The color of Eun-Ae's face vaporized and it was almost like she could feel the stab. The stab her brother received that night.

“It was him! He was the one who should have gotten stabbed instead of her brother!”

~

“NO! No oppa, I will get someone to come and help you! Just...just hang on!

His body slowly stopped pumping blood and his lungs had no more air. He blinked once, twice. And he was dead. Dead. Eun-Ae sat in her tears next to her lifeless brother, hopeless. She didn't know what to do, nothing mattered anymore because her brother was dead. They took him away from her and now she was alone. She freezes in fear, hearing laughter and heavy footsteps coming towards her. They were coming after her now, she thought. Eun-Ae didn't know whether it was better to escape or die with her brother right then and there. But she remembered what her brother had told her. To run away, far away. So as quickly as she could, she crawled back behind the crate her brother had left her at. A boy comes into sight laughing walking up to the body. He was now crying from laughing to hard but that didn't bother him. He slowly kneels down next to him with a smile on his face. The boy takes Eun-Ae's brothers hand and shakes it, greeting him and teasing him for the fact that he was still alive.

“Hello Sir, I see you ran into my friends. (Chuckling) I know, I know. Thanks for filling in for me while I hid. I was the one who stole from them and you were so kind and took the blame for me. How thoughtful of you! But it was too much, how can I ever repay you Sir? Huh? What was that, it's alright I don't have too? Oh you’re too kind!”

The boy stands and lets out his last giggles. In an instant, his mood changes and a wave of evil sits upon his face.

“It's alright you say. I agree. I know it was hard to do me this favor and it must of hurt but,” he says, “Your pain... is my gain... Friend.”

In terror, Eun-Ae closes her eyes trying to forget about that face. The face of the boy who should of died instead of her brother.

~

“It's you! You’re the one who should have been stabbed! YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED NOT MY BROTHER!” Eun-Ae shouts.

He covers and pins her down. He becomes frustrated about the nonsense she was yelling and he hesitated not knowing what to do next.

“YOU STOLE FROM THOSE GUYS IN SUITS THAT NIGHT AND BLAMED IT ON MY BROTHER! YOU WERE WATCHING ALL ALONG! YOU BASTARD!” shouts Eun-Ae trying to push his arm away from .

~

He remembered. That night he had to meet with a bunch of men to give them their money they lent him. He had needed money to pay his mother’s medical bills but instead he spent it on himself and before he knew it, he came back to the hospital empty handed. His mother was kicked out of the hospital still being very sick and he had to figure out a way to repay those men. He figured that he could still go meet up with them that night and ask for more time, but he didn't realize was how serious these men where about money. They lent him money because they were friends with his uncle and his uncle assured them they would get their money back on time. Unfortunately he hadn't made enough money on time and now he was going to pay the consequences. In a matter of seconds he was flying out of the doors into the street with the men close behind him. He had no time to think, and less and less time to run but suddenly an idea popped into his head. In the distance he sees a young boy almost eighteen years old. The young boy was named Han Young-Su and he was only two years older than him but Young-Su had once put him down at school. He separated an important fight for him and embarrassed him in front of his whole class. Now he was going to pay the price for missing with him. He took his cap off and prepared himself to deliver. He passed Young-Su shoving the cap over his head and continued running as fast as he could. There was someone else with Young-Su but he didn't catch very much details of who it was other than it was a younger girl.

After twenty minutes of hiding in a dumpster, he decided to see what had happened with Young-Su. He slowly creeped out into the streets searching all around for where they could have gone and then he finally spots the men coming out from an alley. After waiting for a couple minutes to make sure they were gone, he headed into the alley where there were many abandon houses. He searched everyone until he found what he was looking for. He couldn't help himself but laugh the whole way, amazed he got away from those men. But when he reached what he was looking for he found a motionless body. It was clear the person was dead but what was more satisfying to him was that it was Han Young-Su. All he could finish off saying was that “his pain was his gain...”

~

He didn't understand. How did this girl know this? How did she know that he was the one who was supposed to be killed and not Han Young-Su? Than it finally clicked, even after she had screamed it in his ear. This girl was the one standing next to him when he shoved the hat over Young-Su's head. It was her brother that was stabbed instead of him. She must of saw when he came into the abandoned house and when he left.

Before he could even blink in shock, the air was knocked out of him. Seung-Hyun stood over him now with his fist ready to finish him off but everything changed when Seung-Hyun realized who the stranger was. It was the guy who almost beat him to death. It was Oh Yong-Jo. Now Seung-Hyun was furious and this was the perfect moment to get his anger out of his system and delivers another air knocking punch.

“If YOU EVER touch her again, you'll be the one who's beat with a bat this time! You hear me you bastard!” shouts Seung-Hyun.

“Watch yourself Lee! Don't have so much self-confidence because you'll disappoint yourself in the end... just like you disappointed your parents!” hisses back Yong-Jo covering his bloody mouth.

Seung-Hyun could have finished Yong-Jo right then and there with no one else around to help the little bastard but Eun-Ae's safety concerned him more. He took her by the arm and walks her out of Yong-Jo's sight.

~

They sat in the park once again, under a cherry blossom tree. Seung-Hyun knew he was a bit to late to come to her rescue because he could tell she was hit by the way she breathed. He didn't know what to say to her but he knew that if he didn't say anything, she wouldn't either.

“How badly are you hurt?” asks Seung-Hyun nervously.

