Sonny slowly opened her eyes, waking up from her sleep. She sat up and realized she had slept on Jungkook's bed while having her upper body weight on his. Must have been quite painful for him but she didn't have any nightmares.

Her hand landed on his chest, right near the tattoo of the initials and traced along the lines. She can feel his heart beating and his chest rising as he softly inhaled.

"I must be so stupid", she whispered to herself.

Pushing herself away, she went over to the bathroom and washed her face. No matter how cold the water is, the warmth feeling on her face won't go away.

"Ow", she mumbled winced as she moved her arm too quickly.

Looking over at the gauze, it seemed alright. But she hates not being able to move more freely. Who knew a small bullet can cause this much pain?

"Are you alright?"

Sonny jumped back a bit and held her chest, exhaling a long breath.

"Sorry", Jungkook apologized as he walked in and held her arm to check if it was healing okay.

She bit down on her bottom lip and looked away.

"This is fine, surprisingly. You move so much when you're sleeping that I had to hug you in order for you to stop. Did you continue having nightmares?", he asked.

She shook her head.

"Great. Sonny if these nightmares continue, you have to get help–"

"No way! Then they're gonna think I'm crazy and I'll end up back at the hospital", she said.

"Maybe that's what you need", he said.

Almost gasping, she looked at him through the mirror before walking away but he placed his arm on the doorframe, blocking the way. Her eyes landed on the veins popping out, the grip on the doorframe tightening. She softly gasped as he got closer, quickly looking away to be able to distract herself.

His hand held hers, softly squeezing before saying, "I don't mean it in a bad way. You're gonna keep getting these nightmares and soon enough you won't be able to bear it. But you're strong enough to get back on your feet once you get the help."

"My family is all I need. Once we all get settled, I'll be fine. It's just stress", she said.

He kept his eyes on her, not quite satisfied with that response. He wants her to get better.

"Jungkook I already promised you to eat more. This, I can't promise you. I just don't like the hospital. They literally treat everyone as if they're super sensitive", she said.

"And you're not sensitive?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay! I'm a bit sensitive but staying at that crazy hospital will make me go insane and then they'll actually have a reason to keep me there. I won't get better-"

"You did when you were having problems with your weight", he said.

"And look at me now. I'm still quite messed up. Jungkook, you're not gonna convince me. Even if you tell my father, I won't go....then again he always takes your side....I'll run away if you force me", she said.

"No you won't. You love Rose too much to leave her. I'll make you a deal. I won't speak to your father about this and I'll leave you alone. But if these nightmares continue and they get worse, I'm gonna have to talk to him. And I'm not saying it to be mean. You know that", he said.

He ruffled up her hair and smiled before heading out of the bathroom so he can put on a shirt.

Sonny closed the bathroom door and slid down against it while holding on to her chest, feeling as if she can't breathe. Is there something wrong with her? Does she need to see a doctor? Maybe it's because of the medication they gave her. But is it a problem?

"Only if you were here mom", she mumbled to herself.

Jungkook left to go buy groceries while Sonny stayed with Rose. She played with her for a bit before Rose settles down on the floor and focused on a small children's book. While she was busy, Sonny decided to keep drawing to turn everything as soon as possible.

Every page that she turned, she wondered if it was good enough. Maybe there are other people who are more talented than her. All she drew were sketches of her family, places she's been to, and Jungkook's tattoos. Maybe she needs to be more creative.

"What do you think Rose? Should I change my whole concept of my portfolio? Would they even accept it?", she asked, unsure of her decision.

Placing the sketchpad on the floor, she headed towards one of her suitcases and took out the paint that Jungkook bought for her.

"I think I have an idea."

"Hey, I'm back", Jungkook called out as he closed the door.

He placed the bag of groceries on the table and turned his attention to Sonny who was on the floor while staring at one of her drawings. Rose was asleep on the couch. As he got closer, the drawing– or painting – is much more clearer. But it's quite a dark concept.

He kneeled down next to her and can see she's out of it.

"What's this?", he asked, referring to the painting of a shadowy figure with eyes as dark as night and a smile that will terrify anyone. It even gave Jungkook goosebumps.

"It's what I see in my dreams. I thought it would help....but I could hear it laughing at me....then I drew more", she scooted back so he can see other paintings of the same thing except positioned differently.

