Areum left the bathroom, having just finished a hot shower. She was wearing a huge T-shirt that reached her knees. She didn’t want to know who the owner of the shirt was Joonmyeon had borrowed from. Her brother had promised to buy her clothes the next day; for now, she had to wear something dry. But walking out into the scrutiny of five boys in nothing but an oversized T-shirt, she felt awkward.

“So you’re Joonmyeon Hyung’s sister,” mused Baekhyun. He glanced at Joonmyeon, who was sitting in a chair, and then back at Areum. “You two look nothing alike.”

“What? I think I can kind of figure out their similarities,” Chanyeol piped up.

“If you’re talking about their hair color, forget it,” Kai snorted.

Sehun immediately stood up from the couch and led Areum gently to it. Areum sat, feeling overly self-conscious. Sehun seated himself next to her. Looking up, he saw Joonmyeon glaring at him, as if staring suspiciously at a wolf with a lamb.

“I’m Chanyeol,” the tall boy standing nearby told Areum. He looked really friendly. He was pointedly trying not to look at her shirt, which Joonmyeon had taken from his closet, for he was the tallest person in the house.

“So it’s first the introductions. I’m Baekhyun,” the boy with curly hair sitting on the floor said.

“I’m D.O. and the guy over there is Kai,” the serious-looking boy walking over to the group stated as he pointed to the tan-skinned boy leaning against the wall. The tan-skinned boy, who had exotic features, coolly gave her a nod.

“So, Hyung, mind explaining?” Baekhyun asked, turning to Joonmyeon.

Joonmyeon sighed. He leaned down and placed his head in his hands. “I’m sorry I kept this from all of you guys. I completely trust you all, but it was just too risky.”

“We understand.” D.O. nodded once. “You didn’t want your sister to get hurt from what we did.”

Areum widened her eyes. What exactly did they do? She stared at her brother quizzically. Noticing her stare, Joonmyeon glanced at her.

“Does anyone want to volunteer to sleep out in the living room with me?” Joonmyeon suddenly asked in a loud voice.

Sehun cried out, “I can share a room with her!”

Joonmyeon narrowed his eyes. “I said, anyone want to sleep in the living room with me?”

“Sehun sleeps by himself. You were supposed to share a room with him, but since you lived somewhere else…” Kai’s voice trailed off.

“Perfect. Then you’ll finally get to sleep with me,” Joonmyeon announced to Sehun. “In the living room. My sister will be using your room for now.”

Joonmyeon turned to face Areum. His facial features softened. “Aren’t you tired? You should go rest; it’s getting quite late.”

Areum didn’t want to leave, for she knew that when she did, Joonmyeon would start talking about his secrets, but she knew she couldn’t argue with her brother. Also, having five pairs of eyes pierce her made her really uncomfortable. Obediently, she walked to the room Kai was pointing to.

Feeling six pairs of eyes prick her back, she went into the room and closed the door behind her, as Joonmyeon would’ve wanted. A bunk bed was in the corner and a desk was placed on the other side. A small window emitted soft moonlight. As she sat on the ground with her back on the door, she sighed. Frustration pooled inside of her. She wanted to know what exactly Joonmyeon was hiding from her. But at the same time, she trusted him.

However, she couldn’t prevent herself from pressing her ear against the door. It was soundproof. Disappointed, she went to the bottom bunk, knowing that night she wouldn’t be able to sleep well.

“Okay. The walls are soundproof. Spill it,” Baekhyun insisted.

Joonmyeon first told them about the events of the night. “Those Exo-M creeps!” Sehun spat out. “Did you get a good look at their faces?”

Shaking his head, Joonmyeon replied, “It was dark and they were wearing masks.”

The conversation turned into spewing curses at Exo-M. “Why do they hate us so much?” snarled Kai.

 Joonmyeon interrupted them, looking pensive. “About my sister…” he began. “We formed this gang when… when I was in middle school, right? Well, a couple years before that, you all know that I escaped the orphanage, right? Well, I didn’t escape alone. I also escaped with Areum, who was eight at that time.”

Kai plopped himself down on the place Areum had been sitting. “Yes, you started this gang with us orphans from all over the city because you wanted to avenge your parents’ deaths. But to have a sister all this time?” He shook his head. “So you’re also avenging her parents’ deaths, aren’t you? Since you guys are brother and sister?”

Joonmyeon looked nervous. “Actually, she’s not my real sister.”

All five boys gaped at him. “What?” they exclaimed.

“Shh!” Joonmyeon hissed, pointing to Sehun’s room. “Also, you guys better not tell her anything about how I’m trying to avenge my parents’ deaths.” He gave each boy a pointed glare. “Anyways, she’s someone I took care of while at the orphanage. She used to cry all the time and I would comfort her every single time – call it natural brotherly instincts. When I ran, I couldn’t bear parting with her. The orphanage freakin’ abused children.” His voice turned hard. “I couldn’t leave her in that he** hole. I needed to take her with me.”

“So you ended up practically adopting her,” concluded Baekhyung.

Joonmyeon sighed. “She thinks I’m her real brother. So please don’t tell her the truth.”

“Why?” Sehun spoke out. He was frowning.

“In my head, she is my sister. My little sister, who is three years my junior and the most precious thing in the world to me. I don’t want her to feel betrayed and leave me.” Looking agitated, Joonmyeon looked down at the floor.

“Technically, she might’ve been safer if she never knew me. Maybe when she was young, I should’ve left her at the doorsteps of a rich, caring family. I started this gang with the thought of pure revenge and the foolishness of a young mind, but I’d never thought it’d grow this big. I did suspect that she would be in some kind of danger, but I didn’t expect this to happen. I thought I could protect her. I was so stupid. I made an utterly foolish mistake.” The other boys had never seen their leader looking so helpless.

“Making the gang was not a mistake. Since you formed this gang, we orphan boys found a place where we could finally feel like we belonged. Also, we’re not a bad gang. We fight with our fists, but we do it for justice. We make the robbers and thieves of this city kneel before their crimes and prevent the real gangs from killing or hurting innocent people. We even spoil the plans of the mafia. We save lives, Hyung,” Chanyeol gently said.

“Also, you could’ve just told us about your sister. We could’ve worked something out, like making watch shifts so we could all keep an eye on her,” added D.O.

“I didn’t want her to get mixed up in the life of gangs. Although what we do may be right, we still are associated with the dark Underground World. But then, with a brother as the leader of one, I guess it couldn’t have been prevented.” Joonmyeon uttered a groan.

“We’ll take care of her,” Chanyeol promised. “With six of us, she’ll be a lot safer. Also, we’ll make sure that when we go on missions, at least one of us stays in the house with her. And we swear we won’t tell her anything that has to do with our gang Exo-K until you give the okay. It’s going to be alright.”

“Though about the gang, she’s probably going to find out sooner or later,” commented D.O.

Joonmyeon sighed. “I know. I’ll think about it.”