Eun-Ae looks him in the eyes saying nothing. The words couldn't come out for the pain in her chest was too strong. It was hard for her to even keep her eyes opened for she could only see the face of her brother's killer. She began to weep and Seung-Hyun was having a hard time figuring out what he could do. Should he hug her he thought? That was probably the last thing she wanted coming from him but Seung-Hyung couldn't think of anything else to do to comfort her. Then out of nowhere, Eun-Ae throws herself into his arms. She sobbed on his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around his chest and Seung-Hyun in total shock freezes in place. He didn't know exactly how to react to her but he was relieved that if he would have hugged her, she wouldn't have rejected it. He slowly wrapped his arms around hers trying not to move so much so it wouldn't be awkward but after a while, it felt good. Not just to comfort her but to comfort himself. He could feel the warmth of her body mix in with his and he let himself go and hugged her tightly as well. It had been a while since he had hugged someone so tightly and he missed it.

“Th..thank you. Thank you for coming. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being mean to you,” cries Eun-Ae.

“No, I should be sorry. It was my fault this happened to you. Even though you walked away earlier, I shouldn't have left too. I know I said that you couldn't handle being on your own because you’re a girl and I'm sorry.”

“But you were right. I can't handle being on my own,” says Eun-Ae. “I don't listen. Grandma always tells me to be careful and not to wonder off alone at night, but I don't listen.”

“But I had no right to judge you like that just because you’re a girl and I am truly sorry. I know this is not the perfect time to say this but I hope we can be friends,” says Seung-Hyun.

Eun-Ae slowly separates from Seung-Hyun. She was surprised to hear that from him for it was the wrong time to say it but he was being truthful. Whatever happened, and all she cared about now was having a friend like him.

“Me to,” Eun-Ae finally says.

Seung-Hyun smiled at her acceptance and they hug once again.

Morning

Eun-Ae awoke. Her head pounding and she moves around in discomfort. She looks around noticing she was in a room and immediately recognized where she was at. Grandma's house. The door swung open and Mi-Kum comes in with a tray full of food. She sits up and Mi-Kum carefully sets down the tray on her lap. Eun-Ae looks down at the food Mi-Kum brought for her but her eyes meet with something else. There were bandages all around her chest and her left arm.

“What did I tell you about going out alone at night? This is your punishment missy, just look at yourself!. Thank god Seung-Hyun found you or you could have been died by now!” scowls Mi-Kum.

“How did I get here?” asked Eun-Ae.

“Seung-Hyun walked you home last night and when you got here you fainted,” replies Mi-Kum.

“Oh... where is Seung-Hyun now?”

“I don't know exactly. He left early this morning without saying anything but I'm sure he'll be back,” says Mi-Kum. “I'm so happy you are okay. Seung-Hyun was really worried about you you know.”

“Really?” Eun-Ae asks surprised.

“I was quite surprised myself too. He doesn't seem like a very caring boy, but people change. Of course, you too are too young to understand. Oh my gosh...you will be sixteen this year! Oh I think I'm going to cry!” yells Mi-Kum. “Anyhow I need to go back to the shop. I'll be back later and hopefully your boyfriend pays you a visit!”

“What! He's not my boyfriend Grandma!” yells Eun-Ae.

“It's okay not to admit it but I can see it! I maybe old, but I know when love is in the air!” shouts back Mi-Kum as she leaves the room.

Mi-Kum giggles with herself all the way out of the room until she's out of the house and Eun-Ae sat in embarrassment. Eun-Ae just became friends with Seung-Hyun, how could it possibly be that Mi-Kum could say such a thing like that, wondered Eun-Ae.

Later

It was seven PM. There was still some light outside and Mi-Kum had come home three hours ago with food. But Seung-Hyun hadn't come around at all and they both began to worry. Eun-Ae feared that Yong-Jo might have bumped into him and beat him up again and this time Eun-Ae couldn't do a thing. Her chest and left arm were all bruised up from Yong-Jo's punches and from landing on the bare ground when he threw her. Eun-Ae couldn't stand being in her room any longer so she gets up and heads to the bathroom. She had been avoiding getting up at all because of the pain but she needed to do something to keep her mind off Seung-Hyun. Once she reached the bathroom, she closes the door behind her and turns on the foist. She watches the water escape into the sink and a couple of drops jump out onto the floor. She washes her hands in the warm water then washes her face and then stares at herself into the mirror. Her bandana had fallen off again and the scar on her forehead was visible. Eun-Ae couldn't take her eyes off of it now, she felt the wave of emotions rise inside of her but this time it was different. Now she knew that it really wasn't supposed to be her brother. It was supposed to be thatjerk. He took him away from her and he was going to pay somehow.

She opens the bathroom door and the warm mist that piled up from the warm running water escapes into the hallway. Eun-Ae steps out into the hallway with a towel around her body and makes her way to her room. On her bed lie new set of clothes Mi-Kum had gotten for her; a plain red shirt with come blue jeans and a black bandana.

“Dress quickly! You have company my dear! If you need help putting the bandages around your chest, just call me over!” yells Mi-Kum.

Eun-Ae dresses as quickly as she could but the pain in her chest prevented her from going to fast. After she was done, she quickly rushed into the living room wondering who it could be. She could here Mi-Kum's voice and a male voice but couldn't quite recognized it for they were talking too quietly. Eun-Ae's feet touch the soft brown carpet and both faces turn to look at her. It was Seung-Hyun.

“How are you doing?” asked Seung-Hyun right away.

“I'm fine...” Eun-Ae replied.

Eun-Ae was speechless. Partly because of the fact that Seung-Hyun came back, but also because of how he presented himself.