Jisun tossed and turned, never quite falling all the way asleep. More like drifting in and out of consciousness. Sometimes she found herself stumbling out of bed to check to see if Yongguk was still in his own bed. Then she would open her eyes to find that she was still in her room so she wasn't sure if she had checked on him before going unconscious again.
At one point though, her mind cleared up enough for her to think clearly. Which meant she thought about Yongguk and she automatically pushed the covers aside. She climbed out of bed and shuffled sleepily out of her bedroom.
When she got to the other room, the door was open and the bed was unoccupied. She blinked for a bit before squeezing her eyes tight and shaking her head, waking herself up more. Then she let out a heavy sigh as she continued down the hallway.
"Yongguk!" A quick look in the kitchen and she saw the mud room door open.
Realizing that he had left the house sent a shot of adrenaline through her. She raced across the kitchen, through the mud room, and out the back door. Movement to her right by the side of the house made her jump and she quickly looked over. As she peered in to the darkness, she saw nothing.
"Yongguk!" she called out again and went to step off the porch. Then she abruptly stopped when she noticed the missing man. He wasn't over by the side of the house but to the left of her and standing out in the yard.
She hurriedly looked over where she saw the movement but didn't see anything. Then her gaze slowly drifted over to the garden and her eyes narrowed. "So the bunny thief returns." she thought.
Dismissing the hungry critter, she made her way over to Yongguk instead. When she got near, she saw that he was staring up at the night sky. The same location as before.
She stood next to him and looked up. The stars twinkled back at her and she sighed before turning her head to look at him. "I really wish I knew what you keep looking at."
Suddenly he turned his head to look at her and she inhaled sharply. Not only was she expecting him to not move, but she wasn't expecting what she saw. Tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Jisun?" he whispered in a strained voice.
dropped open in shock before she swallowed. "Yongguk. What are.."
"You're going to leave me." he stated
"What?" she questioned and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"You're going to leave me too. Like the others." he continued.
Her mind reeled. "Who?"
He his lips as he glanced away. "I don't know." he confessed and shook his head. Then he looked at her once more. "But... I just... know." Then he suddenly grabbed her arm. "Don't leave me."
She opened and closed as she watched him break down in front of her. More and more tears streamed down his face as he begged her to not leave.
"Okay." she finally uttered. "I won't leave."
The hand on her arms squeezed tighter. "You can't leave me. Please. Please don't leave." he ceaselessly declared.
"I'm not leaving you." she firmly said, raising her voice.
"Please Jisun. Don't. Don't leave me." he sobbed.
She yanked her arm away and reached for him instead. She put a hand on either side of his head and moved her face closer, willing him to listen to her. "I will not leave you." she reiterated.
His body trembled. "You will. Like they did. But you can't. I need you." A painful sob and then he was repeating himself again. Begging her to not leave.
Her mind went blank as she listened to his verbal onslaught. She tried to think, figure out how to reassure him, but it was like her brain had shut down. Her gaze traveled down from his eyes to his lips that were constantly moving. Then she moved forward.
His soft lips against hers was a shock but she didn't pull back. Not right away. Not with her heart twisting in her chest. Only when her mind processed what was happening and she slowly pulled back, feeling her face heat up.
She met Yongguk's gaze, her heart pounding in her chest so loudly that she was sure he could hear it. He was no longer babbling and the tears on his face were drying. Then he broke eye contact as his eyes flickered downwards. By her lips.
She inhaled sharply as he leaned in. His lips barely touched hers for a brief second. As if he was hesitating. She didn't move away and that must of been what he needed. Their lips connected once more.
Jisun closed her eyes and kissed him back. Which made him kiss her even harder. His hands touched her sides before sliding behind her and pulling her closer to him. She turned her head, deepening the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck. That pushed him even more and she felt the tips of his fingers digging in to her back as he eagerly kissed her.
She never felt more alive than she did in this one moment. It was like lightning was coursing through her body, dancing under skin. Her heart thundered in her chest and mixed with his heartbeat, drumming out a rhythm for only them to hear. Nothing else in the whole world mattered. Only him.
She reluctantly tore away and gasped for air, feeling lightheaded. Cool, night air filled her lungs and helped cool the heat emanating from her body. Yongguk hugged her tightly, nuzzling his face in to her neck. Closing her eyes, she did the same. Rubbing her nose and her lips along his smooth neck.
When her breathing was under control, she pulled back a little and looked at Yongguk. "I won't leave you."
He swallowed before nodding. Then he brought one hand up and cupped her cheek.
She smiled a little and put her hand over his hand. "Come on." she said, grabbing his hand. She stepped back and turned towards the house.

