The first time I visited Sunggyu’s colony, I almost swore I’d never go back. It was six days after our encounter at the bathhouse.

I knew where he lived. I’d spent several evenings camped out across the road, waiting for a glimpse of him. Every night, he’d arrive on Guryong Street with a shopping bag in each hand.

The building he entered was lousy with kids. The younger ones were always outside, decorating the sidewalk with chalk drawings or taking turns on a wobbly scooter. A dozen teenagers came and went every hour. I just assumed procreation was the sport of choice. I had no idea that the children belonged to Sunggyu.

I tried to convince myself that it was enough to watch him from a distance. But it wasn’t.

On the sixth night, I saw Sunggyu turn the corner, and my body began to move of its own volition. I’d been avoiding him since the baths, and I fully expected some form of punishment. Instead, Sunggyu grinned and handed me one of his shopping bags. I wasn’t prepared for it to weigh twenty pounds. I peeked inside and discovered it was loaded with soup cans.

“I guess you really love chicken noodle soup,” I said.

“It’s a crowd-pleaser,” he replied.

My brow creased in confusion. “You’re planning to feed a crowd?”

“Yep." He answered with a quirk of the lips. "Want to meet them?” I didn’t want to meet anyone. But I was caught in a cloud of vanilla and strawberry, and I couldn’t muster the will to escape. A kid opened the gates for us, and Sunggyu thanked him by name. When he started downstairs, I hesitated. My every instinct told me not to follow him.

But I did. Along the winding hall that led through the basement. Past the little chambers that appeared to be bedrooms. Into the old laundry room with its rusting machines and ratty old furniture. The entire place was infested with children, and they emerged from every crack and crevice to greet him.

I didn’t ask who the kids were. It was obvious they were castoffs and rejects. Runaways and orphans. I could barely stand to look at them, and I wanted to sprint right back up the stairs. “Make yourself at home,” said Sunggyu.

“Sunggyu?” A blond girl with heavily lined eyes tapped him on the shoulder, then pointed to one corner of the room. A boy with a mop of curly red hair was standing there, trying his best to blend in with the wall. I thought he might be twelve or so, but he was so painfully thin that it was impossible to tell.

“What’s his name?” Sunggyu asked.

“He won’t say,” the girl told him. “I found him hiding in the ladies’ room at the library.”

Sunggyu walked over to the boy and his voice softened slightly. “Can I call you Seung?” he asked. He stared at him for a full thirty seconds before he finally nodded. Sunggyu had gestured for me and the boy to follow him. “Would you like some soup?” 

I can’t repeat the story Seung told Sunggyu while I listened in. Even now—after everything I’ve seen. That night, I only heard half of it before I politely requested a name and an address. Then I was up the stairs and out the door.

I broke into a loft and waited an hour for its owner to come home. Then I beat the man so badly that I wasn’t sure if he’d live. I didn’t know what else I could do. It wasn’t rage that made me want to destroy him. I didn’t do it to keep him from hurting another boy. I did it because he’d shown me that the world was even uglier than I ever imagined it could be. I thought I was angry. But I wasn’t.

I was absolutely terrified.

I wandered around for hours before finally returning to Guryong Street. One of the urchins led me downstairs. Seung was snuggled up in a sleeping bag on the couch in the laundry room. Sunggyu rose from a chair when he saw the blood on my shirt.

“You found him, then.” It was nothing but a simple statement of fact. I wanted him to be pleased, and he probably was. The guy deserved everything he got, but beating him wasn’t proof of my bravery.

The bravest thing I did that night was go back to Sunggyu’s basement.

• • •

Last night in my dreams, I returned to that loft. But this time, the man I attacked was Lee Jungyeop. I broke every bone in his body. I pummeled his face until it was a shapeless lump of meat. And yet through it all, he never stopped smiling. I woke up this morning with my fists still clenched. I stood at the door until it unlocked, and then I set out in search of him. If I’d found him, I would have killed him.

For taking Sunggyu away from Seung and leaving the rest of the Lost Boys alone. Because I remember what it feels like to lose the one person who always promised he’d be there. And for a few minutes this morning, the memory of that smiling boy pointing his wooden sword joyfully at the almost drove me mad.

A long, cold shower restored a bit of my sanity. But it will be best for everyone if Jungyeop stays away from me for a while. I’m not sure I could trust myself in his presence.

When I see Sunggyu join the breakfast line on the far side of the cafeteria, the urge to kill Jungyeop returns. I have to remind myself that if Jungyeop dies, Sunggyu might too. And nothing can ever happen to him. Until he’s safe, I have a single mission.

Sunggyu’s hair was lightly tussled, with a simple white shirt tucked into a pair of black pants. He looks completely at home, which makes me wonder if he even knows where he is. He’s smart enough to have figured it out by now. But I see no sign of fear on his face. I’m still studying him when he spots me. And promptly looks away.

The gesture says everything. I can think of a million reasons why Sunggyu wouldn’t want to speak to me. Who knows what he’s heard—or what Jungyeop has told him.

