“Good morning,” Jin greeted Jiyeong in the kitchen with a smile on his face. The girl was half-awake with her eyes barely open and her movements slow and halting.

“Good morning,” she mumbled back. Jungkook quickly pulled out a chair before she collapsed.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jimin leaned against the dining table and picked up a toasted bagel from a tray. He began to spread cream cheese on it.

“He spent half the night working on an essay he apparently forgot until last minute,” Jungkook muttered.

“What a procrastinator,” Jimin announced. He puffed up his chest, feeling proud he used such a “high-level” vocabulary word. Jungkook rolled his eyes.

Jin put a plate of waffles in front of the girl. “Well, you still need to eat breakfast to last the day,” he stated warmly.

Jungkook glanced at the older boy suspiciously. He had noticed that Jin was sometimes too nice to Jiyeong. It was getting on his nerves as much as it got on Jiyeong’s.

“Should I make some coffee for you?” Taehyung entered the dining room with a concerned look on his face. He, too, looked quite exhausted, as if he were unable to sleep well.

As soon as Jungkook saw the other boy, he stiffened noticeably. Jimin glanced at him. “Did you two fight or something?” he mumbled through a mouthful of bagel. Jin wrinkled his nose as crumbs flew from Jimin’s mouth.

“I’ll make it,” Jungkook stated coldly. He abruptly stood up, nearly knocking his chair down. He was about to head to the kitchen when Namjoon came out of it with a pot in his hand.

“I already did,” the older boy announced. Jin put a mug in front of the tired girl and Namjoon poured some black coffee into it. Jiyeong nodded thanks and took a sip.

“Did you guys really fight?” Jin asked. He stared at Jungkook with a frown on his lips, and then turned to glance at Taehyung, who was just standing a few feet away. Taehyung’s face seemed conflicted and worried – he was glancing between Jungkook and Jiyeong.

“None of your business,” Jungkook answered in a monotone. The air dropped several degrees. Namjoon and Jin exchanged glances. Jungkook did usually keep to himself during school, but he wasn’t known to be this cold, especially to the residents of the House of Secrets who sometimes hung out together.

“I wonder why Hoseok Hyung isn’t leaving early today,” Jimin commented, breaking the awkward silence. His eyes turned to focus on Jiyeong’s white hand that was holding her mug. “Hey, why is your hand shaking?”

As soon as Hoseok’s name had come up, Jiyeong had turned slightly red and then white. She lowered her trembling hand below the table, out of sight, at Jimin’s question.

“Why is everyone acting so weird?” Namjoon said aloud. No one answered him.

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom, Taehyung stood and walked over to Jiyeong, who was gathering her stuff. The girl didn’t notice the boy until she nearly ran into him as she tried to leave the classroom. Jiyeong stepped back and her back hit the wall. Taehyung loomed over her with a grim expression, shocking her.

“W-what’s wrong?” she stuttered.

“Did… did you tell Jungkook about the party?” Taehyung whispered. He glanced briefly around him – all their classmates had left the room to head to their next class.

“No.” Jiyeong shook her head furiously.

Taehyung frowned. “Then why is he acting like I’m his worst enemy?”

Jiyeong avoided the boy’s sharp eyes. “Well, last night, I forgot to remove the earrings you gave me – actually, I lost one. He asked where I got such expensive earrings and… I didn’t know what to say but that you gave them to me as a present.”

The boy’s face was expressionless. “Oh,” he simply said.

“Um, I’m going to be late. We both are,” Jiyeong stated.

Taehyung nodded once and stepped aside to let her leave the classroom. She hurried out, but Taehyung stayed where he was. Numerous thoughts were swirling in his head. However, none of them gave him an answer, leaving him frustrated and confused.

In the hallway, Jiyeong reached into her uniform pocket. A frown formed on her face and she quickly checked her other pocket. She could’ve sworn that she had put the one earring she hadn’t lost in her pocket that morning. She couldn’t have lost that one too… She closed her eyes momentarily with a pained sigh. Maybe it was for the best – she should just forget that night.

“There was no Jina Kim?” Hoseok repeated. He had called his father’s secretary in order to learn more about the mysterious girl he met the other night.

“No. Taehyung Kim was one of the special guests, but his partner’s name isn’t listed. However, since he was free to bring her, it wasn’t against the rules.”

“So you have no clue who she is, correct?” The cold boy tried to keep the frustration out of his voice.

“I’m sorry, young master.”

“It’s fine.” Hoseok ended the call and threw his phone onto his bed with a sigh. He ruffled his hair confusedly. Why did he even care so much? His eyes landed on something small and sparkling on his desk. It was a tiny crescent moon.

He stood up and stretched. He hadn’t gone to school that day – one day or two absent wouldn’t kill him. After lying to his father by phone that he was working on the big project, he had made his father’s secretary call the school and excuse him for a couple of days. Leaving his room, he decided to get himself a glass of water. Maybe even something to eat, as Jiyeong always advised him.

In the hall, something shiny on the carpet caught his eye. He crouched down and removed it on the floor, placing it on his palm. A gasp escaped his lips. It was the same exact earring from his desk.

It's been too long!! Thank you wonderful readers for waiting so patiently for the latest update! ^.^

Thanks to SheirynFiya for making a cover for this story!!! It's amazing! :D