“Is he perhaps my little brother?” Jaehwan burst out a laugh; he glanced at Jooyoung, to see her reaction. Jooyoung appeared blank for a moment as she searched his eyes, “What?”

Still laughing, he shook his head, finding it was funny to see Jooyoung’s puzzled look. “I don’t have a little brother; I was joking because he has the same surname as mine.”

She stared at him for a moment before she remembered that Jaehwan had Lee as his surname, she couldn’t help but to burst a laugh afterwards. “Stop making jokes, I almost believe he is your little brother but you make me thinking for a moment because I swear he is a lot of different compare to you.”

“He is?” Jaehwan chuckled as they continued their slow stroll around the residential area. Jooyoung eagerly nodded; she then described everything she remembered about Lee Hongbin making the owner of the name to snicker secretly from the top of one of the old and huge tree. “Now, she’s even making fun of me? I can’t believe this.”

He sighed incredulously, “Right, tell everything to your new first friend.”

Hongbin turned away from the sight of Jooyoung and her new friend; somehow, he felt this feeling of being robbed. The new guy had kept her away from him and he supposed to be celebrating this since Jooyoung wouldn’t bother him anymore. However, he couldn’t help but to have this feeling of wanting to see her.

He had been wandering aimlessly in the village, alone for almost twelve years. He knew some shamans that could see him and those that could only sense him. He usually avoided them, in case they caught him and made him their slave since he was one of the restless souls. He usually prevented himself from getting close to human’s place, like the residential areas and preferred his hiding place out of all, where there were less people around.

Now that he met someone that had the ability to see, hear and touch him… It made him wonder the reason the girl appeared in his life? She didn’t look any interesting. She looked just like the other normal village girl or was she?

Was he underestimating her?

When he recalled back the time he was with her, she somehow look different from other normal village girl. She wasn’t afraid of him and she even laughed at his face when he told her that he was someone dangerous. And the mark that he showed to her, she was supposed to know what it meant but instead, she admired the mark that had trapped him in this full of vengeance world.

***Flashback

“Haven’t your grandmother warn you about anything in this village or ask you strange questions…? Especially after she found you were with me?”

Jooyoung stared at Hongbin’s dark orbs as she felt hairs on her skin raised. There was something peculiar from his stare, she could feel it that he was like something she should stay away from but it could only because of his warning.

Breaking the eye contact, she fanned herself before she returned to face his direction. A small smile formed on her face before it developed into a laugh, a mocking laugh. “Are you going to scare me that way? With that story my grandma just told me? I–”

Hongbin’s eyebrows narrowed as he held his tongue from telling what he actually was to her. “What?” she asked as their eyes stared at each other. She actually managed to get on his nerve but he restrained himself from reacting. He would give her more than the wounds on her elbows if he didn’t stop himself, he could practically feel the tension.

“Are you going to tell me that you’re one of the creepy souls that joined the running parade from uncle Yoon’s house?” she began provoking as she leaned closer to him. He retreated backward until his back found the wall behind him. So, she knew? But why was there was no fear shown through her eyes?

“Why are you quiet?” she asked as she crossed her arms against her torso, studying his face. He shut his eyes for a second before opening it and showed her that he gave up as he lifted both his hand.

“You don’t have to act obnoxious if you don’t want to be my friend, you just can leave silently,” she then turned around and covered her eyes with her palms. Hongbin then seized the opportunity to sneak out the room, leaving her…Hoping not to come across with her anymore.

Jooyoung then uncovered her eyes to found her grandmother on the door, staring at her in puzzlement. “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to sleep?” Taken aback, she turned around quickly to see the wide open window.

Gone, he had gone. He was nowhere to be seen. Once again, he had left her, disappointing her.

***End of Flashback

---

That night, Jooyoung decided to sneak out of the house without telling her grandmother. She found herself couldn’t sleep and thought that it was a good idea for her to enjoy the night’s breeze and the dark sky, spotted with sparkling stars.

As she walked away from her grandmother’s house, she remembered there was a small lake not far from the house. Right away, her mind thought that it would be the best place for her to lie on the soft grass and do stargazing. She thought; perhaps after counting the stars, she could send herself back to a good sleep. Excited, she ran to the lake that she had in mind.

