Dae Myung’s POV

There she stood.

The person I had missed so much stood right in outside, in the cold, autumn atmosphere.

The first things I noticed on her delicate face were the gleaming tears streaming down her soft cheeks.

I could discern the excruciating pain she was going through, even though the exact reason why was unknown to my thoughts. I found myself feeling hurt at her sight, as if her pain was shared through by a strong bond that still tied us together.

But the past events prevented me from wrapping my arms around her, from shielding her from the world.

I stood there, unsure of what to do, of what to say. I was uncertain of what I was allowed to do, because I had started to doubt the place I held in her heart now.

She tried to wipe away to no avail the never-ending stream of tears. Her sobs shook the silence, the awkward atmosphere that loomed over us.

What should I do?

Why was she crying?

Why was she here at this hour?

The more I asked myself questions, the more I panicked on the inside. I wanted to help her, I wanted to lock her inside my arms and purify her from this pain.

She looked up, once more, her tear-filled eyes gleaming as ever. A single, resounding phrase escaped her trembling lips.

“Help me, please.”

The sound of her voice revived the suffocating straining of my chest that I had so desperately tried to bury deep inside of me.

I uttered no answer. I slipped to the side, leaving her space for a most unusual entry. “Thank you so much…” I heard her whisper.

She made a few steps into the doorway. As she passed by me to enter the apartment, my eyes followed her, my thoughts contradicted in the waves of confusion and uncertainty. I closed the door behind me, cutting us off from the world that had taken the opportunity to hurt her while I was away.

She took off her boots and walked uncertainly into the living room, trying to stop her soft, pained crying. I wanted to make those tears stop. I wanted to embrace her, just like I did before.

But I didn’t know if even the slightest touch was too much.

I walked in, my footsteps clear in my mind. I ached to know what was wrong, what was hurting her so much. But my throat was constricted by the unclear status I held for her now.

As I approached her, I remarked that the trembling of her shoulders had ceased slightly. This comforted my anxiety a little bit and gave me enough courage to voice out her beautiful name.

“Sang Hee…” I whispered softly.

She didn’t startle at that call and tried instead to calm herself. I walked a few more steps towards her, until I was right behind her. The trembling of her shoulders was easily perceivable now.

I didn’t know what I was expecting exactly. It seemed like I was expecting an answer, a sign, something from her that would clear my confusion, even if for just a bit. She brought her fragile hands to her face, covering her eyes in a confusion-filled movement.

“I’m so sorry, Dae Myung…”

She didn’t need to apologize at all.

Having her here when I had thought it impossible for us now was something amazing and transcendent.

“Don’t apologize.” I reassured her softly. I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around her, although she was right in front of me.

“I know I hurt you. I know I shouldn’t even be here now,” she said with a trembling, guilt-filled voice. “But I have nowhere else to go…”

Hearing her state that she had nowhere else to go immediately alarmed me to the highest point. A familiar yet uncomfortable worry took a hold of me.

Why didn’t she have anywhere else to go?

Why couldn’t she go home?

What happened?

“How come?” I asked her gently, worry ading through the tone of my voice.

“I don’t want to go back home, not with them there…” she whispered painfully, her voice struggling to maintain its stability despite the trembling.

Them?

Her parents?

Hearing the excruciating, choking fear that was swallowing her, I started to wonder with anger at the reasons that would’ve hurt her into this state.

“What did they do to you?” I asked, a calm tone belying the frustration I felt welling up inside of me.

She raised her head; I saw her hands leaving her eyes, lowering themselves to around where her lips were.

I awaited for an answer, for a determining piece of the puzzle that was now jumbled up in my mind.

And, just as I felt she was going to utter that piece of precious information, the doorbell rang.

Who else would visit at this hour?

She seemed to know the identity of these people though, as she immediately fell into a state of pure panic. She turned slightly and took a step back, away from the door. She gazed at it with intensity and pure fear.

“It’s them.” she stated in a suffocated phrase.

How could I explain this immediate, familiar need to protect her rising that was filling my body with an instinctive impulse once again? I grabbed a hold of her shoulders and whispered into her ear hastily. “Go hide in my room. I don’t care where, just anywhere.”

