Sooyoung blinked her eyes in response. The sun felt new to her eyes that it seemed like it can burn her eyeballs just by looking at it.

'When was the last time that I was able to come out of that cold hospital room?' She cannot help but to ask herself.

Yesterday, her doctors met her parents whom told her that she only has a week to live. It was a very emotional time to her parents and her siblings but to Sooyoung, she already knows that sooner or later, they will tell her that.

With an unknown illness that rapidly deteriorated her health, what the doctors could do best is to be honest to Sooyoung and her family regarding her condition. No need for sugarcoating or flowery words, what they want and need is the truth.

From the doctor's office, Sooyoung walked to her room. She held her chest tightly to inhale enough air since that walk tired the hell out of her. Even though she is already dead tired, she just shrugged off the idea of being one. She knows to herself that she should not feel tired for she is much aware that the day that she will leave this world is now nearing. 'I can now feel it,' Sooyoung thought.

Sooyoung sighed deeply as that thought bumped into her. She needs to make every hour, every second, and every moment of her remaining days as worth it as possible. In that way, she will not regret a thing once she passes on.

***

"Taehyung! Come out from where you are right now! Didn't I told you to prepare me a meal? Where the hell are you bastard child!?"

The boy hiding on his closet is shaking with fear. There he is again. There is that monster who does nothing but beat the hell out of him until he is too battered to even move, lurking inside the house. Searching for him.

Kim Taehyung has been living with his stepfather for ten years now. At the age of eleven, he was left behind by the woman who gave birth to him to a man who is no more than a stranger to him. 

Months after his mother left, his stepfather started beating him up. Making Taehyung his human punching bag.

Young as Taehyung was a few years ago, he did not complain. He did not utter a word. Was he too young to do so? Or just too scared to even open his mouth and say something about how abusive can his stepfather be?

"I know that you are hiding here somewhere bastard! Do not wait and just show up yourself to me so that we can talk about your disobedience. Bastard, come out now!"

The words that came out from the monster's mouth felt like daggers on his ears. They felt like shattered glasses that he already wants to slash them off on his neck to end all these.

Minutes later, the scene turned into silence. Neither the hissing, screaming, nor creaking of the floors can be heard from any where. Taehyung thought that his stepfather probably passed out again after drinking too much alcohol.

He slowly came out of his closet. Not wanting to make any noise that can wake up the monster who had just passed out on his own. Taehyung was already a step closer to the front door when he slipped on the floor causing a loud sound that eventually woke up his stepfather.

"There you are bastard! Do you think you can get away from me?!" Taehyung did all he can to get up and run towards the door but the monster held him tightly on his neck.

"Don't you dare step your foot put that door or I will strangle you until you die son of a !"

The boy gathered all his remaining strength and punched the person in front of him in the face. "Go ahead! Kill me! Kill me now so that I won't have to live this ing miserable life anymore!"

Before his stepfather was able to strangle Taehyung tighter, he passed out again. Taehyung clenched his fist while holding his hurting neck before going out of the hell he had just went through.

***

Sooyoung woke up with a smile plastered on her face. It was unusual for her to feel this light hearted and happy the very moment that she woke up.

She looked at the calendar beside her table to see what day it is. She cannot help but to flash a bigger smile upon seeing the date. 

February 27, 2016

"Yeah right, it is nearing the end of this month and this year is also a leap year. I totally forgot." Sooyoung said to herself. The fact that in two days time will be a leap day made Sooyoung's heart pound quickly. Until it hit her that she only has a week to live.

Sooyoung asked for permission from her doctor and her parents for a day off to go back to their hometown. She had not been to back to Jeju for years now. She was always either too weak to leave, or too sick to travel. 

She had been wanting to inhale the fresh breeze of the beaches in Jeju island that will wash off the hospital smell that had become too familiar on Sooyoung's nose.

This time, due to Sooyoung being fine enough to leave (and also the fact that her doctor wanted her to spend her remaining times without regrets), they approved her two-day vacation on Jeju.

The smile that had been plastered on her face by the time that she woke up seemed like it cannot be erased. Sooyoung always put a smile but this time, it is much brighter and happier.

She quickly packed all the things that she needed on her vacation in a traveling bag. From her books, to her music player and earphones, some clothes and toiletries, and lastly, her black journal. She stuffed it all on her bag.

Later that morning, the rental car that the hospital had provided her family arrived. As the driver helped them in getting all their luggages inside the car, Sooyoung cannot help but to look back in the sterile white walls of the hospital through the main entrance. She cannot help but to look on how nurses are rushing here and then to attend the needs of their patients.

She will be back again after two days. It was only a short leave that she thought that she might as well get the hospital off of her mind.

***

The sun had already risen when Taehyung woke up from his deep slumber. He was surprised as he saw himself on a bench near the beach. 

'That is why I felt so cold.' He thought to himself. Taehyung cannot help but to chuckle a bitter laugh. Of course, he ran off of that monster that is why he is here.

Taehyung got up from the bench where he woke up and went to nearest vending machine. In Jeju, there are a lot of vending machines installed near the beaches for the convenience of the tourists. And Taehyung was nothing but grateful due to that.

He grabbed his remaining money on his pocket and quickly inserted a hundred won unto the machine. Patiently waiting for his espresso, he looked towards the ocean whose waves are crashing the shore.

Taehyung cannot help but to wish for a better life than this. A life away from monsters who like to beat up youngsters like him. Away from pain and suffering. Away from what he have been experiencing his whole life.

"Excuse me." Taehyung was cut off from his train of thoughts with a soft voice. When he looked around to find the owner of the voice, he shocked upon seeing a girl, probably his age, standing with a bright smile.

"Yeah?"

"Hi uhm... I am Sooyoung and I was just... ugh... I just want to ask something Mister?"

"Taehyung. Just call me Taehyung." 

"Okay Taehyung, can I ask you about the ways around here? I... I have been away from Jeju for so long that I have already forgotten about the things here."

The girl, Sooyoung's voice was the softest sound that have ever played on Taehyung's ears that he wanted her to just continue talking. For her to not stop blabbering. It was quite soothing to him that he felt like as if he was being sent to another world.

"Well, no problem. I cannot not help people who need my assistance." She giggled due to his antics even though she knows to herself that there was nothing to laugh about.

From that morning until noon, Sooyoung and Taehyung were together. Taehyung showed all that there is in the community near the beach to Sooyoung, while the latter attentively listened to all that was being taught and shown to her.

He taught her the shops around the area, and the places where she can go to aside from the beach. He also brought her to his secret hideout. The place where he goes to whenever the monster inside their house tries to make him his punching bag again. But Taehyung did not tell Sooyoung that. That he was always being beaten up by his hell of monster stepfather. He taught that he do not want to burden anyone, or make this girl that he had just met pity him.

Sooyoung felt very close to Taehyung in that instant. Probably because of his antics, and his stories. But she felt like there is still a thin wall that prevented her from getting too close to T