It was another day for her, being locked up inside the confines of her ward. She had been spending her life inside the confines of the comforts of the room for quite some time now. She was not used to doing nothing, for half of her life, she did nothing but live in fast lane, everything about her runs in a pace that is too fast, even for her. She grew up in an ordinary family, not affluent or peasants. Sometimes they have lots to spend, sometimes they have to budget everything they have wisely. That’s how life for her when she was little, until she finished her studies.

  She learned to be ambitious; she had vowed to herself that one day, one day, those people who looked down at her family, who mocked them, who did nothing but to pull them down, she will make sure that they will pay, that they will eat their own words. She strives hard, not only for herself but for her family as well. They’re not poor, but if there’s one thing in the world she hates, that will be prejudice.

  At such a young age, as thirteen, Im Yoona had isolated herself to the world. She refused to entertain people, to let them enter her life, no, she had implanted in her mind that people have their reasons why they wanted to befriends with you, whatever reasons they might have, she doesn’t mind, for in the end, people who she had trusted will betray her, will backstab her, will only bring her down. And for a woman with such high ambitions, she must not entertain or bring herself to have peers.

  A lover and friends are what most people need; she acknowledges that part of life. But such reasons are plainly excuses for people who cannot live alone. She can live without anyone; she had lived without anyone by her side. At the age of three, Im Yoona had lost her mother, who unfortunately died in a lung cancer. At the age of fifteen, her older brother got into a fight and was stab at his side, which caused his death. And at the age of nineteen, Yoona lost her father, who, had enough of living and so, he committed suicide.

  Those are some major factors as to why she became cold, became isolated. Life took everything away from her, and now, it seems as though life was not contented with her family’s lives and choose to take hers too.

  She had been admitted in the Seoul Medical Center three years ago, after she had been diagnosed with a stage four lung cancer, apparently she had inherited her mother’s illness. It was hard; she refused to accept such fate, for her life and career were at its peek. She had finally reached her ambition, at least half of it. An aspiring businesswoman; a business she had started that is a baby compared to the other big and successful business around the city, and now, it all came crashing down, because of an illness.

  Yoona had sacrificed everything to reach where she is, although rookie, Yoona’s name was already rising to the top, all her hard works were slowly becoming fruitful until the day she had found out about her ending. She aim for perfection, and when she’s about to reach it, it all fall into pieces. Life is hard, it was never fair to her, or to everyone.

  That day, that afternoon, Yoona was happily watching the children play at the park behind the hospital building. It was her only release and only freedom. She had never thought of having kids before, for she detests love, she does not believed in love. But after being confined for almost four years, Yoona had changed. She had learnt to appreciate the little things life has to offer. The sunrise and sunset that she had never noticed before, now, she was more than happy whenever she’ll witness one. After having her life at the brink of death, Yoona had learned to cherish everyday that was given to her. For each day, means another hope, another chance, another opportunity to change and to learn, and because of that, she’s living her remaining days happily.

  “Noona?” The creak sound the door had made distracted her from her train of thoughts. Yoona never had a visitor before, not after last year. When a kid lost his way and accidentally entered her ward. Yoona smiles, for at least, she can now say that she already has someone she cherishes.

  “Oh, Haejun-ah. You didn’t play with your friends today?” She asked, slowly approaching the kid who was rooted at the door frame.  Yoona chuckles, for it was rare for the young kid to be quiet and reserved.

  Gently closing the door, the young boy, whose name is Haejun, slowly strides towards the bed, “Noona, how are you?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, as always” Yoona answered faintly, taking a seat beside him at the edge of her bed.

  It was mostly Haejun who had changed Yoona’s outlook in life. For she had never thought that in her life, she would be listening to a kid blabber about what happened to his day, or how his playmates had fight and reconcile, or how his parents were having their own argument. He was a kid at the age of three, but at such age, he’s mature enough to understand his surroundings.

  She pitied the young kid, for in his age; he is supposed to be minding himself alone, and that he’s not supposed to worry his family’s matter or her condition. With such kid, Yoona had thought about having her own child, but such thought might never happen, so whenever the thought would pop into her mind, she would shrug it off immediately. For it will only hurt her heart, knowing that her future, her life, was never meant to have a comrade, her own family, her own child.

  Yoona had never liked fairytales when she turned five, she remember well how her classmates were giggling and happily talking about such stories, while she, in a corner was reading something worthwhile, something no way near to fantasies that will never happened. Now that she think about it, life does not really possess a happily ever after, for such tales were only meant for kids. But do the author and publisher ever thought that, they were telling lies to children already? Who would sleep for one hundred years and still remain youthful? Maybe… a happily ever after was a lie made for children to believe that in this world, there’s happiness and it lasts long as long as you live.

