“Hyung,” Hongbin called for the man who was busy with his clothes, “Where’s Areum?”.

Hakyeon put down the iron and looked to the person next to him, “Oh, Hongbin, you’re awake!”

“Yes, Where is she?”  His voice was pitched as he felt desperate after searching for the name in their little house without a good result.

“She went outside with Kyunggi, not less than five minutes ago—“

“Oh !”. Just like that, Hongbin forgot about his hangover and put on his shoes, “Where??”

Hakyeon gulped. “I’m— I’m not really sure…”

When hakyeon looked for his brother, he wasn't there anymore. “Hongbin…”

Oh God, I’m so—

“Hakyeon hyung,” Someone called for him again,“Where’s Noona?” with the same question as before.

“I—“ Hakyeon almost bit his tongue, “I don't know, what I know is that she went out with Kyunggi! About 10 minutes ago!”

Hyuk just nodded and went to the shoe rack, “Ah, well, If Ken Hyung ask then tell him that i’m out for an ice cream!”

Ice cream? sigh….

“Hakyeon,” One last call for the afternoon, “Where’s Areum?” to ask the same question.

He was about to unplug the iron, but things like that made him change his mind, “Huh? Areum?”

“Yes, where is she?”. What’s with this bad feeling….

“Tsk,” Hakyeon sighed. He felt he wanted to hit his head onto the table but it was just impossible. “She told me not to tell anyone but— just— just—“ 

hakyeon told his friend to come closer for a whisper, "Taekwoon," 

"Eh? You're going somewhere?" Hakyeon folded his clothes and took a glimpse at the girl who passed by. "With Kyunggi?"

 She tightened her arms around his brother. Her eyes were sorrow, in contrast of how happy she was when her brother called her 'noona' , "yup"

Hakyeon could sense it, "Ah, I see, so where are you going?" and it gave him more reason to know more.

"Jangnang" Areum bit her lips and stopped as she faced her back to Hakyeon, "We're going to visit our mom". 

And before Hakyeon got to throw more question, Areum  was already walking away from the house.

Leo gasped at the whispers, “Huh?”

Hakyeon dropped his face, “Just— just go,”

. Hakyeon let his friend go with a heavy eyes, you'e so biased— "Aisssh!!! not this shirt!" before he turned his attention to the clothe that he just burned.

Leo bent and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch some air. How is Jangnang a clue??. He was running around the big streets while asking some people, whether they happened to see a tiny girl with a cute baby on her hands. He knew that it was stupid, but, what else could he do?. 

“ Excuse me, ma'am, perhaps, do you see a girl about this height, wearing a white shirt and jeans, with a baby on her hands?” Leo approached the old lady who sat in front of a flower shop, “Her hair is about this long and—“

“Ah,” The old lady smiled and got up from her bench, “The girl who had a very nice smile, right? The one with a baby named… Kyung… Kyunggi?”.

He nodded in eager, “Yes, Yes”. Leo has lost his cool.

“Girlfriend?” She walked to the street and pointed in a direction, “She went that way after she bought a bouquet of daisies”.

Leo bowed and returned the smile, “Thank you, thank you so much” before running through the avenue.

Sanghyuk threw himself onto the empty swing. “She needs a cellphone, for sure”. He was never far from the house, assuming that Areum and Kyunggi were only going out for an ice cream or treats. He has checked on every stall within the distance of walking, but he only ended up heaving and panting on an empty park in front of a busy street. “Noona… where are—“. 

His phone rang right before he finished his mutter. “Hyung?”

“Hyukkie! where are you?”. The exclamation from Ken hardly made things better.

“I’m going out for an ice cream”. Hyuk clucked, “What do you want?”

“Liar,”. Hyuk widened his eyes and looked to his left, a guy was walking towards him. “Seriously, what are you doing?”

Hyuk rolled his eyes, “Ken hyung,” and just let him sit on the empty swing next to him. “Arent you supposed to be in school?”

