~chapter thirteen~
unexpected proposition
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Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?

She was sleeping in his arms. He could scent her shampoo. Her skin was soft and warm, her breath peaceful and tickling. Kai’s senses got sharper and every touch was like a sweet sensation to his body. He put his lips on her head and kissed it lightly. His heart clenched. Some memories got back to him and he frowned, feeling a painful throb. He let go of her.
Sang Hee shivered and gasped, but continued to sleep. Kai sat on the bed and watched her angelic face. Her beautiful lips which he wanted to kiss so badly. He wanted her to feel his love again. He wanted to feel the same as in the beginning. He wanted to believe that she still love him.
He had an urge to growl, but he only pinched his own cheek and got up to take a shower. Hot steam hit him and he forgot about Sang Hee for a moment. When he got out, she was on the side, looking at him with wonder, her lips ajar. He could see her figure so well, and her tangled, black hair everywhere around. He wanted to go over to her and hug her. Kiss her. Tell her everything. But he just stood, biting his lips and frowning with a painful stare. Sang Hee knew that he’s suffering terribly. She slowly put her head down and they stared at each other for a moment.

“Who was I for you?” Kai asked suddenly, his shoulders falling down with resignation.
“I loved you” she answered without thinking. “You were everything”
“No, I wasn’t” he stated.

Sang Hee stared at him and sighed. She closed her eyes and held her hands together in front of her face, as she wanted to hide.

“No, you weren’t” she nodded. Kai felt his throat going dry.
“But you were the first person whom I trusted. And the first boy that fell in love with me” she added, looking at him apologetically with a small smile. “I don’t want it to end, Kai”
“I don’t want it to continue” he said, his voice raspy and shaky.
“Stop lying to me, Kai” Sang Hee begged, making his heart jump. But he remembered everything and clenched his fists.
“Your skinny love got wasted then” he whispered.

Kai wondered why he’s still dreaming about her. He knew that she didn’t love him. At first, he was depressed, but then, he was mad. Right now he didn’t feel anything more towards her. He had no idea what was going on with him. He wanted to see her at times, but then, he was thinking that seeing her would be the scariest thing in his whole life. Sometimes places, sounds, or scents reminded him of her, and then, he had to remind himself about the past and everything was going blurry and sad again. He just knew that he really missed her.

He missed her lovable eyes, beautiful voice, her talks about makeups and clothes, the sight of her listening to the music and singing along with her mp3. He wanted to see her. If he could, he would turn back the time and go back to good things and good memories.

He really had no idea what to do with himself. He wanted to start anew, but in reality, he had no idea what could he do. He didn’t want to dance anymore. Studying was a different world for him.

In reality, he just wanted to disappear. Or to forget. He was still there because he was a coward; he couldn’t just die, take his life away. He still had hope that someday, his life will change.

And now, as he thought about changing it, only one thing was appearing in his mind and he had no idea what Mari’s face in his head could mean.

~*~

“What should we do now? Our little mouse is still running away and doesn’t pay enough money” Garn said. He was in a dark room. Only a desk and a few painting were on the wall. A small candle was making it mysterious. He was staring at the man in front of him, who was smoking a cigarette. He was always laughing of his appearance. His boss really wanted to look like Don Vito Corleone, but with his skinny, almost skeletal face and unbelievably high pitched voice, it was impossible.
“If it will continue like this, we won’t get this money back in the end” Garn added.
“She knows the deal” his boss said. “She’s just a girl. She can’t have more money than she’s already paying. But because of the hatred that I feel towards her father, I think that we should… try something new” he raised his brows and leaned closer to the man in a suit. “She’s not scared of pain. She can sacrifice herself. What do you think is scarier than showing up face to face?”
“I don’t understand, sir”
“I think that we should scare her more. But with no violence this time”
“Then?” Garn asked, frowning.
“Get the information where does she life. Stalk her. Follow her everywhere. Meet with her friends. But don’t talk to her if it’s not the time of payment. Is she would like to talk to you, run away. And come back. Let’s make her shiver. Let’s make her wonder where are you. And get the keys to her house. Also, nothing can be more painful for her than the thought of her friends being in danger” he raised his eyes and looked at Garn. The man standing smiled.

