When IU woke up the next morning, she found out that Sungyeol wouldn't come to school for some unknown reason. Worried, she had asked Myungsoo to talk to Sungyeol, who wouldn't allow IU in his room.

"It's okay. Sungyeol probably flirted with a girl and said something rude or ditched her. He probably doesn't want to be caught and beaten up by that girl," Myungsoo had told her. With this, IU confidently finished her breakfast and went to the sink to wash the dirty plates and cups. Sunggyu would've offered to help if he didn't have work early in the morning. Dongwoo and Sungjong had left for school early in the morning, hoping to get some work done before the principal or the teacher caught their unfinished assignments. Woohyun obviously refused to go to school with IU, saying how "embarrassing" she was and how she always "bothered" him.

That only left her with Hoya and Myungsoo. She smiled as she finished cleaning the last plate. Deciding to put away the plates after school, she quickly untied her apron and threw it on a nearby chair. She straightened her wrinkled uniform and took a deep breath. As if on cue, Hoya and Myungsoo came down the stairs, each busy with their own activity. Myungsoo had a half-bitten bread between his teeth and Hoya was trying to untie his headphones. When the two spotted IU at the front door, they stopped and smiled at her.

"Good morning, IU," the two greeted in unison. The boys glanced at each other, wondering why they were speaking and acting at the same time. IU, who didn't notice, smiled brightly.

"Good morning! If you guys mind, can I go to school with you? I'm afraid that everyone left and-" IU stopped as Myungsoo quickly pushed IU out the door.

"Sure, sure! Let's get out of here before we're late to school!"

The walk to school was extremely awkward and quiet. IU couldn't understand why the atmosphere was strange. Myungsoo didn't understand, either, but he decided to push the thought away and believed that IU and Hoya were just exhausted.

On the other hand, Hoya felt extremely nervous and sweaty. What's this? I'm walking with IU? Haven't I done this plenty of times? Ah, this ! What's up with me? Why is it so hot? Why am I sweating so much? Is it that humid or something?

"Hoya oppa, did you hear me?" IU asked, waving her hand in front of Hoya. Hoya timidly looked to his side, hoping to spot something interesting.

"A-Ah…N-No, sorry. I was j-just thinking," Hoya apologized, stuttering. He muttered a curse for stuttering so much, while IU giggled and smiled at Hoya's shyness.

"I was just asking you if…" Hoya's heart began to beat a lot faster than it usually did. He gulped his saliva nervously, hoping to not make the loud gulping sound. What was he expecting to hear from IU? That she loved him?

Ba-thump.

"We're almost reaching school," Myungsoo said, pointing to the tiny dot. From where they were standing, it would take another ten minutes for them to arrive school by walking. IU dropped her conversation with Hoya and sighed in disappointment.

"What? It's so far! Let's take the taxi or the bus!" IU pleaded. Hoya heaved a bitter sigh as Myungsoo frowned at IU.

"Since when did you get so lazy?" Myungsoo asked, smirking. IU stuck her tongue out.

"I can't always be the 'mom' or the 'maid' of you guys. I have some lazy sides to myself, too," IU said, giggling. Myungsoo chuckled along with her as he patted her hair. Then, slightly tilting his head, he grabbed a strand of her hair.

"Since when did your hair grow so…long?" Myungsoo asked. IU's face turned bright red and she quickly swatted away Myungsoo's hand. Myungsoo blinked his eyes innocently. Soon a blush crept on his cheeks, realizing the embarrassing action he had done. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to do that. It's just that…I don't know, you looked kind of cute at that moment."

Hoya stared at the shy students with envy. Since when did they get so…close? When did they get so embarrassed and shy together? Hoya hitched his breath. When did they look like a couple?

Does Myungsoo have feelings for IU? Does he know about his feelings or anything? Hoya wondered. Clenching his fist, Hoya felt himself being ignored and neglected by IU and Myungsoo. With a small pout, his eyes laid on IU, hoping for her to turn around and tell him to hurry up.

But her eyes were on Myungsoo, and Hoya sensed that IU was slipping away from his finger tips. With eyes filled with envy and anger, he made a mental note for himself to take action as soon as he could.

"Why? Why me?!" Sungyeol cried. He tossed a random shirt across the room, feeling distressed and bothered by his feelings. Why did he have to be a love expert? How could he fall in love with IU?

When did I even like her in the first place? Does anyone else like IU, too? Sungyeol wondered. He had many interactions with girls, and he had the equal amount of interactions with IU. However, he couldn't quite figure out what made IU so special. True, he had tried to get closer to her, but not this close. Sungyeol heaved a sigh and rubbed his temples. His heart began to beat at the mere thought of IU wiping away his ice cream-covered hand. Blushing madly, he quickly grabbed a pillow from his bed and threw it across the room.

"Gah! I hate this!" Sungyeol yelled furiously. 

Snap! Snap!

Sungyeol blinked his eyes, blinded by the flash of the brilliant, white light. He looked out the window dizzily, and found no one at sight. He frowned, wondering where the random flash had appeared. He took a deep breath, and decided to ignore the lights. He turned around, and stared at his messy rooms. As if a dinosaur had terrorized his room, clothes and shattered glasses were all over the floor, on his bed, and on his desk. Sighing, Sungyeol put his hand over his face.

I need to tell IU to clean my room later, Sungyeol thought. His cheeks burned and he began to feel giddy inside. On second thought, maybe I'll clean it myself.

"How can IU live with these monsters?"

"I know, right? I mean, look at this room! It's filthy!"

"Maybe they throw a vase at IU, too?"

The first man who spoke stood up. "That's it! I can't let IU live with these guys! She's better living with us like before."

The second boy nodded his head. "According to all these photos and the videos, it seems as if IU is suffering."

The last boy drowned to his knees. "No! My lovely IU! I knew she shouldn't have left us!"

The three boy heaved a sigh and had a cold expression on their face. They glanced at the mansion IU was living in, and clenched their fist at the same time. 

We'll save you from that prison, just like we did when we were kids.