“My father did this to you?”

“Not on purpose. It was an accident.”

“I still don’t get it…”

“Let’s just say I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Lina, tell me what happened.”

She glanced down and as she lifted her head back up to look at Mir, she laid back down having a face to face with him as they both lay on the side of their bodies, their hands brought up against their chests; he took hold of her hands and with delicacy, he interlaced their fingers together before placing a soft kiss on the back on her hand.

With a sigh out of , she started to tell her story with the boy cautiously listening to her every word, his eyes staring at her while she was looking down at their joined hands and lightly playing with his fingers.

“It was about a month after my parents passed away in the car accident… Grandma and Grandpa were both at work and I was by myself at home. Ever since I moved here, I never went outside because I got… depressed… So I buried myself in books and whatnot and I don’t know what happened that day, I just felt like I should go out, you know, for some fresh air or something.”

A slight frown appeared across her forehead as she stopped talking, the memories slowly coming back to her. He felt her squeeze the hold she had onto his hands as she clenched her jaw; he gently let go of her hands and wrapped his one arm around her waist, scooting her closer to him, the tip of their noses merely touching. He pecked it and leaned back, reassuring her that she didn’t need to rush anything.

“Take your time Lina. We have all night.”

She nodded her head and pulled herself back into his embrace where her head rested in the crook of his neck, with his chin placed on the top of her head, his arms hugging her close.

All that could be heard were their steady breaths along with the faint sound of rain drops against the bedroom windows. With her palms against his chest, she trailed them up until she had her arms wrapped around his neck, sticking her body further against his.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded her head against his neck and pulled away to look at him. Lightly grazing her fingertips over his cheek, she quietly gazed at his features and kept retracing them; he closed his eyes to enjoy her touch and let a small smile seep through. “Cheolyong-ah…”

His whispered name out of , he fluttered his eyes open to have him lock eyes with her brown orbs, absorbing in the depth she was giving him. “Hmm?”

She got so focused on looking into his eyes, she hasn’t realized where her fingers were leading her until she felt a faint peck coming from his lips. Snapping out of her daze, her eyes fell onto her fingers that were still hovering above his lips and rapidly pulled them away, feeling heat creeping up her cheeks.

She saw him lean closer and quickly got a grip of herself; she turned around to lay on her back and looked up at the ceiling, wanting to continue with her story.

“S-Since I was new, I didn’t really know where I was going and somehow I ended up following a deer I saw until I was inside the small forest not too far from here... I didn’t know if she knew that I was following her but I didn’t really care; it was my first time seeing a deer and I got curious but… the next thing I knew… I don’t know what happened, I woke up in a hospital in complete pain.”

“You can’t remember anything?”

“Barely… Everything was a blur… All I can remember was the sound of a gun being fired and then everything went dark.”

“I think I remember that day though… My dad, he went hunting, didn’t he?”

“Mhmm, that’s what I was told.”

“A-and, the bullet?”

“Still inside; it’s stuck. The doctors didn’t want to take it out in case it breaks my bone even more. Right now there’s just a crack.”

“Can you feel it?”

“No and I’m glad I don’t.” She lightly chuckled to lighten up the tension around them. Fading it out, she breathed out deeply with the memories coming back to her. “I remember my grandfather cursing and yelling just from outside the hospital room I was in and it was to your father; he even hit him, right?”

She turned her head to look at him as he nodded. “Yea, he came back home with a black eye and a split lip. Weren’t you mad at him though?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it was an accident, I knew he didn’t mean it… And plus, I still get to wear a full pair of shoes, don’t I?” A small smile on her face, she didn’t want to make what happened to her turn in such a big deal, especially since it involved her friend’s father. “Cheolyong, I’m fine now. It happened like ten years ago.”

“Don’t say to me that you’re fine Lina. That accident-”

She quickly cut him off, knowing that he was getting agitated about her state. “Was the reason we met. Remember?” Her soft voice and comforting words immediately soothed him. He breathed and turned to lay on his back, which gave the chance to Lina to lean in and rest her head on his chest; he wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, leading them to stay quiet and enjoy the comfort.

For now, it was enough for both of them. A cozy atmosphere with the sound of the rain in the background to ease their minds into a peaceful state. It was enough for Lina to have her eyes closed, ready to fall asleep. She made herself more comfortable within his embrace as she turned around, the side of her face ending on his collarbone and her arm around his waist, using him as a plush toy.

The movement caught his attention as he looked down and let out a smile at his sight. He placed another peck where he let his lips linger, the sweet scent of her hair getting carried away to the air he was breathing.

“Cheolyong-ah… When are you coming back?”

