The Story of Gina & Martin

G: “I must be crazy.”

M: “What is it?”

G: “I must be crazy.”

M: “Yeah, I heard that. But why?”

G: “You know, I must be crazy.”

M: “I know, for God’s sake. But why are you keep saying that?”

G: “I think I’m attracted to someone,”

M: “But?”

G: “He’s older,”

M: “Yeah, so? I don’t get it why you say...,”

G: “He’s so much older than me.”

M: “Okay, well, how old is so much older?”

G: “He’s twice my age.”

G: “I need a hug,”

---

Martin Forrester

My biggest inspiration while writing about Martin is Stiles Stilinski from the MTV’s series, “Teen Wolf”. The character is portrayed by Dylan O’Brien. The hyperactive behavior, witty remarks, intelligence, and sarcasm are based on Stiles. He’s just a male childhood best friend that I never had. I add some evil sides into him, like the fact that Martin is a smoker. And I also add some athletic sides into him, like the fact that he’s a soccer player who often plays basketball too. Maybe in the future I will add some musical sides into him, like playing guitar and singing, perhaps, I don’t know. I portray Martin’s physical being as; a little bit taller than Stiles (O’Brien is 180 cm, while Martin is 185 cm) with a face looks exactly like Stiles (with that hairstyle like in the photo), especially with dark thick eyebrows.

 Gina Moore

Gina is as cool as a girl can be. She acts the way she wants, does the things she likes, and says the words she pleases; a philosopher as well as a party-goer, a beauty with a twist. I never imagined a certain character or person everytime I write about her. She’s just a girl that I could never be. I portray Gina’s physical being as; 160 cm tall with long brunette hair with messy-cut style, fair white skin, and a cynical smile as her signature.

 I feel so relax everytime I write this story, and for the first time, I don’t set any target. I just write anything whenever I get the inspiration. Sometimes I even write it in a random sequence. The teaser part is usually the first part I write from a episode, and then it goes complete by adding the before and after the teaser part. There are two places where I get most of my inspirations: (1) on my motorcycle during the way home from work, and (2) on the toilet while doing the ‘nature call’. Since I don’t have any target (and I don’t want to set it yet), I don’t know until when I will write the story. As long as the inspirations come, I guess. I just want Martin and Gina as ordinary as a couple of youth can be. I want them to be your best friends or some friends you can find in your school or campus, your neighbors you can find in your neighborhood, your cousins you meet during holidays, your ex-lovers you often remember, or even you in yourself. Well, I hope you could enjoy it with me, and I hope it would inspire you in some way somehow.

 Ah, I also make a tagline, just for fun.

A few months ago. Martin was out of town, having research for his thesis. It took about a semester long, since he studied engineering. He stayed at his Uncle’s house. It was very late at night when he logged in to the chatroom just to see whether Gina was logged in too. Turned out that she was there.

martinforrester: G

martinforrester: are you there?

gina_moore: MARTYYY!!!

gina_moore: oh my God! Feels like ages!

gina_moore: how r u doing?

martinforrester: I’m sorry I haven’t called

martinforrester: been crazily hectic in here

martinforrester: really need someone to talk

martinforrester: geez! I really want to call you right now, but I don’t want to wake my uncle up

martinforrester: and his baby son, anyway, my cousin, he’s only 3 months old and hardly fall asleep

gina_moore: that’s okay, Marty

gina_moore: hey, chill out, okay...

gina_moore: is anything wrong?

martinforrester: no, nothing

martinforrester: guess I’m just exhausted

martinforrester: and I need someone to talk to

gina_moore: well we can talk in here

martinforrester: I need someone

gina_moore: well, not literally talk, you know, you write, I read, I write you back

martinforrester: someone like you

gina_moore: you read, you write me back, and so on and on, it’s called chat

gina_moore: wait, what?

gina_moore: someone like me?

Gina smiled.

martinforrester: yeah

martinforrester: you’re the one I need to talk to

martinforrester: it has to be you

gina_moore: why?

Gina anticipated cliche answers like “Because you’re my bestfriend,” but what she got instead was,

martinforrester: well I don’t know

martinforrester: it just has to be you

gina_moore: wow

That was unpredictable for Gina.

martinforrester: I love talking to you, G

martinforrester: you know everything I need you to know

martinforrester: I don’t have to explain anything complicated to you

martinforrester: you know what to say and what not

gina_moore: I’m flattered

martinforrester: you must

martinforrester: and I’m not finish yet

gina_moore: okay

martinforrester: and I love talking to you

martinforrester: because

martinforrester: somehow

martinforrester: you know how to make me being myself when I’m with you

martinforrester: and I love being myself

martinforrester: and that’s rare

gina_moore: you must be really exhausted

Martin smiled, but he wrote,

martinforrester: I’m serious

gina_moore: I know you are

gina_moore: well, everyone has many masks, Marty, like a mode in cellphone

gina_moore: when you’re with me, you don’t have to put any mask

martinforrester: that’s it!

martinforrester: I don’t have to wear any mask when I’m with you

martinforrester: and I love it

martinforrester: I love you

martinforrester: what should I do?

gina_moore: marry me then

martinforrester: that would be awkward

gina_moore: I know

gina_moore: super awkward

gina_moore: forget it

martinforrester: okay

gina_moore: but I miss you, Mart

gina_moore: come home soon, okay?

martinforrester: I will

martinforrester: wish me luck

gina_moore: always

gina_moore: may the force be with you

“Tell me whether it’s my eyes seeing it wrong or the man sitting in the corner right there is really Mister Stuart?” Martin points to a certain direction with his glance.

Gina follows the direction and nods her head, “Yup, that’s him.”

The bestfriends spend their lunch time in a canteen in Gina’s campus, when Martin accidentally sees their neighbor, Mr. Stuart, sitting in a corner with a woman.

“What is he doing here? Well, I mean, I know he’s your lecturer, but, what is he doing here with a woman? Just, the two of them, I mean. And they look, so, intimate.”

“That woman is Miss Argent. She is one of my lecturers too,” Gina pauses for a while, “And, well, as you can see, she’s being intimate with Mister Stuart.”

What they mean by ‘intimate’ is Mr. Stuart and Miss Argent are talking to each other while facing each other. The talk is filled with smiles and laughters. They even give out a serious look toward each other in the middle of the conversation. They look enjoying it as if there’s nobody else in the canteen; just the two of them against the world.

“Is there something between them?” Martin slightly glances to the couple. Curiousity is all over his face.

“They’ve been like that since I studied here. Me and my friends met them at a cinema, once, some times ago, together, just the two of them. Nobody knows what’s exactly going on between them. It’s the biggest mystery of our department.”

“Do you think they ...,” Looks like Martin doesn’t intend to finish his sentence.

“Together? Perhaps, well, most likely. Dating? Well, I don’t think that far, since, you know ...,”

Mr. Stuart is already married. Martin nods his head. He understands though Gina doesn’t finish her sentence. “Do you think Mister Stuart ...,”

“Having an affair? Well ..., that would be too judgmental. I don’t know, it’s just unclear. I think it’s complicated, even for them themselves.”

Martin nods his head again.

Gina continues, “Well, I mean, you know, we’ve both been there done that, right? It’s not that simple as saying it as an affair.”

“I understand.” Martin suddenly laughs.

“What is it?”

“Been there done that, you said, that just sounds funny for me.” Martin shakes his head. “But I agree with you. We’ve both been there, I mean like, every side of it, you know, all sides. We’ve been the one who cheated, the one who was being cheated, and even the third party.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “It’s not as simple as saying it an affair.”

“That’s what I mean. It’s complicated, right? It’s beyond an affair, I guess.”

“An affair is not an affair, if you look at it from a certain perspective, G.”

“And that’s coming from someone who has been in an affair.” Gina rolls her eyes while laughing.

“Experience is the best teacher. You’ve done it too, by the way. Don’t get yourself clean. Everyone’s dirty in this area.”

Gina laughs. “Yeah, we’re dirty people. Fucked up dirty people.”

Martin laughs. “Yes, we are.”

Silence creeps up as they both are drowing in their own thoughts.

“Maybe they’re just comfortable talking with each other.” Gina breaks the silence.

“You mean, like us?”

“Well, yeah, like us.” Gina pauses for a while, and then continues, “Perhaps they found something different when they’re talking to each other, something special and precious they couldn’t find in anybody else, something undeniable and mysterious, like having an intellectual orgasm.”

“Are you having intellectual orgasm when talking with me?”

“Do I really have to answer that?”

“Never mind.” Martin shakes his head, and something else inside it. “Back to affair, anyway, I agree with you, it’s beyond affair.”

“And you said about different perspective,”

“Yes, that one, I mean like this, why do people have an affair? What makes them do that in the first place?”

“They found something different? Something that their partner don’t have, or can’t give?”

“Exactly. But the thing is, everybody is different.”

“Exactly. But the thing is, I believe in destiny. Some people do.”

“I know, I believe in it too. But the thing is, sometime destiny puts us in a wrong time and place,”

“With a wrong person, I agree. But the thing is, everything happens for a reason, though we don’t know what that is yet.”

“True. But the thing is, how do we know when they’re the one? I mean like, really the one. The one who won’t cheat on us and whom we won’t cheat on.”

