“Kai.”

He tried to breathe, but instead he felt cold water entering his mouth and nose, filling his lugs.

“Kai.”

He heard the voice calling him again, loud even though underwater.

“Kai!”

He opened his eyes and the contact with liquid hurt them, but he saw the bottom of a river. He was barely floating, but somehow he managed to gather the strength to move his arms, trying not to sink any further. Suddenly there was someone grabbing him, dragging him out of the water. He felt strong hands on his chest, and then a mouth over his own, pushing the air in, trying to make him breathe again.

He coughed the water out, and took deep breaths. It was only then that he noticed the pain on the side of his head. He touched it, and when he took his hand away, he saw blood.

“Hey! What happened? Are you okay?”

Finally, he looked at his savior. The dark haired young man was kneeling by his side, with paper-pale skin and too-wide eyes that made him look funny, even though he was obviously worried.

“Man, what the hell...”

He kept breathing loudly, as if for the first time in his life, while the man muttered to himself.

“You're bleeding, for Christ' sake. I've gotta take you to a hospital. Come on, can you stand?”

The man helped him up, and he winced a bit, but was able to stand. His savior made him put his arm around his shoulders anyways, letting him lean on his smaller yet stronger body as they walked to a car parked on the road by the side of the river.

He was drenched, but so was the man, and he didn't seem to care much when the seats got wet. He grabbed a coat from the backseat and handed it to him.

“Here, try to warm up a bit. And keep pressing that cut, alright?”

The man turned the heater on before he started driving. Kai put the coat on, feeling the warmth tickle his cold skin. He covered his hand with the sleeve before pressing it to the side of his head. He winced a bit because of the pain, but remained that way.

“Hey, what's your name? I'm Kyungsoo.”

He thought about it for a moment, before answering.

“Kai... I think.” His voice was hoarse, as if he'd been screaming for hours.

“What do you mean 'I think'?” Kyungsoo's eyes looked even wider.

“I don't know... I can't remember...”

“. You hit your head right? Must be a memory lapse.”

Kai didn't answer. He was still dizzy and confused. He assumed his name was Kai, since that was what the voice had been calling him. Or was it? The truth was he really couldn't remember anything. He felt a sudden panic rise inside him, his stomach was tied in knots and a there was a urge to get everything out.

“Stop the car.”

“What?”

Kyungsoo saw the grimace on his face and understood it immediately, but instead of stopping, he grabbed a plastic bag and handed it to Kai hastily. He kept his eyes on the road as the boy threw up water and a bit of bile.

“Better now?” He asked, as Kai whipped his mouth, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry about that.”

“It's okay. Don't worry about anything, let's just get to the hospital, ok?”

Before Kai could nod in agreement, he heard the voice again. It was loud and quiet at the same time, as if the words were being whispered directly into his ears.

“No! You can't go there!”

“No!” He heard himself shouting.

“What?”

“I... can't...”

Kyungsoo looked at him as if the bump on his head had granted him more than amnesia, and he mentally urged the voice to provide him a reason for that.

“He will find you! You can't let that happen, if he finds you, you'll never be able to get away again! You have to...”

The voice faded and suddenly stopped. Kai thought that maybe he was crazy after all. Kyungsoo was still waiting for an answer.

“I... ran away. I don't remember why or how, I don't even know where I was.”

I don't know who I am, he summed it up to himself.

“It's okay, don't worry. We just have to take a look at your head to figure out what happened. We'll have to notify the police, but if you had a reason to run away, I'm sure they'll find a place for you. I know you're very confused right now, but don't panic, alright?”

He sounded like a father explaining to his child the reason why he couldn't eat ice cream while he had a cold. Kai felt angry, because Kyungsoo had no idea what he was talking about. But then again, neither did Kai.

“You don't understand... I can't go there because he'll find me, and then I will be locked away. Forever.”

He realized that was indeed the truth. Deep inside, he knew it, even if he couldn't remember.

“You're a doctor, right? Can't you just bandage my head and let me go?” Kai asked, even though he had nowhere to go.

“Actually, I'm still a student, so I can't.”

“Come on, it can't be that hard.”

“Look, even if manage to do it, there's nothing I can do about your memory.”

“It's okay. I don't really want to remember.” And that was also true, because he could tell, whatever his past had been like, it couldn't have been good if he had reasons to run away.

“This is crazy! I can't just leave you be!”

“Why not?”

“Because you're an injured! Because I found drowning in a river, and you can't remember how things ended up like that.”

Kai remained silent. Kyungsoo sighed.

“Jump!”

And he did jump in his seat, when the voice spoke in his head again after a long silence. It hadn't been as loud as before, and after that one word it seemed to vanish again. Kai didn't understand what he was supposed to do. There was no way he'd jump out of a moving car. He couldn't, anyways, since the door was locked.

He looked outside the window. The sun was setting, and soon Kyungsoo turned the headlights on. Kai pulled the window down, and the wind hit his face, making him shiver.

