8.

''You're gonna be fine. There are no signs of concussion or any bigger injury. It will be a bit hard to breathe from the impact of the hit on your back but after a day or two it will go back to normal. Your lip is a bit torn but it doesn't need stitches. If you take good care of it, it should heal up nicely. I will prescribe you some pain killers for your back and you're good to go.''-the doctor said after a three hour long check up.

''Thank you.''-I say.

''I am really sorry this happened to you. I hope the police finds the rest of them soon.''-the doctor said.

''Yeah, me too.''-I say. He writes his scribbles on the piece of paper then turns to me again.

''You know, you're really brave. Holding to a guy who beat you up.''-he said. ''Brave or really dumb.''-he said.

''I know I am really stupid. I have been hearing it a lot lately.''-I say. He looked taken aback. ''Maybe this world doesn't have any heroes just because they are called stupid afterwards.''-I add.

''True. But you gotta ask yourself. The thing you're saving, is it worth dying for?''-he said.

''And if it's not? Small things don't matter? If I see someone beat the out of someone, I just say it and leave?''-I ask.

''I see your point.''-he said and handed me the paper.

''At least somebody.''-I say taking the paper and hoping off his table.

Mom was waiting for me in the waiting room. She was sitting next to Hyun Woo. I guess Ji Chi's check up isn't over yet. Mom gets up as soon as she saw me.

''Are you okay? Is there something serious? A fracture?''-she asked looking me up and down.

''Nothing. I am perfectly fine. Got some pain meds we need to pick up though. That's if I wanna sleep.''-I say.

''Okay honey. Are we gonna wait?''-mom asked.

''No. I want to go home now. I am sure he will be fine.''-I look at Hyun Woo with a question in my eyes and he nods.

''Let's go.''-mom said taking my arm.

I hated that I turned to look in every corner and behind every tree, wherever I walked. And it was a long walk. My knees were scraped and blood was coming out and drying in the same time. Every time I moved them I felt stinging.

''Do you want us to go back to the city?''-mom asked. I hesitated.

''I don't know.''-I said. ''No, let's stay. This is a vacation and you have worked hard for it. We are going to have fun.''-I say.

''Oh dear. You don't have to stay because of me.''-mom said.

''No, I want to stay.''-I say but I was not so sure.

We came to the apartment in about half an hour. I was beat and I needed a shower as much as I needed air right now. And it was damn hard to breathe. I walked to my room and took off all the bandages. I don't really like them since I believe that skin has to breathe. I took a cold shower and I felt like I came to my senses again. I wrapped my hair then my body in towels and went to the kitchen. I boiled some water and made ramen.

''You brought that horrible thing with you?''-mom asked.

''Yeah.''-I say.

''That is so not healthy.''-she said.

''I know.''-I say. She noticed I gave short answers so she decided not to bother me anymore, and I was thankful. I slurped my ramen and the burn that went trough my throat didn't even bother me that much. I didn't even realize I stared into the wall until mom walked by.

''What's wrong? You are so... off.''-she said.

''I feel off.''-I admit.

''Why?''-she asked.

''I don't know. It will pass.''-I say. I grab my bowl and put it into a dish washer. I wave my goodbye to mom and go into my room. I leaned into the door and watched at the lit room across mine. There was movement and soon into the room came Hyun Woo with Ji Chi holding on to him with his one arm and with his other he was holding his ribs. His face was fifty shades of purple and he had one finger in a bandage. I closed my eyes for a second. Even more than feeling mine pain, his felt even worse. I go by the window to close my curtains when he pushes him self up from the bed and he went for the window. He looked at me and I stopped moving. His hand was touching the glass of his window and he went to open it.

''Hanna you-''-I cut him of by closing my window. He looked at me with wide eyes and I closed the curtains. As soon as I did I started crying. This morning when I thought he cut off all contact with me, it was easier, because he was doing it. Now that I am doing it, it hurts like hell. It shouldn't be too hard on him, since he has already done it before. I lied on my bed hugging my pillow to death. I just need this day to be over with.

After a while I woke up, I needed to open the window or I would suffocate. It was the middle of the night and it surprised me that few hours had passed and it only felt like minutes. I open my window and see that his is still open. I look at it for a few minutes imagining him leaning on it smiling at me. That would be a good alternative to our situation. The light in his room goes on and I duck as fast as I could. I was crouching down and leaning against the wall, pulling my knees to my chest. His figure made a shadow on my wall and I could see him standing there. He sighed.

''Hanna?''-he called my name. I put a hand over my mouth trying not to breathe too loud. He was not moving. I spread my legs in front of me and sat down. ''I'm sorry this happened to you. I really am.''-he said after a while. I was desperate to see his face but I didn't get up. I was clutching the ends of my shorts. He still didn't show any sign of moving so I started to crawl to my bed. When a burning pain slashed trough my knees I remembered I had wounds on them.

''Ah!''-I couldn't stop myself. I sat on my again and saw the blood stains on the carpet.

