We took his car to Lotte World and even ended up talking comfortably. I told him about my friends at the clinic and about the group therapy which I didn't enjoy at all. I even mentioned Mr. Cho and how weird I thought he was – Kibum didn't say anything though and just gave me a shrug as response. If I hadn't known any better though I could have sworn that he seemed like he wanted to say something.

When we arrived I wasn't supposed to see that the park was not very crowded yet. There were quite some people, of course, but it was by far not as bad as it had been when I was younger and when we came here during the weekends only.
There were lots of younger kids around, so all the smaller rides were incredibly busy. However, when I saw one of my favorite rides a little further ahead my heart skipped a beat and when I noticed that there was no line I got even more excited. “Hey.” I looked up at my uncle who was eating a rather big piece of rice candy. “I wanna go there.” I pointed at the rollercoaster. “Can I go?” but Kibum just shook his head. Once he had swallowed his piece he said, with his cheeks slightly puffed: “You're too young to go by yourself.” I just sighed and looked down. I knew he was right, there was a height limit and I didn't quite reach it just yet. And there was no way in hell my uncle was going to go with me. “Just wait until I finish eating, okay? Then we'll go.”

I furrowed my brow and looked up. “Really?” I couldn't believe it. Ever since I could remember my uncle had never, ever, taken a ride like that one. Only the small ones that I didn't like anymore were okay with him. The ones who only moved forward and didn't spin in any kind of way.

“I think it's time for me to overcome this silly fear of heights. I'm … I'm getting ridiculous.” he looked at the rollercoaster with vacant eyes and for a moment I felt like he wasn't talking about the ride – his thoughts seemed to be somewhere else.

After it was clear that we really were going to take that ride together it took us a while to actually get there. Kibum always found excuses as to why we should walk slower, why we should stop here and there first … and when we finally did arrive there he had turned as white as marble and was staring at me, his hands in his pockets. He didn't seem ready for something as high as this rollercoaster.

“Are you okay?” I eventually asked while we were standing in line. He was holding my hand tightly and appeared to be too nervous to look anywhere but my face.
“Yeah … yeah, I am.” he muttered and took a deep breath. “Just … it's higher up close.”

“You don't have to do this if you're–“

“Yes, I do.” he interrupted me harshly. “You want to do this and my fear of heights is stupid and irrational. I need to … to get over it.” the way he enhanced the last part of his sentence surprised me a bit. He sounded angry. So I stayed silent and just leaned against his side a bit to comfort him.
Kibum was staring at the ride the entire time and refused to look anywhere else. Even when I pulled at his shirt a bit to try and get his attention to the funny looking people walking by. He didn't even look away when we sat down and buckled up. And I couldn't quite shake the feeling that this whole thing was about something else entirely.

“You and Jinki are okay … right?” my words finally pulled him out of his trance and he looked straight into my eyes. I didn't like what I saw there – just hearing Jinki's name had brought tears to his eyes. He was just about to open his mouth to reply when our carriage started moving. He immediately gripped my hand and didn't even let go when the ride was over. Of course he had spent the entire time screaming and digging his nails into my skin. I hadn't enjoyed it much. Not at all.

My thoughts were completely occupied with his reaction to my question about Jinki. I was worried they were going to break up. What if they were even getting a divorce?

“So …” I asked quietly once we were sitting in a small coffee shop shortly after the ride and after Kibum had caught his breath. “You and Jinki … you're okay?”
My uncle took his time replying and finished his glass of wine first. “There's nothing for you to worry about. This was not the reason I took you out today.” he said softly and smiled a bit at me. “Jinki and I just … we're okay.”

“Doesn't sound like it …” I insisted quietly and furrowed my brow. “Did you fight?”

“He's … it's normal for married couples to fight every now and then.” his words were probably supposed to calm me down, but they didn't. They rather did the opposite. He sounded like he wanted to talk about it but didn't really dare to. “Jinki and I just need to sort some things out.”

“Like what?”