“What are you doing?” The man mumbled before pulling it back up.

He waited till they stopped at a red signal, and turned to Kyungsoo.

“Thank you.” Kai said, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest.

That was all the heads up the older man got before Kai pulled the window down again, braced his hands on the top of the car and propped his body up. He got out in a swift movement, and started dashing immediately, without looking back.

He had no idea where he would go after that, or why he was listening to the voice in the first place. If anything, those whispers only gave him more reason to go to the hospital. But Kai decided to rely on his instincts.

He didn't get very far though. In his hurry to get away, as if Kyungsoo could actually get to him at this point, he got distracted and bumped into something. Someone, to be more precise.

“What the ?!”

A very tall, very intimidating someone, who seemed ready to kill the bastard who had made him spill coffee all over his suit.

“S-sorry.” Kai managed to say, after taking a few steps back.

“You little ! What do you think you're doing, huh?”

“It, it was an accident.”

But the man was already grabbing him by the shirt. Kai noticed he was still wearing Kyungsoo's coat.

“You should look where you're going, you punk! What are you gonna do about this?!”

The man shook him, and Kai felt that his feet were almost getting off the floor.

“I...”

Suddenly, the lights on the street started to turn off and on again, twinkling. People stopped to look, and the grip on the boy's shirt loosened. Then, the earth began to tremble, and when man suddenly let go of Kai, he struggled trying to remain on his feet but ended up falling on the floor. The earthquake wasn't strong enough to damage buildings, but it was something, and some women were screaming.

Someone grabbed his arm roughly and made him stand.

“Come on!”

Kyungsoo pulled him and they started running away, leaving the confusion behind. They only stopped two blocks later. Kyungsoo practically threw his back into a wall, before letting his body slide all the way to the floor, where he crouched.

Kai leaned by his side, propping his hands on the wall and ducking his head between his shoulders. Their breaths were ragged, and they remained like that for a few moments.

“Hah... What... the ... are you crazy or something?”

“Sorry...”

Kyungsoo shook his head.

“Whatever. You don't want to go to the hospital? Fine! Just be then, I'm done saving your for today.”

“Sorry.” Kai mumbled again, sounding a bit hurt.

Kyungsoo sighed, and stood again.

“Let's go.” He pointed to his back with movement of his head. But Kai didn't move, just stared at him, looking slightly confused.

“You don't have anywhere to go right? I'll let you stay at my place. Besides, I still have to patch you up.”

Kyungsoo tried to give him an reassuring smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. Kai shrugged.

“Ok.”

He followed Kyungsoo to the same road where he had managed to get out of the car. It was at the same spot, so apparently the man had immediately come running after Kai. He felt another pang of guilt.

At least Kyungsoo had managed to lock it before leaving, but there were people buzzing as they maneuvered around the vehicle. Kai quietly took the passenger seat.

He ended up dozing off, too tired from running around. He only woke up when Kyungsoo called him.

“We're here.”

Kai rubbed his eyes with he back of his hand, still sleepy, and heard a loud grumble. It took him a few seconds to realized it had come from his own stomach, and Kai felt a flush go up his neck. Kyungsoo did him the favor of ignoring it.

They were in a garage. The older man led the way to an elevator, and Kai gaped at the number of floors. Kyungsoo pressed a button and the number '30' lighted up. The way up was spent in silence. When they got off, Kyungsoo turned left and put his keys in the lock of the first door.

The apartment was big, too much so for a single person. Yet it seemed actually cozy, with it's colored furniture and a homey atmosphere. Everything was very organized and clean, almost like it were an obsession, but instead of unsettling, it felt pleasant.

Kyungsoo dropped his bag on the big green couch set in the middle of the living room, before making his way to a corridor. Kai hesitated a bit before following him. They entered the bathroom, that was just like the living room in terms of cleanness, if not more. Kyungsoo bent over to get something from the cabinet under the sink.

“Sit.” He said, moving his head slightly to point at the toilet. Kai complied.

Kyungsoo had gotten a big emergency surgical kit and a bottle of antiseptic. He set them on the sink and turned to Kai. He put his hand on the boy's chin and made him tilt his head back, in order to take a better look at the cut.

“It's not that bad. I think three or four stitches will suffice.” He mumbled, more to himself than to the other.

The blood had dried, and Kai's skin felt sticky. Kyungsoo grabbed some gauze and drenched it with water before using it to wipe his face. After the cut was clean, Kyungsoo started applying the antiseptic with a cotton ball, and Kai hissed a bit at the stingy feeling. The man frowned.

“I'm afraid I don't have any anesthesia.”

Kyungsoo bit his lower lip, still frowing. Then he rummaged the kit until he found a small transparent-orange plastic bottle, filled with white little pills.

“These might help with the pain, though it will take a while until they start working.”

