Woohyun’s POV

         “Halmeoni, I’m going home.” I said getting up, not wanting to be there anymore because I might be rude with halmeoni, due to my anger with the girl that made me so frustrated.

         “Okay, come back when you want, Woohyun-ah.” She said getting up too, with a smile but this one wasn’t that cheerful as always. We walked to the door and when I was shoeing my left foot, she came with a plastic. “Woohyun-ah, take this.” She said smiling now wider than before as I took the bag.

         “Halmeoni, why you give me this?” I asked surprised and lifted my head from the bag to look at her and then down again to the bag. It had some ramyeoun packages and a few loafs.

         “You must eat very well.” She said with that smile again. The grandmother was definitely a really great person. She’d saved my life, even without knowing it.

         “Thanks a lot, halmeoni.” I smiled at her and continued shoeing my feet. “I'm going now, bye!”

         “Bye, Woohyun-ah.”

         I left the department confused. I was very grateful with the grandmother by what she had done for me but I was also upset because of Kang Hyewon.

         As I got to my department, I put the plastic bag on the kitchen counter and went to bed thinking about everything that halmeoni had told me. Kang Hyewon and that Yang Seungho whose face I hadn’t known, yet. They’d broken up, that’s all I knew but, why? It was his fault or hers? Was she a trouble-maker girl? Maybe she wasn’t that nice after all. Actually, she wasn’t even nice at all. But, who cared? I needed a woman and that was Kang Hyewon.

         I lied down for a few minutes more before going out to take some fresh air. Since I still didn’t like that neighborhood, I sat on the stairs at the entrance to the building. It was a lonely place with just the wind bumping the short buildings around the place. I didn’t know how long I’d been around that place but I wasn’t used to it yet.

         After a few minutes sitting there, I saw from afar Kang Hyewon coming from the small path between two buildings. I waited for that Yang Seungho to appear at anytime behind her but he never came, she came back alone.

         “Kang Hyewon-ssi.” I told her when she arrived.

         “Nam Woohyun-ssi!” She lifted her head from the ground, frowning. “What are you doing here?” She looked sideways.

         “I just wanted to take some fresh air. Why you’re alone? Where is Yang Seungho?” I hurried to ask, not able to hide my interest in this guy.

         “Huh, oppa and I… had a discussion.” She said with a slightly sad tone still not looking at me, scratching her neck.

         “Huh? Why?” I frowned.

         “Well, he wanted to…” She stopped her words and finally looked at me, furrowing. “Why do you want to know?” She was frowning and staring keenly at my eyes and the slightly sad tone disappeared.

         “Well, when a guy takes a woman out, he’s supposed to bring her back home, isn’t it?” I stared in the same way at her eyes and she opened but then closed it and looked sideways again.

         “Huh… yeah, but this time he… couldn’t.” She said hesitatingly and I frowned again.

         “I see.”

         There was an awkward silent for a moment but then she spoke again, breaking it.

         “Are you going to stay here?”

         “Huh? Yes, why?”

         “Nothing. I’m going first.” She said and without waiting for my response, she entered the building.

         Kang Hyewon was strange and cold. I kept sitting on the stairs a few minutes more, thinking about her attitude and why it was like that when she was coming from her meeting with Yang Seungho. I wanted to know more so decided to go to her department. When I was going upstairs, she was going down. We both looked startled since I was climbing one floor more than where my department was. She knew then I wasn’t going to my department. I asked really interested where she was going since she had changed her clothes and smell to peach cologne. She lifted the books on her hands to her face letting me know she was going to her university. I asked her when she would be at home again but she replied everything with her usual rudeness and that annoyed me pretty much. I just wanted to break the barrier between the two of us but all what she did was making things harder between us. I replied as rude as I could and went down to my department without looking back at her who was calling for my name from behind but I didn’t even care, I was really angry.

         I went to my department and I lied down on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

         “Nam Woohyun, when do you think you’re going to do something for your life? You’ve been more than two months at this awful place, surviving by luck. When are you going to change this?” I scolded myself out loud and kick helplessly the air.

