Of Red Lights and Dark Nights

It didn't storm that night. The next morning was so bright and sunny that it almost seemed as if it never rained at all. It was a day that saw her wearing shorts and a loose t-shirt. She wore her shoulder length hair, which she had dyed red, in a haphazard side ponytail that somehow still looked deliberate, despite the fact that she merely threw it up in frustration. She was out getting snacks for the boys, because she felt like it.

She stopped in front of a small shop window, admiring the dainty necklace on a neck mannequin that sat in the middle of an assortment of other trinkets. She almost considered wanting it, but shook her head as she realized that her path in life couldn't allow for something that could be used against her in a fight. Besides, she'd probably lose it in record time.

She froze as the first vision since that day came to her, the small smile fading fast from her lips. She felt the dizziness and nausea that usually accompanied her visions, but pushed it aside. With a curse, she looked around. Traffic was packed at this time of day, so taking a taxi would only delay her. She took off running down the sidewalk, earning a few concerned glances. Luckily, this time she knew exactly where it was that she was needed to be.

Someone grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face them. She tore free from his grasp and glared at the one gangster that got away that day. He smirked at her, reaching for her again.

“I don't have time for your !” she shouted, kicking him in the chest and taking off down the sidewalk again. She paused next to an older man, somewhere in his thirties, and looked up at him with the biggest eyes she could muster. “Sir, there's a strange man following me. Could you please help?” The words barely tumbled out of before the gangster showed up. She ducked behind the man she had asked for assistance. The man looked at the gangster and frowned. He motioned for her to run, and she did without a backward glance.

She took turn after turn until she got to a less busy street, finding the crosswalk she was looking for. And the boy. He was just crossing the street as a truck came barreling down the street, not looking as if would stop for the red light. She put on a final burst of speed and just barely pushed him out of the way. The two of them rolled a few times, and when they stopped, they found themselves in the median, with her looking down at him. She smiled sheepishly as a light laugh escaped her.

“Got you, Seyong,” she said. The dark haired boy blinked up at her until she collapsed next to him, panting heavily and laughing when she could. Her ribs flared with pain, causing the act of breathing to hurt a bit. They hadn't fully healed yet, and all of that heavy breathing was irritating them. A cop that had been on foot at the time ran over to them. Seyong sat up first, followed soon after by Sunny, who tried to hide her discomfort as best as she could.

“Are you guys okay?” the cop asked. Sunny, with a bright smile on her face to match her nickname, nodded, glancing over at Seyong. He nodded as well, looking over at Sunny to ensure that she was alright. He caught sight of her arm and gasped.

“You're bleeding,” he said. Her brow furrowed as she lifted her arm to inspect the damage. Sure enough, there was a scrape from her elbow to halfway down her arm.

“Huh, so I am,” she muttered.

“You're a hero, little miss,” the cop said, holding out his hands to help them up. They took the invitation and pulled themselves up.

“I didn't do it to be a hero. I did it because he's very dear to me,” Sunny said, shooting another small smile at Seyong. The cop looked back and forth between them before shaking his head.

“Why don't you come with me to a clinic so we can get your arm looked at?” he said. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

“I don't have enough money for a doctor,” she said. The cop chuckled lightly.

“It'll be on me, then, seeing as you saved a life today,” he said. Seyong threw his arm around her shoulders.

“It's not the first time she's done that,” he said, smiling warmly at her. The cop gestured for the two of them to follow him, and so they did. Seyong leaned close to her so that only she would hear him. “Finally have another vision?” he asked. She nodded, twisting her wrist around to attempt to alleviate some of the lingering pain. Seyong noticed this and frowned. “Is your wrist bothering you?”

“I'm fine,” she said, smiling up at him, noting to cease the motion.

They came to the small clinic, and the cop motioned for them to go first. Seyong put a hand on Sunny's shoulder and led her inside. The cop followed, and the two youngsters allowed the cop to do all the talking. The nurse led them to a small room with medical supplies in it, motioning for Sunny to take a seat. She did as she was instructed, taking a seat on the examination bed. Seyong stood beside her, out of the nurse's way.

“Did you notice that your knee is bleeding, too?” the nurse said, lightly tapping it as she examined the younger girl's arm. Sunny looked down.

“Is it? Huh, so it is,” she said. Seyong flicked her lightly in the head.

“Yah, don't you feel pain?” he asked. She looked up at him and grinned.

“I'm sure I'll feel them once she starts treating them,” she said with a shrug.

The nurse pulled over a rolling cart with medical supplies on it and picked up a cotton ball and a bottle of alcohol. Sunny shuddered at the sight of it. Seyong took her hand comfortingly in his, shooting a small smile at her. The nurse began dabbing at the scrape on her knee. Sunny hissed in pain, her hand tightening around Seyong's. But the strange girl watched the entire time the nurse treated her knee, and again when she treated her elbow. As the nurse started wrapping her arm in gauze, Sunny looked up at the cop.

“Is someone on their way to figure out why that truck ran the red light?” she asked.

“Yeah, I called it in for my partner, who had the car at the time,” the cop said. Sunny nodded.

“Well that's good, then-OW!” she yelped, yanking her arm out of the nurse's grasp.

