The next morning, I had woken up pretty early.

No, I woke up extremely early.

I was always the sleepyhead and slept till noon but today, it was as if an important day for me. It was just the second day of my hospital stay but I felt excitement more than ever. I asked the nurse the time and she said it was 8AM.

She served me breakfast and for the very first time, I actually accepted the hospital food. For meals, my mum would pack food for me. The hospital food . Even if the nurses bought food from the cafeteria, I did not accept it.

Me? A rich kid eating poor people food? You got to be kidding me.

I threw the spoon violently on the tray and sat back in my bed after trying a bite of the congee. It was terrible. Besides, I kept waiting for the door to open. Was I actually anticipating that annoying Hara to appear at the doorstep?

Well, she promised!

After what seemed like eternity, I felt the door opened and someone creeping in. I knew it was her but she was trying her best to stay low and quiet. I could feel her fingers gripping on the bed while she stepped closer to me before she screamed, “SURPRISE!”

I gave her an emotionless expression and crossed my arms, “That’s lame.”

“Hey, you’re not much fun. You knew I was there?” Hara snorted and sat on my bed. It was such a small movement on her part but moving from the chair to sitting on my bed was making me flustered. I could feel her warmth right next to me even though I had no idea how she looked like.

“I heard you’re being difficult again…” Hara complained and tapped on the tray, “Eat your food, Jun Hyung…”

It was the first time she said my name since that day she left my room. It was a surprise she actually knew me all along and talked to me as if I was ordinary.

“The food here .”

“This is not a hotel. Besides, the food you get here is so much better than what we get at normal wards. You seriously have tastes for a king.” Suddenly, I felt something poking my lips. She said, “Say ah!”

“No!” I bit my lips to stop myself from eating the stinking food, “I’m not going to eat anything that is beneath my standards!”

Hara simply replied, “That’s great. Can I have your breakfast instead?”

“What?” I was shocked.

Hara added, “To be honest, I haven’t ate such good food in a while. I was not wealthy enough to pay good food to eat like you. Really, you may think abalone congee is plain but to me, it’s like heaven food. You are even provided with appetiser and dessert. Not that I can taste them anymore but I can imagine it…”

“You can’t taste them?” I prompted.

“Yeah, after a while, I can’t taste food properly anymore. The doctor says my taste buds are ruined and even if I ate really spicy food, I don’t feel anything. My tongue seems to have gone numb.” Hara revealed it to me, “Hmm, even though I can’t taste your abalone congee anymore, I can imagine it! It must be delicious!”

My heart stung a little. It would have if I could not taste my favourite food or heck, my favourite coke anymore. I wished I could reach out and touch her hand, comforting her everything was going to turn out right and she would be recovered.

Instead of that mushiness, I asked her, “What’s your favourite food?”

“Hmm… I like sweet things. My mother told me my name is similar to ‘honey’ or sweet. Maybe that’s why I’m fond of sweet stuff. I like chocolate!” She expressed her love for sweet food so cutely.

I told her calmly, “Open the side cupboard.”

“Why?”

“Just do it!”

She listened and opened it, “Eh, you have chocolate bars hidden here!”

“It’s for you.”

“For me? Where did you get it from?”

“My friend, Heechul visited me last night and offered me but I didn’t eat it. Have it.” I said to her simply and shrugged, “I hate sweet stuff anyway.”

“Ah... I can’t taste them anymore. It’ll be a waste for me to eat it.”

I asked for the chocolate bar and she handed it to me. I opened the wrapper with difficulty and bit into it. She was right. It was sweet, milky and chocolate-y. I chewed onto the nuts and felt the crunchiness. I offered her a bite and she bit it.

After swallowing, I described the taste to her as much as I could. I did not want her to feel she was missing out on anything she regretted, “Just feel it with your tongue. The chocolate melts nicely in your mouth and you can feel the crunchiness of the nuts that were hidden in the chocolate. You feel the adrenaline rushing through your body as you nibbled and savoured the taste in your mouth.”

Hara sighed and said, “I can imagine it already… It’s so delicious!”

