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Mark Tuan became a complete mess after Park Saemi left his life.

While he constantly tries to pick up the remains of his life, he finds it practically impossible. Sometimes, he finds himself not eating properly, and sometimes, he finds himself feeling lost as if life is meaningless. Every time he turns around, his heart expects to find Saemi sitting beside him, giving him that stupid smile of hers and lying about how everything would be alright. He expects her to return and tell him how she was lying about leaving. He expects her to lie about how she doesn't love him when he knows that she does.

There has only ever been one person who left Mark before in his life, and it was his own mother. However, that situation was different. When she departed from his life, Mark only felt a sort of despicable joy, because he could feel that his mother never truly loved him. As a result, he didn't care if she lived or died. He didn't need someone who didn't truly care for his well-being to live.

Saemi, on the other hand, created different circumstances. She had somehow made him fall for her. Even though he didn't know when or how it happened, he is certain that he has tried many times, after she had left him, to forget her. He has tried to convince himself that she means nothing to him, but every single time he finds himself arguing with his heart.

He truly is broken.

***

Everything seemed to change a week after Saemi's disappearance.

At that point in time, he feels completely hopeless. He has done everything in his power to find her: he has already gone by her apartment to see if he can catch her before she moves, but once he sees the empty rooms through the windows, he knows that he is too late. He has also asked around the neighborhood to see if anyone else knows where she could've moved to, but no one seemed to know a thing.

With each passing day, he finds himself losing his mind even more, and when he was about to give everything up, he meets him.

A man dressed in all black came by the school one particular day. It wasn't planned, and Mark didn't anticipate it. He looked to be around his forties, wearing dark shades with a large dragon tattoo running down his left arm; that was what made him stand out the most. He looked like he was up to no good and just plain dangerous.

Every student around the school campus avoided him like he was some sort of virus, but Mark finds himself staring at him. He didn't know what someone like him would be doing at this school. Just like that, he notices that the man was staring at him as well. Within seconds, the stranger had pulled Mark behind the school building.

"Let go of me," Mark growls as he immediately yanks his arm from the man's grasp. He doesn't know what someone like this man wanted to do with him. He wasn't involved in any gangs or any illegal activities, which this man clearly seemed like he was a part of.

The man chuckles as he watches Mark grow hostile, "Is this what that girl did to you?"

At the mention of that girl, Mark's eyes narrow, unable to stop his heartbeat from racing. Did this man know where Saemi was? Was this fate's way of stopping him from giving up in finding the girl he loves? At the feeling of hope, Mark couldn't stop himself from immediately feeling expectant, "Do you know where Park Saemi is?"

For a second, the man looks confused, but the emotion seemed to be quickly resolved, "I don't know anyone named Park Saemi."

Truth.

As if the light was just snatched from his life, Mark finds himself growing increasingly irritated. What was this man pulling him aside for then? He didn't need someone to give him false hope just to make him feel worse about losing the only person he ever cared for in his life. With a glare, Mark attempts to take his leave, "Then we don't have anything to talk about, do we?"

"I believe the one you're looking for is named Kim Hana," the man speaks up as soon as Mark takes his first step, easily making the boy freeze.

Truth.

For some strange reason, he finds it hard to breathe. Could this really be the truth behind the one he knew to be named Park Saemi? He didn't know what to think anymore, "...Don't you dare joke with me, or I swear I will kill you on the spot. Don't think I won't do it."

As Mark turns around to look the man in the eye, he finds himself having, what seemed to be, a staring contest with him. Neither male dared to move from their spot, and neither male decided to say anything more. What makes Mark truly afraid is that this man did not seem to be the peaceful kind, and if he truly knows about Saemi, then she could have easily  been hurt by him.

He absolutely could not stand the thought of Saemi being in pain.

"Mark Tuan, is it?" the man inquires, although he knows fully well that he had no mistaken the boy for anyone else. "The one that killed his own mother?"

The moment Mark hears the accusation, he finds himself slowly trudging towards the stranger. He could feel a fire ignite in his heart, and all the feelings of the past seemed to return in one swift moment. Using all of those experiences, he punches the accusing male.

"Don't talk as if you know me. I never laid a single hand on my mother."

Wiping the small trace of blood that had appeared do to Mark's aggression, the man laughs sarcastically, "She truly wasn't wrong about you. You are one to act before you think."

Truth.

The statement barely fazes Mark, but he knows for sure that this man knows something about the one he is searching for. He knows that the man must know something about the reason as to why Saemi was so insistent on leaving him, even if she knew about her feelings towards him.

Because of her, he can barely keep his head on straight. He can barely function without knowing if she was well or not. The extent to which he misses her drives him crazy.

"Tell me what you know about Park Saemi."

The man raises an eyebrow as he listens to Mark's demands. However, he only shakes his hand with that same sarcastic smile that Mark finds himself growing annoyed by.

"Didn't I tell you already? Park Saemi does not exist," the man repeats himself. It wasn't difficult to tell that the man didn't like to say things twice, but Mark didn't care about what the other wanted or not. He only wants answers, and he hates waiting. With a deep breath, the man sits down on the ground, leaning against the wall.

"...Let me tell you the story of a girl named Kim Hana."

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