The next morning my nostrils were filled with the gross, pungent odors of sweat, onions, dead fish, blood and other nasty scents that were unknown to the human nose. My eyes watered, my stomach lurched with nauseousness. I sat helplessly on Jiyong’s bed, pinching my nose as tight as I could as he messed with different concoctions in the kitchen in order to refresh his memory on the blindness remedy he had learned about. I sighed dreamily. He’s doing this all for me though...Such dedication... He loved me and I loved him back, I just wish I could admit my feelings. I would like to know what my first love looks like though so I will wait patiently until the remedy is finished. I kept pondering why Jiyong said that he was hideous and that I would run away from him if I saw him. Maybe he’s disfigured or burned like that Freddy Kruger character from my father’s favorite horror movie. But my father had said that Freddy is an evil burned man who kills people in their dreams for the fun of it. Jiyong is certainly not evil and even if he is burned or horribly disfigured, I would still love him all the same... Jiyong sincerely loved me for my whole self, not just my body like those guys in my college classes. I am ever grateful that he came into my life. Bam! Jiyong’s bedroom door slammed open. I clamped both of my hands over my nose, eyes watering, when the horrid smell came rushing hard into the room.

“Chaerin!” Jiyong! He must have noticed my reaction to the odor for he closed the door quietly behind him. I let out the breath I was holding in. Phew... Jiyong jumped onto the bed, sending me airborne for all of a millisecond. “Chaerin, I think I’ve done it!” he shouted excitedly.

“What?” I gasped in surprise.

“I think that I perfected the blindness remedy that I’ve been working on all night and all this morning! It might work if you take it!” Jiyong was talking so fast that I could hardly understand him but I knew what he meant: he finished his blindness remedy. I’ll finally be able to see! I clapped my hands together, my heat swelling with excitement in my chest.

“That’s wonderful, Jiyong I’m so glad!” My lips curved into a joyous smile.

A strange noise sounded from Jiyong’s direction. “Chaerin?”

“Yes Jiyong?”

“You’re so beautiful... May I kiss you again?” he said suddenly.

I blushed feverishly. “What’s with that all of a sudden?” I mumbled under my breath. “But sure Jiyong you can-” My sentence was severed my Jiyong’s petal soft lips on mine. I closed my eyes, allowing the kiss to grow deeper. Jiyong forced his tongue into my mouth. My eyes flew open. I don’t want the kiss to go this far. I removed my lips from Jiyong’s, his tongue retracting from my mouth. My chest moved up and down with my rapid breathing, my heart barely able to maintain its solid form.

“I’m so sorry, Chaerin! I made you feel uncomfortable?” Jiyong apologized. I desperately tried to hide my blushing face.

“N-no y-you re-really didn’t all that much,” I stammered.

Jiyong breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. If I ever make you feel uncomfortable, Chaerin, please tell me.”

I nodded. “R-right.” Something almost scorching hot was placed in my hands. I winced at its heat. Creak! The mattress springs creaked as Jiyong got up from the bed, standing beside it instead.

“That’s the blindness remedy,” Jiyong informed me. “But I have decided to name it ‘Chaerin’s Cure’ after you.”

A quick blushed passed over my face. “Thank you Jiyong. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me,” I thanked him while wrinkling my nose at the familiar pungent odor that arose from the steaming cup. “I’d like you to be my first sight if this works.” I breathed in and out slowly. “Well bottoms up.” I raised the cup to my lips and bolted the chunky hot liquid down my throat. As soon as the liquid was down my throat I began gagging in abhorrence. I could hardly hold the liquid down it was so repugnant. I began to feel dizzy with nausea. “Ah!!!” I screamed as a razor-sharp pain entered my eyes. I covered my eyes with my hands, screaming in agony. When will the pain end? Jiyong. Help me... I managed a small squeak of pain before collapsing like a used puppet on Jiyong’s bed...

“Chaerin! Chaerin! Are you okay? Please don’t die! Please... I love you so much...” Who is that? Who is speaking? They know my name... How? I do not recognize this voice...Darkness. Darkness all around me. Wait. My eyes are closed. But if I open them, will it make much of a difference? I am blind after all...