''Hanna?!''-Ji Chi said right before he threw himself trough my window, failing to land right due to his injuries and he fell to his side clutching his chest. ''What's wrong?''-he asked picking himself up. He saw my bloody hands from holding my knees and he figured I was trying to crawl. ''Why are you hiding from me?''-he asked coming toward me. Somehow I couldn't find my voice.

''You should go. You're in worst pain than me.''-I say and get up from the floor. He stands up too.

''No, let's take care of your knees first.''-he said taking my hand and I snatched it away from him.

''Go home.''-I say. He paused.

''Is it because of what I wrote this morning?''-he asked eyeing the post it note that was on my night stand.

''That was then, now is now. This is my saying goodbye to you.''-I say.

''Hanna please.''-he said.

''No. This is toxic, and I can't stand it. You're literally hot and then cold to me. I can't keep up with your mood swings. I can't keep up with our ''friendship'' if that's what we can call it. And I, most definitely, can't keep up with someone calling me stupid constantly, even after saving their .''-I say on the verge of crying. He closed his eyes.

''God I am an idiot.''-he said running fingers trough his hair. ''I am a ing idiot. I am so sorry.''-he said stepping closer to me and I took a step back. ''After you came back for me, trying to stall and avoid them and I was being a jerk to you, and you threw your body to protect me... I called you stupid right after. Right there you were hurt and couldn't breathe, and I called you stupid.''-he said.

''Well maybe I just was. That is what everybody keeps telling me these days. How stupid I am.''-I say. He steps toward me again and I am backed against the wall.

''You're not stupid. You are everything but stupid. You saved my life probably you know. Thank you. I owe you to the rest of my life.''-he said.

''If you owe me, do something for me.''-I say firmly.

''Anything.''-he said reaching for my face.

''Pretend you don't know me.''-I say and his hand freezes.

''Anything but that.''-he said.

''No, you said anything, and this is what I want.''-I say brushing past him and heading toward the door.

''Hanna let's think about this.''-he said approaching me.

''No, let's not. I had time to think. And you had you mind set on the same idea this morning. You pretended that you don't know me. You're an actor Ji Chang Wook, so go do your thing. Act like you don't know me.''-I say pushing him out the door and slamming the door into his face. It felt like I slammed the door into mine. I knew where my heart was headed if I let him be in my life. And I would rather endure separating pain now than him breaking my heart later.

The morning came fast and I wasn't ready. Mom let me sleep and she went on the beach alone. I had left her a note on the fridge yesterday that I won't be going to the beach until my bruises and wounds heal a little. The worst thing was that I was cooped up here by myself knowing damn well that he is home too. I heard them on the balcony so I didn't go out. I was watching tv for the first time in a long time but soon I gave up and went for my laptop. Breathing was getting better and my headaches stopped. Thank God. I had to sleep on my stomach because my back was in pain but then my knees felt awful and it was a never ending misery circle. There was a soft knock on the door and I went to open the door.

''Hey.''-I say to Hyun Woo. He was holding a plastic bag.

''He bought this for you. Please take it.''-Hyun Woo said giving me the bag. As soon as I took it he ran away. In the bag there were bandages and antiseptics. Not gonna say no to that. I clean my wounds a bit and apply bandages on my knees. It instantly felt safer. A pang of guilt washed over me. What am I doing? I get on the balcony and I see him almost asleep in the chair. Wind was ruffling his hair, his eyes were closed and his mouth slightly parted. Even though his face was in all colors, he was beautiful. I leaned on the railing and watched him from afar. His arm was dangling from the chair almost touching the floor and he had on one pink flip flop while the other was on the floor beside him. I tried to be as quiet as possible, I could see he is fighting off sleep. I heard Hyun Woo shuffling with some stuff inside their apartment. Something fell on the floor and Chang Wook opened his eyes, which immediately found mine. He paused. Not saying a word. I stood still as well. Several moments passed and we both turned away in the same time, each going our own way.

Mom came home at about four pm. She looked me all over and sighed. I could tell she worried.

''You could have stayed longer.''-I told her.

''For what? It's no fun without you.''-she said. ''By the way, I heard he has cracked ribs.''-mom said.

''I know. I can see that.''-I say.

''Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on him.''-mom said.

''I'm not. He wanted to pretend he doesn't know me yesterday morning. I just made it easier for him.''-I say.

''But it's not the same. You were never the one to walk away, or abandon anybody.''-she said.

''There's gotta be a first time for everything.''-I say.

''Not for this. It shouldn't be this way. You know, after big fights, when people go their own way, it looks natural, because it's a right thing to do. But now, it doesn't look like you two made a good decision at all. It's like you're living but not quite.''-mom said. I knew she was right because I had no arguments left. But I am sure as hell not going back to before.

''I see your point. But I have passed a point of no return.''-I say.

''Maybe that's what you think.''-she said. Somehow, I wasn't so sure.

