Shin Se Kyung stopped her car in front of the old home place. The last time he’d been here, five years ago, was when she was living there. She had lived in Wonju for fifteen years, and that had been fifteen years too long. When she left town, she had felt certain she would never return.

Never say never.

Things change. Life doesn’t stay the same. Park Haerin and Cho Sungyoon were dead. Her adopted parent was burned to death when their house was caught in fire ten years ago. And that’s the main reason why she’d left the town in the age of fifteen.

She was reunited with her brother who was come back from Australia to find her. Both of them were separated when their parent die in a car accident when she was five. Shin Hyesung was taken by their uncle to Sydney and she was under the care of their Haerin aunt.

She’d cried when they took her brother away. She insisted to come along but since her uncle couldn’t afford another child into his too crowded family of five, she was abandoned into the family of her mother’s sister, where she had lived together with her aunt’s husband.

Se Kyung turned off the engine, snatched the keys from the ignition and opened the driver’s side door. When her feet hit the pavement, she stretched a bit and pocketed the keys. She stepped up on the sidewalk and stared at his childhood home. The house must have been restored to its original form by the developers, as it was almost nothing left after the fire.

Her thoughts went back to a time when this place had housed a happy family, when her world had been filled with love and laughter. Before her parent died. Before she was deserted.

She left the city sidewalk and moved onto the brick walkway that led to the front porch. He stopped halfway to the porch and looked at right side corner of the house, where an old cherry blossom tree had been. There was a wood box buried under that tree, contained everything that she once treasured. She doubted anything of her remained. For the first five years of her life, this old house had been home. And for the next ten years, it had been hell.

She startled when her phone rang from her jeans pocket, grabbed it and slid the screen with her thumb.

“Where are you?” the voice said. She can felt a concern in his voice.

“Home,” she answered shortly.

“I’m at your house. Where’s home exactly?” he asked again, more furious this time.

“Our home.”

Hyesung held his breath briefly. “You’re in Wonju?” his voice has softened down. “Just come home. There’s nothing left of us.”

She inhaled deeply before she answered. “I know.”

Se Kyung ended the call with a promise to come back soon and stepped up on the porch, faced the front door and paused. She was shocked when the front door was opened, and an old lady emerged wearing a red floral dress and an apron hung on her neck.

“Are you looking for someone, young lady?” she asked softly. Her forehead creased into a furrow.

Se Kyung smiled at her. “No, the one I’ve been looking for was no longer here. I was lost, I’m sorry.” She bowed down politely and retreated to her car.

As soon as she was in her car, she started the engine and drove away. She halted to a skid on the side road as a man rushed onto her car. Her head slammed hard onto the steering wheel and she felt a slight bulge on the right side of her forehead. She lifted her head and her eyes caught the man who was just standing up from the asphalt. She opened her side door and stormed to the man in black jacket. His face was hidden under a hoodie and glasses.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you. Are you hurt?” she asked furiously while glancing around his body for the sight of any wound or broken limb. She saw red thick blood dropped slowly from his hand and she gasped. “Oh my God, you’re bleeding. Let me help you. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“I’m fine,” he said firmly, avoiding her hesitant hands from touching him.

“You’re injured. Let me help…”

“I said, I’m fine,” he repeated harshly. “So, can you excuse me?”

Before she can said anything the man was gone. He ran hastily into the sidewalk and disappeared between the trees and bushes. She swallowed and turned around to stare at her car. She was just started driving and there’s no way someone can wounded up that much from the slight impact. She hitched her breath and glanced around quietly before entering her car and drove speedily out of the neighbourhood.

Se Kyung had gotten, at most a total of two hours’ sleep. She was still occasionally having nightmares about her childhood, and since her return from Wonju, her haunted past had resurfaced and gotten mixed up with the ones about her recent encounter. She will woke up in cold sweat and feeling tired all day long.

She had slept in her room, on the same bed for almost a year now after she vowed to her brother to live independently while she was in college. She rent the apartment from an old lady after she got back from Sydney and had lived there since she started attending college in Seoul a year ago. Her brother had moved back to Australia after she had convinced him that she can took care of herself. That she’s all grown up. Hyesung left her reluctantly and paid her a visit once a month. She insisted to come back to Seoul after high school and furthering her studies in Korea University where she took medical courses.