~*~

Kai handed the last books to Madame and threw his bag on his shoulder. He smiled to the elderly lady, who frowned.

“Going already?” she asked, getting the books.
“I have to search for someone” Kai answered apologetically. “But that’s the end of my shift. Would you mind…?”
“Oh, no, no, of course not. You can go. Have a good day!” she chimed and Kai bowed.

He ran outside, cold air hitting him. It was probably one of the coldest days this winter. He started huffing into his hands and finally decided to hide them in his pockets. He didn’t get any gloves.

He looked at the sky. He had to find Mari somehow. He already stated that in his mind.

He just wanted to find her. When she was beside him, he was slowly forgetting about everything and all seemed more interesting. He wanted to help her somehow. He didn’t have any romantic feeling for her, nothing like that. Something was just attaching him to her.

He went to the café. Then, he went the bridge. He even went to Hoya’s apartment and waited there for quite a long time, but no one even passed or walked around this area. He got gloomy and sad all of a sudden.

He went to Xiumin’s bakery and ate a big bun with cherry jam.

~*~

Mari opened her eyes and stared at the cell for five seconds. Her eyes were moving anxiously from corner to corner. She got goose bumps. Something was definitely weird, out of place.

She slowly got up and heard water boiling. She frowned. Did she set it on the stove? That’s impossible, she was sleeping. Or she was sleepwalking. Her heart started beating rapidly.

“Don’t freak out” she whispered to herself and rolled out of bed. She went to the kitchen and stared at the steam shooting out from the kettle. She turned off the stove and looked out of the window.

She had a feeling that someone is observing her. Her imagination was slowly taking over and she was scared to turn back. When she did it, she only saw her little, messy kitchen and nothing besides this. But even turning to the corner was now scary.

She checked the keys to see if her doors are closed. She sighed and tried to calm herself.

“You went to set the water and forgot” she whispered to herself. “Because what? No one could go in…”, she stated. But after half an hour, after she took a shower, she went out as fast as she could, as far away as she could from the house.

~*~

Kai went to the café. He was just walking around the city. He was literally everywhere. In the end, he couldn’t talk to Mari. Why was she so important to him?, he wondered while ordering a big coffee.

A waitress came and gave him his order. He looked at her and frowned. It was the same girl he met some time ago.

“Is it good?” the waitress asked, smiling. He nodded slowly, without looking at her. She made a face and shook her head. “You really don’t remember me” she sighed and came back to work. Kai frowned his brows and looked up, piercing her with his cold stare.
Yes, her features were familiar, but he was coming here almost every day, so that was pretty normal. Right?
Did they meet once?
He was observing her for a few minutes, but nothing came to his mind. He drank the rest of his coffee.
“Thanks” he said and exited the café. The girl stared at his back when he was walking away, wiping some glass with lonely stare.
“You really don’t remember me” she whispered with disappointment.

“Here you go” she said, smiling widely. Kai bowed, because his throat clenched suddenly. He hoped for her to get away, but she suddenly sat beside him and stared at him. Kai’s eyes widened. He was obviously scared and that made the girl laugh.

“Oh come on. I won’t eat you” she said. “You changed a lot, Kai. I almost didn’t recognize you last time. Looks like you don’t remember me too, huh?”

Kai tried to remember. He tried really hard. He looked at her curly hair, round face and happy eyes, but nothing appeared in his mind. At the same time, he glanced at her hands and he found a bracelet on her wrist. It was made from silver. It was a thin chain with a single, pink flower on it. He frowned and looked up at her.

“You are Sang Hee’s friend” he said. She clapped her hands happily, making him jump. Everyone looked at them because of the sudden loud sounds.
“So you remember me!” she chimed and leaned closer. Kai automatically leaned back, frowning even more. “I’m Eun Kyo, Eun Kyo!” she nodded, smiling widely.

