Author's Notes: If you've read this far, then I guess it's safe to say that you're interested in the story, even just a wee bit. And for that, I lay down my gratitude unto your feet. Please, please, keep reading. I know the first part isn't a big WOW but if you give the story a chance, I'm quite sure you'll learn to appreciate it. I'm open to criticism, comments, suggestions, anything. Just click the review button. Even a single sentence of encouragement or a declaration of hate for this story is deeply appreciated. I barely get any for original works so please, if you have a minute to spare, review. Reviews help writers feel a sense of satisfaction and it makes them feel that they have done their job well in a way or two. I just realized that I'm not supposed to be posting this on this website. Oh yeah, I'm dedicating this to Him as a token of my gratitude. Enough chatter. This is episode three, read and have fun. ...Enjoy, I mean. Whatever.

Episode 3

What? Where? When?

Leon ran toward the group of medical surgeons.

"How is she?"

The chief doctor gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Leon wished he heard wrong. "What do you mean, 'I'm sorry'?"

"I'm sorry that you had to wait that long."

Leon wanted to slap the doctor right in the face. For a moment, the doctor scared him. Leon tried to school his expression. "Is she alright?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, she is."

"It seems like a miracle in fact," another doctor added. The others agreed by nodding their heads. "God answered your prayer, boy."

Leon just nodded to that. He didn't know how to respond to such a statement.

"We only need to let her rest for two to three days. The injury wasn't that fatal since we were able to absolve it early on. If she came here late, the problem would've worsened ten fold."

Immediately, Leon's hand moved on its own and took the doctor's hand in a handshake. "Thank you." The words came out automatically.

The doctor returned the handshake. "Now, please excuse us." The team of surgeons disappeared into a corridor. Relief swept Leon off his feet as he found a seat at the back of the three rows of chairs. He sighed and looked at the clock. 1:34 PM. How long was he supposed to wait?

Leon closed his eyes. He forgot something gravely important. He stood up from his chair and asked for the attention of the nearest nurse, not that he had any trouble doing it. In fact, all the nurses had their eyes stuck on his face.

"Miss, where are the belongings of the girl?"

The nurse blinked, staring at him.

"Miss?"

Stare.

Leon raised his voice. "Excuse me?"

"Y-What?"

Leon sighed. "Where are the girl's belongings?"

"What girl?"

"The one with the knife in her chest." He felt uncomfortable saying that sentence.

"Oh," the nurse muttered in disgust, "that girl. They're over there." She pointed west.

Leon thanked the nurse with a slight bow and proceeded to the direction the nurse had pointed. Despite his weariness, he could hear other nurses gather around the one he had just talked to. They were making fusses about how lucky she was, and the likes. Their giggles sickened him.

Leon shook his head. "Girls."

A small plastic bin was carelessly placed on top of a small table. Inside were Natalie's belongings: her clothes, watch, cell phone and wallet. Leon picked the wallet up with one hand. He flipped it open and started checking for IDs.

Leon held out a clear, rectangular one. It seemed too familiar. He read the information out loud inside his mind. "Natalie Song."

He had heard the name somewhere before, though he couldn't determine exactly when and where. He took the cellphone and skimmed through the phonebook. The cursor stopped at a specific name and he pressed the call button. Someone picked up immediately.

"Annyeonghaseyo?"

"Hello," Leon responded in a completely different language.

The woman on the other end of the line grew frantic. "Who is this?"

She knew English. Leon thanked God. "Mrs. Song, your daughter is being confined here at Seoul National Hospi-"

"Who is this?"

"Please come immediately."

"Who-"

"Please come so I can explain the situation more clearly." With that, Leon ended the call. He returned the cell phone in the bin. After several minutes, a woman, probably a teacher based on her aura, came inside the emergency room. Leon met her halfway.

"Was it you?" the woman inquired.

Leon nodded. He gestured for her to take a seat. Though the lady was still in a mild state of panic and shock, she complied and calmly sat down beside him. He relayed to her everything that had happened since that morning.

The woman flew off her seat and looked at the surgery room's general direction. "Is she-"

"She is fine. The surgery was a success."

Together, they walked up to the double doors and peered through the circular windows. There they saw Natalie peacefully lying on the bed positioned in the northern part of the room. The recurring sound of the electrocardiogram beside her bed provided a hopeful calmness. A green line was periodically moving up and down on the screen, monitoring the patient's heartbeat.

"Mrs. Song?" a nurse called.

The woman beside Leon spun around. "That's Miss Song."

Leon turned his head. "Miss?"

The nurse passed on to her a set of green clothing. Miss Song was about to follow the nurse into the dressing room when she stopped and glanced at Leon. "Aren't you coming along?"

Leon took his own set of garments and tagged along.

XXX

Natalie shot up from bed in cold sweat. Her breathing was partially controlled by something. She realized that she had an oxygen mask on. Squinting, she couldn't see clearly, but it was more than obvious that she was in a hospital.

Surprisingly, the white room was dim. Not because of her eyesight, but because the lights were turned off.

A hand brushed her hair away from her eyes. Natalie turned to her right. It was painful just moving her body a few inches. There was this distinct pain here and there. She felt really tired, like her muscles were gasping for oxygen.

"You okay?" a soft voice asked.

Natalie nodded and smiled faintly, showing signs of rapid recovery from the impact of the trauma and her injury. The surgery went well, and the knife was no longer stuck in her chest.

