And we didn't. 

Nor did we see each other the next day.

But I tried to not make that as an excuse for me to be sad — and add to that Ha Jin not liking me. 

I sighed.

"What are you thinking about, son?" 

My father's voice brought me back to reality. I shook my head. "Nothing." I stirred the rice on my plate, preparing to go back to my thoughts.

"You seem worried."

"I'm not."

"Perhaps you should talk more." He suddenly said, putting down his spoon, looking at me. "I'm sure that would solve everything."

"Talk?" I sadly snickered inside. "That resolves everything?"

"Yes," My father nodded as he wiped his mouth with the fabric napkin that matched the pretty towel we were using, all of them made by my mother on her freetime during her stay at the hospital.

"What if... someone can't talk?"

"Well, I was talking about yourself, not in gener—"

"Forget it, then."

"—al. But I see you were going to tell me something." He chuckled and shifted on his place, putting his elbows on the table and leaning his face against his fists. I looked at him.

"It's nothing."

"You know you can tell me everything." His eyes smiled. "What's bothering you, kid?"

I sighed and bit my lip. "I... I think I like this girl." My dad didn't bother to hide his growing grin. "I thought you said I could tell you everything!"

He chuckled, "Sorry.", and proceeded to cover his mouth with his hand, as to hide his smile.

"It's not helping."

"Right, sorry. You like this girl, yes, so?"

"Correction: I think I like this girl. It's different."

"How's that different? You either like her or you don't, there's no in-between." I chuckled as I heard the exact same words I had said the other day to Ha Jin. "Is that what's bothering you? Liking a girl?" I nodded. "Why? Just make her yours, it won't bother you anymore and it may even make you happier."

I sadly smiled. "It's not that easy..."

"How come?"

"She told me she liked a classmate of mine." Myungsoo's face appeared in my mind as I lowered my head to face my food.

"Oh." He cleared his throat. "But you can always try talking to her, or taking her on a date..."

"But— I wouldn't feel good about it." Myungsoo's smiling face appeared in my mind, as he helped Ha Jin carrying her backpack, on one of the multiple days they had arrived together; Myungsoo's caring gaze appeared in my mind as he glanced over at Ha Jin, who was mindlessly doodling on her notebook, on one of the various breaks I had spent with them; Myungsoo's protective and tender words he would ocasionally speak to Ha Jin filled my mind. "He's really good to her." I formed those words slowly, still lost in my chaotic mind.

"Maybe you could be better?" I looked up at him. "You never know. If that's your problem, son, then don't let that bother your day."

I bit my lip as I processed his words and then sadly smiled. 

Ha Jin's grateful smile to Myungsoo in all situations appeared in my mind. 

Hah.

I could never do that.

I heard some quick steps behind me, as I was walking to the school gates, when I suddenly flinched and took my hands to my head in a protective way.

"Hey!!!" I turned around to see who had hit me so hard that early in the morning, and was surprised to be greeted by a grinning Ha Jin. I let out a soft chuckle. "That hurt!"

She walked beside me as she shrugged, and continued her pace with that amazed look on her face. I looked around, and behind us, but no Myungsoo was seen.

"Alone?" 

She turned to me and frantically nodded, furrowing her eyebrows right after. "Why?" She mouthed as she raised an eyebrow, a smile growing on her lips. I found it amazing how it always seemed so easy for Ha Jin to smile. It got me wondereding: what is she like when she's not smiling? I bit my lip as I shrugged and shook my head to answer her question.

Then, I found myself wondering again as she walked to her classroom, not before waving me goodbye: is her smile always true?

I didn't get the opportunity to know that, but got to know other things about Ha Jin when I found her crying, alone, in the empty bus stop next to the hospital. I was coming back from my daily visit to my mother and was on my way to catch the bus in that very same bus stop. As soon as I noticed her tiny figure sitting there, with her notebook on her thighs and her hands covering her face, I furrowed my eyebrows and quickened my steps. It was already late, way past 9PM, so the streets were dark and almost deserted, despite the lamp streets and the ocasional ambulances that would show up. 

