Chapter Nineteen.

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Hana would stare out of her window every now and then, hoping to see something unusual. But nothing ever happened. Their neighbor, Mr. Kim would leave the house at nine, sharp while his wife yelled at the top of her voice. He would return two hours later with staggering steps, and yell back at his wife.

Their other neighbors, the Lees, would gather together for a prayer before they began their meal. They would laugh while the youngest narrated funny incidents from school. And when they were done with their supper, the kids would get up, taking their plates with them, and put the chairs back in their places.

The other house was still empty. It had been almost a year now, since the last family moved out. However, the house hadn’t found new inhabitants.

So, Hana would stare, hoping another family would join in. And she could stare until she learnt everything about them.

It was a fateful evening when she saw a moving truck. Her hands were perched on the grills of her room's window, and her face sported a purple bruise. But the only thing she was interested in was the moving truck. She watched as the men got off the truck to bring the cartons inside while a woman in her mid-thirties looked on, inspecting them. Her eyes then went to the cheerful boy, around the same age as hers, who was wandering here and there restlessly.

She didn’t know what came over her, but she silently ran out of the front door. Her mother had been busy helping her step-brother with his homework, and her step-father had passed out on the couch. Hesitantly, she walked towards the house. She hadn’t bothered wearing shoes. The young cheerful boy finally caught sight of the young girl, he ran towards her rather merrily. He was happy to find a new companion, to possibly befriend.

His steps came to a halt when he noticed the purple bruise, and the ugly gash on her forearm. He turned around abruptly, Hana thought she had frightened him and he would never come back. But he did, with the older woman this time.

“What is your name, darling?” the older woman asked, while the boy looked on curiously. 

Hana continued to stare at them timidly.

“Do you live nearby?” she asked when the girl didn’t answer. Hana slowly nodded and pointed towards her house.

“Would you let me treat your wounds?” she asked carefully. Hana bit her lips before nodding again.

“Good, Baekhyun, there’s a small first-aid kit in my handbag, can you get that for me, dear?”

“Yes, Omma,” he exclaimed gleefully, and ran inside the house.

Hana flinched slightly when Baekhyun’s mother applied the stinging ointment on her gash, but never uttered a word.

“There, all better,” she smiled warmly. “Now will you sit here and play with Baekhyun while I go check on things outside?”

Hana nodded again.

“Hi, I’m Baekhyun,” Baekhyun grinned. “What is your name?”

“Hana,” she softly muttered after a while.

“Well, Hana, would you like to be my friend?” he asked gleefully, to which Hana furiously nodded.

“Okay, then, friends?”

He extended his hand towards her, she hesitantly held out her clammy palm. Baekhyun chuckled and shook her hand.

***

Hana glared at the people around her, but continued to make her way through the hallways anyway. She made her way to the senior wing, towards Baekhyun’s class. Since he had been a year older than her, they didn’t really get to spend much time together, other than during lunch. She dreaded the time when Baekhyun would graduate and she would be left alone in the hell-hole that they called school.

A few of the students made an attempt to smile when she passed by them. But, Hana remained stoic. Baekhyun had advised her plenty of times that things would get difficult for her in college if she refused to interact more with people. But Hana couldn’t even bother trying. It wasn’t like she despised the people around her; it was just that she couldn’t really bring herself to talk to anyone on her own. Sure, she answered when being spoken to, but that was it. She could never really converse more. Besides, she didn't need other friends, she had Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun,” she called out the minute she reached his classroom. He had been laughing with his bunch of friends, and a couple other students, most of them who happened to be the girls. Hana didn’t like it one bit. Why did Baekhyun have to be so nice to the other kids, she didn’t understand. Besides, she was certain all of those girls simply wanted to date him. She wasn’t going to let that happen. Baekhyun was meant to be with her, she had met him first.

“Hey Hana,” he greeted back. Hana’s lips however were stretched in a thin line. He knew she wasn’t amused to see him laughing with other people. He hated that about Hana. Whenever, she was with him, she was this wonderful girl who smiled, laughed and talked about her dreams. But in front of others, she behaved like a cold, aloof girl, who couldn’t care less about anyone around. He wanted her to befriend more people, he was certain they would like her once they got to know her.

They had come a long way. Hana was no longer the timid, shy girl he had met a few years ago. He had changed her into a talkative girl who knew how to laugh and be happy. He knew about her family, but he believed that there were a lot more people who suffered just like her and yet they had managed to be happy. 

He excused himself from his friends and dragged Hana outside.

“Why can’t you smile and greet people for once, Hana?” he sighed.

“I don’t want to,” she huffed.

“Hana, listen, I’d go off to college next year…what would you do then?”

“I can manage,” she replied while crossing her arms. Baekhyun rubbed his forehead gently and looked at the girl.

“Have you had lunch?”

She shook her head to show her unopened lunch box.

“I packed some stuff for you too,” she uttered in a small voice. “Don’t worry, I didn’t make it, so it’s edible.”

Baekhyun chuckled in response. “Come, let’s go eat, you big goofball.”

“I’m not a goofball,” she protested but continued walking towards their usual spot, which happened to be a bench under an old oak tree, in the garden.

“Uhm…