“That’s why I believe in one other thing besides destiny. It’s the feeling. You’ll know it when it’s the one. You’ll feel it. People will eventually do at some point in their life. And when they do, they shouldn’t let it go, no, they must not let it go.”

“How could you be so positive? What if people like us, you know, cheater, never know how to stop?”

“Well, experience is the best teacher. I guess having felt every side of an affair plays a significant role in it.”

“Enlightened me,”

“For people who have been the victim only, the one who was being cheated, they would be skeptical about an affair, they lost their faith, they would be judgmental, and they would only see the negative sides of it, because they always feel like everyone is gonna betray them in the end. On the other hand, for people who have been the cheater only, they would never know how to stop, well, perhaps until something really big happens to them, because they always feel like they don’t have enough satisfaction from their partner, yet they don’t have the courage to let them go, a nature coward. And, for people who have been the third party only, they would be skeptical about the concept of love itself, and they would never believe that a real love is exist, because they always feel like no one is gonna put them first above anyone else.”

“Wow, that’s quite a long explanation. But I get the point. That’s enlightening. Thanks, G. You just gave me intellectual orgasm.”

Gina laughs as she shakes her head, and something else inside it. “For people like us, who have been the cheater and the victim and the third party, we could see things clearer. The world is not black or white anyway, it’s all grey area in here. And I believe, we would know it when we meet the one. The one whom we can’t, we won’t, and we don’t ever wanted to cheat on,”

“Because experience is the best teacher.”

“Exactly. And you’ll know it by the sign.”

“What sign?”

“When you have someone whom you always bounce back to somehow, all the time, no matter how far you’ve gone to anyone else.”

“You’re amazing, Ginny.”

Gina laughs.

“What? I’m serious. You never failed to amaze me with you thoughts. Maybe that’s why I always have this intellectual orgasm everytime I’m talking with you.”

“Shut up, Marty!” Gina sighs, as she stares at Mr. Stuart and Miss Argent. “It’s sad though, don’t you think? Meeting that someone when we’re already married with someone else.”

“Are you kidding? It’s horrifying! That’s why, Ginny, don’t get married unless you are very deeply sure that the person you’re going to marry is that someone.”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t rush it, right?”

“Of course! It’s once for a lifetime.” This time Martin sighs. “You know what, maybe it sounds crazy, but I think that I will never be able to cheat on you if we are together.”

“Yeah, because you’ll be dead before you can do that.”

The bestfriends both laugh.

“But I’m having it, anyway, that’s my answer for your question.” Gina suddenly says.

Martin raises his thick eyebrows. “Which one?”

“Hey, Marty, your phone. It keeps vibrating like crazy. Is it having orgasm or something?”

It’s the same Sunday evening. Still in the same Martin’s room. Gina is typing something or browsing the internet or doing whatever she likes to do with Martin’s laptop on the bed. While the man she’s talking to is facing his computer on his desk, busily doing the ‘dirty job’ for her; dealing with the obsessed man named Simon.

“What? Oh, my phone? Who’s calling?”

Gina takes Martin’s smartphone which is laying beside her on the bed. She stares at the screen. “Donna? What the fuck, Marty, are you still keeping in touch with her?!”

Martin is caught up in silence.

“Marty?”

Martin took a deep breath before finally saying, “Well,” but the silence returns.

“Well? Marty?” Gina begins to lose her patience.

Martin lets out a deep sigh. “Well, apparently, she tried to contact me again, actually, from the moment I cut her off two years ago. And apparently, several days ago when I had reunion with our friends, well she didn’t come to the reunion, but she did succeed in contacting me again.”

“What?! You can’t let her do that! She’s insane, no, she’s totally crazy! A freak! A lunatic!” Gina finally explodes.

They’re talking about a girl who went to same faculty with Martin, but different major. They met at a college program where Martin was shortly having affair with her, as she already had a boyfriend. Gina knows the whole story, as well as she understands that Donna was the one who chased after Martin first, inspite of the fact the she was somebody’s girlfriend. And Gina doesn’t like her since the beginning, because she knew there’s something wrong about this girl. It turned out that Gina’s feeling was right.

“Wowowow..., calm down, G,” Martin can’t help but smiling at his furious bestfriend, because that kind of explosion is rare. “I’ve got this, okay? She began to contact me again few days ago, after having lost contact for about two years. And I’ve said that I don’t have any feeling left for her anymore now. Well, I don’t know why she’s calling right now, but I don’t wanna know. So please reject the call, G.”

The call was already stopped when Martin started talking. “What?! She asked you whether you still have feelings for her?”

“Yea,” Martin looks hesitate, but he continues, “And more,”

“What is more?”

“Well, she talked about that, you know, something that she always likes to talk about, and to do. And she also said that she was missing it, you know, doing that with me.”

“Sex?”

Martin nods his head.

“Crazy bitch! She’s obsessed with you!”

Donna was a sex addict, and apparently she is still. It was her reason to approach Martin back then, that she was sexually attracted to him. It’s now her reason to search for Martin again, that he has something her boyfriend could never give to her; sexual satisfaction.

“I’m curious about something, Mart. How do you handle this? I mean, all of this craziness with her,”

“I’m simply ignoring her. Well, like erasing her from my life. Besides, she’s out of town, right now, she had graduated and here is not her hometown. So I’m pretty sure that she would never come back here. It’s easier when you’re apart in term of distance with someone you don’t want to meet, right?”

“Are you sure you can? Because I’m not sure you can,”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a real life, not a Facebook. You can’t just erase someone like that, like unfriending or blocking them on Facebook. You can’t block people from your life. What if she come here again? What if she’s in town?”

“Oh yes, I can. I’m good at ignoring people, remember?”

“Ignoring them doesn’t mean you erase them. That’s a different story.”

“Ignoring them means you don’t give those people that fucking chance to slip into your mind. So it’s simply like sorting the trashes. Keeping the ones that are still possible to be recycled, and throwing away the others, the rotten ones. Admit it, G, there are people you want to throw away from your life, right?”

“Well yeah, but it’s not as easy as sorting the trashes. They are people. They will always find a way to get back if they might.”

“And your life is yours. You can always find a way to block them if you might, like on the Facebook. Like what you did to Simon, right? You cut him off. Both Simon and Donna are obsessed people, in a different level.”

Gina nods her head. She’s probably a hard-headed woman, and a difficult-to-argue-with kind of woman, but Martin, somehow, always has a way to tackle her, in a good way like open up a a new perspective for her and make her rethinking about anything.

“Geez ..., after all this time and she’s still talking about that.” Gina is calm now, back to her usual self. She reads the chat between Martin and Donna on Martin’s phone. Words like ‘freak’ and ‘crazy bitch’ flow like a river from her mouth. “Marty, please remind me again, how many times did you have sex with her back then when you lost your mind and had affair with this crazy-bitch-who-already-had-a-boyfriend-but-since-their-sex-life-was-not-satisfying-her-that-much-so-she-hungered-for-more?”

Martin laughed at Gina’s way to call that woman before answering, “We were not having sex, yet, only make out, twice, then I became sober and cut her off.”

“Only twice make out sessions, but she became like this toward you?! Wow, Mart, you must be so great!”

“What the fuck?!”

Gina and Martin are spending their Sunday evening together in Martin’s room when she spits the dirty word. She uses Martin’s computer on the desk, while Martin uses his laptop on his bed.

“What is it?”

“Geez,” Gina paused for seconds before saying, “Do you remember Simon? High school?”

Martin furrows his dark brown and thick eyebrows. “Yes, I remember him. He was my captain, the high school soccer team. Why?”

Gina lets out a deep sigh.

“Wait, he’s the one who chased after you during high school, right? The one who was crazily madly deeply in love with you?”

Gina nods her head.

“What is he doing now? The last time you told me about him was that he contacted you again after you broke up with Travis, but you rejected him, high school all over again, and you cut every possible contact with him, because you felt terrorized.”

“Wow, your memory deserves a Pulitzer. Are you sure you don’t want to be an author?”

Martin rolls his eyes.

“So, apparently, this boy knows no giving up.”

“He contacts you again?”

“Yup. He made a new Facebook account, as I already blocked the old one, and added me as friend, again.”

“Maybe he had problem with his old account,”

“It still exists, I’ve just checked it with your account,”

“Fuck,” Martin’s eyes are wide-open, “He’s a freak,”

“Told you so,” Gina rolls her eyes, “He’s a freak,”

“Too bad. I used to play soccer with him in high school. He’s a great striker, you know. Anyway, does he have girlfriend or something like that? I don’t remember he ever had one in high school,”

“Nope. Apparently no one. And do you remember when two years ago, right before I cut every contact with him, he told me that he was waiting for me, for seven years since the freshman year of high school?”

“Ah, yea, I remember. And that’s the biggest trigger for you to finally decide to cut him off, right? You were terrified, because he seemed to be obsessed with you.”

“Yea, I was terrified. And also, I never liked him, Marty, that’s the main cause of all.”

Martin nods his head. “Of course, if you liked him then all the things he did would seem sweet and nice and everything.”

“I’ve told him that I didn’t like him. Right and straight to the point. Even a little bit harsh. Apparently it didn’t work. He keeps trying to find me.”

“Maybe he just loves you too much.”

“That’s nonsense. He barely knows me. He doesn’t even know that I’m smoking. Or that I’m a crazy wench who talks shit. Or that I never go to church except on Christmas and Easter. We only met at school during high school. And we never met, at all, after graduation. We even barely talked to each other, geez!”

