“The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do.”

- - - -

Who would ever guess that the boy with the bright innocent smile would be hiding something behind that mask? Not once would he be frowning, that smile was always plastered on his face. No one could ever know what was hidden behind his mask.

“See ya later, pabo.” His friends waved as they came to the corner of the street.

“Yeah, see ya.” Jongup eye smiled and waved back. He tugged at the straps of his book bag and headed an opposite direction than the group. He pulled his hood over his head, letting his head drop. His smile faded and was replaced with a small frown. He didn't want to go back but if he took too long he knew what would happened.

'You don't have to go back there, Jongup. You're free to go as you please!' His mind cried out as he continued his journey home. He didn't want to go home. He hated going home. But he didn't really have anywhere else to stay. The abandoned warehouse that stood not too far from his house was out of the question. It didn't have running water, no heat or electricity. Sure it worked fine when he wanted to escape but not to live in.

He gave a sigh and stuck his hands in his pockets as he glanced up. He squinted his eyes as he approached a bridge.

“Is that?” He asked himself as he took a few steps closer and noticed someone standing over the the ledge. His eyes widened when he noticed it was a girl. She wore the same uniform as him with a black jacket over.

Quickly he sprinted closer, “Don't jump!” His eyes widened once again when the girl turned her head and looked at him.

“S-Sooae, what are you doing?” Jongup took a step closer towards her.

“Don't take another step closer or I will jump, Jongup.” Sooae warned him.

Jongup stopped in his tracks, he slipped off his book bag and let it drop to the floor before holding out his hand towards her. “Sooae give me your hand, please.”

“N-No Jongup. J-Just go home and leave me alone.” The girl choked out, turning her attention towards the rushing water underneath.

“Please, Sooae don't jump.” Jongup cautiously approached the girl. He gently took hold of her wrist and pulled her back towards him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as they fell back onto the ground.

The girl buried her face into her hands and sobbed as Jongup got them into a sitting position. He pulled her hands away from her face, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. “Why were you going to jump?”

“Why did you stop me?” She snapped back at him. “No on-”

“I wasn't going to just walk by and let you kill yourself!”

The pair stayed quiet for a few moments before Jongup asked quietly. “Why were you going to do it?”

“You wouldn't understand.” Sooae brought her hand up and harshly wiped at her eyes. Jongup pulled her hand away and gently wiped her tears with his thumbs. “Try me.”

Sooae sniffled and looked up at him in confusion. She'd known Jongup since her family had moved into town when she was 4 years old. They had always been in the same class. She wouldn't call him a friend, since she lacked of them, but he was always kind to her.

Jongup sighed and stood up, holding his hand out to her. “Come on, let's get you home.”

She took his hand and stood up, shaking her head. “I can't go home.”

“Why not?” Jongup picked up his book bag and slipped it on, picking up her messenger bag and slipping it over his shoulder.

“I-I just can't.” Sooae rubbed her arm awkwardly.

Jongup knew he couldn't take her to his house. He knew what would happen if his brothers found out he brought someone home. But he couldn't leave her out on the street either. He held out his hand towards her and gave a soft smile. “Come, it's getting late.”

Sooae hesitantly placed her hand in his and followed next to him as they began walking. They walked in silence, a surprisingly comfortable silence. Once they reached Jongup's home, they came to a stop.

“Go around back, I'll open the door for you. I just need to make sure no one is home yet.” Jongup took off Sooae's bag and handed it to her. The girl nodded and did as instructed as Jongup walked up the steps. He pulled out his key from his pocket and opened the front door.

“I'm home!” He cautiously called out as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He waited a few moment before calling out once again., “Anyone home?”

Silence once again.

He took it as his cue and quickly made his way towards the kitchen to open the back door for Sooae.

“You'll have to stay in here.” Jongup said once they had safely made it into his bedroom. “If you hear anyone coming, hide inside the closet. My brothers don't like be having company over.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” Sooae clutched her bag close to her as she stood awkwardly in a corner.

