Taekwoon took you in his arms as soon as he saw you. You inhaled his scent of mainly coffee with a slight hint of perfume. He said in a whisper:

- I missed you so much!

- I missed you too!

- Please answer your phone next time. 

You blushed as you pulled out of his arms.  

- I'm so sorry. I promise I'll answer your calls next time. 

He patted your head and ruffled your hair making you blush heavily. You looked at him as you said: 

- Aren't we going to the movies?

- Yes. I'm just waiting for the tickets. 

You asked: 

- Why are you waiting here? Aren't we supposed to go get them? 

- Wonsik called and he said he's passing by the theater so I asked him to get us two tickets on his way. 

You let out an 'ah' before noticing Wonsik walking in your direction. He stopped in front of you and Taekwoon as he handed him the tickets: 

- Hey! 

He addressed you. 

- Hi. 

- How are you?

- I'm good, and you?

- I'm fine. 

He then turned to Taekwoon. 

- I invited her to the party, so now you have no excuse. 

You looked at them before asking: 

- What excuse?

Taekwoon scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before saying: 

- I told him I'll only go to the party if you're going. I thought you might want to meet new people and make friends. 

- He never attends any party, and even when he does he looks bored and out of place most of the time. 

You reached for Taekwoon's hand and held it in yours. You already knew how shy he is around people, which makes him seem bored or bothered with them most of the time. You knew he always tries to have fun but his reserved nature prevents him from doing so. You gave his hand a light squeeze as you said: 

- So what do you guys do in such parties?

Wonsik looked at you, perplexed by your question. 

- What do you mean what do we do? We do what people do at birthday parties. 

Taekwoon interfered when he saw you had the puzzled look on your face. 

- She doesn't usually attend parties. Her parents have been moving from town to town and she didn't get the chance to have any close friends in any town she stayed in. 

Wonsik let out an 'oh' and you could feel Taekwoon squeeze your hand gently. You looked at him with a faint smile on your face and he winked at you when he made sure Wonsik wasn't looking. He realized your attempt to shift the attention off him when you asked about the party so he helped you out of this awkward situation by inviting this story about your constant moving. You appreciated that he was aware of your struggles trying to cope with their everyday activities and he was always ready to help you out. Wonsik then said:

- Well, we play games, eat cake and give gifts to the birthday girl, in this case my sister Jiwon. 

- What kind of a gift?

Wonsik scratched the back of his head as he thought for a second. 

- I am not sure. Maybe a perfume? I haven't bought a girl any gift before so I am not sure what girls like. 

- Haven't you bought your sister a gift before?

You asked, slightly surprised. He chuckled before saying:

- I give her money and she buys whatever she wants with it. It's easier for me and it saves her from receiving a horrid gift from me. 

- How horrid? 

You asked and then saw Wonsik exchange looks with Taekwoon until the latter said: 

- Have you seen the sleevless shirt I have on the wall? That's a gift from Wonsik. 

Your eyes widened in surprise as you remembered your shock upon seeing the shirt. It wasn't only sleevless, it was very revealing. You didn't know why Taekwoon had it on the wall but when he showed you how revealing it was you realized he could never wear it and instead used it as a decoration. You looked at Wonsik who was blushing but giggling at the same time. 

- I told you not to make me buy you a gift but you said you'd take anything from me. 

He addressed Taekwoon who was laughing at the expressions on your face. Your face broke into a smile when you saw him laugh. He looked the most handsome when he laughed, showing the upper raw of his white teeth and his eyes turning into crescents. He had previously told you that one of the reasons he doesn't like to laugh in public was because he thought he looked ugly. But you assured him on several occasions that he didn't look slightly ugly, and rather looked more handsome, to which he'd blush and smile at you. 

- We'll think of something, don't worry. 