“Then he must be obsessed with you.” Martin gets up from the bed and walks toward Gina. “Just try accept the request.”

“Why?!”

“I just want to know his reaction. Come on, G, you can block him again if it goes wrong. It’s just Facebook.”

“Whatever. Do it yourself.” Gina gets up from the chair and throws her body onto the bed, leaving Martin with his computer and her logged in Facebook account.

“Done. And... he is online, apparently.”

“Just wait a few seconds more, he will ...,”

“He chats you!”

“... chat me. Told you so, Marty!”

“God, he’s totally into you, G.”

“He doesn’t know anything about me, Marty, not more than what I share on social media.”

“Maybe he just wants to know you more, but you close the door for him.”

“So he said he was waiting for me for seven years just to know me. Is that what you mean?”

“Well, that part is weird, I agree.”

“Very weird!”

“Perhaps he just loves the idea about you.”

“That’s what I’m always thinking.”

“Poor him.” Martin stares at his computer screen and says, “I guess I know how to make him stop, for good.”

“How?” Gina raises her eyebrows, very interested.

“Make him knows who you really are. A guy like this, I know him, he’s in love with his own imagination about you. And when he knows that the real you is totally different from it, he’ll stop.”

“I don’t even want to talk to him. Not in a million years, Marty!”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“How?” This time Gina gets more interested.

“It’s Facebook. All he knows is that he’s talking to your account, not the real person in front of the screen. Plus, you said that he barely knows you. I assume he won’t notice just by the words, right?”

Gina smirks. “Your brain deserves a Nobel. Please take care of my account, dear friend.”

M: “An affair is not an affair, if you look at it from a certain perspective.”

G: “And that’s coming from someone who has been in an affair.”

M: “Experience is the best teacher. You’ve done it too, by the way. Don’t get yourself clean. Everyone’s dirty in this area.”

---

G: “Maybe they’re just comfortable talking with each other.”

M: “You mean, like us?”

G: “Well, yeah, like us. Perhaps they found something different when they’re talking to each other, something special and precious they couldn’t find in anybody else, something undeniable and mysterious, like having an intellectual orgasm.”

M: “Are you having intellectual orgasm when talking with me?”

G: “It’s a real life, not a Facebook. You can’t just erase someone like that, like unfriending or blocking them on Facebook. You can’t block people from your life.”

M: “Oh yes, I can. I’m good at ignoring people, remember?”

G: “Ignoring them doesn’t mean you erase them. That’s a different story.”

M: “Ignoring them means you don’t give those people that fucking chance to slip into your mind. So it’s simply like sorting the trashes. Keeping the ones that are still possible to be recycled, and throwing away the others, the rotten ones. Admit it, there are people you want to throw away from your life, right?”

G: “Well yeah, but it’s not as easy as sorting the trashes. They are people. They will always find a way to get back if they might.”

M: “Maybe he just loves you too much.”

G: “That’s nonsense. He barely knows me.”

M: “Then he must be obsessed with you.”

---

M: “He’s totally into you.”

G: “He doesn’t know anything about me, not more than what I share on social media.”

M: “Maybe he just wants to know you more, but you close the door for him.”

---

“And what did you say to him again?”

Martin is driving Gina’s car as the two take the road to go home together after classes. They go to same university though they take different major in different faculty. Gina picked up Martin after his last class for today, and now he drives. That’s just the way he is. He never let Gina drive whenever they’re together, though she’s the car’s owner. He said Gina drives like a truck driver.

“I’m sorry, I fall in love with someone else.” Gina answers to Martin’s question with a straight face.

“Ouch, G.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Well, it’s honest, and right to the point. And yes, it is that bad.”

Gina raises her shoulders. Seems like doesn’t care.

“But it’s also good. You didn’t hang his hope up high, because you broke it down in an instance.” Martin says as he tries hard to concentrate driving at the same time.

“Yeah, I guess that’s bad.”

Martin shakes his head. “No, no, no, it’s still better than giving him a blur answer like, ‘I only see you as my friend’ or ‘I just want to be alone right now’. That’s a lot way better than that. I like you because of this. You are the very blunt person I’ve ever known.”

Gina smirks.

“How long have you been friend with him again?”

“Since high school. We were in the same Econ class.”

They’re talking about Gina’s high school friends, a part of her inner circle during high school. But since Martin went to different classes with them, he barely knows him.

“Sure you don’t have any feeling for him? Like an interest or something? More than just a friend maybe?”

“Nope.” Gina answers with the same straight face.

“Not even a little bit?”

Gina shakes her head.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“I mean, he’s good looking, he’s tall, he’s smart, well, a little bit of silly sometimes, oh well, many times, but he’s a good person, and he’s dilligent.”

“Come on, Marty, how long have you known me? I’m a kind of ‘first impression’ person. It’s hard for me to fall in love with someone whom I didn’t have any interest in the first place,”

“Yeah, I know,” too well, if he may add.

They’re caught up in silence for a moment while Martin tries to overtake a truck in front of their car.

“Is it true?” He breaks the silence.

“What?”

“What you said to him, that you fall in love with someone else, is it true then?”

Gina pauses for a while. “Well, more or less,” Her straight face has gone, and Martin realizes it from her shaking voice.

“What? So it’s true! How come I don’t know? Who’s that unlucky person?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Come on, Ginny. Since when we have a secret?”

“I still don’t wanna tell you.”

“Fine, do as you please. I will know sooner or later anyway,” Martin smirks.

“Yeah, you will. You always do.” The straight face has come back.

“You, you always know how make me curious, girl. You’re an evil.”

Gina laughs. “So ..., how about the girl from the last time? What’s her name again? Kelly, or something?”

“Yeah, Kelly. We were just hanging out for two or three times. Not very special. Well, I thought it would be special, you know, since we’ve known each other for a long time and I’ve always been having a little interest toward her, but, well, hey, it’s just like your case!”

Now they’re talking about Martin’s college friend, a part of his inner circle in college. But since they have different inner circle, Gina barely knows her.

“It’s different! You clearly said that you have interest for her.”

“Well yeah, but after those hang-outs, I realize that interest is not enough. She’s my friend, and I feel comfortable around her, and she’s pretty, and smart, and all. But it turns out that I like her not the way I want her to be my girlfriend, or something.”

“What if she likes you the way she wants to be yours? What if she confesses that?”

“Well, sadly I would have to say no, by telling her how I really feel,”

“And what will you say to her?”

“I’m sorry, I fall in love with someone else.” Martin smirks.

“Is it him?”

It’s after dinner and the two bestfriends are spending leisure time in Martin’s bedroom. Gina is concentrating on the computer screen in front of her,which shows a photo of a man smiling bright in a Facebook profile page. While Martin, the one she’s talking to, is laying on his bed, with a comic book in his hands. He puts down the comic and take a look at the screen. The face of his ex-girlfriend’s not-so-new boyfriend is all on it.

“Yup, it’s him.”

“Well I can see why he finds you intimidating for him,”

Martin rolls his eyes.

“Come on! Look, you are definitely better looking than him. And that’s just the first,”

Martin gives out a little smile. “And what’s the second?”

“You are my friend, my bestfriend, that’s it!”

“You. Are. A. Bulls.”

Gina laughs. “What did she say about him again?” She scrolls down the screen, which shows more photos of the same man they’re talking about, in different poses.

“So, she said that he was telling her, that he was kinda feel something like, you know, being intimidated” Martin pauses for a second, “by me,”

“You? Really?” Gina can’t help but let out another laughter.

“Yeah, funny, right? Well, I do think so. I mean, how come there’s anyone who could feel inferior toward me? I mean like, me, ME, you know,”

Gina bursts out laugh, again, as she raises her right hand while trying to say, “I do,” between the laughter.

“Come on, cut the crap, G!”

“Okay ..., okay ...,” Gina tries her best to stop laughing. “Did she say why he felt like that?”

Martin shakes his head.

“Perhaps he realized that you could give her something he couldn’t give her. That’s why he was afraid. And that’s why he felt intimidated. He was insecure.”

“Perhaps,” Martin paused for a while before continuing, “I guess you’re right. But, the thing is, what’s the use of all that, if in the end she didn’t chose me? She left me, he got her, that’s what matter in the end, right?”

“It’s not about choice. I think it’s about priority, her priority.”

“That’s the answer then. I’m not her priority. I wasn’t. And maybe I’m never her priority.”

Gina is caught up in silence. Trying to find the right words to say.

“What’s the use of being better than him, when I know that I’m not even the prioritized one? What’s the use of knowing that he’s intimidated by me, when I know that she chose to be with him in the end?”

“When you’re better than him, then you’re good enough to know that there’s nothing to regret. She left you? Fine! Then find someone else who makes you her priority.”

“It’s not that easy, you know that too, Ginny,”

“Yeah, I know,” too well, if she may add.

“I wanted her. I made her my priority.”

“But still, she left, right?”

“I guess I’m just nobody’s priority. She left me. Everyone left me. No one stayed.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t you ever say that, Marty .... You had done your best. And it was her loss that she left you for him.”

“You said that just because you are my friend, right?”

“Yea ..., I said that as your friend, of course,” Gina pauses for a second, “And as a woman,”

“Really?” Martin rolls his eyes, but he smiles.

