As I made my way through the empty halls of the hospital, I could hear the sound of faint humming emanating from none other than Jin's room. He had been singing and humming a lot lately and it was definitely quite unusual for someone like him. His voice was pleasant and sweet. He sang in a melodious tone and it seemed like he never put much effort into it. Almost as if it was his instinct. I liked listening to it but whenever I requested a song from him, he would always deny it and continue singing his own tune.

I rolled my eyes as I stepped into the room carrying the finished portrait in my arms.

Jin immediately stopped humming and turned his head away from the window to look at me.

"Wow that only took you a couple of years to finish," he joked.

"Psh, it was only three weeks. Plus, I have exams too, you know," I scoffed.

"Yeah yeah. Anyways, let me see the finished product. I hope you didn't ruin it."

"Shut up Jin! Of course not. I spent a lot of time and effort into this so you better appreciate it."

I held the portrait behind my back, slightly nervous to show it. I was confused as to why I was suddenly feeling this way, especially since I already showed it to him before. Well, it wasn't the completed product but it was close to it. I also showed it to him three weeks ago so the changes to the portrait were obviously completely different.

"Yes I understand Joohee! Now will you ever let me see it or will you just keep hiding it behind your back?"

He was sounding more and more impatient as the seconds flew by and I didn't want to provoke him any longer either, so I slowly pulled it from behind my back and basically shoved it into his face.

He was taken aback and slightly pushed it away. I hadn't realized it was too close and I immediately apologized. He then took it from my hands and analyzed it carefully. He traced the acrylic ever so gracefully. He outlined the of purple with his finger and smiled in awe as he saw right through my attempts of covering up the tints of brown, my mistake. He then climbed out of bed slowly, the IV still attached to his wrist, and placed it on the wall, just above his bed. He tried to angle it just right, squinting one eye and tilting his head left and right to get it straight.

He looked at me and asked me to get the nurse and tell her that he wanted to hang a portrait on the wall. I nodded my head and searched for the first nurse I could promptly get a hold of. I asked her to quickly come to Room 42 to help with putting up a painting. She walked into the room carrying a tack, a hammer, and a couple frames.

Jin swiftly gave her my painting and she matched the size with the correct frame and proceeded the same actions Jin did earlier. Jin sat upright on his bed, watching the nurse in amusement; carefully glancing at her to make sure she was doing it right and smiling at me with his pearl white teeth.

There was so much I didn't know about Jin. I've only known him for about a month now but I still didn't know how old he was or what his favorite food is or why he constantly needed IV or why he chose to walk around the gardens at exactly 3 p.m. or why he asked me almost every time I came to visit if my painting was finished or most importantly, why he truly wanted to die.

I've been visiting him almost every day and although we talk non-stop, I still haven't the slightest clue about his mysterious appearance or attitude. Sure, he was good-looking and full of humor, but at times, I couldn't understand the thoughts behind his smile. It was as if, he put on a smile only around me that no one else could see. I couldn't explain the feeling but I was quite sure that Jin rarely ever smiled.

Even so, there he was, sitting across from me, with a huge grin smacked right onto his face. The nurse finished promptly and exited the room.

"Are you happy now, Jin?" I questioned while rolling my eyes.

"Ehh, I guess."

"Wow, all that work I did and this is what I get? Some appreciation."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry. I really appreciate this painting that took you WEEKS to finish," he retorted.

"You just never give up, huh?"

"Hey, well at least it's on the wall now. I mean, that's like showing it off to the world am I right or am I right?"

"Haha who are you going to show that off to, your visitors?"

As soon as the last two words came tumbling out of my mouth, I immediately wished I hadn't said them. I was being so careless and inconsiderate. Sometimes, the fact that Jin was still a long-term patient in a hospital never really registered and I would forget my filter. This, was one of those times.

I had noticed that Jin never really got any visitors. It was always just him and I, or the nurses. His parents never came, no siblings, no friends, or classmates either. It was noticeable, how lonely he was, but I never questioned it simply because, half of me was too afraid to ask him and the other half was afraid of his answer.

Just when I thought Jin was surely angry, his contorted face became that of a questioning look.

"Hey, come here."

"What? Why?"

"Just come here."

"But why?"

"You always have questions, I swear. Can you just come closer?"

I inched closer to him, standing right next to his bed. He grabbed my hand and placed a kiss right on top of it. It was sweet and playful. His face looked right up to me, spelling the word 'Innocence'. His kiss on my hand was a genuine compliment.

"I just wanted to thank these hands for their hard work. I really like the painting you did for me and I hope this is enough to show my gratitude."

I immediately blushed due to his sudden gesture and tried to lighten up the mood.

"Thanks Jin. So now, will you sing me a song, on my request?"

"Hmmm, I guess just this one time. What would you like to hear?" he obliged.

I grabbed a chair from the opposite side of the room, trying to think about what song I'd like him to sing. I've always wanted to request one from him but I guess I'd gotten so used to being rejected, that I wasn't prepared for when he would say yes.

I dragged the stool next to his bed and pondered.

"I can't remember the song's name but I remember my mother mentioning the word mockingbird."

"Oh, The Mockingbird's Cry?"

"Haha, I'm not really sure but go ahead, that one."

Jin closed his eyes and started to hum. After a few seconds, he started to sing. His voice was as beautiful as ever. It was gentle and full of emotion.

When the mockingbird sings into the moonlight,

you will know, that it expected a voice and I expected you

to fly right into my arms but the voice flew away from its reach.

So, he cried into the night, just as I buried my head into my arms,

When the mockingbird cries into the moonlight,

you will know, that it wished for paradise, while I wished for you.

I had my eyes closed as well and as Jin finished the song, I couldn't help but sympathize with the lonely boy who was sitting right in front of me. There was so much I wanted to know about Jin; where he came from, why he was here, what he was afraid of, and what made him happy. There was so much I didn't know but I wanted to.

I clutched the hand he kissed right to my heart, as if clutching it any tighter, would've sent the impulses straight into me, so my so-called "hardworking" hand and my struggling heart, would know just how hard it took Jin to sing.