  Yoona and Haejun were happily talking about his day at the mall with his parents, how they eat in a restaurant and the foods he had ordered for himself, how he had played arcade until he grew tired of it, how his parents bought him new stuffs. Yoona was only smiling, happy to see such kid being enthusiastic as he tells her his day.

  “Noona, I always pray at night that one day you can come with us and stroll at the mall. Noona, I really want to play with you, even if it’s in the park only. I want to buy ice cream for the two of us, blow some bubbles as you watch me play with my friends. You will be come out of here right noona?” Haejun said, bouncing at the edge of the bed as he innocently says his thoughts.

  Yoona felt her eyes tearing, she doesn’t know what she did to receive such care and love from a young kid, when half of her life she did nothing but to mistreat people, call them idiots when they made the slightest mistake. She had closed her life for mistakes, there’s no room for mistakes in her life, she had always wanted perfection, and to acquire perfection, one has to close all the doors for mistakes, to throw away those who are not capable to acquire perfection. She thinks of her employees low, that they were never capable of what she is able, and now, she had accepted the fact that no one is perfect. We are made with imperfections, with flaws, flaws that we might hate, but those flaws might turn out to be out strongest part.

  “Haejun-ah….” Yoona wasn’t sure of how to answer such innocent question. She was well-aware of her disease and though she refused to hear the time limit of her life, she knows, she can feel it, and that she wasn’t meant to live any longer. She had managed to survive for three years, maybe, those years were enough. But, if a child were prayer for her condition, all she can do is to blurt out a lie, a small lie.

  “Of course I will, Yoona-noona will come out here soon”

  The latter smile as he hugged her, his small arms were not enough to wrap her slim waist, but nonetheless, she can feel the warmth of his care, the warmth of his love, and here and then, Yoona had augmented hope.

  The night seems ever so quiet, most patients were now resting. But Yoona can’t help but to stare blankly at the ceiling of her room. She had been thinking about some extract from her conversation with Haejun a little while ago. How the young kid had asked her what she would do if she wasn’t here in the hospital, if she wasn’t sick. Of course the answer will be obvious, she will be back doing her business, regaining her spot as the rising rookie. But she thought, if she didn’t caught such disease, will she be able to value life, will she be able to value the mundane of things, will she even value the little kid who makes effort into visiting her now and then. Will she value and treat people as though they were equal to her, will she be able to acknowledge such flaws? She wasn’t saying that being sick is a good thing, but it has its good side. It was able to teach her what she had let slipped all her life.

  She wanted to rephrase the question, “What will she do if she gets better? If she got cured”, that will be… spending her days enjoying life, the childhood she never had, she will enjoy life traveling, enjoying the wonders of the world. That’s what she is going to do.

  Yoona pulled out the covers off her, and slowly, she removed all the wires that were attached to her body. It was a good thing that her room was on the first floor, and walking out of the main gate is not a good idea. She was a rebellious girl, and being rebellious is one of the talents she’s proud she possessed.

  Yoona changed her clothes into something casual, something not suspicious. She had wear a casual top, a cardigan, plain jeans, sneakers, and a cap. She had decided to leave some of her stuffs, for she wouldn’t need a lot, just a few clothes, her diary, and of course, her wallet.

  Yoona slid the window carefully, and sneakily slipped her body out. It was the start of her journey

****

  It was nighttime when he had arrived in the city, he had wasted his time enough into reliving his past. He was a man who used to be sociable, bubbly, amiable, but all that changed when he had lost the one person he dedicated his life to. He had woken up one day, when the truth finally slaps him in the face, past is past, and no matter how hard he tries to bring it back, it will never come back.

  He had travel miles to be in the city, to start fresh, to start anew. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted when he decided to live the premises of his country, he was never sure what he wanted in his life after that fateful day three years ago. He had never feel wasted, useless, hopeless before, and coming here, he hoped that one day, he will be able to say that he’s finally a man from the present, a man who had accepted his past and preserved it through memories. He desires for such life, but unfortunately, he cannot proclaim such life, yet.

  Xi Luhan is an heir of a renowned car merchandise, but was disowned when he tried to pursue his dream to be a painter. His father, who thinks such career is for the mediocre only, was enraged by such dream. They were a respected family, a name feared in the business industry, and such childish dream would tarnish the reputation his father had held onto for a long time. He is an only child after all, he was, even before he could talk, was already fated to take over the company.

  But Luhan doesn’t like it when people decide for him, he wasn’t a robot, he was a man with a brain of his own, a heart of his own, he can choose for himself, he can decide for himself, and he doesn’t need people to plan for his life, for it’s his life and not theirs.