“I thought your wrist looked swollen. You may have sprained it a little. Let me get you a brace for it,” the nurse said, standing up and rummaging through one of the cabinets. She came back with a small wrist brace, loosening it as loose as it would go and slipping it carefully over the younger girl's wrist. Once she had it positioned, she tightened it until she was satisfied. Sunny hissed in pain again, almost pulling her arm away once more.

“Alright, just don't do anything strenuous with it for a week or so, and it looks like the two of you are good to go,” the nurse said, smiling at the two youngsters before turning her attention to the cop. “Don't worry, officer, it's on me.” The cop bowed politely.

“Thank you so much,” he said, leading the kids out to the sidewalk. He turned to them and smiled. “You guys stay out of trouble, okay?” Sunny laughed and nodded. Seyong smiled, taking Sunny by the uninjured hand and leading her towards their hang out. The cop shook his head. “Ah, what a strange couple they make,” the older man said with a light chuckle as the kids laughed about some joke or another in the distance.

The two of them walked into the hang out, where the rest of the boys were already sitting on the floor playing some card game while waiting for them. The boys paused their game and stood up, the youngest bounding over and hugging Sunny around her shoulders. The boys had been very careful about her ribs since that day, because the doctors said it would take about two months for them to heal, and they said that even after that, it would still hurt for a few more months. Gunwoo noticed the bandages around her arm and knee.

“What trouble did you get into this time?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. The smile faded from her face as she looked over at him and then hid her face with her bangs. Seyong grabbed the hem of her shirt, a small gesture of his that seemed to be a sign of affection.

“She saved my life again,” he said. “I would have gotten hit by a truck that ran the red light if she hadn't been there.” Gunwoo tilted his head slightly.

“How are your ribs feeling?” he asked.

“I-I'm fine,” she stammered, lying through her teeth.

“Liar. Your face is strained, as much as you try to hide it. Even now, they're still bothering you, aren't they?” he asked, seeing right through her. She inched slightly to hide behind Chaejin.

“I'm fine,” she said in a small voice. Gunwoo rolled his eyes. JunQ clapped loudly once, causing the girl to jump a little in surprise.

“Let's go back to playing games,” the second youngest said, earning a relieved smile from Sunny. He smiled in return, glad to know that they were still okay after the day before. Gunwoo nodded, sending a look at the small girl, as if to tell her the conversation wasn't over.

The tournament of card games lasted well into the evening, until the two eldest suggested that everyone call it a night. Everyone headed home, aside from Gunwoo, Insoo, and Sunny, who stayed behind to clean up. Halfway through cleaning, Gunwoo glanced at Insoo.

“Why don't you head on home, we'll finish up here,” he suggested. Insoo glanced at Sunny, who was giving him her best pleading eyes. She didn't want him to leave. She knew what would happen if he did. Gunwoo would question her mercilessly. Insoo was about to decline the offer, but once he saw the look in Gunwoo's eyes, he faltered. With a hesitant nod, he stood up, patting Sunny on the head as he passed.

“Sorry, Misun,” he said softly, looking at her with apologetic eyes.

She kept her eyes downcast, hoping that it looked like she was focused on cleaning and not like she was hiding, as the door closed behind Insoo. For a moment, Gunwoo didn't say anything, but that did nothing to quell the butterflies in her stomach. She knew he'd get around to it.

It wasn't until they were finished cleaning that he finally spoke up.

“Lying is a bad habit, Sunny,” he said as they sat on the floor side by side. She hadn't tried to escape. She knew it was useless. She sighed. “Even last night, they were bothering you, weren't they?”

“They're going to bother me for a while. There's no use getting worked up over it. I just have to get used to it for the time being,” she said sharply. He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Then don't lie to me about it,” he said. She fiddled with a string on her shirt with her good hand, not looking up at him.

“Don't worry so much about me,” she said softly, standing up and brushing off her shorts. “I should head home.” Gunwoo stood up as well, grabbing her by the hand to keep her from walking off without him.

“I'll take you home tonight,” he said. She sighed and nodded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to change his mind if she tried. Without letting go of her hand, he led her gently out the door. She considered pulling away, but she took one look at his current expression and she decided against it.

They walked slowly, and he appeared to be paying more attention to the sky than what was in front of him. She pulled him out of the way of a lamp pole that he had almost walked into. He sent her a small smile, which she hesitantly returned.

“It doesn't look like it's going to storm tonight,” he said, looking back up at the sky. She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Is that what you've been thinking about this whole time?” she asked. He shrugged, squeezing her hand lightly and smiling at her again.

“I wanted to make sure you'd be okay without us,” he said. She grinned, nudging shoulders with him.

“I've been dealing with storms on my own for two years. I think I'll be okay even if it does,” she said, shaking her head at how silly she thought he was being. She smiled softly in his direction, but didn't meet his eyes. “But thank you for your concern.”

They got to the end of the walk up to her door and stood facing each other. Gunwoo ran his thumb along the back of her hand, unwilling to let go just yet.

“Don't get into any trouble,” he said with a soft smile. She laughed lightly, ducking her head to hide her face behind her hair again.

“I won't if you won't,” she said. He let out a low chuckle, looking down at their hands.

“I guess I'll just have to stay out of trouble so that you don't get into any,” he said. They stood in silence for a moment before he pulled her into a hug, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. “Good night, Misun.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled softly.

“Goodnight, Gunwoo.”

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Hello there, reader! I hope you enjoyed this second chapter ^^