~ Flashback ~

Minju walked up to her locker the next morning, she still couldn't bring herself to even smile. That wasn't what her eomma would've wanted, but she still couldn't get over the loneliness.

Of course there were Yuna and Halla, but it just didn't feel the same without her mom by her side. Right after her eomma passed away, the doctors had checked and official said that Minju had a slight depression issue. 

She tried to drown herself in the school swimming pool...

Luckily, the teachers found her just in time and rushed her to the hospital. The doctors said she was free to leave after a week, but only if she treated her depression properly under medication. That meant meeting sessions with the school counselors every day after school for her, and she hated when they asked questions she didn't want to answer. 

Of course she loved her eomma. Of course she knew that her mother would want her to be happy , of course her mom wanted the best for her . But Minju knew she didn't need counseling to get it over, it was just making it worse.

It had been a month already, her bluish skin from near-drowning was finally filling with colour now , and she was vomiting less and less now. All she had now was occasional pain in her chest and a little out of breath.

She walked on her own to her locker , the last thing she needed was everyone staring at her because the news was buzzing around the school. 

" Hello ? " someone called after her from behind. It wasn't familiar.

Minju turned around, it was a boy . He was walking up to her.

" Um, do I know you ? " she asked. 

" I forgot ! Hi, Joshua imnida . " he greeted . " Joshua Hong . "

He looked new around here, with his orange backpack and bright look. 

" Can I help you ? " Minju asked .

He took out something from his pocket , " I think this is yours , you dropped it on the way down the bus . " 

It was the emergency inhaler the doctors gave Minju in case she ran out of breath. She must've wasn't been looking when she left her seat. 

She took the inhaler with a shy look , " You followed me down the bus ? But this is block B , it's miles away from the gate . " 

He smiled kindly, " I had to give it back , I know an inhaler's important . My dad's a doctor , I know a thing or two. " 

" T-thank you..." she said, still shy. " Sorry it took your time . "

" Nah, it's no big deal. " he said and then just looked at her for some time.

" What are you looking at me ? " Minju asked him when she was starting to get uncomfortable.

He raised his eyebrows, " You look really sad, you know. Is there something bothering you ? "

She looked away and hesitated, " How you would know ? " 

" It's just , you look like someone that would normally smile . "

Minju looked down the floor, " I don't feel like smiling, really..."

Joshua took a step closer and tried looking at her, " That's okay if you don't wanna smile now, but promise me you'll smile again someday. "

Minju looked up at him, for a thirteen year old he was quite tall . " Why ? "

He smiled again, " Because you're already pretty , you must look really really pretty when you smile. And... I want to see it in person. "

She blushed a little , and it was such a miracle...

She smiled for the first time in ages...

~ End Of Flashback~

I woke up as my eyes slowly fluttered open , blinking out the black spots.

Wasn't I supposed to be dead ? 

Then why was I lying on the hospital bed ?

Mrs Son wouldn't be that kind to waste her money and send me to the hospital, she would just blindly assume that I was already dead. So why was I here ? 

I struggled to look around and I saw-

Joshua Hong. 

He was sound asleep as his head lay at the side of the hospital bed, expression calm . I tried to place my hand away, but I woke him up by mistake. His eyes darted open and looked at me sleepily.

" Hi..." was the first thing he said to me.

" Hi..." it was the obvious answer I gave. 

He smiled the same smile everyday we met at the lockers," Feeling any better ? " 

" Wasn't I supposed to die ? " I asked him, it was hardly a whisper. 

He pursed his lips, I knew he felt really bad. 

" Then why where you born to this world ? " he replied. " To throw away your life ? " 

I was getting a little watery-eyed, god... " It's complicated, Joshua. "

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly, " Minju, a few years ago I asked you why weren't you smiling, and I said you can take your time to tell me , I'm telling you the same thing right now. I don't need to know what's bothering you , I just don't want to see you do anything stupid..."

