Daehyun swore under his breath as he pushed the door open with his hip and walked into his apartment, placing the girl on the couch.

He found his old first aid kit and took out a few packages of gauze and tape. He took her hand a clumsily wrapped the gauze and tape around her cuts and bruises on her arms.

I’ll leave the rest for when she wakes up.

Sighing, he got up and returned with a thick blanket and draped it over her, tucking her snugly into the material. He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, putting his head in his hands.

What did they do to her?

No...More importantly, what did SHE do to THEM?

They were all...completely knocked out when I found her. They’re one of the most dangerous gangs in the city.

And why was she even out there at this time?

His mind quickly flashed to an image of the girl sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, her black wings fluttering behind her gracefully.

Just an illusion. He pushed the image away to the very back of his mind.

I guess I’ll just have to ask her when she wakes up.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion wash over him.

I’ll just close my eyes...

...For a few minutes.

He drifted off into a tired sleep.

~~~~~~~~~

She stared at his drooping head and watched him as he slept, listening to his soft, rhythmic breathing.

I wonder why he never smiles...

I want to see him smile. At least once before I leave this world.

Reaching out her hand, she touched his arm gently, noticing the different scars covering his skin. Her mind slowly slipped into his different memories, sorting for one that would explain why he never smiled.

She found nothing. His memories and thoughts were heavily guarded, even in his sleep. Realizing he preferred to keep to himself, she left his mind and gave up.

She sat up and winced, her hand instinctively reaching up to her throbbing head. Looking down at her arms, she realized they were neatly taped up and covered in soft gauze and bandages.  

Turning toward his sleeping form, she gave him a grateful look before turning away to face the back of the sofa and falling into deep slumber once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Daehyun woke up groggily, prying his eyes open with difficulty. Tilting his head up and stretching his back, he stared at the girl in front of him.

“Is she still sleeping? Unbelievable...” He muttered, staring at her.

Leaning forward, he brushed some of her hair aside that was falling over her lips, wondering how girls managed to live with such unimaginable lengths of hair.

Why am I even caring for a girl that I don’t even know that well?

He leaned back, his back thudding against the back of the creaky old chair, the legs squealing with rust as he hauled himself up. “Well,” He said to himself loudly. “Jung Daehyun, you’d better start figuring some things about her soon.”

Sighing, he made his way to the kitchen to prepare a meal for the two of you. Daehyun crouched down low, looking through all his abandoned rusty pots and pans in the cupboard underneath his sink.

“I don’t know how to cook that well, but....” He grabbed a large pan and slammed the cupboard door shut. “Guess she’ll just have to deal with it.” He shrugged.

~~~~~~~~~

Hana woke up to the sound of sizzling and the scent of food wafting into the room from the kitchen. As she sat up and stretched her back, her stomach began to growl softly.

Quickly, her arms darted to her stomach and wrapped around her waist, her cheeks turning red. She slid off the couch and shuffled across the messy floor to the kitchen to find Daehyun making something at the stove.

Walking over, she peered over his shoulder. “What are you making?”

He jumped, startled. ‘“Don’t creep up on me like that.”

She shrugged. “What are you making?”

“Food.” Was his vague answer.

Rolling her eyes, she stepped back. “Is any of it for me?”

“No.” He snapped teasingly, surprised at how playful he felt.

She pouted.

He turned around to see the girl pouting, feeling a little strange to see the expression on her face. “I never thought you were the type of girl who pouts.”

Her cute expression melted back into her normal serious face, set into a thin line. “I wasn’t even aware I was doing it.” She paused for a moment. “Sorry.” She winced as she spoke her apology, a twinge of pain sneaking into her body as she did a good thing.

Daehyun thought he saw a look of pain flash across her face as she apologized. “You don’t have to apologize for that.”

He almost chuckled, and the strangest sensation washed over him.

He thought he had forgotten how to laugh. Feeling his face begin to turn a light pink, he turned back to the sizzling sausages on the pan. “The meal should almost be ready.”

She just stood there behind him, staring at his turned back. “Yah....Daehyun-ssi.” She addressed him softly.

Hearing her voice pronounce his name like that made Daehyun feel an unexpected happy shiver roll down his spine. He hesitated a few seconds before responding. “You’ve never called me like that before.” He said quietly. He switched off the heat on the stove and the roaring sound died down, the only sound in the room was the sizzling of the sausages.

“I like it when you say my actual name.” He broke the silence quietly.

She didn’t say anything for a long time.

“Thanks for saving me yesterday. And back in the rain before that.” Another twinge of pain struck her body, but harder this time.

Daehyun’s hand gripped the plastic pan handle tightly. “You know...” His back was still turned. “I don’t really mind you staying here. I kind of like taking care of you. You can stay here for as long as you want.”

“Thanks.” She ducked her head, her hair falling over her shoulders, casting a light shadow across her cheeks. “That... really means a lot to me...”

Her cheeks turned a light pink.

“Daehyun.”

Grateful that his back was turned, Daehyun felt his cheeks grow hot as well. “Sausages will be ready soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~

She emerged from the washroom and scrubbed hard at her hair with the faded towel. Walking into the kitchen, she saw two plates of sausages had been placed on the table, along with several vegetables and two sunny side up eggs with glowing yellow yolks.

Feeling water, she hurried over to one of the seats. “May I?”

“Wait for me first.”

Daehyun unwrapped the towel he had tucked around his waist and threw it back on to the counter before sitting down in the seat across from her.

As soon as his back touched the back of the chair, she shoved a piece of fruit into .

Daehyun almost chuckled again. “I’m going to let you stay here, but you have to answer a question first.”

She nodded, chewing on a carrot.

“I saw you with wings the other night.” He blurted. “Am I crazy or something, because I-”

She swallowed. “Yeah, you’re crazy.”

He blinked.

She raised her eyebrows. “Me? With wings? That’s dumb.”

Daehyun stopped eating. “Um... Okay. Maybe that was just a dream then.”

“You’re weird.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“So I answered your question. That means I get to stay here, right?” She said through her food, half her plate already gone.

“Yeah.”

~~~~~~~~~~

And so, the dark angel came to stay at Daehyun’s apartment in the southern part of Seoul, South Korea.

Daehyun was surprised at how much she had melted compared to when they had first met. He was also surprised at how much he had melted towards her.

He hadn’t been close with anyone ever since he was a child, and everyone that he used to hold so dear was gone or taken from him. He hadn’t expected to ever have someone in his life like that again.

He enjoyed taking care of her,

As for the angel, she was uneasy. She continued visiting not only the local hospital, but different parts of town during the day, collecting memories of her beautiful smiles. Each time she collected one, a few long, agonizing seconds of dark pain would be inflicted upon her body, but she told herself it was worth it.

This wasn’t the worst of her worries.

She felt she had become close, almost too close to the boy. She knew she shouldn’t become so close with a human, a human boy in particular, but she felt as if she couldn’t stay away from him. She cared for him too much.

Is this the feeling of “love” that humans so often speak about?

Or is this a temptation, a test for me, to see whether I should stay as a dark angel or not.

…

Best to stay like it is now for the time being. If I get any closer, it will only cause trouble, not only for me but for him too.