Yong Hwa noticed that eversince that night when he raised Shin Hye's hackles by challenging her rules, she did not bother him anymore, not even during the times when he would stay all night at the front porch to look at the stars.

One Friday, the last day of the month, he was sitting on the front porch again, star gazing. Jiyeon came to the porch with her cheek brush and her makeup. That was when he remembered that he had to pay the remaining half of the rent.

"Ah, you can just approach Shin Hye-eonni," Jiyeon said as she brushed her cheeks.

Yong Hwa looked at the student before asking.

"Are you going out on a date?" he asked her.

"Ne, Oppa," she replied. "I know I am supposed to be at cram school and study, but I will be having a date with Seobang tonight, heee~~~."

How cute.

Yong Hwa remarked, "I just noticed this but I could tell if you'll be going on a date."

"Jinjja?"

"Ye. Coz even before you say your seobang will come and fetch you, you are holding that cheek brush every time."

"Ah? That's what you noticed, Oppa?"

"Ne...So that led me to the conclusion that if you are holding your cheek brush, you will be having a date with Seung Ho."

"Hee~~~, Oppa, you are intelligent," Jiyeon said as she brushed Yong Hwa's cheeks. "Sigh, if only I could brush Shin Hye-eonni's cheeks like I did with you today..."

"Your eonni is a plain Jane," Yong Hwa pointed out.

"She really is!" Jiyeon said. "As a matter of fact, Bom-eonni spent some of her money just to buy makeup and clothes for Shin Hye-eonni, but it all end up in her closet, or it ended up being used by me!"

"Tsh... she is outrageous!" was Yong's outrageous comment.

"Hehe, she is," Jiyeon said. "And before you even forget, you need to pay for the remaining half of the rent."

Yong Hwa cringed when the high schooler reminded him of that.

"Actually, I have something to confess," Yong Hwa told her uncomfortably.

"What is it, Oppa?" she said as she stopped brushing her cheeks.

He told her about their agreement, and he told her about what he noticed about Shin Hye not talking with him or even bothering him.

"So, is it all right with you if you give this in my behalf?" he asked her.

Jiyeon looked at the money in his hand, then smiled the aegyo way.

"Oppa, I guess you have to do it yourself," Jiyeon said. "Shin Hye-eonni needs a man in order for her to lighten up."

"Mwo?" Yong Hwa asked in disbelief.

"Oh, I think Seobang is waiting outside," Jiyeon lied. "Annyeong!"

Yong Hwa looked in disbelief and helplessness as Jiyeon exited the gate.

"Ah, Seobang!" he heard her squeal.

"Gaja?" he heard Seung Ho said.

"Sigh, eotteohke?' Yong Hwa asked himself.

He got up and barged into Jong Hyun's room. He saw his three bandmates playing cards and betting.

"Ya, can you help me?' he asked as he knelt before them.

"What is it, Yong Hwa-ya?" Jong Hyun asked.

"Can you please help me go to Shin Hye's room?" he asked them.

"What are you gonna do with her?" Min Hyuk asked cluelessly.

"You forgot?" Jung Shin asked the drummer. "To pay our rent, of course."

"I know that both of you are not in good terms, but you need to face her like a man," Jong Hyun smirked.

"I am a man," Yong Hwa snapped at him. "I am just keeping my word in getting out of her way."

"As I see it, man, you are running away from responsibility," Jong Hyun said.

"No, I'm not!" the guitarist snapped at the burning-eyed guitarist.

"I'll do it," Jong Hyun said as he stood up.

Yong Hwa stood up and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks, man."

He handed the money to Jong Hyun, who went out of the room afterwards. Yet, the leader also got out of the room to see  Jong Hyun's interaction with Shin Hye.

****

"Why are you here?" Jong Hyun asked Yong Hwa as they climbed up the stairs.

"I want to see her reaction," Yong Hwa said.

"Some reaction, huh?" Jong Hyun said.

Jong Hyun knocked the door, and when the person inside told her to come in, he came in. He left the door ajar so that Yong Hwa could hear their interaction.

****

"I'm here to pay the remaining half of the rent," Jong Hyun said.

Shin Hye did not say anything as she received the money. He waited for her to give the receipt, and upon receiving it, Jong Hyun kissed that damn piece of paper.

"Gomawoyo," Jong Hyun said. "Ah, I am sure Yong Hwa will feeeeeeel relieved to have paid some debt."

Shin Hye looked at him weirdly, just the way he liked it. And from outside, Yong Hwa was wondering why Jong Hyun would say it in the first place.

"You know, Yong Hwa was supposed to give you the payment, but he had a bad case of stomach flu so..."

Yong Hwa reacted to himself from outside. "Stomach flu? What stomach flu?"

Shin Hye asked Jong Hyun. "And?"

Not the reaction that Jong Hyun was expecting, so he tried another tactic.

"Uhm, it's like this. We were planning to take turns in paying our rent. This month was supposed to be Yong Hwa's, next month is mine," Jong Hyun said. "But since Yong Hwa was too ill to do that, I do it myself."

"And why are you letting me know that?" Shin Hye asked. "Those are your plans, so don't include me to it."