         I decided to go to my parents’ house so mum help me to think what could I do. Plus, I haven’t seen her for a long time. I changed my clothes and looked for my wallet but it was empty. I had no money. I was really pitiful. I had no money to even go to my parents’ house. But I needed to go there, I needed to see my mom and I needed her to help. I had no choice so I went to halmeoni’s place again.

         “Woohyun-ah, what happened?” Halmeoni said a bit puzzled when she opened the door and greeted me with a smile not that wider this time.

         “Huh, halmeoni…” I rubbed my cheek with my palm. “Um, it’s just that… I need you to do me a favor…” I said hesitantly, not knowing how to build up the words.

         “Oh, what is it? Would you like to come in?” She moved aside to let me in.

         “No, actually, is rather short.” I said still in the door and she then looked keenly at my eyes.

         “Well, what is it?” She asked rather anxiously.

         “Hmm, well… Huh…” I kept rubbing and scratching my neck. “I need to go to my parents’ place and the only people I know are you and Kang Hyewon-ssi and I’m not that confident to tell her these things so…”

         “You need money?” Thanks God she cut in. She really was an angel. She was that person in my life that knew everything about me but I didn’t even need to ask her anything. I didn’t even have to say the word ‘money’ and she understood very well what I needed.

         “Yes!” I groaned in relief and she smiled. “Could you lend me some?” I was hesitating again.

         “Sure. Wait a minute.” She entered the house and after a minute she came out with a brown wallet in her hands. “How much do you need?” She said taking out some bills.

         “Huh, not that much. I just need enough to take the autobus.”

         “Okay. Take.” She put on my hand much more than what I needed. I frowned looking at her smiling face but she just winked and made a move with her hands so I keep the money. I nodded and smiled.

         “Thank you so much, halmeoni.” I bowed but she shook her hands.

         “There’s no need to do it. You know I’ll be always here to help both of you, Hyewon-nie and you.” Hyewon. Grandmother’s words were very nice but when her name escaped from , my smile disappeared. I didn’t want to know anything about her at that moment. But I still managed to smile again and left her there with a smile on her face. She was always smiling, really always.

         I reached my parents’ house after taking the autobus and spend less than an hour but it seemed eternal. In front of the door of my parents’ house, I fixed my hair and rang the bell after a long sigh. Nana opened immediately, as always.

         “Woohyun-sama!” She greeted me warmly.

         “Hi, nana!” Though I wasn’t a warm person, I hugged her. Actually, I missed her too.

         “Aigoo, how long you haven’t come? I missed this kid so much! Have you been busy these days?” She ruffled my hair, tip-toeing a bit because I was still taller that her, even if dad said I wasn’t that tall.

         “Yeah, I’ve been.” I lied but I didn’t have much time. “Is mom here?”

         “Yes, should I call her?” She asked almost going upstairs but I stopped her.

         “No need to, I’ll go.” I gave her a smile and went upstairs to my parents’ room. I could see still climbing the stairs and looking through the opened door of her room that mom wasn’t in the bed as usual. I frowned and went into their room, hoping to find her anywhere, but she wasn't there. I went into the balcony and the bathroom but she was nowhere.

         “Aigoo, nana said mom was here.” I groaned and rubbed my neck before sitting at the edge of their bed.

         I heard steps approaching the room and I knew who was coming. “Woohyun?” It was mom’s voice. My heart jumped when I saw the woman I loved most standing in the doorway.

         “Eomma!” I said a bit too loud and got up immediately from the bed to where she was and hugged her tight. How much I missed that woman.

         “Woohyun-ah!” she hugged me back.

         “Eomma, I've missed so much.” I tightened the hug and felt my eyes getting watery.

         Mom released the hug but my arms were still over her shoulders. “Woohyun-ah. I haven’t heard anything from you in months. Have you forgotten the woman that gave you birth? Where have you been?” Her eyes looked concerned and it made my heart ache.

         “Aigoo. Eomma, how am I