He is in front of her house, standing there in front of the big gate nervously, someone see him through CCTV and smiling,

“He finally come,” she said then decided to open the gate for him, Sungjae come in and see a wide garden, his jaw dropped,

“She really from wealthy family,” he said while keep walking, then a women with firm body come to him, he’s bowing to her, “is Park Sooyoung in home?, I’m her friend,” he said.

“I know who are you,” she said, “but she just take off,” she said, Sungjae look confused, “she goes to Japan to treat her leg,” she said, he look double confused what’s wrong with her leg, it look fine because she always followed him with that leg, right?, “you want to know about her and your mother, right?,” after heard that, he look even more confused, “then, come in..I’ll tell you,” she said then open the door for him, and ask him if he want something to drink, “then should we start now?,” she asked to him,

“How do you know about it?, that I come here because I want to know about her and my mother.”

“She know your mother since she became a patient where your mother work as nurse,” she said, he look so serious, “and they became closer as your mother often come to see her and tell her a lot of story about her family, you include in it. So, she know so much about you,” she said.

“Then, if she know about my mother, why she never tell me about it, why she always follow me from behind like stalker instead of approaching me and say that she know about my mother,” he asked.

“For that, I think it’ll b better if you know it from her. Because if she come face to face with you, I think she’ll start crying and blaming herself again and again, ” she said making him confused once again,

“Crying?, blaming herself?, why?,” there are so many question from him.

“She’ll come tomorrow night, and I think she’ll go to school the day after tomorrow, so…ask her by yourself.” Sungjae want to give the gift from Sooyoung back to the bodyguard, but she said that, “she bought it for you, because your mother said that she never once buy something that you like.” After heard that, he just take back the box,

“Then I’ll leave first, ” he said, the bodyguard say that she’ll drive him home, “I’ll go by myself, my house not that far fro here,” he said then leave Sooyoung’s house while saying, “I’ll wait for your full story about my mom.”

He then stop at play ground near his house, snad start opening the mini album

The son who you miss, he grow up well

After seeing the photo one by one, he keep smiling,

“Is it your real reason for stalking me?, you just found out that I go to that school, so you move to my school 2 months ago?. If you know me that much, why you don’t come closer to me, don’t you know that I feel really lonely after mom leave me?,” he said then keep looking at the mini album until his phone ring, it’s from Yujin. He just remember that Yujin want him to come to her house,

“Hmm..Yujin-ah, sorry…I forget to go to your house, you can give me next time in school, and I’ll tell you the reason why I asked her address, ” he said then end the call, then open the gift from her, “this fish rod really expensive though, then should we go fishing after this?,” he said then smiling, “I’m like crazy person, let’s go home….,” he said then leave play ground.

*

Sooyoung come the next day, still using wheel chair because her leg still feel pain after small operation,

Her bodyguard welcoming her and told her that Sungjae came to this house yesterday,

“I thought he would come today, but he didn’t come until now,” she said while preparing the bed for Sooyoung, “just take a rest now, and tell him all about it tomorrow, you can do it, right?,” she asked.

“Hmm..I must do it tomorrow,” she said then close her eyes, “I’m really tired right now, so I’ll sleep earlier today,” then her bodyguard turn of the lamp and leave her, then she open her eyes again and take the remote control then turn on a small lamp in the corner of her room, there…a lot of Polaroid photo of Sungjae hanging on the red thread, “that mini photo album couldn’t load those photos, so I’m hanging on those thread. I always follow you from behind, from tomorrow, I’ll walk before you, so I can see your face clearly, I can do it, right?.” She said then turn of the small lamp and close her eyes.

