I stared out of the window wistfully, sighing every now and then. The dark skies and rain pattering against the glass just made me feel even more depressed than before. It was as if the bad weather was an omen of some sort.

The door to my room suddenly opened and when I turned my head, I saw my mom walk in with a pitcher of water in her hands. She carefully placed the jug on the stand by my bed and took a seat next to me. "How're you feeling, sweetie?" She asked as she brushed my bangs to the side. I gave her a weak smile and shrugged. "Same as always, really." She softly smiled and cupped my cheek. "You're a strong girl, remember that. Do you need anything else before I leave?" I shook my head and she got up from the bed. "I'll be back tomorrow and maybe I'll even bring your favorite porridge from that restaurant you like."

"I would love that." I grinned and she kissed my forehead. "I got it. Now rest up." She cupped my cheek and gave me one last look before grabbing her things and leaving.

As soon as she was gone, the smile on my face was wiped off immediately and I leaned back against the inclined cot. A sigh escaped my lips once again and I returned back to staring out the window, watching the rain pelt the window at a furious rate.

Ever since I was a child, the hospital became a second home to me. I was constantly sick to the point where I couldn't attend school regularly and had to be rushed to the hospital constantly. Because of my frequent visits, I was treated like family by the nurses and doctors. It was only when I was 13 that I was diagnosed with leukemia and no matter how much chemotherapy I did, it was futile. Seeing how much I suffered during chemo made my family stop the therapy and switch to an alternative that would slow the cancer down but not guarantee me any more years. That's why I've been living as a patient in the same hospital for nearly 6 years, always being monitored to see my cancer's progress.

Things were extremely monotonous for I've been seeing the same things over and over for years. Patients come and go, either healthy or to a different world. That's how it was in the hospital. Not everyone's life could be saved and it was sad to see parents mourn for their young child that left them at a young age. I still get teary eyed whenever one of the kids I've grown close to gets discharged.

Since I was practically a permanent resident of the hospital, I knew the building inside out, escaping through routes that few knew off or going off to my secret hiding spot. But given that today was a gloomy day, I'd rather just stay indoors and watch whatever crappy kids show they're showing in my room.

I lowered my bed and rested on my side, tracing random patterns on the pristine white sheets while trying to tune out the chattering of little kids. At the sound of the door sliding open, I slightly turned to see who it was and was surprised to see a new face. I knew basically all of the guardians and visitors of the children who shared the same room as me and I had never seen that person before.

A boy with a mop of red hair and a confused expression stood in the doorway, looking around the room. He pursed his lips together and stood on his tips toes to get a look at all the kids in the room. As soon as he found who he was looking for, he smiled and waved. I turned my head and saw a little girl who looked like she was around 13 years old or so wave back. He walked over to her cot (which happened to be right across from mine) and engulfed the girl in a hug.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited since you got admitted into the hospital. I've been really busy with school since it was finals week."

"It's okay, oppa, I understand. Did you do good on all your tests?" She asked with a tilt of her head. He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Of course I did. Who do you think I am?"

A small smile appeared on my face as I watched the two have a small conversation. It was endearing to see the girl boast about her getting a shot without crying or whining to the boy and his smile made me have this strange sensation in my chest. Out of all the 19 years I've lived, I've never felt anything like this. It felt all tingly and fuzzy. I was confused. What was this? Was I getting sick?

I was no longer playing around with my blanket but was instead staring at that mysterious boy. There was just something about him that pulled me towards him and as much as I wanted to talk to him, I was a bit socially awkward from having stayed in the hospital for too long.

Out of nowhere, the boy turned his head and locked eyes with me by accident. I felt my face grow warm and I ducked my head under the sheets, hiding my red face. I heard him softly chortle and I bit my lower lip in embarrassment. He caught me staring at him! I felt so humiliated. My attempt at being discreet was ruined when he happened to turn around and I grew flustered. I hit my head lightly under the covers and cursed under my breath for being such an idiot.

After what seemed like an eternity (it was actually 5 minutes), I poked my head out from the covers and saw the boy talking merrily with the girl and let out a sigh of relief. I could finally sit up in my bed and go back to doing whatever I was doing. Which was actually nothing.

I cursed in my head and looked around my little area, trying to find what could take my mind off the red haired boy. My eyes caught sight of my phone and I knew that that was my best shot right now. I reached out for it and like a , I accidentally knocked my S3 off the stand, making it clatter loudly against the linoleum floor. I froze in shock and stared at it for a moment before reaching down for it. My arm was too short and I couldn't reach my phone.

I threw my blanket off and leaned down more, making my fingertips brush the soft case of my phone. I huffed in annoyance and I stretched my arm out as far as I could. However, a hand appeared out of nowhere and picked up the device for me. I looked up and saw the boy from before. My eyes widened and I slowly got back up. But being the klutz that I was, my hand slipped and I fell back to the position I was in before with an 'oof'.