" I think I just cracked..." I said. " My life is so miserable..."

He took my hand and squeezed it, " But that doesn't make it a reason for you to ruin it yourself , right ? "

" I guess so..."

He held my hand close to his cheek, it was really comforting. 

" Like when we were kids, I still can't over the fact that you're so pretty, and you're even more prettier when you smile . I really want to see that smile again."

" I'm not that pretty, I know I'm not..."

He smiled again, " That's what every girl says, but I just wanna see you smile. "

Miraculously, despite the misery I was having, I smiled slightly.

" See ? That's better . " he said. " You're hungry ? " 

I shook my head, " Not really..."

" Well, at least drink some water . " he got up from his seat and started pouring me a glass .

The door creaked open and the doctor came in , he was man in his early fifties and had neatly combed hair and a colourful bow tie that clashed with his grey suit. 

" Ah, I see you're awake . " he said. " Feeling any better ? "

I nodded, " I am, thank you. "

He nodded, " That's good to know , and I hope Joshua here is doing a good job taking care of you. "

I turned to Joshua, " You know each other ?"

Joshua chuckled ,and handed me the glass of water gently, " Minju, he's my dad. "

I was quite thrown off, the fact that I forgot Joshua's father was a doctor. And now he was standing right before me. 

" H-hello, Mr Hong ." I quivered.

" Oh, no need for that . " Mr Hong waved it away. " Now if you'll excuse me , I have some patients to attend to . The nurse will come shortly to check on you. " and he walked out the room.

" He looks like a really fun person . " I noted.

Joshua rolled his eyes, " Who doesn't like a doctor that would wear a clown bow tie to work ? It's just him being wacky to cheer everyone up. "

I was quiet for a while as I drank the water, Joshua didn't even say a word until I opened my mouth.

" How did you get me here just in time ? I mean, how did you know I slit my wrists? "

He thought for a second, " I went to the cafe , and I didn't see you around like you always do . I figured something was wrong , so I sneaked upstairs. I remebered you said you lived in the attic. The door was unlocked and no one answered , so I went in and found you on the bed. "

He didn't continue .

" What did Mrs Son say ? " 

" Well, I didn't give her the chance to say anything . I threatened to call the police if she didn't let me out. " he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

I sighed, " She's so gonna kill me when I get back..."

Joshua was silent for sometime , then he just looked at me with a serious gaze. 

" Not if you don't go back . " he said.

" What do you mean ? " I frowned.

" Minju, if you had a choice to get out of that god-damned place , would you ? "

" That's all I ever wanted. "

" If you had the choice to go somewhere else..."he hesitated. " Let's say, my house...would you ? "

" You mean let me stay at your house ? " 

He nodded, " You might say so , what d'you think ? Don't worry, my parents are totally okay with it ! "

" I'm not sure, I don't want to burden you..."

" If that's the problem, then it isn't . " he said eagerly. " You deserve better, and I want to help you. I know you're not incapable of taking care of yourself , don't get me wrong . But please, just let me do something for you. The whole point is I don't want you staying there, with all those people, everything you don't like. "

" Well..." I didn't know what to say, really. The truth was, I just wanted to say yes . Was yes such a hard thing to say ? Maybe there was just this block in my mind that worried that I would become a burden for others, but Joshua was different. 

I could say anything to him, he would listen. And I was desperate to forget every single thing that I left behind, that I thought would forever be there when I died. 

The problem was, I didn't die.

I wanted to escape everything, just give it a rest for some time. I needed to heal.

There was the answer.

" Okay. " I said. " I'll stay at your house , but only until I find another way. "

His face lit up , " That's awesome ! I'll my mom to confirm it, I'll get you checked out tomorrow morning, then I'll drive you there. Is that okay with you ? "

" That sounds great to me . " 

He was constantly grinning now , that made me want to ask more and more.

" Joshua , why are you doing all this for me ? " I asked him.

He held my hand and squeezed it.

" Because I like seeing you smile. "