While running away from girls was turning out to be a trait that the boys shared, Hongbin was still a little ashamed to admit that he had run away from the crowd of ladies that had come down the hallway earlier.

 

It was not that he was afraid of them… just mildly unnerved of their insistence that he ‘join them’. Like something out of a horror movie.

 

(As if his life had been lacking in enough horror already.)

 

So Hongbin did as Chae had done mere moments before and ducked into the nearest restroom to escape, just narrowly avoiding an encounter between the girls and himself. He had met quite a few of them before, usually when he was on his own or just in the company of Ravi. For reasons unbeknownst to him, the girls seemed to avoid approaching him when Chaeyeong was around – Moon Aera and the other second year girls in particular.

 

Hongbin had confided his observations to Ravi before and earned himself an odd look from the tattooed boy.

 

(“You’re both scary on your own. No one in their right mind would come after you at the same time.”)

 

Hongbin was not sure what Ravi meant by that, but if it kept the more peculiar population away from him then who was he to complain? He liked being in the human world, but even they could act more strangely than any magical creatures he had run into before.

 

They lived in what was essentially the slums of the magical community, alongside most of the magical population that had no chance of blending in with the human world. Hongbin was sure that the family of trolls that lived in one of the other rooms in the motel could be considered more normal than these teenage girls.

 

Now safely away from their attentions, Hongbin was left to wait out their presence in the restroom until it was time to head back to class. Chae, ever punctual to her classes, would have no chance to run away from him again.

 

Hongbin was notoriously stubborn and was willing to wear her down until he found out what was causing her such turmoil. He was her friend now and he would do all that he could if it meant that he could help her.

 

Chae did not seem to have anyone else to support her, so Hongbin would do his best to hold her up on his own. She had been too kind and welcoming of him for him not to return the favor when she needed it.

 

Hongbin wandered around the sinks, not quite sure how to pass the time now that he was in the restroom needlessly. He looked over some of the writing on the walls to entertain himself, the graffiti of the week not yet cleaned off by the kids in detention or the school’s cleaning staff.

 

Boseon High did its best to keep the school up to standards and never let the walls remain defaced for long. The students of the school also did their best – in keeping the restrooms mildly entertaining with the things written on the walls and stalls.

 

Hongbin was in the middle of reading a rather risque limerick when a sharp pain traveled up his nose, like he breathed in chilly air in the winter time.

 

He flinched away from the stall door and into the cubicle. The pain in his nose fled quickly, but his eyes had begun to water already and an ache was building behind them at a fast pace.

 

For such a thing to happen without reason, and so quickly at that, Hongbin was certain that it was because of the bond with Saetbyeol. The witch was angry and fighting to free herself again, leaving the boys to suffer the aftermath of her rage once more.

 

(Hongbin wondered if they would ever be able to escape her reaches.)

 

He swallowed against an abrupt wave of nausea, trying to breathe deeply to combat the urge to lose the contents of his stomach. Remaining on his feet was proving to be too difficult against his sickness and Hongbin slid down to the floor, landing heavily and nearly being laid out flat by the suddenness of the movement.

 

Through watering eyes, Hongbin watched the world around him become even more distorted, his vision darkening around the edges even as he looked at his feet. It was more than just the pain or a signal that he was about to lose consciousness – he was hurting but he was still aware of the world around him.

 

Saetbyeol had taken his sight from him once. The fact that it was wavering during such an emotional moment, even with N’s spell having returned it to him, made Hongbin think that he was being targeted by her specifically.

 

Searching for a weak link among them.

 

Hongbin growled beneath his breath and clutched at his head, sending a backlash of magic through their bond at Saetbyeol. If she could get angry and hurtful, so could he. He was sick and tired of her abuse. He and the other boys had made a vow to never let themselves be controlled again and he would fight any attempts to return him to that lifestyle kicking and screaming the entire way.