“Who has known you since kindergarten, and practically grown up together, and went to the same school until high school, and even went to the same college, and after all of ups and downs we’re still good friends because we have been living as neighbors since we were born.”

Martin throws a pillow to Gina, who catches it while laughing out loud.

“No, no, no ..., I’m sorry. I mean it, you know, you’re always my priority, Mart. I never leave, right?”

Martin lets out a sigh. Acknowledging that his bestfriend is the one who stays when those lovers come and go. “Yeah, you’re mine, too. Now you should go home, I’m going to hang out with the boys,”

“What? Where are you guys going? Can I go too?”

“Since you can have your ladies’ time or something, then I can have my gentlemen’s time too, okay?”

“Crap ...,” But Gina stands up from the chair anyway.

“Hey, thanks for the talking, okay?”

“Anytime, brother. You’re my priority, remember?” She waves her hand while walking toward the door.

It’s already late at night when Gina is playing basketball all alone. It’s in her middle school basketball field, not far from her home. She makes few small moves as if she avoids some invisible players, a solo zone offense play, before she finally throws the ball into the basket through a smooth layup. She is busily dribbling the ball toward the three-point line when she hears a male’s voice shouting to her, a familiar one.

“Here you are!” Turns out that the voice’s owner is Martin, her cheerful hyperactive bestfriend since childhood.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to play. Come on, pass the ball!”

“I’m fine playing alone, Marty. Thanks,”

“Oh, come on, don’t be such a sass. Pass the ball, baby,”

They’ve played for about a half hour before they both are out of breath and about to call it quit.

“Okay, okay, time!” Martin shouts, gasping, as he sits on the field. “God, haven’t played for a while and I’m already this bad! Geez! Guess I’m getting older. I used to be good at this, you know,”

Gina laughs and sits beside her breathless friend. “Perhaps you should consider stop smoking,”

Martin stares at her oddly, can’t believe on what he’s just heard. “Do you?”

Gina stares back with the same level of oddity. “You think?”

They both laugh. Martin takes out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack. He gives the bottle to Gina after drinking a little from it. She gulps the water.

This time Gina takes out a pack of cigarettes from her backpack. She takes one, then gives the pack to Martin. He takes one too.

Gina lighted up hers before giving the lighter to Martin.

Silence is creeping for a while, as they both are drifted away in smoke.

“Do you have a story to tell?” Martin breaks the silence.

Gina pauses for a second before answering, “I met Travis last night.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Kind of surprised that the name comes up. Travis is Gina’s ex-boyfriend. Well, the most memorable one, perhaps. They had dated for about five years before calling it quit four years ago. Yup, it’s already four years. The thing is, Gina haven’t had any serious boyfriend again after him.

“Give me five,”

“I’m not going anywhere,” He has been knowing Gina long enough to understand that his bestfriend is the cool one between them. It always takes some times for her to be able to speak up her mind.

They both remain silent again for a moment.

“So, he wanted to catch up, not more,” this time is Gina who breaks the silence.

“Okay, and how do you feel about that?”

“Fine, don’t expect, remember?” She pauses before continuing, “It’s kind of funny, and relieve at the same time, that I didn’t feel the same way I used to feel back then. You know, right after I broke up with him,”

“I understand,” too well, if he may add.

“How devastated I was. He took what’s best of me, you know, and I thought that I would be haunted forever for that. But ..., I don’t know, I just, well, it is haunting me, but not as much as it used to be.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Well, of course, at least I know now that everything is fine between us,”

“No, I mean you. Are you okay?”

“Yup,”

“Are you sure?”

“I guess things are just getting better in time,”

“Or worse,”

“Or better,” She’s just like Sherlock Holmes. Always reply to everything. Outlive God trying to have the last word.

“Whatever, let’s go home, okay. Looks like it’s gonna rain.”

“You don’t wanna hear more?”

“Of course I want to, but not here, Ginny. Let’s find a better place to talk. Plus, I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, I’m starving too,”

“Hey, I just hope that it’s really getting better. I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

G: “I’m sorry. I fall in love with someone else.”

M: “Ouch,”

G: “Is it that bad?”

M: “What’s the use of being better than him, when I know that I’m not even the prioritized one? What’s the use of knowing that he’s intimidated by me, when I know that she chose to be with him in the end?”

G: “When you’re better than him, then you’re good enough to know that there’s nothing to regret.”

M: “I wanted her. I made her my priority.”

G: “But still, she left, right?”

M: “I guess I’m just nobody’s priority. She left me. Everyone left me. No one stayed.”

G: “You’re always my priority. I never leave, right?”

G: “I guess things are just getting better in time,”

M: “Or worse,”

G: “Or better.”

She’s just like Sherlock Holmes. Always reply to everything. Outlive God trying to have the last word.

Bang Sung Joon membuka kedua matanya perlahan. ‘Di mana ini?’

Bayangan pertama yang tertangkap oleh kedua matanya adalah langit-langit ruangan yang berwarna putih bersih. Lalu ia menangkap aroma ruangan yang sangat dikenalnya. ‘Ah ya, ini rumah sakit,’

Sung Joon mengerjap-erjapkan kedua matanya. Kepalanya terasa sangat sakit, seperti habis dihantam oleh suatu benda yang sangat keras. Ia mengernyit pelan. Kesadarannya perlahan telah mulai pulih.

Seorang suster memasuki ruangan itu. “Anda sudah sadar?”

Sung Joon menganggukkan kepalanya perlahan. Lehernya juga terasa nyeri sekali, seperti habis dipukuli.

Menyusul di belakang suster tadi, masuk seorang dokter pria. Dokter itu segera memeriksa kedua bola mata dan detak jantungnya. Lalu ia tersenyum lega. “Kau baik-baik saja, Nona. Untung hanya kecelakaan kecil.Adamemar di kepala yang menyebabkan gegar otak ringan, tapi selebihnya kau tak apa-apa. Hanya akan terasa nyeri di seluruh badan untuk beberapa hari, tapi tak ada luka dalam yang serius. Terdapat luka lecet dan memar di lutut dan siku, sudah diobati dan akan segera pulih.”

Sung Joon mencoba mencerna kata-kata dokter itu. ‘Siapa dokter ini? Di mana Dokter Lee? Tunggu, dia menyebutku apa tadi? Nona? Apa aku salah dengar? Kecelakaan apa yang dia maksud? Lalu bagaimana dengan ginjalku? Oh ya, ginjalku,’ Sung Joon meraba perut bagian kirinya. Tidak ada perban atau apapun. Bahkan tidak terasa sakit sama sekali.

“Keluargamu akan segera kemari. Untuk sementara jangan terlalu banyak bergerak ya,” ujar suster tadi. Setelah itu ia pergi keluar ruangan bersama dokter tadi.

Sung Joon mencoba menggerakkan tubuhnya. ‘Ah, kenapa sakit-sakit sekali badanku. Apa begini rasanya setelah dioperasi? Tapi kenapa dokter tadi tidak mengatakan apapun tentang operasi?’ Sung Joon menegakkan tubuhnya dan terduduk di atas kasur rumah sakit. “Tu-tunggu,” suaranya tak terdengar oleh dokter dan suster yang telah keluar dari ruangan, namun ia terkejut mendengar suaranya sendiri. Sung Joon menutup kedua mulutnya. ‘Apa itu tadi?! Suara wanita?!’

“Aaa… aaa…,” Sung Joon mengetes suaranya sendiri, dan kali ini ia benar-benar kaget. ‘Suaraku berubah! Sebenarnya operasi apa yang mereka lakukan padaku?!’

Sung Joon mencoba turun dari tempat tidur, namun kemudian ia mendapati sesuatu yang lebih tak masuk akal lagi. Tubuhnya berubah! ‘Ka-kakiku…, ba-badanku…, ta-tanganku…,’ Sung Joon mengamati setiap bagian tubuhnya. ‘Mengapa aku menjadi kecil?!’ Otomatis Sung Joon meraba wajah dan kepalanya. ‘Rambutku! Panjang sekali! Berapa lama sebenarnya aku tak sadarkan diri hingga rambutku tumbuh sepanjang ini?! Wajahku…, mengapa wajahku pun mengecil?!’

Susahpayah Sung Joon turun dari tempat tidur itu. Seluruh badannya benar-benar terasa nyeri seperti habis berkelahi semalam suntuk. Namun kemudian ia menyadari bahwa saat itu tubuhnya terasa jauh lebih ringan. Tanpa mempedulikan rasa nyeri yang menusuk-nusuk kepala dan seluruh badannya, Sung Joon berjalan menuju kamar mandi. Dengan segera ia mencari cermin.

Betapa terkejutnya Sung Joon ketika mendapati pantulan dirinya di cermin itu. “Whoaaa!!!”

Alih-alih melihat tubuhnya sendiri, ia melihat tubuh Moon Geun Young.

Sung Joon mendekatkan dirinya hingga hidungnya menempel pada permukaan cermin. ‘Ini benar-benar diriku? Mengapa aku berubah menjadi Moon Geun Young?’ ia menampar kedua pipinya. ‘Hah! Aku tidak bermimpi! Ini nyata!’

Sung Joon kemudian mengintip ke dalam pakaiannya sendiri. ‘Aku memiliki payudara!’ Ia meraba selangkangannya. ‘Penisku hilang!’