Taekwoon said and you nodded. You still had a week to think of a suitable gift and you were sure he'd suggest something worth buying. You thanked Wonsik again for the tickets and walked in the direction of the theater. Taekwoon was still holding your hand in his as you walked side by side without talking until you broke the silence: 

- Thank you. 

He turned to look at you and asked:

- For what?

- For... for making up that excuse about my parents moving. 

- Oh... it's okay! I figured we had to have a backup plan if you ever ask about anything that would sound normal to others. I'm actually surprised he believed me. He questions things a lot. 

He said and laughed causing you to laugh with him. 

 

You could finally see the signs at the theater and the crowd queuing for tickets. Taekwoon asked you if you wanted something to eat or drink but you reminded him, with a blush creeping up your cheeks, that you don't really have to eat. He let out an 'oh' and followed it with a 'sorry' to which you nodded. He then took the tickets out and showed them to the usher who led you to your seats. You were fascinated with everything you saw, the huge screen, the large speakers, the number of people inside the hall. You turned to look at him before saying: 

- So how does this thing work? 

He looked at you for a second before turning to look at the screen. 

- I am not sure. But it's similar to the T.V. in my room, but bigger, a lot bigger. You'll see in a second. 

A few seconds passed before you could see the color of the screen change and you flinched when a loud music started playing. You clung into Taekwoon's arm and he chuckled at your reaction before putting his arm around your shoulder and whispering in your ear:

- I'm here, don't worry. 

You didn't let go of his arm even after he assured you that he was there next to you and even after he took you in his arms. He didn't complain especially after he realized you were just taken aback by the loud music and the pictures on the screen. 

 

Everything was loud, strange, and intimidating at first. You asked him at least 10 question in the first fifteen minutes of the movie and he answered them all in his soft, whispering voice, until you realized people around you were starting to get bothered by your whispers. He patted your back and you whispered one last 'sorry' before turning your eyes to the screen and trying to follow the events of the movie without asking any more questions. Half way through the movie he heard sniffling. He turned his face to look at you and found you crying silently, tears rolling down your cheeks. He nudged your shoulder lightly and you gave him a faint smile. "It's nothing," you whispered, "I'm just overwhelmed." He looked at you suspeciously and you forced him to turn around and continue watching the movie. 

You weren't lying when you told him you were simply overwhelmed. You were dazed with everything around you, the movie, the sadness of the characters, the gloominess of life and love, and the unspoken feelings. It all left you in awe. You imagined yourself going through all this pain with Taekwoon. You didn't have to imagine much when you remembered how you spent the past 15 years in pain for him. Gatsby was you, struggling to show Daisy all the love he has for her as he watched her in the arms of another man, a man he knew didn't deserve her. Your thoughts trailed back to Soyeon and how she broke Taekwoon's heart while you stood there watching her kick him out of her place without being able to do anything. This caused your tears to flow down your face. For a second, you forgot that you have finally been able to overcome the pain and have him all for yourself where nobody could hurt him whatsoever. When he turned to look at you nudging your shoulder you were brought back to reality. He was there with you and you had nothing but love filling the tiny space between you. No more pain, no more hurt, you thought to yourself as you smiled at him reassuringly.

When the movie was over, Taekwoon reached for your hand and signaled you to get up so you can leave. You followed him as he pulled you out of the movie hall and into the street, taking you away from the crowd. You were silent for a few seconds until he asked when you were finally out in the street:

- How was it? 

- I liked it! It was so sad thought. I felt very sorry for the guy. Why couldn't she just love him back and leave with him? Why did he die?

- It's difficult to explain but I felt sorry for him too. It's painful when the person you love can't love you back. 

You looked at him and found him staring at something in front of him. You tried to figure where he was looking but couldn't find anything that interesting until it hit you.

- Are... are you thinking about her? 

You asked, your voice trembling. You dreaded his answer. Was he thinking about Soyeon again? You thought he was over her already but something told you she was on his mind at this moment. Is this why you were thinking about her to? You asked yourself. You could sometimes read his thoughts or get affected by them, but was it the case this time? 

