She had always caught his eyes. Her bright smile instantly lifts his mood. He loved how the sun would always shine on her, making her look like an angel. Her naivety makes him want to protect her, her personality draws him to her, her smile melts away his troubles. And he hopes he could do the same for her.

He saw the pain behind her smiling façade. He saw how broken she was. He could see how high she built her walls. She was suffering but nobody knew. Nobody noticed, nobody asked. No one saw through her but him.

She had always liked school, which was considered weird if she was a normal teenager. She felt safe. School was the one place she wanted to be at day and night if she could, but she can’t. She had to go once the bell rang. She had to go back to her very own hell on earth, home.

He had always given her courage even if it was through the little actions he did. His smile captivates her. His tall frame would perfectly fit her petite structure, as she always imagined. Simple words like “good morning.” That escaped his lips sounded wonderful to her ears. When their eyes meet, it feels like time froze. Just thinking of him gives her some strength to carry on, if only he knew the effects he had on her.

He decided that today would be the day he wanted to talk to her. To get to know the real her, that is if she allowed him to. She was friendly, but she didn’t have any friends. It’s not like no one wanted to be her friend, she kept pushing everyone away when they got too close for comfort.

Taking a deep breath, Mark stood up and walked over to his broken smiling angel. Each step he took, the faster his heart was beating. He wanted to eat lunch with her. He wanted her to accept his invitation. Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, he nervously chuckled as he stood in front of her.

“Hi there.” Mark nervously cleared his throat.

Moon Haneul turned around. She was clearly in shock the moment her eyes landed on Mark, causing the books to fall out of her hands. Embarrassed, her ears turned a shade of bright red as she bent down to pick up her book.

Being the gentleman that he was