Seketika Sung Joon merasa pusing. Dengan terhuyung ia berjalan kembali ke tempat tidurnya.

Bersamaan dengan itu, sepasang bapak dan ibu masuk ke dalam ruangan. Disusul oleh seorang gadis muda yang masih mengenakan seragam sekolah tingkat menengah pertama. ‘Siapa lagi mereka ini?’ Sung Joon tidak mengenali satu pun diantara orang-orang yang baru saja memasuki ruangan.

“Kau baik-baik saja, Geun Young ah?” tanya sang ibu. Ia mendekati Sung Joon dan meraba dahinya.

“Kau tidak boleh membawa mobil selama sebulan ke depan, kau mengerti?” ujar sang bapak.

“Eonnie, apa yang terjadi padamu? Bagaimana kau bisa sampai kecelakaan begitu?” kali ini si gadis sekolahan itu yang bertanya.

Sung Joon hanya melongo dan mengerjap-erjapkan kedua matanya dengan bingung. ‘Mereka memanggilku apa tadi? Geun Young?!’ Sung Joon menelan ludah dengan susah payah, sementara ketiga orang tadi berdebat sendiri tentang kecelakaan yang Sung Joon sendiri tak mengerti. “A-aku…, aku bukan Geun Young,”

Ketiga orang tadi terdiam seketika. Mereka memperhatikan Sung Joon dengan seksama.

“Apa kau bilang tadi?” tanya sang bapak pada akhirnya, memecah keheningan.

Sung Joon menatap ketiga orang di hadapannya satu persatu, lalu berkata, “Aku bukan Moon Geun Young.”

Seketika wajah ketiga orang itu menjadi penuh rasa was-was dan khawatir.

“Geun Young ah, Ibu akan memanggil dokter ya, tunggu sebentar,” ujar sang ibu, lalu berlari tergopoh-gopoh keluar dari ruangan.

Sung Joon ingin berteriak mencegahnya, tetapi ia mendapati sang bapak dan si gadis sekolahan tadi memandanginya dengan tatapan prihatin bercampur khawatir yang amat sangat. Sung Joon pun mengurungkan niatnya. Ia terdiam seribu bahasa. ‘Bagaimana ini?’

---

Sung Joon duduk di ruang tunggu pasien. Ia baru saja menjalani pemeriksaan dengan infra merah. Di sampingnya, sang ibu terus menungguinya sembari sesekali mengoceh tentang bermacam-macam hal yang Sung Joon tidak mengerti. Selama duduk menunggu, Sung Joon berpikir keras mengenai situasi yang ia hadapi.

‘Ini jelas-jelas bukanlah mimpi. Terakhir kali aku sadar adalah aku berada di bandara Gimpo, setelah berpisah dengan Soo Hyang. Lalu di tempat parkir aku merasa penyakit ginjalku kumat. Setelah itu aku tidak ingat apa-apa lagi, sepertinya aku pingsan. Aku masih bisa mendengar suara-suara ketika aku dibawa ke rumah sakit.Adayang menyebutkan tentang operasi. Namun ketika aku sadar kembali, tubuhku telah berubah menjadi Moon Geun Young. Ini berarti… aku harus menemui Moon Geun Young untuk mengetahui jawabannya. Tapi di mana aku bisa menemukannya?’

Sung Joon terkejut ketika sang ibu di sampingnya tiba-tiba menarik tangannya. “Ayo, namamu sudah dipanggil,” Ibu itu menyeret Sung Joon ke ruang dokter.

Sung Joon dan sang ibu duduk di hadapan seorang dokter yang tadi memeriksanya ketika ia baru saja sadar.

“Tidak ada masalah atau kerusakan dengan organ-organ tubuhnya. Meskipun mengalami gegar otak ringan, otaknya masih berfungsi dengan baik,” tutur dokter itu.

“Lalu mengapa dia mengatakan bahwa ia bukan dirinya?” tanya sang ibu penuh rasa cemas.

Sung Joon tersadar. Sebuah lampu seperti dinyalakan dalam otaknya. ‘Aku bukan diriku? Aku adalah Bang Sung Joon, tapi orang-orang melihatku sebagai Moon Geun Young. Mungkinkah…,’

Dengan segera, Sung Joon keluar dari ruangan itu secepat kilat. Ia perlu memastikan sesuatu.

---

Sung Joon berdiri di depan pintu sebuah kamar rumah sakit. Ia memegang gagang pintu itu. Sung Joon menarik napas dalam-dalam, mencoba mempersiapkan diri atas apa yang akan dilihatnya nanti. ‘Apabila dugaanku benar, maka ia akan berada di sini,’ Perlahan, Sung Joon membuka pintu tersebut.

Sung Joon terkejut bukan main. Apa yang dilihatnya kini sungguh di luar akal sehat. Ia melihat tubuhnya sendiri, terbaring di atas kasur kamar rumah sakit itu. Terhuyung, Sung Joon berjalan mendekati tubuhnya yang masih tak sadarkan diri. Di dalam kamar itu tidak ada orang lain lagi.

Sung Joon terduduk lemas di kursi di samping tempat tidur. “Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi?”

Tiba-tiba seorang gadis berseragam SMA memasuki kamar itu. “Anda siapa?”

Sung Joon memandang gadis itu, “Soo Jungie,”

Gadis bernama Bang Soo Jung itu terkejut, “Bagaimana kau tahu namaku?”

Sung Joon menatap gadis itu dalam-dalam, “Soo Jungie, ini aku, kakakmu, Bang Sung Joon,”

Soo Jung membelalakkan kedua matanya. Ia tampak bingung dan ketakutan.

Sung Joon bangkit dan memegang kedua tangan gadis itu. “Percayalah padaku, Soo Jung, aku ini kakakmu,”

Soo Jung menepiskan tangannya, ia melangkah mundur. “Apa yang kau katakan? Kakakku ada disana!” ia menunjuk tubuh Sung Joon yang tergeletak di atas tempat tidur. “Kau ini siapa? Apa yang kau lakukan?!”

“Tubuhku memang ada disanasekarang, tapi aku sekarang berada dalam tubuh ini, percayalah!” ujar Sung Joon bersikeras, nyaris putus asa.

“Hentikan! Kau pasti orang gila! Aku akan melaporkanmu pada dokter!” Soo Jung berlari secepat kilat meninggalkan ruangan itu.

Sung Joon tertegun. “Tunggu! Tungguuu!” namun teriakannya tidak menahan Soo Jung ataupun membuat gadis itu kembali kesana.

‘Aaah, bagaimana ini?! Apa yang harus kulakukan? Tidak ada yang percaya padaku,’ Sung Joon menatap tubuhnya yang masih terbaring tak sadarkan diri di atas tempat tidur. Ia kemudian menebarkan pandangannya ke sekeliling ruangan. ‘Moon Geun Young, di mana kau sekarang? Apabila dugaanku tepat, ketika kau terbangun nanti, kau akan berada di dalam tubuhku.’

Kemudian Sung Joon pergi dari ruangan itu, sebelum Soo Jung kembali bersama seorang dokter.

“Di mana wanita itu? Tadi jelas-jelas dia ada di sini. Hah, dia pasti kabur!” gerutu Soo Jung.

---

Malam itu Sung-Young, roh Sung Joon yang berada dalam tubuh Geun Young, terduduk sendirian di atas tempat tidur rumah sakit. Hanya dalam waktu beberapa jam saja, ia telah mengenali tiga orang yang ia sinyalir sebagai keluarga Moon Geun Young. Sang ibu tadi adalah ibu dari Geun Young, Kim Seo Ra. Sedangkan sang bapak adalah Moon Young Chul, ayah dari Geun Young. Si gadis sekolahan tadi bernama Moon So Hyun, adik dari Geun Young yang masih duduk di bangku SMP. Melalui perbincangan mereka bertiga, Sung Joon mengetahui bahwa Geun Young masih memiliki seorang adik lelaki yang identitasnya masih belum ketahuan, karena bocah itu tidak sempat menjenguknya di rumah sakit hari itu.

‘Aku tidak bisa mengatakan kepada siapapun bahwa aku ini sebenarnya adalah Bang Sung Joon, karena tidak akan ada yang mempercayaiku, karena mereka melihatku sebagai Moon Geun Young. Satu-satunya hal yang bisa aku lakukan adalah menunggu tubuhku sendiri sadar, dengan roh Geun Young di dalamnya. Argh, this is frustrating!’ Sung-Young mengacak rambutnya. ‘Bagaimana hal ini bisa terjadi? Mengapa hal ini terjadi?’ Sung-Young mendesah pelan.

Sung-Young memutuskan untuk turun dari tempat tidur. Ia berjalan keluar dari kamarnya. Perlahan-perlahan, ia berjalan menuju kamar tempat tubuh Sung Joon yang masih tak sadarkan diri dirawat. Sung-Young tiba-tiba melihat seorang suster berjalan melintasinya dengan cepat, ia berlari menuju kamar itu. Kemudian Sung-Young melihat sesosok dokter pria paruh baya yang sangat dikenalnya, Dokter Lee, juga berlari masuk menuju kamar itu.

‘Apakah ia sudah sadar?’ Sung-Young berjalan cepat menuju kamar itu. Sepertinya dugaannya tepat, tubuhnya telah sadarkan diri. Jantung Sung-Young berpacu cepat. ‘Moon Geun Young, apakah itu kau?’

