XIX

     Darkness welcomed Li when she woke up in the middle of the night. She winced as pain shot through her ankle and she reached for the lamp on her bedside table to flick it on.

     Her eyebrows furrowed on the foreign surrounding. Once again she felt pain on her left foot and looked down. She suddenly sat up when things started to sink in her mind and Taehyung's troubled face flashed back inside her head. She automatically spun around and landed her eyes on the wall clock that read 2:30.

How long was I unconscious?

     She bit her lower lip and gained courage through letting a deep breathe out before flipping her blanket away. Li heaved a heavy sigh of relief when she saw it was nothing too serious and she still have her left foot.

     She laid back down and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts once again flew to Taehyung.

“We should've stayed hancuffed to each other”

“Yeah, we should've”

     She palmed herself from humiliation.

Why did I said that? Li, are you stupid or are you stupid?

     She shook her head to change her thoughts then looked at the door and wondered if her family already know about her accident.

     But her heart skipped million beats when her eyes landed on a person sleeping on the sofa near the door. She held her chest in surprise.

     Li blinked her eyes a couple of times to recognize the individual.

     Her eyes dilated when realization hit her. “Taehyung,” She whispered.

     The guy stirred from his nap and automatically sat up when he saw Li wide awake in her bed while staring at him.

“Oh, you're awake,” He mumbled while tiredly rubbing his eyes.

“W-why are you here?”

“Someone has to look out for you. The nurse said the anesthesia will wear away some time in the middle of the night and that might wake you up,” He said while walking near her. “And you really did," He added while dragging a chair and sat on it by her bedside.

“Oh,” She bit her inside cheek when she realized he's actually caring for her.

“We're going back to Seoul tomorrow”

     Her ears irked up. “We?”

     Taehyung nodded. “I'm taking you home”

What? “A-are you allowed to leave the camp?” Li asked nervously. She didn't know why her heart beat suddenly raced.

“Mrs. Yoon gave me the permission,” He assured.

     She nodded and hesitated before asking. “Did my family already know?”

     Taehyung nodded that made her face sulk.

“Did I worried them too much?” Li's voice almost broke.

“You're not at fault,” He comforted.

“Then who is?” She asked while playing with her fingertips to somehow compensate her anxiety.

“Me”

     Li shot her head up to face Taehyung. His eyes filled with concern and worry.

“Of course not!” She blurted.

     Taehyung continued to stare at her without uttering a single word. She was at loss for words and filled with ambivalence. Taehyung slowly stood up and sent her a weak smile before heading for the door.

“Yah! Kim Taehyung I mean Kim Chansoo, are you stupid or are you stupid?!” Li bursted out loud and sat back up.

     He halted and took a deep breath before saying, “It's my birth name”

     Li got taken aback by his vague statement.

     Taehyung turned around to face her again. “Taehyung, it's the name my parents gave me”

      formed into an O shape and mentally slapped herself upon remembering herself accusing him of being a liar for telling her a different name instead of what everyone calls him.

“S-so why is everyone calling you C-chansoo?” She stutterly asked in confusion.

“It's the name your grandparents gave me. They said I wasn't able to speak for weeks after my parents died and they needed a name for the adoption papers so they just gave me a new one instead”

     She fumed in anger mostly for herself. “W-why are telling me all of this just now? You actually let me accuse you of something you didn't do!”

“I thought you're not interested to know,” He hanged his head low.

     Seeing him in that state made