He looked at you and then said:

- It's not what you think.

He paused for a second and then continued before giving you the chance to go on with your assumptions:

- She wasn't worth it. I was just trying to think if... if you were there at that time and how much pain this might have caused you.

He squeezed your hand lightly and you couldn't believe your ears. Was he really thinking about how you felt watching him with another woman? You stopped walking as you said: 

- Taekwoon I...

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at you. 

- I'm sorry [Y/N]... I am sorry I never realized I had someone like you around me. I am sorry you had to go through all the pain on your own. 
You stared at him for a second before saying: 
- I... It doesn't matter now. Nothing matters as long as I'm with you. 
- You know that I love you, right? 
He smiled as he looked at you intently and you could feel your cheeks heat up as you nodded shyly. You wanted to say it back, you wanted to express how much love you had for him but your words failed you. It was easier when you whispered the words to him while he was asleep and couldn't hear you or look at you blushing heavily. But every time he was there in front of you, you couldn't say anything. 
He looked like he was waiting for you to say it, say anything, but you couldn't. 
- Taekwoon I... I... I have to go. 
You could see disappointment creep onto his face. He looked at his watch before realizing it was almost 10:30. 
- Can't you stay a bit more? 
He was almost begging, not wanting you to leave. You tugged at his sleeve.
- I can walk you to the cafe if you want.
He pouted, knowing the walk to the cafe won't take more than 10 minutes. You tangled your arms together and walked toward the cafe when he said: 
- You'll come in the morning to pick up your phone right? 
- Yes. Do you want me to get you something on my way?
He smiled.
- No no. I'll prepare something for you. You don't have to eat but you can eat right? 
You nodded. 
- Then I'll make you something to eat on your way to work. 
- But... You don't have to. 
- I want to. 
- Thank you. 
You could suddenly feel nauseous. An overwhelming feeling engulfed you and you heard a whisper "I'm waiting for you." You looked at Taekwoon but he seemed like he didn't hear anything. "It's me silly." Recognizing it was Hakyeon's voice you looked at your phone before saying:
- I should go. 
The cafe was still a few minutes away but you were afraid Hakyeon would show up when you haven't told Taekwoon about him yet. 
- You said you'll walk me to the cafe.
He said with a pout and you whispered a "sorry" before waving at him and walking in the opposite direction. A second later you remembered you still had your phone so you turned back, handed him the phone and pecked his lips before leaving. 

You fought the urge to look back at him as you walked hurriedly toward the park. You didn't want to leave him but you didn't want to tell him about Hakyeon yet. You sighed audibly and received a giggle from Hakyeon who was following you invisibly.
- Why are you here? I told you I'll come at 11. 
- I was afraid you'll forget about me. 
He appeared in front of you as you sat on one of the benches. He sat next to you before saying: 
- How was the movie? 
You darted your gaze in his direction.
- You are stalking me, aren’t you? 
- What? No no. I... I was just passing by you when you came out the move theater. 
You squinted your eyes at him suspiciously and he said:
- I am not stalking you! 
- Fine! I'll believe you this time. 
You remained silent for a few seconds. You looked at him sitting next to you before asking: 
- So what is it that you wanted to talk about? 
He turned to look at you, perplexed. 
- You said you wanted us to meet so you can talk to me about something.
He let out an "ah" before adjusting in his seat, clearing his throat and saying:
- You asked me why my aura is fading, didn't you?
You nodded.
- I asked you to come here so I can tell you about it. 
- I'm all ears. 
He cleared his throat again before saying:
- I told you that I chose to live with humans because I fell in love with one. But... I wasn’t able to claim her as mine. I never had enough courage to talk to her or even appear in front of her in my human form. But when she got married I realized how stupid I was for not doing what my heart always urged me to do, but it was too late.