---

Moon Geun Young membuka kedua matanya perlahan. Hal pertama yang dirasakannya adalah rasa sakit teramat sangat di perut bawah bagian kiri. Selebihnya, ia merasa dirinya baik-baik saja.

Geun Young melihat seorang suster dan dokter sibuk memeriksanya. Terutama sang dokter yang terus memusatkan perhatian pada perut bagian kirinya, tempat yang terasa sakit sedari ia sadar.

Dokter itu mengatakan sesuatu yang tidak dapat dicerna dengan baik oleh tingkat kesadaran Geun Young. Tenggorokan Geun Young pun terasa sangat kering sehingga ia tidak sanggup mengucapkan sepatah kata pun. Setelah saling berbicara selama beberapa saat, dokter dan suster itu meninggalkan Geun Young sendirian di ruang itu.

‘Hei, ke mana kalian pergi? Jangan tinggalkan aku sendirian. Di mana keluargaku?’ Geun Young berusaha keras mengumpulkan kesadarannya. Perlahan, ia meraih tombol di samping tempat tidurnya. Ia memencet sebuah tombol, membuat bagian kepala dan badan tempat tidurnya bergerak naik, sehingga posisinya kini terduduk. Rasa perih dan sakit menusuk-nusuk perut bagian kirinya. Geun Young mengernyit. Lebih dari itu, tubuhnya terasa sangat berat. Ia berusaha keras menggerakkan tubuhnya.

Tiba-tiba pintu kamarnya terbuka lagi. Geun Young mengerutkan keningnya. ‘Siapa itu?’ Betapa terkejutnya dia, ketika sedetik kemudian ia melihat tubuhnya sendiri berdiri di hadapannya, berjalan mendekatinya.

“Aaakkk!!!” Geun Young berteriak terkejut, tetapi kemudian teriakannya berubah menjadi teriakan penuh kesakitan. Perut bagian kirinya terasa sakit sekali. “Aaah…!”

Tubuh Geun Young segera berlari mendekati Geun Young, membuatnya semakin histeris. “Siapa kau? Siapa kau?! Kau pasti hantu! Jangan ganggu akuuu!” Geun Young kemudian tertegun sendiri. Ia memegang lehernya. “Suaraku? Suaraku?!”

Tubuh Geun Young mengeluarkan sesuatu dari balik punggungnya. Sebuah cermin. Ia menyerahkannya kepada Geun Young.

Geun Young secepat kilat menyambar cermin itu dan menaruhnya tepat di depan wajahnya. “Aaakkk!” ia meraba-raba wajahnya sendiri, pantulan dirinya di cermin pun melakukan hal yang sama persis, hanya saja, wajah itu bukanlah wajahnya, melainkan wajah Bang Sung Joon. Geun Young melongo. “Tidak mungkin!” Kini ia memandangi seluruh badannya sendiri. Kakinya, tangannya, seluruh tubuhnya, telah berubah menjadi seorang Sung Joon.

“Moon Geun Young, aku tahu itu kau,” ujar tubuhnya yang kini berdiri di samping tempat tidurnya. “Aku bisa menjelaskannya,”

---

“Jadi, kita bertukar tubuh?!” seru Geun-Joon, roh Geun Young yang berada dalam tubuh Sung Joon.

Sung-Young menganggukkan kepalanya. “Sepertinya begitu. Dengan istilah lain, roh kita telah tertukar,”

“Ini tidak mungkin…, ini tidak mungkin…,” racau Geun-Joon.

“Aku juga merasa ini mustahil, tapi lihat yang sekarang terjadi pada kita,” ujar Sung-Young.

“Bagaimana kau bisa melakukan semua ini?!” seru Geun-Joon frustasi.

“Aku? Aku juga tidak tahu bagaimana ini semua terjadi. Ingatan terakhirku adalah aku pingsan di bandara Gimpo, lalu aku dibawa ke rumah sakit dan dioperasi. Ketika aku sadar, aku sudah jadi begini,” tutur Sung-Young.

Geun-Joon menggigit bibir bawahnya, kebiasaan Geun Young ketika sedang bingung. “Terakhir yang aku ingat adalah aku sedang di dalam mobil, perjalanan menjemput adikku. Lalu tiba-tiba pandanganku kabur dan kepalaku sakit. Setelah itu aku tak ingat apa-apa lagi,”

“Dokter dan keluargamu bilang kau kecelakaan,” sahut Sung-Young.

“Kau telah bertemu keluargaku?” Geun-Joon terkejut.

“Tentu saja. Mereka tidak percaya ketika aku bilang aku bukanlah Moon Geun Young,” ujar Sung-Young.

“Tentu saja mereka tidak akan percaya,” Geun-Joon benar-benar tampak resah, “Kita tidak bisa memberi tahu siapa-siapa, karena mereka tidak akan percaya,”

“Lalu apa yang harus kita lakukan?” tanya Sung-Young, putus asa.

“Ah, entahlah! Biarkan aku berpikir dulu, semua ini terlalu membingungkan untuk aku pahami sekaligus,” Geun-Joon memegang kepalanya yang tetiba terasa pusing.

“Perutmu…, apakah terasa sakit?” tanya Sung-Young.

“Ah ya, ini di sebelah kiri, rasanya sakit sekali. Sebenarnya apa yang terjadi padamu? Kau bilang tadi operasikan, operasi apa?” Geun-Joon meraba perut bagian kirinya yang diperban.

Sung-Young mendesah pelan. “Ginjal,” jawabnya pelan. “Sebenarnya, aku hanya tinggal memiliki satu ginjal saja, dan ginjal yang aku punya mulai tidak berfungsi dengan baik sejak setahun yang lalu. Sebenarnya sejak beberapa bulan yang lalu aku telah mendapatkan donor, hanya saja aku selalu menunda operasi,” tuturnya dengan ekspresi murung.

“Ah, begitu,” Geun-Joon menatap Sung-Young dengan iba, “Mengapa kau menunda operasi?”

Sung-Young menggelengkan kepalanya, “Maafkan aku ya, jadi dirimu yang harus merasakan sakitnya setelah operasi,” ia berusaha mengalihkan pembicaraan.

“Aku tak apa-apa,” sahut Geun-Joon, “Kau sendiri bagaimana? Maksudku, badanku,”

“Justru baik-baik saja, hanya memar di kepala dan beberapa bagian tubuh, serta luka lecet kecil. Kalau hal begini aku sudah terbiasa merasakannya setiap kali habis berkelahi ketika sekolah dulu,” sahut Sung-Young santai.

“Dasar bocah preman,” Geun-Joon mendengus. “Aku juga akan membuat tubuhmu ini sembuh dengan cepat. Aku sudah pernah menjalani operasi yang lebih besar dari ini,”

“Benarkah?” Sung-Young tertegun.

“Ah ya, bagaimana dengan keluargaku tadi? Kau sudah mengenali merekakan? Untuk sementara ini aku rasa kita harus menyesuaikan dengan keluarga masing-masing, karena mereka tidak akan percaya jika kita bilang bahwa jiwa kita tertukar,” kali ini Geun-Joon yang mencoba mengalihkan pembicaraan.

“Ya, aku sudah mengenal mereka semua, ayahmu, ibumu, dan adikmu,” sahut Sung-Young, “Keluargaku mungkin akan datang besok pagi.Adaayahku, ibuku, dan dua adik perempuanku, Soo Jung dan Sung Yeon. Ah ya, dokter yang tadi itu, dia adalah Dokter Lee. Dia satu-satunya dokter yang menanganiku,”

Geun-Joon mencoba mengingat semua anggota keluarga Sung Joon. “Hmmm, Dokter Lee ya…, sepertinya aku pernah melihat dokter itu, wajahnya seperti familiar bagiku, tapi di mana aku pernah bertemu dengannya ya…,” Geun-Joon mengerutkan keningnya, “Ah, entahlah! Aku tak bisa mengingatnya,”

Sung-Young mendengus. “Ingatanmu memang payah,”

Geun-Joon mengerucutkan bibirnya, cemberut. “Ah ya, berapa umur adik-adikmu?”

“Soo Jung berusia enam belas tahun, Sung Yeon tiga belas tahun,”

“Benarkah? Mereka seumuran dengan adik-adikku juga. Sepertinya akan menyenangkan,” sahut Geun-Joon bersemangat. Itu adalah hal pertama yang membuat Geun Young bersemangat setelah ia sadar sebagai Sung Joon.

“Tadi siang aku bertemu dengan Soo Jung di ruangan ini, sewaktu kau belum sadar, ia mengira aku tidak waras karena terus berkata bahwa aku adalah kakaknya,”

“Apa?!” seru Geun-Joon kaget. “Kau ini bodoh sekali…, sekarang ini kau sedang ada di dalam tubuhku, bisa-bisanya kau melakukan sesuatu yang mempermalukanku, hisssh…,”

“Ya maaf, akukanjuga merasa panik waktu itu. Ah ya, ada satu hal yang kau perlu tahu,” ujar Sung-Young kemudian, “Aku dan ayahku memiliki hubungan yang tidak begitu baik,”

“Begitukah?” Geun-Joon menghela napasnya, “Yah, aku rasa dengan kondisi kita sekarang ini, yang kita tidak tahu akan sampai kapan, kita harus bertahan. Jangan lupa, mulai saat ini, kau menggunakan tubuhku dan orang-orang akan melihatmu sebagai Moon Geun Young. Sementara aku berada di dalam tubuhmu dan orang-orang akan melihatku sebagai Bang Sung Joon.”