“Chaerin! Chaerin!” The unrecognizable voice kept yelling my name over and over more frantically now. How do they know me? I don’t know them. I’m afraid... My eyelids begin to flutter. Why though? I did not want to open my eyes to more darkness... My left eyelid opened a crack. “Chaerin?” A tiny amount of light flooded into my eye. Light? That’s not right. I’m blind how can there be light? Am I dying? “Chaerin open your eyes I beg of you!” The voice...Nostalgia began flowing through me. I recognize it! My eyes flew open... The color brown... My mother had described the color brown to me once. She told me that it was a warm, inviting color that, although a dark shade, could make anyone feel right at home. I stared up at the brown ceiling in this home and I... Wait a moment. I’m staring at a ceiling? I can see the ceiling? I can tell that it’s brown? What...what’s going on? I sat upright, eyes wide. I shrieked in surprise. My hands... I can see them in front of me! They are a pale color and they are quite tiny just like how my parents described them. I can see the sleeves of the over sized shirt that I am wearing. What colors are on the sleeves? The pattern was plaid. I could tell by the way my parents had described plaid to me: square checkers. The colors though... What are they? I can’t remember. It’s been so long since my mother taught me about colors. I can’t remember... Oh well. I want to look at the rest of surroundings. I can see the wool blanket that covered my body. I figured that’s what a blanket would look like. I giggled softly, bouncing up and down on the bed. And this is what a bed looks like. It’s huge! King-sized as my father would say. In front of me was a brown wall. To my right, a brown wall and nightstand with an empty tray resting on it. I whipped my head around. Another brown wall. I looked forward again. Tears began falling out of my eyes. I can see... At long last...

“I can see!” I cheered at the top of my lungs.

“Chaerin!” I froze. The voice again... I recognize it but I cannot seem to put a name to it. “Chaerin, the remedy worked! You can see!” the voice cheered as excitedly as me. Who does this voice belong to? Who?! Come Chaerin you know this! It’s on the tip of my tongue! Tongue? The feeling of a man’s tongue suddenly started swimming around in my mouth. Why? When has a man kissed me like that? The feeling is so familiar though... Like a passionate kiss such as that happened to me recently... “Chaerin, are you okay?” The voice was filled to the brim with worry. Who else has worried for me like this? I know who it is. I know! Ouch... My brain hurts... “Chaerin please say something else! I love you Chaerin! I love you...” The voice started sobbing.

“I love you, Lee Chaerin...” I gasped! I remember now...

“Kwon Jiyong...” I murmured.  An inhuman noise resounded from my left. “Yes, Chaerin, it’s me Jiyong! I’m so glad you said something I was beginning to become really worried for a moment there,” Jiyong breathed in relief.

“Jiyong...Jiyong!” More tears streamed down my face. “Jiyong I remember you! I remember everything now. I forgot for a few minutes but now I remember. Silly huh?” I hiccuped as I stifled a laugh. “But now I’ll be able to see you, Jiyong. I’ll be able to see the man who loves me and tell him my true feelings. My deepest wish has come true thanks to you Jiyong...” I turned to my left where Jiyong’s voice was coming from.

I had to clasp a hand over my mouth to prevent myself from screaming. My eyes widened in sudden fear. I could feel the color drain from my face. What is standing beside the bed is Jiyong? It can’t be... That thing can’t be Jiyong! But it had Jiyong’s chest. Jiyong’s voice. Jiyong’s lips... It’s arms were not human male arms though. Its arms were covered in a thick, dark brown fur like that of a bear’s, at least what from people told me about bears, along with large bear-like paws for hands and five claws for five fingers. So he lied about wearing “bath mitts...” Clearly there was no "dog" either... It was not wearing any pants. I blushed slightly at this. Its “manhood” I guess I can call it that, was sticking straight out from in between its long, perfect legs covered in what people had described to me as reptile scales. The scales were a certain color too. A gloomy color…“Gray is the gloomiest color, Chaerin....” My mother’s words came back into my mind. The scales, which started just below his bell button, were gray, sickly looking. I stared down at where its feet should be but there were no feet. I do not even know what to call them. I remember my father telling me about this movie called Jurassic Park about dinosaurs and how there were these dinosaurs called velociraptors. He described to me their anatomy in the movie and its“feet” matched my father’s velociraptor feet description. Five long, deadly dagger-sharp claws replaced where its toes should be. That explains the skittering noises on the hard wood floor. My newly opened eyes traveled upward. I now knew what long, slimy thing has brushed against me in the bathroom. What I had learned to be a tail, flicked back and forth behind him. It was unruly long, thin and the darker shade of gray my mother had told me about. What is it called... Black! That’s it it’s black! My eyes traveled higher to its face. Its face was normal, like a regular human’s. Its face was well-shapen, thin and an ill pale color. Its nose seemed normal like mine and rich brown hair lay on the top of its head in a tousled mess. Except, two curved black horns popped out from his head. I shuddered. Its eyes disturbed me the most, however. Its eyes were the color of the amber which my mother told me is yellow, a sad yet alluring color. But its pupils were demonic vertical black slits. They looked absolutely menacing. My frightened heart pounded against my chest. Is this really Jiyong? Is this why he didn’t want me to see him? Is this why he called himself hideous? Because he is a... I gasped into myhand. Oh my. He is the...