Ae Sook is sitting on the couch with D.O, her back against his side as they sip on coffee quietly. Ae Sook isn't really a morning person and while D.O is, he's not very vocal either way.
So they sit in a perfect, comfortable silence.
That is, until a large booming knock sounds on the door.
This is what Ae Sook hates about school. Nine AM classes, and Da Bin’s loud, incessant wake up calls.
Ae Sook turns to look at D.O, and simply shakes her head. He seems to understand and gets up, walking towards the door. As soon as the door is opened, Da Bin darts in the living room and begins her daily tangent with her arms spread wide. 
“GOOD MORNING MY PEOPLE! It's a bright, sunny day with great potential ahead! Time to be young and have fu-”
“You do realize it's the first day of classes, right?” Ae Sook asks pointedly as she takes another sip of her expresso. Even the expresso doesn’t have enough kick to make Ae Sook half as chirpy as Da Bin.
“You can't let that put a damper on things!”
Just as Ae Sook was about to say something about how school was definitely depressing, Kai came waltzing down the stairs.
“Is that my mate?”
Da Bin looked surprised. “How'd you know I was here?”
Kai rolled his eyes as he walked over to her side. “It's not like your voice sounds like a megaphone or anything.”
“Hey!” Da Bin swatted at Kai, but he leaned in for a kiss. Da Bin put up a finger in between them before pushing him away. “Not today, sir. I'm in my professional mode.”
Kai’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
As Da Bin nodded her head and put two feet’s distance between them, D.O sat down next to Ae Sook, chuckling. “Haha, must to have your mate go to school.”
Ae Sook turned around to look at him. “What do you mean? Do you have another mate? Because I'm going back to school, too.”
Kai snorted as panic darted across D.O’s face. “What?! You never told me this!”
“What part about “its my first day back” do you not understand?”
“I thought you were just telling Da Bin that!”
“Why would she be here if I'm not going with her?”
“I don't know! Maybe seeing Kai!”
Ae Sook facepalmed. “You're so oblivious. I literally told you two weeks ago I was starting. It's January 16th now. How do you not listen to me?”
“Wha-,” he starts, but Ae Sook glares at him. “Okay, fine, but can’t you take online classes or something?”
Ae Sook almost drops her coffee. “Excuse me?”
Kai turns on Da Bin. “Yeah!” He exclaims. “Take online classes! So then, you can stay at home with me more,” he offered as he nuzzled her neck. Da Bin pushed Kai away just as Ae Sook jumped off the couch and walked towards Da Bin.
“Hell no, I did not waste 3 years of college tuition just so you could waltz in here and tell me to drop it.”
“And you guys are acting like you’re going to die. You guys had a life before us, remember?”
“No,” both say in unison. 
Ae Sook and Da Bin sigh before looking at each other.
“You know, all the other girls have such cool boyfriends,” Da Bin comments as she crosses her arms.
Ae Sook picks up with a small smile. “I know. Did you see So Ryeom’s boyfriend? He just picks her up with her favorite coffee.”
Da Bin gushed as she clasped her hands. “I love that subtle style. It's so endearing.”
“I know!” Ae Sook looked at the boys, who were glancing at each other. “Ha Na’s boyfriend is like that, too. It seems to be the new trend: cold chic.”
Da Bin cut a glance towards them. “I guess it's just because we're dating old men.” She shakes her head. “So out of touch with the trends.”
Ae Sook taps her chin. “Maybe we should get some younger men? Ones our age?”
Finally, the boys snap. D.O throws his hands up in the air while Kai crosses his arms and looks, rather poutily, elsewhere. “Fine, go! Go to school! I won't even ask when you're coming back.”
Ae Sook and Da Bin smiled secretly at each other. They went to grab their stuff, and on their way out, they stopped to kiss their respective mates on the cheek. 
“See you whenever! We’ll text ya!” Da Bin saluted before bounding out the door with Ae Sook.
The boys seemed to have changed their minds, but just as they started to say something, the door shut behind the two girls. 