"Ara. I just want to let you know," Jong Hyun said. "So that you and Yong Hwa will avoid avoiding each other."

From outside, Yong Hwa was fuming. Why would Jong Hyun do that?

"If that is the only thing you wanted to say, you can leave," Shin Hye told Jong Hyun. "I am busy."

"Johayo.... I just want you to know that, by the way," Jong Hyun told her. "Both of you can't run away forever. Remember, we're under the same roof..."

"...Unless he goes out of the house by himself," Shin Hye finished for him.

"That is if he would go," Jong Hyun bragged.

"Oh, puhlease!" Shin Hye snapped. "I have no time for such nonsense."

"Why can't the two of you let go of your pride?" Jong Hyun asked coolly.

Shin Hye looked at him in hurt, as if she had been shot. Yong Hwa got so annoyed that he barged in the room and grabbed Jong Hyun by the wrist. Shin Hye saw the look of hurt in his eyes.

"Jong Hyun-ah, don't do this," he begged.

He looked at Shin Hye before dragging his bandmate away. Shin Hye felt a pang of guilt about what Jong Hyun had said. He was right: she and Yong Hwa were to proud to admit their mistakes. She stood up and listened to the two guys talking outside her door.

"You didn't have to provoke her like that, Jong Hyun-ah," Yong Hwa said.

"Like I said, both of you were running away," the other guitarist said. "I just want to point out to both of you that you were too proud to admit your wrongs."

"And were you even knowledgeable what our agreement is all about?' Yong Hwa asked.

"Ani, but it is unhealthy already," Jong Hyun said. "I could not live in a house with an enemy."

"Well, I could," Yong Hwa snapped. "I... I didn't even know what I had done wrong for her to be so angry at me and not to talk to me."

"That is why I just did my part of making the two of you patch up," Jong Hyun said. "You need to talk to her."

"Shirheo!" Yong Hwa snapped. "I am not talking to her. I am not talking to a girl whose attitude is as ugly as her face."

Shin Hye's eyes grew wide. The what? Anger and hurt began mixing in her mind and heart that she could not help but let tears fall down her face. She didn't mind being called ugly, but no one had told her, and no one ever had the heart to tell her, that her heart was ugly.

"Ya!" Jong Hyun snapped. "Could you please tone it down? Uncle Jin Young would hear us!"

"I don't care!" Yong Hwa told him. "I could put up living with an enemy inside the house, and I am not going anywhere. I will announce it as many times as I like that she has an ugly heart and a paranoid mind and a..."

Shin Hye was really in tears and furious because he was challenging her ethics, so she opened the door. But Yong Hwa was not able to finish because Jong Hyun boxed him...and that was the thing that Shin Hye saw.

"What's wrong with you, man?" Jong Hyun asked him. "I told you to tone it down!"

Yong Hwa looked at his bandmate in disgust as he wiped his lips. Shin Hye got out of her room and put herself in between the boys.

"Stop it!" she begged.

It was the first time that the guys saw her in tears.

"Why would you even care?" Yong Hwa told her.

"Yong Hwa!" Jong Hyun threatened him once.

"You never cared for others," the band leader told her again. "You only cared for yourself."

"I said stop that!" Jong Hyun screamed.

"No, please, stop this," Shin Hye begged Jong Hyun with a weak voice.

Even Jong Hyun was astounded because she even managed to beg him, and with a soft voice. Shin Hye looked back at Yong Hwa, but he looked at her icily before getting up and going away. She had tears falling in her eyes as she walked out. And she only snapped out of her mind when she felt Jong Hyun's hand on her wrist.

"Jong Hyun-ah," she spoke.

"M...Mianhae..." he said. "I mean it what I said back there about you and him being prideful, but... I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"M... M...." Shin Hye sobbed. "Mianhae...mianhae...."

Shin Hye went inside her room and sobbed till late. Jong Hyun went down and went to the front porch, where he saw Yong Hwa sitting while gazing at the stars. He also sat down a meter away.

"Mianhae," Jong Hyun said to Yong Hwa.

"You should know better than to raise my ire," Yong Hwa said. "I don't know what made you think that I'd patch up with her."

He told her all about the agreement.

"I think that is no reason why both of you should continue hating each other," Jong Hyun said.

"I could hate her for as long as I like," Yong Hwa said. "After all, she started it."

Jong Hyun sighed. "Sigh, what can I do? I already did my part, so it's up to you."

"I will definitely not give in," Yong Hwa said.

Jong Hyun bit his lips as he stared at the stars.

"I am sorry for boxing you, Yong," Jong Hyun said. "I just wanted you to stop."

Yong Hwa looked at his bandmate, "I know. Mianhae...."

The band leader stood up, went to his bandmate, and gave him a hug.

"We had never fought before over some woman, right?" Yong told him.

"Huh, it's as if our fight over some woman had been so typical, tsk," Jong Hyun .

Both of them patched up by knocking fists.

*****

"Shin Hye buried her face in her bed as she let tears fall down.

"Jong Hyun-ah, if you only knew the feeling of being kissed without your consent, you would understand why I hated Yong Hwa and why I avoided him," Shin Hye thought.

~~~~