The day was dreary and wet. The cab's window wipers swished back and forth, and people clad in their rain clothes rushed from place to place. Kai, however,

noticed none of this. He was numb, so filled with sadness that he was emotionless. People stopped to stare at him, this man from Seoul. He was dressed well,

too well, to belong in a place like this.

Then they saw his face.

"Kai?" Someone asked.

He looked in the direction of the voice, face blank.

"Nae, it's Kai!" People started to whisper.

He took no notice of it, instead choosing to observe his surroundings. Dirt, outhouses... haven't these people ever heard of indoor plumbing.. not to mention

hardwood floors?!

"Kai," Someone said, with a soft voice. He stopped. That voice was so familiar...

"Soo Jin?" He turned, expecting. It wasn't Soo Jin. It was another girl.

"No," the girl offered a sad smile. Her eyes were red and puffy, from crying he guessed. They began to fill again, but she blinked them away.

"How do you know who I am?" He asked, flatly.

"Soo Jin... she described you well. Plus," she added, "You're obviously not from around here,"

 He nodded, then stuck his hands in the pockets of his Guess peacoat.

She gave him a look, like she was sizing him up, then sniffed.

He cringed. Nasty... aren't there any tissues in this hick town?

She began to walk away, then stopped when she realized he wasn't following,

"Hey! Kai!" She barked.

He looked at her and cocked his head.

"Are you coming?"

He stood there, confused. She sighed and tossed her head, then walked back to him all huffy like.  

She took his hand and something jolted through him.

"Wae are you holding my hand," He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Because you obviously can't move without someone having to pull you along," and with that, she yanked his arm towards her and began

walking.

Still confused on why she was holding his hand and yanking him somewhere, Kai observed at her.

Her brown doe eyes had an amber glow, face worn with worry and crying. She had a small mouth, with full lips and more frown than smile. She looked more

fragile than she was, but her grip was strong, her hands calloused and tough.

"Umma!" She called, softly as they approached a small mud house. "Jae! Are you guys home?"

A tall guy emerged from the little home and gave Kai a suspicious look.

"Who is this, and wae is he here?" He asked, his voice deadly calm.

"Don't overreact, oppa." the girl gave him a glare.

"Hey," Kai said, not smiling. "I'm Kai,"

Jae's mouth fell open.

"This is him?!"

    "Who is this?" A short woman with messy hair and an unkempt appearance appeared.

"Umma," Kai murmured, stepping towards her. "It's me, Kai."

"Kai?" The woman whispered, squinting her eyes. "Oh God, it's him!"

    He held her in his arms, forgetting that Jae and the other girl were there, as tears trickled down his face.

"Oh Kai, Kai," she sobbed.

"It's okay now, umma. I'm here,"

    It was one in the morning and everyone else was asleep; at least, that's what Kai thought. He sighed and glanced at the sleeping figure of Jae, who was

snoring away, and propped his head on his knees, staring at the fire. Memories danced around in his head, and he was caught up in remembrance of his life

before EXO...

"Kai?" A soft voice asked.

He jerked his head up and saw that girl standing in the doorway.  "What?" it came our more tired than he expected it to.

"Umm... I was just wondering..." She seemed embarrassed and crossed her arms across her chest, shivering in the dank coldness of the little room.

He looked back at the fire.

He knew what she was about to ask, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to answer that.

"You look cold,"

She shrugged. "I guess,"

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Sia,"

"Sia," The word rolled easily on his tongue. "Did you know Soo Jin?"

"Yes," she said, softly. "But how did you know her? I mean, what's the story?"

"You sound like a reporter," Kai thought of those that had followed him here with distaste.

"Not a reporter. A friend,"

"A friend?" He chuckled. "Right. You just want to be friends with me because I'm some EXO star."

"No. Why would I care about that?"

"Becuase you're... you're... you're a girl, that's why!"

Sia laughed, quietly. "Are you gonna invite me to come sit at the fire, or no?"

He looked at her, confused again, then shrugged. "Araso,"

She settled down by him and looked into the fire. "She talked about you a lot,"

"She did?" He couldn't contain his surprise.

"Well, not at first. I didn't even know you were in EXO until she..." her voice choked up. "...got diagnosed."

They were silent for a few minutes, just staring into the flames and thinking their own thoughts.

 "What did she say about me?" Kai asked, as flatly as he could.

"That she missed you a lot, mostly. When she talked about you she got kinda this faraway look on her face and spoke real softly. Jae  and I knew you were

really important to her,"

"Jae and you?"

"Nae... the three of us were best friends."