Her lungs were heavily breathing in and out the air from the hospital room while her body gently trembled from her subconscious’ attack.

“Sweetheart? Are you okay?”

From across the room, Sora tilted her head towards her mother; she rubbed her eyes open and sat up from the couch she was on at the moment before getting up and walking towards the bed, joining her mother next to her.

“I just had a nightmare.”

“It must have been something big, you’re shaking.”

“I-I’m fine, it was just a dream, right?”

“Sora, sweetheart, you don’t look so well, y-your nose is bleeding and you have a scratch on your head-”

“What?” She quickly jumped out of bed and ran towards the bathroom with her mother in tow as she forced herself out from under the covers.

Sora quickly fetched out a tissue for her nose while Mrs. Bang picked out a towel for the bleeding on the side of her forehead; worrisome thoughts filled up the spaces in her mind, swirling around violently at the depth of what just happened. “You should get that stitched up. I’ll call the doctor.”

“M-mom?” Sora turned around to face her mother, tears striking the corners of her eyes while she was tightly gripping onto the stained tissue between her hands.

“Yes sweetheart?”

Without another word, the girl embraced her mother strongly, her arms wrapped around her shoulders. Mrs. Bang was taken aback by the sudden gesture but quickly responded with her arms hugging her daughter with her fingers caressing the back of her head. “I love you Mom.”

“I love you too.” She tightened her hold for one more second before slowly letting go. She caressed her daughter’s cheek where she looked at her with a soft smile across her lips before leaning in and kissing her cheek. She backed away and walked out of the bathroom where she went to call for her doctor.

Once her mother left, she looked back at the mirror in front of her and let out a light shriek through her dry mouth. She backed away into the wall behind her when the sudden reflection left her in complete shock.

It wasn’t her face that she saw, or maybe it was but she wasn’t able to recognize it, as darkness oozed out from her eyes and settled into the facial expression. Slowly, it turned into someone else, a stranger that she has never seen before. The red raven color of his hair, the sharp jaw line, the deep brown color of his eyes were unfamiliar attributes to her but it did not erase the terror that coated her limbs from staring at them, it did not erase the devil that looked right through her.

That’s when she recognized the man as being the one that attacked her in her dream; the one that was tearing her heart out just as she woke up.

Letting go of the tissue, she took off her shirt and tossed her hair to the right side, letting the left side of her chest to a better view. Looking down and then back up at the mirror, she traced over the red and purple marking that rested right over her heart.

Cuts were traced even further down her stomach.

They resembled what a knife could do and it was frightening her even more.

Her eyes trailed down to her waist; traces of fingers were printed firmly against her skin.

She couldn’t let her mother see any of this so she dismissed the bruises as she quickly put her shirt back on. She went by the sink and the cold water before splashing a hand full at her face, trying to calm herself down from the nausea and the anxiety that lingered inside her.

Just then, she heard the click from the main door to the room along with the sound of her mother’s voice looking for her.

“I-I’m here!” She walked out of the bathroom as if nothing happened.

“Let’s get that checked out, shall we?”

“Chaos, revenge and death.”

“Chaos, revenge and death.”

“Chaos, revenge and death.”

He tried to get those damned word out of his mind but they were stuck, glued to his brain with the voice shouting and echoing in every corner inside his head.

He was walking down the street, the afternoon sun shining warmly over the citizens. Just fresh out with a new set of hair color, he was quiet in his walk while trying to figure out any loophole possible to the witches’ revelation.

And once his eyes found their way through the glass from a small coffee shop, he spotted Sora on the other side, seeping her iced coffee with a serene expression.

‘Tsk. There’s no way Seungho is the one for her. I am.’

He made his way inside, going straight to her table.

While he marched on, she was lost in her thoughts; past memories played in her mind concerning her present surrounding. Her eyes stared at the “FOR SALE” sign all this while with the other part of her mind designing the area for the impossible; for years she had seek out this place as the perfect spot for a cozy restaurant. Seungho was the one convincing her to buy this place; he had faith in her success and knew that she was going to create a name for herself.

A soft smile made its way to her lips at the memory.

For the first time, she wasn’t feeling any pain though nostalgia settled inside her heart.

