The next day at school, you left for school, rubbing your arm. Today, appa and umma was fighting, and when you tried to stop them, appa grabbed your arm and threw you against the wall again, and umma slapped your face.

Girls flocked around Hyunseung, giggling and trying to make him talk. He ignored them all, eventually pushing past them with impatience. He was waiting for you to come to school. For the first time in seven years, he WANTED to go school, to be around people......to be around you.

When he finally saw you, he didn't exactly smile, since he didn't know how, but his eyes glittered brightly, shining with a light he didn't have before. He walked over to you, trying not to look too eager.

You grinned at him, waving and running over to him. "Hyunseung!"

He stopped and stared at you in horror. On your right cheek was a light purple bruise, a blister slowly forming at the corner of your lip, and faint scratch marks where your umma's long fingernails cut your skin.

You quickly tried to hide your face. "Oh, um...i-it's nothing....."

He gently removed your arms and peered at your face with intense eyes. His fingers lightly grazed your cut and bruise. You felt your skin tingle wherever he touched it.

"It was nothing, I tripped!" You said in defense quickly. Hyunseung raised an eyebrow and silently held out your arm. You grimaced at the dark, ugly bruise blossoming there. "I tripped." You repeated meekly.

Hyunseung frowned. You could tell he was mad. "It's really nothing, Hyunseung." You said, smiling at him. "I'm fine, okay?"

Hyunseung hesitated, but nodded. He decided to let it go. Just this once.

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People gossiped as you and Hyunseung sat together in class.

"Why is Hyunseung sitting with the new girl?"

"They're both outcasts, right? The mute and the goody-two-shoes---"

"The gorgeous Hyunseung shouldn't sit with her----"

"The new girl doesn't deserve----"

You flinched at the glares the girls were giving you. To your surprise, you felt a light touch on your shoulder.

You looked up. Hyunseung had touched your arm and nodded reassuringly. You smiled at him. I feel much happier around Hyunseung. I guess that's what's so great about friends!

At lunch, you and Hyunseung sat alone at a table. You giggled and talked with him. You didn't even mind that he never answered back. You knew he was listening.

"....I just realized, Hyunseung. Where's your lunch?" You gestured to your own cafeteria food. Hyunseung shrugged. He never felt hungry, or rather, he never really ate. Ever since he lost his will to live, he never needed to eat as much as other people, so he always skipped lunch and just ate breakfast and dinner.

You frowned slightly. "That's not good, Hyunseung. Let's go order you some lunch!" Before he could object, you grabbed his arm and pulled him up, dragging him to the line.

When it was your turn to order, you turned to Hyunseung. Hyunseung's face paled, and he struggled to say something. But he couldn't, of course. He tried to force words out of him, but his voice box didn't seem to move.....

You gently touched his shoulder. "Just point at what you want, and I'll order it for you. Okay?" You smiled sweetly. Hyunseung stared at you, then silently pointed out the kimchi pork rice. You payed for it, and the two of you walked back to the table.

"Don't force yourself." You said quietly as you sat down. "If you ever want anything, just point it out." You beamed at him angelically. "That's what friends are for. You know, it'll be easier to communicate if we both learned sign language. Or maybe if you wrote things down on a sheet of paper....." You trailed off, lost in your thoughts.

Hyunseung stared at you like a blind man stared at the sun for the first time. Nobody had ever made such an effort for him. It was the sweetest, kindest gesture he's ever received in his life.

He felt his heart beat a bit quicker when he looked at your pretty face. It beat even faster when he looked at your pure smile, or your innocent eyes. He couldn't take his eyes off of you.

He felt something connect him to you. Something that was slowly stitching the pieces of his broken, frozen heart back together and thawing it.

Something.