"It’s so pretty!" Minji squealed and tugged on Woohyun’s arm as she watched fireworks explode into the air. She turned to Woohyun and gleamed at him, "Happy New Year, Woohyun!"

"Happy New Year, Minji…" He smiled softly at her as she started to squeal over the fireworks again.

During the countdown, he was about to kiss her, and his lips were literally just one... one little centimeter from hers… but then the fireworks went off, and she turned away. It was then he decided that he would hate fireworks, for the rest of his life.

Once the firework show ended, everyone quickly left the popular river. Infinite and Hyuna also left, with L having to be dragged off by them. Woohyun and Minji were the only ones to stay.

They found a bench and sat down. Woohyun left to buy hot chocolates but returned quickly. They sat at the bench and enjoyed the view as they drank hot chocolate. Minutes passed by, but neither of them spoke.

"…I went into the orphange when I was about twelve-years-old." Woohyun stared out onto the river as he nervously gripped his hot chocolate. Minji stared at him as she slowly lowered her cup from and set it on the side of the bench.

"When I was nine, my father started to get addicted to gambling. He started to change…" Woohyun let out a soft laugh, "…He started to abuse us… My mother…" He closed his eyes as the painful memories flashed through his mind. He eventually let out a shaky breath and continued, "…He beat her, to the point where… she died… He was so shocked that he had killed her. He didn't know what to do, so he ran to my school… and took me out of class… We ran and ran… but I didn’t know why… I didn’t know she…" His voice cracked as he held his head low and watched drops of salty water hit the ground below him.

He felt guilty. Why? He wasn't the one who killed her. He wasn't the one who caused her death. But he couldn't help but think that he was the one who caused it.

'What if I had been bigger?' 'What if I had been stronger?' 'What if I didn't just stand there and watch my mother get beat?' 'What if I did something about it?' 'What if I wasn't such a coward?' 'What if I reported my father to the police?' 'What if I took my mother and ran away with her?' Woohyun would ask himself those questions every single time he thought about her. He missed his mother. He missed her so much. He can't even go to visit her grave. Why? Because he doesn't even know where it is. Because, if he went... he wouldn't be able to handle the pain.

"Woohyun…" Minji felt her eyes water, too, as she touched his arm. He smiled softly at the ground, "…We snuck onto a train and soon found this beat-up apartment in this bad neighborhood… He joined… this gang… these loansharks… He sold drugs, beat people, killed people… women…"

His voice cracked. His entire body began to shake as he rested his elbows on his knees, folded his hands together, and rested his forehead on them.

Minji closed her eyes as small tears escaped. It was painful to hear that trembling in his voice, that trembling that’s been hidden his entire life. It wasn’t just painful to hear. It was heart-breaking. It was like she could see every little thing that he said. It was like she was there.

Woohyun let out a shaky breath before he continued, "…He started to abuse me, too… Every time I would ask about my mother… he would beat me. After another year or so… we were eventually found… My father, though, went crazy, as if he weren’t already… So, because he resisted arrest, the police fired back and… killed him… right in front of me… I… They sent me to the orphange… the orphanage that we were at earlier."

Woohyun chuckled and wiped his eyes. No matter how much he would wipe them, though, the tears would fall non-stop.

"From when I was first put into the orphange… I was adopted three times." Woohyun admitted, "The first time I was adopted… I was really happy… but then they died in a car accident … The second time I was adopted… they abused me and used me like a slave… The third time I was adopted… I was adopted by the Nam’s." He smiled a bit, as if it were a happy story, but the tears in his eyes told otherwise.

He’s never talked about this. He’s never told anybody. His parents only knew because the ahjumma at the orphange told them before they adopted him.

The Nam’s adopted him, two years ago, when he was sixteen. They admired how strong and cheerful he was. They just couldn’t understand how he could smile and laugh every second of every day. They’ve never seen him cry. They’ve never heard him cry. It’s not that they wanted to see him sad. It’s that they didn’t want him to keep it all bottled up. Now, right at this moment, they got what they wished for: Woohyun to finally open up.

All these memories from his childhood, all these memories he’s spent his entire life locking up, all of them just broke loose.

Even if he closed his eyes, he could still see his mother being beaten, he could still see his father beating both him and his mother, he could still see his father smoking and drinking with his fellow gang members, he could still see the police surrounding their apartment, he could still see his father being shot and killed.

Even if he covered his ears, he could still hear his mother’s agonizing screams and cries, he could still hear the loud sirons, he could still hear the bullets being shot.

Even if he was all alone, he could still feel his father's fist ramming into his cheek, he could still feel his father's foot kicking against his stomach. Even if he washed his hands, he could still feel his father's cold skin, he could still feel his father's warm blood.

This scene is the scene that replays in his dreams, almost every night. He would wake up, drenched in sweat. He would sometimes even scream. No matter how many times that would happen, though, he would always greet his family and friends with the brightest of all smiles.

"Woohyun…" Minji wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

At that moment, everything--absolutely everything--that he’s kept bottled up throughout his entire life, came pouring out.