She lead him through the back door before closing and locking it. Next into the kitchen and then closing the mud room door. He silently followed her across the kitchen and down the hallway.
When they came up to his bedroom, he planted his feet and stopped. She turned around to see him giving her a curious look but she merely smiled again. Then she tugged him forward and they passed his room.
She lead him into her bedroom and over to the bed. She climbed on and went to the far side before indicating for him to join her. He laid down and helped her straighten the covers out. Then the scooted until their pillows were touching and they laid on their sides, facing each other.
"This way, maybe we'll both get some sleep." she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He reached over and brushed his hand over the side of her face. "I think so to." he agreed with a little grin.
She giggled lightly and blushed. She lifted her arm and traced her fingers up his arm. He s an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
"Yong.."
She didn't get a chance to scold him. He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her and silencing her. When he pulled back, she saw the barest trace of a smirk before leaving several soft pecks on her lips. Then a small kiss on her nose. A grin spread on her face, matching the one on his face.
With their forehead barely touching, they laid there in calm, comfortable silence. Their breaths mixed together and only stopped when someone wanted a kiss. Needed a kiss. Her hand continued to brush his arm with a few moments of her fingers dancing along his skin. He in turn traced patterns on her back and at one point, she was sure he had written out her name.
After a while, she realized his hand would stop before suddenly moving again. She moved her head back to see that his eyes were closed. Then they fluttered open only to close again.
"Sleep." she told him in a hushed whisper, almost as if breaking the silence would take this moment away. "I'll be right here when you wake up in the morning."
He opened his sleepy eyes to look at her for a brief moment before he moved forward. One last lingering kiss and then he shifted, snuggling his face in to her neck.
"When I'm with you," he murmured, "I feel like nothing's missing."
Her heart skipped a beat. Then she smiled a little and closed her own eyes while shushing him. She reached up to run her hand through his black hair that smelled like strawberries. Then sleep claimed her as well.

Jisun winced and shuddered a little. A pitiful whine escaped her and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. It didn't help the pounding headache in her head though.
She shifted on the bed and reached her arm out. She patted around, feeling nothing but the sheet and the blanket. Opening her eyes, she surveyed the bed and realized Yongguk was gone.
She pushed the blanket over and rolled over to the side of the bed. She sat up, swinging her legs over the side, and then stood. Almost immediately, she stumbled and crashed in to the wall.
"What the hell..." Her limbs felt like they belonged to someone else with how heavy they were.
She pushed away from the wall and stumbled through her room. Her legs wobbled and she had to put a hand on the wall to keep her balance.
She made it to the hallway and shuffled over to his room. She peeped inside to find it empty before continuing onward. In the kitchen, she leaned against he wall and glanced around. Nothing.
"Yongguk!" she called out, her words slurring a little.
There was no answer and she groaned. The last thing she needed right now was for him to be wandering off cause of another one of his episodes. Hopefully he was just tending to the garden. Either way, she needed to help herself before she could do anything.
With a heavy sigh, she pushed away from the wall and straightened. As she went down the hallway, she shook her arms and legs in an attempt to shake the heaviness from them. He worked a little and when she entered the bathroom, she only had to lean on the counter for a little support.
She opened the medicine cabinet and found the aspirin. She took two and drank some of the faucet water to help wash them down. Then she splashed some water on her face.
Feeling much more awake, she put the aspirin away and closed the medicine cabinet. She placed her hands on the counter and closed her eyes. She breathed evenly, focusing on ignoring the pain in her head.
She opened her eyes with a small sigh and straightened. She went to leave the bathroom but an odd sight made her stop. She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the case holding her toothbrush. And only her toothbrush.
She quickly examined the rest of the countertop before feeling her body go numb. All of Yongguk's things were gone.
"Yongguk!" she loudly cried and left the bathroom. She hurried as much as her heavy limbs would let her and went to the kitchen. She made her way to the mud room and out through the back door. She glanced around the yard but didn't see him.
Fear seized her and she swallowed thickly. She turned around and went back into the house, quickly crossing the kitchen to the hallway. She went into his bedroom and over to the dresser. She flung one of the drawers open to find it empty, his clothes gone. Panicking, she opened the rest of the drawers only to find them empty as well.
"What..." she uttered.
She fled the room and went through the house to the backyard once more. As she raced off the porch, she stumbled and tumbled on to the grass. She spared a brief groan as she clambered to her feet.
"Yongguk!" she screamed as loud as she could. "Yongguk! Yongguk! Yongguk!"
Only the rustle of startled birds taking flight answered her.

Jisun felt her legs give out and she dropped to the ground. Her eyes watered as she swallowed several times to soothe her sore throat. "He can't be gone. He can't be gone." But he was. And everything that signalled his presence here. As if he was never here to begin with.
Suddenly she gasped as her heart skipped a beat. She pushed herself up and ran into the house. She went to her room long enough to grab the key and then she was back outside. She hadn't even bothered putting on socks as she jammed her feet in to her hiking boots. Then she ran in to the woods while wearing her pyjamas.
Her body protested but she forced it to keep going. No matter how many times she stumbled and tripped, she had to keep going.
Finally she turned off the trail and in to a small clearing. She crashed through the thicket to the familiar clump of trees. Grabbing the stick, she it up in to the leaves until the rope fell down. She grabbed it and started hauling herself upwards. Her limbs didn't want to cooperate and she wondered for a moment if what her grandmother always said would come true. That she would fall and break her neck.
Somehow though, she reached the top and climbed on to the big branch. Her hands shook as she worked the key in to the lock and she mentally threatened herself to not drop it. The lock came undone and she threw the trap door open.
Once inside her tree house, she crawled over to the cubby hole. She pried the loose board up and grabbed the box. As soon as she opened it, she turned the box over and dumped its contents on to the wooden floor.
She shifted through her treasures and when she found what she was looking for, she let out a shaky breath. She slowly reached for the metal chain and gingerly touched it. Carefully, she lifted it off the floor and held it up. What little light filtered in caught the metal tags, making them gleam.
"Shishimato and Bang Yong Guk."
One hand encircled the dog tags and squeezed. They dug in to her hands, telling her that they were real. That it was all real.
Tears quickly formed as a painful sob tore from her lips. She clutched the tags to her chest where it felt like her heart was shattering in to pieces. All the times he told her not to leave and she regretted never telling him to not leave.