He took the lid off with a pop, and handed a pill to the boy, who swallowed it dry. After some preparations, Kyungsoo inserted a needle into the border of the cut, and started mending the skin together again. Kai gritted his teeth, but otherwise remained still, afraid of interrupting the job. Eventually he let out a low grunt.

Kyungsoo hesitated for a bit, but continued patching up Kai, and in a few moments the suture was done. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do.

“Okay, done. Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Are you hurt anywhere else? Take off your clothes, let me take a look.”

Kai stood only in his briefs while Kyungsoo searched his body for any other wounds. There were scratches and a few black spots, but no cuts. The man sighed with relief.

“Well, everything seems fine. I suppose you want to take a hot bath right now, huh? I'll leave you to it, just remember not to touch that area too much, the stitches might open.”

Kyungsoo picked up Kai's clothes, which were still wet, and got out of the bathroom. The boy entered the shower and turned the tap on, almost collapsing of joy when the hot water hit his body. In the end he didn't wash his hair, avoiding his patched wound.

When he was finished, he realized he had been left with nothing but a white towel. He dried himself, and then wrapped it around his waist. He went to the living room.

Kai looked around, taking in the details. A huge bookshelf filled with various volumes picked his attention. He made his way from one end to the other slowly, touching the tip of the books as he mumbled the titles to himself. Many of them were in English, and when he opened one, he found himself able to read it.

When Kai put it back in place, he noticed a photo-holder turned down in the upper shelf. He picked it up. The glass was cracked, as if someone had put it down too roughly. The photo showed a younger Kyungsoo, with short hair, smiling brightly with his arms wrapped around the shoulders of an unknown man. Kai thought Kyungsoo's smile was pretty.

Then he heard a melody coming from a closed door. He turned the photo down again, and followed the sound. When he opened the door, his nostrils were filled with the smell of food being cooked, and his stomach grumbled in response. Kyungsoo was standing by the stove, wearing an apron and holding a pan.

Kai had already forgotten about his clothing state, and the man remembered him about it, widening his eyes.

“Oh! Sorry, I forgot to get you clothes, right?”

He had gotten slightly flustered, and exited the kitchen hastily, avoiding Kai on his way out. The boy followed him, a bit confused. Kyungsoo's clothes were a bit tight for Kai, but still better than a towel.

They ate kimchi spaghetti, and it was delicious. Kai had three bowls.

“Thank you. It was really good.” He said, after he finished.

“Oh, so you actually noticed the taste? Even though you were eating like the food would disappear if you didn't get it in your mouth fast enough. ” Kyungsoo laughed.

“Sorry, I was really hungry...” Kai mumbled, embarrassed.

“It's okay, I don't mind.” The man smiled as he put his plate on the sink. Kai helped him clear the table, and offered to wash the dishes.

“Don't worry, I'll do it.”

“I feel guilty, you've done so much for me already. Let me help with something.”

Kyungsoo sighed.

“Okay, I'm dying for a shower anyways. But if you don't wash it right I'll just end up doing it all over again, so be careful.” He said while making his way out of the kitchen.

“Got it.”

Kai smiled shyly as he put on yellow plastic gloves and started doing the dishes. He was a bit clumsy, but he managed to do it without breaking anything. After he was done, he sat down by the table. Since Kyungsoo hadn't come back, he was left with nothing to do other than what he'd been avoiding since he first opened his eyes that day: think about what was going on.

So, apparently he had no memories from before that, and he still had no idea who or what was that voice. Remembering the way it talked, as if it knew about his past, Kai assumed it might have been his subconscious, some part of him that hadn't forgotten everything, trying to guide him.

He did know that he was running away from someone, even though he didn't know why. And not going to the hospital because they would be able to find him implied that they were powerful enough to have the resources to do it. How had he ended up in that river anyways?

He was really lucky Kyungsoo had found him. At that moment Kai realized he would probably be dead if it weren't for him. He felt a wave of gratefulness, along with one of guilt. He couldn't just rely on Kyungsoo's kindness forever, he felt he was a nuisance as it was already. But where would he go?

His thoughts were interrupted when Kyungsoo returned, with damp hair that sticked to his forehead and dressed in pajamas. The man yawned.

“It's late. We should go to bed. The guest room is over here.”

Kyungsoo said, leading the way. There was an inviting bed in the middle of the room.

“Good night then.”

The man was already heading for his room, but he stopped when the boy called him.

“I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble.” Kai said, looking at his feet. “Thank you.” He bowed.

Kyungsoo came to his side and gently touched Kai's shoulder, so that the boy would face him.

“You don't have to worry about it. You can stay here for as long as you like. I could use some company.” The man smiled reassuringly.

“But if you're planning on running away again, I recommend you do it after I take the stitches off, alright?”

Kai nodded shyly.

“Good night, Kai.”

“Good night.”

Kyungsoo turned the lights off, and the boy laid down on the soft bed, covering himself.

Kai fell asleep almost immediately. He dreamed of pretty smiles and too-wide eyes.