The figure beside her gently held her head down to the pillow. "Don't move. Just rest, okay?"

Natalie understood and blinked instead of nodding. She felt so exhausted, so much that she just wanted to sleep. Her eyes closed to the silence. Before her dream could cage her, she remembered a certain boy.

"Leon." His name rang in her mind like a bell.

She shifted on the bed but the person on her side kept her legs down. "Don't move."

Eyes still closed, she tried to stand up. "Leon." She had to thank him at least. She'd never have the chance again if she didn't do it now.

"Natalie Song, lie down and stay still." The voice grew harsh and commanding.

Natalie's body fell flat on the bed again. She didn't have the energy to move anymore. The calming sensation of her pulse slowing down forced her to give up her hold on consciousness. Just then, the door creaked open.

The lady who was sitting beside Natalie's bed approached the visitor, who was apparently watching from outside the room. "Yes?"

"Mrs. S-"

"Miss."

"Miss Song, please give this to her," Leon simply said as he handed over a small plastic bag.

"What's this?"

"She hasn't eaten anything since she woke up this morning."

"How did you know? Are you-"

"The doctors already approved this for Natalie to take."

Miss Song doubted and asked, "Why not just let her eat the food that the hospital provides?"

"She needs to eat well. And I don't think she'd eat that."

The lady nodded. The boy was right. "How do you know all this? Who are you anyway?"

"My name is not important. Please, give this to her when she wakes up," Leon ended as he gave Miss Song a dirty blazer. It belonged to Natalie. "The rest of her belongings are in safekeeping with the head nurse." Finishing with a bow, Leon disappeared from Miss Song's sight. The door was closed and she went back to Natalie's side.

"Who was that?" Natalie inquired, voice weak.

"Just someone that found your blazer and bought you some lunch."

"My blazer?" she thought. "Leon?"

"I heard about what happened to you. Are you feeling better now?"

"I want to go home."

"You have to rest and-"

"Mom. I want to go home." Her voice was getting weaker.

"You can't just do that, honey. The doctors said that you have to-"

"I don't care what the doctors say."

"Natalie." Whenever her mother called her by her name, it meant the end of the conversation. Miss Song always won their arguments.

Natalie wanted to roll her eyes. But, she couldn't. She felt so tired.

"That boy also said that you should rest. I think he knows you. Is he a friend of yours?"

"Leon." Concentrating, Natalie dug deep in her mind to find any link to his name. Nada. She couldn't come up with anything. "I don't know him."

"Really?"

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"How about school?"

"School?"

"I'm going to be absent on the first day of school."

"First day of school?" Miss Song chuckled. "You're here in the hospital and you're worrying about school?"

Natalie blinked. "Yeah."

"It's March 1st Movement today. I don't even know why you were wearing your uniform."

That didn't make any sense. "What?" Natalie begged for clarification.

"March 1st Movement, Natalie. A national holiday. There are no classes today."

"Oh," she squeaked.

Miss Song stared at her.

She stared back.

Miss Song blinked.

She blinked back.

"I'm hungry. Give me that plastic."

Miss Song handed over to Natalie the plastic bag that Leon gave her. Natalie took out a styrofoam container from inside and opened it. Caesar salad.

"Are you sure he's not your friend? He even knows your favorite."

Finding a fork inside the plastic, Natalie placed it inside her mouth.

XXX

Later that day, 6:10 PM

Niyuuuuh.

Leon, on his way home from the hospital, clasped a hand against his empty, growling stomach. He hadn't eaten anything in the past three days. He spent the last portion of his money on the salad he bought for Natalie. It was the only thing he could think of that was cheap, healthy and satisfying. He was saving it for himself, but he thought that she needed it more than he did. And of course, he was wrong.

Walking along the streets of dusk, all that he had was a loaf of bread that a nurse gave him out of pity. Physically, he appeared to be in good shape. He was neither skinny nor fat. Basically, he was lean with several muscles slightly toned by everyday exercise. However, today, his eyes looked even more dull than its usual stony gray hue.

Passing by convenience stores lit up by advertisements and colorful lights, Leon glanced at the single loaf that he had for dinner, and most probably breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next three days. He brought it to his hungry mouth.

A beggar was sitting silently on the side of the sidewalk. He sat on the hard, unforgiving pavement and had no cloth to warm himself with during the freezing nights. The man had nothing. Needless to say, his clothes were ragged and his skin was coated with accumulated dirt. He had a small tin can in front of him like all beggars did. Only a few coins were inside, not even enough for a bus ride. He also had a wooden sign board for everyone to see. It read: I am blind. Please help.

Sighing, Leon approached the beggar and took the wooden sign. He saw a used marker on the man's torn shirt pocket and took it. He knelt in front of the man, wrote several words on the other side of the board and gave it back to the blind man.

Leon gave his loaf one last look before placing it on the beggar's palm. Satisfied, he rose to his feet and continued his trip back home. Afterwards, people started putting coins in the blind man's tin can. On the wooden board was written: Tonight is a beautiful night and I cannot see it. The beggar ate the loaf of bread with tears in his eyes.

Author's Notes: Uh. I've spent forever editing the chapters for the better. I'm sorry if it's boring. I'm trying my best to make it interesting. Forgive me for any mistakes, run-ons, grammatical errors, parallelisms, repetition, bad choice of words, et hoc genus omne. I am merely a human.