He was weak, he was counting his days, and he knew he was nearing death.

 All he could wish for is to be normal like them, he wanted to go out just to have a drink, smoke a cigarette or maybe go to movies. He was just there, trapped inside his room waiting for a miracle to push through. He saw what his house looks like, he had a vast glimpse of what it looked like before he was confined in his own room. He sighed deeply as he looked outside his clear glass window, he wondered what life was outside of those four corners. His door opened, he heard someone walking in but he never looked back, he was tired, tired with life.

“Son,” It was his mom, Jiyong remained still, he was still lost in his thoughts wondering what life could be like if he wasn’t sick.

“The doctor would be here for your monthly check up,” She added, a tear escaped her eyes as she closed her son’s door. She called her best friend, hoping to relieve what she was feeling –it was Dara’s mom. “He’s losing the will to live,” She said with a weak voice as tears fall from her eyes. “We’ll be there” The other line answered as she puts down her phone.

DARA’S POV

“Darling, do you still remember Jiyong?” Her mom asked her, they were eating lunch, she nodded as she remembered how they met. They were little kids, their mothers were best friends and so they were, or they used to be. They were on their mom’s favorite ice cream shop beau, Dara remembered how she teased Jiyong about his long socks and little polo shirt. She chuckles as she recalls how Jiyong stated it was a trend.

“Yes, Mom I do remember him how is he?” She asked, she could sense the sudden change of air. She’s just on a vacation in her mom’s house for a week every month she made that a monthly routine. She wanted to be independent, at a very young age she wanted to live alone. Her mom agreed to that, because Dara was a very special child, she was a victim and her mom wanted to erase those memories, she wanted to erase the pain Dara was feeling every time she lives in the same roof as her. Jiyong didn’t know about this, Dara didn’t know what situation Jiyong is in right now, she didn’t bother to ask because she had things to wonder herself.

“Let’s go to your auntie’s house” Dara gulped, she could hear her heart beating fast, she forgot why. “Okay, I’ll just go fix myself” She agreed and went up to her room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, she wasn’t satisfied nor was she unhappy about how she looked. It was her, but it felt like it wasn’t, she changed drastically since the last time she saw Jiyong, she was her own kind of bad. She sighed deeply as she picked a more formal outfit to wear, everything in her closet rinks of her. She applied light make up and smiled faintly at herself in the mirror.

“This is as good as it gets.” She told herself and went down from her bedroom. The ride to Jiyong’s house was explainable, she didn’t know she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Her mom looked at her with a worried expression.

“I’m sorry sweetheart” Her mom apologized, she knew what her mom was sorry for but she pretended she didn’t. She looked away from the car as she turned her volume up from her cellphone. Not long after they arrived at Jiyong’s house, his house was huge but Dara forgot what it looked like, she was here before but it was long ago, before the , before the trauma. She went down smelling the breeze, his house was far from the city, it was on the middle of the woods, on a secret location only the Kwons know of. Dara questioned the secrecy of the Kwons but she never dared questioning Jiyong, she only knew she was best friends with him. It was her sweet escape, she followed her mom to the Kwon mansion.

They were greeted by Jiyong’s Mom who was quite shocked with Dara’s presence.

“Sweetheart could you give us a minute? Jiyong’s room is 2^nd floor to the left, you could go ahead if you want.” Jiyong’s mom said as she nodded and went up. She enetered Jiyong’s room and saw him still sleeping, she opened his window and lit a cigarette.

“Who’s that?”