"Jiyeon-ah,"

The words of the dying man in the car seat next to her startled Jiyeon but they also gave her some kind of hope, hope that he might still be able to make it. 

"Ahjussi.." She responded, drawing her attention away from the dirt road and the large body of water quickly approaching her.

"You have to live on, Jiyeon-ah, you can't die yet. Even if we're not together, you have to live."

His words were weak and heavy, as if just speaking them took the very life out of him.

"And I'm sorry for all these years and not telling you, I'm sorry for the lies."

Her eyes became even wetter at his words and became drier. She didn't know what to think, she knew she should hate him and maybe somewhere inside her did but he was her ahjussi. He was the man who'd raised her, the man who'd nutured and taken care of her, the man who made her ramen with eggs, he was her bestfriend. Even if he did kill her father, she just couldn't bring herself to hate him.

"Ahjussi.." Was all she could say in response.

"Mianhe, Jiyeon-ah."

And with those words, his hands slipped from hers and she knew it was done. He was dead.

"Ahjussi!" She rapidly stopped the car and urgently called out to him, her voice cracked and her face stained with tears. "Please come back! Don't leave me ahjussi!"

-.

A month has passed and yet Jiyeon still dwells on the last words her Ahjussi spoke to her, although he'd most likely be disappointed. She wasn't do much living these days, just the opposite. There wasn't a single night that'd gone by without her dragging herself back to the apartment she shared with Eunjung without bruises and the stench of alcohol on her. Eunjung would try to help but Jiyeon would just scream at her and tell her to mind her own business, fair to say that their friendship had started to deteriorate. 

Tonight wasn't much different either. She was laying in an alley, battered and bleeding, with the world around her spinning.

She lets a bitter laugh escape her swollen lips.

"Ahjussi, you're so unfair. You left and wouldn't let me join you."

She felt the tears threatning to bleed out but she kept them in, she wouldn't cry ever again.

-

Jinwoon was walking merrily along the street, the case carrying his guitar held firmly in his hands. His thoughts were happy ones, he'd made enough money tonight to last him a whole two weeks of meals, the smile on his face had never been wider.

"Do you hear me, ahjussi?! You unfair old man, dying on your own! Wae? Why couldn't I join you?!"

Caught off guard by the sudden voice, he turns his attention to the alley way he's standing in front of and finds someone laying on the floor.

"Yah, are you okay?"

He moves closer as the unknown person begins to sit up and he sees it's a girl. She looks young, with short dark hair cut in an odd fashion and a thick coat of eyeliner around her doe-like eyes. Her face is also bloody, he guesses it's from the cut underneath her right eye, her nose and lips are swollen and her left eye is starting to turn a purple-ish color.

"Mm. I'm fine." She answers while she nods.

She begins, with much difficulty, to get up.

"Do you need any help?" He askes

"Ani. I'm fine."

She begins to walk, rather limp, away. This makes Jinwoon worry even more and he begins to walk after her.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?: I could help you call a taxi or something."

"I said I don't need any help!" Jiyeons' words are fierce and stern, making Jinwoon feel like an idiot for even bothering to help.

"Tsk, forget I even asked then." He replies angrily and begins to walk away, but after a few steps he stops and turns to look at her limping, fading figure.

I wonder what could happen to a person that'd make them like this, he thinks as he watches this unknown, battered, girl limp away into the night.