KANG SIAN

"Hey— are you okay?" I ask, twisting my drenched hair. The boy is shivering on the ground, his eyes glimmering as he looks around.

"'This is Earth, right?"

"Yes...?"

"Wait," I mutter, peeking over at his trembling form. My eyes widen. "Are you crying right now?"

"N-No." He says stiffly as he quickly shuffles up to his feet, breathing deeply as he bows. "Thanks for helping me— I would've died if it weren't for you."

"So it wasn't a suicide attempt, right?"

"Suicide?" He asks, tilting his head. His eyes still have that dazed look as he keeps looking around. "Is that something you eat?"

Heavens.

"I think you really need to go to the hospital."

"Hospital?" His eyes light up in recognition. "I know what that is! That's where you spend two hundred dollars to get.....um, fran—no, fractions fixed!

"Fractions? Isn't that what you learn in school?"

"I know what that is, too!" He exclaims, beaming proudly at me. "That's where you see kids jump out of windows—"

"Let's get you to a hospital." I cut off, gripping his wrist when he suddenly shakes his head.

"I can't go there. I need to go somewhere first."

"What? Where?"

"I need to find her." He says firmly, face looking paler by the minute as he sits down on the grass. "I just need a minute."

"Okay— you're scaring me, weirdo." I laugh nervously as I pick my discarded jacket off the ground, putting it over his head. "And you're shivering still. Where's your home?"

"Over there." He says, tugging at his wet hair while pointing towards the setting sun. "But really, it's so lonely. There's nothing to do and no one to play with..."

The Sun.

"You... come from the Sun?"

"No," He says innocently, looking at my stunned face.

"Mars."

________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

"Wait, I'm not lying, I promise!" I call uselessly after her as she storms away, mumbling furiously. "I'm really from Mars!"

"And you left your jacket!"

But she doesn't seem to hear me because she just keeps on walking away.

"But it's really true..." I mutter as I pull out the soggy slip of paper from my pocket, wincing when I see the pencil markings all smudged together into a messy blur.

It was good that I'd memorized it.

My heart still racing from nearly drowning, I get to my feet and silently repeat the address in my mind.

471 Sycamore Street, Seoul.

471 Sycamore Street, Seoul.

"Excuse me?" I call when a person jogs by, putting on a happy smile on my face when he turns back. "Can you tell me where—"

The person turns right back around and continues jogging.

Did he not hear me? But I saw him turn back...

Suddenly feeling a bit timid, I grip the jacket tighter around my shoulders as I walk out of the park. Even though I try several more times to ask people for directions, every single one of them either ignore me or give me a weird glance.

I'm starting to panic a little bit.

Clenching my chattering teeth, I stare wondrously over the glittering lights and the tall buildings. Even though it was cold and everyone here didn't seem to like me, this world was wonderful.

And there were so many flashing blurs.

All of a sudden, a hand yanks me back so hard I nearly trip over my own feet. When I look over in surprise, I see the girl from earlier.

She looks furious.

"Are you really trying to get yourself killed?" She huffs as she zips the jacket close over my chest. "A car nearly just ran over you! And at least close the zipper—"

________________________

KANG SIAN

He hugs me.

"You're back!" He says happily, patting my soaking hair as I stare at him dumbly. "Everyone's so mean here— I'm glad you didn't leave!"

"Pay attention!" I snap as I wave at the road. "Didn't you hear me? You nearly just got hit by a car!"

"Does it hurt a lot?"

That takes me aback.

"What?"

"To get hit by a car." He says, motioning at the roaring vehicles. "I mean— it doesn't look that bad. Back where I come from, there's way faster things!"

"Are you still keeping up with that Mars story?" I ask in disbelief when he fixes a firm look.

"I am from Mars."

I sigh. "Okay, okay. And I'm assuming you have nowhere to go? Because you come from millions of miles away?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?"

"I have my ways." I roll my eyes, squeezing out the water from my shirt. And the worst part is, he doesn't even look like he's lying. Not at all.

And I had an eye for liars.

"Wait— I actually do have somewhere I need to go," He says, pulling out a ragged piece of paper dripping water. "I tried asking some people, but they ignored me."

Probably because you look like you just took a swim in Han River when it's October.

"Uh— I can't read that."

"It used to say 471 Sycamore Street." He says, when he suddenly coughs. When I look up at him, he coughs again.

"I think we need to get you some— wait."

"471 Sycamore Street?!"

"Yeah." He mumbles as he sneezes, shivering violently. "Is it close? Gosh, it's really cold down here."

"That's my apartment." I whisper, and his eyes widen as I start to back away. "Who are you? How do you know my address?!"

"W-Wait, don't leave!" He calls as I back away another step. "I'm looking for a girl named Kang Sian."

"I am Kang Sian. And I don't know anyone like you."

"W-What?" He exclaims, frowning as he glances at the dripping wet paper again. "Y-You don't know me? I'm Kim Taehyung. The one—"

A startled gasp escapes me when he suddenly collapses.

"Hey!" I yell instinctively as I rush forward, gripping his soaking figure and cursing when he doesn't respond.

Damnit.

My life really sucks, doesn't it?

_______________________

KANG SIAN

He's really Kim Taehyung?

The Kim Taehyung?

Tilting my head, I read over his last message one more time before tucking my phone back into my pocket.

If he was right— then currently I had a passed out Kim Taehyung on my bed, wrapped with all the blankets I could find in the house and still dripping water.

I knew I had to get him out of those soaking wet clothes, but there was no way in hell I was going to do that myself.

Which was why I was now standing in front of my neighbor's door, shifting my weight anxiously from one foot to the other.

Heck, I don't even know if the person behind this door is the same gender as that Mars boy or not.

Just knock already.

Shutting my eyes tightly, I press on the doorbell. My face is flushed red as I think about how humiliating this was going to go for me from now on.

The door clicks open.

"Hello?" The voice already screams male, and I pinch the flesh between my thumb and forefinger as I prepare myself to crash and burn.

Frick this life.

"I was— um, wondering if you were okay with changing a man's clothes? B-Because, uh—" 

This already sounds so stupid.

When I look up into a pair of widened doe eyes, I wish I'd never got out of bed this morning.

"Okay. You're probably going to think I'm crazy, but today I saved a boy who I've been texting in Han River— and now he's kind of unconscious on my bed. And if he's really the person I've been texting and not some troll, he gets sick really easily."

I swallow.

"So he's wearing wet clothes right now, and I was wondering if you could be so kind t-to c-c-change him so he doesn't get really sick? I mean, I totally understand if you say no, because who would accept a stupid request like this, right? But—"

"I'll help."

"Wait, what?"

"I'll help," He repeats as he tilts his head towards the inside of his apartment. "And I'm assuming you don't have any men clothing, right?"