"...Who... are you?" she asked quietly and slowly through clattering teeth. She stared at his eyes to try and find the deep sea-blue specks again.

He gave a soft smile at her question. "I'm Dae Hyun."

Dae Hyun...

The named danced in her mind.

"Yours?"

"Ji...Min," she answered before she processed her actions.

"Hm... Ji Min... Annyeong Haseyo~" he said with a slight laugh.

Charmed... That was what Ji Min was feeling. The strange boy had charmed her. First with his mesmerizing eyes and secondly with his stunning smile.

Ji Min bowed at his greeting; just a slight nod of her head.

"Now, Ji Min-ssi~ Where's your home? Do you need me to walk you?" he asked in a sing-song voice.

Ji Min thought back to the place she called home: the small apartment, well equipped but empty of any living warmth. No one had slept there since her mother's hospitalization. She felt again how cold it was, right now, out in this rain.

"N-no," she said as her teeth clattered. "I'll... I'll j-just stay h-here."

Dae Hyun looked at her, puzzled.

"I can't just let you stay out here. You'll catch a cold... if you haven't already," he responded, looking at her drenched form.

Ji Min considered what she should say. She couldn't go to the hospital, since she didn't feel brave enough to show a bright face for her wilting mother. Nor did she want to stay alone in the dreadfully empty apartment called home. Nor did she have any other real options than the previous two.

"I have nowhere to go..." she mumbled, lowering her head. The boy's - Dae Hyun's - charm had worn off and she was reminded all too well of her situation.

Dae Hyun let out an apologetic look hearing her words.

"That's a problem, isn't it?"

No , Ji Min thought but held her tongue. Actually, when she thought about it, staying out here was not a bad third option either. Perhaps she would be able to fall asleep, here in the empty street and pouring rain and darkness, and be peacefully on her way to her next life.

Dae Hyun let out a troubled sigh as Ji Min stayed silent. He looked at her with furrowed brows, before opening his mouth to speak, "I know this is weird, and I understand if you say no, but you could... come over to my place for a bit?"

Ji Min stared up at him blankly, his offer ringing in her ears. She hadn't expected that at all.

"I knew it was creepy to ask that," Dae Hyun muttered to himself. He looked at her again and let out an awkward smile. "What I meant is, if you don't want to go home right now, you can at least dry off at my place, you know, for a little bit. My place isn't much, since I only live with my brother and he's an absolute pig, but it would be much better than being soaked out here, right...?"

Ji Min stared at Dae Hyun with wide eyes as he rambled on. She didn't really hear what he was saying after the first sentence; she didn't need to. She took one of her hands wrapped around the umbrella handle and held the tips of his fingers gently. He stopped talking, looking at her. Once she had his attention, Ji Min gave him the smallest smile, the best she could manage.

"Thank you..." she said. She truly appreciated the kindness Dae Hyun had offered her.

Dae Hyun started blushing at her sign of gratitude, breaking his gaze from her.

"N-no, it's nothing. Just trying to be a good Samaritan..." he mumbled, following with a cough. Then he noticed how badly Ji Min was drenched and her constant trembling. Concern came over him and he hoped the girl - Ji Min - didn't fall sick.

"Alright, up we go," he spoke, going to her side and wrapping his arms around her small body to support her. He made sure to pick up her broken umbrella beforehand. Dae Hyun lifed her slowly, seeing how her legs were too weak at the moment to hold her own weight.

"It's not far," Dae Hyun reassured her as they started walking.

Ji Min looked up at the boy who was much taller than her. She didn't give a rat's if the place was far, or close, or if he was bringing her to sell her to a pimp. She wanted to bathe in the attention and care she was getting from him, even if it came with a price and most likely, unfavourable consequences. It had been difficult for Ji Min to try and act like the grown up for the past couple of months; after all, she was only a teenager. To juggle school, friends, and sick family was exhausting. She wanted to put up a strong front for her mother, but Ji Min was simply too young.

Together, they walked for a little while. Dae Hyun supported her all the while and Ji Min held strongly onto the umbrella, despite the fact that they were both soaked completely through.

"Almost here," Dae Hyun said.