“Like …” he sighed and stayed silent for a while. I was pretty sure the only reason why he didn't tell me was because he didn't want to burden me. But I thought I was going to worry even more if he didn't tell me. So apparently he decided to open up to me anyway. “Jinki wants a baby. He wants to adopt a baby.” I blinked in surprise at his words – I had expected a lot, but definitely not this. “And I told him I don't have the time or nerve for a baby right now. This isn't the right time.” I nodded and just listened. He seemed to be about to talk himself into this. “Because we've got you, we've got each other and our jobs … I'm not the only one who doesn't have time for a baby. He doesn't have time either. And I'm not going to abandon everything I worked so hard for all my life just to become a stay-at-home dad while he starts working full time.”

This went on for a long time and even though he said a lot of words I didn't even know and couldn't understand I never interrupted him. He sounded like he was desperate for someone to listen to him.

However, as he just continued talking eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask about what was on my mind.

“Are you and Jinki getting a divorce?”
Kibum suddenly froze and almost immediately adverted his eyes from me. His expression had changed. Although he shook his head the look in his eyes said something different. “I'm not planning to get divorced, Taemin-ah. Really, I'm not. Jinki is the love of my life. I'm not going to throw that away over a fight like this.”

“Okay …” I mumbled and leaned back against the seat. “As long as you stay together …”
The thought of Kibum and Jinki getting a divorce was making my head spin. They were the perfect couple in my eyes, even better than my parents. They never fought, they always enjoyed being together and always did fun things with me on weekends. I had never seen them disagree on anything, except maybe for fashion or which kind of decorations to put into the apartment. If they broke up I didn't know what to do.

“Of course we will stay together.” Kibum assured me again. “Why wouldn't we. Married couples can fight sometimes, Minnie. Really. We'll be alright. I promise.”

“But … why not think about getting a baby?” I asked carefully and looked up at him. “I mean, you'd be an amazing Dad … I think.” he stayed silent for a while before he just rubbed my shoulder and shook his head.
“This is an adult's decision.” he said in a voice that left no doubt that this conversation was over. “You're not old enough to understand this problem to its full extent. There are so many things you have to consider when there's a baby around. It's not just fun and games, it's a lot of responsibility, a lot of sleepless nights and we're bound to fight a lot if there's a kid on who's upbringing we don't agree on.”

“Yeah, but–“

“Taemin-ah, this conversation is over.” he looked at me with stern eyes and only turned away again when the waiter came over with our drinks. In my hot chocolate there was a small stick with Micky Mouse ears on top and in the foam of my uncle's latte there was the silhouette of a fairy. “This was supposed to be a nice day out and I'd hate for it to be ruined.”
I looked down and didn't say anything to that. Truth to be told, the day was already ruined. Just knowing that the people I loved the most in my family were in some sort of a crisis made me incredibly sad. I didn't know what to do or say. If they got divorced it would mean that I could never ever stay at their place again to get away from my parents. However, in order to try and calm him, I said “The day isn't ruined” and just leaned over to rest my head against his shoulder. “Thanks for taking me out today … it's nice not to be in school.”

“Is school going well?” he asked almost immediately. We never talked about school so whenever I mentioned it he used to opportunity to ask questions.
“School?” I asked and bit my lip. “It's … uhm …” I hesitated. I didn't know if I should tell him how bad things were at school. Of course Jinki knew, but apparently he hadn't told Kibum yet, just like he had promised me. “It's okay … I guess.”

“So, you've got friends?” he continued asking, but I just nodded. I wasn't a very good liar. Ever since I got caught lying when I was little and was punished by my parents I hadn't lied a lot. “Like who?”

“Like …” I pouted and sat up again. My eyes were directed to the floor. I didn't know what to say since no names came to me. Sure, I had Baekhyun and Naeun, but they weren't my friends at school. We only saw each other at the clinic, while in school Naeun didn't really talk a lot to me. And Baekhyun wasn't even at my school. “You don't know them, anyway.” I decided to settle with that, in my opinion, perfectly reasonable answer, but he didn't seem to accept it. He just raised his brows and leaned his head on his palm.
“Taemin-ah.” he said calmly. “You know that you can talk to me about anything, right? Anything at all. No matter what it is, I won't get angry and I won't tell anyone.”

“No, you'll just put me in a clinic for mentally ill people.” the words left my mouth before I could stop them. I hadn't meant to say it, not at all. I knew that it was all Taesun's fault, but, on the other hand, my uncle had agreed to it. However, I never even thought of accusing him of anything … at least not out loud. “Sorry, I … I didn't mean that.”

