*Back to Jinyoung*

Jinyoung heads home after Eunkyung had forcefully asked him to leave. Jinyoung fixated his gaze on the ring that was on his finger. He forced himself to smile, after all, Baro was her best friend, how could she not be affected. Jinyoung tried to convince himself that Eunkyung was just acting that way because she didn't want to lose Baro that's all. Jinyoung finally reaches home. Jinyoung looks up and sees two burly men waiting outside the house.

''YA! Kid, is this your house?'', bellowed one of the men.

''Who are you?,'', before Jinyoung could question any further, the second men grabs Jinyoung by the neck and scans his face looking up and down with a picture in his hands.

''This is the right kid, he's the son!'', as soon as the men confirms that  Jinyoung was the son of the men who owed loansharks money, they started beating Jinyoung up. 

Jinyoung falls to the ground, the two men kicked him in the stomach, bashes him, spitted on him. Jinyoung shielded himself with his arms from the blows. Blood started to ooze out from his nose, feeling the warm liquid drip down his nose, the two gave Jinyoung two final blows on his face. Jinyoung agonized in pain, he could taste the blood in his mouth. Jinyoung lays on the ground, facing towards the sky, before the two men left, they kicked him on his hips. 

''This is a warning to your father! Tell him, if he doesn't pay up the full amount by next week, i'll burn your house down!'', warned the two loansharks.

Jinyoung's mother who was quivering from fear, peeked from behind the gate to make sure that the loansharks were gone. After the two men left, Jinyoung's mother scurried towards Jinyoung. 

''Jinyoung-ah!! Ottokae...uri adeul...'', Jinyoung's mother cries as she held Jinyoung in her arms. She cradled Jinyoung in her arms. 

''Omma... i'm fine..'', Jinyoung tried to stand up, his mother tried supporting him with her shoulders.

''Argh!..'', Jinyoung yelped in pain as he held on to his hips. He felt a sharp pain sear throughout his whole body. He closed his eyes and endured the pain. 

''OH! OH! ottokae?!!! We have to go to the hospital!,'' Jinyoung's mother panics as she sees her son suffering.

''Oppa! Omma!,'', Eunsol cries out for them as she runs out of the house

''Ya! Jung Eunsol! Stay right there!, shouted Jinyoung's mother.

Eunsol stood frozen, her wide eyes shocked by the sight of her injured brother. She was still too young to understand. Jinyoung worrying that his mother would make matters worst, heads to Eunsol and squats to meet her eyes.

''Eunsol-ah, have you eaten?,'' Jinyoung asks her while imitating Doraemon.

Eunsol laughs and smiles, instantly forgetting about  what her mother had said. Jinyoung pats Eunsol on the head and carries her up. Enduring the pain, so that both his mother and little sister would feel at ease.

''Oppa, wae, wae yo? Why is your nose bleeding?'', asks Eunsol curiously as she looks at blood dripping from Jinyoung's nose.

''This? Haha. This is why you shouldn't be a naughty kid. Oppa~ was running around and fell down, and this is what happens. Therefore..uri Eunsol shouldn't run around recklessly,'' answered Jinyoung, even he found his excuse lame but it was the perfect reply to give to Eunsol.

''I won't be a naughty kid like Oppa. From now on, i won't run around unless Omma gives me the permission to..,'', Eunsol answered Jinyoung innocently.

Jinyoung heads in to the house, and places Eunsol gently on the sofa. Jinyoung slumped on the sofa, his weak body gave way. Jinyoung sat down thinking about how he was going to solve this problem. He had to protect his mother and little sister, it was okay if he was the victim, but he worried for the safety of his family. 

''Oppa~ when is Eunkyung onni going to visit me? I miss her.'', asked Eunsol as she tugs on Jinyoung's arms.

''Eunkyung onni? ummm.. wae? Do you like her visiting you?,'', replied Jinyoung as he got excited talking about Eunkyung.

''Eung! I wish that she could visit me everyday and bring me out for ice-cream'', responded Eunsol with her big eyes.

''Eunsol-ah, you really have good eyes, just like me. In the future, if oppa brings her home to stay with us forever, will you like it?,'' Jinyoung added.

''Stay with us forever? Yay! I can eat ice-cream everyday then, and Eunkyung onni can read me books!'', exclaimed Eunsol enthusiatically.

''Ya! Eunsol-ah, if she's looking after you all day, who's going to take care of me?'', joked Jinyoung.

*Jinyoung's mother scuttles in the kitchen and toilet searching for the first-aid kit*

Jinyoung's curiousity overwhelmed him. He looked at Eunsol and asks embarrassingly.