He scanned through each one.

"Before you got here, I swear I thought it was in the room, right behind the door. It was peeking and it's claws were tapping on the side. Then I closed my eyes for a few seconds and it was gone", she said.

"Sonny, your nose is bleeding", Jungkook quickly went over to grab the tissue box and gave a few to her.

She didn't notice her nose was bleeding. She wiped her nose and threw the tissue away.

"Am I really going crazy?", she asked.

"No. Your mind is playing games. None of this is real. This can't hurt you. If it does, I'll be there to kick it's ass", he smiled softly while holding onto her hand.

Her eyes went down on the one where blood surrounded it. She picked it up and handed it to him.

"I keep thinking it's Mr. Chang. Every time I see it, my arm hurts", she raised her hand until it touched the gauze.

"I think I should take these pictures away from you-"

"NO. I'm trying to figure out why this keeps happening. I hate looking at it but I don't wanna keep having these nightmares", she said.

"Alright. Do you need any help?", he asked.

"Sure. I'm just trying to figure out the connection. I mean, the only reason why I think it's Mr. Chang is because of what he said and he's the one who shot me. It makes sense on why my arm always hurts", she said.

Jungkook bit his lip as he's in deep thought. She's mentioned that she's had nightmares before but after the whole incident with Mr. Chang, they're worse.

"Maybe it's much deeper than that. When did you first start having nightmares?", he asked.

"Since I was in middle school", she answered.

"Do you think the reason why you keep having nightmares is because of what you went through as a young teenager? Maybe this shadow is your fear in what people see you as. Only this time it's getting worse because you're afraid of yourself. You see yourself the same way you think people see you as", he explained.

Sonny never thought of it that way.

"How do you see yourself?", he asked.

"Just a girl-"

"Who thinks eating is bad, won't get into her dream college, worried about her future, won't ever find someone to love, and plenty more. Come here, we're gonna do an exercise", he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom, making her face the mirror while he stood behind.

"You're gonna repeat after me-"

"Are you my bodyguard or therapist?", she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Right now, I'm your friend. Now focus", he said.

He held onto her shoulders and told her to take a few deep breaths.

"Alright. I want you to look at yourself in the mirror and say 'I am strong. I am beautiful. I am loved'",he said.

She looked in the mirror, biting her lip.

"This is ridiculous-", Sonny turned to walk away but Jungkook placed his hands near her sides, trapping her so she wouldn't go anywhere.

His face shows he's serious. The close proximity of his body and hers caused her chest to tighten. He kept his eyes on hers before speaking, "I'm not moving. Neither are you."

"What if this doesn't work? What if this isn't the reason why I keep having these nightmares?", she asked.

"Then we'll keep doing this until you learn to love yourself", he said.

"I do love myself-"

"Then this will be easy", he said.

She sighed and turned around, hesitating a bit. She looked at herself, wanting to punch the mirror.

"This is making me uncomfortable", she said.

"You're gonna keep feeling that way if you don't do something about it. Trust me, this'll help", he said.

"How do you know? Have you done this??", she asked.

He nodded, "except I didn't say I was beautiful."

"Of course you didn't. I'm sure you think very highly of yourself. You naturally have the looks that everyone is dying to have. If I had a jaw like that, I'd be cutting people left and right. Except I've been cursed with a double chin", she crossed her arms over her chest.

He had to look away to contain his smile.

"I wasn't always like this. And I'm more than just looks, though I like the idea of people thinking I'm a scary person. Just try this. It's all I'm asking", he said.

"You're asking for a lot", she said.

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

Sonny groaned and rolled her eyes, "fine."

"I am strong. I am beautiful. I am loved", she said monotonously.

"Again", he said.

"BUT–"

"Again", he demanded once more.

"I am strong. I am beautiful. I am loved", she said.

"One more time", he said.

"I am strong. I am beautiful. I am loved", she said with a lot more power to her voice.

Jungkook smiled while getting close to her ear, watching her from the mirror, "exactly."

He ruffled up her hair before leaving the bathroom. He picked up the drawings, about to throw them out but Sonny stopped him and grabbed one.

"It's part of my story. I should keep it in my portfolio", she said.

Jungkook nodded and threw the other ones away. Sonny placed it in the folder with the other drawings and sighed.

