" Mum..." Su Min choked out as she shifted her gaze to the older woman. It had been a long time since she last uttered that word and it rolled of the girl's tongue sounding foreign. Her vision was already blurred by obstructing tears but Su Min didn't miss the look of dislike that shot across the woman's devastated face.

" He never loved you, you know. " She wiped away her tears and turned to face her daughter. " I never did too. " 

Su Min's brows furrowed in unexplainable hurt as she gazed at the woman. 

" Mrs Yoon, please come with me to settle the logistics. " The ringing silence was broken by the nurse's apologetic voice. The girl remained rooted to the spot as she watched the elder woman get up weakly while supporting herself by the wall. 

" Su Min... " Kai's pained whisper sounded in her ear when the woman she had called her mother just left without sparing her a second glance.

" Did.. did you hear what she just said? They... they- "

The man urgently closed in on the girl before she could go another further. Kai immediately wrapped his arms around her without hesitation as he her hair. " It doesn't matter. Her words don't matter. "

" Why? Why must she say something like that to me. Why? "

His heart clenched tightly hearing the pain in her cracked voice. Su Min's tears trickled down endlessly while she tried to figure out a logical reason behind her mother's unfeeling words. 

" S-she must have been lying. Maybe-maybe dad's death shocked her too much till mum didn't know what she was saying. R-right? Right Kai? "

Kai simply held the girl tighter as he closed his eyes. Truthfully, the man had no idea on what his answer should be. Su Min was hurting right now and all he could do was to just hold her like that. When Kai faced up to his feelings for the girl, he had realized that her pain would be his as well. However, nothing could ever prepare him for the shards of anguish which flowed through him at this very moment. Seeing the girl he loved in this state practically broke him apart. Kai hated it, he hated it so damn much.

" Or maybe i s-shouldn't have moved out, " The girl continued while hiccuping violently though her tears. " Maybe if I didn't, then- "

" Su Min stop. " 

" If I didn't m-move out then maybe he wouldn't have- "

" Enough. " Kai pulled back as he gently cradled her tear-stained face in both his hands. " Stop. "

Su Min leaned back lifelessly against the faded washed walls of the hospital while she looked away from the man's compelling gaze. The girl couldn't stand the intense pain portrayed in his eyes which was the exact reflection of the pain in hers.

" You're killing me so please, don't do this to yourself. " Kai practically begged as he rose a thumb to wipe away the tears cascading continuously on her cheeks. The man finally knew what is was like to love someone whole-heartedly. Her happiness was his weakness and her sadness was his agony.

" I want to go home. " Su Min plaintively whispered as she continued looking at the floor. " I don't want to stay here anymore. " 

" Let's go. " He murmured softly before tenderly taking her delicate hand in his. The warmth of Kai's palm offered Su Min an unexplainable kind of comfort as she stumbled after him through the hallway.

The girl huddled up on the fa