“No, it's okay. I get it.” he shrugged. To my surprise he really did seem like he got it. He didn't look upset, angry or anything that I had expected. “It was wrong of me and Jinki to let Taesun manipulate us like that … we should have listened to your story first, I guess. I'm sorry.”
I was more than surprised to hear those words coming from him. In all this time there had never even once been anything close to an apology and now he was openly admitting that what he did was wrong?
“It's okay now. What's done is done.” I said and tried to take the blame off of him. Just hearing those words from him was enough – for now. “Just forget about it. I'll do the stupid therapy and be back home soon.”

“You'll come live with us again, right?” Kibum asked a little carefully and I noticed him watching my every move. “Just because of what happened doesn't mean we don't want you home with us.”

“Yeah … sure.” I smiled a bit and moved in to sit closer to him. I felt such a strong affection towards him, it was crazy. I could have never imagined that I could like my uncle any more than I already did. “I don't wanna go back to live with Mom and Dad, anyway.” when he opened his mouth to tell me, for the thousandth time, that they loved me and whatnot I interrupted him and just said that I didn't feel like talking about my parents right now. They were a whole other story.

My uncle and I spent a very nice day at Lotte World, even though Kibum didn't dare to get on another ride that was taller than me. We had pizza, chocolate, cotton candy and pretty much all the drinks that my parents forbid me to drink. It was such an amazing day out that I almost forgot about the unpleasant reality that would await me the next day – my classmates, who ignored and bullied me, the thought of unbearably boring classes and teachers and, on top of all that, spending all night doing homework and revising. So, when we were in the car and all that came crashing down on me, it didn't ruin my mood a little, it ruined it a lot. My heart had slowed down in its beating and my throat felt dry and uncomfortable.

I glanced at my hand which was resting on the car window and absentmindedly started drawing some patterns on it. It wasn't until we passed the graveyard that an idea popped into my head.
“Can you drop me off at the library?” I asked a little too quickly and looked at Kibum in the front seat. He shouldn't know what I was up to. “Since I missed school today I wanna study a bit …”

“It's late, Taemin-ah. You can study at home.” he replied and shook his head.
“But the books I need for math are at the library … I didn't have time to borrow them.” I pouted and tried my hardest to look as innocent as humanly possible. “Please? Otherwise I can't keep up with math class tomorrow. Mr. Kang is really strict …”
Kibum seemed to fight with himself as he pondered about whether or not to let me go. Obviously he disliked the idea of me being out by myself after seven pm, but he also seemed like he got my point. For a while he didn't say anything and just tapped his fingers on the steering wheel until he eventually agreed. “Fine, but you call me or Jinki once you're finished and then either one of us will come get you, okay?”

“Sure! Thanks!” I had to suppress my smile so he wouldn't get suspicious as to why I was so happy about being able to study at the library. And so I dug my fingernails into my jeans and gripped onto it as strongly as possible in order to keep my cool.

“I won't be long.” I assured Kibum as I grabbed my backpack and got out of the car. I slammed the door while he was still reminding me to call him or Jinki and quickly hurried up the stairs to the entrance of the library. When I reached the top of the stairs I turned around and waved at him, then headed in and waited. After a couple of seconds I peeked outside and smiled in relief when I saw that his car was gone. Of course he had waited for me to go inside, he must have figured that I was planning something else and didn't trust me.

And he was right not to trust me.



*



Once I reached Kim's grave I wasted no time and started calling out for him again. I had my jacket wrapped around me tightly to stay warm and was holding the straps of my backpack tightly in my hands. The air was moist and it was foggy on top of the sky being dark. Apart from the bit of grass and the silhouettes of the trees in the near distance I couldn't see anything and cursed Kim's grave for not being closer to the graveyard's lit paths.
As I kept calling out his name I was getting more and more nervous that he might not show up this time. While I waited for him to come I checked my phone every now and then and replied to Kibum's texts asking me whether I was studying well and when I was gonna be done. I just sent him a picture with math books that I got off the internet and told him to give me some more time. And just when I hit send I shivered when I heard that one, familiar voice right next to my ear.

“I thought you might not come back again.” Kim said quietly. He sounded relieved. “I thought maybe I freaked you out.”

