Chapter 1

"Jiyeon ah! Run! Run now!" Ljoe shouted as he tackled the man onto the ground, but more pounced on him like ferocious tigers. He struggled to get them off him as they repeatedly punched him.

"I won't leave without you! Careful! Behind you!" Jiyeon shouted back as she sucessfully punched one guy and ran over to her boyfriend's aid.

Punches, kicks, it was all in a blur. Men dressed in dark brown came endlessly. Quickly, the both of them had exhuasted almost all of their strength.They ran through the misleading alleys and often stopped to look back. They were tired. Mentally and physically.

"Are you alright?" Ljoe asked as they hid behind a plank of wood stacked onto a bin. His eyes scanned her face. The once flawless face was now in a mess. Her lips were bleeding, her cheeks were swollened and her arms were filled with unsightly bruises. Her eyes were glassy and she was just staring into space.

"I will be back. Stay here alright?" He caressed her cheek for what he thought was the last time and stood up, fist curled up tightly. *Bastards. You have to pay. Mark my words.* His eyes were hard and cold. He walked bravely towards the danger zone.

Jiyeon shivered. Her jacket were torn at places and she could fill the cold wind hitting against her face. She jolted back into reality. *Ljoe? ...LJOE!* She stood up almost immediately, flinging herself into the fight. She no longer cared. Her fist came in contact with one guy's face and he staggered backwards from the force. *From now onwards, it's war.* Both of them fought, regaining all their energy at once.

- - - - -

"Get out. Get out this instance! I never want to see that pathetic face of yours!" Her stepmother screamed and pointed in the direction of the crooked gate.

"Umma..."

"I believe you know where the exit is. Now show yourself out." She firmly pointed in the same direction.

The 12 years-old Jiyeon picked herself up from the ground and picked up her backpack. She walked briskly towards the gate.

"Jiyeon ah! Jiyeon!" Her stepfather shouted after her. *Mianhe. I know you loved me appa, but I can no longer tolerate and live like this.* Tears had already found their way down her cheeks. Her brisk walk turned into a run.

She ran. She ran till she reached the beach that was a distance away from her house, or her ex-house now. She collasped onto the ground as she looked at the night sky twinkling with thousands of stars, as if mocking at her plight.

She broke into heart-wrenching sobs. What did she do to deserve this? She never knew she was an orphan till her 10th birthday. It was then when she knew why her stepmother had always mistreated her. Because she just was not her biological child.

She stopped when she felt a presence beside her. She turned to see a boy staring at her. His eyes were cold. "Mianhe. I was being a nuisance wasn't I? I'm sorry. I'll move somewhere else." She stood up and brushed off the sand.

"It's alright. Stay." The boy said calmly and turned his gaze back to the front. Unsure, Jiyeon took a seat beside him. She stared into the dark calm waters. Maybe she should not have been alive. It would not cause so much trouble after all. For years she was wondering why her mother had treated her this way. only two years ago she knew the answer.

Sunlight hit her eyes as soon as she opened them. She groaned softly from her stiff neck. Had she been here the whole night? Her father would be worried! *Oh wait. Umma asked me to get out in the first place. Why would any of them care?*

It was the sudden realisation that hit her, that she turned to look at the peaceful sleeping figure next to her. *It was not a dream...at all.* She sighed. Where was she going to go now? Was she going to be a beggar, sitting beside the roads and begging for money? No way. She was never going to do that.

"I'm leaving." the boy suddenly got up and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Hey! Wait up! Wait...Can I...I mean can I ...follow you?" She stopped the boy in his tracks. He gave no response and continued walking on. *I will take that as a yes then.* She timidly followed behind him.

They walked for awhile before he entered a convinience store. She waited outside. "Here." He passed her a bag of things. *Food! And two bottles of water!* She unscrewed the cap of one bottle. "Thank you!" She smiled and went on to moist her parched throat. *Thank you. Thank you so much. I will get your name...soon.*