Ji min finally took a look around her surroundings at his voice and saw that they were nearing an apartment, a little more luxurious than she had expected from the boy.

When they were at the front entrance, Dae Hyun took back his umbrella and folded it down. Still supporting her after, they walked through the front doors and lobby, greeted by a surprised guard.

"Dae Hyun-ah..." the guard stood to say, rushing from his seat.

"Ahjussi! Hard at work as always, I see. Don't get up, it's just a little rain," Dae Hyun replied him loudly, pushing the elevator button.

Ji Min couldn't help but notice his friendly nature.

The elevator came and the two stepped inside. One floor after the other, high and higher, they went up until they finally stopped on the 21st floor. They walked into the hallway and stopped in front of a door. Dae Hyun struggled to get his keys from the pocket of his wet jeans; once he had them, he let out a satisfied chuckle and opened the door to his home.

Ji Min stepped in, welcoming the warmth.

In truth, she felt the warmth of the building ever since she walked into the lobby, but it was the sight of Dae Hyun's house that she welcomed now.

The place was well furnished and modern, with an open space concept. There were dirty dishes in the sink, with bags from half eaten chips and empty milk cartons on the island in the kitchen.On the L-shaped black leather sofa, there was a tangled mess of blankets and pillows. In front was a TV, turned off, with game consoles and quite a number of dvd's littered across. Empty glasses and pop bottles filled up the space on the coffee table in between the sofa and screen.

At her staring, Dae Hyun took off his shoes (propping up the umbrellas on the wall by the door) and hurried over to try and organize some of his things. He apologized to her, "Sorry for the mess... Only guys live here and I told you, my brother could live in a pigsty if he needed too..."

Dae Hyun glanced over at Ji Min in the middle of cleaning to see her awkwardly stand there, still shaking.

"Ah! First things first," he said, disappearing around the corner. He came back a few moments after with a large towel and wrapped it around Ji Min. She was thankful as her shivering subdued.

"You should take a shower first, to warm up. The washroom's right there, and fresh towels should be inside. I'll try to find some clothes for you and leave them by the door, so we can put your clothes in the drying machine," Dae Hyun spoke, pointing at the washroom and nudging her lightly.

Ji Min looked at Dae Hyun up and down. He was wet from the rain too, water dripping to the wooden floor from his hair and clothes. "What... about you?" she asked.

He let out a relaxed chuckle at her question. "I'm a guy. I can towel dry right now and shower after you're done. Besides, you were out in the cold much longer than I was."

With that, Ji Min headed into the bathroom after giving him her thanks. She locked the door and peeled of her water-heavy clothes, ditching them to the floor. She stepped into the shower and turned the water to the hottest she could handle. Ji Min stood under the stream, enjoying the feeling. Her initial emotional breakdown calmed a bit and she started to regain some of her senses. This was a peculiar situation, she realized. Being in a strange boy's house, showering. She had never showered in someone else's home before. Ji Min wondered if it was safe - what if Dae Hyun had actually brought her here, with intentions to or harm her? She grabbed some shampoo and massaged it into her hair; the smell reaching her nose was divine. She thought back to how Dae Hyun had greeted the guard and preferred not to think in that matter, although she supposed it didn't matter what happened from now on anyway. When her mother disappears from the world not too long from now, Ji Min would follow her. She refused to be alone.

She rinsed off the shampoo and ran conditioner through her hair. She foamed up a loofah with body wash, enjoying all the pleasant scents rising in the washroom. When she was finally clean, she turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her body. Cautiously, she cracked open the door and poked her head out. Ji Min saw the clothes Dae Hyun promised on the floor; she grabbed them and locked the door again.

To her shock, Dae Hyun had equipped her with decent women clothing. There was a camisole with a built-in bra, cotton underwear, a large black tee shirt and pajama shorts. Ji Min wondered where he got the clothing from while slipping into the fabric. Did he bring girls here often? Was he a player then? It was not a comforting thought. Or did he have a girlfriend? That was even worse.

Pressing a towel into her hair after she had finished dressing, Ji Min stepped out of the washroom.

Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

There was Dae Hyun, walking past the washroom. He was shaking a small towel in his hair. He had ed his wet jeans, showing the band of his boxers and was...

Absolutely shirtless.