Ahn Taepyeong. 

Despite keeping mostly to himself and missing out on most, if not all of the social activities the school held, his name was spoken throughout the school like a celebrity's. Was it because he was good in sports? Or that he was fifth in school? He didn't think he had been particularly blessed with good looks so he never really understood the hype he got for just being himself. Of course, he heard the girls gushing over him a few tables behind but never paid them any heed - he didn't need to get into a relationship at this point; he had neither the time nor money to date. 

But when a certain Cho Ara came barging into his life, he was suddenly having second thoughts. 

At first, she had just been a girl he'd been trying to protect at the burger shop. Then she just had to find him and follow him home. To make matters worse, she just had to faint at his front door. Being the kind soul he is, he couldn't just leave her out there in the alley and brought her in to at least give her a bed to rest in. Unfortunately, it led to endless teasing and questions from not only Grandma or Taehyun, but even little Taeseok and Hanbi. 

"No, it's not like that," he had refuted when Grandma waggled her eyebrows at him after he laid her on their futon. "Remember how I came home with some injuries a few days back? I was injured trying to protect her. I don't know how she found me or why she followed me here but she fainted at the doorway and I couldn't just leave her there!" 

"Aigoo, my grandson's all grown up! Bringing girls home..." Grandma sighed dreamily, cradling his face between her palms. She clearly did not care about Taepyeong's explanation and proceeded to fantasise a love story for her handsome grandson and the pretty girl he brought home. 

"Grandma! It's really not like that!" Taepyeong whined, stomping his feet childishly while Taehyun and Taeseok giggled away in the corner of the room. 

Truth be told, Taepyeong doesn't know when he even started falling for Ara. All he remembers is being annoyed at the fact that she was tailing him and getting in the way of his jobs and then suddenly all he wanted to do was kiss her. Was it because of that incident at the rooftop? That one small slip that caused him tumble straight into her. Their lips had almost touched and really, all Taepyeong needed to do was to lean down and close that one-inch gap and he would be having his first kiss. Yet, he restrained himself. He knew he couldn't start dating now, probably not ever; at least not until he could earn enough to put his family in a better home. 

Cho Ara. 

The sole heiress to Cho Tradings, Ara has lived nothing short of a luxurious life. A large house with exquisite furniture, from the leather sofas to marble floors and crystal chandeliers, it seemed to be that Ara has had everything anyone could wish for. 

Yet, she didn't have the most important thing of them all: a loving, caring family, So caught up in their work, her parents barely spent any time with her - they even forget all those important dates from her birthday, to their wedding anniversary and her graduations. Sometimes, Ara wonders if she would still know how her parents looked like if not for the large portrait of them hanging in their living room.

Being wealthy, most of the students in school stayed away from her, afraid of her status. But all Ara wanted was friends that she could trust, friends that she could hang out with or do completely nothing together but still enjoy each other's presence. Sadly, all she had was that pristine white teddy bear her parents had gifted her was she was still a little girl. It was her only friend, really.

Maybe it's because of this gaping hole in her heart, yearning for love and care that caused her to fall so hard and fast for him - the boy that saved her in the burger shop. 

Even though she told herself she would never date anyone of lower class and that those 'beggars' out there had no right to even be breathing the same air as her, Ara found herself constantly coming back to Taepyeong despite knowing his social and monetary status. Every night she told herself, "he's always working so hard to care for his family but no one really cares for him. That's why I'm letting that beggar be next to me - I feel bad for him." 

Even she knew that was a lie. She'd never been in any relationships before either, but she quickly learnt that the warm fuzzy feeling she got inside thinking of Taepyeong wasn't a symptom of fever but rather a symptom of love. Granted, it was merely puppy love at the moment but Ara hoped it would grow to something more. She saw how Taepyeong acted with everyone, how he genuinely and sincerely felt happy when others got a huge breakthrough in their careers or how he would mull over others' problems as if they were his own. But what really changed her heart the most about this 'beggar' was how he treated his family. During the short (albeit traumatising) time she spent at Taepyeong's home after fainting from shock, Ara could practically feel the love bouncing off the walls in the tiny run-down home. She saw it in Taehyun's worried gaze when Taepyeong bolted up to leave for his delivery job; sensed it in Grandma's voice when she spoke of him; and tasted it in the simple yet delectable dishes Taepyeong had hurriedly whipped up. She realised that it was this love she had always been craving for in her home: the lived-in feel of a boisterous family sharing laughter and jokes over dinner and not the cold, clean and empty feeling that welcomed her each time she stepped into her mansion.

Maybe it's this suppressed loneliness in her heart that caused her to fall so deeply in love with Ahn Taepyeong. 

I totally wrote this in like an hour or so after finishing Tomorrow Boy and I'm already thinking about the next chapter?!?!?!??!?!? No. Stop. It's 12:44 and I have to sleep. I've only read through it once so please do point out any mistakes I may have overlooked! ><