Chapter One:

Nam Yungsoo

“Hey, Yungsoo,” Pil-do said as he nudged me forward in my desk.

“What now?” I asked, my voice sounding annoyed, yet still hushed. He then slowly strode around my desk so he could stand right in front of me.

“You don’t happen to have ₩20,000 laying around anywhere?” he asked in a pleading tone. He gazed at me with pitiful eyes, as if expecting me to give him a ₩20,000 note. The sweet smile on his face then switches to an agitated frown and he slams his hand against my desk.

“Hey!” he shouted. “You *yourself* promised to give me 20,000. Where is it?” Yet I don’t answer. I hang my head low as I fiddle with a well worn-out pencil. I was avoiding his eye contact. I couldn’t bare looking at his face. I bit the gum inside my mouth until I tasted blood; that strong taste of salt and metal that’d linger in your tongue.

“Are you ignoring me now?” he asked, his voice intimidating. “I already gave you a day to get me just *₩20,000*. How the *fūck* do you not have 20,000 on you?” His eyes were piercing right through my soul, and I could tell he was getting mad. He then nudged me on my shoulder. “huh? How do you not have 20,000 on you?” he asked again. Finally, I look back up at him.

“Well, why do you *expect* me to have 20,000?” I ask. He then scoffs and cuts our eye contact for a while. He then looks back at me.

“Because you promised that you would get me 20,000. Remember?” he asked. I gaze into his eyes with an expressionless look, almost unreadable.

“Okay, but who said I was your servant?” I ask, my voice dull and cold.

“Yeah, who said you were my servant?” Pil-do asked in return. Again, he looked me straight in the eyes as though he were trying to be intimidating. “Look, I never said that you were my servant. You just give me money. That’s it.”

“Well why do you need me to give you money?” I asked in disbelief. “You’re clearly richer than me! Can’t you bring your own?” I then stand up out of anger and slam my hands against my table. “I am not gonna stay here having some stupid argument with you.” I was about to go for the front door of our classroom, until I feel Pil-do’s hand against my shoulder. He grasped it so hard that it felt as though there would be a mark from it.

He yanks me forward and turns me around, still grasping my shoulder. “I already told you this twice, and I don’t want to say it again,” he said in a much calmer tone than how he used to speak. “but give me that ₩20,000. I know you have it somewhere.” Yet I still refuse. My expression was empty and unreadable, and I didn’t even think about talking. He then grabs me by my collar out if anger and pulls me close to him.

“C’mon, I know you have it,” he said with an agitated smile on his face.

Yet I still don’t say anything while I stare blankly at his face. The pressure my collar made against my neck hurt so much, yet I had to act strong. I didn’t want people thinking that I would be some weakling. He then looks over to the hallway window and watched as the teacher walked closer and closer to the room. He immediately lets go of me and stares right into my eyes as though he would’ve killed me straight away.

“You were lucky, Yungsoo,” he muttered as he walked back to his seat.

Which also meant that I had to go to my seat. Immediately, I ran back to my desk and sat myself down, just as though absolutely nothing had happened. I then drop my head onto the table and hide my face with my arms. And just then, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Choi, had walked in, the soles of his shoes tapping gently onto the wooden floor.

“Alright guys, settle down,” he said to the class as he arranged some papers into a neat pile. “We have a new student with us today. So please be nice to him, and don’t bully him.”

“Hello, my name is Jang Hyeong Joon,” he said as he bowed deeply. Just right when he reached the first syllable, I finally raised my head back up to see what he looked like…and *fūck*, he was handsome. Charming, in fact.

The way that the sunlight shone against his side made a yellowish orange hue against his skin, and his hair was parted right in the middle, yet he still had a few of his bangs out. His voice was deep, yet it still sounded friendly and sweet. And lastly…his smile. His smile was so bright and welcoming…it made me feel as though I was never going through this shit at school. He was just absolutely beautiful.

“Alright, thank you for that, Hyeong Joon,” Mr. Choi said. “You may go to the seat right over there, right beside…Yungsoo, was it?”

“Ah, yes…” I muttered.

“Right, sorry Yungsoo,” the teacher apologized. “It’s been a while since I’ve taught you guys, since the winter break and everything. Anyways, Hyeong Joon, you may go sit right next to Yungsoo over there.”

Right before Mr. Choi even pointed to the empty seat next to me, I could already feel as though my heart was racing. Hyeong Joon…I thought. He’ll be sitting next to me. I just couldn’t believe it. The høt new kid sitting next to some loner like me? Impossible. I thought. This must be a dream. It *has* to be.