‘Maybe that’s what she meant by thinking about happy memories…’

Her thoughts were dismissed when a familiar face showed up in her view. A sigh came out of when she saw Cheondung taking a seat right in front of her with a smug smile across his face.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Sora~”

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw you from outside and thought I’d drop by!”

“Really?”

“Of course~ You know, it’s like as if the universe was telling us something, don’t you think?”

“Pfft. the universe. I’m tired of them screwing me over. What are you doing here anyways, aren’t you tired of following me around like a puppy?”

“Well that’s the thing maybe the universe is pushing us together-”

“I’m stopping you right there. Fate, Destiny and whatever other crap you have in your mind about us: you can just forget it. I’m not that kind of girl. I am not superstitious and I don’t believe that there is a plan for each of us. That’s just stupid.”

She was just about to get up when Cheondung caught her hand, stopping her from moving any further.

“Then how do you explain all of our strange meetings? How do you explain that we always seem to find each other even in the most odds of places?”

“Because you are stalking me that’s why. And you should stop or I’m pulling out a restraining order against you.”

She pried her hand away and got out of her seat; the boy mimicked her gesture and stood in front of her, stopping her once again.

“Don’t go.” The smallest of hint of desperation reeked through out his words. She noticed but didn’t think much of it since her mind wasn’t as stable as it used to be.  “Why?”

“Because I’m bored out of my mind and I wouldn’t mind a little company-”

“Then find someone else to bother.”

“I want you… Just to talk. No . I promise.”

She exhaled heavily and sat back down; the boy was relieved thinking that he had finally a proper chance to win the love of this woman.

But why was it so important to him?

Why did she matter that much, and all so suddenly?

While silence settled between them, Cheondung carefully gazed at her until his eyes landed on the small bandage covered the smallest stitch right by the side of her forehead, close to her hairline.

“What happened to you?”

“Huh?”

“Did you get into an accident?” He gestured to the small wound making her reach out for it with sudden remembrance about the nightmare. “I guess I knocked my head when I was sleeping last night. It’s not that big of a deal. H-how’s the neck? Aren’t you warm with that turtleneck?”

Noticing his outwear made her notice his features with intensive care. Though the many times she had seen him, it was the first time that she actually looked at him for who he was; in the past it was always in comparison to Seungho that she let him stick around, but now, in the broad daylight, she couldn’t deny the good looks in his genes.

She could almost say that she found him attractive.

“I’m fine. The marks are practically gone.”

Her eyes diverted to the strange upwards curves of his lips, as if he was attempting to smile.

It was the first time she saw him all calm and almost defenseless; it made her slowly lower her guards.

She leaned against the back of her seat, bringing up her knees against her chest just as the front of her legs were pressed against the edge of the table. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why me? What is it about me that you seem to find so fascinating?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

“Then what do you know?”

“You are an attractive woman – standing up and lying down –”

She rolled her eyes at the last part of his answer, along with a slight scoff rolling down her tongue. He smirked at her reaction, trying to amuse her the best he could. It soon washed off when he leaned against the table, his eyes turning serious and yet kept the mischievous hint through a subtle shine. “– but there’s also something about you that drives me mad with desire.”

Her breath got stuck in as her eyes were hypnotized by the intensity of his gaze, completely lost in the strange aura that embellished the attraction that was rising between them.

He took a glimpse at the ring on her left hand and quickly pulled himself away, leaning his back against his seat.

“Why are you still wearing the ring?”

“Because I want too.”

“You shouldn’t hold yourself back because of that. You’re still alive, so enjoy that at least.”

“You’re are so confusing. One moment you tell me that I’m pathetic and to join my dead boyfriend, and the next, you tell me to enjoy life?”

“How about this: forget your dead boyfriend and enjoy life. With me.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Oh come on~ you’re acting as if you’ve never been with any other men. Was that boy the only guy you’ve ever been with? Besides me, of course~”

“He wasn’t the only one, he was the one.”

“So you were with other guys?”

“Yea… Once before Seungho and once later… When we broke up for a few months.”

Interest suddenly took its peek at him. He leaned once again towards the table, waiting for more on this fact. “Tell me more.”

She wasn’t looking at him anymore; the sudden memory of that year meshed with the violence she he has been through the past few days. She was looking down at her half empty coffee cup with her fingertips retracing the shop’s logo.