"What if they don't like my drawings? What if all of this was for nothing?", she asked.

"Stop doubting yourself. You will get it," he said.

"Me? Out of how many? I'm sure there are others who are way more talented, who have been drawing their entire lives or have the talent naturally. I haven't been drawing too long. Only one will get it", she said.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and nodded, "and you will be that person. I feel it in my gut. I'm usually right about these kind of things."

"And when are you not?", she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That is between me, myself, and I. Come on, get ready. We're gonna go visit your father."

While driving to the hospital, Jungkook hummed a song that was on the radio. Sonny kept thinking why he would become a bodyguard when he has an amazing voice like that. If she could sing, she wouldn't shut her mouth.

"Does my dad know you can sing?", she asked.

He chuckled and shook his head, "No. There are still a few things he doesn't know about me. Nothing bad. I'm open to talk about anything", he said.

"Really? Do you think you can tell me more about that day when you ran away from home? When you confronted your dad? You don't have to tell me, I'm just curious", she said.

"We've talked a lot of dark topics lately. It can wait."

"Hey dad, how are you feeling?", Sonny asked after greeting Heidi who stepped out to give them space.

Jungkook stayed out of the room as well.

"I'm alright. How's the hotel? Is it beautiful? Heidi's the one who mentioned it, you know? She has great taste when it comes to these kind of things", her father said.

"It's really beautiful. And big. Jungkook said I might be inspired to draw something. I don't know though. I mean, I'm trying to work hard to make really amazing pieces but I just feel like I'm drawing the same thing over and over again. But I painted something today that's a bit different. You know the nightmares I've been having, recently they've been getting worse and I thought it was because of Mr. Chang. I wasn't looking at the big picture though. Jungkook thinks it's because of what I've been through since middle school. I swear he's more of a therapist than a bodyguard", she said, carefully sitting next to him on the bed.

"He's family Sonny. Of course he's like that towards you. We have to thank him somehow for all his hard work. His birthday is coming up. Maybe we can arrange a dinner. I can ask Heidi if we can have the dinner at her house. I'm sure she'll love that idea", he smiled.

"I guess so. He's usually not around for his birthday though. He leaves for a few days and comes back like nothing happened", she said.

"He needs a break every now and then Sonny. I give him more time on his birthday. Whatever he does on those days is his business only. Now, do you think you can call Jungkook in here. We'll talk later, okay?", her father smiled.

Sonny walked out of the room and told Jungkook that her father wants to speak to him. So while she waited outside, Jungkook went in.

"Sir, do you need something?", he asked, standing at the foot of the bed.

"I do. I need to know if you're willing to stay here with us for your birthday. I know you always leave to do your own things but me and Sonny want to thank you for what you've been doing. So we want to have a birthday dinner for you. What do you say?", her father waited for his response.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow and wondered, 'Sonny?'

"Sir, you're still recovering. And I don't celebrate my birthday. So it'll be a waste of time and energy", he said.

"You have always been a tough one. And you've kept your word when it came to protecting my family. I don't think a piece of cake will do any harm", her father joked, letting out a small laugh.

Jungkook nodded and reached into his pocket.

"There is also something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Sonny has been worried these past few days about the contest she had entered. I have no doubt that she will get the scholarship but I don't want her worrying about anything. So with your permission, I want to know if it's alright that I give the money you saved up for me to your daughter", he asked, raising the attention of her father.

"Is that your decision? Because I want you to have money saved up for what the future holds. I don't mind giving money to Sonny to pay for school. I'm retiring and planning to move into my father's farm. Though I won't be receiving much and I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford your service any longer. I will be honest with you, I wish I had more to give not only to my two daughters but to you as well. If you wish to continue working as a bodyguard, I can contact a former coworker of mine who's been seeking one", Sonny's father mentioned.

"Sir, you've been very generous. Money isn't the reason why I do this. I've explained this to Sonny. And I'd love to stick around with the four of you but I don't want to leech off of you. I do want Sonny to keep the money. And I'd be grateful if you'd talk to that coworker of yours", Jungkook said.

"Great! I'm not sure how Sonny will think of it though. I think she's starting to finally grow on you. I want to thank you again Jungkook. She told me about how much you're helping her with the nightmares she's been having. I don't think she would have told me", he chuckled.

