"Are you sure you don't need my help?" My father asked me as he dressed his leather jacket.
    "Yeah, I'm okay, father." I filled my mouth with another spoonful of kimchi fried rice, I just can't get enough of it. I munched it while standing, holding into my bowl with both hands, and eyeing all my father's movements here and there as he got ready to head out.
    "I'll have dinner at the hospital with your mother." He said in a hurried voice. He stopped as he put on his shoes and turned to me, pointing his index finger. "Stop eating that. It's not healthy if you eat that too much."
    "Yeah." This wasn't even the worst, there are sometimes when he can be really annoying over food; that's what you get for having a nutritionist father. "See you."
    He opened the door. "See you. Take care, son."
    
    I tried to wave at him, but having both hands full I decided to stop before something bad happened. He carefully closed the door as he stepped out.
    Alone, again.
    I let myself fall on the sofa and the TV; a random music video was playing. I laid my head on the sofa and, before closing my eyes, I fed myself another spoonful of kimchi fried rice and put it on the table between me and the TV. My mind drifted away for the events that happened this past week, my first week of school in Korea, and the outcome wasn't very good...
    
    I couldn't take her out of my mind.
    For some reason.
    But I didn't get to talk to her ever since that day on the Park, which kind of saddened me. No; disappointed me. I would casually see her around the school, but never had the guts to go up to her. She didn't get to see me either, as far as I know.
    It was ridiculous. I was ridiculous. Falling for someone in this short of time was not even healthy, right? It was temporary; just a light crush, I can get over it. I've had a few moments like this in my whole life, it's going to be gone in no time. It's not important, it's only because she was the first Korean girl to talk to me.

    Yeah, that.
    At least that's what I was trying to make myself believe in, as I arrived school on Monday and was confronted with Ha Jin... walking beside Myungsoo, who was nice enough to carry her backpack, and was all-smiles, which wasn't usual at all in him.
    I felt my body—stomach?—getting uncomfortable all of a sudden.
    I breathed in and hurried my pace, walking past them;

    Something in my chest squeezed when I noticed they didn't greet me.



    I was making my way to the park; partly because I was once again too early to visit my Mom, partly because, out of curiousity, I wanted to see if she was there.
    And sure, as I went up the hill to the empty playground, there she was, waving at me as soon as she saw me. I smiled to myself.

    "Hey." I said as I sat on the empty swing next to hers, my voice not coming out as enthusiastic as I was feeling.
    She smiled, her eyes making the shape of a half-moon. I felt warm inside and eventually smiled as well.

    I could hear her clothes rustling as she moved around on her seat, while I wobbled mine, gazing at an uncertain horizon over the trees in the park below us.
    I felt a tap on my shoulder; I looked at her and she had her notebook held up on her lap.
    
    "Why do you look so sad?"
    "Huh?" I shook my head. "I'm not, though..."
    She held the cap of her black marked between her lips as she hurriedly went back to her writing. I chuckled as I carefully took the cap from them. She looked at me, gave me a small smile in gratitude (I think?) and turned the notebook to me: "But you really look like you are..."
    "Heh, thanks! No—wait. Thanks for asking, not for saying that I looked—Seriously." I shook my head, looking down in complete embarassment. I looked up to see Ha Jin laughing: only was moving, her eyes were shut tight; no sound came from it, but it was still beautiful. I felt the corner of my lips forming a wide smile — couldn't help it.
    She hurried to write something back, still smiling. "Who knew you were this clumsy?"
    I gave her a bewildered look. "What do you mean?"
    "You know you look really cold, right?"
    "Cold? Oh, you mean, I look like a cold person?"
    She nodded. "A bit frightening. You're too serious."
    I shook my head, a small smile growing on my lips. "I'm not, at all. I'm just... shy?" I tilted my head as I nodded. "I guess. I've been told that too many times, but no one ever called me frightening, that's a new one." I frowned, but then laughed.
    "Only when you're serious!"
    "I should stop being so serious, then!"
    She frantically nodded, and I chuckled at her cuteness.
    I peeked at her incessant writing-scratching-writing again. She glanced up as she wrote. She drew an arrow pointing to what she really wanted to say, between so many scribbles. "Why are you always at the hospital? Are you sick somewhere as well?"
    "As well?" I locked eyes with her; she was serious. Uh, wrong thing to say? I lightly shook my head and looked away. "No, it's not me that's sick..." I leaned against the rope that supported the swing. "My mother is..." I bit my lip, only the thought of it affected me. "In the last stages of... uh, acute Leukemia." I glanced at her and she had this serious, taken aback expression on. "That's exactly why we came back to Korea... Because that was one of her last wishes before—" My voice cracked; I didn't want to go on, I couldn't. A big lump formed in my throat and I felt tears filling my eyes. I immediately shove them away with my thumb, they are not going to fall.
    
    I didn't realized Ha Jin had gotten out of her swing until I felt a light touch on my shoulder, followed by a hand caressing my back, kindly patting me. Instead of making me feel better, I felt even sadder. I lost control of my feelings and my tears started falling. I cant—I must stop.
    
    "I-I'm okay." I sniffled. "It's not over yet, I must be positive." I wiped my tears away with both my hands. "I'm sorry, it's just tha—Sorry." I looked everywhere but her, I was feeling really embarassed. I mean, it has been what? A week since I met her? And here I am, crying like a baby. She shook her head, smiling, and got up, standing in front of me. She bent over and tried to write. "Thank you." I said as she turned the notebook at me.
    "We all have moments like these, it's okay!"
    "Ye-Yeah, b-but not in front of—" I stopped as I saw her writing.
    She shrugged, "What's the big deal? We all need some support." She tilted her head as she smiled.
    
    I also stood up, checking my watch; it was way past 5PM.
    
    "I have an appointment with the doctor in a few minutes, I should get going..."
    "Yeah, me too." I picked my backpack from the floor. "I have to go visit my mother." I sniffled as we went down the hill. She patted me on the shoulder, offering me a pack of tissues, with a mocking smile on. I chuckled, sniffling once again, rejecting with a hand the tissues. "I'm fine, stop mocking me!"
    She elbowed me, and then stuck out her tongue at me, running away from me.
    "Yah!" I ran after her down the hill, laughing. "Don't ever do that again!"
    
    I avoided touching her as I caught her, because, well, that would be awkward since we don't really know each other for a long time and she would end up thinking of me as a weird guy, when I think I'm not. (?) I'm not, right?
    We departed from each other as she stepped out of the hospital's elevator. "See you tomorrow!", she wrote in a new sheet, with big letters, as she waved. I waved back at her.
    I sighed as I leaned my back against the elevator, and played with my wrist watch. I then turned to its mirrored wall and made sure I looked all right — I mean, made sure I didn't look that I had been crying; I didn't want to worry her, as I probably worried this one. I sighed again, and leaned my forehead against the wall.
    I forgot to ask her again what had she meant by 'as well'...

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! If I could, I would send a present to all of you that read this story, but I can't, so I give you this chapter~! :D

Thank you to everyone, your comments make me so motivated! :D