Ji Hyo blinked, then stood up. 

"Jong Kook?" asked Sooyoung nervously. "Like ... Jong Kook from our school? Don't tell me that he's in this mad muddle of a mess right now - oh no ..." she gasped. "Is the whole schoool in it as well? Are we having a war with other school? Are we-"

"That's enough, unnie." Ji Hyo said firmly, cutting her off. She turned to Minho and raised an eyebrow. "Jong Kook from school? He's your brother?" 

Minho nodded mutely - he was figitng, his hand running repeatedly over the handle of the gun. Ji Hyo scrutinised him for a moment, wary. 

"What?" Ji Hyo finally asked.

"Hm?" Minho looked up, confused, his hands still running over the gun. Ji Hyo didn't like him doing that - it set her on the edge. If it wasn't Minho, and if he hadn't just saved her life, she would have dispatched and disarmed hi by now. 

"Why are you so ..." she trailed off, guestering at the gun. Minho looked down, then back at Ji Hyo strained face, and he bowed his head in way of apoligy. "Sorry, I didn't notice. I'm just a bit ... stressed out."

"Aren't we all ..." mumbled Joong Ki, figiting slightly. He looked at the open blinds, then nudged Sooyoung. The older girl looked down at the boy questioningly. "Can you close the blinds, please Sooyoung noona?" he asked.

Sooyoung gave him a puzled look, but went to do as he was told. Ji Hyo and Minho were sitting in silence, both awkwardly not looking at each other, and Joong Ki sensed the tension between them. He looked at Minho out of the corner of his eye, and then he realised that his past instincts were right - Minho was not a normal guy. The way he moved, the way his head would snap up at any abrupt noise, the way he could hear something coming that he couldn't, his strength, everything - it all indicated that he was part of the Geomeun dangeom. 

Why hadn't he noticed it?

Joong Ki figited nervously. He hated to say it, but at the moment he still didn't quite trust Minho. He was the son of the man responsible for the Dogsuli, his clan, his family's, death, after all. What reason did he have not to not trust him? 

He just saved your life, a small voice at the back of his head said. 

It could be a trick, the Dangeom is  the most sneaky gang there is, he argued back. Why was he even arguing that Minho was not to be trusted? He didn't know. 

It was not long before the tension in the air became unbearable, and Joong Ki couldn't stand it any longer. He jumped to his feet and grabbed his sister's arm, pulling her to her feet. Ji Hyo gave Joong Ki a sharp look but let her be led into the kitchen, leaving a silent Minho and a confused Sooyoung behind them.

"Is anything wrong?" asked Sooyoung, blinking.

Minho sighed. "I honestly don't know."

*In the kitc