“It was a morning class,” Ken grinned and started to swing himself, “I was about to go straight back home, but then, I bumped into someone. and that someone only said sorry without looking at me”.

And that someone has to be me… “Well, I’m sorry for that”

“sure. next question, why did you lie?” Ken sat on the ground and stood before his brother, “Come on, you tell me or I—“

“or you what?” the younger looked away, “I was just looking for her, thats it”.

ah… this boy is hopeless… From where he stood, he lowered his gaze so that he could meet his sloppy eyes. Ken saw that he was more than ‘just looking for her’, “Why were you looking for her?” and so he intended to know what it was. “Wait— she’s not missing again, right??”

“No,” Hyuk sighed, “I guess… I mean, Hakyeon hyung know that she went out and like…”

“Then why are you acting like she’s leaving without saying goodbye?” He shrugged.

Am I?. “Huh?”

“Sanghyuk,” Ken continued, “You were lying to me, you ran as if you were chased by a dog, why?”

Hyuk scratched and shook his head, “I— I— I dont— I don't know!”

Ken just stayed still, “Hyuk—“

“Its just— its just that I feel like I need to see her now!” Hyuk raised his voice until it almost sounded like he was scolding, “Never mind, I’ll see you later”. He got up and walked away.

“hey, I’m coming with you—“

“NO,” Hyuk said it loud and clear, “Hyung, please,” then continue with a muffled voice, “Its not even your business, so—“

“Okay, I get it” Ken shrugged, “I’ll see you later and good luck!

”What?”. Leo froze and his lips parted. His eyes were sure of it, were sure of where she was going as Areum and kyunggi were reachable from his sight. But above anything,  his minds weren’t. “no…”

He decided to just go along and tailed them silently. While hooking his eyes on them, He kept his distance and just followed them. Why?. Slowly, His mind was getting cramped with his thoughts. Why here?.

His surroundings were clear enough in his eyes, he absolutely knew just where he was. And knowing where he was, was also a good enough reason to keep his distance from the Areum and Kyunggi. he quickly hid behind a tree and slid his head to peek at the two people who had sat in front of one of the thousands of tombstone around theml. 

Areum placed the bouquet in front of the stone and bowed. Next to her, Kyunggi was surprisingly calm and followed her doing. Leo could only see their backs, but he was sure that they were crying. Or at least, areum was crying. 

“Hyung,”. Leo pulled his head back to hide behind the tree when he heard the baby’s voice. “Noona, hyung”. 

Areum turned around and held her brother who were staring at a particular tree, “Hyung?”. Without brushing her tears, She picked him up and walked towards the tree. “Ah… hyung….”.

Her eyes immediately capture Leo's who had it closed. and the baby, Kyunggi, Knowing just who was the person in front of him made him  instinctively spread his arms and reached for the broad shoulder, “Eeo hyung,” as he jumped out of his sister hands.

Leo sighed and tilted his head to meet her stares, “I— I’m sorry”.

“No, it's okay, but like, can you hold on to him for a while?”. Areum smiled and turned around to walk back to the tombstone.

As Areum did her ritual, Leo decided to look for a place to sit. In his mind, he knew that its either she and Kyunggi are going to go straight back home, or they’re going to have a long talk about what just happened. 

“leo,”. He was about to rest his back when she mentioned his name, “Come and say hi to her!”.

Leo got up and brought Kyunggi along him. Areum was still sitting in front of the grave, and gave him a reassuring smile. with that sign, He sat next to her, and nodded before he turned his gaze to the stone in front of him, and bowed.

“Lee In na,” After some moment of silence, Leo read the carved stone. 

“Mom, this is Leo,” Areum carress the stone, “Leo, this is my mom”.

Leo nodded, and paid his respect. He sent her prayers, and one particular thiought in his head; Thank you. 

After a long pause ; “Well, Its not like I’m hiding this, cause like, I actually went to this place a lot,” Through her words, she was like reading his mind. “and yeah, aren't you going to ask anything?”.