  Luhan was not one bit troubled about being thrown away from his family, to be honest; he had dreamt of leaving that cursed place once and for all, he seeks freedom, a freedom that was never given to him. He grew up with nothing but himself and the maids and butlers; he had never had his own friends, for his parents forbid him to leave the premises of their house. He was always told to do this, to do that; to be like this, to be like that. He was taught to take care of their family legacy, and at such a young age, he had loathed the world, he had detested life, for it was bias to him. How can other children play freely, how can they go to school with friends, while he was locked inside being homeschooled? At such a young age, Luhan had hated life for being unfair, and he hated it more when….

  At the age of twenty, Luhan was disowned by his own family, a family that was supposed to care for him, to love him, but because of their narrow-mindedness, he had to learn how to adjust how to adopt his environment, and how to accept and entertain people into his life. He liked the feeling though, for it was new, he had never felt so free before; he had never felt being so alive. And that was all thanks to a woman.

  While lost in countryside, a young maiden had captured his heart by first sight. She was pretty, with milky-white skin, long dark hair, slim body, and a very uplifting smile. He had met many pretty women before, in balls and parties, but she’s different, and thus, making Luhan fall in love for the first time.

  It worked well between them two; she had fallen in love with him too. They both enjoy painting, Luhan could not wish for more, a normal life, a dream fulfilled, and a lover, what could he probably ask for more? But as life was harsh to him, an accident happened, taking the life of the only woman he had loved.

  And ever since then, Xi Luhan, had cursed life, he lived life as life wanted him too, he isolated himself from the world, too afraid that life would take away those people who are precious to him, hence, he challenged himself in a new land, in a place where he knew nothing, where he knew no one. It was best like this, so that he could prevent himself from being hurt and scarred.

  He was not only here to move on, but to live in this world alone… or so he thought.

    Although it was already dark, it didn’t stop Luhan into wandering around, he decided to have himself a little tour and have his way around the place, and after all, he doesn’t like asking people for directions. He never liked asking people, for it wounded his pride.

  Luhan stretches his arms and back as he walks around the park. Enjoying the night breeze whipping through his face, it was warm and comforting, just what he needed. He just wanted time of his own, a time to think and to recollect his thoughts. His mind had gone blank after his girlfriend died; he could no longer organize his thought and think what he would do now. The Luhan whose life was very organized, whose goals and ambitions were in its places, is now lost in a track, like a lost kid in a shopping mall.

  Luhad sat himself in one of the benches, the only light that illuminating the ominous dark surrounding was the glow coming from the moon and from the nearby lamp a few yards away. He was never afraid of dark; in fact he was never afraid of anything. But if there’s anything he would say he’s avoiding, that would be: Death and Love.

  His demure moment was disturbed when he saw a woman, coughing loudly ahead. Luhan shook his head out of irritation. But soon that irritation was washed away by worry when he saw the woman falling onto her knees while covering .

  Both curious and worried, Luhan paced himself towards her “Miss… are you….”

  He stopped his sentence as he saw blood in her hands, still coughing hard, the latter tried to tilt her head to take a glimpse of him. She waved her other hand in the air, trying her best to stand on her feet, but failed anyway.

  Luhad had catch her just in time, as he take a closer look, he saw how pale her skin is, he wasn’t sure about her features for she kept her cap hanging low. Luhan was becoming frantic as each seconds pass, for her coughing does not subside, not one second. “Miss, I think I ought to bring you in the hospital. There’s a near one, I just passed by I….”

  “Anywhere but there…” she said, stifled as she said her sentence between her coughs, still covering .

  “Are you an idiot? You’re coughing blood! Blood! What is…?” He was becoming furious and impatient; he had never met such idiot who will refuse to visit a hospital when she’s already coughing blood.

  “Please…” she said faintly

  “But I---“

  “---I beg you mister, anywhere but there” and right after that, she fell unconscious.

  Luhan was quite grateful that she fainted, for now he didn’t need to put up a fight and wake her senses, but something felt wrong, as tears fell from her eyes. Nonetheless, he did what he think is right.

  He bring her back to the hospital...

[A/N] So here's chapter one, it do sounds boring and confusing, and overall crappy. I know, I myself was not satisfied with this chapter, but hey, it's the beginning. I can assure you that I will make it a satisfactory story, for you (readers) anf for myself. So yeah, another thing. I have decided to leave Kai behind, because I want to focus on my LuYoon love, thus eleminating Kai. But don't worry, Kai and the rest will appear, they will have their own parts and cameos, and those roles would be significant. They might appear for a short time, but it will give meaning to LuYoon's journey. So this is it for chapter one. Please be free to ask me anything if you're confused or what. Also, this is quite short, but I promise to write a longer chapter next time, Beginnings are boring, I usually write boring beginnings unless it was a suspense fic... yeah, that's all. Forgive my gramatical errors and lack of vocabulary, I'm nit really a good English speaker and also, forgive the typos... =)