Kang Woo POV:

* 3 years ago

I blinked once, then twice. I slowly opened my eyes to the blinding sun. Am I in heaven? I look around me only to see nothing but dirt. I then remembered what happened before I out. I then felt an immense pain to the left of my heart. I look down to see blood everywhere. I hear an engine sputtering. I turn towards the noise only to see a jeep coming my way. It took all my strength to stand up and walk to the main dirt road. As soon as the car approached me, I got weak in the knees and fell down. The jeep stopped and out came a girl with the most beautiful eyes I ever saw. They were clearer than the sky. Then I out again.

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I woke up in the hospital. By my side was the girl with the eyes. "Oh, you're awake?" She asked. I nodded. She smiled and called the nurse. "Who are you?" I asked her. She smiled before replying,"Lee Ha Ni." That name was very familiar. Then I remembered she was the daughter of one of my father's associates. The girl in front of me didn't look like her father at all. She had a kind smile. She came up to me and felt my forehead. Her hand was cool and soft. My heart started beating faster.

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Weeks had passed. I was recovering very well and Ha Ni was by my side, waiting for me to fully regain my health. Once I was ready she told me about her safe house and how she was on her way there when she saw me on the road. "Why are you going to a safe house?" I asked her. " My father will feel safer if I were there instead of the house. He said bad people were watching us." She said. At that moment I was determined to take care of her. Even though I was still young, I wanted to help her. I then asked her how she got her license. She just laughed and told me she didn't have it. I suddenly grew very weary of her driving skills. She drove all the way to the safe house. It was a big two story house with everything equipped inside. Ha Ni gave me a full tour before heading to the kitchen to make dinner. I then felt warm and fuzzy inside. At the dinner table I could feel my heart racing. It was in that moment when I saw Ha Ni for the first time as a girl. I, Kang Woo, had fallen for this girl. 

More weeks had gone by. I still hadn't told Ha Ni about my past, but I was better off without remembering. Our friendship grew more and more each day we spent together. I'm too much of a chicken to confess to her for fear of being rejected, hurting my pride, and ruining our friendship. We were out in the garden. "I might go home soon." Ha Ni said. I stare at her in disbelief, "feel free to stay here anytime you want." She added. I wasn't worried of becoming homeless, but being alone. "I'll go with you."I blurted out. She laughed, "Araso." 

More weeks passed by until it came time for her to go back. I offerered to drive her back. She accepted. I had learn how to drive thanks to her. It took several weeks but I managed. I was a bit nervous to meet her father. 

Ha Ni's father was a gruff man. He was intimidating in every aspect. I introduced myself properly. He then asked me whose son I was. I wanted to make up a name, but instinct told me not to do that. I told him my father's name. He raised his eyebrows in surprise but seemed to relax a bit more around me. I asked him if he would take me in for the week, my reason being that I wasn't ready to go home. He smiled. When he smiled all the intimidation dispersed. "As long as you keep your distance from Ha Ni." He said. I nodded glad to have gotten his approval.

Two weeks passed. In those two weeks I looked up to Ha Ni's father as my own. He was very caring and attentive. I grew to admire him. Ha Ni would make dinner while her dad and I would sit and play many mind games or we'd go outside and take turns playing around with the neighbor's kids. Those were two blissful weeks.

One night, Ha Ni's appa woke me up in the middle of the night. He had fear in his eyes. "Take her to the safe house. Please. Make my little girl happy." He said with tears in his eyes. I was never so lost and confused than in that moment. "Leave with her now, before they come. I have faith in you boy. You'll correct the injustice done upon me and my girl. I know it for sure. I knew from the moment I saw you walk in here. Hurry and take her away before she hears the shots." I only nodded. I couldn't move though because at that moment a shot rang. It hit Ha Ni's father in the back of the head. "Bring us justice." He then closed his eyes forever. I immediately look outside the window only to see a sniper. I then flash backed to the day I died. My father did shoot, but it wasn't me he aimed but the sniper behind me. It all made sense now. Why the bullet had come in from the back and not the front. I cleared my head and took action. I took Ha Ni and we left through the secret passageway. Ha Ni started to cry. It was heartbreaking to not see her be cheerful, but she smiled. "I'm glad he's somewhere safe."She whispered.I grab her hand, "I'm here." I then leaned in and kissed her. A sweet, short kiss. It was meaningful for it was my first kiss. 