“Seungho was part of my life for a decade. From the moment we first met until he died… Relationship wise, we broke up once- well technically, it wasn’t official… He just walked out once and didn’t come back until a few months later.”

“So you dated someone in that time?”

“Yea… but it wasn’t for real. I just did it to make Seungho jealous, to make him realize that he made a mistake. But I could never stay mad at him; the moment he came back, I ran to him and forgave him.”

“That easily?”

“Mhmm.”

“What about the guy?”

“Oh, Himchan? Well he knew from the beginning since I told him, but I never thought that he would hate me so much for it. I don’t remember him being this… evil. He was such a sweet guy before. Yes, maybe a little over the top with that drama queen attitude, but he was a good guy. Now, he’s so bent on getting me that I can’t even recognize him anymore.”

He was watching her as she kept talking about the past.

He knew what she was talking about since he still remembered the day that his eldest brother had to walk out on her by force; their father’s threat gave him the push he needed.

“And what are you going to do now that he isn’t coming back?”

Those words draw her back to look at him. Sadness filled her blue eyes, still on denial about everything.

“I-I don’t know yet… I don’t want to think about it. I just… I just want to forget I ever knew him.”

“Why?”

“Because the pain is excruciating. It’s killing me from the inside out and I won’t survive from it… At this point, I don’t care if I do or not.”

“What if I was with you? What if I help you move on?”

“Are you sure it’s not to get in my pants again?”

“I don’t need to offer you help and be nice for that~”

She shook her head at his playful response.

For the first time, he witnessed a genuine smile across her face. From her lips, something twinkling in her eyes caught his attention.

It left him awestruck.

‘Is that how love feels like?’

“You’re falling in love with her, aren’t you? I can sense it.”

“I’m not falling in love with the girl.”

“Of course you are. It’s something way more powerful than just lust you have for her. Your heart is beating strongly right at this moment. You’re thinking about her, aren’t you? She finally reached that red light in your heart.”

The witches’ words were echoing in the back of his mind.

He could feel the pounding in his heart; the strength left a slight tingling pain as an aftertaste, and it felt so good.

It was the kind of smile that made him want to see it often; the kind where he would do anything in his powers to make it happen again, again, and again.

It made him smile for the first time.

She noticed his stare as well as the curved up lips. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“I don’t remember seeing you smile before. You look good.”

Once again, he managed to take her breath away.

She never saw that side of him and it left something inside her, something drawing her further towards him.

She bit onto the corner of her bottom lip, stifling another one of her smiles. “Thanks.”

As lovely as everything seemed to be to the public eye, they just as quickly tumbled down when a sudden sharp pain struck her straight to her head wound.

She cried out as she clutched onto both sides of her skull, the pain drilling forcefully to the inside.

Sudden panic took over the boy; he ran to her as he took a seat by her side and wrapped his arms around while trying to get her to look at him so he could see what was wrong.

But things went for the worse when a figure appeared in front of them from the other side of the window glass.

Cheondung cursed under his breath.

He finally understood what was happening but it didn’t erase the slow fear that clawed its way through him.

“S-Sora, I know you’re in pain, but we need to get the out of here.”

“Wh-what?”

Right at this moment, the windows violently exploded.

Sharp pieces flew everywhere, alerting the customers as screams and yells were shouted at every corner of the coffee shop, inside and outside.

He may have still been in the human body he was possessing, but Cheondung knew that his second brother was here, ready to attack.

They were hiding under the table when the explosion happened and now, the boy was trying to lead the way out while he still held onto Sora.

The girl was suddenly pain free the same moment the window had blasted into thousands of tiny fragments.

“Come out, come out Cheondung! I know you’re in there! Show yourself!”

The voice caught Sora’s curiosity. She leveled up just enough to have her heart stop it’s beating once her eyes were set on the man that was still outside.

“H-Himchan?!”

“Oh dear, I’m not who you think I am.”

With just the snap of his fingers, Himchan fell to the ground in an unconscious state. Sora looked back up only to have her body freeze at the sight of her nightmare.

“Y-you- I-I know you!”

The sharp jaw line, the red raven hair, the dark eyes; everything was rushing back to her just as the numbing pain reached every bruises that came from last night’s dream.

“W-who are you?!”

The stranger displayed the most malicious grin, excitement pouring out of him from what was to come.

“You’re worst nightmare.”