Have you ever seen that curve that goes perfectly up and down, up and down, in a continuous progression of just ups and downs? No, Sunggyu wasn't thinking about life right now. He's just revising notes for the cosine curve. Then again, what's the difference?

Janelle and Howon had told Sunggyu about what they witnessed, and Taeyeon had similarly contacted Sunggyu about Woohyun's sudden leave. 

"Did something happen in school? He called in to apologise and asked for a month off. He's a hardworker so that's quite unlike him." 

"Ah, something did come up at home." 

"Ah...I hope everything will be fine. He's an asset. Send my regards when you see him in school, will you?" 

Yet Sunggyu hadn't seen Woohyun in school for ages. In fact, he hadn't heard from the whole family since the fateful day he stopped coming to school again. His classmates were starting to miss him, but nobody could do more than requesting Sunggyu to go for a house visit. 

And so with his backpack of scripts and the best shirt he had on, Sunggyu was all ready to head over after school. 

"I'll update you all tomorrow. Finish your assignments, alright?" He said as 3D-1 gave him encouraging smiles and victory signs before he left.

Woohyun, you should see this for yourself. You have no idea how loved you are. 

-∞-

"You know I will not let you up so stop trying." Woohyun said firmly, his eyes filled with a deadly glare. 

"And what right do you have to stop a mother from meeting her younger children?" His mother retorted, uncaring of the boy's attempts to defend his brothers. She gave him a dismissive glance before offering her own version of a truce, "give me a few thousand won for the day, then I'll leave." 

"You bit-" Woohyun raised his fist. 

"Woah woah, watch what you are saying boy. That makes you a son of a , just saying." 

It was at times like this that Woohyun remembered things he had forgotten recently. He had forgotten that he was a fighter, and his natural reflexes were to fight and protect. Maybe he was getting used to happiness too much around his teacher and best friends, and he's now weak. This life, this stand-off, felt so familiar yet strange at the same time. For consecutive days, he felt like he was revisiting his old life, warding his brothers off preying adults. 

"I'm telling you, the website is already up. If reporters come, you better make sure the two of them stick to the story okay?" She seemed oblivious of his anger, and continued on her own thoughts. 

"Go away." Woohyun was clenching his fist and teeth, trying to remind himself of the better angel of his own personality. It takes 3 months to build a new Woohyun, and he did not want to disappoint Sunggyu or Howon or Janelle in 3 seconds. He just had to hold it in. 

"50,000 won." She was, unmistakably, smiling.

"What's going on here?" 

Sunggyu arrived only to witness an extremely uncomfortable stand-off and atmosphere. 

"Oh, who is this fine young man? Do you know my son here?" The woman suddenly retracted her debasing look, replacing it with a wide grin and courteous bow as Sunggyu approached. To anyone, this was a nice mother trying to talk to a hot-tempered son, currently rooted to the ground and refusing to speak to her. 

"I'm his teacher, and I'm here for a home visit." Sunggyu bowed to the older lady, before carefully approaching her for a handshake out of formalities. Her grin was even brighter. 

"Oh, why didn't you tell me about a house visit today? I would have dressed better." It was evident that she was trying to get Woohyun to speak, but the monologue was going nowhere. Her higher tone and false courtesy was almost revolting to the young teen. 

"Cut it, will you? He knows about how you're barely human," he spat. 

"Woohyun!" Both adults said simultaneously. 

"But it's true. Kim seonsaeng-nim, you know!" He searched Sunggyu's eyes desperately for help and answers, but his mother was quicker on the uptake. At once she dropped her hand from the handshake, and the snarl from a few minutes ago returned. 

"Ah, Kim seonsaeng-nim. Who is so close to all my children? I've heard it all." She looked displeased at Sunggyu, and her arms were now folded across her chest as she appraised the young teacher. 

"I'm sorry?" 

"Well, well. You sure are visiting late for a mere homeroom teacher. Do you do visits at such late hours too?" Something in her tone was making Woohyun uncomfortable and apprehensive. His instincts were ringing, and so were his teacher's. 

"I hear you are close to Sungjong and Myungsoo too. It strikes me that you might have some ulterior motives. Please leave, seonsaeng-nim." She smiled triumphantly. Woohyun and Sunggyu stood rigidly on their spots. Everyone knew at that point - this was taking off into very dangerous grounds. 

Sunggyu straightened his shirt and cleared his throat. He was not the kind to turn away from a fight. Something that was really similar between him and Woohyun. 

"I have the right to protect my students, and now I see that my studen-"

"- you do realise, that I am his parent? And legally that is my house, my family, and I can say the same about you? Visiting my child this late, not reporting such visits to parents, and lemme guess...introducing him to a part-time job when he is a graduating student!? Wow, someone sure is a rule breaker here! And I don't mean my dear son here." 

"How dar-" Woohyun had had enough. 

"Don't you dare talk to me this way you brat. I'm still your mother. And you," she rounded up on Sunggyu again, "I bet you gave him the idea of selling the store. You, just wait and see." 

For a fleeting moment, Sunggyu tried to use his eyes to tell Woohyun to stay safe and sound. Yet he knew as he was being "invited" away, that his last attempts were not convincing at all. The student and teacher could only pray for each other. 

Sorry Kim seonsaeng-nim/ Woohyun. 

-∞-

Two days later shots were fired. Sunggyu stared at the letter on his employer's desk as he watched old Jungyeop look extremely upset. 

"How long have you been here?" The principal said with his fingers pinching his dimples, distressed. 

"Four months, almost a semester," Sunggyu replied. He had an inkling of what might be going on. 

"So you are telling me, that after 4 months, you have already received a complaint letter from a parent, saying that you led his boy astray? I was under the impression you used your judgement to make sure that job would change his life for the better, Sunggyu-shi. Right now, it sounds like you have gone way beyond what a teacher needs or should be doing." The older man waved the letter in his hand, apparently infuriated at the progress of this teacher whom he thought he had finally tamed. "We warned you. That class is a lost cause. If you let them be, they might actually survive. We're teachers and you know we have some professional conducts. Offering private tutoring and meeting up with them beyond school contexts is just wrong."

Sunggyu bit his lips. He could give a ton of rebuttals on that, yet he could not deny Woohyun's mother had checkmate him. There was no way to go around the issue - that he did breach the teacher's code of conduct by being to close to the trio.

Sometimes it's just so hard to tell what's right from wrong. 

"Sir, I sincerely apologise for my mistake. I know this is my fault, and what I've done goes against the ethical code. But please know that this is entirely my decision, and the kids did not have any bad intentions. And, I just wanted to say..." he his lips in his nervousness, "that 3D-1 is not a lost cause." 

Junyeop just stared at the young teacher before him and sighed tiredly. Of course he knew what new teachers are like - they all have this passion to help students in need, especially if they're in dire situations like Woohyun's or Howon's. They just have a good heart, but too impulsive at times. 

"Kim seonsaeng-nim, I hope you take this as a serious lesson and warning. There is only so much teachers can do. Parents are our clients. If you really want to help the kid, maybe bring him to the social service. It's tricky and tough, but getting yourself into a bind like this is just bad for the school and yourself. I'm sure Woohyun doesn't want to be caught in between either." 

To be honest, Woohyun was not caught in between at all. 

He was leaning clearly to one side. 

Right now, he's on the other side of the door, making sure his brothers are not crying as their mother knocks on their door incessantly, announcing another "visit". He'd been through this charade for the fifth time this week, and frankly speaking his energy was pretty much spent. Taking care of his brothers and being alert 24/7 was slowly wearing him thi