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" ‘School’,” Da Bin said as she made air quotations with her fingers, “I swear, those boys are so dull sometimes.”
Ae Sook buckled her seatbelt. “Well, it's not entirely a lie. We are going to school.”
“But we are also going to your house. If we told them that, they 100% wouldn't have let us go.”
Ae Sook shrugged. “It's a half-truth. What they know won't hurt them.”
Da Bin turned towards Ae Sook with a toothy smile. “Wow, this is a new side of the leaf, Ae Sook.”
“You gotta do what you gotta do, fam. No mercy.”
“Woah, woah, before you go spilling all our undercover secrets, are you sure this car isn't bugged?” Da Bin’s eyes searched the dashboard suspiciously. 
“It's your car. I doubt they would bug it. But,” Ae Sook looked sadly down at the device in her hands. “My phone is.”
Da Bin tilted her head. “Your phone?” 
“D.O installed this tracker app in my phone so that if I hypothetically get kidnapped, he could find me.”
Da Bin slammed her hand on the wheel before looking at Ae Sook in horror. “Well turn it off!”
“I can't. Last time I did, he got pissed. 'Ae Sook, you're not responsible enough, Ae Sook, you could get hurt, blah, blah.'” She mimicked.”But I'm not looking to loose a boyfriend today.”
“Okay, then let's stop by a coffee shop. Imma seduce a waiter to hold it for us, and then you could say you forgot it.”
Ae Sook gave Da Bin a look. “Uhhhh, that’s a bit excessive, don't you think?”
Da Bin returned it. “And D.O's not?”
Ae Sook opened to defend him but closed it immediately.”Okay, point blank.”
Da Bin flipped her hair in victory. “So, lets shut off that puppy off, and then go solve some werewolf mysteries.” As an after thought, Da Bin lifted a finger in the air. “But first, school.”
Ae Sook groaned. 

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Once Da Bin dropped Ae Sook off at the new lab location, Ae Sook walked in with 10 minutes to spare. She hesitated in front of the door, unsure about what was waiting for her inside.
Last time she was here, she was a normal girl taking her exam. Now, she was a girl without parents. 
Ae Sook gazed at the door for a moment before starting forward. If she didn't care before, why should she care now?
It seemed that the holiday break didn't change anything, just as it hadn't changed anything for the past three years. Everyone was standing off in their cliques, chattering about their breaks. But, as soon as Ae Sook stepped through the threshold, everyone’s gaze fell on her with a heavy weight. 
With her absence from exams, she could only imagine the rumors that were spread around about her family. She heard some of them as sent went to sit down. 
Her parents were a part of the mafia.
Drugs. Apparently that's why she's so moody all the time.
Oh, I heard it was loan sharks. They owed money. Big money.
Ae Sook laughed sardonically at all of their whispers.
It was so ironic. Before, they never paid her any attention unless Sae Ryun was giving her grief. Now, she was the main attraction.
She gritted her teeth as she pulled her supplies out of her backpack. One notebook at a time, she blocked the words out. Just as she was about to sit down, someone came and kicked the chair out from under her. Instead of crashing down, Ae Sook only stumbled back. Her stance was barely fazed, but her eyes the culprit with rage.
Not to her surprise, she found Sae Ryun’s lackey, Min Hyuk, walking down the stairs. 
“What the hell was that for?”
If the class’s attention wasn't on her before, it sure was now. 
Min Hyuk turned around, a wicked smirk on his face. “Just wanted to give you a wake up call.”
Ae Sook really wished she had the pack’s powers, because if she did, she would tear that stupid little smile off his face in a heartbeat.
Min Hyuk didn't seem to register her dark mood, because he continued to taunt her. “Oh, no snarky comeback?”
Ae Sook took a deep breath. If he wanted to play this game, she was going to play, too.
She let a moment of silence pass between them before she made a “eureka” face. She him with a glint in her eyes. 
“Ahhh, I know why you're so bitter now.”
“What do you mean?”
Ae Sook leaned in, like she was about to whisper, but she only increased her volume. “You're still sour about my rejection, aren't you?”
Min Hyuk’s face went slack. “Y-yah, what are you talking about?”
“Oh, you couldn't have forgotten already, your feelings were so strong. What was it again?” Ae Sook asked innocently as she put a finger to her chin. “‘It's a crime you're this pretty?’”
The class around them rippled with whispers and gasps. Ae Sook could see Minhyuk’s ears turn red. She smiled wickedly.
“Don't take it personally that I had to turn you down. I mean, I didn't really expect you to have those feelings for me. But, in the end, I have to stay loyal to my boyfriend.” 
Just as the life seeped out of Min Hyuk’s eyes, the class dissolved into a series of gaping mouths and wide eyes.
Ae Sook could almost hear their minds turning. How could Kim Ae Sook have a boyfriend? Who is he? How hot is he? 
She shook her head. She felt bad she brought D.O up like this, but the look on Min Hyuk’s face was totally worth it. 
Ae Sook gave him a smirk before picking up her lab stool and sitting down. Min Hyuk stormed off, his other friends hurrying to fix his bruised ego. 
It wasn’t long before their new professor came in to begin class.
Ae Sook began writing in her notebook when she realized something was wrong.
Lifting her head, she scanned the room as the professor began to introduce himself. After a second glance, she was sure. 
Sae Ryun wasn’t in class.

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Through the whole class, Ae Sook could barely focus on the lesson as her blood boiled.
Sae Ryun promised he wouldn’t pull another disappearing act after they’d sworn on it after the exam stunt. But what was this now, not even two weeks later? And it was the first day!
She was going to hit him until his senses returned.
Just as Ae Sook was imagining all the cruel things she would do to him, Ae Sook felt a tap on her sho