“I think it’s gonna be fun,” dengan wajah Geun Young, Sung Joon tersenyum jahil.

“Or frustating instead,” dengan wajah Sung Joon, Geun Young menggigit bibir bawahnya.

---

Seorang gadis berseragam SMA Yonsang memasuki kamar rumah sakit itu dengan ceria. Rambut hitam panjang lurusnya tergerai indah. Senyum cantiknya merekah menghiasi wajahnya yang berkulit putih mulus. “Sung Joon oppa!”

Geun-Joon tertegun. ‘Ah, ini pasti adiknya Bang Sung Joon. Dia memakai seragam SMA, berarti dia adalah Soo Jung. Dia mirip sekali dengan Sung Joon. Tapi…, sepertinya aku pernah melihat gadis ini. Hmmm…, di mana ya? Ah, aku tidak sanggup mengingatnya!’

Geun-Joon tersenyum pada Soo Jung. “Halo, Soo Jung ah,”

Soo Jung mengerutkan keningnya. Ia segera mendekati Geun-Joon dan menyentuh dahinya. “Oppa! Kau tidak apa-apakan? Yang dioperasi perutmu tetapi mengapa sepertinya kepalamu yang bermasalah?”

Geun-Joon menaikkan kedua alisnya. “Memangnya kenapa? Aku baik-baik saja,”

Soo Jung mendengus. “Biasanyakankau selalu menanggapi sapaanku dengan sinis dan dingin, tetapi tadi kau tersenyum padaku, dasar sok manis!”

‘Aih, bahkan sifatnya pun seperti kakaknya, ckckck!’ batin Geun-Joon.

“Ah ya, Oppa, kemarin siang waktu kau belum sadar, ada wanita aneh datang kemari,” Soo Jung bercerita dengan penuh semangat, “Masa dia mengaku-aku sebagai dirimu, hiyyy! Mengerikan sekali! Dia pasti orang gila, Oppa! Sayang sekali lho, padahal dia sangat cantik, tetapi mengapa otaknya miring begitu ya? Ckckck…,”

Geun-Joon hampir tersedak ludahnya sendiri. “Soo Jung ah, dia itu bukan orang gila,”

“Masa sih?! Kau mengenalnya, Oppa?” seru Soo Jung tidak percaya.

“Iya, aku mengenalnya. Namanya Moon Geun Young. Dia itu tidak gila, dia bahkan sangat cerdas. Dia adalah seniorku di kampus. Dia juga seorang asisten dosen. Bulan depan dia akan diwisuda sebagai sarjana. Nah, dia tidak gila,kan?” tutur Geun-Joon dengan tak kalah bersemangatnya.

“Lalu mengapa kemarin dia bertingkah aneh seperti itu?” Soo Jung masih tidak percaya begitu saja dengan penuturan Geun-Joon.

Geun-Joon memutar otak mencari jawaban dengan cepat. “Oooh… itu, aaah, itu karena kecelakaan itu, ya, kecelakaan! Dia ada di rumah sakit ini karena dia kecelakaan mobil, tepat di hari yang sama waktu aku dioperasi. Kecelakaan itu menyebabkan gegar otak ringan, jadi mungkin kemarin itu dia belum sembuh benar, begitulah,”

“Aaah, jadi begitu rupanya,” Soo Jung terlihat puas dengan penjelasan Geun-Joon. “Syukurlah kalau begitu keadaannya,”

“Soo Jung ah, tadi kau bilang dia cantik ya?” tanya Geun-Joon.

“Iya, Oppa,” jawab Soo Jung mantap, “Dia cantiiik sekali!”

Tanpa sadar Geun-Joon senyum-senyum sendiri mendengar dirinya dibilang cantik.

Soo Jung memberi pandangan meneliti kepada Geun-Joon. “Oppa, mengapa kau senyum-senyum sendiri? Hayooo… kau suka pada Eonnie itu yaaa?” goda Soo Jung.

Geun-Joon mendengus. “Tentu saja tidak! Geun Young sunbae tidak mungkin menyukai Bang Sung Joon ini. Sung Joon terlalu muda untuknya, masih seperti anak kecil. Dia hanya menganggap Sung Joon sebagai juniornya, bahkan mungkin ia sudah menganggapnya seperti adiknya sendiri. Lagipula Sung Joon tidak cocok untuk menjadi pasangan wanita itu,”

Soo Jung mengerutkan keningnya. “Oppa, aku kan tidak bertanya apakah Eonnie itu menyukaimu atau tidak. Aku bertanya apakah kau menyukainya! Hah, dasar kau ini!”

Geun-Joon terhenyak mendengar kata-kata Soo Jung. ‘Benar juga. Barusan aku memberi jawaban atas perspektifku sendiri, Moon Geun Young, bukan melalui sudut pandang Bang Sung Joon. Ah, bagaimana aku bisa tahu apa yang ada di pikirannya?’

“Jadi bagaimana, Oppa?” desak Soo Jung.

“Pokoknya tidak ada hal seperti itu,” jawab Geun-Joon akhirnya.

---

Sebuah ketukan terdengar di pintu ruangan Dokter Lee.

“Masuk,” ujar Dokter Lee.

Pintu ruangan itu terbuka. Seorang pria muda memasuki ruangan tersebut. Pria tampan itu terlihat necis mengenakan kemeja biru muda polos tanpa dasi, yang dimasukkan dengan rapi ke dalam celana bahan berwarna hitam. Rambut hitamnya berpotongan cepak, semakin mempermanis penampilan maskulinnya.

“Halo, selamat siang, Pak Dokter,” pria itu menyapa Dokter Lee.

“Ah, Dong Hae ya!” seru Dokter Lee ceria ketika melihat tamunya. “Akhirnya kau datang juga. Duduklah,”

Pria bernama Dong Hae itu duduk di bangku di hadapan meja Dokter Lee. “Bagaimana pekerjaan Anda selama ini, Pak Dokter?”

Dokter Lee tertawa. “Kau ini, dasar anak iseng!Kansudah Ayah bilang, kalau di dalam ruanganku ini jangan memanggilku seperti itu,”

Dong Hae ikut tertawa, tampan sekali. “Iya, Pak Dokter, ups! Maksudku Ayah,”

Mereka berdua tertawa. “Dasar kau ini! Ah ya, Dong Hae ya, Ayah sengaja memanggilmu kemari karena ada yang ingin Ayah bicarakan,” ujar Dokter Lee.

Dong Hae menganggukkan kepalanya. “Aku tahu, Ayah selalu beginikansedari dulu. Apabila ada sesuatu yang tak bisa dibicarakan di rumah maka akan memanggilku kemari. Apa yang kali ini begitu penting, Yah?”

Ekspresi Dokter Lee berubah serius. “Dong Hae ya, aku tahu kau belum menentukan ingin bekerja di rumah sakit mana. Bahkan kau juga memiliki pilihan untuk tidak bekerja diSeoul, ataupun di seluruh daratan Korea Selatan sama sekali, setelah pendidikan spesialisasimu berakhir kemarin,”

“Aku bahkan belum menentukan apakah aku akan langsung bekerja setelah dua tahun belajar bedah kemarin, aku jugakanbutuh liburan,” potong Dong Hae sambil menaikkan alisnya.

“Hush! Dengarkan dulu Ayahmu sampai selesai bicara,” seru Dokter Lee sambil membelalakkan kedua matanya.

Dong Hae tersenyum meminta maaf.

Dokter Lee menyerahkan sebuah berkas kepada Dong Hae. Data seorang pasien.

“Apa ini?” tanya Dong Hae. “Apakah ini hadiah untukku karena telah menyelesaikan pendidikan?”

Dokter Lee berdeham keras.

Dong Hae meringis. “Iya, Ayah, maaf,” pria itu menyadari bahwa ayahnya tidak bisa diajak bercanda untuk saat itu.

“Jadi, Ayah memiliki seorang pasien. Bocah lelaki ini, Ayah telah merawatnya sejak ia kecil. Yah, dia sudah sakit-sakitan sejak ia kecil. Ia mengidap suatu kelainan sejak lahir, yang menyebabkan beberapa organ vital dalam tubuhnya kurang berfungsi dengan baik. Penyakit yang sangat langka dengan kemungkinan satu berbanding sepuluh ribu jiwa. Pada awalnya, lelaki ini memiliki lemah jantung, yang hingga kini masih ia idap. Ketika lelaki ini berusia sepuluh tahun, satu ginjalnya harus diambil karena sudah tidak berfungsi. Beberapa waktu yang lalu, satu ginjalnya yang tersisa pun mengalami kegagalan. Beruntung ia mendapatkan donor, sehingga beberapa hari yang lalu ia menjalani operasi transplantasi ginjal.”

Dong Hae kali ini mendengarkan penuturan ayahnya dengan sungguh-sungguh. Ia mengamati berkas pasien di tangannya, menatap foto wajah bocah lelaki yang terdapat disitu.

“Kau tahu sendiri bahwa Ayah seharusnya sudah pensiun sejak dua setengah tahun yang lalu,” lanjut Dokter Lee. “Namun waktu itu, kakak kandung lelaki ini meninggal dunia karena kecelakaan. Kondisi mentalnya sangat berpengaruh terhadap kondisi fisiknya, sehingga ia mengalami drop yang luar biasa pada waktu itu.”