Kai remembered her. She and Sang Hee met when working together and quickly became best friends. He didn’t think that she was still here. His heart clenched. He really didn’t want to talk to her. He sipped his coffee, trying not to look at her, but she leaned even closer, making him really uncomfortable.

“Where’s Sang Hee now?” she asked, whispering. Kai’s hand shivered and he felt impatience.
“I don’t know. Probably home. At her parent’s maybe. I have no idea” he answered slowly.
“You didn’t talk to her through all this time?” Eun Kyo frowned. “How is that possible? I know that you broke up, but… I was sure that you will get back together. You two loved each other very much, right?”
“I don’t know. You are her friend, you tell me” Kai said, sending her a cold glare and getting up. He threw some money on the table. “Have a nice day” he added with painful voice and ran out of the café, not looking at Eun Kyo’s pained and shocked expression.

And right when he ran out of the café, he saw a hint of redness just around the corner.

For a second, his mind forgot about the thing that happened and he jumped in place, following after his eyes. He crossed the streets and turned left around the blocks. He saw Mari’s silhouette. He was sure that it was her; not only because of her hair, but also because of the way she walked. And he already saw that coat on her.

He ran and grabbed her by her hand. What he didn’t think about was what she would do.

Mari gasped. She held Kai’s hand firmly and twisted it. Kai growled, shocked. He felt that his feet were in the air. Mari held him by his stomach and a second after he hit the ground with a loud thud, pain spreading all over his body, especially his back. He growled and gasped, rubbing his hands and everything he could. Mari was staring at him in one second and then kneeled down.

“I’m so sorry!” she gasped. She wanted to help him somehow, but he was whimpering and she was scared of touching him. “Oh my Gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was you!” she added. Kai started breathing rapidly and started at her with shock.
“What was that?!” he shouted with unbelievable stare. Mari shook her head.
“I’m so sorry. Does it hurt?”
“Of course it hurts, moron!” Kai shouted and slowly sat on the ground. Mari leaned closer, but it didn’t bother him at all. “Where did you learn that? I thought that I’m going to die” he growled, rubbing his head.
“My friend taught me” she answered, looking at his head and searching for any wounds. “Is your head okay?”
“No, it’s spinning. Don’t you dare to leave me now, this time it was your fault”
“I was just defending myself!” she said with a high pitched voice.
“Next time you will, check who is it first!” Kai answered, pointing at the road.
“Well, none of my friends scares me like that!” she shot back and stood up. They stared at each other, Kai with angry face, and Mari with frustrated expression, biting her lip. But suddenly, Kai chuckled and was surprised of doing so. Mari frowned at him.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing” Kai answered and tried to get up. He stood on his feet, looked at her and chuckled again. Mari smiled, feeling something warm in her heart.
“W-what?” she asked again.
“Nothing” the boy repeated. Finally, he laughed loudly. “Oh Gosh. I was defeated by a girl for holding her hand” he sighed. “I have been slapped, yes, but like this… Who are you even?” he laughed and Mari chuckled with him. They were just standing like this for a few seconds, smiling and looking at each other.
“Are you sure that you are okay?” the red haired asked. Kai nodded. “Okay, then I will get go-”

He grabbed her wrist this time and she stopped talking, looking at him questioningly.

“Why are you always disappearing?” he asked. “We are running at each other all the time and you are running away every time. Am I that boring?”

Mari blinked a few times and looked at the ground. She held his hand to give him a signal to let her go. Kai did so and raised his brows.

“So? You know, you can’t run away from me already. You just knocked me down on the ground. At least buy me a hot dog” he said. Mari looked at him, frowning, and laughed.
“Sure, sure, I will buy you a hot dog” she sighed. “I’m sorry for knocking you down”

Kai smiled. It was a real smile. A smile that disappeared from his face a long time ago.