 

He was so focused on getting his revenge that he barely noticed as another boy entered the restroom, his demeanor completely different from Hongbin’s – he was even humming to himself, oblivious to the internal struggle that was taking place mere feet away from him.

 

Hongbin scowled at the stall door, annoyed with the newcomer’s cheerful presence.

 

Was it so hard for Hongbin to find a moment’s peace? Why did this young fool have to come in while he was trying so hard to fight and stand up for himself and distract him in the middle of his struggle? What right did he have to make things even more difficult?

 

Without conscious thought, Hongbin found himself back on his feet, exiting the stall on unsteady legs. Ahead, the other boy failed to notice him, attention absorbed by something on his phone as he leaned against the sink, smiling to himself as he continued humming his song.

 

Hongbin could only see a dim outline of the boy through his failing eyes, but it did not stop him from heading towards him.

 

If only he would be quiet, Hongbin could focus on his own problem. If only the boy was gone, there would be no other distractions for him.

 

Hongbin was close enough to reach out and touch the boy when suddenly he blinked and Hongbin found himself able to see the other male clearly, from the wrinkle lines at the back of his blazer to the dark roots of his bleach blond hair.

 

The blond boy continued about his business happily, still unaware of Hongbin’s presence.

 

Hongbin took a step back, startled.

 

Had he really been about to force someone, a stranger who had done no harm to him, into submission over something as trivial as humming a song?

 

Even being as upset as Saetbyeol made him, how could he even consider attacking another student?

 

He felt sick again, this time with no other reason to blame but his own guilt and fear.

 

Was Saetbyeol’s magic making him like her?

 

Goosebumps broke out across his flesh and Hongbin fled from the restroom, leaving the student untouched behind him.

 

 

To say that Hongbin seemed a complete opposite of how he had been before leaving the classroom was a bit of an understatement. It was as if he had adopted the withdrawn air that Chae abandoned upon her return to the classroom and to being on speaking terms with Wonshik once more.

 

The boy was pale and looked even more troubled than Chae had been all morning, almost unnoticeable tremors wracking his limbs as he returned to his seat. Chae and Wonshik watched his arrival with similar expressions of concern.

 

Hongbin avoided meeting their eyes as he sat down, only giving Wonshik’s wrist a quick squeeze in a wordless motion of reassurance.

 

Wonshik did not seem entirely appeased by the action, but said nothing to press the matter.

 

Chae, having no such reassurance, ignored her reservations and touched the other teen lightly on the arm. Hongbin turned to stare blankly at her, the lack of emotion in it not cold, per say, but certainly the most indifferent he had even been towards her.

 

Seeing the usually expressive boy so withdrawn was unnerving.

 

“Hongbin-ah, are you alright?” she asked tentatively.

 

He blinked at her once, not registering her words entirely, before a dumbstruck expression brought some life back to him. “You...”

 

“Hongbin?”

 

“You weren’t formal with me just now...”

 

Chae turned pink.

 

“I’m sorry!” she yelped, hands flapping as she looked around in a fluster. “I –”

 

“I don’t mind.” Hongbin smiled slightly. “I’d like it… if you called me like that more often.”

 

“O-oh,” Chae stammered, limbs falling back in place, and she looked away from him in embarrassment. She cleared . (When was the last time she was comfortable enough with someone to be so casual?) “Well I… I’ll keep that in mind. You could just call me Chae. I – I prefer to be called without anything else. Helps keep the nickname a nickname.”

 

“Chae.” Hongbin confirmed, looking like he was amused by her, but was too tired to properly express the emotion. “You know, I’m really grateful for you. For everything you’ve given me – given the both of us.”

 

Chae froze. Had he noticed the ice cream? And she thought that she had been subtle about that.

 

But it was just an ice cream, surely he couldn’t be so grateful about something like that –

 

“I don’t understand.” Chae blurted before she could help herself. She clapped her hands over .

 

The action managed to get a small laugh out of Hongbin and something like a smile from Wonshik, who was watching their interaction from the other side of Hongbin.

