After a while of peace and silence and reading about someone else's advenutres, the smell of Chaerin's favorite tea reaches her nostrils. She's interrupted in her reading by this sensation, and she looks up over her book to see where it's coming from. Jiyong has come, holding two mugs in his hands. He places them onto the table and sits on the other chair on the balcony.

''Figured you'd prefer it over coffee at this hour'' he says.

''You'll catch a cold sitting here in just that'' she only remarks, making sure her face is emotionless.

''Oh God, I haven't smoked in days'' Jiyong says almost dreamily, looking away into the night sky, fantasizing about a cigarette.

''And you won't while you're under my roof'' she retorts. ''Smoking barely alive... real smart'' she adds, still looking at her book but not reading, more muttering to herself than saying it to anyone really.

''Whatever happened to my clothes, by the way?'' he remembers.

''I've been getting the stains out for days. Figured, since it's Givenchy, I should take more care'' she says. ''They're salvaged, don't worry.''

''Thanks'' he mutters silently.

''I'm sorry, what?''

''Th-thanks...'' he mutters again.

''I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.''

''I said thanks, alright?'' he repeats louder and it's just a second before they both break into a rather awkward chuckle. It's the first laugh they share, and it's not much, but it soothes their strained minds perfectly.

''I have lived to witness Kwon Jiyong say thanks'' she says, a small smile still lingering on her face.

''Yeah, and these mugs of tea are a ''sorry'' in case you still don't speak my language'' he adds with a smile.

''A thanks and a sorry in one day? Woah, Mr. Kwon... you might wanna take it easy and save some of that for the next few days'' she jokes.

''You're a bit crazy, you know'' he says.

''Says the man who faked his own suicide by actually jumping off a building'' she retorts, and he feels he could almost laugh again at the absurdity of his own actions.

''Yes, point taken, but you're just as crazy,'' he says, ''Had it been anyone else, I would have been left to die in that alley. And it'd be a smart thing to do too. You, on the other hand, decided to take me home and fix me without any medical skills of your own, taking several risks at once. Why?''

''Why did I help you?''

''Yeah, I mean... you don't... owe me anything. If I remember correctly, I even treated you like crap the first time we met. I ordered you around like a servant.''

''You remember that?''

''Oddly enough, yes.''

''So you do do that on purpose, after all?''

''Sometimes,'' he grins, ''but you didn't answer my question.''

''I... would've helped anyone, really. It's just how I am'' she shrugs. ''It's going to get me in awful trouble one day... But I couldn't just leave you to die there, like that. In fact, I can't think why anyone in their right mind would leave anyone to die without trying to help them.''

''As impossible as it may seem to you, other people have passed me, and I was much louder.''

All of a sudden, Chaerin feels sorry for him. He seems alone, despite the fact that almost the entire planet knows his name. She imagines what it must be like to be cast away in a dark ditch, whimpering in agony of terrible pain, bleeding, alone, and dirty, and everyone passes by without any thoughts of helping you. The sound of him clearing his throat wakes her up from her thoughts, and she looks at him only to see that he's shivering slightly in the cold. He's trying to hide it, to fight it, but it's impossible. She takes the blanket that was wrapped around her and covers him with it instead. She sees his lips pursed, and then they part to try and utter something but Chaerin spares him.

''It's alright, don't bother,'' she says, ''One thanks for the day is quite an achievement.''

He nods and feels like he has the emotional intelligence and effective social skills of an infant. He almost feels angry at himself.

After a while of (oddly) peaceful silence, she asks:

''So what were you exactly planning? I think I deserve to know.''

''You do,'' he says, ''It's the least I can do in return - to tell you what I was planning.''

''So?''

''The thing is - I don't really know.''

She looks at him with curiosity, and she tilts her head. The lines on her forehead have formed again. So he continues:

''No, I mean... I had this... plan of faking my suicide. I did jump to make it more real, but, you know... I wasn't supposed to die from that height. I mean, I didn't want to die. I didn't want to waste my only chance at living. I wanted to live, as odd as it may sound. But I wanted to live. I wanted GD to die and Kwon Jiyong to live. And... that worked out pretty well for me, I guess. GD's dead.''

Chaerin finally understands everything and she feels like all the lightbulbs off the world have finally all at once to cast light onto her clouded mind. She nods slowly. 

''You wanted to start anew'' she mutters.

''Yes... well, we'll see how that works out. Once I recover... It's odd, you know, now that I've actually achieved what I planned, I don't know where to start. It seemed easier before it actually started happening, but now... now I don't know where to start building a life. I need to be born again... I need to move away.''

''You're leaving?''

''It'd only make sense, wouldn't it? I can't be hiding away between walls for the rest of my life. I have to start anew. I'm thinking... some place more rural. A smaller town'' he says, looking away at the night sky almost dreamily. Small snowflakes are now seen floating in the air.

Chaerin doesn't understand why it makes her feel a bit sad once she hears of his plans on leaving. I mean, it does only make sense. What did she expect, for him to stay and keep her company? For him to be the one she comes home to after work? That's selfish, and it'd only be using him now that all her friends are abroad as well as her family. He's not a pet, and even if he were he'd be a terrible one. Chaerin thinks how if he were a cat, he'd be the type of cat to only eat and drink and lie around and claw at the paint of the walls while she's not there, and once she comes home, he'd claw at her face instead. Yes, he'd be a terrible pet. Maybe he should leave. Soon.

''I've done my duty,'' she finally says, ''but I can't let you leave until I'm sure you're healthy enough.''

''Of course you can't,'' he says, ''You always finish what you start.''

''Mhm'' she nods.

''What are you gonna do about that gown?''

''What about it?''

''That's one hell of a design.''

''Well, then I guess I'll frame it.''

''You can't be serious?''

''You don't expect me to actually make it, do you? Those materials would cost me a fortune, and I can't afford to spend so much money on an unwearable dress.''

''So you truly plan to completely waste away your talent'' he says, and it's more of a statement than a question.

''Well, maybe, just maybe, I don't wanna create a life that's going to make me want to fake my suicide'' she says sharply.

''You can lie to me but don't lie to yourself - you want that life and it'd never make you want to destroy it like that. You know it.''

''What do you care?'' she asks. ''It's my life.''

''It makes me angry when people aren't using their lives the best they can,'' he says, ''It makes me angry when I see people making similar mistakes I made.''

''Well, that's... whatever that is. But I don't care. I'm perfectly content with my life, so I think you ought to let this go and leave me be. I'm just going to keep on trying to be the best person I can be, as I always do, and I'm not going to let you usurp every foundation that my life is built on. Being the best person I can be, that's the point'' she says and for some reason Jiyong feels like the words aren't really meant for him, but for herself. He feels like she's trying to reassure herself.

''That's very noble of you, but it's also a bunch of crap and you're wrong,'' he says, ''You're depriving the world of a piece of art that could inspire someone, maybe even change someone's life. Artists should never forbid themselves to create; do you understand how selfish that is?''

She glares at him, angry, and for some reason she thinks he's even angrier at her. He's glaring back and he's not faltering; neither of them are looking away. He expects her to say something back, but all he can see is her heavy breathing, and he knows that if he says something else she's going to start breathing fire. He wants to avoid that so he only says:

''I'm off to bed.'' 

He wraps his blanket around her before making his way into the apartment. Chaerin could swear she detected disappointment in the way he said that last sentence, and in the way he walked away. And she can also detect that, for whatever reason, she cares. Kwon Jiyong seems disappointed - in her; ain't that something. But she cares. Why? Why the hell? Beats her.