“You did.” I replied and turned around slowly to look at him. He was wearing the same clothes as always and was not wearing any shoes. Despite some raindrops dripping down from the leaves of the trees he was perfectly dry, as if it didn't affect him at all. “You freak me out every time we talk.”

“Is that so?” he chuckled. “I should apologize … I shouldn't have been like that. I was acting crazy and I lied. I'm really sorry.” he looked right into my eyes and didn't look away, not even for one second. Although he admitted to lying something seemed off about his confession. I was pretty good at identifying liars and he was nothing like the ones I had spotted before. He was calm and collected, unlike my uncle and Jinki whenever they lied. My brother and parents also acted differently. I liked to believe that people got nervous while lying. That their breathing got heavier and their eyes grew bigger. Or that their hands would start shaking or at least something like that. Something that showed guilt.

“You sure?” I asked and furrowed my brow. “I mean, that you lied?” He raised his brows too and just looked at me. He didn't say anything, nor did he do anything. His expression didn't tell me anything. It was neutral. “You seemed so sure about everything when you told me all that … stuff.”

“I'm a pretty good liar.” his response surprised me a little bit. I had actually expected some other crazy story to get his way out of this, but he was just as calm as his face suggested. “You shouldn't believe everything you hear.”

“So I shouldn't trust you?” I scoffed a bit. “I thought we're friends. You shouldn't lie to me.” he didn't say anything for a moment, so I decided to go on. “I mean, you've always been weird and just … everything about you is strange, but I thought we're friends … I defended you in front of my uncle.”

“Why?” his expression had suddenly darkened. “Did you get in trouble because of me?”

“I …” I frowned and didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. How could I tell him that the whole reason that I ended up in that clinic was because everyone thought he wasn't real? That I was crazy for imagining him? “Kind of … yeah.”

“What happened?” he looked really concerned suddenly and the calm and neutral expression from before disappeared completely. The fact that I was not well seemed to throw him off more than lying right into my face. “Can I help you?”
I hesitated and took a deep breath before suddenly just starting to tell him everything. I started simple with how Taesun had talked my family into sending me to that clinic and then just somehow talked myself into everything that had happened to me ever since then. I talked about the clinic, about Baekhyun and Naeun and my therapist who always seemed to think that I was lying to him. I told him everything about the conflicting feelings I had towards my family, how I didn't talk to my brother anymore and that Kibum and Jinki were fighting about adopting a baby. And, eventually, I got to talk about the bullies at school that had made life a living hell for me for so long now.
When I stopped speaking he just looked at me with a worried expression on his face and his fingers pinching his nose, like he always did while thinking. His black hair was falling into his eyes and made them sparkle as he stared at me. I could practically see him thinking.

“Why didn't you tell me earlier?” Kim eventually asked. “If I had known I'd –“

“You'd what. Helped me?” the words left me before I could stop them. I couldn't control my thoughts. “How would you help me?”

“I … I don't know.” he admitted. “But we would have thought of something … right? You can't go to school and be that miserable all the time. Does your uncle know?” when I shook my head he seemed even more concerned. “You should tell him. I'm sure he can help, don't you think?”

“How, exactly? He doesn't really care.”

“I think he does. You should –“

“Why should I believe you anyway.” I mumbled. My voice suddenly got caught in my throat and I felt my eyes stinging. Somehow saying it out loud, saying that I shouldn't trust him, made it feel more real. Made the fact that he lied to me feel more real. “You told me you're a good liar. You lied to me about your crazy story.” For the first time in a while I could watch him start biting his lip. He seemed really unsure of what to do or say next. His hand came up and ran through his hair, his eyes wandering up and down my face. Apparently he had no idea what to reply. “So I don't think you're in any position to lecture me on who I should tell about my problems. I … don't even know why I told you.” and with that said I turned around, wrapped my jacket around me tighter and started walking away. I didn't need a liar in my life. Even though it really hurt to know that I was going to shut him out.

“And what if it wasn't a lie?”
I stopped walking when I heard those words coming from him. By the way his voice sounded I could tell that something was different. He sounded more sincere, not as calm and collected as before, but instead kind of upset and unsure. I didn't turn around though.
“What if,” Kim continued, “what I told you wasn't a lie, but the truth? Would you get help then? If I wasn't a liar.”
I blinked and slowly turned around to look at him. He hadn't moved, but he was fiddling with his fingers and seemed nervous about my answer. “What do you mean?” I asked and raised a brow. “I'm supposed to believe that you're some kind of ghost?”