Leo pursed his lips and just continued to stare at the name. I have plenty to ask.

And again, Areum managed to read his mind. “Its been almost two years since her death. Mom died right after she got to deliver that angel next  to you” She leaned forward, looked to the side and searched for her brother, “Ah, I bet she’s now smiling at how handsome her son is now”.

Kyunggi crawled to Leo’s arm, and rest on his shoulder. “She’ll be smiling at how you look at your brother too,”. Leo hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead.

“No way, if she could, she would definitely raise from the grave and scold me for everything that I’ve done” Areum let out a chuckle, “Eomma… please forgive your daughter…”

She slid closer to the guy next to her, “Can I borrow this muscle ball for a while?” and place her head on his left shoulder, “Now I see why Kyunggi love you so much. what a broad torso.”.

He couldn't lie, the moment she leaned on him, Jung Taekwoon turned into a boy again. His cheeks were blushing and his heart beat faster. Knowing just where and when they were, he knew that he just had to hold it all up and be there for her. “Sure”.

“Thank you,”

Leo eyed at the girl’s temple that still visible from his eyes, “?”

“For not asking,” It was after more than ten minutes since she rested on him when she sat back herself. 

While he let his hands played with Kyunggi, his eyes were at full attention to her, 
“Areum,”. Leo killed the silence, “you cant lie but why would you hide some things?”

Areum slid a smile. “Because just like you, there are things that i want to keep for myself” Her words made more sense to him. "Now let me ask you something; why are you here?"

He lowered his gaze, "I'm just here". Trust me, I don't even know why.

"Well, that's a shame, if you weren't here, I bet I'm already catching the next bus to sochko or—” 

"Eh?" Leo looked at her, "You?"

"Yup, I was going to ask my mom's permission to leave this place--"

"But—"

"But then I forgot that I left all of my money at home, so, yeah" She shrugged and continue to stare at the grave, ignoring his eyes that never left her face. "Now let me be a melancholy brat, but, do I even deserve to call that house 'home'?"

If only he hadn't had a baby on his hand, Leo would love to joint his hands and squeeze his disagreement. "Of course you do"

"Nah, I don't need a 'too good person' to tell me that, cause in the end, you will always say anything good,"  Areum pursed her lips and nodded, "I might seem brainless but I'm not stupid"

Leo slid his left hands to gently hold onto her right hand. 

"I have passed my limit, I don't think I could continue to pretend and—"

"Then don't," He squeezed his hands, making the girl shifted her attention to him. "Don't pretend and don't leave".

Areum looked away, “This is hella awkward. What are you, an actor?” as she tried to hide the redness of her cheek. “For God sake, Hongbin we're still at school!”

“We are,” Hongbin grabbed her hand and pulled her to the nearest bench. “I do have a look of an actor though, but like, I’m not acting” He shrugged, and told her to sit next to him.

After a fought with her inner thoughts, Areum finally chose to fill in the empty space. “They’ll hate you”

“I know,” 

“I’ll hate you,”. Hongbin looked to his right, and stayed with her eyes. “If you ever leave me, I will hate you for real”

“Can you hold on to my brother for today?” She lowered her head, and got up, “I— I need to—“

“Sure,” Leo nodded, and tried to break the ice, “I know that you wont leave without Kyunggi, so,”

Arum chuckled at his words, and left the place. “Thank you,”

“Kyunggi-ya, will she be okay?”. Even after she left, Leo couldn't get his eyes off her path. "I love her so much, but what can I do?"

“Oh …..”

“You just cursed,” He stayed on his feet, and calmly looking at her. 

Oh God…. This has to be a joke… “Hi, Hongbin” Areum pulled her lips for a little smile, and froze. She was facing her current nightmare within the range of Kyunggi’s crawl. “Whats up—“

“Don't 'whats up' me” in reverse of her ‘trying to be normal’ tone, he was the most serious person on the street. “And listen to me”

It was almost evening and they were both standing on the same empty street. No cars and no people passed by them. Neither of them know how on earth they could end up there, as each of them has their own thoughts of relief, and regrets.