He paused for a few seconds and you were about to urge him to keep going when you noticed a tear rolling down his cheek:

- After that I decided to leave. I just wanted to run away from the pain of seeing her with someone else. I couldn’t look at her anymore without dying inside. So I left. I don’t know how long have I been away but when I came back… I… I couldn’t find her. She disappeared. I tried looking for her. I changed into a human form and lived among her neighbors and asked everyone I saw about her. Until… until I found out that she… she got into an accident and…

 

He was suddenly sobbing. He cried and his body was shaking. You looked at him not knowing what to do or how to react. You touched his shoulder gently but his sobbing didn’t stop. You then pulled him into your hold. You hugged his body tightly and his sobbing intensified. You could feel his body shaking violently as you patted his back.

After a lot of patting and gentle rubs up and down his back, he was finally able to calm down and wipe his tears away. It took him a couple more minutes to look at you and whisper a “sorry” before dropping his head again and crying silently. You gave him all the time he needed. You put your arm around his shoulder and let him rest his head on yours until he broke the silence:

- But she had a child. People told me that the child was taken away when she and her husband got killed in that accident. I blamed myself for their death. If I was there I could have helped them, I could have saved them. But I wasn’t, and she is gone.

He paused again and took a deep breath before continuing:

- I searched for their child for a couple of years until I lost hope. The child was probably adopted by someone who lives in a different country or a different town. I don’t know. But I couldn’t find any trace leading me to him. I don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy.

- Hakyeon I’m… so sorry. I wish I could do anything to help you.

- No. I’m sorry for bringing you here to tell you such a depressing story.

He tried to smile at you but you could see pain all over his face. You felt very sorry for him and wished you could do anything to help ease his pain. You continued to pat his back gently and waited for him to continue talking:

- My aura is fading because… because I chose to live among humans and defied my father’s orders. I was punished by linking my fate to the fate of the human I fell for. I’ve been suffering ever since she died but for some reason I’m not dead yet. I’m fading, but I am still very much alive. But I am not allowed to go back. My father disowned me and I was forced to live here for the rest of my life, or whatever is left of my life.

- What? Why would he do such a thing?

- Because I went against his well. He doesn’t understand anything about falling in love, especially with humans.

He let out a sigh and then looked at you when you asked:

- But why do you think you’re still alive? I mean if your fate is linked to hers and she’s… she’s no longer around, why are you still here?

- I wish I knew.

You thought for a second before saying:

- Could it be… that you’ll fall in love with someone else?

He remained silent as he stared at you.

- It’s a possibility.

- I don’t think so.

- Why not?

- I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone like I loved her.

- But why not?

He stood up and then said:

- Would you fall in love with someone else if you lost your human?

Your heart sunk in at the mere thought of losing Taekwoon. Seeing you unable to say anything, Hakyeon said:

- See? It’s impossible. Falling in love isn’t that easy.

You sighed as you looked at him. He was pacing back and forth as you sat down on the bench unaware of the pair of eyes staring at the two of you from a distance.

 

Wonsik hesitated before picking up his phone and dialing Taekwoon’s number. Before the latter could answer, he hung up. What am I doing? I have nothing to do with this. He flinched when his phone started ringing.

- Hello.

- What’s wrong?

Wonsik hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying:

- Ah nothing. I called you by mistake.

- Wonsik… is everything okay?

- Yes yes. I was playing with my phone and called you by mistake. Don’t worry everything is fine.

- Are you sure?

- Yes. Go back to sleep.

- You too. Good night.

- Good night.

 

He sighed as he walked away from you and Hakyeon continuing your chat and sitting next to each other comfortably. He knew Taekwoon loved you and he knew it would break his heart to know that you were possibly cheating on him. For a second he thought about going back and confronting you. He then thought he’d better do it when you were alone so he could talk to you. He took one last glance at you and Hakyeon and bit his lip before walking away, thinking of nothing but how Taekwoon would feel about this.