"I will speak with her. It'll probably be better that way", Jungkook said.

Sonny was talking to Heidi about the birthday dinner which she gave permission to have it at her house. Jungkook came out of the room and told Sonny that they should get going. Even though she wanted to stay longer, she thought to give her father space along with Heidi. They wanted Rose to stay with them so the two left.

"Hey, where are we going? I thought we were going back to the hotel?", Sonny said, noticing Jungkook driving by the hotel.

"I wanna take you somewhere. I don't want you cooped up in that hotel", he said.

"Oh. So where are we going?", she asked.

"It's a surprise", he chuckled.

"We have to cross the bridge to get there", Jungkook said while carrying a plastic bag.

Sonny froze and noticed how high up they were from the cliff. Heights were never on her good side.

"Do we have to? Isn't there another way around?", she asked.

Jungkook looked back at her and tried not to smile, "Are you scared? Is someone a little chicken?"

Sonny scoffed and held her head up high as she walked forward. She kept her hands on the handles of the bridge after passing Jungkook.

"You know you have to move your feet to get to the other side", he said from behind.

"Don't rush me! What if this bridge collapses? It'll be your fault and then we'll be on the news", she said.

Her legs were trembling and she tried so hard not to look down. Jungkook then felt bad and held her hand, telling her to close her eyes so he can guide her forward. His hands were on her waist but she wouldn't move.

"Close your eyes", he whispered.

She did. When he began guiding her forward, she gasped and placed her hands over his, feeling more secure.

"Should've gave you a heads up. I'll plan more careful next time", he said.

The bridge is only a few feet long but for her, it felt like an eternity.

"So why is this place supposed to be a surprise? Are you planning to kill me? Make my life easier?", she asked.

"Don't joke like that. How would life be any easier if you were dead?", he said.

As they stepped onto the other side, Sonny opened her eyes but kept her grip tight on Jungkook's hands.  Shaking her head, she turned around to face him.

"How'd you find this place?", she asked.

She admired the pond and flowers and even the cherry blossom tree nearby. The sky is clear and the wind is fresh. She felt free.

"Heidi mentioned it. I thought we could have a picnic here. I brought your drawing pad just in case you felt inspired by the view. Come on", he held her hand and lead her towards the grassy area.

They sat down, Jungkook placing the plastic bag next to them. He took out a small bowl of mixed fruit and handed it to her, along with two bottled waters.

"This is nice", she said.

"Yeah well I felt like we kinda needed to be somewhere nice for what I'm about to tell you. It's gonna get dark and I don't mean the sky", he said.

"What are you talking about?", she asked.

"I know you wanna know more about my past and I'm gonna tell you. I know you have questions. But before I tell you all of that, I wanna give you something", he took out an envelope and handed it to her.

When she opened it, her eyes got big from the amount of money there was in it.

"Why are you giving me this?", she asked.

"I don't want you to worry Sonny. Like I said before, I don't doubt that you're gonna get that scholarship. But you're stressing yourself. So I wanna give this to you as a gift", he said.

Sonny raised an eyebrow and wondered if it was a joke. She didn't even want to touch the money. He can sense that and chuckled.

"Hey, promise me something. No matter what happens, don't stop going after what you want, okay? Then you'll just lose yourself and that isn't fun at all", he said.

"No matter what happens? Okay, what's going on? It sounds like you're dying........are you dying?", she asked more seriously.

"No. I'm not. Your father mentioned he's retiring and moving into your grandfather's farm and that he won't be getting much money. So he's offering something I can't turn down. He's gonna talk to one of his friends that way I'll work as their bodyguard–"

"Wait..so you won't be working for us anymore? I thought you said you don't do this for the money. So why are you leaving us?", she asked.

"Hey", Jungkook reached forward and held her hand, "I don't care about the money. If I could stay with all of you, I would. But it wouldn't be fair if I stayed and hogged all of your father's money. That would be selfish. No other family will make me feel the same as I do with you and Rose and your father. I have proof."

He pointed to his chest.

"Then.....you should keep this money. To pay for your student loans. I'm just gonna feel guilt. And that doesn't look good on me at all. I'm always pouting and thinking. I feel like I'm starting to get forehead wrinkles", she said, causing him to laugh.

"Oh you're right. I can see it now. You have a few here", he joked, pointing at a spot on her forehead.