 

“What I mean is… you’ve been so welcoming. Since the first moment we met even. You actually listen to me, instead of just pretending like some other people have. I’ve noticed that a lot of people here have only approached me for my looks. Like I’m a… doll or something. You see me as a person – and you try to make others see me that way as well. I don’t think that I would’ve come to like half of the people you’ve introduced me to if you weren’t there too.

 

“I feel like everyone’s ready to just see me as another pretty boy and lose interest once they get tired of my face. You – you help people see past their preconceptions about others – and not just with me. You did it for Hyejeong the very first time I spoke to her because you were worried that I’d think badly of her. Because you know and care for her. I’m grateful that I also get to experience that kindness that you show people – the way you don’t just let people be seen only at face value when you know there’s so much more to them. That you try so hard to get people to know one another more genuinely.” Hongbin gave her a more hearty smile this time, charmed by the way Chae had blushed furiously and hid behind her hands from the praise. “I’m glad that you’re my friend. And that you’re still trying to get to know my own, even if one in particular has been a prickly kind of guy recently.

 

“We haven’t exactly been adjusting well to… moving here. And Wonshik and I don’t seem to be able to make friends well. But you’ve definitely been a reason for my happiness since I’ve come here. I’m grateful that I’ve been lucky enough to meet you, Chae. You’ve done more for me than you can know.”

 

By the end of Hongbin’s speech, Chae was so overcome that she had all but collapsed over her desk, flushed all the way past her collar and making quiet noises of distress to herself.

 

Behind them, Beomseok sniffled as he took in the emotional scene. Bomi rolled her eyes at him and called him a crybaby. Hyejeong, who was used to the twins’ squabbling, tuned out the sounds of them starting yet another argument and watched Hongbin and Chae with a smile.

 

Bomi slapped her brother upside the head and turned to the trio ahead of them with a wicked grin. “Go on a date. Go on a date.” she chanted quietly, waving at a few other students to encourage them to join in.

 

Chae sat up abruptly, still red-faced, and threw an eraser at her.

 

“Come on guys,” the teacher sighed, walking in just in time to see the eraser bounce off of Bomi’s forehead. “Time to learn! It’s Algebra – get excited!”

 

Chae and Wonshik let out identical groans of despair, looking exhausted already. There was no chance of them getting excited about math class unless it was followed by the word ‘canceled’.

 

That much they had no trouble agreeing on.

 

Chae was quiet as class went on, the flush slowly leaving her face as her features smoothed out into her blank expression of thoughtfulness.

 

She had never expected such an outburst of emotion from Hongbin, and not one so freely given and full of sincerity. Chae felt as if she was just realizing how much more of Hongbin there was for her to get to know – and Wonshik as well, if his genuine, though awkward, words from earlier were any indication.

 

All of her worries from that morning – they now seemed so insignificant in the face of Hongbin’s declaration of his admiration.

 

Yes, perhaps she was afraid of judgment from the friends of his that she had not yet gotten to know, but she found some confidence upon hearing his words.

 

Even if her fears proved true and Hongbin’s friends did not like her as well as he did, Chae was sure that she would not lose his friendship so easily.

 

With that in mind, she pulled Hongbin and Wonshik to the side of the doorway when it came time for lunch, holding them back from joining the flow of students exiting the classroom.

 

Kim Taehyung, one of her more excitable classmates, shot through the crowd like a cannonball. His best friend, Park Jimin, chased after him as usual, trying to keep the taller teen out of trouble. It was a daily routine for their class, and yet, some students were still clueless on how to get out of their way in time to avoid being trampled.

 

Chae, having been in Taehyung’s class the previous year as well, side-stepped the pair with ease, tugging Wonshik along with her a step to the left as a less prepared student stumbled in the wake of the boys’ passing and nearly tripped into the trio by the door.

