“I couldn’t believe you actually set me grounded for next week! That was unfair!” Vernon express his dissatisfaction to the taller man beside him. They decided to park their car across the road and walk to the shop.

“It was fair enough. That’s what you get for coming home late. Plus, this was actually your Mom’s order.” Vernon stop munching his food and look at Yifan.

“Oh god! Did Mom knows about this??” YIfan laughing at Vernon’s behaviour. His mouth is stuffed with food but he still wants to talk.

“No she didn’t. But she told me that if you are going to the club again and came home late, you will be grounded. So yeah, you are.” Yifan take a bite of his food.

“Ughhhhh…I hate you!”

“It wasn’t even my idea,”

“You must have told my Mom something!”

“Well, I did not.” Vernon look at Yifan as if he was about to kill that person. He stuffed everything into his mouth and wipe at the corner of the mouth, “I am still hungry. I will make sure that I use lots of your money today to buy food.” Vernon stomp his feet as he walk further. Yifan just smiling look at the boy.

From far away, there stood a boy with his blonde-orange hair,looking towards them,

Could it be him..?
No way..
What does he doing here in Korea..?

*

It was raining heavily outside of the classroom. Vernon just could stare at the plain windows while mumbling his dissatisfaction this morning,

“Hop in the car, I will sent you to school.”Yifan grab his coat and the car key.”And one more thing, I need your phone number so that I could contact you again later to pick you up.”

“Why should I gave it to you?”

“What if it will going to rain heavily again later? Will you sit there for like who knows how many hours?”

“What if the rain will stop? I could just walk home as usual!”

“What if it will not?”

With that, end of the conversation. He lost the battle. He gave him his phone number and after a while, he received a blank message from Yifan just to make sure that he save the man’s number.

“Okay, students, from now on we will have a new classmate,”Mr Oh told his students. He then signalling the new guy to come in. All eyes were on him and then here comes the sound of the dead whale from the girls. “Would you introduce yourself?”

“Hello everyone, my name is Hong Jisoo or my english name, Joshua” Both Vernon and s.coups face each other and look at Joshua. Here comes the wave of the dead whale from the girls again.

“You could sit,” Mr Oh talk while pointing at the empty seat in front of Vernon.”There. In front of Vernon, there is an empty seat, alright?” The journey of Joshua going to the seat accompany by the sound of the girls. It must be hard to be a really nice-looking man. Vernon has experience all that before this so he wasn’t that jealous. Joshua shot his innocent smile to both of them. 

Vernon wasn’t sure why but he could feel goosebumps all over his body.

*
Everything that Yifan said was true. Even when he finish school, the rain still haven’t stop falling. He could just stare at the rain and still doesn’t has the urge to text Yifan to pick him up.

“Would you like me to text Mr Wu to pick you up?” Mr Oh came with his umbrella. 

“Oh, no. It’s alright, sir. I am about to text him anyway.” Vernon assure his teacher. With that he bows to Mr Oh. S.coups already went back earlier with his dad.Oh well, he guess there is no other way than texting that blonde guy to pick him up.

“Not going home yet?” Vernon turn his head to the left and he see that blonde-orange hair guy. What was his name again? Oh yes, Joshua.

“Um, not yet. Just texted my tutor to pick me up,” Vernon plays with his phone.

“Your tutor?” Joshua seems like he is interested on that topic.

“Yeah, for a moment, he is going to be my caretaker also. Weird, right?” Vernon just chuckled along because he doesn’t want it to be more awkward for him with the new guy.

“Well, that’s mean you will have more time to study. It was better to study when there is a person teaching you than study alone, don’t you think so?”

“Yeah, but not when the tutor is keeping you lock inside of the house and yeah, I just got grounded for this week,” Joshua just chuckled.”What?”Vernon asked.

“You know what, I have never be a fond of person who wants to keep us for themselves. I rather be free and going out to wherever and with whoever I wanted to.Like, seriously? Why do you want to lock other people freedom? Don’t you think so?”Vernon look at Joshua and the latter smile to him. Who knows that the guy could read what is in his mind?

“Yeah-” Their conversation stopped when they heard a few honks from outside of the gate. Vernon believe that it was Yifan’s car that he see from inside.

“Got to go now.” Vernon run to the gate house and Yifan is already waiting at the gate house with the umbrella.

