I walked out of the school campus once school had ended. I sighed deeply as I thought of everything that happened. My classmates didn't say anything when I entered the classroom but they finished what they had started. My entire desk was covered in names and all of my books I owned had markings. None of that bothered me more than Henry telling everyone about my past. My past that I tried hard to keep in the past. I didn't want people's pity. I had enough of that growing up. Everywhere I went everyone would always talk about how my father left us, how we died and how he left my sister and I to take care of ourselves since our mother was ill. That's why I've avoided everyone today. I didn't want to see the pity in their faces. I stopped in front of a window display that was selling TVs.

"In the news today we have a young female student who commited suicide after being bullied. Her teacher said he never knew she was being bullied by her classmates. She never said anything or acted out of the ordinary. Her classmates said she was the shuttle of a young male student. She would do as he says whether it involved getting him food and drinks or humilating herself to the class during breaks. No one ever said anything because they were afraid of facing a similar fate. Others said that if she disobeyed he'd torture her by putting her in the pool and keep her head down until she said she was sorry. The young female student eventually had too much and decided to take matters into her own hands. She killed herself in the pool located in her school where she was tortured..." I walked away from the display window. That poor girl. Just watching that news report reminded me of my dad. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't notice the sign was stil on red to not walk on the streets. I took one step on the road and heard a loud honk to my left. Before I ever got the chance to turn my head someone pulled me off the road. I was suddenly into someone's arms as the car speed past us. The person pulled me away at arms length.

"Are you crazy!? Why would you walk in front of a car!? Are you trying to kill yourself because of that news report!? You can't do that!" I didn't look up at the person, but instead I just simply bowed. I turned around and kept walking home. I didn't even notice I stepped in the road as a car was coming my way. "Yah!" I stopped walking as the person grabbed a hold of my arm. I looked at his hand on my arm and then at the person. Taehyung stood there looking at me. I stared at him for a while and then pulled my arm free. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want to be near him. "Crystal." He called at to me but I kept walking. "Are you going to be like this!?" I kept walking without looking back at Taehyung. "Stop running away from me!" I felt a sharp pain in my chest but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. 

"Mom! Kimmy! I'm home!" I walked into my house and shut the door behind me. I took off my shoes and put on my slippers. Kimmy met me in the door way. She had a terrified look on her face.

"Unni!" She yelled in between sobs. I looked at her and then saw the mess in the living room. 

"Kimmy stay here." I pushed Kimmy lightly toward the entrance of the door ans walked to the living room. Everything was a mess. Then I heard a loud clashing sound in the kitchen and my mother screaming. I ran into the kitchen to see my mother on the floor and guys standing around throwing stuff on the floor. "What are you doing?" I asked in a shaky voice. The guys looked at me and laughed.

"You're behind on rent. If you can't pay up then you can't live here anymore." A buff man said as he threw pots and pans on the floor. My mother screamed in surprise.

"I understand. I'll give you guys your money soon. Please just leave." They guys laughed and one of them grabbed a photo of my dad that we had hanging on the wall. 

"We want it now. Its a pity your father died." They guys laughed and I felt my blood start to boil. I walked up to the guy and tried to grab my father's picture.

"My father did everything he could to give us a perfect life. Don't speak of him like he was a terrible man!" I stretched my arm to grab the picture and the guy kept trying to push me away. He became outraged and threw my father's picture on the ground as the glass broke into tiny pieces then pushed me to the ground. I screamed surprise by his force as my injured hand fell on the glass. I flinched in pain and looked at my arm as I raised it. Blood trickled down my arm as my arm brace fell off. Shreds of glass were stuck on my arm. 

"Crystal!" My mother screamed in a horrified tone. Then the front door burst open and Taehyung ran in. He came into the kitchen and saw me on the floor. Then he looked at my mother and turned back to me.

"Who's this little punk?" One of the guys tried approaching Taehyung but before he could Taehyung punched him in the face. He sent the guy flying to the floor. Then the next guy came after Taehyung but he quickly knocked him off his feet and sent him to the floor with a kick to the chest. I grabbed my arm carefully to avoid cutting myself with the glass still stuck to my hand. Taehyung came to my side and gently grabbed my elbow and the palm of my hand. 

"We need to take you to a hospital." Taehyung studied my arm and I gently pulled my arm away. Taehyung looked at me and I got up from the floor. I went to my mother's side and as she stood up.

"I'm fine. Mom are you okay?" My mom nodded almost in a daze as she stared at my arm. I moved my arm away from her gaze and looked around the room. "Kimmy?" As soon as I called out for her Kimmy appeared. She stood beside Taehyung and I sighed. Taehyung looked at me and then at my arm.