‘Dua setengah tahun yang lalu? Bertepatan dengan keberangkatanku ke Amerika untuk belajar spesialisasi bedah. Bertepatan dengan berpisahnya aku dan wanita itu.’ batin Dong Hae. Untuk sepintas terbersit wajah seorang wanita di benaknya. Ia kemudian menepiskan bayangan itu dan kembali memfokuskan diri terhadap cerita ayahnya.

“Ketika itulah Ayah tersadar, meskipun Ayah pensiun, Ayah tidak dapat meninggalkan bocah ini begitu saja,” Dokter Lee melanjutkan ceritanya. “Ayah sadar bahwa Ayah telah menganggapnya sebagai keluarga, sebagai anak Ayah sendiri, bukan hanya sekadar pasien. Untuk itulah, Ayah sengaja menunda pensiun, hingga kau menyelesaikan pendidikanmu dan menjadi seorang dokter. Mengapa? Karena hanya dirimu satu-satunya yang Ayah dapat percayai untuk melanjutkan tugas Ayah merawat lelaki ini.”

Dong Hae terhenyak. “Yah, aku ini dokter bau kencur. Aku tidak yakin aku sendiri bisa menangani ini. Apalagi lelaki ini mengidap penyakit langka. Pengalamanku masih sedikit. Mengapa kau tidak memberikannya kepada juniormu yang jauh lebih berpengalaman dariku?”

Dokter Lee menggeleng. “Tidak. Aku yakin kau pasti bisa, Dong Hae ya. Aku tidak bisa memberikannya kepada dokter lain selain dirimu.”

Dong Hae menghela napasnya. “Mengapa?”

Dokter Lee menatap Dong Hae tajam. “Karena kau adalah anakku.”

Dong Hae kehilangan kata-kata.

“Sekarang ini, kau telah menjadi seorang dokter, Dong Hae ya. Ayah sangat mempercayaimu, dan ayah berharap banyak padamu. Karena itulah, Ayah hanya sanggup mempercayakan Bang Sung Joon kepadamu, tidak kepada yang lain. Ayah tidak pernah meminta apa-apa darimu selama ini. Bahkan untuk menjadi seorang dokter sepertiku pun semua adalah murni keinginanmu sendiri.” Dokter Lee menatap anak tunggalnya itu dalam-dalam. “Hanya sekali ini Ayah memohon, dan hanya kepadamu seorang. Lee Dong Hae, tolong rawatlah pasienku. Tolong rawat Bang Sung Joon.”

---

      Sung-Young berjalan menyusuri lorong rumah sakit sembari mendorong sebuah kursi roda dengan Geun-Joon diatasnya. Perban di perut Geun-Joon baru saja diganti, sehingga ia merasa tidak kuat berjalan. Lagipula, Sung Joon merasa bersalah karena membuat Geun Young merasakan sakit yang seharusnya ia alami, jadi ia menawarkan diri untuk mendorong kursi roda baginya.

“Bukankah seharusnya kau sudah boleh pulang dari kemarin?” tanya Geun-Joon.

“Aku tidak akan pulang sampai kau juga sudah diperbolehkan pulang,” sahut Sung-Young.

Geun-Joon mengangkat kedua alisnya. “Mengapa begitu? Aku tahu kau merasa bersalah padaku, tapi tidak perlu sampai seperti itu, Sung Joon ah,”

Sung-Young mendengus, “Aku hanya takut pulang ke rumah yang asing dengan orang-orang yang asing bagiku. Selain itu, di depan mereka aku harus menjadi dirimu. Aku rasa aku belum siap.”

Geun-Joon terkesiap. Mau bagaimanapun juga, Bang Sung Joon hanyalah bocah lelaki biasa. Ia juga seorang anak-anak yang memiliki rasa takut dan khawatir.

“Kalau bersamamu, aku bisa menjadi diriku sendiri, karena hanya kau yang tahu dan percaya bahwa aku adalah Bang Sung Joon. Hanya dirimu yang melihatku sebagai Bang Sung Joon, bukan Moon Geun Young.” Tutur Sung-Young.

Mereka berdua tiba di taman rumah sakit. Sore itu matahari bersinar cerah. Angin bertiup pelan, menambah damainya suasana sore itu.

“Sung Joon ah,” Geun-Joon mengambil sesuatu dari kantong celananya, memberikannya kepada Sung-Young, sebuah telepon genggam, “Ini, telepon genggammu,”

“Ah ya, terima kasih Noona,” Sung-Young menerima telepon genggam itu, “Ini punyamu,” ia juga mengambil telepon genggam dari saku celananya lalu menyerahkannya kepada Geun-Joon.

“Hufff… untung saja kita memberi tahu teman-teman kita masing-masing untuk tidak menengok ke rumah sakit. Kalau tidak, kondisi bisa jadi akan sangat kacau karena kita belum terbiasa dengan keadaan ini,” ujar Geun-Joon.

Sung-Young mendengus. “Itukanhanya berlaku bagimu. Akukantidak memiliki banyak teman sepertimu,”

Geun-Joon kemudian teringat pada sesuatu.  “Ah ya, lalu bagaimana dengan gadis itu? Siapa namanya? Soo Hyun?”

“Soo Hyang!” seru Sung-Young.

“Ah ya benar, Soo Hyang itu. Bagaimana jadinya kalian? Berpacaran lagi?” tanya Geun-Joon.

“Tentu saja, tetapi aku tidak memberitahunya bahwa aku operasi. Pertama aku tak ingin dia khawatir. Kedua aku tak ingin dia datang kemari, tidak ketika kondisi kita masih seperti ini.” tutur Sung-Young.

Geun-Joon mengangguk mengerti. “Ah ya, ada satu hal lagi, kita tidak bisa menerima atau membuat panggilan dari telepon genggam kita sendiri, karena suara kita pun tertukar seiring dengan tubuh kita,”

Sung-Young mengangguk-angguk paham. “Benar sekali kau,”

“Kita hanya bisa mengirim dan menerima pesan dengan telepon genggam kita,” lanjut Geun-Joon, “Dan juga, sebenarnya ada sesuatu yang ingin kukatakan padamu, Sung Joon ah,”

“Apa itu?” tanya Sung-Young penasaran.

Geun-Joon tersenyum. “Besok lusa aku dan tubuhmu ini sudah diizinkan pulang,”

“Benarkah? Waaah, cepat sekali! Kau memang luar biasa, Moon Geun Young sunbae!” Sung-Young tersenyum lebar.

“Tentu saja!” Geun-Joon tertawa. “Ah ya, ingat ya, ketika kita telah pergi dari rumah sakit nanti, jangan sampai kau melakukan sesuatu yang dapat mempermalukan nama baikku,” ancam Geun Young.

Sung-Young meletakkan tangannya di dahi, seolah memberi hormat kepada Geun-Joon. “Siap!”

“Kau juga harus bersikap dengan baik kepada keluargaku dan Shi Hoo,” ujar Geun-Joon, “Aku menitipkan mereka padamu, Bang Sung Joon,”

“Baiklah, Moon Geun Young sunbae,” sahut Sung-Young, “Kita juga harus ingat untuk menukar nama panggilan ketika ada orang lain di sekitar kita. Aku memanggilmu ‘Sung Joonie’, dan kau panggil aku ‘Noona’”

Geun-Joon melotot. “Enak saja aku memanggilmu ‘Noona’, pokoknya sekali ‘Sunbae’ tetap ‘Sunbae’!”

“Kalau begitu aku tidak akan menengok, yeyeye…,” Sung-Young menjulurkan lidahnya.

“Hei, jangan menggunakan ekspresi jelek begitu dengan tubuhku!” Geun-Joon menjitak kepala Sung-Young.

“Aduh, sakit! Bisa-bisanya kau melukai tubuhmu sendiri!” seru Sung-Young.

“Biar saja! Akukanmemiliki hak penuh atas tubuhku sendiri,” sahut Geun-Joon.

“Tidak berlaku ketika rohku yang berada di dalam tubuhmu ini,” lagi-lagi Sung-Young menjulurkan lidahnya, membuat Geun-Joon kembali mengayunkan kepalan tangan padanya.

Mereka berdua terus bercanda dan tertawa-tawa. Kemudian Sung-Young merasakan bahwa dirinya sedang diawasi. Ia memandang berkeliling, lalu menemukan sepasang mata sedang memandanginya. Pemilik sepasang mata itu adalah seorang pria yang tak dikenalnya.

“Pria tampan itu yang disanaitu... siapa?” tanya Sung-Young sambil mengedikkan kepalanya ke arah seorang pria yang berdiri tak jauh dari mereka, “Apakah kau mengenalnya? Mengapa dia sepertinya memperhatikan aku terus dari tadi? Oh oh! Lihat! Dia berjalan menuju kemari!”

Tanpa Sung-Young sadari, ekspresi wajah Geun-Joon berubah muram ketika melihat pria tampan itu. “Pria itu… adalah mantan pacarku,” jawabnya lirih.

                                                          *to be continued*

Notes:

Geun-Joon : istilah yang digunakan penulis untuk menyebut jiwa Geun Young dalam tubuh Sung Joon