The way she spoke her words made it seem like she was talking to herself; looking back down at her, he noticed her closed eyes and her steady breaths, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Moving so he could be face to face with her, he took in her facial features as he carefully tossed some strands of her hair behind her ear before gingerly touching her cheek.

Hesitantly, he leaned in closer until his lips were softly pressed against hers, leaving an innocent kiss before he pulled himself back.

With the minutes passing by, he tried to fall asleep but so much was running through his mind, he could feel a slight headache starting to form. Cautious steps led him out of the bed, tiptoeing his way out of her bedroom.

As he was softly closing the door behind him, the sudden sound of Mrs. Choi’s voice made the boy jump in surprise and clutched onto his heart, catching his breath.

“Well, well, I never thought I would see you inside this house dear, how have you been?”

“G-good.”

“Is Lina asleep?”

“Mhmm.”

“Were you about to leave?”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep…”

“Ah, I guess that makes two of us~ Come and sit.” She invited him to sit by the couch in the living room as she took her spot in her comfortable rocking chair, getting back into her knitting. Silence roamed around them with Cheolyong glancing from one side to the other while the grandma was sneakily watching him without stopping what she was doing.

Mir had Lina’s bedroom door in the corner of his eyes, making him turn to look at it before turning back to face Mrs. Choi. “I’m sorry about what happened to Mr. Choi…”

“It’s not to me you should be apologizing Cheolyong, it’s to Lina. She was put through a great deal of pain when she realized you weren’t here anymore.”

“I know and I’m sorry I left like this but… She said she didn’t need me anymore-”

“And you believed her? Poor boy. Lina wouldn’t want to look weak in front of anybody, especially not in front of you. She may have pushed you away but in her own little world, it just meant that she wanted you closer.”

“I-I don’t understand…” The frown on his face made the old woman stand back up on her feet as she walked out towards the kitchen before coming back, holding an envelope in her hand. She handed it to the boy, who was still left perplexed until his eyes landed on the address that was written down. He quickly opened it revealing a handwritten letter; just the couple of seconds were enough to make him recognize his own hand writing, along with the words he remembered using when he replied to the last letter he had composed to the anonymous fan he kept in touch with.

“Lina… She’s the one I’ve been writing to all these years?” He lifted his head up to look back at Mrs. Choi. “Why didn’t she say so from the beginning? Why go through the trouble of impersonating someone else to talk to me?”

“Who are we talking about dear?” Mir froze in his seat and blinked to the old lady, confused about her sudden question. “A-about Lina…”

“Oh, is she your wife?”

“She’s your granddaughter.”

“I have a granddaughter?”

“Grandma?” Lina’s voice caught both attention as they turned their heads towards the bedroom where the girl stood at the entrance. She quickly walked to Mrs. Choi, helping her put her knitting kit down the coffee table before making her stand up to bring her back to her bed; as they were walking away, Mir could hear the on going compliments the old woman was giving to her granddaughter.

“He’s a really fine young man, your husband; you should talk to him dear, he seems worried about you.”

“Yes, grandma.”

Mir got up and waited for Lina to come back; once she was back standing in front of him, a mixture of anguish and anger could be seen in her eyes, her hand gripping so tightly onto her cane, if she were to let go, traces could be seen in the palm of her hand. “Leave.”

“Lina-”

“No. I want you to leave. Now.”

“Why are you angry?”

“Aren’t you?!”

“Of course not! Why would I be?” He walked towards her and held her by her arms, her eyes gazing up at him, wet from tears that were to escape. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were the anonymous fan I was writing to? You think calling yourself with another name would’ve make things easier?”

Not able to voice out anything, she could only nod her head and bit her bottom lip to stifle the sobs that wanted to come out. “I d-didn’t want you to know that I was miserable after you left… “

“Why?”

“Because I’m pathetic that’s why. Just go, please.”

“Not this time. I’m staying. Now I know you want me too. And Lina, you’re not pathetic, you’re beautiful.”

From her arms, his palms were gently holding her by the outline of her jaw, leaning closer to give her another one of his loving kisses. At the contact of his lips strongly pressed against hers, the strength that was holding her up just washed away, leaving her to lean against him, tightly gripping onto his clothes with both her hands since she had dropped her cane.

A roller coaster was riding inside of her, creating an endless mixture of emotions that left her confused and distraught about finding herself back to where it has started.

Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers, whispering his sincere thought. “Don’t think so low of yourself Lina; you’re perfect the way you are.”

A/N: What do you guys think so far?

I know I'm evil for making Lina suffer like this, but hey I needed someone like her for the story :3 (please don't hate me ><)

Lots of love, xo