“And also” he said. Mari looked questioningly at him and hummed. “You can’t run away from me all the time. And I don’t want to pretend that we don’t know each other, because we do and I know a lot of things about you, that you should probably explain to me” he stated, hiding his hands in his pockets. He looked at her profile, at her red hair touching her blushed cheeks and puffs of steam dancing in front of her face. She opened her lips a bit, but closed them.
“I’m already involved” Kai added. “At least let me help yourself” he said.

Mari felt something weird. She had friends who knew about her situation. But she couldn’t tell them everything or plead for help; her own pride and past didn’t let her to. Kai knew nothing about her, and he wanted to help her. He didn’t know about her money troubles, about her relationship with her family, or any of her business. When she was with him, she was somehow free of her past.

That was exactly it; with him, she was in present, but her past wasn’t involved with it. When she was looking at her friends, who talked to her about her brother, or father, she was always stuck in the memories. But Kai was new to her. They didn’t know a thing about each other, but somehow always managed to meet. Their paths were crossing all the time.

Give it a try, he heard her heart saying. But her mind fought back immediately. He will only get hurt.

Kai saw her hesitation and wanted to say something, but she did it first.

“This is not a good idea” she said and passed him. Kai started at the ground with big eyes and turned. He ran after her and started walking by her side.
“Why not?” he asked. Mari shook her head. She was a bit mad, he could see it.
“Kai, you will only… It’s not a good idea to even be close to me” she answered.
“Oh, I know. But do you think that I’m scared of some fat guys chasing me? They can’t do anything to me, because I will just get them to the court. They are just stupid for trying to hurt me. But you, you are in danger, aren’t you?”
“Oh, and you think that you can help me?” Mari asked, scoffing.
“Why not? As long as I’m with you, they can’t touch you”
“That’s not true”
“Why?”
“Because they know everything about me. They know where I live as well. No matter what I do, they will always be there to… destroy me” she whispered. “And you just can’t help me. I appreciate it, but…”
“Let me be your guard then” Kai said, shrugging. Mari looked at him, shocked.
“First of all: why would I need a guard like you? I just knocked you down” she said. “Second of all: why do you care so much?”
“Because when I see a girl who needs help, I just can’t help it and I have to… you know” Kai pretended to be pained and Mari laughed with her beautiful laugh. But in reality, he said it to cover himself a bit.
“Thank you, but I can handle it myself” she answered with a slight smile and turned away again. Kai sighed and ruffled his hair after staring at her back. He ran towards her again.
“Just… let me” he said, looking at her from up. Mari raised her head and they stared at each other’s eyes for a few seconds. “I want to help. Isn’t that something normal among humans?” he added.
“No. No one cares what happens to another person. So tell me, why do you want to help me that much? You know well that it can end up really painfully for you. So why?”
“Because it will be interesting” he shrugged. “Because you are interesting” he added, making Mari look on the ground. He saw her blushing a bit and smirked. “Come on. Let’s go eat something”
“I have to work” she said.
“How much money do you have to give them?” Kai asked. Mari frowned.
“Is that important?”
“Yes, it is. You should look for a well-paid job. And don’t work in three places in the same time”
“Yes, because it’s possible without studying in college earlier”
“Of course it is” Kai shrugged. “You just have to look well” he smiled. Then, reality hit him. “Wait, so… you agreed? I can now follow you everywhere and be your guard?”
“I didn’t say that! That’s stupid. I don’t need a guard” she sighed.

Kai smiled.

“I will take it as a ‘yes’!” he said and fastened his pace.

Mari stared at his back and fluffy hair. He was always walking a bit crooked. Like some unbelievable weight was pulling him down. Mari didn’t know anything about him. But he didn’t know much about her either.

Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was their destiny. Why would they bump onto each other all the time if it wasn’t?

She was scared that he will get hurt. But he was right. They couldn’t do anything serious to him. She was grateful. She started wondering why he wants to help her. It’s nothing romantic, she knew that. Maybe something was attaching them to each other. As much as she was curious about Kai, he could be curious about Mari. Maybe it wasn’t something to question.

He turned to her and nodded, so she fastened her pace and they walked shoulder by shoulder. There was a silence between them at first.