A week passed by and it seemed like everything was going smoothly. I was living my life and I guess he was living his. I got better after a few days and even my knees almost healed. I didn't go out to the balcony anymore and I always kept my curtains drawn. I didn't want to get tempted. What I didn't expect was that I could let go of him so soon. Eight days passed and now I don't find myself thinking about him even for a second. I should be crowned a queen of timing. Leaving the apartment and our paths haven't crossed even once. But after all this getting better, I still couldn't manage to get a smile on my face. Even if I actually thought something was funny, I didn't laugh. I felt like I had a broken nerve.

''Are you ready?''-mom asked from the bathroom. I sprayed on my perfume and took my purse.

''Ready.''-I say. We were going to eat dinner at that ship again. I didn't see Mark since the last time and I didn't even know what to expect. I was only hoping I would not see him. I liked him, I really did. But now is just not the time for romance. I can't bring myself to feel excited anymore.

''You look pretty. You must have gotten all the goods from me.''-mom said pinching my cheek.

''Probably.''-I say.

We were walking hand in hand, I was afraid of dark alleys. Every time something made a noise in the bushes I squeezed my mothers hand harder and she pretended she didn't feel it. I was thankful for that. Talking about it would only make it worse.

''We got the seats over there.''-she pointed to a small table for two. My eyes glanced over the table were we were sitting before. We came near our table when I heard his voice. Everything I have been holding inside until now broke loose. My palms were sweating, my face was pink and my heartbeat was about to break the record. Oh how wrong I was. I didn't forget about him at all. I just got used to thinking about him so much that I didn't even notice it anymore.

''Han?''-mom pulled at my hand. I didn't even notice I stopped walking. I sit by our table. By my mothers face I figured he was a few seats behind me.

''Pretend you don't notice. Don't make this awkward.''-I say.

''Sure. Well things are going well for him, I wouldn't want to bother anyway.''-she said.

''What do you mean?''-I ask.

''Well he has a beautiful woman with him. She is also asian.''-mom said. I suddenly felt queasy. I mean, what did I expect? This was bound to happen. It's not like I was in love with the guy. We weren't even friends. ''She looks so classy.''-mom said. A woman he deserves. A woman, not a girl. Like me.

''Excuse me, I need to pee.''-I whisper to my mom and she nods. I walk to the bathroom trying to look invisible. I splashed some water to my neck. Cold sweats were not a joke. Why does he affect me so damn much? I sigh and open the door to my bathroom only to bump my face straight into someones beige shirt. Leaving my lipstick as a souvenir. ''Oh my god I am so sorry. This stain...''-I stopped when I looked into his eyes. Ji Chi was standing in front of me, holding my elbow.

''It's fine.''-he said. God I missed his voice, his smell, his eyes, his touch... everything. I cleared my throat.

''Um, the men's room is over there.''-I say pointing with my finger. He didn't look away from me.

''I know where the men's room is.''-he said.

''Oh, then carry on.''-I say trying to wiggle out of his grasp but he doesn't let go.

''Hanna,'-his voice softens. 'how are you? Are you better now?''-he asked.

''I am fine. You look fine too.''-I say.

''I feel great. But I am not the topic here. Tell me about your life now.''-he said. It was as if we weren't standing at a doorstep of a women's bathroom.

''Look, don't feel the obligation to ask me anything. Continue your date and be sure I won't bother you.''-I say. He laughs a little. You know that laugh, as if I said the stupidest thing in the world. I so didn't miss that.

''My date?''-he asked.

''Yeah, mom said you got a woman with you?''-I say.

''So you didn't see her?''-he asked.

''No, why?''-I ask. Does he want to rub it in my face or something?

''That means you didn't even look at me.''-he said. Maybe I was wrong, but he looked hurt.

''I didn't feel the need. Please move over now.''-I say trying to push him but it made me lean into his body more.

''I am not on a date.''-he said. I stopped moving. ''That's Hyun Woos sister.''-Ji Chi said. I glance to his table and see the beautiful lady he was with. Is he joking? I shot him a look. ''I know. She doesn't look like his sister but she is. And we have known each other for a few years now.

''Well maybe it's not a date to you but no woman dresses like that just for dinner.''-I say.

''She likes me. She told me. And I told her she has no chance and that I was sorry. This is a 'let me make it up to you' dinner.''-he said.

''I really don't care.''-I say. He leans down close to my face and my heart jumps.

''Really? Can you really say you don't care? You haven't smiled in days. Tell me it doesn't bother you that we are not talking.''-he said. My heart was about to leap into my mouth. He has been watching me. He noticed my broken nerve. I look away from him but I can still feel his breath near my ear.

''Right now, you are bothering me. Please let me go.''-I say. He hesitates for a moment and then let's go.

''As you wish.''-he whispered.

Author note: please forgive me if  I write a bit shorter chapters for a while. Yesterday I spilled hot soup all over my chest and hands and I got first degree burns. It is a bit hard to write. It will be a bit shorter until I heal. Thank you for reading and for consideration. :)