When he didn't reply to me I started to feel uneasy. I didn't move and neither did he. At least not for a while. He eventually let out a sigh and slowly came closer to me. I didn't say anything and just stood there, waiting for his explanation or whatever he was going to do. Although I expected pretty much anything by now I was still confused when he stopped right in front of me and held out his hand to me. He seemed completely serious with his hand held out to me. And since there was nothing else I could do I held out my hand as well and reached out and tried to hold his. But what happened when our fingers touched made me gasp.

Instead of feeling his fingers against mine I felt nothing. It was just like touching air.

“W-What the …” I widened my eyes and stared at him in shock. “What kind of joke is this?”

“It's not a joke.” Kim replied quietly. Before I could stop him he grabbed my hand. But instead of having him grab it, his hand disappeared inside my own. I shivered as a cold rush ran through my hand. “I told you … I'm not a liar. I was born in 1938 … and I died in 1950 …”
I stared at him, unable to move and unable to do anything. My mind was going crazy. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. “You …” I stuttered something about death, ghosts and whatnot. “But … it's impossible … isn't it?” when Kim just raised his brows I couldn't help but to realize that maybe I really was crazy. I probably was here all by myself and just imagining Kim standing right in front of me.
“You're not crazy.” Kim said after a while, apparently able to tell what I was thinking. “I'm very real … and so was my family.”

“How … can I believe any of this …” I slowly pulled my hand away and watched as his hand reformed right in front of me. “I … I must be imagining all of this …”

“You're not …” he sighed softly and took a look around. “What do you think about going to that small caffe we saw when we met that one time? I'll prove that you're not crazy …”

“I … fine.” I didn't know why I agreed to that. I didn't know anything at this moment. All I knew was that I needed to figure out what was going on. And so I followed him over the graveyard's paths and over the large meadow with the playground we had once hung out at. Despite the rather late hour the caffe still seemed to be open as the lights were on. And as we stepped closer to it Kim started walking faster, a smile forming on his lips.

“Mrs. Kang!” he called out as we reached the front step. “Mrs. Kang, it's me!” he called out once more. Then he turned to me and said: “Mrs. Kang was the first person who could … well … see me. So she's been pretty much the only one I talked to for the past …” he chuckled bitterly. “For the past few years.” I just nodded and crossed my arms in order to wrap my jacket around me tighter. It was getting more and more cold and I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket over and over again. But I didn't check the messages. I didn't feel like it. Not like making up another lie to tell my uncle to make sure he thought I was safe and sound at the library and not at a weird little caffe on a graveyard.

A small, quite old lady eventually opened the door and smiled widely once her eyes landed on Kim. She welcomed him very warmly and gestured for us to come inside. Her poncho was going down her hunched back and reached the floor. When she smiled at us her glasses went up her small nose and the wrinkles around the corners of stretched.
“Jonghyun-ah.” she said happily as we slowly came inside. “I haven't seen you in ages. How are you, my dear?”

“I'm good.” Kim said with a huge smile on his face. He looked like he had just found his long lost mother and although I was still feeling very upset and confused it warmed my heart to see him so happy. “I brought my friend today.”

“I can see that. What's your name?” she smiled and turned to me. When I told her my name she smiled more and pushed her glasses back up on her nose. “So you found someone else who can see you. That's good.”
Kim nodded and looked back at me with anticipating eyes. “He cleaned my tombstone …”

“I see.” Mrs. Kang slowly sat down at one of the tables and poured herself some tea. Her wrinkly, small hands were shaking a little. When she gestured for me to sit as well and help myself to some tea I just hesitated. I didn't know what to make of all of this. Or what they were talking about. This was all crazy. “Dear, you must be confused … have some tea.” she offered again and gestured once more for me to sit down. Kim had sat next to her, but he wasn't having any tea. I figured if he touched the cup it must've gone right through his hand.
 