I squatted in front of her and told myself to wait before doing anything else. Silence. The only thing that could be heard was Ha Jin sniffling from time to time. I lightly patted her shoulder and she immeadiately looked up, her eyes widened to their maximum, spreading more tears on her already wet-trailed face. But she calmed down as she saw that I was no threatening person. She tried to wipe her face, but more tears were forming in her eyes.

"Hey, come on." I quietly said as I hugged her. "What's wrong, kiddo? Hm?" I was so hesitant about my actions that I was really sure Ha Jin wouldn't find any comfort and confidence within me. But at least she hugged me back. 

I gently rubbed my hand on her back to try to calm down her endless sobs, but it seemed in vain. Only a few minutes later she seemed to stop. I took a look at her completely red face and tried to wipe my tears with both my hands.

"What's wrong?"

She sniffled as she took her phone from her pocket and showed me a text message from her mother: "Sorry, I won't be able to pick you up at the hospital, I was told to do the overnight shift just now. I'm terribly sorry, my dear, there's enough food in the fridge for you. I'll be back at dawn. Take care."

Hm? What was she trying to say...? I titled my head while looking back at her. "You don't want to go back alone?"

She slowly shook her head as she took an envelope from between her notebook and handed it to me. I turned it and found it open. I looked at her and she nodded. 

I took the large letter from it and read it for myself. 

"Dear Mother,"

"...uncurable..."

"trauma caused by accident."

"...oficially disabled."

As my eyes reached the end of the letter, I could feel Ha Jin trembling and sobbing again. For a moment there, I didn't know what to do. Everything was passing by so fast, so much information urged its way inside my head that left it blank, almost motionless. I stared at her, I observed her crying, biting her lip, closing her eyes, wiping her tears, but I couldn't think about anything, much less do anything about it. Cars, buses would pass by us, often illuminating us with lights way too strong, but even that wouldn't make me wake up from organizing all the thoughts inside my head. 

Those two words, "oficially disabled", rang my mind every second. If I, myself, was so shocked by reading them, then what about Ha Jin? How would she feel about it? Was there a way I could get to know what she was feeling this exact moment, except for the one way of having her writing everything to me (which was out of question, considering she was clearly not in the mood for writing)?

I hugged her. 

No, there wasn't. At least for now. I would have to get to know her better in order to understand her, so that, and only then, I could get to know what she was feeling, how bad she was suffering.

I got up. "Where's your home?"

She sniffled and pointed to our left.

"Come," I held her hand and took her notebook from her. "I'll take you there, I'll go with you." I grabbed her hand a bit more tightly and focused my eyes ahead of us. "I'll be here with you, for you."

My back hurt.

My neck was aching.

And there was someone shaking me so hard, it really wasn't helping. I turned around, thinking I was in my bed, and hit the other side of the sofa. Well, could have been worse, could have fallen down on the hard floor—

"Hey, mister, I think it's time you wake up."

I shot my eyes open at the unknown voice. I rubbed my hands on my face and turned to face the other side of the sofa, from where the voice had come from.

I blinked a few times. Well, I haven't seen myself at the mirror yet, but I could almost bet that, between the both of us, this young woman looked the worst. Besides stinking alcohol, yeah.

I held the back of my neck as I sat properly on the sofa and looked around the unfamiliar living room. I squinted my eyes as the young woman sat by my side. Oh, right, Ha Jin's home. I fell asleep in the sofa? I gulped.

The woman sighed. I glanced at her and found her staring blankly at the white ceiling. Her eyes were red, same with her cheeks, though these last ones had dried trails of tears, that were definitely shed not long ago; Her hair and clothes were also a complete mess.

"Who are you?" The woman said, her eyes never leaving the ceiling. I looked away, realizing I had been looking at her for too long. "And what are you doing in my house, sleeping on my sofa?" This woman's voice, I assumed her to be Ha Jin's mother, was so soft, so calm, that it was almost scary. I cleared my throat and rubbed my eyes.

