The laughter of children echoed in his mind. The smiles of joy soaked into his line of sight. She would had loved to see this. The children, she would had loved it. But she wasn't here. He didn't know where she was.

He felt his mother approach him, sitting next to the empty seat next to him. The two were seated on the bench gazing as the children played in the valley.

They needed a day where they didn't drown in misery. A day where children can be children. Some of the younger interns and played along. Some of the teens were there too. They all needed a day to unload.

The weather was warm today. The soft layers of snow reflected off the sun making them glitter like diamonds. Snowballs and snow angels were being created.

"What's on your mind?" His mother asked. Not moving his eyes from the children he replied,

"I'm thinking of how she would had loved this. Too see this. She would love it." He replied softly.

"She would wouldn't she." His mother responded. softly. Silence engulfed the two. But it was a tolerable silence. A warm silence, the kind both of them needed. All they wanted to hear were the wind chimes of laughter.

"Howon-ah," She spoke, using his real name, his mother never used his real name, no one did, unless it was necessary, "About JiAh, did my son ever care about her?" She asked. Her voice indicated that she didn't want an answer, but her watchful eyes said the opposite.

"No. No, I never cared. At least not at first. Mother, I'm sorry."

"Why?" His mother asked kindly. And he like a bullet had just been shot into his heart.

"I was horrible to her. I treated her like . I was never what a husband was supposed to be. I'm shock she stayed this long. Mother, I didn't deserve her. I never wanted her. Funny thing is that even though I never wanted her, I needed her." He responded. Hoya felt stupid, he felt like the biggest jack- who ever lived. He was a coward, and a cruel one at that.

"Sounds to me like you did care." And her words shocked him. His mother wasn't judging. She wasn't lecturing him or yelling at him. She was understanding. She was being too kind. "I'm proud of you sweetheart." She acknowledged with a warm smile. And he sat there in awed. What was there to be proud of? Absolutely nothing.

She stood up, walking away, her paces leading back inside the building behind them where he was sure a team of staff was cooking a storm.

Two weeks. Two weeks of havoc. Two weeks of trying to pretend like there wasn't an empty hole in his chest. Two weeks of pretending it didn't bother him. Two weeks of acting like he didn't care. Two weeks of agonizing torment. Two weeks of missing her. Two weeks of walking back to an empty home. Two weeks of regrets. Two weeks since he last saw her. Two weeks of hell.

"Hyung-nim" Some sweet soul of a voice called towards him. He looked down to find the same little boy JiAh had spent all her time talking to, stand before him. He was bundled up warmly in a thick jacket, bright yellow mittens, and a woolen hat. His cheeks were red and he was covered in snow.

"Hyung-nim, why didn't you bring noona?" He asked innocently tilting his head. The child was so sweet, so innocent, so naïve.

Hoya found himself unable to answer the child's questions. His lungs had been kidnapped of all oxygen, his throat, dried of any form of wording. He was trapped in his own mess.

Then he thought, he looked at the little boy with button eyes. What would JiAh do? Hoya questioned. And he was startled because he knew what she would do.

She would speak the truth, no matter how cruel it was.

"Noona's gone. She left me." He responded trying to make his voice as warm and kind as possible. But none of that saved him from the look of defeat on the child's face as he lower his head.

The children climbed onto the bench, and sat next to Hoya. He swung his short feet back and forth while watching the others play.

"Hyung-nim. I miss noona." He revealed. Hoya felt his own heart drop at the words of a child who couldn't even determine the difference between geography and geometry. But his honest words penetrated Hoya deeper than any late night at a bar, drinking until he was too drunk to remember why he was drinking in the first place. Then having one of the boys pick him up and complain the whole way back to that empty home of his.

"Hyung misses her to." Hoya mumbled. He looked up with sad eyes. Eyes filled with regret. Eyes that had done wrong, eyes that were to stupid and cowardly to chase after what he wanted.

He looked down when he heard soft sniffs. Beside him the children had fat drops of tears spilling onto his redden cheeks. His lips were in a pout and he tried to wipe the tears off, only to be met with more. Hoya watched as the child struggled to brush the tears away.

"Here." He stated, wiping the remaining drops away with his thumbs. "Why are you crying?" He asked gently.

The boy looked up to him, and oddly he forced a small smile onto his face.

"Noona told me to cry for hyung, she said you needed someone to cry for you." He responded in that fragile voice of his. Hoya felt his chest sink. The recollection of the first time he was here replayed in his mind. The 'hyung' JiAh had mentioned was him. The one she was concern for more than herself was him. She was always looking out for him. She was always looking at the good side of him. JiAh saw only the good in people, yet she lived in the cold darkness. JiAh was always there for him no matter how cruel he was, no matter how much he hurt her. She truly was an angel. And angels belong in paradise. Not in his hell on earth.

"Hyung-nim," The boy spoke bringing Hoya's attention back down to him, "Can you promise me something?" He asked biting his lower lips as if shamed for even thinking what he was thinking. The child was to adorable.

"Anything."

"My birthday is coming up...and I was wondering if you can help me with my wish." He asked. Hoya smiled.

"What is it that you want?" He asked meeting with those doe-like eyes.

"I-I want to make noona happy." A wish that sounded so simple was what caught Hoya off guard. Make JiAh happy. If only the child knew how difficult a task that would be. If only he knew that Hoya had no clue where JiAh was. If only it was as simple as it sounded.

"I promise." He responded. Maybe it was a wish for both of them. Something the two of them could agree on. Something both of them could continue living for. It was his mission impossible: Find his wife, and yes wife, he never had the guts to sign the divorce papers, bring her back, and make her happy.

Hoya had no idea where this new found courage had emerged from, but where it came from, he prayed to god that it stuck around.

"Let's make noona happy." He stated.











While writing this chapter a thought occurred. Sure, I love happy endings, I mean who doesn't. But the story just isn't fit for a happy ending. So what do you guys think? Do JiAh and Hoya deserve a happy ending?