Actually Jong In was planning not to go home at all that night, but he had nowhere else to go, no one to run to, and wondering around in the city in such late hour would only bring him to the nearest police station. Having them calling his father to pick him up was the least he could ever think of. So at about half past midnight, he walked back home. His face must have been so pale, his father jumped out of the couch when he saw him arrived.

"I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate." He said.

"I don't need anything." The boy replied with a flat tone.

He straightly walked upstairs toward his bedroom, afraid that if he stay a minute longer downstairs, his father and him would have another argument to do, though his father didn't look like he wanted to bring the issue up again. Both stayed silence, like there was nothing else left  to talk about.

Jong In sighed, his shivering hands reached out for his hoodie and wore it in one swift movement before he buried himself in his blanket. His mind went back to where he shouted at his father, it actually confused him how he could say those things, for once he was his hero. It was way before he found out about the woman. Yes. He knew that his father had been seeing her since his mother was still alive. He didn't think she knew about his father though, since his parents looked normal at home. And that disgusted him.

At the very moment, just before he closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep, he swore that he won't ever believe in love.

*****

Tick tock...  The clock kept on moving, as if it was telling Jong In to move his body along, for he had classes to attend. His teeth clenched, he really wasn't ready to see his father's face again right now, knowing he got a day off today, he must be downstairs. At one second, a wave of guilt hit him, but he ignored it right away. He didn't feel like going to school, listening to the same old boring noises around him all day, but it was all better than having to stay inside with his father all day long, so lazily he moved his feet out of his room and downstairs.

His father was sitting on the sofa in their living room, his head was down. For the first time after such a long time, he avoided his eyes. Jong In used the chance to quickly get out of the house. "Jong In..." His voice called out, he chose to pretend not to hear, he just walked away.

It was still too early, his school bus hadn't arrive just yet, so he hit the road, planning to skip classes instead. He knew he needed a time for himself, away from his father, away from the boring people producing disturbing noises, away from the chattering, the giggles, away from everything. His feet automatically brought him back to the park where he went last night. It was where he used to spend times with his mother, just talking about unimportant stuffs like the weird mustache his math teacher has, or a girl he thought is pretty in his biology class. He smiled. The thought of his mother always do him good, he felt better already. He tried not to think about anything else.

Jong In was about to sit on one of two swings the park has when the same puppy he met last night showed up. Her face looked like she just met a giant bone, or anything that would contented a puppy that much, she ran toward him right away, hopped up and down as she circled him around, her tail was shaking in excitement. "You again. Where's your owner? Did you run away again this time?"

The puppy nodded in return, she his palm repeatedly. "Sarang, how many times- Oh, why, hello." Then she showed up. It kinda surprised him to see Soo Jung that morning, not because of her presence, he knew she would be there anytime soon knowing that her puppy was there with him, but more because she didn't wear her school uniform. Only a yellow t-shirt and a blue faded jeans, definitely not going to school, he thought.

"You're skipping classes?" He asked.

"You missed the bus?" She asked back.

"Nah... I... am skipping classes." He chuckled, his eyes locked on the still excited puppy his palm wet.

"Oh." She said.

"You too?"

"No. I missed the bus." Both of them knew she lied, and that it was just a joke, but Jong In didn't want to ask further about why she skipped classes too, so he just laughed along with her. It was strange, how he could easily socializing with this girl, and how it actually felt nice. "Your parents don't know about this, do they?" She asked soon as their laughters faded.

"That's the point of skipping classes, right? Doing it secretly?" He grinned.

"Oh, so I'm not skipping classes after all." She said, her shoulders rose, and he sat on an empty swing beside where Jong In was sitting before the puppy interrupted.

"You got permissions for this? Cool parents you got there." Saw her sitting down beside him, he followed, leaving the puppy running around the bushes right in front of them.

"Sorta. More like excuses to get permissions." She shruged again, laughing bitterly this time. He had a questuin popped up inside his mind, but he didn't want to say it out so early. She was still a stranger after all, she might not want too many question from a boy who cursed him on her first day. "You're here a lot. I mean, I see you here often."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorite places in the city." He said. "My mom and I used to come here."

"Used to?"

"Died. Car accident." It surprised him how the words came out swiftly of his mouth. Easy, Jong In, you just met her a few times. "So yeah, used to."

"Oh. I got in an accident too, months ago." She said, her tone was flat and so was her face. He wasn't sure why. "Sorry about your mother, though. Do you miss her at times?"

He smiled weakly, "Hell a lot."

And just like that, the conversation went on and on, they started to talk about unimportant things, like how annoying the "gossip girls" in their school bus are, about how they think the big nose the school bus driver has is funny, about mostly everything. He glad he skipped classes, and she glad she got whatever excuses she had for the permissions to do the same. They glad they met up here again.

*****

A pair of eyes were watching Jong In and Soo Jung from afar. The wind blew softly toward them, sending along a message in it. Soo Jung, you do well.