 

“Rather than having lunch in our usual spot, why don’t we do something different? I ran into your friend, Jaehwan, this morning and he asked me to bring you guys along today. Granted, I have no idea where he wanted to meet…”

 

Wonshik snorted. “That sounds like hyung. He seems kind of air-headed but he’s almost as sneaky as Hongbin.” That comment earned him a pinch to the ribs and Wonshik yelped and squirmed away to hide behind Chae. “Anyway, he was probably trying to make sure that we all came together, since we know where the others go for lunch.”

 

Chae laughed, giving Hongbin a shove out the door. “Really then? How clever! Well, Hongbin-ah, lead the way! We don’t want to be late~”

 

She followed after him, grabbing Wonshik by the hand as she went to keep him close in the crowd, and had to bite back a laugh at the startled expression that appeared on his face.

 

It was rather cute.

 

Chae let go of Wonshik as they left the building in the direction of the soccer field, allowing the taller teen to fall into step with Hongbin rather than following, and she took up the space on the flower-boy’s free side.

 

Chae took the opportunity to observe Hongbin’s side-profile, thinking back to his words from earlier. He really was good looking, it was easy to notice, but he was still just a boy, right? It was not like he was the only attractive kid in school either – Wonshik, Taehyung, Jimin, Hyunwoo and even Beomseok – they were all rather handsome and yet, why was it that only Hongbin was the only second year boy being targeted by Somi and her followers?

 

(Well, Wonshik’s attitude problem had driven them away but still.)

 

Hongbin noticed her staring and turned his head to look at her inquisitively, smiling sweetly at her. For once, Chae kept her eyes on his and returned the smile.

 

“What you said earlier, it was nice of you. I can’t say that I’m really as kind of a person as you see me. I just don’t see the sense in deciding your feelings about someone until you actually know them. But hearing someone say nice things about you, I appreciate it all the same. Thank you, Hongbin-ah.” Now she did turn away from him, smiling at the ground shyly. “It makes me want to be that kind of person. Someone who’s full of kindness. To be a friend that people can be proud to have. I’m happy that you’re my friend too. I… haven’t had anyone close to me for a while and, well, it’s just… a relief that I don’t have to go through this all alone. I guess you’ve done just as much for me as you say I did for you. I have something to look forward to now, every day I come to school! My cool friend, Lee Hongbin~” She grinned up at him, the expression pushing her eyes into curved crescents and crinkling the bridge of her nose.

 

Hongbin made a sound like a dying whale and moved forward before he could help himself, sweeping Chae up into a hug with such enthusiasm that her feet left the ground. The girl yelped in alarm at the sudden loss of footing and grabbed Hongbin’s shoulders in an attempt to keep from falling.

 

“Sorry! Sorry!” Hongbin laughed sheepishly, setting her back on the ground. He cupped her face in his hands, squishing her cheeks a bit. “I couldn’t help myself. You’re kind of adorable.”

 

“Okay,” Chae said, rather dazed. She could not say that she had ever been hugged with such enthusiasm before – at least, not since she was a child.

 

Hongbin cleared his throat awkwardly, for once looking like the embarrassed one, and practically ran away, leaving Chae alone with Wonshik. “Oh, look. There’s the hyungs and Hyuk!”

 

Ahead of them, a small group of boy were gathered on the bleachers by the soccer field. Chae spotted Jaehwan at the front of them, waving the new arrivals in with enthusiasm.

 

“Hongbinnie~ Wonshik~” he sang, catching Hongbin’s hands between his own and swinging them like a child’s. “It’s about time you got here. And you brought your friend with you! Hello, Chae-ah~”

 

“Jaehwan-ssi,” Chae greeted, following behind Wonshik as they made their way up the stands.

 

“Oppa,” Jaehwan whined, pouting at her.

 

Chae pretended not to notice and greeted the three boys she had not yet met properly. “Hello, I’m Jeon Chae.”

 

Hongbin’s friend was tiny.