“Do you want another bite?” I asked while being amused at her enthusiasm.

“Yes!” She bit another big part of the chocolate bar and I bit again too. She had one of her hands on my arm, “Thank you, Jun Hyung.”

The touch of her hand on my very arm.

From then on, chocolates became my favourite food.

“I said I don’t want to go out! Damn it!”

“Come on, you have been coping inside your room for four days. It’s time for you to exercise and breathe in the fresh air!” Hara pulled my hand as another nurse was with her, trying to get me off the bed.

“It’s only 8AM, damn it! Who goes out at such an odd timing?!” I was awoken by her when she screamed right into my ear, asking me to go out on a morning stroll with her.

Not that I minded she wanted to be with me but going out of the bed was the last thing I wanted to do.

“Not as if you can see anything and assume it’s in the morning anyway!” She blurted and did not stop pulling my arm.

I flicked her arm away, “You’re right! I can’t even see a single crap. Why would I want to go out and ‘enjoy the scenery’ when I can’t see anything?”

She cupped my face which I swore I had blushed a little – just a little. She flicked my forehead with her fingers and I winced in pain. Hara said to me in a serious but still delicate tone, “You don’t have to ‘see’ to enjoy the surroundings around you. Sometimes, it’s good to enjoy and not worry about anything. Come on, I won’t leave you alone. I’ll be right beside you.”

Feeling my heart giving in to her words, I stopped fidgeting and allowed Hara and the nurse, whom I presumed to be Nurse Park, put me in a wheelchair. She started laughing like a little kid again and squeezed my shoulders, “Let’s go! For an adventure with Goo Hara!”

Goo Hara?

That must be her full name.

After being at the ward for four days, it was obvious how the air outside was different from the air-conditioned room. It was so much fresher and I felt my physical well-being improving with every breath I took.

I heaved in and breathed out.

“I told you it’s nice being out here, isn’t it?”

“It’s okay.” I replied simply, still not forgetting about my pride.

Hara grumbled, “You should really remove that cool and suave façade of yours. I can tell you’re not such a person. You act like such a meanie and badass in front of everyone else but you’re not someone like that. Just be yourself, Jun Hyung.”

“Be myself?”

“Yes, be yourself.” Hara agreed and stopped the wheelchair. I could feel her sitting on a bench beside me and leaned on my wheelchair handle, “I know this is not the real you. Somewhere inside, your true self is hidden. Few days back when you offered me the chocolate, I knew you weren’t as cold-hearted as everyone says you are.”

“I… I don’t know what’s the real me anymore.” I admitted to her. It was easy talking to her. Maybe it was because I did not know how she looked like so I would pour everything to her so darn easily. “After I fell out with my family, it seems like I have changed just like what my parents assumed. I began hanging out in places my parents would forbid, thinking it would be fun but most of the times, I hated it.”

“You don’t like going to clubs and having fun with friends and ladies?” Hara said which caught me by surprise. She realized my reaction and laughed awkwardly, “You must be shocked how I knew right? Well, you don’t have to ask. I know everything through my own means. You’re popular everywhere anyway.”

It was quite true. I have reporters or paparazzi following me everywhere so it was inevitable.

“Jun Hyung, those rebellious times may seem childish after a while. Don’t get into it. One day, I know you will realize the importance of your future and your parents. They may seem stupid right now but one day, you will know. I have been there done that.” Hara said in such a casual way that I did not know how to answer.

She yawned loudly.

“Are you tired?” I asked her.

“Probably. My stamina is really getting weaker…” She really seemed regretful for the first time.

“Is it because of your illness?” I asked carefully.

She sighed, “Maybe. Sometimes even staying positive isn’t enough to conquer the viruses in my body.”

“Then sleep, Hara.” I called out her name for the first time and it really seemed smooth on my tongue. “Lay on my shoulder and sleep.” I whispered to her.

With some hesitation, she carefully laid her head on my shoulder. I laid my head as well, pressing my cheek against her soft and thin hair, closing my eyes to feel the surroundings around me and treasuring the woman who was right next to me – as promised.

A/N: I'll be fast in updating this story! :)