She wasn’t like a normal girl, that’s for sure. Actually, in many people’s eyes, she wasn’t a girl at all. She wasn’t known as Park Shinhye, she was known as Park Taehyun. That was her boy name. She was a boy to most people, a girl to hardly anyone. She lived a double life, really, but only recently it began to falter. Her plan was slowly coming to a halt, and she didn’t even know it.

Shinhye knew the day would come when her game would be over. But she didn’t expect it to be so soon.

She was hanging out at one of her friend’s houses, sitting in his basement and playing video games on the couch with him. Jang Geunsuk, her best friend, was sitting next to her, laughing in his utterly charming way, and it made her laugh as well. She was never really a video game player, so she stunk horribly compared to Geunsuk, but she loved spending time with him anyway.

“Taehyun, you’re getting smoked! Why don’t you try harder, man?” Geunsuk called, laughing hysterically as, yet again, he blew up her base. Shinhye scrunched her nose, reaching over and slamming her fingers on Geunsuk’s controller, making his character spazz briefly. It gave her the chance she needed. She aimed and fired, killing his character, making her the victor of the game.

“Hey! That’s cheating, Taehyun!” Geunsuk screeched, then tackled Shinhye. Instantly, she panicked, never have being in that type of situation. She was always careful not to let boys get too close to her, otherwise she would be found out, but somehow, Geunsuk slipped through her overly protective barriers. Maybe it was because she had feelings for him that she could no longer deny, but either way, he was currently too close for comfort.

“G-Geunsuk, get off!!” She yelled, her voice rising an octave, making Geunsuk’s eyebrows furrow and meet in the middle. “P-Please...”

Then she knew her cover was blown. His eyes wide, his fingers peeled at her clothes, tugging the button down shirt open. And there it was, the thing she feared the most. A look of utter betrayal washed over Geunsuk’s face as he stared at the bandage that covered Shinhye’s chest, his eyes growing wide. He pushed himself away from her, a scowl taking over the once bright smile that was on his face.

“What the hell?” He said unbelievingly, staring at her. “You’re a girl? All this time, you’ve been a girl? You’ve been lying to me, pretending to be a guy, and you’re a girl? What’s your name?”

Shinhye stared, tugging the shirt back over her chest, pushing herself back to the edge of the couch, her hand clutching her chest. “Sh-Shinhye...” She muttered, watching Geunsuk scoff and shake his head.

“And to think we were friends. Get out of my house, Tae— No, Shinhye,” He got up and pointed to the stairs, which Shinhye scrambled up and began to hurry up them. “Get out and don’t come back, you dirty liar.”

She just barely nodded, tears stinging her eyes, as she rushed out of his house. As soon as she was out of the house, she burst into the tears she had been holding back, stumbling down the sidewalk. She hardly noticed that she to a busier street, one that was crowded with people rushing past her, and she probably wouldn’t have noticed or cared at all. That is, until she walked head-on into a man’s chest, stumbling back and clutching her now aching nose. She looked up through her teary vision at the man in front of her, who wore a soft smile.

“Now, little miss, why do you look like a boy, and why are you crying?”

And just like that, Shinhye was ushered into a small restaurant, the man gently easing her to calm her tears. She sat with him and sniffled, burying her head into his arm, her shoulders shaking gently. Then she told him her story, watching him as he nodded with soft eyes and a furrowed brow.

“What’s your name?” She asked in the middle of her story, but he waved her question away, and she continued on.

When she finished, the man nodded slightly and took her hands in his. “Now, Miss Shinhye, I’m not going to be on your side. But I’m not going to be on this Geunsuk guy’s side either. Neither of you really did the right thing, I’m afraid. He acted upon a rush of anger and disbelief, and you should have told him form the beginning what was going on. I’m sorry this happened to you, Shinhye. You don’t deserve to cry, not over this. Pretty girls like you shouldn’t shed tears over small little things like this. Yes, yes, it seems like such a big deal, but he’ll come to his senses sooner or later. He’ll realize what he lost, and he’ll come back to you.”

The man tweaked her nose lightly, then placed some money on the table. “Order yourself something good, and take care of yourself. Let your Geunsuk friend be for a bit... He’ll come back soon, don’t worry. Oh, and by the way... You can call me Hyunwoo.”

Just as he turned to leave, Shinhye jumped up and caught his wrist, turning him around and pulling him into a tight hug, one that was surprising to him. “I can see sadness in your eyes, Hyunwoo. I won’t bother you about it, but please, take care of yourself. And thank you, really. Goodbye, Hyunwoo-ssi,” And with that, she placed a small kiss on his cheek, smiled, and turned back to her seat.

Hyunwoo walked out of the restaurant, his eyes wide, his sight somewhere far off in another time and space. He reached up and touched his cheek, only to find it wet. He blinked, and then wiped his cheek, his breath catching in his throat.

The tear collector was crying.

⎛ end ⎠