A hand appeared before my sight and grabbed my arm, pulling me up gently. My face burned and I shyly dipped my head. "T-Thank you." I stuttered. My phone was held in front of my face and I meekly looked up. The boy had a small smile on his face and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

I reached my hand out and my fingers accidentally brushed by his when I grabbed my phone. I felt a shock and we both pulled away, the phone falling to the floor once again. "I'm sorry." He apologized as he bent down to pick up the device. I gave a small smile as he handed it to me. "It's fine, I've dropped that phone a bunch of times already. It's a miracle that it's not cracked yet." He chuckled at my words and I grew even more intrigued with him. "Well you're a lucky person. I've had to change phones twice this year already. My friends always tease me and call me butterfingers."

I laughed and the boy just watched me. I slowly stopped and cleared my throat. "Sorry 'bout that." He shrugged. "It's cool. Your laugh is really cute, by the way." My cheeks grew warm and I bashfully looked down. "T-Thanks. So, uh, why'd you come visit Boyoung now? She's been here for nearly two weeks already." His face turned slightly pink and I swear, it was the cutest thing ever. "I had finals to study for and then the actual tests itself so I was really occupied with school. But since I finished, I'm now on a small break and I thought it was about time to come visit her so here I am. How do you know Boyoung?"

"Well, I kind of know every kid in here and their parents. That's the benefit of being the longest resident in this room. And it's kind of hard to not know her when she's always bouncing around in her bed or running off with the other kids. She's like a ball of endless energy." I replied, eliciting a smile from the boy.

"I know how you feel. She can be a bit tiring but she's a good kid."

I nodded and looked at the girl who was talking animatedly with the child in the bed next to her. "You two don't look like siblings." I muttered to myself. Apparently I spoke a bit loudly since he heard me and said, "Oh, we're cousins."

I blinked. "Really? That's pretty cool."

He shrugged and turned to look at the younger girl. "Not as cool as her being mixed. Man, I sometimes wished I was mixed." I cocked an eyebrow. "She's mixed? I thought she was fully Korean." He chortled and turned back to me. "Yeah, a lot of people think that because of her name but she's half Taiwanese because of her mom, who happens to be my mom's little sister."

I looked at him in surprise. "You're Taiwanese? But you don't-"

"Don't look like it? I get that a lot, especially in the States since people are always confused with what kind of Asian I am but the last name gives it away." He grinned.

I leaned forward in interest and looked up at him expectantly. "You're from the States? Where?"

"Los Angeles but I'm here in Seoul for college. Weird, I know. I'm staying with Boyoung until I'm done studying and find my own place to stay or go back to the States. I don't know yet." He replied and I nodded. "That's pretty cool. So, uh, what's your name?"

"Tuan. Mark Tuan." He then made a gun with his hands and did a James Bond pose, making me laugh. I then copied his actions and responded. "Seo. Jinyoung Seo. Or Seo Jinyoung since we're in Korea." We both laughed at each other and when it came to a halt, we both stared at each other for a moment.

At that moment, Boyoung called out Mark's name and he turned to see the girl waving him over. He gave me a sorry look and said, "I gotta go back to Boyoung or else I'll get an earful from her later. Sorry for leaving you so abruptly but it was really nice meeting you, Jinyoung." I shook my head and grinned. "It's fine. I don't want to keep you any longer before she gets upset so you should probably go back." He gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks."

He turned around and started for the girl's bed before turning around and asking, "Hey, do you think it'll be okay if I came again tomorrow?"

I grew confused at his question. "Why would you ask that? I mean, you don't need my permission to visit Boyoung again."

"Actually, I meant if it would be okay if I visited you tomorrow."

I froze at his words.

He waved a hand and looked at me. "Jinyoung?"

I snapped out of my reverie and stammered. "U-Um, yeah. Yeah, it's cool. Most definitely cool. Wait, I mean-" His bright smile and melodious laugh made me stop rambling and instead made my heart feel all tingly again.

"Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He stated and I shyly nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow."

He then walked over to Boyoung's bed (which was literally only a few steps away from mine) and started talking to the girl once again. He slightly turned his head while listening to his continue babble about one of her scans and gave me a small smile, making my cheeks flush for the nth time.

I turned my attention back to the window and saw that the rain had stopped. It was instead replaced with a bright and clear sky. I then looked back at the boy and smiled to myself. Mark Tuan. He sure is an interesting one.

a/n

hope you all liked this first chapter! it's a bit short but it's just getting started so expect some longer updates soon!

also, i'm changing up the way i'm writing for this short story. it probably seems a bit informal with the girl acting like any normal girl would when she's falling for someone. i don't wanna make things complicated with flashy vocab. i always use simple words (except for when i'm feeling super fancy after memoring sat vocab words) so i hope it makes the story a bit more realistic.

i'm gonna stop rambling and sign off here! again, hope you all enjoyed this chapter ^^