Surprisingly, Kai’s teleportation skill wasn’t as bad as it has been for the past few weeks. Kai has been able to complete his preliminary exams just recently. For the first few days, he could not believe it himself that he actually didn’t teleport anywhere unless he tried to but as days went by, everything seems to be back to normal.

Of course, he has never forgotten Krystal. Although he didn’t pay her a visit, he went near her house where he watches her in a safe distance. She seems to be feeling better now. She goes out of their house, visits her grandmother in her restaurant, watering the plants in their garden, and even taking short walks to the playground to play with the kids in the neighbourhood. Though she hasn’t come back to the university yet, being outside her room and smiling a lot is a progress. Kai wanted Krystal to live a better life without him so, he never approached her. He wanted her this time to heal on her own—and she can do just that. But still, he’d go to her again someday but that day is definitely not today.

Kai was just hiding behind the street corner when someone poked his side causing him to jump a little. “Ah, what?” He said a little too loud.

The old lady flinched from the shock and when she recovered, she hit Kai with her bag. “You! You! You’re rude, little boy,” Krystal’s grandmother says looking up to Kai.

“Grandma, doesn’t your neck hurt from looking up?” Kai teases her and pulls her in to a hug. “I missed you so much.”

“I don’t think so. I guess you just miss Krystal and I look like her that’s why you’re saying you miss me.”

Kai completely lets go of her and docked a little bit lower. “Grandma, please don’t tell Krystal I’m here. I don’t want her to expect me to come a lot anymore. I want her to start standing on her own like before.”

Krystal’s grandmother nods at him and smiles. “Thank you, Kai. Thank you for caring so much about my granddaughter. It’s been a while since she looked okay, at least.” She cups Kai’s hand and held it tightly. “Thank you so much.” She nods and walks away.

Kai remained at his spot. He watches Krystal and her grandmother greet each other enthusiastically until Krystal invites her inside the house. Kai sits on his place and didn’t actually know what to do. He stayed there until it was already night and Krystal has found him sitting right under the street light. It was really noticeable since the light was directed towards him.

Krystal nudges at him and lightly pokes him at his side. “Wake up, Jongin. Wake up.” Kai raises his head and squints from the light. “It’s already 6:30 in the evening. How long have you been waiting there? You actually just slept there looking like a homeless person…” She adds in a whispering tone, “As if I am not your home as well.”

Kai stands up and balances himself, recovering from hours of sitting down on the pavement. “What did you say again?”

Krystal shakes his head. “I said nothing. Are you still dreaming? Come inside my house. Grandma and I cooked a lot. She was the one who told on you, for your information.”

Once the two has entered the house, Krystal quickly prepares tableware for Kai to use. While doing so, Kai busied himself going through the photo books placed under the coffee table.

“Why didn’t you want me to see you?”

Kai scans all the photos. He sees a woman in her early 30s who looks a lot like Krystal and the girl slightly taller than her. The woman in her early 30s seems to be Krystal’s mom and the girl who’s taller than Krystal is Jessica—both girls do not have the same bright smile as young Krystal and his father have then. It was a family picture taken in front of the same restaurant they have dined in weeks ago—Krystal’s grandmother’s restaurant. Her mom is gripping tightly on Krystal’s shoulders and Jessica’s clutching onto her mom’s skirt. “Are they… Are they your mom and sister?” Kai carefully asks.

“They’re pretty, right?”

Kai nods and keeps on looking at the photos page by page. He goes on every single photo until a class photo catches his eyes. It was dated to be taken a year ago. There were about 25 children surrounding Jessica. The truth is, the child clutching her skirt beside her is what caught Kai’s attention. “Krystal,” he calls Krystal. She, then, walks over to the couch and sits beside him.

“Oh, that photo? That was Jessica’s students when she first taught in Taiwan. That’s the first and last photo she sent me.”

Kai looks at Krystal with so much intensity, desperate for answers. “Has she told you that sometimes being yourself in front of other people saves them too?”

“Not to let others think that they’re lucky because others have it worse but it is to give them the idea that others go through it too and understand you as well. You’re not alone,” Krystal finishes. “Yes, Jongin. She said that. Why? And how did you know about that? Who are you really, Kim Jongin?” Curiosity kills the cat, she thinks. But that thought. She’s been very curious of Kai, Jongin, Kim Jongin now, whatever he wants to be called. Had her sister asked him to take care of her once she dies? Why only now? Was he her sister’s boyfriend? Who is Kai? Who is Jongin? Not to herself but who is he as a person?

Kai looks down at the floor. “I’m Kim Jongin.” He looks back at her and repeats himself, “I am Kim Jongin. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve been asking the same questions over and over, Jongin. And I can’t find any answers to them. Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here? C’mon, it’s not that hard to answer. So, why can’t you?”

Kai puts the photo book back at the coffee table and faces Krystal with a serious look on his face. “My name is Kim Jongin. I am from Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. I am here because you are here.”

Krystal breaks their look on each other and stands up. “I know I’ll never get an accurate answer. I’ll just let this go. Let’s eat?”

Just like any other Korean drama series, Kai stands up and immediately grabs her wrist. “That’s my answer, silly. I am here because you are here. Why would I even travel all the way from Gangnam to here?”

Krystal takes her wrist from Kai’s grip and walks away. She tries to brush all of the feelings that he makes her feel—not because she doesn’t like him but it’s because she’s afraid…she’s afraid she’d just hurt him. “Let’s just eat, Jongin. Stop with your cheesy antics, okay? It’s not going to work. Like, ever.”

