Anxious, furious, worry and every bad emotion corrupted Woohyun right now as he saw the body of a girl he adored the most sprawled unconscious on the cold wooden tiles of School’s Gym. Put it short, he was on his emotional train wreck. He runs the hell out of him, abandoning his PE’s teacher called for him as the only focused he had right now is to get Chorong’s home.

The class was having PE class at the moment where the boys and girls exercise usually spared for each other’s benefit. He was busy playing soccer at the moment when he heard screams coming from the girls’ section. He wasn’t even paying attention at first, but when they started to shout Chorong’s name out loud. His heart immediately takes the lead.

Chorong was lying there, unconscious in the arm of one of her friend.

“W-what happened…?” Woohyun stuttered to see her unconscious pale face and took her into his arm immediately; he hugged her tightly, secured her into his warm body, not minding many curious eyes on him—them to be exact. He was panic, he never saw her this lifeless before. All the bad thoughts almost consumed him, it was painful, and his heart ached.

“I don’t know she was just passing out.” One of her friend talked, “I guess she hasn’t eaten breakfast. She fell hard, I mean, we weren’t on her arm reach once she fell down into ground.”

He nodded his head and carried her bridal’s style. Not minding all the worry or jealousy stares, all he could think at the moment was getting her home. With the help one of her friend, Woohyun hailed a cab, her and his things so they could depart home safely. All he needs to know that Chorong was safe.

Woohyun hugged her tightly on their way back into her house, not minding all the sweats damping his clothes that probably made her uncomfortable. He cannot think straight, Chorong needs to be home soon. Once they arrived right in front of her house, he paid the cab’s ahjussi with money; he hauled her out of the cab immediately.

He rang her house for couple of times until it opened, revealing a woman with wrinkle covered her swollen face yet she still looks as beautiful as Chorong. She must be her mother. “Chorong?” She shrieked to see Chorong’s unconscious around his arms, she covered then looked up to stare into Woohyun’s eyes, “W-what happened?”

“She was passed out, Ma’am.” He replied in one breathe, “I’m sorry but can you show me her room so we can make sure she was safe?”

He mother nodded her head and opened the door widely to make a better access for Woohyun who carried Chorong. Woohyun followed her mother inside; her room was upstairs and located at the end of the hallway. He was struggled to carry her and tried to avoid any bumps that could causes her another bruises. Once they arrived inside her room, he laid her slowly and gently on the bed and pulled her shoes off.

“She is hot.” Her mother muttered once she touched her forehead and went out to grab some ice and wet clothes to cool her down, “I’ll get some ice, please watch over her for me.”

Woohyun nodded his head and brushed her fringe off her forehead, she was breathing unevenly as if everything ached. Even the way she breathes, it was indicating some pain. Her face flustered red in much wrong way.

“Chorong-ah, wake up…” He holds her hands tightly and brushed its pale knuckles onto his lips, “Wake up please, wake up…”

Chorong was still in a deep sleep when her mother coming back with chilled water and ice, not forget some medicine to get her fever down. Woohyun stepped aside when her mother sat next to her, giving her some space to tend her unconscious daughter. Her mother placed a wet clothed over her forehead and opened two top buttons of her shirt and circled another wet clothed around her neck.

Woohyun couldn’t help but intake some gasping breathe to see her bare neck for the first time. He had known Chorong for a month now ever since he flew her the letter saying he will always by her sides whenever she was in the verge of breakdown, they become close and it was his first time visiting her house since Chorong always rejected him whenever he wanted to visit her. It always ends up with him appearing by the window of her room. Woohyun always stays with her, especially the times when she always went through hardship because of her parents.

She never told him what’s wrong with her parents, he suspected that probably they went into fights that cause Chorong to cry every single night that make his heart ached. His ears probably bleeding by the time he heard her whimpers and cries, especially when she cries over her parents.

Parents should’ve loving their children the best. He was lucky enough to have mother that loved him beyond everything even though he has no father. Chorong was luckier to have complete parents with her yet she didn’t receive the love he had from parents.

