The day had been normal for him. He went to practice, worked hard all day, and was just looking forward to going home and taking a nice long shower. But for some unknown reason, he felt like he should visit her. He hadn't seen her in a while - not since she moved into the new place. That was almost 3 months ago. He felt bad for being busy and not being able to visit. Since he had the time to make the trip to her apartment, why not? He didn't call or text. He wanted it to be a surprise.

He tried the door to her apartment, expecting it to be locked. To his surprise, it wasn't. He cautiously walked in and slipped off his shoes. Before he could yell for her, a loud crashing sound resounded from the bathroom. It sounded like something shattered.

Entering panic-mode, Soohyun rushed through the apartment and into the bathroom adjoining the bedroom. He stood in the doorway, staring at the scene before him. There was glass all over the floor, and her beauty products were scattered everywhere, some of the stuff spilling out of its broken container. And she was sitting there by the bathtub, her knees pulled up close to her and her face hidden. He knew she was trying not to cry.

With a sigh, he carefully picked his way around the glass and knelt in front of her. She knew he was there - she had heard him come in, but ignored it. She didn't care if he saw her like this. She didn't care if anyone did. He didn't say anything at first. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, gently her hair, trying to reassure her.

"What happened?" She didn't answer him - she was too focused on controlling her sobs. He let her take a moment to calm down before asking her again.

"Was it someone at work?" She shook her head. "Then what happened?" She inhaled deeply, trying to find the voice to talk.

"They were all staring at me again." He closed his eyes and sighed, pulling her closer towards him. He knew exactly what she was talking about, and it hurt him to hear what she was saying.

She had been born with a cleft palate. Her parents didn't know how it had happened - her mom blamed it on drinking while pregnant with her. Either way, it had set her apart from everyone. People would always ask what was wrong with her face, or why she talked funny. Eventually, she had begun the process of getting it fixed. After years of surgeries and voice therapy, all she had left was a large scar that ran up to her nose. It hadn't faded, and people still stared at her. Sometimes, it was just too much. He guessed that's why she had snapped.

"They're always staring at me, Soohyun." He pulled away slightly. She was looking up at him, her eyes watery with tears that threatened to spill over. He had always marveled at how strong she was.

"Why should that make a difference?" It took her a few minutes to respond to that. When she did, her voice was shaky.

"I know I'm ugly, Soohyun. I'm not pretty; I'm certainly not beautiful. Just like her," she gestured towards the model on the box of hair dye she had knocked over, "just like her, I want to be pretty. I want people to notice me, but not for the reasons that they do now. I'm sick of people lying to my face and telling me I'm pretty, while they're staring at my scar. Everyone's always staring, Soohyun. I'm not going to be really loved by anyone. I can't do this anymore." He felt like his heart was breaking in half. He knew she was sensitive about her appearance, but he had never expected this. She always managed to smile, but she was really just breaking inside.

She broke down then, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. He kept her hair. He felt absolutely horrible. Horrible for being too busy to see her - to help her through all of this. He knew he should have been there. But he couldn't change anything. What was done is done, and he knew that. But maybe, just maybe, he could change how things turned out. Gently, he caressed her face with his hands, wiping away her tears.

"You're beautiful. One little scar isn't going to change that. To me, you're beautiful. To me, you're not ugly. To me, your physical appearance doesn't matter. There is somebody who wants to love you. I want to, for everything you are. All I am asking is that you let me."

She didn't know what to say. She just sat there, shocked, staring at him. After a few minutes of silence, she saw his face fell. As he dropped his hands away, she kissed him. She didn't think about it, or the consequences. Frankly, she wasn't sure there would be consequences.

"Thank you, Soohyun. For everything." He smiled and jumped to his feet, pulling her up with him. He hugged her one more time and led her out of the bathroom, wary of the glass littering the tile floor.

"Where are we going?"

"To your favourite place. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." He turned to look at her, a goofy grin playing on his features. She couldn't help but laugh. God, she had been an idiot. A dramatic, blind idiot. It was only then that she realized he had been there for her the whole time. He was the only one who didn't stare at her like other people did. To her, that was all she needed.

"Come on, slow-poke." He entwined his fingers with hers and led her out the door, a smile on both of their faces.

He had always been there, and he always would be.