 

Maybe the difference was just so startling because all of the boys were tall on average, but Chae looked like a kitten next to a pack of rather large dogs. Hongbin and Ken fluttered around her to the point of near obsession. With the way Hongbin was gravitating towards her, it was no wonder Ravi was so jealous.

 

Hyuk wondered just what it was about her that made her so fascinating.

 

She was cute, yes, but she had not said or done anything particularly interesting since her arrival at lunch. In fact, she was the kind of person who could easily blend into the background and go unnoticed. She could literally disappear into the crowd of the boys and be hidden entirely behind them. Among the boys, the only one she had beat on quietness was Leo, who could actually be kind of chatty when they were at home.

 

In fact, the only interesting thing that set her apart from the rest of them as far as Hyuk could see was that she was an actual human.

 

Well, she was also a girl, but it was not like she was the first one they had ever known.

 

At least Jeon Chae was nice, unlike Saetbyeol.

 

Maybe that was the appeal.

 

She did speak kindly to everyone in their little group, even the ones who failed to pay her as much attention – like Ravi and Leo, who was acting more reserved than usual in the presence of a stranger. N and Ken seemed to like her just for the fact that she actually listened to them so sincerely and did not just ignore them like the other boys did when they got too exuberant for the rest to handle. Jeon Chae seemed to become even more lively as they included her in their excitement, adding the girl to their fold with ease.

 

Leo and Ravi sat to the side of the rest of the group, the former looking a bit alarmed at how energetic N was becoming beneath the new girl’s attention. N was someone who thrived under the gaze of others – Jeon Chae had driven him into something of a feeding frenzy, dragging a happy Ken along with him and a more reluctant Hongbin with him to play in the grass around the bleachers where they were all settled. Occasionally, he would call over to the younger teens to make sure he still had their attention, playing around more exaggeratedly for show.

 

Hongbin looked over his shoulder at them, calling out pleas for them to save him from N.

 

Jeon Chae smiled at him sweetly and waved good-bye.

 

Hyuk could not help but laugh at the stunned look on Hongbin’s face.

 

It seemed as if his friend was really only as sweet and innocent as he was. Appearances truly were deceiving.

 

Chae turned her attention to Hyuk now, Leo and Ravi wrapped up in their own conversation and leaving the entirety of Chae’s attention on the maknae.

 

Hyuk faltered under the focus of her doe eyes and felt his hands slip on the plastic container that his lunch came in. He smiled at her sheepishly as he tried to right his lunch without spilling anything, feeling nervous at being left alone with her.

 

His experience with talking to girls (the non-sadistic kind) was nearly non-existent. Even his classmates did not speak to him much, especially the girls. They seemed rather scared to approach him, perhaps because he towered over most of the other students in his year – and had a tendency to overdo things in P.E. class.

 

Chae smiled at him kindly and caught his lunch before he could drop it. “’Eyyy, am I that scary? Don’t worry – I don’t bite. I’ve already had lunch.” She grinned at him, trying to lighten the mood.

 

Hyuk laughed, feeling his shoulders relax along with the rest of him. He took the food container back with steadier hands and offered her a grin of his own.

 

“I guess I’m lucky then. Now all I have to worry about it Taekwoon-hyung – he does bite.” Hyuk tilted his head towards the hyungs on the bench above them, where Leo was proving the point by giving Ravi’s shoulder a playful bite when the younger ignored him for his food. When the younger turned to swat him away, Leo stole some of his grapes, sending the pair to a typical round of teasing each other like they would back at home.

 

Chae watched them with amusement. “So I see! Well, I’m glad that I got to sit with you then.”

 

Hyuk was mortified to find himself blushing for no apparent reason at her words and ducked his head to avoid looking at her, eyes wide.

 

Since when was he so shy?

 

“Of course,” he coughed, trying to maintain the confidence in his voice. “I’m the best to sit with after all. I don’t bite or beg for attention all the time. The hyungs can be a bit crazy, right?”

