In the middle of the night, Seungcheol awoken accidentally. He couldn’t close his eyes because some thought creeped his mind. He couldn’t stop staring at your ivory ceiling. As his mind made up train of thought, soft breath was heard next to him.

He was jumped that made his wound stung again, then he realized it’s you that haven’t slept for the night. He furrowed his eyebrows, “You don’t sleep?”

Of course you don’t, who could anyway. Having a criminal sleeping in your house. Who knows he plans on doing another crime towards your family. No. You have to protect your family and keep watching him.

“No. I’m fine.” You replied shortly.

Seungcheol can’t deny that he feels sorry for her. He knows something was bothering her since the day he appeared. But situation was hard too for him, he thought everything wouldn’t be like this if catastrophes didn’t keep happen to him.

“Thank you,” Seungcheol opened his mouth. You looked up but didn’t give any specific respond, “and sorry for those troubles.”

Next minute you found him had closed his eyes again, could he be that peace with everything he made? But not long after that your vision fainting, slowly your eyelids falling closed. Without your knowing you almost collapsed before you startled and back to realization again. You actually looked awkward.

“Go get some sleep, you looked crocked,” Seungcheol gazed from the corner of his eyes, truthfully, he has been watching you but pretended he slept.

You were embarrassed that he saw you collapsed moments ago, you couldn’t hide your embarrassed face, “I just felt a little sleepy,”

Seungcheol let out breath of desperation.

“How did that happen?” You asked. Having a short conversation isn’t bad right?

“Do you want a straight away answer or the chronology?” he asked you back, giving options.

“Both, maybe?”

Seungcheol smirked, satisfied enough that you are curious about him, “Well, as I recall it was stupid,” He paused to sit up on the couch. “3 days ago, I thought to come back to Seoul instead, get over everything and begin a new life after that incident. Unfortunately, police was securing around the town even the station, and discouraged me.” He trailed.

His hands ran across his hair, made his broad forehead visible, “I don’t know I would felt so much burden. That damn punk who caused all of this, polices, myself, and you.” He ended. You were startled hearing your name being called.

“What about me?”

He turned his head to your direction, “Things between me and you hadn’t finished yet and I had already thought to run away. Who knows you would call me to the police? I’m so pathetic, right?” He chuckled at himself. But you denied his confession earlier was right.

You and he made a long contact before he grinned cheekily, felt only he knows, “About where did I get this was an accident in fact. I was walking around the town, then two guys followed me, approached me, one of them threated me with knife before he cut my leg and got my wallet.” He paused to take a breath, “What an ill-fated.” Rather than regretting, he looked like he found it ridiculous.

“Did you report them to the police?” You felt you were the silliest creature on Earth after Seungcheol face palmed like his life is already gone.

Then you realize, he was phobia to police, you grinned in silly way, “Sorry, never mind about my question. So where did you sleep yesterday?”

“Uhh, I stayed in a simple motel downtown.”

“Ahh…so you lived in motel.” Unconsciously you yawned. You don’t know listening to someone talking absorbed energy too. Next time that you know is, your eyes is very heavy until it shut down eventually.

Another morning crept in by sunshine that penetrates into your house through the window. You peeked before you could see clearly where you at. You suddenly had a little amnesia, how can you moved from the floor to the couch. Next time, you realized Seungcheol should have slept here, did he gave up his sleep spot for you?

“Couch seemed more comfortable than the floor, isn’t it?” Seungcheol boomed, broke the silence from the front door.

He had changed the last outfit you remembered into simple one—pale blue shirt and a pair of old jeans—damn, he looks good on that, palpitating your heart.

“Seungcheol?” You stated made him hummed at you. “Where did you find that clothes?”

Seungcheol checked on his outfit that looked fine, “Oh, your grandmother gave me, she said I should change because my clothes are wrecked.”

You still have few question but suddenly your grandmother popped up from inside your mind, “Where’s my grandmother?”

“She’s in the garden.” You jumped out the couch right away and left without saying anything to him. He was dumbfounded.

You trailed uphill via stoned pathway. To go to your garden, you and your grandmother built a small flower garden at the side of the pathway. When spring is coming, the way is full of blossoms from lily to tulip. Your grandmother takes care of those plants everyday sometimes you helped hose them every morning.

Now winter almost come, the plants were on hibernation forms and their leaves turned yellowish and some of them fell its leaves when the weather is cold.

You finally arrived in ten meter square glass building, between the tall plants you saw glimpse of your grandmother. The building was built for tropical flowers like chrysanthemum, daisy, dahlia and few more. Glass wall was to keep the temperature inside the house warmer than the outside that is good for the flowers.

“Halmeoni! Halmeoni!” you screamed toward her. She looked up to you and greeted you with a faint smile.

“You woke up, dear? Did you sleep well?” she asked while watering the plants.

“Y-yeah, of course I slept well.” You answered opposite to the truth. *If it’s not because of that injured guy I’d have slept well and didn’t feel as tired as now.* you mumbled inside your heart. “Halmeoni, whose clothes are those?”

Your grandmother paused for a moment, “What clothes, Eunhee-ya?”

“That Seungcheol wears.”

“Ah, it was your father’s when he was at his age. I still keep them in the storage room. Doesn’t he looked good in that clothes?” She uttered, asking for your opinion. Truthfully, yes. Seungcheol looks like a nice guy with his hair fell on his forehead. Your heart got goosebumps just by imagining him.

“I think so too.” You were startled, your grandmother probably has an ability to read your minds or was it because it’s obviously visible on your face?

Then, Seungcheol joined both of you, at first he was confused what should he do because literally he was still stranger, there is wrong feeling if he crept in the middle of someone’s business. Eventually he only waited with the plants outside, adoring their beautifulness. Before he started to shriek out because of a bug. You ended up checked on him.

“What are you? 5 years old kid, a girl? Seriously, bugs?” You approached him, annoyed already.

He was in fighting pose when you came, when the bug was gone he stopped whatever he was doing, “Whatever you say. But they are still annoying.” He complained.

What was that? A tough serial killer like Choi Seungcheol is fear of bugs. Welcome to Alice’s wild land, Red Queen.

HELLO, I WENT HOMETOWN FOR A WEEK, SO THE UPDATE DELAYED. TRULY SORRY FOR THAT.