The next morning, she goes to school by car because her leg will hurt if she walk that far,

“Don’t drop me in front of school,” she said to the driver, her bodyguard looking at her, “just drop me in front of that café,” she said while pointing at a café near her school. She get of from her car, a lot of students passing by her while looking at her and whispering,

“She is the one who always following that swimming athlete from behind, so she is really from wealthy family,” she could hear that, so she just smile and say,

“Am I that famous?, as his shadow,” then walking slowly toward the school, while Sungjae already at his class, looking at school field, there he saw someone who walking slowly while looking at the ground,

“She’s finally come to school, you have been waiting for her, right?,” his friend said while patting his back, “Yujin is here,” he said, Sungjae turn his head to the class door where Yoojin standing, not long after that someone passing by at her back and give him smile,

“Why?, you want me to tell you the reason now?,” he asked while walking closer to Yujin, she is nodding, “then I tell you after I talk to her, excuse me,” he said then walking to her class and looking for Sooyoung who just put her bag on her table,

“Don’t your bodyguard say something to you?,” he asked, she look awkward with his sudden question,

Because I never standing before you, so I feel strange right now…

“I’ll tell you later, not in this class,” she said then looking at the class door where Yujin crossing her arms, “she’ll be throwing tantrum to me because of you, so it’s better to go back to your class now,” she said, Sungjae back to his class, but Yujin grab his arm,

“What was that?,” she asked.

“I don’t know anything for now, I’ll tell you the reason after hearing her reason,” he said then pull her hand from his arm and back to his class.

When the lunch break, Sungjae waiting for Sooyoung in rooftop, Sooyoung come with two can of soda,

“Why are you asking me to come here when my leg still need rest,” she said while giving him a can of soda, he looking at her weirdly, “why?, you think I became too comfortable with my way of talking to you?,” she asked, he is nodding, “is it because I heard so many things about you from your mother, so I feel closer to you eventhough I didn’t even meet you,” she said.

“Are you starting now?,” he aksed, she just smile as reply,

“She is in charge of VIP patient, and I’m one of the VIP patients who became her responsibility, since 3 years ago,” she continue her story, “everytime she come to my room, I always told her all about my family, so she told me all about her family. She said her son is handsome and good at swimming, eventhough he rarely come to school because of training, but his grade not that bad. In the past years, she only told all about you, I feel her love for you through it. I call her mom too, because I said to her that I lost my mom since I was child, ” she said then drink her soda.

“Then, why you didn’t tell me that from the start?, why you keep following me instead of walking next to me and tell me all about it?,” he asked.

“Because I’m a sinner, I feel sorry , I couldn’t face you after that day,” she said, “actually a year ago, she passed away in my car. She was going to go to my house the day I was discharged from hospital, but then an unpredictable incident accured and that made your mother passed away, I was there too, next to your mother,” she said, Sungjae looking at her while walking closer toward her,

“Then…the reason you following me,” he asked again, he’s holding his anger right now,

“It’s your mother wish, she want to know your daily activities because before she couldn’t do that because of work, so I did that. sorry, because I’m making you uncomfortable by it, I won’t do it again from now on,” she said, “you can release your anger at me, I’m fine with that..I prepare for that,” she said then face him, he close his eyes tightly, “If I didn’ asked her to come to my house, maybe she’ll be with you when you celebrate your birthday,” she said.

“Then..why you just come now?,” he asked.

“Because I was in recovery periode, after my body comeback to normal, I come to your school. I said to my bodyguard to send the gift for you, a week after that incident,” she said,

“So, you did all of this because of my mom?,” he asked, and she’s nodding, “then..did she say something before she passed away?, actually, I couldn’t come on time when my uncle informed me about it. I’m still at Jeju island to join training for national team selection when it happen,” he said,his eyes starting watery, “actually I’m not angry at you, but to myself. When she lived, I never told her anything about school or training, she know all about it from my homeroom teacher and from my coach, the thing that I said to her was..’I’m an adult now, so stop treating me like a child’, she just smile after heard that. did she still think of me as a nice child?, ” he is crying all of sudden, she is trying to comfort him by patting his back,

“She’s really a good mother, even I know it just by talking to her. The way she talk, the way she treat me, because of that, I called her mom,” she said then smiling and keep patting his back, “the last thing she said to me was to give you your birthday gift, she placed it in her locker, and she said that she hope that he would like the last gift from her,” she said, “after recovery, I’m started to looking for you, and end up here,” she said, he is looking at her,

“Became my shadow, was it one of her wish too?,” he asked.

