I looked at myself in the mirror and watching my face, Minzy put on ointment and covered it with a tape on the scratch Dara did to me, well, obviously not intentionally. The meds made it stings.

That was when I heard a from the bed. I think Dara is awake. There’s only us inside this room, the others are outside, playing cards, or sleeping or drinking, I don’t know but they don’t make any loud disturbing sound so I guess there’s just chatting.

I walked on to the bed and smiled at her as she opened her eyes.

“Hi.” I said.

She is starring at me confusedly then I decided to climb next to her and leaned by her side. She rolled her body to face me, “Did I do that to you?” she my cheek gently. I raised my eyebrow, “It’s fine.” I replied.

Her eyes are teary and she is starring at me like she never before. I starred back at her in the same way, I feel weird, but good at the same time.

“What do you feel?” I finally asked her after a moment of silent.

She is studying my face and slightly smiled, “Peace… and….” She gulped, “Afraid.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid I might hurt you more.” She shrugged, “I’m afraid, you’re gonna leave me because I’m…”

I covered quickly with my palm, “Shut up. I’m not gonna leave you. You have to trust me.”

She smiled to me. “Chaerin, what do you feeling right now?”

“I’m afraid too.”

“What’s your case?”

I draw my fingers onto her face, “I’m afraid you’re gonna leave me instead. I still can’t understand you, I don’t know a lot about you so I don’t know what might have been going on inside your head.”

She chuckled and leaned a quick kiss on my dry lips. She starred at my lips at first before starring deeply into my eyes, my heart skipped a beat when she did that. How many times have I mentioned that I really liked her and I love her.

“You want to know what’s inside my head?” she smiled playfully and rubbed my lips with her finger, “You.”

“You’re inside my head, I’m always thinking about you, about how I end up stuck with you, I mean, I feel different when I’m with you and you’re kinda addictive because… I always want to go near you, to stay with you. I was trying not to be selfish. I wanted to stay away from you because all I might do is just hurting you but I don’t think I can do that again.” she explained with teary eyes.

That was just beautiful, her words, how she said that, she makes me happy.

“You’re not gonna hurt me, even if you hurt me, I don’t mind. Because it’s you.” I replied and kissed her hand as I looked into her sparkling teary eyes.

She chuckled. “I’ve never met such a fool like you. Usually, when they know I’m not what I look like, they will slowly disappearing from my life, they just walked away, then they vanished.”

I bite her finger that was by my mouth, “They were the fool, not me.”

She chuckled again. I’m just watching her, smiling and chuckling like that. She looks happy this way and I like it better. I really don’t want to see her acted like that anymore, like a madman, I know she is sick and she needs help. But she is what she is. She is stubborn. She always thinks negatively like she already lost all her hopes in this world. She won’t want someone to help her and I begin to question myself.

Can I actually help her and love her till the end? Can I afford it?

“I promise will never leave your side.”

“Why is that?” she blinked her sleepy eyes.

“Coz you’ll never hurt me, and I can save you that way. You won’t see things again. You won’t feel that pain alone. You have me by your side. When you start feeling unwell, when those memories haunt you again, when you see things you don't wanna see, you could just turn around and you would find me and I’ll hold you and then… you will know that you’re not alone and your life isn’t that bad…”

She starts shedding tears.

I her cheeks and smiled gently at her, “You don’t have to turn into someone you’re not, someone with painful past, someone with nothing but misery, someone who screams out agony and cries for questions. You will be just fine, and nobody will be tempted to bring you back to the hospital or wherever it is you hate. I