Joshua gasped. His heart starts beating very fast. He seems not sure of what he is seeing at the moment. He squinting his eyes to focus on the taller guy. As he get the clear look of the face, he widen his eyes and his jaw open. With his shaky voice, he mumbles,

“I-It can’t be-”
“It can’t be him, right?”
“Kris Wu?”

*

“Okay, aunty. Yes. I will definitely pay a visit to you someday. Yeah, I got a person to take care of me now. Yeah. Sure! No problem. See ya later.” Vernon put down his telephone.

“Who is calling?” Yifan look at Vernon while placing the dinner on the table.

“My aunt. Looks like she already went back from outstation. She asked me if whether I need her help, I could always ask her.” Vernon walk his way to the table.

“She sounds like a nice person.” Yifan sit down and take his plate.

“I-I wonder if I could ask her to accompany me for this month.” Vernon just looking at his plate, not dare to look at Yifan. But he know that the latter is startled with his statement because he could see that Yifan is somehow stop for a second then continue to eat.

“It was your choice, Vernon. Of course you would rather to have the person that you know to live with you right?” For the first time Vernon heard his tutor calls him by his name. There is a silence for a second when suddenly Yifan continue his talk, “Must be hard to live with stranger.” Suddenly Vernon felt somewhat hurt in his chest. Could it be that he felt guilty? He doesn’t think so. Its not like he ask Yifan to go out from the house,right? Or maybe he is?

Here comes those awkward silence.

And that awkward silence continue till the rest of the day.

*

Luckily today’s weather was shine and sunny so that it wouldn’t be too much awkward to be in the car together with Yifan.

“Okay students, let’s do a group lesson. Since there is only a few month until your final year exam, let’s do something that you could share with each other, okay? Now form a group of three.” Mr Oh reminds his students that their final year exam is just around the corner and they need to be more focus. But instead of doing like their usual lesson, today Mr Oh coming out with new style of learning which is work in a group. The students rearrange their table.

Here comes the dead whale sounds again as the girls are competing to be in the same group with Vernon and Joshua.

“Let’s just be in one group, S.coups. Now we just need to find only one person.” Vernon talk to S.coups with a hint of laziness in his voice. He hate group work and this is one of the reason why. Finding a person is already a difficult things to do. But Vernon determines to find someone who really wants to do work.Plus, this work needs to hand in today so Vernon really wants a person who could participate with the task.

“Can I be in the group?” Both Vernon and S.coups find the source of the voice and then they meet with Joshua who is smiling at both of them. “Uh, sure.” Both of them talk simultaneously which making the dead whale sound more louder. The face of the school is in one group. Could you believe that?

“So what are you doing this night?”Joshua suddenly ask Vernon and S.coups.

“This night my father want me to accompany him elsewhere. So I guess that was my plan for tonight.” S.coups continue focusing his eyes on the task.

“How about you?” Joshua now change his view to Vernon.

“I am grounded remember?” Vernon leave his sigh at the end of the line. Joshua just make the ‘o’ sound as a reply.

“That must be tough of you to have that kind of tutor. You could just pass him to someone else instead of having him to take care of you.” 

“Yeah, really. I would be really glad if someone actually need him for tutoring so that he won’t stick 24 hours like a glue in the house.It was scary man! He was like watching everything that I did.”

 “You see, I have this one place where I want to go this night. I heard they are throwing a huge party for guests. Plus, they are rank the first among the other Club for starter. I thought of telling you guys about this.”

“Why us?” S.coups suddenly ask. Received attention from Vernon.

“Well…because I once saw you guys back then from Seventeen and I still couldn’t believe that we are in the same classroom now.”Joshua chuckled.

So they continue to finish their task.

*

“Hey! Vernon!” Joshua shouted from the end of the corridor making Vernon startled a lil bit. Vernon face back and he could see that Joshua in running towards him.

“What’s up?” Vernon is about to walk down the stairs.

“Hey, I was wondering if you could go together this night?”

“Well, I am grounded. Plus my tutor looks like he is serious this time. There’s no way I could run away again.” Vernon scratch his neck.

“You see. Like I told you before, why bother listen to someone who is not even close to you? Come on! It’s gonna be really fun! I’ll wait for you at the club, alright? Oh yes, this is my phone number. Anything happens call me, ok? Byee~” With that Joshua walk pass him and wave back at him.

Vernon thought once again about the boy’s word. He did have a point there. If Vernon could just go somewhere else before this, why can’t he do it again.

