Chairwoman Lee had dragged them to the orphanage. In reality JiAh was more than thrill to return. She felt calmer here, it was the familiarity of this place. This had been her home for years.

Her mother once told her a house is only a house, an object set with walls and a roof to protect you from the wind, sun, and rain. A home lives in the heart. A home protects you from life. And this place did. It was the second she stepped out of it that she felt the fire of the world.

"Noona. What did you say you wanted to be when you grew up?" The little boy asked. He was the same one from last time. The same child who amused the world through his witty questions."

"I said I wanted to be happy." JiAh replied softly. Hoya was seated across from her. They were surrounded by a dozen children. Most of them too distracted in their toys to notice the presence of the two. The few who did, asked a question or two then ran along.

The little boy sitting next to JiAh however was different. He stuck around with her. He seemed older than the other kids. It was the way he acted, he acted like the hyung or oppa around here. It was an unusual quality for someone so young.

"Noona, are you happy?" He questioned with innocent eyes. His little feet swung back and forth.

Hoya stared at his wife. JiAh's eyes were on the small block pieces she was stacking on top one another. She was building a tower only to break it down and restart again and again. She avoided eye contract with him at all times. He was supposedly looking through his phone. But she caught his attention more than the flashing of his cell phone screen.

He half expected her to lie to the child and say she was happy. He knew she wasn't happy. How could she be when she was stuck in a loveless marriage.

"No." She said sadly. He was taken aback. JiAh was too honest and blunt, especially to a young child who knew nothing about life.

"Oh." The boy responded looking away from her. He didn't sound disappoint or shock by her answer. It was like the child expected it.

"Noona, how do you know you're happy?" He questioned, his voice gently and soft like summer breeze. His curious coffee eyes looked up to JiAh.

JiAh thought about that for a moment, her eyes flickering in the process as she brushed loose strands of hair away from her face. "When you're happy you probably won't even realize it." The little boy nodded gently. Hoya was amazed, he understood, a mere child understood the lines between her complex language.

"I wish noona was happy." He mumbled quietly.

"Yeah. I wish she was too." JiAh murmured.

--

Happiness.

Hoya had never put much thought into that. Happiness was an feeling. He kept it at that. He didn't try to dig deep into it. He didn't mend it into a complex form or try to answer it like a math problem. He left it be.

But here he stood, in the cold, the skies casting dark weather. He was waiting for JiAh, who was speaking to some children, his mind drenched in the thought of happiness.

What was happiness to him? He groaned. It was as if he was asking for the meaning or life.

He kicked his foot against the ground, groaning.

"Something bothering son?" Someone called out to him. He turned his shoulder around and there stood the woman who JiAh referred to as 'Granny'.

"Yes. I'm fine." He lied. It wasn't a good lie. She knew this as she stepped forward towards him. She stood beside him, her head looking up towards the dark storm clouds. The skies were painted different shades of grey.

"She hates grey you know." Granny mumbled quietly through sad eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"JiAh. The woman hates grey." She clarified. She turned her head towards him and gave him a reassuring smile. It was kind and warm and it reminded him of his mother's smile.

"You know she was fourteen when she first arrived." Granny stated. "She was different from all the others. Other children her age were, angry, upset, confused. They hated the world, they hated their parents, their families, themselves. They shut themselves out to keep people from getting in. JiAh however, was just about the opposite." Granny revealed.

"How so?" Hoya mused. He wasn't going to lie. He wanted to know more. More about JiAh, his wife.

"She miserably tried to keep herself together. It was heartbreaking to see. She made herself stronger, and when the night hit, she broke like a dam. Every night, her cries echoed in my ears. She could only cry in the cold. She has this craxy thought process telling her that the cold would make her numb, numbing away the pain. But it doesn't. But I didn't tell her this." Granny explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Hoya asked. He barely knew the woman. And she barely knew him.

"So you won't let her cry in the cold anymore." Granny murmured softly to him. She cared about JiAh. She really did, probably more than he did.

--

That night he laid awake in bed. No matter how many times he closed his eyes, his body couldn't fall to sleep. He felt reckless and upset. He turned his body around, his eyes widen when he noticed he was alone in bed.

When did JiAh leave. He stood up and looked around, worried. It wasn't the first time he felt like this. It wasn't the first time he felt pressure and fright line every inch of his skin.

He entered the living area and noticed the door leading to the balcony outside was open, it was a small crack, but he noticed it.

He walked over to the door, taking note that every wall in the house was painted a different shade of grey.

He felt his heart drop when he saw her out there in the cold. Her hair was wild and untamed. Her skin porcelain white in contrast to the darkness that ate around her. He took note that she was dressed in a pair of black cotton shorts and a t-shirt with a cardigan thrown over her shoulders. It was freezing outside, he thought.

Her back was facing him, her head hung low as if she was trying to get a better view of the city below.

Granny's words replayed themselves in his mind. They were haunting, but they didn't scare him, no, they only made him worry.

He hissed. He went back to the bed room. He searched through the cabinets and pulled out a small woolen blanket. He returned to the living area. She was still out there. Silently he slid the door open, barely, just enough to let him step through.

She didn't hear him apparently, she didn't make any movement or even flinch. He felt a wave of icy cold wind hit him, sending chills through his body.

He stepped towards her, he tried to be as silent as possible. Upon reaching a few inch from her he pulled his arms up, the blanket wrapped between his arms as he threw it on her frame. He felt her move as she spun around, her eyes wide.

He locked eyes with her. He noticed her how eyes shined, they were deep shades of chocolate brown and they were flooded with pain. They were wild and alone, tired yet hopeful. The two stared at each other, and he noticed he couldn't figure out a thing she was thinking.

Quickly he broke contract. He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He his heels and walked away, leaving her to ravish the cold world alone.

"Why do you even care?" He heard her whisper as he reached the door. He froze in his spot. Why did he care? He wasn't supposed to. She was nothing. Nothing to him. They signed papers to be together, that was it. So why did he care? Did he even care? He didn't know. There were so many thoughts shooting throughout his mind.

So he left, leaving her question unanswered.

--

Hoya whined, he was stuck in this situation. He pulled the tie around his neck, loosening it. His mother was speaking to Mr. Shim. Shim took care of the family's money, the topic of discussion was how to spread out his mother's funds.

"My son gets his share of my account." He heard his mother state firmly. Hoya groaned. He tried to dig himself into his paperwork. He had plenty of paperwork to take care of.

"My daughter-in-law too. She gets her cut." He heard his mother said and his ears pecked up. Shim mentioned something about Hoya and JiAh's marriage. Hoya felt a knot in his stomach at the mentioning of this. Shim mentioned how after a year of marrige the two would divorce, hence stating his opinion to why JiAh was to receive a share of Chairwoman Lee's estate. He felt that JiAh didn't deserve it. His mother blew up. He didn't need to listen any longer. His mother knew her ways around men. She had authority and power, she was quite crazy at times. She was a canon ball.

Hoya looked down to his paper, his mind suddenly distracted. Shim was right. Their marriage was a fluke. There was nothing between them aside from his mother. It was all her work.

JiAh was to leave after the year was up. He tried to count the dates in his mind. Three months. That's how long their married life had lasted. It was a life filled with pain, ignorance, anger, and tears.

He was the bad guy. He was the jerk who had treated her so horribly and now couldn't gain the courage to even apologize. She was, a saint in his eyes. She was strong, though he doubt that she realized this. She was different, special. He didn't want to lose her. But how could he lose her, when she was never truly his?

--