"Crystal we need to take you to the hospital. You're arm-" I picked up my arm brace and looked at all the blood all over the floor.

"Leave." Taehyung looked at me and so did my mother. "Please leave." Taehyung looked at me and tried to approach me. I picked up a chair from the floor and then picked up my father's picture. My tears started to pour out as I tried to wipe some of my blood off from my father's picture.

"Crystal I can't just leave you like this. Not after-" I felt my blood start to boil for no reason and I faced Taehyung angrily.

"I said leave!" I yelled out as I began to cry. My mother came to my side and looked at Taehyung. She saw my arm and all the blood on the floor. She left my side and went to get Kimmy.

"Please take care of Crystal. I'll take care of Kimmy." Taehyung nodded and my mother left with Kimmy. I stood there trying to wipe the blood off my father's picture as I cried. Taehyung grabbed my father's picture and took out his phone. He took a picture of my father's picture and I yanked my father's picture away.

"Aren't you going to leave!?" I yelled at him. Taehyung didn't say anything. Instead he grabbed my father's picture again and placed it on the table. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the kitchen. "Let go of my hand." Taehyung pulled to the living room and stopped. He let go of my hand and squatted down. I stared at his back for a long time.

"Get on." Was all he said and I looked away annoyed.

"I'm not getting on your back so why don't-" Taehyung cut me off before I could continue.

"If you don't get on then I'll call that Henry guy to come and take you to the hospital instead." I looked at Taehyung and stared at the back of his head. I couldn't let Henry see me like this. I looked at my hand as the blood dried off and I suddenly became light headed.

"I can't." I said in a whisper and Taehyung sighed deeply.

"Crystal how hard is it to just do as I say for once?" I cleared my throat before I speaked.

"It's not that. I just don't want you to get cut by the shreds of glass on my arms." Taehyung turned around and looked at me. He stood up and looked around the room. Then he went upstairs and came back down faster than I could blink. He had our first aid kit in his hand.

"Sit." He said and I did. He looked at me for a while and then got on his knees in front of me. He gently pulled the larger shards of glass off my arm and covered the wounds with a cotton pad. When he was finished he looked at me. Then he turned his back to me again. "Get on." I hesitated a little but finally gave in. I put my arms around his neck and Taehyung stood up. He hooked his arms around my legs so I could be in a sitting position. Then we started walking out of the house.

                                                      •                                                                   •                                                            •

We were walking for a long time in silence before I began to speak. The crowd of people were looking as we passed by and I had to hide my face in Taehyung's shoulder.

"You know I could've walked to the hospital myself. You didn't need to do this." I kept my head down as I began to struggle with my breathing. My head felt like it was spinning on its own. I had to blink for a few times to clear my vision.

"You lost a lot of blood. You could end up fainting while crossing the streets and you'd be in a worse state than you already are." I slowly nodded since I didn't have any energy in me to talk. I felt really sleepy for some reason and I found it hard to breath. "Back then. When you were holding onto your father's picture so protectively is it because it's the only photo of him that you own?" I nodded slowly and Taehyung cleared his throat. "After school when you were walking home. Did you plan on-" He stopped himself and tried to think of what he was going to say before saying it. "Were you planning on standing in front of that car because of what happened in school?" I fought hard to try to speak.

"No. I would never do that to my mother and Kimmy." Taehyung nodded and kept walking. We finally reached the hospital and Taehyung set me down gently. He turned around to face me and when he looked at me his eyes widened.

"Crystal." He said almost in a whisper and that was the last thing I remembered before I passed out. 

Everything was pitch black and I found myself wondering into pitch darkness. There was nothing and no one there with me. Then I saw a bright white light flash before me. I walked closer to the light and I noticed a person standing in front of the white light , but I couldn't see who it was. I walked closer and closer. I stopped midway from reaching the white light and the person in front of the white light. I looked at the tall lean man dressed in white who stood before me. I fought hard my tears as I stared at that familiar face.

"Appa." I whispered as my father smiled right at me. I smiled back at him as my tears continued to pour out of me. I took one step closer towards my dad and he took one step back.

"It's not time your time, Cryssie. You have more to live for. More to see and experience. It's not your time, sweetie. When it is your time I'll still be here, but for now return to your mother and Kimmy. Take care of them like I wasn't able to do. I love you, Cryssie." I stared at my father as he started to fade away.

"No. I can't lose you again. I don't want t lose you again ,appa!" I ran after him, but it seemed pointless. He continued to fade away and it seemed like I was running in place.