"You..."

Dae Hyun pointed his finger to his face with a cheeky smile.

"Remember me?"

Ji Min nodded without a word. How could she ever forget? 

Her head was swimming a little now, unlike the emotionless Ji Min she had been for the past few months. Here was her savior, in flesh and bones, yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She had thought he had forgotten about her all this time.

"I was shocked to see you here! Almost didn't recognize you," he chuckled, tousling Ji Min's long bangs. He was glad to see her. "When did you transfer?"

"...Recently..."

It was a strange feeling. He treated her like they were old friends, although they've talked only once before. He was showering her with the same warmth and attention as that stormy night. Ji Min felt a fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach, the sensation foreign to her.

"Why... are we in here?" Ji Min asked, her eyes wandering the storage room.

"Oh..." Dae Hyun gave a nervous laugh, plopping down on an empty stool. He scratched the back of his head, looking up at Ji Min with guilty eyes. "I'm guessing you heard the rumours by now?"

Ji Min tilted her head to the side.

"Rumours? ...The ones that say you're hideous? That you can't speak? That Him Chan scarred you with a steak knife? That you're a cold and heartless killing machine?" she spun out all the stories she had heard until now in an indifferent manner.

Dae Hyun turned a little pink, embarrassed.

"Yeah... Well, I actually need to keep it that way."

Ji Min tilted her head to the opposite side, pondering on his words. He wanted these ridiculous lies to continue?

Perhaps it had been her silence, or maybe it was the look on her face, but Dae Hyun went on to explain himself.

"Uh... See... Him Chan-hyung had a lot of friends when he was in school... and he also had a lot of enemies. Scary enemies."

More and more, Ji Min couldn't help but question what havoc Him Chan had wreaked in this school.

"They would rip me apart if Him Chan-hyung didn't spread those rumours before I enrolled here," he laughed, taking off his cap and running a hand through his blonde hair. He placed his hat back on after. "Burn me alive, probably."

"...So... that's why we're in the storage room...?"

Dae Hyun's looked out of the corner of his eyes. "I can't socialize at school... That'll be the end of the rumours. And the end of me."

"Oh...."

"I wanted to say hi the first day I saw you. But... You understand why I couldn't, right? Man, the whole thing sort of ," Dae Hyun mumbled unhappily.

Ji Min stared at Dae Hyun, who proved to be as friendly as she remembered him. He was still the magical boy that managed to save her. It was amazing to see how the whole school gobbled up such ludicrous lies about him.

"And you're pretty hard to find around school."

She always came to school at the bell and left at the bell. Everyday, she went straight to her classroom, then straight home. It was no wonder Dae Hyun couldn't find her. Today had been an exception; her homeroom teacher had as her to run an errand after school so she had to stay behind.

"You looked for me?" she asked quietly. If what he said was true, not only did he remember her, it also meant that he wanted to see her. Ji Min had always thought she had been a nuisance to him - the strange, ungrateful girl who disappeared in the morning.

"Of course!" Dae Hyun sent Ji Min one of his brilliant smiles. "I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again after you left like that... Without a single good bye."

Dae Hyun narrowed his eyes at Ji Min accusingly, a smile still lingering on his lips.

Technically, I did say goodbye, Ji Min thought. You just never heard it.

"Sorry."

Dae Hyun let out a soft chuckle at her quick apology.

"No, it's okay. I'm only kidding. It's good to see you're doing better," he said the last part carefully, observing her face with an optimistic look.

Wrong. He was so wrong.

Ji Min wasn't any better than that day he found her in the rain, nor did she feel like it. So much had gotten worse, with her mother gone and Ji Min living in that dreaded apartment alone and school being a nightmare. The only difference was that she had grown numb to it all, her emotions circulating underneath her mask.

Dae Hyun noticed the tension forming on her face, however slight it was. Ji Min's silent tongue made him all the more uneasy as neither of them talked.

"You're... not...?" Dae Hyun stood up form the stool, getting closer towards her. Concern took over him as he looked at her. 

Ji Min didn't know what to say: should she lie to seem okay, or tell the truth? Lying was always a burden, but resorting to the truth meant having him know her misfortune. Would he look at her with pity too?

"I have to get home," Ji Min muttered under her breath, turning on her heel. She decided on a third option of not saying anything at all.

She realized then that it was nearly impossible to stay with Dae Hyun, no matter how sweet it was. There was too much unsaid, too much she was unwilling to share. Was it so wrong to hide? Was it wrong to live off of good memories of the past instead of creating miserable ones in the present? If everything remained the same, Ji Min could deal with it. She wouldn't be happy and she would constantly feel lost like she did at times, but she would be able to get through another day. Lonely, but she would still be alive. There was safety in that, and that safety was what Ji Min craved. She didn't need to heal.

But for some cruel reason, she met Him Chan again, and now Dae Hyun. With their presence, her safety net was escaping through her fingers and it scared her; it scared her to no end. The two - especially Dae Hyun - had breathed courage into Ji Min to live the first time she met them. How much more could they change her? She didn't want to take that chance.

Ji Min walked towards the door in a hurry.

"Wait!" Dae Hyun hissed, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pulling her in. She felt her back bump into Dae Hyun's chest as he moved them behind the extra lockers.

The door opened then, revealing two students.

"Are the chairs here?" one of them asked.

"Teach said they would be... There," the other answered. 

The students went to the messy pile of chairs and started to stack them. 

That'll be the end of the rumours. And the end of me.

Ji Min recalled Dae Hyun's words, coming to understand his actions. The two of them waited, hidden, for the others to leave.

Goosebumps rose on Ji Min's skin, feeling Dae Hyun's breath tickle her ear. His arms were still around her, her back still to his chest. She could feel his every breath in and out. Out of nowhere, the image of Dae Hyun shirtless came to her mind, mentally scanning his body. Blood rose to her face as her heart started beating faster.

Ji Min stepped away from Dae Hyun as soon as she was sure the students were well enough away.

"S-sorry, I just..." Dae Hyun rambled, not being able to look Ji Min in the eyes. His face had turned pink again.

"Thanks. For getting me out of the rain last time...." Ji Min said, subtly ignoring his awkward apology and remembering her own manners to thank him in person. As soon as that was said, she bolted out the door.

She went so quickly Dae Hyun didn't have the time to stop her. He frowned at her departure. It was as if she was anxious the whole time they were talking. Ji Min went as if she was running away from... him. 

Dae Hyun pulled his cap further down to cover his eyes, hooking his mask back on. He followed out of the storage room after her.

Dae Hyun still had something to say to Ji Min. And she wouldn't get away that easily, not like last time.