She scoffed and shoved his hand away.

Rolling her eyes, she got her drawing pad and opened it to a fresh page. He watched as she began drawing, noticing how her tongue will automatically come out as a sign of concentration.

He glanced down at the page and was confused because she wasn't drawing the view. Scooting closer, he tried getting a better look but Sonny felt his arm brush against hers, making her hand stop drawing.

"Personal space is really a stranger to you, huh?", she said, covering the page.

"Hey, who was the one asking about my parents again? Hm?", now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Are you still gonna tell me?", she asked.

"Do you want me to tell you?", he asked.

"I mean...it beats having me ask you all the time", she said.

He softly chuckled and nodded.

"Well you already know the basics. But there were some things I knew about my father. Things that made me question about being his son. Both of my parents were having an affair but my father found out he was having a child with the woman he was seeing. A boy. He was happy and couldn't wait to meet him. When my mother found out, she kept making up excuses for him to stay with her. I was just a kid so I didn't really know what to do. He'd go back and forth with us and the other family. It went like that for years. Then my mother got pregnant, you already know that story. Nothing changed, no matter how badly I wanted it to", he said.

"How'd you feel?", she asked.

"Angry. Upset.....I lied to you. That day when my father went crazy, I didn't stab him by accident. I just kept thinking about how he was there for his other son and how he'd prefer him over me. He was shouting all this nonsense and whatever he said made me more angry. He was very abusive, didn't care how hard he'd hit me or the amount of blood that came out of my mouth or nose. I took that knife and I stabbed him..but I wasn't myself. I didn't realize what I did until after. My mother didn't care except she wanted me behind bars. I had to do what I thought was right so I ran away. Was I scared? Of course I was. I was confused too. I would spend nights looking over my shoulder to see if I was being followed. I couldn't sleep. But those nights that I did sleep, I'd have these nightmares that would make me sweat and my heart beat rapidly. Kinda like with you", he softly nudged her.

Sonny frowned and looked down at her lap, "did you have thoughts...like wanting to die so it can just stop?"

Jungkook's eyes met hers, "Yes. It almost came down to that. I stood at the edge of a building, staring down at the cars. I was a few floors up. No one saw me, I didn't think anyone would care. When you're at that point, you think it would be that easy to just end it–"

"But it's not. So you try to convince yourself why you should end it. Is that what you did?", she asked.

"Yeah. I hovered my foot over the edge. But someone stopped me. Sangchul, remember him? He convinced me to not jump off and instead talked to me about the program. I didn't understand at first. But he became my friend and helped me. I met new people, I went back to school, I started exercising and taking classes to better my stamina. I was at a low and with time I got better. Are there moments where I still feel low? Yeah I do. But I don't let it get to me", he said.

"What about your father's other son? Your brother? Have you ever met him?", she asked.

"Once. He reached out a few years back but I didn't want anything to do with him. That doesn't matter now. Is there anything else you wanna know?", he asked, smiling.

"It's a lot to take in. Do you regret stabbing your father?", she asked.

"That's a good question. Never thought about that. I really don't know. He wasn't a good person but that didn't give me the right to stab him. He could've easily gone to jail–"

"But you said he was hitting you. You acted in self defense", she said.

"At that time, he was just saying terrible things to me. I shouldn't have done it. So yes, I do regret it. Do you regret stabbing Mr. Chang?", he asked.

"He would've killed you. Us. What else was I supposed to do?", she said, raising an eyebrow.

"See I had a choice. You didn't. My father didn't intend on killing me. He just wanted to hurt me. Mr. Chang wouldn't have hesitated", he said.

"You're not a bad person just because you did that. I'd say you're really annoying but not a bad person", she said.

Smiling, he ruffled up her hair, "and you're just a tiny shrimp."

Sonny rolled her eyes and smiled back at him before grabbing the drawing pad.

"It's weird...seeing you smile at me. I like it though. Always smile Sonny, even when you think things are not going your way", he said.

Her eyes stayed on his. His smile would get wider as her ears turned red. He would've thought she'd look away like always but instead what caught him by surprise is her leaning closer, softly kissing his cheek.

He gasped, placing his hand on his cheek, smiling as Sonny cleared her throat and looked away.

"What was that for?", he asked.

"Just....thanks. And don't get used to it!."