Kai clutches his chest and acts. “Did you just dismiss my feelings? Am I rejected? Really?”

“I think I just did.”

Kai just took his first bite of what seems an inedible food that Krystal served him. It looks like a bowl of different ingredients mixed together just because those are the only available ingredients she has in the kitchen. It doesn’t smell bad, just weird. Krystal looks at him with anticipation. He keeps on taking spoonfuls after spoonfuls and doesn’t say a thing.

“C’mon, Jongin. You have to say something!”

Kai, before saying anything, just looked at Krystal and blinks for a few times. “What do you mean?”

“Shouldn’t you tell me how it tastes? Whether you like it or not?” Krystal props her elbows on the table and scrutinizes Kai.

He takes another spoonful and chews slowly to get a hinge on its taste. “It tastes…not that salty but not bland… It tastes okay.”

Krystal sits back lazily. “So you’re like saying it tastes like food?”

Kai nods and gets back to eating. “Luckily, it tastes decent.”

“Wow, why are you being like this?”

Kai finishes his food and wipes off any remains on his lips and face (if there’s any). “Krystal, it doesn’t even look like food. Thank heavens it tastes like one.”

Krystal stands from her seat and loud noise comes from her feet as she walks. “Thanks for being honest, at least.” She started getting saucepans and more ingredients. “You’re not going anywhere unless I feed you something delicious.” She peels the carrots very fast, fast enough to have the carrot completely in less than a minute which Kai cannot do; of course that’s why he’s fascinated by it.

“You don’t really have to make something. I’ve already downed a plate.” Kai cleans up the table.

“But I want to make something for you,” Krystal responds while she cuts the carrots in a dice so fast that she hurt herself in the process letting out a loud gasp. Kai got surprised that he totally pulled off a The Flash and ran to look after Krystal.

“What happened?” Kai exclaimed and grabs Krystal’s hand to assess her finger. There was an inch cut that was quite deeper than it looks like. “I already told you, Krystal. There’s no need. I loved what you fed me. Whatever it is, however it tastes, I’ll love it surely. I was actually just teasing you…” Krystal looks at him with her eyebrow raised. “Well, uhm how do I explain this?” He hesitates for a moment but pushed thru with explaining, “It doesn’t look palatable. Nearly looked inedible. But it tastes so good. I wasn’t actually expecting it to taste nice but wow, Krystal. Are you really going to reject me?”

“Are you trying to wife me up?” Krystal has her head down and avoids Kai.

Kai envelops Krystal in her embrace from her back and props his chin on the crook of her shoulder. “If that’s what you want.”

She musters up all her courage to ask and said, “Is this still because you want to save me?”

“Definitely, no. I can do the saving without us getting married. I just want to spend my whole life with you.”

She shut her eyes close, her heart pounding against her chest. She must not give in. She likes the idea of it—heck, she even loves it—but she just…can’t. She doesn’t want to make someone feel miserable. She doesn’t want to hurt him. Can you just love someone without hurting them at all? “I’m afraid we don’t have the same sentiments, Jongin.” Krystal’s voice cracked, trying hard not to let go of the tears that want to escape her eyes.

Kai, without moving at all, just closed his eyes and stayed for a minute more on Krystal’s shoulders. The way Krystal says her name repeats over and over again on his mind. He has noticed it since she came—she kept calling him Jongin instead of Kai. Breaking the deafening silence, he asks, “Can you say my name again?”

The two agreed on settling for food deliveries while cuddling on the couch as they “watch” television. The two are engrossed on each other so much that they didn’t notice the time.

“I hope we can stay like this…,” Krystal is very hesitant to continue her being like this with Kai. She knows it’s not something that will go on for a long time. It’s either she or Kai who will have to let go first. This isn’t how her life was supposed to be. She already had it figured out a long time ago and Kai suddenly appearing to her life was totally unexpected. “I’ve made up my mind, Jongin.”

Kai looks at her without removing his arms that envelop her. “About what?”

The way Kai smiles at her and his eyes twinkle woke Krystal from her short dream. Looking alarmed she said, “Ha? I’ve made up my mind. We should end this day already. You still have to drive. It’s getting late.” Krystal escapes from Kai’s embrace and turned off the television. “I’ll walk you out.” She left Kai behind, still sitting on the couch and confused.

“Bye, Jongin.” Krystal forces a smile and waves at him. It’s almost 11:00PM and she’s actually worried since it’s already so late but she just can invest more of her feelings on him. She doesn’t want the two of them to get hurt just because of her.

“See you next time, Soo-jung.” Kai flashes his hopeful smile and starts the engine. “Dream of me.”

Krystal is unable to sleep. She’s been moving around her room, flipping sides on her bed, arranging things on her table but all to no avail. She goes downstairs and sits on the couch she has sat on with Kai. An hour has gone and she already misses him. She lays on it and it still smells the remains of his presence.

“You’re not yet asleep?” Her father emerges from the kitchen, holding the television’s remote control and turns it on.  

“Obviously.”

“A car with license plate KJI 0114 was found empty at Gyeongbu Express. According to reports, this vehicle is owned by a citizen with the name Kim Jong-In of Gangnam, Seoul. The police are currently searching for the owner. To their dismay, the owner cannot be reached through his mobile, so they are on the way to his house in Gangnam. Speculations of carjacking have also been put into spotlight for this case. It still remains a mystery to all the witnesses as to how the car was just running and suddenly stops. Moreover, how come it was running before when there was no one inside? This news report is brought to-“

“Isn’t that Kai?” Krystal’s father asks her.

Krystal shots up from her seat. “That can’t be. He was just here not long ago.”