Over two years we lived carefree lives. We both went to school under different names but we were still united as a couple. Ha Ni was very kind and had the power to convince people to do anything she wanted. She taught me how to find the positive in everything in order to live. There was no doubt in my mind that she was the one. I had also been working on getting her father justice. I had found the identity of the sniper but I still needed to know his contractor. 

Somehow we ended up going back to her father's house. I looked through the mess to see if there was anything worth salvaging. I walked up to her dad's office. It was still intact with papers everywhere. I start to skim around the area when I saw a picture that caught my eye. It was a picture of my father, Ha Ni's father, and Na Na's father. I've thought of Na Na everyday and how she was living. If she met good people, if she still picked fights with other people, if she still sang. I've been meaning to talk to her but never got to it. Ha Ni and me then went to her dad's memorial site. I saw the person I least expected to see there... my dad. He looked tired and was thinner than last time I saw him which was a year ago. I avoided eye contact. His attention then shifted toward Ha Ni, "You're father was a great man. It's a shame he left too soon." He told her. I suddenly felt wary and cautious. I ignored it and left with Ha Ni back home. I should've known a car was following us.

Everything was a blur. Intruders came into the house through every entrance. I managed to get Ha Ni and leave before they caught up to us.We ran behind trees to hide and catch our breath. I saw a bandana tied to a tree branch. Everything clicked. Na Na always told me how her father marked a place with a bandana so they wouldn't get lost. She told me that he taught his people to do the same thing. It wasn't my father's people that took down Ha Ni's father but Na Na's father... Kim Il Min. The revelation was overwhelming. Ha Ni then tugged my hand. The intruders were getting closer to us. Ha Ni slightly smiled, held my hand, and began to run with me by her trail. Once we reached a safe place we sat down. "They want me dead, because if I died, then my father's inheritance is first come first serves. Jokes on them though." She smiled turning towards me. I was still confused. "My father left his inheritance to you, Kang Woo-ah." I was in disbelief. Did he really do that? Ha Ni nodded. "I promised him I would stay by your side."Her smile faltered a little. We then left our hiding place and moved more north when a BANG. Ha Ni pushed me to the ground and took the bullet instead. I was in utter shock. "Ha Ni!" I yelled her name. She smiled, "Mian, I can't keep my promise to stay by your side." She smiled through the tears that were coming. "At least I'll see my dad... Kang Woo-ah." She was positive until the very end. I ended up crying when I heard another shot. I was about to beat the bastard who harmed my Ha Ni. She touched my face, "Run the other direction. I'll scream and distract them over here. Araso?" I shook my head. No way is that happening. She just looked at me with her pleading eyes. I reluctantly accepted. "No matter what, don't look back." I nodded. "Kang Woo-ah, sarang hae." She whispered it but I heard it loud and clear. I began to run when I hear her screaming. I ran as far as I could until I heard another shot and the silence of a scream. 

A year has passed since her death. I haven't touched the inheritance, instead I moved back in to live with my dad who is sick. He resigned as a mob boss and owns a bar. People still come to him for "odd" jobs to which he refuses most of them. His goons were also very loyal. They still did him favors and called him boss. The justice that Ha Ni and her father deserved was now in my possession. I was going to bring the culprit in. I sat on my computer with all the evidence needed to send someone to jail. I debated whether or not to send Na Na's father to jail for fear of leaving her fatherless. I still respected our friendship and didn't want to lose what we once had, but painful memories kept coming back to me. Memories I can't erase. I don't want to lose Na Na's friendship towards me, but I've already lost so much. What's one more. I pressed ENTER.