Chapter Two

“Thank you, sir,” Hyeong Joon said with that bright smile of his. He then walks up to the empty seat next to me, which was where I would normally put my bag in when no one sits next to me. I tried not to look at him too much, because it would just start to seem weird. Slowly, he seats himself right next to me, which I thought was a good time to finally take a proper glance at him.

And there had been so many things that I hadn’t noticed about him earlier. His eyes. They were a beautiful smoke like grey that seemed to grow darker the closer it got to his iris. The way that it glistened against the sunlight of my window made me lost, and I felt like I just couldn’t concentrate on anything anymore. His skin was so clear and bright, and again…that smile. It got my heart beaming.

He looked at me with that warm smile and gives me a tiny wave. “Hi!” he said, his voice deep yet bubbly. “You must be Yungsoo, right?”

“A-ah…yes, that’s me,” I muttered. I could tell he knew I was tense. It wasn’t because I was scared of him. He was just too gorgeous for a guy like me to talk to.

“Well…as the teacher said,” he started. “I am Hyeong Joon!” His smile that time was just so friendly…I could barely even concentrate on what Mr. Choi was talking about in the background. Heart was in shambles at this point. It was beating like crazy, and I felt as though my cheeks were about to flush.

“Y-Yungsoo?” he asked, waving a hand in front if my eyes. *Shīt*, I thought. I zoned out while he was talking to me.

“Ah, yes?” I ask, suddenly getting back into my senses.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Oh um…” I stuttered a bit. I didn’t know what to say at that point. I was just too embarrassed… He then brushes it off with a smile and repeats himself.

“Okay, so I asked if you could tour me around after school so that I could know where I was going…but you didn’t seem to be listening…” he explained.

“Ah, sorry about that…” I apologized. “I was just caught up with some…homework!”

“Oh, that’s completely alright! Anyway…can you tour me around after school?” he suggested.

“My pleasure,” I say, giving him a timid smile. God…I would be touring him around after school…Who would’ve ever thought I would? Me? Touring the hot new kid around the school? That would just seem impossible. *This really might be a dream*, I thought.

.... . ....

It was around 20 minutes after I came out of class. I was waiting at the front gate for Hyeong Joon, gazing up at the slowly yellowing sky; how the azure slowly faded into sunflower, and how the clouds that drifted above me were colored in a light pink. This would be perfect for a drawing…I thought. Immediately, I zipped open my bag and took out my sketch book and a drawing pencil.

Every bit of the picture was already planned in my head; the way the trees were angled, how the buildings would be shaded, and how I would want to make the birds fly. Yet by the time I was only halfway through, I feel someone tap my shoulder, yet very gently, unlike how the others would do it. They would’ve pushed me, or they would’ve hit me at the back of my head.

But this one was different. It was just a gentle tap. Nothing more, nothing less. Slowly, I turned around and saw Hyeong Joon right behind me. Again, he was giving me that one bright smile that he always would do, and he waved at me like how he did when we first met in the classroom.

“Hello!” he exclaimed. Of course it would’ve gotten my heart racing. I didn’t even know what to say. It was like all the words were just taken out of my mouth. What is this feeling? I thought.

“Oh, hey,” I muttered, still managing to put up a smile on my face. As we stood close, he took a peek on to what I was drawing.

“What’s that?” he asked, his voice full of interest.

“It’s just a drawing…” I quietly said. I then turned the sketch book around so it could face him. Slowly, he placed his hands on the edge of the book and took it from me, meticulously observing each line of graphite that’d been drawn along the paper.

“Wow…” I hear him mutter to himself. “You’re really good at drawing! Can you teach me sometime?”

“Yeah, sure,” I timidly spoke. Again, he looks back at the drawing and holds it up to the view in front of him, comparing each detail to the real world.

“It looks exactly the same!” he exclaimed the more he looked at it. He then turns back to me and hands my book back. “Here,” he said as he offered my book back. “Shall we go back inside now?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said as I took my drawing back.

.... . ....

The two of us strode through the halls as I showed him every classroom. This was honestly one of the only times I actually felt comfortable in school; the only time I’ve ever felt safe, in fact. I was always walking through halls in fear as though someone would come at me from behind, or if Pil-do would ask me for more money, even when I already lent him more than ₩85,000.

I genuinely felt protected; happy, almost.

The way he would smile as I would walk through each hallway; each floor. The way he would do this little run up to me when he gets caught behind…Though I’m not too sure what this is…all I can say for certain is that I like him. I know it seems wrong to like someone right when you first meet them, but I just couldn’t help it. He was just too perfect. I couldn’t help but fall for him; his beauty; his personality; his everything.

