"He was there." So Eun whispered in shock. "He was there when I fell. He helped me up, he comforted me."

So Eun shook her head. Could it be a coincidence that he was there? Maybe he never even realized Kim So Eun now was the little girl he helped then.

So Eun flipped back to the first page of the photo album and squinted at every single picture carefully, trying to see if Daehyun was accidentally caught in any other photos.

He was.

In the photo where Himchan and her were pulling on both of Jongup's arms in opposite directions, trying to get Jongup to follow them, Daehyun was at the back, smiling while watching.

So Eun felt a shiver down her spine. Coincidence again? He might have been in the neighborhood.

So Eun flipped the photos and saw another one with Daehyun inside.

On the first day of Elementary School, So Eun's mother had made her pose in her school uniform so that she could take a photo of her beloved daughter who was growing up so quickly.

In that photo, a guy was walking past in the street behind So Eun. If So Eun hadn't known what she was looking for, she wouldn't have even noticed him. But she did, she did know.

It was Daehyun again.

So Eun her lips, not believing. It had to be a coincidence, right? He couldn't have appeared in those photos because of any other reason than coincidence.

So Eun quickly ran to her cupboard and she searched for the other photo albums. She pulled them out in a hurry and the other stuff on top crashed to the ground. She hardly noticed as she was flipping through the photos so quickly.

Mr Kim rushed to his daughter's room in surprise, peering in. "Woah, what was that sound?" he asked, panicking. His eyes fell at the pile of junk that had fallen onto the ground and he raised his brows. "Wow, what are you doing, raising the dead?"

So Eun ignored her father, looking through the photos intently.

Mr Kim picked up one photo album and laughed when he saw the photo of Yongguk picking his nose. "Oh that boy." he chuckled in amusement. "Oh look! You were such a cute girl when you were young, So Eun."

So Eun didn't reply, too focused on her search.

"Oh look, this was your seventh birthday at the restaurant. The food was good there, too bad it closed down." Mr Kim remembered. "Hey." he blinked. "That guy sitting at the side really looks like Daehyun." he pointed. "Hahaha seriously! They look alike!"

So Eun froze and she snatched the photo album. It was, it was Daehyun. AGAIN.

"If I didn't know better, I'd have thought Daehyun hadn't aged all this time." Mr Kim laughed. "Well I'll leave you to this. Remembering the past makes me feel old." he patted his daughter's head. "Call me if you need help handling this..." he stared at the pile. "Mess."

He left.

So Eun swallowed. She saw a few more pictures and Daehyun was there again.

He always seemed to be wherever she was, as if he was following her closely. So closely, that even when he was accidentally captured by the camera, those photos amounted to over ten pictures.

So Eun paled as she sat on the bed, trying to process every single thing. She dug in her memories and she managed to remember someone from when she was only three or four. The memory was blurry but she could remember what happened.

----

Little So Eun was thrilled.

She had finally gotten her hands on that antique watch her father owned.

Her father always told her that it was her grandfather's watch and it costed a bomb because it was designer and limited. He never let So Eun touch it, for fear that she might damage the watch or lose it.

He put the watch high up on the shelf so that So Eun couldn't reach it.

However that day, So Eun had finally gotten her hands on it. Her father forgot to put the watch on the shelf and he placed it on a lower dining table. So Eun had managed to climb onto the chair after much difficulty and had swept the watch to her by using a feather duster.

She had grabbed it and had run to the front lawn to admire the watch. It was really pretty even though a little old. The thrill wasn't looking at the watch though, it was finally getting something that was forbidden.

As So Eun skipped around waving the watch about, a guy ran past her house.

So Eun was so surprised when that guy snatched the watch away, she fell onto the ground and instantly began crying. The guy ran away with his new possession, laughing loudly.

That bastard. He stole the watch from under her nose!

Just then, another younger and more good looking guy emerged from behind tree. He ran after the robber quickly and chased him till the end of the street. They disappeared from sight soon and So Eun tip toed, trying to look out of the fence.

What had happened?

After a few antagonizing moments, the second guy finally returned. He was panting and perspiring profusely, but he had a handsome smile on his face.

He jogged back to So Eun and crouched in front of the fence so that he was eye level with her. "Hey." his voice was gentle. "I got this back for you." he passed the watch back to her.

So Eun blinked at him and her tiny hands grasped at the watch tightly.

"Don't lose it again." the guy tapped her nose. "Give it back to your mother, and don't cry alright?" he smiled warmly and wiped the tears away.

So Eun stared at him, blinking. "Thank you." she whispered shyly, because her mother taught her good manners.

The guy beamed. "It's nothing, I'll do anything for you." he dug in his pockets. "And here, eat this and don't cry anymore okay?" he passed her a small chocolate.

So Eun brightened up at the treat and immediately plopped it in without thinking how this guy was practically a stranger. "Thank you oppa."

The guy looked a little surprised at what she called him, but he quickly recovered. "Stay happy, So Eun. I'll come look for you when you grow up." he kissed his fingertips and pressed his fingers to her forehead.

And then he ran away.

-----

So Eun was crying when she finished reliving the memory.

It was him, Daehyun. He had been that guy who had gotten the watch back. He was also the guy who helped her up when she fell on her bicycle, the guy who chased away some lechers who tried to hit on her when the BAP boys weren't around.

Daehyun had been there all her life, in the background, helping her and watching over her.

"I've always been trying to save her. I'd watch her grow up from a cute baby to a beautiful young woman...but never able to see her live past 18. I'll do everything I can to save her, everything."

She remembered what he said. He was there, watching his girl grow up and guarding after her, and he said he would do everything to save her.

What if the everything included lying to her? Trying to make her hate him?

"She always loved me more than what's good for her. She never should have sacrificed anything for me." He had said.

What if all this time, Daehyun being mean to her and everything was just his ploy to make her hate him?

No wonder he said she could never find Kim Sohyun, no wonder he never even looked at the pictures she took. No wonder his level of enthusiasm in finding Kim Sohyun didn't match with the amount of love he possessed for his fiance.

Because Kim Sohyun didn't exist.

"Because her name was Kim So Eun..." So Eun whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "It's me."

So Eun ran to Daehyun's room and flung his door open without knocking.

She was crestfallen to find that he wasn't in his room, but her eyes widened when she saw something else on his bed.

A white tribal printed sweater. A light blue beanie. A black mask.

So Eun fixed her gaze on the mask, especially. The same mask she had seen so many times, the one that prevented him from talking.

Daehyun was the masked man as well?

So Eun dropped the mask abruptly when the door opened. Daehyun jerked back in surprise when he saw So Eun in his room.

His gaze fell to the mask on the floor and he instantly stilled.

.