“S— sure…” Without her realizing it, she started to move her feet backwards. 

Hongbin knew that she was about to run, and so he had to be faster with his words. “I’m sorry!”. Like a shy boy who confessed, it was almost like he shout it out. “I— I—“

“No! Don’t! It's not your fault! For real! Just— You know— like, we— we can forget it and I— I mean, you— It was an accident, so—“

“An Accident?”. Both Hongbin and Areum widened their eyes in surprised. “Ah, well…”.

“It wasn't an accident,” His face was flushed in embarrassment and his heart also beat faster than his run. “I kissed you because I want to”.

“Huh?” She soared, “Oh— wait, what?!”

“Huh?” And so it was his turn to be confused.

“So, you’re saying sorry because you kissed me, right?” Areum broke down her thought, “Thats it?”

Hongbin tried to follow, “No…”

She pitched, “No?!”.

“Look, I— I’m sorry for crossing the line, for perhaps, I made you uncomfortable with my actions, but,” he sighed, “But I’m not going to say sorry over my action, Cause I was being truthful”

“Oh…” She nodded and got back to her sense, “So that's it… right?”

Thats it?. “What do you mean?”

“Ho— hongbin, can you refresh my memory?” With her barely heard voice, she spoke. “ when— and where was the first time we met?” 

Hongbin frowned, “is this a pop quiz or—“

“Just answer me!”

“Okay, okay..." He nodded, " It was when we were in high school, you,”. For no reason, he started to feel his heart ache, “You came to me when I was practicing basketball for entering the club. It was late, but then we still got to play one on one—”.

“I see,” Areum lowered her eyes to the ground, and bowed. “Tha— Thank you”.

“You’re welcome…”. Hong was confused for her bow, but then he was more than that when he saw her tears as she stood back, “Hey—“

Before he finished to shout, Areum already turned around and made her run out of the streets. 

Hongbin let her go. “What?” as he tried to understand everything. I was confessing to her… right? I mean, did she even get what I’m saying—. But then Hongbin stopped thinking once he realized that she was no longer visible,  “Damn!!! She’s faster than Hakyeon Hyung!!” and started to move his feet to catch up with her.

“Being hated by you is the worst thing that could happen to me,” Hongbin wrapped her shoulder with his hands, “So you don't have to worry about that”

“Ekhm,”. Areum cleared a throat, making him pulling his hand back. 

“Hahahaha, oh god,” He laughed at his fail action, “Well, yeah, but really, it's obvious that you feel the same way as I do so,” He leaned forward, and looked to the side and rest his eyes on her. “So be honest with yourself. You don't have to say it, but,  just don't lie to yourself”

Areum looked away, as his gazes were starting to weaken her feet. “I don't need your pity,”

Hongbin changed his gaze into a look of confusion. “Pity?”. He then moved from the bench to the ground, as he sat right in front of her. “I’m not a bad person, and I do want to help you with anything, for you, but,” He carefully lowered her hands and placed it on his, “But I like you ever since I found out that your clumsy and ridiculous self are cute and beautiful. I have wanted you since then!” Excitement started to fill his voice.

Areum stole a glance at him. 'This guy…'

“And only today, I just knew that like everyone else, there are things that you like to keep for yourself, and I get it, cause I do too,” He nodded and chuckled, “But I’m also happy that I get to be the person who know more about you, more than anyone in the world”.

She could help but to release her tears. 

“I won't ask for anything but this,” from sitting, he moved into kneeling, as he held both of her hands, and made her look at him, “Lee Areum, can I call you my girlfriend?”

Yes!!! He doesn't remember!  In between her salty tears that dripped at her steps, she managed to laugh. He doesn’t.

*are you guys still with me? huhu i just started my project and I realized that I had a lot of things to do. But still I will try to update this more often*