I slip behind Sunggyu at the breakfast line and slink into whispering range. He’s ladling oatmeal into a bowl when he hears me say his name. Not the Academy-given one. Sunggyu dumps the contents of his bowl back into the pot and marches off—leaving his tray behind.

“Looks like Alepo’s not into cripples.” I step out of the food line and give Seungyeon a patronizing pat on the head.

“Keep nipping at me, Fang, and I’m going to bite back,” I warn her with a smile. “Now scram.”

“Is that any way to treat someone who’s just brought you a present?” Seungyeon hands me a course schedule. “It’s from Mr. Jungyeop. You were still in a coma during registration, so he chose your classes for you.”

“He’s here today?” I growl. “You saw him?”

“Sure. He stopped by your room first thing this morning, but you weren’t around. So he came up to my dorm thinking you might be there.” It’s a lie. Jungyeop could have found me if he’d wanted to. I doubt he’s forgotten that there’s a chip in my head.

“So!” Seungyeon chirps, flicking the sheet of paper that’s still clenched in my hand. “Think you’ve got any classes with your old lover this semester?” Jungyeop told her who ‘Alepo’ really is. I knew he eventually would. But it’s best if I keep playing dumb.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Seungyeon. You were never my lover. Just a blow-up doll with a pulse.” I enjoy watching the smirk slip off her face, and then I skim through my schedule.

- Introduction to Industrial Espionage

- Waste Management: Polluting for Profit

- Hidden Treasures: Finding and Controlling the World’s Natural Resources

- Brazilian Jujitsu

- Let Them Eat Cake: Exploiting America’s Obesity Epidemic

- The Ultimate Insiders: Mandel Alumni and the SEC

I fold the list and cram it into my back pocket. The movement sends pain shooting through my shoulder and down my arm. I guess I can count on failing jujitsu. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” I ask Seungyeon. “Hasn’t Jungyeop given you another assignment yet?”

“Nothing has changed, Flick. You’re still my project, and Mr. Jungyeop told me to give you a message. He thinks you should keep your distance from Mr. Pae for a while. You got his son kicked out of school.”

I suddenly remember the facebook account and airport heist. My whole body hurts when I laugh.

“Oh yeah,” Seungyeon continues, and I notice her smirk has returned. “You might not want to skip lunch today. TAblo’s planning to announce the pageant results.”

• • •

My first two classes are now little more than a blur. I’m sitting in Hidden Treasures, and Sunggyu just waltzed through the door with his dinosaur friend. There’s an empty seat next to me—and another in the very last row. Sunggyu never even glances in my direction. He heads to the back while the chipmunk fills the place beside me.

“Hello, Flick,” the boy says as if he’s known me for years. Even high-ranking Androids wait for the Dux to speak first. And this kid is a Ghost. A few days at the academy, and he’ll start fading away.

“Hi,” I respond, hoping the conversation will end there.

“I’m Dongwoo,” he says.

“Yes, I know,” I tell him. I know more than his name. I already know everything about him. Sunggyu must have adopted another urchin during his stay in the Incubation Suites. All I had to do was look at Dongwoo’s hope-filled eyes and guile-free grin to realize that he’s not going to make it here. And I suddenly see the problem with Myungsoo’s brilliant advice. ‘Be who you want to be,’ he said.

Well, the person I’d like to be would save those like Dongwoo and manage to keep Sunggyu safe. But that would be dangerous. I could die trying—and there’s only one of me to sacrifice. Maybe my brother thinks all lives are equally valuable. But they’re not.

My life wasn’t worth his.

The world got a raw deal when he died trying to help me. If I did the same thing for Dongwoo, how long would he last? No more than a month at the academy. Maybe a year if he made it back to the outside. But Sunggyu might stand a chance if he’s able to escape. And his life is worth ten of mine. Which is why I always tried so hard to keep him at a distance. I didn’t want another person I loved sacrificing himself for my sake.

And Sunggyu is just the sort who would do it. He’d take a bullet for anyone. Even for someone as doomed as Dongwoo.

Dongwoo gasps when our instructor arrives. I recognize her as well. The woman used to be a talking head on one of the business channels my father liked to watch. A dark beauty who unnerved me because she never seemed to blink.

She walks up to the blackboard and writes Ms. Shin in letters about a foot high. I think she’s a bit worried that someone might slip up and use her real name. “So . . . what will be the most valuable natural resource in the second quarter of the twenty-first century?” Ms. Shin asks the class.

An Android hand shoots up. “Oil.”

“Perhaps,” says Ms. Shin. “But I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“Rare earth metals?” another Android offers.

“Possibly. Though you’d have to fight the Chinese for them. Any other answers? Let’s hear from some of the new students. Dongwoo?”

“Gold,” says the boy sitting next to me.

“Always good to have around. How about you, Alepo. What do you think?”

“Clean, fresh water.” It’s the first time I’ve heard Sunggyu’s voice in four months. It’s still smooth and low, with no hint of anxiety.

Ms. Shin nods. “I happen to agree with that answer. But why did you choose it?”

“Because you can live without oil or earth metals, but no one can live without water.”