“Then finally,” I said. “we have the art hall, my personal favorite.” Slowly, I push the handle down and open the door to the art hall, where heaps of canvases filled the room, all held up with easels. Sketches and paintings lined the walls behind the teacher’s desk, and there were spray bottles filled with water next to the windows.

“I always came here when I was feeling down,” I said to him. “This was basically my safe spot in the entire school. Some of my drawings are even up on the wall.” I then point to a sketch which was on a frame right next to the teacher’s desk. It was a sketch of the school…at least the front grounds of it.

Hyeong Joon gazed at the wall with awe, looking through drawings that he didn’t even know was mine. “Man…” he uttered to himself. “You’re really good at drawing! Now I’m even more eager to join art sessions.”

“We do have art club on Thursdays if you’re interested,” I suggested.

“Oh, I would love to!” he exclaimed. “Where can I get the entries?”

“A member just left, so now there’s an extra space for you to join. I’ll print out a form for you when I get home.”

“Thank you so much!! You really don’t have to though…” I then lay a hand on his shoulder.

“If it’s what you want to do,” I start. “then I’ll help you do it. You’re still new, and I want you to experience these things on your first weeks here. So don’t feel sorry for me, since I insist on helping you with this.” A small smile then plays on his lips, and his pitiful expression immediately changes.

“Thank you,” he said warmly.

“My pleasure,” I smile back. And we just stood there, not even uttering a word. We just gazed at each other in this silent room, not even daring to break it. I just wanted to keep my eyes on his and gaze with awe at his smile; his coal grey eyes that’d hypnotized me. And I don’t want to look away…ever.

Chapter Three

We then walk back out of the art hall, still having a chat about art club entries and how I was ‘*sooo*’ good at drawing. There was laughter; lots of it. And I didn’t want it to end. This was the first time I’ve ever had an enjoyable day at school; the first time I’ve done or felt any of these.

As we walked further into the hallway, I then see a group of 4 – 5 men standing at the other side. It was Pil-do and his friends, I was sure of that. I could hear his voice throughout their horrible laughter, as it was deep and strong, unlike the rest of them. Anyone would know that voice. Except one…which is Hyeong Joon. He’s still new, so he doesn’t know what goes on…

Immediately, I come into an abrupt halt, stopping Hyeong Joon in his tracks along with me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. My gaze then slowly shifts to his, and he could tell that there was a frightened expression that played on my face. It’d just gotten too obvious.

“We…need to take another route,” I say, still not explaining to him what was wrong.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I don’t want to put you in danger,” I said sternly. “I know it might not seem like much, but the group at the end of the hall…they always try to come at me. And it’s not like I’m afraid of them. I’m just…burnt out by them…” Again, he looks at me with a specific gaze that I just can’t make out, yet it’s still readable.

“But…you shouldn’t be,” he finally said. “You shouldn’t care about what others think of you. All it would do is just destroy you. You should just…ignore them. That way’s faster anyway…So all you have to do is not mind them and simply walk past, alright?”

“…Yeah,” I muttered. Again, that sweet smile plays on his lips and he makes a gesture with his hand, holding it open as though he wanted me to hold it. Slowly, I slide my hand into his and he grabs it tightly, our fingers interlocked as our knuckles slowly reddened. Immediately, he walks up to the group and swiftly passes through them in a breeze.

Anxiety had started kicking in the closer we got to them, yet Hyeong Joon seemed fearless; confident, almost. It was like he could deal with anything, whether it was death, or if it were abuse. Yet right when we walked through their little “crowd,” it felt as though nothing happened. It was almost as if the anxiety had completely gone, and it was like we just walked through an empty hallway.

“See,” he said to me in a whisper. “that wasn’t so bad, was it?” I tried to put up a smile, but I could still hear the group talking about me from behind. I know I was told that I shouldn’t mind it…but I can’t help it. Their remarks were just too unbearable to ignore.

“Guys, look,” the first guy said. “Looks like Yungsoo has already gotten close to the new kid, eh?” The others then let out a haughty laugh, as if they were know-it-alls.

“That’s the problem with him. He gets too clingy sometimes,” the second guy said.

“Nah, that’s completely a lie,” Pil-do said. “Literally, just this morning, he didn’t give me the ₩20,000 I asked for! That is most definitely not clingy.”

“He didn’t give you the money?” some guy in his friend group said. Yet all their words started to become this muffled voice that I just couldn’t make out. I wanted to ignore them as well as I could, yet it didn’t seem to work too well.

