KANG SIAN

"I left a jacket next to the bed just in case the sweatshirt isn't enough." The nice neighbor says as he walks out of my room.

"But he should be fine."

"Thank you so much." I exclaim as I draw a heavy hand over my face. "I was really stuck in a pickle—"

I hear laughter.

When I look up in surprise, the nice neighbor's face is serious as he nods at me to continue.

Did I imagine that?

"So anyways, thanks so much." I conclude forcibly. "I would treat you to something because I'm so grateful, but my bank account has like ten dollars in it, so—"

"It's okay." He laughs, and I recognize that laughter from earlier. I hadn't imagined it after all. "I hope your friend gets better."

As he leaves, I can't help but release a relieved sigh. Thank God that ended so well— I'd actually thought he'd look at me like a psychopath after what I'd said.

When I walk in to check in on Taehyung, or who I believed was him, I find him sitting up confusedly as he inspects the nice neighbor's jacket like it's the most complicated thing ever.

"You're awake."

"Sian!" He calls excitedly, his face slightly blushed as he pushes the blankets off of himself. He's wearing a dark sweatshirt with loose gray sweatpants, and I suddenly put out a hand.

"Okay— pause right there."

"So you're Kim Taehyung? The one I've been texting? How many siblings do I have?"

"None."

"Where's my parents?"

"I—" He hesitates a bit before he looks at me confusedly. "Why are we doing this? I promise—"

"Where's my parents?"

"Dead."

"Correct!" I exclaim, throwing my arms around him as he gives me a wide-eyed stare. "You really are Kim Taehyung! Did you really come all the way from California to come visit me—"

"I came from Mars to see you."

Mars again?

"You can stop joking around." I say, forcibly laughing as I hold up my phone. "No one can live there without dying, you know."

"Hmm? That's weird. I'm perfectly alive, you see—"

Then my eyes go wide as he trips sideways, his face confused when he stumbles back down onto the bed.

"Careful," I say, turning back to see if I had medicine for dizziness. "Are you feeling nauseous?"

"Mmm— is this nauseous?"

When I look back, he looks up at me with blood smeared on his hand and more dripping from the tip of his nose.

"What's this?"

What the—

"Stop smearing it!" I yelp as I lunge for a tissue, cursing when I don't find any on top of my desk and rushing towards the bathroom.

"It stopped."

"Good— don't get it on your clothes! Or the bed! And you sure you're okay?" I yell in rapid succession as I wet a cloth and return to the bedroom.

When I get back, he's looking at his bloodstained hand in the light.

"Dude, it's not rocket science— it's just blood." I sigh as I take his hand, rubbing at the red with the cloth. "And why did you do that all of a sudden? Are you still sick?"

"I've never seen this before." He mumbles, and I sigh when he smears his hand again. "This is blood?"

"Will you please drop the I don't know act? You're freaking eighteen— how come you don't know anything?"

"Well— all they made me do back there was rest and rest and more rest." He grumbles as he glares at the bed. "And then it was medicine and food, and back to resting again."

"What are you sick with?"

His face suddenly grows darker.

"I'm not sick."

Before I know it, the atmosphere suddenly goes tense. I swallow when he bites his lips, hard enough to draw blood.

"Yeah— of course. Of course." I stutter as I wipe off the rest of the red, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "Anyways, if it happens again— use the tissues, okay?"

"Yeah."

"And thank the neighbor later— you'll have to give the clothes back eventually." I call over my shoulder as I head towards the kitchen.

"But then do I wear things from here?" He asks, and my face grows confused as I glance back.

My eyes go wide.

"Yah!"

I lunge as he reaches for the handle of my drawer, wrapping my arms around his torso and basically tackling him onto the bed.

He blinks.

"N-N-No touching that drawer!" I yelp , scrambling off when I realize that I'm now practically hanging over his stunned figure. "Never touching that drawer! Never!"

"Why?"

I mentally groan.

Can't he take a hint?

"Just no touching. It's private." I quickly say as I close the drawer shut, pushing him out the door. "Don't worry about it— let's go buy some new clothes right now."

_______________________

KANG SIAN

I should've just come by myself.

"Do you think the short girl next to him is his girlfriend? Maybe it's just his sister or something." I hear some random girl whisper as I tighten my grip on Taehyung's wrist.

He was so busy marveling over the storefronts that he'd nearly fallen down the escalator headfirst.

And after that, I'd decided I wouldn't take a fingertip off of him for as long as we stayed here.

Okay.

I had to admit that I didn't really blame those girls for saying that.

Even though Kim Taehyung didn't know what a car was and still had a faded red stain on his lips from the lipstick he'd thought was a popsicle, he still looked like the model in the banners hanging from the ceiling.

And I was a girl, too.

"Here." I say distractedly, handing him a pair of dark jeans and a plain white sweatshirt. "Go try that on. You know how to wear clothes, right?"

"Obviously." He sniffs, taking the clothes from my fingers. "Who do you think I am? A three year old?"

Actually, yes.

"Hey." He calls over his shoulder as a look of doubt enters my eyes. "Just because I'm from Mars doesn't mean I haven't worn clothes for all my life."

Mars.

"Yeah, of course." I reply distantly as he disappears inside the changing rooms, arms full with the clothes I'd piled on. "I'll be here."

"Miss?"

My eyes widen as I look up to my right, and an internal groan echoes in my mind as my surprised gaze meets with those of a saleswoman.

This is why I don't come here.

"Come see our newest collection!" The woman chirps happily, pulling me over to a bunch of preppy shirts and jeans with a plastic smile on her face. "You can buy them really cheap for just a hundred dollars per piece!"

I gag.

Does she really think I have a truckload of money to burn?

I was spending the very last of my savings to buy him clothes— and here this woman was, looking at me with sparkling eyes and holding out a piece of ripped jeans.

What kind of idiot pays to get their clothes ripped?

"Sorry— unless you have a free house for me, I'm not interested."

Flashing her a forced smile, I return in front of the changing rooms. I can feel her glaring at me like she could rip me like those tattered jeans, but I'd been through so much crap already that it would take another level crap to actually get a reaction out of me.

Ten minutes pass.

"Kim Taehyung!" I call, tapping my feet against the floor. "You need help or something?!"

There's no answer.

My face slowly ashens as I bite my lip, pushing the door open to the changing rooms to see the place completely empty.

A couple of the clothes I'd given him are scattered on the ground, but I realize that the dark jeans and white sweatshirt are missing.

And even worse than that, Kim damn Taehyung is missing as well.