❀ — Rather anxiously, Ga-In took her fingers to her thick lips, covering them, maybe trying to hold herself back from revealing the truth. What truth, though? To his question, she wasn’t too sure of what to answer— she herself didn’t quite understand this sick habit of putting on the ridiculous disguise every time someone tried to approach her. Quickly (yet anxiously), she rubbed the back of her neck, showing an aching smile. How to answer his question and be polite? She didn’t want to ruin it— again. But why? Ga-In did not certainly care most of the time. What did make the difference now? Ooh, right; she was sober, and he was beyond kind to her. Intending to shrug off all of her insecurities by throwing the cigarette’s butt on the ground, she stomped her small foot on it with some kind of anger inevitably showing. ‘I have no idea,’ she said, almost in a whisper, not certain if he had heard it or not. ‘I really…,’ (she began talking again, this time it started as a whisper until she raised her voice a tiny bit more) ‘I really cannot collect my thoughts in this moment. Maybe another time, I could explain you why, why I disguise myself, Jiho.’ She said her name cutely rounding her lips while pronouncing the last vowel. Then she stayed silent for another moment. Her hands looked pale, she rubbed them together, but she did this slowly, before pushing herself to speak up one more time. ‘As for age,… I don’t think it really matters. It is solely a number. Experience is what matters the most. To me, at least, it works that way.’ Her voice wasn’t much of a whisper anymore. Ga-In was a little afraid of talking too loud during the dark hours of the night. Some sort of childhood memory had surely triggered this.