“Don’t mind them,” Hyeong Joon whispered to me. “They’re just these selfish bastards who thinks what they want to think.” Still, I can’t manage to find a reply. I just want to stay silent. Who are they to talk about me like that?

The both of us walk back out, still hand in hand. Sure, I might’ve had an enjoyable time in there, yet I still can’t get over the fact that Pil-do was still in. He should’ve though. It was already late, and he would have to be at home by then. It was like he knew I would be in late today; as though everything was planned.

“I’m sorry you had to got through those kids,” I tell him.

“Why should you apologize?” he asked me in return.

“Because it was my fault that you had to see them,” I said. “It was me who suggested to go to the art room last…which led to meeting them…”

“It’s not your fault,” he said as he patted my back. “you didn’t know they were going to be here.” He pauses for a while, taking a deep breath out. “Shall we go home now?”

“Yeah…” I said. Yet I didn’t want to go home that soon. I hated home more than school, in fact. My dad was always abusive to me…and it was like he never cared about me either. Before, he did... He was actually a great father that time…Then mother died. That’s when everything changed. He started getting drunk all the time…and when he’d get home, I’d always get a bottle struck at me right to the face.

I don’t even know how many scars I got from it. All I do know was that I once got a scar right at the top of my head, which was where a shard of glass completely stabbed through. I don’t even know how I survived that, but I guess it was because I took the glass out immediately and patched it up before I started over bleeding.

All of this happened in the past; almost 3 years ago. It’s nothing I should be worrying about at the moment. Past memories should just be left behind. You can’t go back to them anymore.

“What direction are you headed to?” Hyeong Joon asked.

“This way,” I said, pointing to my right. “I’m taking the bus back home.”

“Oh, same!” he exclaimed. “Shall we go together then?”

“Yeah, sure.” We both then walk together to the bus stop in complete silence. I guess we just didn’t have much to say, did we? Yet I couldn’t stand this silence we had anymore. I had to say something, otherwise it would just conclude into an incredibly awkward walk back home.

“So…” I start, breaking our unbearable silence. “when did you move here?”

“Oh, I moved into town last week,” he told me. “I’ve been pretty busy with housework, so I didn’t have much time to enroll into a school.”

“You enrolled yourself into this school?” I ask.

“Yeah…My parents provided me the money, but I just don’t live with them.”

“So you moved all the way here by yourself?”

“Yep.” And those very words got me in disbelief.

How could someone at such a young age live alone like this? I thought to myself.

“Don’t you find it lonely living all alone like that?” I ask.

“Nah, not really…because I’ve got you now!”

“…me?”

“Yeah!” he exclaimed. And just then, we had

also just reached the bus stop. “We’re friends now, aren’t we?” he asked, holding out a hand to me indicating for a handshake.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that,” I said, shaking his hand as I do. Just then, the bus had arrived at our stop, which was our signal to go. We both immediately tried to find a seat to net each other, which was at the back window seat. The bus rides were always incredibly long, so I knew we were going to be there for a while. This gave me the chance to get to know Hyeong Joon more.

I took the seat next to the window, while he took the empty seat right next to me. The bus had already started driving and the ride was bumpy. Yet the constant rocking that the bus made had gotten me tired, and I could feel my eyelids slowly getting heavier.

Hyeong Joon takes a brief glance at me, then back to his phone. “You tired?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said in return, “I’ve had a long day…”

“I get it. If you want you can sleep. I’ll wake you up when we reach.”

“Okay, remember that my stop is 12 stops from now.”

“Got it,” he said as he gave me a little salute. Slowly, my eyes start to close and my head leans onto his shoulder by accident. But at that point, I didn’t even have the energy to move away. He wouldn’t mind, would he?

Though my eyes were shut, I could still tell what was going on around me. I felt his hand slowly caress the top of my head, throwing his arm around my shoulder as five fingers run through my hair softly. Suddenly, the caressing stopped, and he seemed to have gone completely still. “Yungsoo?” he asked. “Are you still awake?”

“yeah…” I said, my voice sounding tired and drowsy.

“Well if you’re comfortable telling me this…may I ask where you got this scar at the top of your head from?”

“Ah, that…” I muttered as my eyes softly opened. “it…was my dad who did that. He smashed a bottle onto my head a few years ago…all because he just drank too much that day.”

“Well that’s just unpleasant,” he said in a disappointed tone. He stayed silent for a while, yet I didn’t even dare to break it. I hardly even uttered a word, and slowly, I start to drift back to sleep. Again, I feel his fingers run through my hair softly, and the caressing of his thumb against my head. “I’ll let you sleep now…” he muttered to what seemed like himself.