''Eunsol-ah, has Eunkyung onni ever told you who she liked?'', questioned Jinyoung.

''Oh, she said she liked Jinyoung oppa the most because his eyes are like this.'', Eunsol answers Jinyoung's question and pulls her eyes, imitating Eunkyung's actions the last time she told Eunsol.

Jinyoung looks at Eunsol lovingly, even Eunsol likes Eunkyung. Talking and joking with Eunsol about Eunkyung took his mind off the pain inflicting his body. As hyper as Eunsol was, Eunsol starts running around the house and went into her room to play with her dolls.

Jinyoung's mother finally finds the first aid kit and tended to Jinyoung's injuries. As his mother started to apply the disinfectant, Jinyoung squints his eyes, and tried to stand the stinging sensation. His mother stared at Jinyoung painfully, having to make her son go through all this. How she shamefully helped his father escape and hides behind the gate as she sees her son getting beaten up. Jinyoung's mother snivels as she touches her son's bruised face.

''My Jinyoung....'', Jinyoung's mother snivels.

''Omma...,'', Jinyoung grabs her hands. He knew how his mother felt, Jinyoung tried to smile, as he smiled, the sides of his chapped lips tore. Even so, he tries to reassure his mother that he was alright.

Jinyoung stands up, and headed towards his room. As he enters the room, he glanced over his study table and sees a picture of him and Eunkyung. Jinyoung's face brightens and he searched for the money that he had stashed away in his room. 

''Here it is...'', Jinyoung clutches the money in his hands after he reached out for the money under his bed, where his mother would never find it.

Jinyoung walks out and sits back down. Jinyoung's mother sees the money in his hands. 

''Jinyoung-ah..this money, where...'', Jinyoung's mother astonished by the large amount of money her son was holding.

''Omma... i'm sorry. I disobeyed you by working part-time jobs. This is the money i collected after several months. It's just enough to repay father's debts.'', as Jinyoung spouts those words, he hands the money over to his mother.

As he didn't want to make his mother ask him more questions, Jinyoung laid on the sofa and rests. His mother knew by her son's actions that he didn't want to be questioned. Jinyoung's mother went into the room and took the blanket and covered Jinyoung with the blanket. Jinyoung falls asleep.

''Eunkyung?'', Jinyoung wanders around the quarry and hears her voice. 

Jinyoung tried to search for her but all he heard was a faint voice from afar. His heart thumps when he hears the commotion ahead of him. His footsteps got faster. Pushing away the long and tall grasses. It felt like he was never ever going to find Eunkyung.

''Oppa!'', Jinyoung hears Eunkyung's voice, and her giggles.

''Eunkyung-ah...come out.. I'm going to find you'', Jinyoung laughs as he tries to find Eunkyung whom he thought was hiding in between the long and tall grasses.

Her laughters came with a loud splash. Jinyoung stops walking. 

''Eunkyung?'', he calls out for her.

The sun was setting fast, it soon became dark. Jinyoung frantically calls out for Eunkyung, but he was going nowhere, he was walking in circles. It was not until he sees a shiny object from afar.

''Eunkyung-ah!'', Jinyoung shouts out her name.

Jinyoung, feeling something amiss, pushes away all grasses as he made his way to the unknown object. His heart thumps as he closes in, he finally sees Eunkyung lying beside the river. Jinyoung tries to run to her, but something stopped him, a strong force did not allow him to move forward. He drops on his knees, he analysed her carefully, she was not breathing. In her hands, was the necklace that he had given to her.

*Jinyoung wakes up*

''ANDWAE!'', Jinyoung violently wakes up from his dream. He was perspiring profusely. The image of Eunkyung's lifeless and pale body was so vivid that it seemed so real.

Jinyoung looks around, and overheard his mother's conversation with Eunkyung's mother. It was 8pm, 4 hours after he left Eunkyung. Why was her mother calling in?

''Oh? Eunkyung is not here....Maybe she went out with some other friends'', answered Jinyoung's mother.

Jinyoung's mother turns and sees that Jinyoung was awake.

''Oh, Jinyoung-ah, do you know where's Eunkyung? Her mother said she left the house right after you left, and she's not home yet.'', asked Jinyoung's mother to Jinyoung.

Jinyoung jumps onto his feet and grabs his jacket, and ran out of the house.

''Eunkyung-ah, don't cry. I'm sure your father will come back. Oppa will protect you, so don't cry. Jinyoung hugs her as Eunkyung cries over her parent's divorce at the quarry. I will protect you. I promise. I will protect you from the dark that you're so afraid of and will always be there for you.''-Jung Jinyoung.