"I'm Lee Byunghun." I paused. "And yesterday I walked Ha Jin home, we talked and I must have fallen asleep here while waiting for you."

The woman sighed again and took so long to answer that I thought she hadn't listened to what I had just said. "Byunghun... Byunghun, Myungsoo... I guess my daughter has really nice friends."

Myungsoo?

She continued her (what it seemed) monologue, "At least seeing how they all care enough to take her home."

I slowly nodded, not quite getting what she meant by what she was saying.

"I wonder if she will ever get to be happy with you guys." 

I looked back at her and then around the room. The letter from the hospital that I had left yesterday on top of the drinking table was now on the table in front of the sofa where we were, along with a bottle of whisky and a tiny and used glass.

So she read it. And seeing how touched by the alcohol she was, she didn't take the subject very lightly. Of course. Who would take having a disabled child lightly? Especially when she wasn't even born this way? Right, because I got to know that, by witnessing her own father's death, caused by a car accident in which she was involved, Ha Jin became mute. Post-accident trauma, was that how they named it in the letter? 

It certainly was something that shouldn't be taken lightly.

I breathed in, "Of course she will."

I heard the lady faintly chuckling, "Hopefully." We both let out a breath. "You see, if I wasn't feeling so down myself, I would have cooked you dinner. Or breakfast, considering how early it already is. But today is not really the best day..."

"It's alright, I understand."

"You have to pass by another day, I'll be sure to tell Ha Jin that."

I quietly laughed, "There's no need, but thank you."

I heard her clothes rustle and saw her looking at her wrist-watch. "She's going to wake up any time soon, she can make you breakfast."

"No," I felt myself completely awaken now. "thank you, but I have to go home, my father must be worried." I stood up and scanned the room for my jacket. 

"Of course." She remained sat, now staring at me. She calmly nodded. "He must be worried, you should have warned him."

"I did warn him..." My voice trailed off as she got up. I picked up my backpack from the floor and I heard Ha Jin's mother picking up some keys from the dining table.

"I can drive you."

Drunk? I hurriedly dismissed her, "No, no, thank you, I don't live far away from here, it's five-minute walk, actually." Liar, forty. But rather lying than having another accident happen in this family. I looked at her as she stumbled on her own feet to put back the keys in place. She bent over the table and remained motionless. "Are you... alright?" 

I walked up to her just in time to catch her from falling hard on the floor. I put my backpack away once again and helped Ha Jin's mother getting to her bedroom by supporting her. She mumbled a "thank you" and then I closed her room's door. I stopped to take a look at Ha Jin's closed door, and before temptation got the best of me, I grabbed my backpack and left their home, prepared to face a whole new day full of new events, that would start in a few hours from now.

A/N: So... my friend told me Byunghun's character was a bit gay... I honestly don't think so, I think Byunghun is a very sensitive character because of what happened with his life... Guess I'll have to dedicate a chapter to Byunghun's past. But what do you all think about Byunghun's character? I think he's manly enough... xD

About Ha Jin's trauma and its cause: when I was still in junior high (I think it was during my 9th grade), one day, we got to know that one of the girls in the 6th grade was in the same car when her father was killed, out of nowhere. They were on their way to her grandparents home, when he turned in a street that was having a neighbour's fight (because one wouldn't stop parking his car in front of the other's house), the one accusing had a pistol on and started to shoot carelessly and her father was, unluckily, shot by one of the many bullets. And she was there, speaking with him at that very same time. Imagine just how shocking that is, and for an 11 year old girl. God. She hid and managed to run to her granparents home. She grew up well, thankfully, she's now 14/15 and is a really beautiful girl, on the outside and in the inside (at least for what I see, I've never really seen her since I left that school.) and no, she's not mute nor anything, she really grew up well. :)

So I, once again, thought of that accident when writing Ha Jin's past. It's not the first time I use it in a story, actually... 

Sorry for taking so long with this update! And thank you to those who waited and helped this story reach 30 subscribers!!! :D