“At first I thought that you are a scaredy cat. When I saw you that time under the bridge. But it turns out that you are stronger than anyone would be” Kai said.
“I thought that you are unbelievably sad. Maybe even desperate” Mari answered for that. Kai laughed, because he knew it was half right. What was weird was that when he was with Mari, he was smiling and laughing. It’s been a long time since he felt like this.

They got out from between the blocks and stopped in front of the pedestrian crossing. A lot of people were out at this hour.

“Where are you working exactly?” Kai asked.
“At this hour, I’m a babysitter” she answered. Kai’s eyes widened.
“Babysitting?!” he asked, shocked. Mari laughed.
“Why is it so weird for you?”
“So you know how to handle kids?”
“You don’t?”
“I… I have no idea” Kai said honesty. He probably never took care of any kid. No, he was sure that he never babysat anyone.
“You don’t have any siblings?” Mari asked. Kai clenched his teeth, but looked at her and answered.
“I do. But they are older”
“So you have more than just one sibling?”
“I have two sisters” Kai answered. The lights turned green and they crossed the road, talking.
“What about you? Any siblings?” he asked.
“Not really” Mari answered, shaking her head. Kai frowned at her.
“You’re obviously lying” he said. Mari blushed and looked down, but then, with shocked and suspicious stare, she fixed her eyes on him.
“How do you know?”
“I just do” Kai said honesty. “You are easy to read. Like an opened book”

Mari gasped quietly and bit her lip. Was she really?

Kai laughed.

“Older or younger?” he asked.
“Older” the red haired mumbled. “But I don’t want to talk about it. Better tell me about your parents” she added, just to turn him away from her brother’s concern.
“There’s nothing to tell really” Kai said. She heard a hint of anger and sadness in his voice. She got anxious. It was weird to hear him talk like that.
“You are not on good terms?” she asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it” Kai said, chuckling lightly. She could see his pained stare and shut up.

They passed a few more streets without telling anything. Finally, they stopped in front of the cream house. The yard was small, but the house looked really cozy.

“It’s here” Mari said.
“I will be going then” Kai answered. “But first, give me your number”

Mari raised her brows.

“Why…”
“I’m your guard now. I will pick you up. I don’t have anything better to do anyway”
“Well, thank you” Mari scoffed, but eventually wrote her number on a paper and handed it to him. She opened to say a goodbye, but they heard a click and a man in coat appeared in the doors of the house.
“Oh, Mari, you are here already. Good” he said and closed the doors.
“Good morning” the red haired bowed. Kai followed after her.
“You have a friend to help you? That’s even better!” the man said, smiling widely. Kai opened his eyes widely.
“N-no, I’m just…” he started waving his hands.
“Don’t worry; I will pay twice as much.” Mari’s eyes became round and she looked at Kai. “My niece visited, so there’s more work to do. You have an amazing intuition, Mari!” he chuckled and handed her the keys. “I’m off!” he waved to them and they both bowed.

Mari looked at Kai, who was standing there, frozen.

“I guess that I will stay” he said, blinking. “You need money, right?”
“I don’t want you to give me your money” she scoffed. “You don’t have to help me”
“It will be fun” Kai said, swallowing a lump. The thing is that I never talked to a kid in my life. But it can’t be that hard. I was a kid too. Right?, he thought to himself. Mari looked at him and sighed.
“You sure?” she asked.
“Yeah” Kai smiled.

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I'm terribly sorry for such a long absence. Now I really want to hide because just when I got so many readers, I wasn't updating for such a long time ;____;
School is chasing me all the time, and as you know, the first months are usualy the worst. One more time: I'm sorry for taking so long. I hope that this chapter will repay you somehow. 
Also, if I will have time today, I will write another one, so let's hope for another update! 

Also, I really wanted to thank you all for subscribing and reading this fic. I received so many kind messages. I'm so happy and moved every time someone says so many good things about this story. I never thought that I will enjoy writing it that much. So, thank you all for reading and commenting! It means a world to me. 

♥