When I eventually got over myself and slowly sat down on their opposites and grabbed the small tea cup both of them smiled at me. The atmosphere was awkward and rather distant as no-one said anything. At least not for a long time. They were both just looking at me and I eventually turned my head away when it got too awkward for me. I started thinking, again, about what was going on here. The feeling of Kim's hand going straight through my one kept haunting me and caused me to shiver. The way he didn't open the door on his own or how he never, actually, touched anything whenever we met. I realized now that, if he was a ghost, him always looking the same and never getting wet during rain, would actually make sense.

“Thank you for being my little Jonghyun's friend. He tends to get very lonely.” Mrs. Kang eventually said and pulled me out of my thoughts, causing me to look up. “It's been a good fifty years I think, since I met him. Before that he was always on his own.” when I glanced at Kim I felt a sting in my chest when I noticed that his eyes were getting teary. “You know,” she went on talking with a smile on her face, “I used to be this graveyard's gardener and so it was my job to clean and keep everything well. It hurt my heart that the small tombstones always got glossed over and that nobody cared for them. So I started cleaning them regularly … and that's how I met little Jonghyun here.” she smiled at him warmly and nodded encouragingly when he let his head hang low. “I realized that the ghosts could only appear if they were given attention somehow. But no-one ever really cares about the deceased to that extend … but the ones that do–“

“They will meet again?” I interrupted, my eyes wide. “There are people who can see ghosts?”

“You're a great example.” Kim said softly and rubbed his nose. His eyes were glossed over with tears. “You and Mrs. Kang are the only ones who can see me … usually no-one ever notices my tombstone … and the people who knew me they all passed away already …” when a couple of tears dripped down his cheeks I felt a burning pain in my chest. I didn't like seeing him like that at all. “I was really happy when you cleaned my tombstone … I don't know why you were able to hear me, I mean … you didn't care as much about me as that stupid stone, but … I am so relieved that I am not alone anymore …” he sniffled and briefly covered his eyes with his hands as more and more tears kept coming. Mrs. Kang was looking at him with a warm, yet sad smile. “I've been alone for fifteen years before I met Mrs. Kang … I spent the first few years just … wandering around the city, looking for my family and my friends, but … I think they all passed on further than I did … they didn't get stuck here, like I did.”

“Stuck?” I repeated and furrowed my brow in thought. “You're stuck?” I didn't notice how I moved closer to him and how I was soon sitting right next to him, our faces close.
“I don't know, actually.” Kim mumbled and shrugged. “Maybe they went to some other place, a place that lies beyond of where I am right now. Or maybe they just left Korea after they died and never came back …? I mean, I can understand that they wouldn't wanna live here anymore … not after everything that happened …” silence came after that and me and Mrs. Kang just looked at him as he was sniffling and quietly crying into his hands. I really wanted to hug him, but I figured that, if I tried to touch him, my arms would pass right through him.
“But you're not alone anymore.” I said and tried a soft smile despite the tears coming up in my eyes. I could only imagine what it must have been like to be alone for fifteen years and then another fifty with only one person to be able to talk to. “I'm your friend … right?”

“Yeah … and I'm your friend.” Kim replied and peeked at me through his fingers. His face was reddened and his pupils dilated. “Thanks …” he added and stayed silent for a long time. When Mrs. Kang got up to make some more tea he asked quietly: “I hope you don't think you're crazy …? I promise I'm real. Kinda.”
I chuckled a bit and shrugged. “I'm the same as before, I guess. Same crazy.” Kim chuckled as well and rubbed his eyes with his palm to make the tears go away. When I was just about to speak up again I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and when I checked it I widened my eyes when I realized that it was way past midnight and that Kibum had texted me more than twenty times, asking me where I was and that he was at the library to come and pick me up.

“ …” I cursed quietly and got up, hastily picking up my jacket. “I gotta go. My uncle's at the library, waiting for me.”

“Do you need me to drive you, sweetie?” Mrs. Kang asked in a soft voice and handed me another cup of tea. “I'll drive you there. It's too late for a young boy like you to be out alone.” and with that she threw on a very old looking coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

“Do you wanna meet again tomorrow?” Kim asked carefully and stood up, too. “If you can, I mean.”