Arrived at the lake, she then found a good spot for her to do the stargazing. She rested her head on her palm and stare right up the stars filled sky. It was cold but it was not cold enough to freeze her, it was just the right temperature. The sound of crickets accompanied her as she inhaled the fresh air.

The sound of the crickets then stopped abruptly. The unusual silence somehow managed to get her attention as she got up to look around. She could feel the hairs on her skin raised without a proper reason causing her to hug herself. Maybe her decision to leave on her own was the most wrong decision she just did cause she could feel someone was around there, probably watching her.

Could it be there was someone with an ill intention was watching her?

Quickly, she got up and wanted to leave right away. She began to run, passing the tall grasses but her leg got caught that she tripped and fell against the ground. “Ack!” she yelled in pain before she sat up to assess the injury.

Cold hands then wrapped around her ankle, startling her as she kicked the hands away. “Ah!” yelled the owner of the hands as his hands got kicked away violently. Jooyoung immediately got up to run away but she had badly injured her ankle causing her to fall back down.

“Please don’t hurt me, I beg you!” she shut her eyes as she clasped her hand together, begging for her own freedom. She then felt cold finger poking her forehead making her to lean backward. “It’s me, you idiot,” said the owner of the cold hands.

“Can’t you stop hurting yourself every time we meet?”

Jooyoung slowly opened her eyes to see Hongbin in front of him. He was checking on her ankle, feeling sorry that he had caused another injury towards her. He didn’t mean to scare her but he couldn’t help but to scare her eventually. He touched her ankle, feeling surprised that he could actually touch it. It felt warm and she really had smooth skin.

Jooyoung noticed his hand on her ankle; she instantly pulled it away from his hand. “What are you doing here? How do you know I’m here?”

Hongbin lifted his head to make an eye contact with her, he looked hesitated for a moment before he parted his lips, “I happen to be around and saw you fell down, and I have no choice but to see if you need help.”

She eyed him suspiciously, “I don’t need your help.” She then tried to get up to leave but his ankle condition prevented her to go any further. Hongbin noticed what she was trying to do and he just stood there, he knew she would need his help.

Trying once again to get up, she began to lose her temper and starting to curse under her breath and Hongbin turned around, he could clearly hear every bad word fell out from . Failing, she glanced at Hongbin’s back and she cleared . “I know we’re not friend but I do have little faith on humanity…”

Hongbin heard her words clearly and even though she was not asking for his help straight to the point, he could read through her speech. He turned around and avoided her gaze. Jooyoung tried to make an eye contact but he kept avoiding, “Before my grandmother realise that I’m gone, can you help me get home?”

“…Please?”

Awkwardly nodded, he then came closer to help her.

Kneeling down, Hongbin tried to scoop her up but she pushed him away. “No, not this way. Turn around,” Jooyoung instructed. Confused, Hongbin turned around and Jooyoung casually hopped on his back. “Now get up and send me home before my grandmother scolds me.”

Jooyoung then wrapped her arms around his neck and he naturally working with her to get herself comfortable onto his back. “You feel like corpse. How many time I have told you about this,” she mumbled.

Getting up, he then adjusted her position on his back so that she wouldn’t start to fall down and got hurt again. Slowly, he made small walk towards her house. The feeling of her wrapping her arms around his neck making him think twice of his decision to be near her, she felt so warm. She was conducting her body heat towards his icy cold skin; he hadn’t felt this warmness for so long.

Now, he got worried that he would get addicted to her warmness and eventually starting to craving for it. Without his expectation, her hand found his cheek. “You feel cold everywhere else, are you sure you’re okay?” she asked in concern.

He didn’t reply.

Jooyoung then rested her head on his shoulder, surprising him. “You walk so slow, you’re making me sleepy.” Hongbin then heard she yawned and she stopped talking. He halted and called her, “You’re getting heavier if you sleep on my back.”

“…”

Jooyoung had fallen asleep on his back and he stood froze in the middle of the road. He got a human being sleeping on his back and he momentarily astonished by it. Less than a month, he had experienced a very different life after meeting this girl and he even gave her a piggyback ride. Something that he wished he could do before he lived this way…

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