above my face.
Who is it…?
Even though I didn't want to, I slowly opened my eyes.
Everything was blurry.All I could see was the white ceiling and a fan spinning lazily above.I lowered my gaze, trying to find the owner of that whisper.
The first thing I saw was his pale face.His eyes were closed, long black lashes resting quietly against his skin.
It was Mike.
His uniform was neat, cleaner than mine.Without his cap, his hair looked softer, a little longer.
He sat in the nurse's chair with his elbow resting on the desk beside my bed,as if that space belonged to him,his hand supporting his face like a quiet pillar.
He looked… sad.
From the very first day my eyes brushed across his face,I knew something inside me had shifted.For a moment, the way I looked at him had changed.
For a moment, I thought I could see the red threads of fate hidden behind the curtain.
I couldn't get enough of looking at him.I knew if he opened his eyes, I'd be caught…but still, I couldn't look away.
It felt as if, for that single moment,time and the world stood still to watch us in silence.
My heart began to pound,and with each beat, a heavy ache spread through my chest.A feeling unfamiliar… and dangerous.
Maybe it was only the foolishness of youth.
I didn't want to be seen.I quickly pulled the blanket over myself.
A few seconds later, his voice trembled.I heard him sniff softly, followed by a quiet sigh.My eyes were closed, but I could feel his sorrow.
Then he left the room.When I heard the door close, I slowly opened my eyes and sat up.
Not long after, the school nurse entered with a tired face.She hadn't even bothered to put out her cigarette before coming in.She stood by the doorway for a moment, peering inside, then said,
"So you finally woke up. Took you long enough."
She sat in the chair beside my bed — the same chair Mike had just left.
"That boy who carried you here crying… is he your friend?Anyway, rest a bit more, then head back to class."
I knew she was joking.Mike? Crying? Impossible.
She paused for a moment, lips drying as if she had almost said something she shouldn't.Then she picked up her phone and called someone.
In a language I didn't understand, she said:
"Sora ya despertó, date prisa o te robarán a tu amigo, chico."
(Sora woke up. Hurry, or they'll steal your friend from you, boy.)
She hung up and left.
I lay my head back on the pillow.I wanted to empty my mind, to calm it…but the thought of how I hadn't felt alone when I saw Mike wouldn't leave me.Maybe I was trying to give that feeling a name.
Suddenly, the door burst open.I turned toward it.
It was Mike.
He was breathing hard, sweat sliding down his warm cheeks.His hands pressed firmly against his knees.
Without saying a word, he walked straight toward me.His heavy footsteps echoed across the wooden floor.
He looked angry.I thought he might hit me.I squeezed my eyes shut and raised my arm to shield my face.
I waited for his fist to land…even though I didn't know what mistake I'd made.
But instead, I felt the warmth of his arms around me.
Someone whose touch I had never even felt before —now I could hear his heartbeat against me.
He pulled his face slightly back, but his hands still gripped my shoulders tightly.
"Sora… are you okay? They said your head was bleeding…"
The face I could never imagine without a smirknow stood before me, frightened and shaken.
A few seconds later, once he was sure I was safe,he calmed down…and slowly sat on the polished wooden floor.
I looked at his face, trying to grow used to it,but he kept stealing his gaze away from me.
I don't know why,but the moment I saw his expression, I burst into laughter —the loudest laugh I had let out in years.Maybe it was because he looked at me as if, in that moment,I was the only thing that mattered to him.
I placed my right hand on Mike's hair,messy from running,and gently tangled my fingers in it.
He flushed a little and lowered his eyes to the ground.
"Good boy," I told him with a smile.
"Hey, what am I… your dog?"he shot back, glancing up at me.
"Hey, Sora… you're not pretty with that bandage.Try not to need it again, okay?"
There was a soft smile on his lips,but I could see the sadness hiding in his eyes.
"A bandage…?"I murmured to myself,suddenly noticing the cloth wrapped around my head.
I lifted my hand to touch it,and understood what he meant.
"Hey Mike… I think I'm looking for someone who'll fall in love with me."
A teasing smile spread across his face.
"No way. You're way too dumb for that."
I pulled my foot out from under the blanketand kicked his shoulder.
His grin widened as he sat beside me on the bed.
"So… don't you have anyone in mind?" he asked.
I stared at him.It was a question I didn't know how to answer.My eyes were far too blind to see the future.
"I don't know…but I'm sure their smile would make my world more colorful."
The words slipped from my mouthas if they'd been trapped too long to stay inside.
Maybe this was what everyone callssomething more than friendship,and less than love.
"Hey, Sora… look over there."
Mike pointed gently toward the window.
I turned my face,and saw a dreamlike scene.
It was as if the sky had become a priceless painting.The clouds had nearly buried the sun within them,and the sun had stained the clouds with its own colors —red, orange, yellow.
I could no longer tellwhether the sky was blue or gold.
What a dreamy blendfor such an ordinary sky.
After that, we headed home together.Mike forced my bag from my handsand gave me a ride on his bicycle all the way to my door.
A soft, gentle wind drifted through the evening air,almost like winter's breath,as if spring still hadn't forgotten its memory.
After saying goodbye to Mike,I looked up at the sky before knocking.
A deep darkness,made brighter by the stars —a familiar sight,yet every time I saw it, it felt newly painted.
When Grandma opened the doorand saw the bandage on my head,her kind, calm face turned instantly anxious.
That night she slept beside me,and my bed felt warmer than ever before.
I didn't know why,but that smile… that gaze…had settled deep inside my heart.
After that day, Mike paid more attention to me,and slowly became the only friendwho felt close enough to reach my heart.
Days passed like that,and over time his smile grew longer, brighter.He had changed a little.
Maybe there was somethingI couldn't quite understand.
And with every passing moment,his changes reminded me more and morehow different we truly were.
Because he is the one who,when I walk through darkness,is dancing in the light.
Until the daythat music finally daredto wish itself heard.