After I did so, I quickly pushed her towards my room. She didn’t protest and made haste for it.

As I walked over to open the door in slow steps, trying to buy enough time for her to find a hiding spot, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was getting myself into exactly, by choosing to protect her against her own parents when I didn’t even know what had happened.

But, knowing Sang Hee, I knew she must’ve had a good reason to. I still trusted her, and I knew well enough that I was going to stand by her side, no matter what.

Seeing her be so frightened by their very presence and the state I had found her in made rage boil up inside me, although I didn’t even have a single clue about what had happened.

The mere thought of her being hurt was unbearable in my mind though, and I could feel the frustration rising inside my thoughts. As I seized the doorknob, I took a deep breath. I couldn’t confront her parents in an anger-tainted manner; they would become even more suspicious if I did so.

As I felt my anger quickly being dissolved by my desire to protect Sang Hee, I opened the door.

There stood her parents.

Or rather, the ghost of the happy faces I used to greet once in a while when I went to her house.

In front of me stood two sorrowful figures, dwelling pitifully in the night. Her mother was sobbing desperately, painfully as her father wore a stern, solemn look.

As they gazed upon my figure, an immediate ray of hope shone in their eyes, reanimating their once-lifeless expressions. I couldn’t say why, but their reactions had an odd impact on me and made my determination waver slightly.

But I soon repressed this feeling that was nudging me away from my main goal: protecting Sang Hee.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” I bowed solemnly, politely. “Is there any reason for the visit?”

Her father took a hold of my arm, his eyes burning with the fires of desperation. “Have you seen Sang Hee? Is she here?”

I faked surprise and soon shook my head sternly. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her at all today.”

Her mother’s sobs intensified at my words. Her father’s arm shook greatly at that. Guilt was planted into the walls of my heart, but I repressed this bothersome emotion. I only needed to protect Sang Hee. That was all I needed to care about.

“Do you have any idea where she could be?” her father asked in a trembling whisper. I couldn’t help but be troubled slightly by his state, although I knew I couldn’t pay any heed to it.

“I really have no clue,” I told them apologetically, feeling a slight disruption in my heart as I lied to them. “What happened?”

At that question, her mother sobbed even louder, as if those words reanimated guilt and bad memories in her mind. Her father let go of my arm slowly, silent for an instant. Soon enough, he wrapped his arm around his wife and gazed into my eyes; I could discern pure desolation and regret of a parent tainting them.

“Something that shouldn’t have happened.” he answered, regret constricting his voice.

That answer reignited my curiosity, but I didn’t show it. If I asked them now, all the cover I had created for Sang Hee would have turned out futile. Hopefully she would be able to confide into me on what had happened later instead.

“I hope you will find her again. I’ll let you know if I see her.” I told them solemnly. It was a shame I was lying though.

“Thank you. We’re sorry to have bothered you.” her father spoke with restraint. I could see he was trying to hold back his tears as well.

“It’s no problem. I wish you the best of luck.” I uttered, feeling slightly guilty at the lies I was spewing out at these two parents who were worried over their only daughter.

They both nodded grimly before turning back towards their car. The sight of pain and regret that were inflicted on those two parental figures remained engraved in my mind, even after I had closed the door.

Mood song: Ikemen Boogie Nights – Hanazakari no Kimitachi e OST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWyu_ZHqmKY

Many thoughts twirled in my mind as I walked towards my room, one step at a time. What had happened for her to be so scared of them, to have to hide and cower in fear? What had happened for her parents, who always seemed like kind and understanding individuals, to be in this dire state of regret and guilt?

But as soon as I entered my room, the debate that was swirling in my thoughts immediately faded away, only to leave behind an inevitable worry for Sang Hee.

I seared my eyes across the room, searching for any hint of her presence. I couldn’t find her anywhere; she had hidden really well. “Sang Hee?” I called, wondering how she must be feeling amidst all this.

No answer was heard. I took it she was still scared of the probable presence of her parents. She wasn’t under any of the two beds’ covers; it would’ve been too noticeable anyways. I bent down and looked under each of the two beds.

No sign of her.