“That’s my own doing, she never told me to became your shadow. I did that while taking photo of you from behind, then come to your competition last month, I reported it all to your mother, because she always wanted to know the update about her only son,” she said, then taking out her Polaroid from the small bag that she brought, “let me take photo of you, she said she never saw you crying ever since you became a high scholar,” she said while taking photo, Sungjae trying to get that photo, “then, do you know, I became more like you after this two months,” she said without looking at Sungjae, “I’m sorry if it’s make you uncomfortable, but I’ll say it now that I also collected your photo in my room,” she said, he is grinning after heard that, “for my personal treasure.”

“Then keep taking photo, I don’t know why I allowed you to keep following me eventhough my friends told me to report you, but honestly everytime there is you behind me, I don’t feel lonely, I feel that..there is someone who will always support me,” he said, “thank you,” then rubbing her head making her frozen, “after this, don’t follow me again, don’t became my shadow again,” he said.

“Okay, I won’t do it if it make you uncomfortable,” she said, then pouting.

“That’s not what I mean, it’s just..just walking next to me, that’s better, right?,” after heard that she is smiling brightly, “then..before..you are saying that you like me, right?,” he asked, after heard that she is trying to avoid it, “that a confession, right?, then I should answer that if it’s for me,” he said. She is trying to run away from him, but he grab her hand, “you know too much about me, so for now, I should know anything about you too, then let’s decided the ending later,” he said.

“What kind of ending?,” she asked.

“It will be happy ending, right?. Because starting from now, you won’t be my shadow again,” he said, both of them come down and back to their class. There, Yujin waiting for Sungjae who come all smile,

“What’s wrong with you, smiling like that. What did she said to you?,” she asked.

“She know my mother, and she is with her in her last day. That’s her reason following me for this past months,” he said then sit on his seat, “that’s the reason why I ended up asking you her address that day, starting from tomorrow, she isn’t my shadow anymore, we just decided to became closer, not just a boy and his shadow,” he said, “that’s the thing you want to hear, you can back to your class now, your teacher coming,” he said, Yujin looking outside the class, her homeroom teacher on her way to the class, then she runs to the class. There she keep observing Sooyoung who look happy,

“Why both of them look happy?,” she asked to herself. Then decided to ask her after the last lesson finished, “I heard you know his mother, that’s your reason for became his shadow?.”

“Hmm..I know a lot of things about him from his mother. For the reason is not exactly like that,” she said while packing her books, “I’ll leave first, he already waiting for me there,” she said while pointing at the class door. Sungjae come in and talk to Yujin,

“Can you leave us for seconds?, you can wait for me in school garden,” he said, Sooyoung smiling to him and leave them.

“Yujin-ah, sorry,” he said, Yujin look confused, “from today, I want to know more about her, I want to get closer to her,” he said.

“Then do it, I won’t forbid you. If you want to get closer to a girl, why you must tell me about it?,” she said nervously, I think he caught it that I like him.

“Just because, you are my only female friend, the only girl in this school who close to me, so I think I need to say it to you,” he said.

“Then, do it…,” she said, she in deep thinking, she want to tell it now before it’s late, “I think you already know about my feeling toward you, right?. Hmm, I’m very angry right now, but I’m holding it in, although I’m close to you, I think I don’t know that much about you, because you never give me the chance to know you better. So, I’ll take that as your rejection to my confession, although I never confessing to you. Go, she is waiting for you, after this I’ll erase all of my feeling for you slowly, so if someday I run to you and say I like you, just ignore it,” she said then goes to her table to packing her books, Sungjae follow her from behind,

“Just say those words to someone who deserve it, sorry for making you angry,” he said then tapping her back and leave her like that. She is crying right now while watching his back, then run to the window to watch a scene that make her heart break even more. Sungjae come to Sooyoung all smiling and suddenly held her hand,

“I want to smile so badly right now, but I can’t,” she said then wiping her tears.

Sungjae and Sooyoung go home together for the first time, all students who is there ask,

“Wah..what’s wrong with them?, that shadow move to another position,” Sungjae heard that and just smiling while looking at Sooyoung,

“You look happy although they call you shadow..,” he said.

“Because I’m your shadow, ah..I were your shadow, so they are right about it.” Everyday, I secretly chase after you, like your shadow..but start from today, we will walk side by side, thank you.