She wanted to be here. To the place where she spent most of her life. Back to the ground that held her parent, buried deeply with her memories. She wanted to be close to them but she knows she doesn’t want her past to be unravelled. It was too dark. And she was afraid.

She was not ready to face her own demon.

Not right now.

Tossing back the blanket and sheet, she got out of bed, stretched, scratched her scalp and tromped toward the bathroom. She peered into the mirror over the pedestal sink and stared at her reflection for a long time. She was no longer the teenage girl who had escaped hell and being saved by her brother, nor was the young girl who had returned with determination a year ago.

She was still the same but still, she was different.

Se Kyung dressed hurriedly in faded jeans and a white T-shirt, then headed to the kitchen, flung open the refrigerator and grabbed a box of orange juice. She poured the juice into a glass and emptied the liquid. She rushed to the door after grabbing her sling bag on the couch.

She unlocked and opened the door, then walked outside. Her eyes caught a back view of a man in black leather jacket and the man turned to face her instantly.

He smirked at her. “I came here for your favour. You said that you can help me.”

“Wha…” she gasped. “Who are you? I can’t remember being signed up for knight in shining armour or superhero adventure.”

He chuckled. “I’m your wiling victim. Maybe this will refresh your memory.” He lifted his bandaged right hand and looked at her, smiling.

She frowned and suddenly her eyes widen. “You!” she shouted. “What do you doing here? H-how did you know I live here?”

“I’ve knew a few tricks.”

“I’ve offered to drive you to the hospital and seeing you all wrapped up, I don’t think that was necessary anymore.”

He snickered. “I’m not asking for that kind of help.”

“So, what?” she asked impatiently. She was looking at her wrist watched repeatedly. 8’o clock in the morning, and her class started on 9. She’s only needs fifteen minutes to arrive at her college but with the traffic, even in half an hour she can still stuck in the road.

“I needed a place to stay.”

“So, you want to stay here? With me?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Just for the time being. I promise, it just for a few days.”

“A few days?” she repeated his words with rage.

“Just for today then.”

“I don’t know who you are, yet you want to stay with me. Do you think I will allow that? What happened to all the hotels, motels and rented house? Don’t tell me they all have been booked. And what happened to your house? I didn’t remember being crash into your house too.”

“I just needed a place to stay for a few days, okay. You don’t have to be too fired up,” he said calmly.

“Why here? Why mine?” she shook her head slowly. “What happened to you?”

He smiled faintly. “Trust me, you don’t really wanna know.” He took a step forward to her. “There’s so many people were looking for me right now. I’m looking for a place to hide and I don’t want…to be found. You got it?” he whispered.

Se Kyung shivered involuntarily, her heartbeats quickened.

After all her misery she suffered throughout her life, dealing with a wanted refugee was the least thing she wanted to do. She felt her whole body shaking as she stared at the man. His eyes were sharp and she can feel danger radiating from him. But something made her feel weird.

She did not afraid of him.

She has to.

He was a stranger. She knew nothing about him. But again, he felt familiar. He was just like her before. Someone who wants to be safe and she felt obliged to help others. Someone who was just like her.

And his eyes.

His sharp pointing gaze.

She felt like she was being in. Being drawn to him like a magnet.

And with that, she d for her cell phone in her pocket and dialled a number. After a few beeps, the line connected.“Dae, I’m ditching class today. See you tomorrow, bye.” She ended the call and looked at him in the eyes. “Come on in.”

He walked into the opened door and followed her inside with a smile.

She’s beautiful isn’t it?

Her pretty eyes, her dazzling smile, her soothing laughter and her long velvety hair.  I love how you smile, I love how you speak. I love how you call my name, with a little child-like accent. The moments that I spent with you was the most beautiful memory and I want to remember you forever.

From the first time I saw you, I fell in love with you instantly.

She’s mine. She’s only belongs to me. No one can have her except me.

No one, including you, God.

She’s all mine.