I stood back up, feeling slightly even more worried by now. I closed my eyes gently and passed a hand through my hair, letting out an overwhelmed sigh. I couldn’t seize completely the situation since the more I asked myself, the more I was faced with a wall of silence.

What was happening?

I suddenly heard her barely audible sobs break down the walls of no sound surrounding me. I opened my eyes soon enough and turned to face the direction from where these cries were emanating.

I was soon faced with my reflection in the mirror that served as a door for my closet. Her whereabouts were soon known; it appeased my worry greatly, although it still remained slightly.

I made a few steps towards my own reflection. The person in front of me was the same in appearance as always, but there was something that had changed in his chocolate eyes. They weren’t as cold and sharp as they used to be. They seemed gentler, more compassionate…

Was I really that much of a jerk before?

I took a hold of the closet’s handle, staring into my own eyes as they seemed to gleam curiously at the person I had become on the inside. I guess I used to be someone with no purpose in life, who took the most fun I could get in life in meaningless things such as popularity and looks.

But I had changed.

Ever since I had let her in the confines of my heart.

I pushed the closet door aside gently. I stared ahead as my reflection disappeared, only to leave way to the darkness that was lurking inside.

But I could clearly discern her familiar presence, no matter the darkness in which she hid in. She had hidden her face behind her knees, wrapping her arms around them as she cried soft sobs. She seemed even more vulnerable in this state; I felt my heart sink at that sight.

I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to embrace her, if I was allowed to touch her even. I wasn’t sure of what I was allowed to do now with her ever since my confession. With this situation that had forced her to seek my help, there was no time for me to get an answer.

So I just slowly sat down, crossing my legs. My eyes did not leave her, as if I could reassure her this way without fearing of going too far. Her shoulders shook and trembled as her sobs resounded across the room.

For some reason, even though she was crying in front of me, an odd feeling of calm overflowed me; I was with her once again, being given the chance to be in her heavenly presence for some unexplainable reason. Somehow though, after seeing her parents in such a state after they had lost her, I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken at this situation, even though I had no idea what had happened.

“They really care, you know?” I told her softly in a whisper, never detaching my eyes from her.

She dimly shook her head. “I don’t care. I hate them…” she said in a somewhat childish, frustrated manner.

Seeing her so absorbed in her feelings and in this state of denial made her seem like a child for a moment. A soft, gentle smile slowly overtook my lips oddly as I gazed at her protectively, endearingly.

I knew there was nothing I could say; it was her own feelings, and maybe all this would solve itself for the better. All that mattered now was her happiness, the sadness that was plaguing her.

“I missed you, Dae Myung.” she whispered softly, sadly.

I couldn’t describe how much bliss overflowed me at that instant, as I heard those words I had given up on hearing ever again. I felt my chest compress itself with a surprisingly warm and comfortable feeling.

“I missed you too, Sang Hee.” I told her in a whisper, my heart clenched with a familiar emotion that made my thoughts hazy.

It was at that instant that I knew nothing had changed between us. I could feel our past, unspoken bond still linked between our hearts, as if it had revealed itself once more after all our hardships. Even though she didn’t voice it out, I knew I was still the person she relied the most on.

We didn’t say anything else for what seemed like an eternity, but I didn’t mind at all. If time would have stopped, it wouldn’t have bothered me at all.

If it was any moment with Sang Hee, then I would consider myself happy eternally.

And in her eyes, at that moment, I had found the same, exact bliss that had me hanging breathlessly.

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Hello dear, dear readers! ♥

I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long?

...

Yeah, I probably did. Sorry!! TTwTT ~

I hope this chapter made up for it though! DaeDae really has become my ideal man, it's amazing, haha! xD Such a sweetie, so protective... Wowwww. Don't you guys think he looks so freaking hot on this chapter picture? ♥

To all of you who have supported me all along, thank you so much!!! As I look back at the beginning, into last year, I realize how much this fanfic has grown~. I had gone through some pressure and deception regarding no comments and losing subscribers in the beginning, but with time, my fanfic has set itself in place with all of you commenting and subscribing. I really can't describe the happiness I feel whenever I write and continue this story.

Thank you so much all of you. I wish you all the best this year!

To an amazing year for fanfics, haha. ~ ♥