Jongup flashed her a weak smile. “I couldn't leave you on your own. You hungry?”

The girl nodded slowly.

“You can take a seat on my bed or in the desk chair, make yourself at home. But remember if you hear anyone other than me hide in the closet.” Jongup said before walking out of his room, closing the door behind him.

“Stupid, stupid what have you gotten yourself into.” He mumbled to himself as he made his way down the hall.

“You're home on time.” A voice startled him once he rounded the corner into the kitchen. Jongup turned around and came face to face with his eldest brother. “H-hyung, you're home.”

His brother nodded, tossing his keys onto the kitchen counter. “Anyone else home?”

Jongup shook his head as he made his way towards the fridge. “I-I was the first one home.” He gathers some stuff to make sandwiches and set them down.

“Don't make a mess.” His brother warned before walking out of t he kitchen. Jongup listened carefully for his brother's door to shut and let out a deep breath. He quickly made a few sandwiches and set them on a plate. He picked up after himself, making sure everything was clean before grabbing two water bottles and sticking them in his pockets. He grabbed a bag of chips and the sandwiches, quickly making his way towards his room.

“Sooae?” Jongup whispered once he was inside his room. He set down the food on his desk and locked the door before he stuffed a towel under the door .

“I..heard someone.” Sooae said quietly as she came out of her hiding spot.

“My brother just came home, he usually doesn't stay very long but we'll have to keep quiet till he leaves.” He said as he took out the bottles from his pockets and set them on the desk.

“Jongup! I'm leaving!” His brother pounded on Jongup's door, startling both Jongup and Sooae.

“O-Okay hyung. U-umma is working late again.” Jongup called out. He heard his brother grumble something before his footsteps were heard heading away from the bedroom door.

“Like he cares if she comes home or not.” Jongup pulled over a chair and motioned for Sooae to take a seat.

“Where'd he go?” Sooae asked as she took a seat next to Jongup. Jongup shrugged and opened the bag of chips. “Who knows. He comes and goes as he pleases.”

“And..you have another brother?”

Jongup nodded. “Yeah, he should be home soon. We'll have to be extra careful when he comes home.”

“Why don't they like you having people over?” Sooae asked as Jongup held the plate towards her, picking up a sandwich and biting into it.

“They think my friends are just a distraction from my studies.” Jongup picked up a sandwich for himself. “Since umma works late, they're in charge of me.”

Sooae nodded slowly as she chewed and took another bite. Jongup watched her for a moment before speaking, “Will you answer me now why you wanted to jump?”

Sooae finished off the bite she had taken and her lips, clearing a bit. “It's gotten worse at home...since umma left.”

“Your umma left?” Jongup asked. Sooae nodded, “She left 3 years ago. Appa began to drink and he started to hit me.”

Jongup looked at her with a sadden expression, “I'm sorry, Sooae.”

“Yeah.” Sooae simply said. “Thanks, Jongup.”

“No problem, Sooae.” Jongup nodded. They continued to eat in silence, not wanting to push each other any further. After they finished, Jongup took the trash to the kitchen before heading back to his room.

“Do you want to take a quick shower?” Jongup asked as he opened one of his drawers. “I could lend you something to sleep in so you won't have to wear your uniform.”

“What about if your brother comes back or your other brother comes home?”

Jongup took out a pair of sweat pants and a plain t-shirt. “The bathroom is attached between my room and my other brother's room. I can lock the other door so don't worry.” He handed her the clothes and walked her to the bathroom, locking the door which lead to his brother's room.

“The extra towels are over here and I have an extra toothbrush you can use.” After giving her the toothbrush, Jongup closed the door behind him and leaned against it, shutting his eyes.

“Please let everything go okay tonight.” He muttered under his breath. He made his way over to where he had left his book back and picked it up. He went through his things and looked over to see if he had any homework left, luckily he had completed it during homeroom.

“You can shower now.” Sooae quietly said once she came back into the room, with her uniform in her arms. Jongup looked up from his notes, setting the notebook down. He walked over and picked out his clothes and towel. “The door is still locked so don't worry, but I won't be too long, alright?”