“Gosh, I hope the fever will be down by night.” Her mother cries out after helping her sipping some medicine and water, she lied her down again and turned her head to Woohyun who remained silent by the end of the bed, “Oh, I’m sorry… But may I know your name, young man?”

Woohyun nodded his head and gave her a tight smile, “The name’s Nam Woohyun, Ma’am.”

She smiled and heaved a sigh, “My baby’s friend? I never saw you.”

“Yes, Ma’am, I’m a newbie in town.” He replied no-matter-of-factly, “I lived three blocks from here.”

“Thank you so much, it was a very generous of you.” She talked and turned her head back toward her daughter who seemed a little bit calmer after sipping a medicine, “Chorong didn’t have many friends. She was a loner. It was nice to see her have a caring friend like you. I was afraid she won’t have any friend in her teenage days.”

“Chorong is a very kind girl, Ma’am; I was surprised to know that she doesn’t have any close friends. But I’m glad that I’m her first and only close friend.”

Her mother chuckled lightly and took a towel off her neck, dumped it into cold water, squeezed the water down and circled it around her neck once again, “Yeah, I’m glad she finally make it.”

Woohyun could only give her a tight smile once Chorong muttered some words between her sleeps. Her mother turned her focus back to her and grimaces painfully to hear the words she mutters, Dad. He shifted his gaze to Chorong then her mother. Her mother remained calm, acted as if nothing’s wrong while the outside demeanor of her body tightened uncomfortably. She must be expecting the kind of situation that made her looks like a pro in hiding her emotions.

“Where was her father, Ma’am?” Woohyun finally opened his mouth, not because of curiousity, but because of how painful her words, calling for her dad that made his heart shred into pieces. Chorong must be missing her father so much.

Her mother remained composed, not muttering any words that he expect she won’t spill anything related to her father, but then she heaved a deep sigh and opened , “Chorong was the innocent victim. A girl around her age probably had a perfect family with mommy and daddy looking after them, yet she has to suffer, witnessing her parents throwing tantrums on each other every single night. Chorong is the bravest girl I ever seen; she never cried whenever she saw her parents yelling and calling names on each others. She always console me whenever I cried to my sleep when my husband depart to God knows where.”

“I don’t have a father too.”

Her mother turned her head and frowned over Woohyun’s sudden confession, “Hmmm—what?”

Woohyun heaved a sigh, “I don’t have a father too and I know her feelings.”

“Chorong have a daddy, she knows her daddy, love her daddy yet her daddy ignored her.” Her mother gave him a bitter smile, “Well, it was my—our—mistake. My husband was still very young man, a junior in college when I told him that I was carrying his baby. He wanted me to get rid my baby out of my womb but I refused. I wanted to raise my baby that led him into marrying me because of his parents’ wishes. I thought it was love between us but then I realized he only married me because of his responsibility to my baby. I tried to love him, yes I did loved him but he can’t love me the way I loved him. I know he loved Chorong, but with me around the frame, it was harder for him, I was basically ruining his future with carrying his baby.”

Woohyun remained silent as he listened to her story about Chorong’s father. He could spot her mother’s words shaking, as she trying her best composing her emotions. Her eyes moist, her lips trembled, as she heaved a deep sigh for the nth times already.

“I hate him for not loving Chorong the way daddy did.” She continued, “All Chorong wanted in her life was a love from his daddy. I always remember when she was little babies, she always calling him daddy whenever he around and he basically ignored her. It was so hurtful to see him ignored his own blood. But Chorong never stopped trying; she loved her daddy so much until her trying not to care that her daddy having affair with another woman. Even when I tried to divorce him, Chorong basically shrugged the idea off and told me she loved her daddy and didn’t want to lose him.”

She started to cry; it even made Woohyun’s heart more ached, to see a woman so braved and a neglected little girl, “I tried my best to not failing Chorong, but it was hurt. It was hurt to see her become self-centered girl and shutting off the world around her. But then, when I saw you carrying her, I know you could pass through her barricade wall.”

“Chorong is lucky to