“I want to, but … I'll be at school all day and then home with my uncle …” I bit my lip and looked into his eyes. He was looking back at me and pouted a bit. “But, if you want, you can come to my place … if you want. I can give you the address.” his face lit up upon hearing my words and he nodded quietly. I wrote down the address quickly, left the piece of paper on the table for him and said bye before hurrying outside and getting into Mrs. Kang small, little car. It seemed to be just as old as she was.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked in a very sweet voice as she started driving. I looked back out the window and waved at Kim who was standing by the door of the caffe and waved. When he waved back I felt my heart skip a beat and my cheeks starting to burn. I thought about tomorrow, when I would see him again, and felt my heart beating faster. “You and Jonghyun are really close, aren't you?” I blinked and looked at her. “I can see it in your eyes and the way he looks at you. He's never been like that with anyone.”

“He hasn't?” I blinked faster and watched her closely.
“He really hasn't.” she smiled again and continued driving through the rainy night. “I met Jonghyun fifty years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just finished cleaning all the small tombstones along the meadow way. I knew pretty much all the kids and people whose tombstones I had saved from rotting, they all appeared in front of me eventually. But I had never met the boy who had the pretty stone with the music notes. Until one day, I went back to the caffe and saw someone standing in front of the door, just staring at it. Of course it was Jonghyun. He was the only kid I had met on this graveyard that was so quiet and so strange, really. He didn't speak, didn't look at me directly … he was really shy.”

“Really?” I smiled a little bit. The thought of him being all shy and cute made my heart flutter for some reason.
“Yes, he was so scared. He had been alone for a long time … when I spoke to him the first time he ran away. He was like a little cat from the streets.” I felt my smile fade as I thought about him being like that. He had been the one to first talk to me on that graveyard and now I had to hear how he had been so lonely that any contact with anyone scared him to that extent. “But he eventually came back to the caffe and started speaking a little bit. He told me all about his story, but … I guess you know all that. It was terrible. I felt so sad for him … so whenever he came over he told me whatever was going on in that little head of his and I just listened and let him cry and work it all out. He really has grown since then. He's like my son.”

“Yeah … I … I know all that.” I furrowed my brow and fiddled with my hands. If I was honest with myself, then I had to admit that I knew pretty much nothing about his story before he, well, died. I only knew that his sister was shot and that his parents had died, too. But nothing else. I felt really bad, now that I heard from Mrs. Kang about how terrible his life had been the past years. I should be the one to help him through everything.

When we eventually arrived at the library I sighed when I saw Kibum standing at the library's entrance, talking to someone on the phone. He looked worried and upset and I got why. He must have been upset, waiting for me for so long and not getting any replies. “Thank you for driving me, Mrs. Kang … I really appreciate it. That's my uncle right there.”

“Well, dear, you are more than welcome.” she answered warmly and nodded. “Tell your uncle that he's got a lovely, young man as his nephew.”

“Thanks a lot …” I smiled back and bowed my head to her as thanks before I got out. I walked over to Kibum quickly and wordlessly hugged him when he was looking in the other direction. He gasped and twitched before he hugged me back and hung up the phone. For a short while he stayed like that until he let go and grabbed me by my shoulders.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was!?” he shouted straight into my face. His brow was furrowed deeply and his grip on my shoulders was tight. “I called you so many times and you don't even pick up the phone!? Where the hell have you been!?”

“I-I was in the other wing …” I felt my eyes getting teary. Even when I was little I had never been able to take being yelled at. “The math section is in the north wing …”

“I know for a fact that it's not!” he continued yelling. Soon the tears started dripping down his cheeks, but I couldn't tell whether it was out of anger or worry. “It's in the building I dropped you off at! Where were you!?”
I stared at him with wide and afraid eyes as he continued to shake my shoulders. He looked so furious about me lying and disappearing that I couldn't help but not to tell the truth. I told him that I went to the graveyard to see Kim and pointed over at the car to show him Mrs. Kang still being there, waving at me. When he processed what I said his expression went from angry and worried to utterly disappointed and disbelief. He looked like he couldn't believe that I had betrayed him like that. I could see it in his eyes. I could see that I had made a huge mistake.



*




Such a long time no update, but I've been really busy with exams and work stuff going on so ... yeah, to make up for, here's a ten page long chapter that moves the story forward a lot! I'd say we're getting rather close to the end (not really) so please stick around to see it!

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