“Okay.” Sooae nodded and took a seat on his bed, folding her uniform and setting it by her bag as Jongup walked into the bathroom.

The next morning, Jongup and Sooae left his house early in the morning, not wanting his brother nor his mother to find out Sooae had spent the night.

“Are you going to be going home today?” Jongup asked as they walked to school.

“I don't want to but I have nowhere else to go.” Sooae sighed.

“You..can come back again if you'd like.” Jongup offered. The girl quickly shook her head at the offer. “ I don't want to get you into trouble.”

“I can't let you go back if you're going to get hurt.” Jongup reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Will your appa be home?”

“He won't be home till late.” She said as a light blush creeped onto her face.

“Then we'll stop by after school so you can pick up a few things.” Jongup said as he tugged her towards the school gate. “You can stay with me as long as you want.” His eyes turned into two crescents as he said this.

The two began to spend a lot of time in each others company, not only outside of school but in school as well. Jongup felt the need to protect Sooae every chance he could. As time passed they began to grow closer. They learned about each others' life at home and for once, when he would smile, Jongup didn't feel it forced.

“Hey, I want to show you something after school okay?” Jongup said one day as he walked over to Sooae's desk.

Sooae blinked up at him in confusion before smiling a bit. “What is it?”

Jongup grinned and winked. “It's a surprise, you'll see later.”

After school, the pair walked down the familiar road but made a different turn this time. Jongup lead her up the road towards the abandoned warehouse, he had never shown it to anyone before, but after what him and Sooae had been through the past weeks, he knew it would be okay to show her.

“Ta dah!” Jongup grinned brightly as he lead her inside. “This is usually where I come and escape from everything.”

“I never knew this was here.” Sooae held tightly onto his hand, glancing around. “How did you find it?”

Jongup lead her over towards the stairs and took a seat on the bottom step, pulling her down next to him. “Well you have already heard how my brothers are when something doesn't go their way.” He began to say.

“One day, will umma was off at work, they both came home after having a few drinks with their friends and they got upset with me for leaving a cup in the sink. Stupid reason to get so worked over but they were under the influence, so in the end they chased me out of the house and to lose them, I took that turn we took and ended up here. That night I stayed here and since then I come here whenever I want to be away from them.”

“Does your umma know about that?” Sooae asked, taking a hold of his hand. Jongup shook his head as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

“I never told her. She has enough to deal with, I don't need to burden her anymore.”

“And your appa? Where is he?”

“He went to the US to help support us.” Jongup said. “I was 7 when he left, umma took on two jobs and my brothers' were left to take care of me.” He gave a meek smile.

“They treat you so badly though, your umma should know about it.” Sooae frowned.

“I'm the youngest, I can't fight them back.” Jongup said. “And I told you umma has enough on her plate as it is.”

“It's still isn't right.” Sooae sighed. “There's something I wanted to show you also.”

“What did you want to show me?” Jongup asked as Sooae let go of his hand and reached into her bag.

She took out an envelope and held out towards him. “The day at the bridge..I meant to leave this in your desk but I backed out and just left school.”

“What is it?” Jongup furrowed his eyebrows as he took the envelope from her and opened it. He took out the neatly folded paper and began to read. Sooae watches him as he read, feeling when his hand gave her a light squeeze. Jongup finished reading the letter and turned to look at her. “Since our second year of high school?”

Sooae gave a small nod as she bit down on her lip. “Yeah, since our second year.”

“You know what's funny?” He began to say, looking down at their hands, playing with her fingers. “I felt the same way, I was just too shy to say anything.” His eyes turned into two crescents as he smiled shyly.

“Really?” Sooae looked at him in disbelief.

“C-Could I..kiss you?” Jongup gave a nodded and stammered.

The girl's lips turned into a smile as she nodded and leaned closer to him. Jongup set down the letter on his lap and brought up his hand, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear before pressing his lips onto hers in a sweet kiss.