*

Yifan thought about what Vernon was saying last night.Maybe that kid really don’t like his presence in the house. When Vernon come home from the school just now he went straight to his room and locked himself in for like who knows how many hours for now. Yifan need to go somewhere else tonight so he need to talk to Vernon about it but since whenever Yifan knock at the boy’s room, there is no answer replying, Yifan thinks it better just send him a text message. So he did.

Yifan touch the send button. He then grab his coat and car key and left the house.
Vernon who just reading the message jumps excitedly on the bed. What a perfect timing! His tutor is not at home so this is his chance to sneak out! He quickly snatch a paper from his pocket that contains Joshua’s number and send his a text message.

Vernon quickly typed the message and send it to Joshua. It has been a while since he got himself out during school day.

*

It is already 1 in the morning, Yifan drove his car back to Vernon’s house. That kid hasn’t send him any message so he assumes that probably he is in a good condition or probably has sleep by now. There is still something that keeps on bothering him. Is he was too strict on Vernon? It’s not like he wanted to, but he have to. He kept his promise to Vernon’s parent so he couldn’t neglect it. It seems like Vernon really hate him. He decided that he needs to talk about this to Vernon tomorrow.

After he park his car, he went inside. Putting his coat at the edge of the sofa and walk upstairs toward Vernon’s room. He shouldn’t enter his room as that was the first rule that Vernon set on the first day. But he just need to make sure that the kid was there. Safe. Lately he is getting himself worry since Vernon came home late and sometimes hurt himself. So he need to check himself.

So he slowly open the door. He couldn’t see much because the room is dark with no light. The moment he turn his face towards the bed, his eyes widen. Vernon wasn’t there. He promise to himself not to cause a panic, he better search the whole house first. He calls Vernon name in every corner of the house but there is no answer. He starts calling Vernon’s cell but he isn’t picking up. He don’t know who else should he call. He also have no clue to which place Vernon would go. He then left his frustrated sigh because not asking for S.coups phone number at the first place just in case.

He then strike with the fact that Mr Oh probably got the information of the student, but is it alright to call him this late? He need to cause there is no other way. He quickly search Sehun phone number and dialled. He could feel that his body is cold as if there is no blood running through him.

“Hello?”Yifan couldn’t help but to relieve as soon as Sehun pick up his call.

“Hey! I am so sorry that I disturbed you at this kind of hour. Oh mai god, you have no idea how happy I am that you pick up!” Yifan voice sounds like he is really rushing to somewhere else. Out of breath.

“Yeah, hey what’s wrong-”

“I, do you by any chance have your students contact number?”

“Yes. I do keep it in file-”

“Can I have that S.coups guy’s number?”

“Sure, I will text you later. Is there anything wrong? What happen? You sounds like you really need it.” Yifan don’t want to burden his friend. He then take a long breath and take control of his voice. Need to calm himself first before continue talking.

“Yeah, sure everything is fine. I just need to talk to him about-like-you know? Stuffs. Study. Something like that. Anyway you don’t have to worry, alright? Thanks again for your help! Really really REALLY appreciate it!”

Yifan end his calls and later he receive the message from Sehun. He need to save the number first before he calls it. Precaution. 

It takes a while of him waiting for S.coups to answer the call. 

“Please,please pick up the call.” Yifan bites his bottom lip everytime he is nervous.

“He-Hello?” S.coups answers his call. Yifan believe S.coups sounding like he is curious because he never calls that guy before. So the number must be new for him.

“Um well (This is awkward), its Mr Wu here, I am wondering is Vernon with you right now?” Yifan receive a few incoherent words at the beginning.

“No. I just get back from an event with my father. He is not with me. He is not at home right now?” The answers just left a huge panic attack to Yifan at the moment but he need to calm down.

“No. No he is not. That’s why I am calling you now and oh yeah I got your number from Mr Oh. Anyway, Do you have any idea where he could be?”Yifan rub his face. He really need to calm down like fast.

“I don’t remember hearing him going somewhere for tonight because he did told me that he is grounded…..Oh I remember something!” Yifan quickly focus on what is it that S.coups about to tell him.

“Well, there is a new guy just transferred to our classroom. Today at school he did ask Vernon to join him at tonight party at this just-open Club. But Vernon did told him that he is grounded though. I didn’t expect that he will join that guy. If you want to, I’ll share the location later.”

“Yes. Thank you so much for your help.” They ended their conversation. New guy? Vernon just met that guy how can he easily join him? This kid. 

Later he receives the location from S.coups. He quickly lock the door and start the engine of his car and follows the location that he just received.

*