 

“They do seem to be on a sugar rush of some kind,” Chae laughed, glancing over the trio on the ground. Hongbin had thrown away his reluctance to play with the third years and was being carried by N piggy-back style while Ken chased after them, yelling so loudly that people could probably hear him on the other side of the campus. “It’s kind of nice though. You don’t often see people having fun so freely. Around here, anyway. It’s refreshing.”

 

“You ought to tell that to Hongbin-hyung,” Hyuk grinned, looking up at her finally. “According to him, it’s just annoying.”

 

“Well, he lives with them, doesn’t he? I can enjoy it and egg it on before sending him home with them, can’t I?” Chae grinned mischievously. “After all, what’s wrong with having a little fun when there’s no side-effects for me?”

 

Hyuk beamed at her. “Ah, Chae-noona! I like you already~”

 

He had never seen a person look as pleased as Jeon Chae did at that moment.

 

“Ah, thank you, Sanghyuk-ah! I – oh my! Your hand is bleeding!”

 

Hyuk tensed, looking to his hands with dread. He was indeed bleeding, his hand having been cut when he fumbled with his lunch container, the stiff plastic having sliced through his skin without him even noticing. He had bled quite a bit from his palm, the blood down his wrist as well. Hyuk sent a jolt of panic down the magical connection between him and his hyungs, causing five heads to snap in his direction simultaneously.

 

Ravi was the first to jump to action. “Hyuk-ah! Did you spill ketchup on yourself again?” The older boy slid down onto the bench beside the maknae and snatched up his hand before Chae could look at it too closely, pressing a clump of napkins to his palm to get rid of the blood.

 

On the ground, Hongbin slipped off N’s back with a yell, landing hard on his . Chae jumped at the sound and turned towards Hongbin in concern.

 

“Ah, noona, you can go check on him. This is just ketchup! Ketchup! Don’t worry.” Hyuk assured her hurriedly, trying to shoo her away to Hongbin, who was watching the girl carefully as he laid out on the ground. The maknae checked his hand quickly to make sure that Ravi had mopped up the trickle of blood, and flashed his already healed palm at her. “See? It wasn’t a cut at all.”

 

“Yes,” Chae murmured, brows furrowed. She looked at the napkins that Ravi was trying to hide away, the red on them too dark to truly pass as ketchup, and she hesitated, obviously wanting to press the matter. “Just… ketchup. I’ll go see if Hongbin’s alright, if you don’t mind.”

 

“No, go. Go see hyung if you want!” Hyuk waved her away with an awkward smile, worried that she would refuse to accept his lie.

 

For a moment, it seemed like she would, the girl staring at him intently like she was trying to pick him apart bit by bit, those wide eyes narrowed in suspicion. However, she turned away after a moment, looking conflicted before her features smoothed out into a blank expression.

 

“Alright then,” she murmured before heading down the bleachers. “Hongbin-ah! Are you alright?”

 

Hyuk and Ravi slumped against each other in relief, glad that the danger of the moment had passed.

 

“That was close,” Ravi breathed against the younger boy’s neck, watching Jeon Chae fuss over Hongbin. N and Ken looked over her shoulder at them with barely disguised panic. “Hyuk-ah, you have to be careful around her. Jeon Chaeyeong – she’s the only person that’s really close to us. And that makes her dangerous.”

 

“I know.” Hyuk sighed wearily, looking at his hands.

 

Jeon Chae was so close to them that any slip-ups on their part could lead to their whole charade unraveling. She had not given in to accepting the ketchup excuse with ease. If she pressed the matter should something similar happen again, they would have a harder time of covering things up.

 

They did like her, but allowing her to get any closer would likely end up being one of their greatest mistakes.

 

If she found out the truth about them, could their dream of a normal human life still be sustained?

 

Judging by the look Hongbin was giving them, he was willing to risk everything to keep her around, challenge in his eyes. A dare for any of the other boys to tell him he could no longer have this human for a friend.

 

Hyuk and Ravi exchanged a worried look.

 

Human life was not going to be so simple after all.