“But water is free, isn’t it?” Ms. Shin probes, playing devil’s advocate. “What’s going to make it so valuable?”

“It’s free here,” Sunggyu says. “For now. While there’s still enough to go around. But in other parts of the world, it’s already disappearing, and the little that’s left tends to be polluted. When people’s children start dying of cholera and typhoid, they’ll do just about anything for clean water. I’ve seen it happen. There are companies all over the world trying to buy up freshwater supplies. And if I had the money, I’d buy one of them. In a few years, I’d be charging top dollar for something everyone in this country has been taking for granted.”

“Excellent answer,” Ms. Shin says. “I know a few Mandel alumni who’d be more than happy to back such a venture.”

“Then tell them to give me a call.” Even though he ends with a laugh, Sunggyu’s response sounds more like a dare than a joke. I can’t resist spinning around for a look. Because there’s no way in hell that the boy I knew could have ever come up with an answer like that. But unless Sunggyu has an evil twin, that is Guryong Street’s former saint smirking lightly at the teacher and pretending that I don’t exist.

“Brilliant, isn’t he?” I turn back to find Dongwoo watching me.

“Yes.” No point in denying it.

“He said you’d be surprised,” Dongwoo adds with a giggle.

• • •

Ms. Shin’s collagen-plumped lips have been moving nonstop for almost an hour, but I haven’t heard a single word of her lecture. Until now, I assumed there was only one possible explanation for Sunggyu’s bizarre appearance at the Woollim Academy. I thought he’d been brought here against his will. I figured he was meant to be Jungyeop’s final test—the one that would prove whether my mutant gene had been activated.

But now I realize that there may be another possibility. Maybe Sunggyu got a scholarship because Jungyeop wants to make him one of his monsters. Maybe he’s not going to give me the choice to trade my life for his.

Maybe he’s found another way to force me to watch the boy I love be destroyed.

I don’t think Sunggyu would let him turn him into a predator. But I’ve never been very good at predicting what other people might do. The last shock I suffered came damn close to killing me. I doubt I could take another.

And Jungyeop probably knows it.

• • •

After class, I wait outside on the balcony for Sunggyu. He’s chatting with Ms. Shin in an obvious attempt to avoid me. But it’s lunchtime, and I’ll spend the whole goddamned hour here if need be.

Then I spot Tablo boarding one of the elevators, and I remember the pageant. I start hopping down the hall. I need to be in the cafeteria when the results are revealed.

“Ah, just in time,” Tablo drones when he sees me limping toward the Wolves’ table. “I was beginning to think you had something better to do.”

“I knew he didn’t.” Seungyeon pats the stool beside her. “That’s why I saved him a spot.”

“Thanks, Fang,” I say. No one laughs. The friction between us must have been obvious before, but our Beauty Pageant bets made it official. Tablo is observing us with his usual bored expression. But I know he’s too smart to miss the opportunity that’s unfolding in front of him. If Seungyeon and I take each other out, Tablo stands to inherit our title—and the lifelong rewards that come with it.

“Before we get started, I have an announcement,” I tell the Wolves. “It’s a new semester, which means it’s time to let bygones be bygones. You’re all welcome back to the tower lounge. In fact, your presence there will be mandatory every evening from this point forward.” If Sunggyu won’t let me get close enough to protect him, I’ll just have to keep Jungyeop’s assassins locked up whenever I can.

“And do you concur?” Tablo asks my co-Dux.

“Whatever.” Seungyeon drones, eager to move on. “So who won the pageant?”

“Tony,” Tablo announces. No surprise there.

“And who lost?”

Tablo takes a leisurely bite of his sandwich before he answers. “Dongwoo.”

“What about Alepo?” Seungyeon demands.

“He came in third,” Tablo says. “Seems Flick’s vote canceled yours out.”

“Flick doesn’t really think he’ll win,” Seungyeon sneers. I wonder if she’s angry enough to do something stupid. “He voted for him because he used to be his boyfriend.” The Wolves all freeze as if the scene has been paused. Then Justin laughs.

“Is that right?” Tablo marvels. I can almost hear his mind whirring away. That’s when we see Sunggyu. He’s standing at the entrance to the cafeteria, surveying the room. Twelve Wolves stare back at him. I can only imagine what he must think of us.

Sunggyu takes his place in the lunch line and strikes up a conversation with one of the lowliest Androids.

“Friendly, ain’t he?” Isaac drawls with a mouthful of hamburger. Soul's whole body vibrates when she snickers.

“Maybe he’s campaigning for class president,” Seungyeon smirks. “I can’t believe anyone actually voted for that loser to win the pageant. Who else besides his boyfriend thinks Alepo going to make it past ranking day?” No one says a word.

“Did any of these morons vote for Alepo?” Seungyeon asks Tablo.

“Votes are confidential,” Tablo says.

“No, they’re not!”

“They are now,” Tablo replies. “I run the pageant. I make the rules.” When Seungyeon slaps him, he responds with a single, lizard-like blink and returns to eating his sandwich.

• • •

The Wolves’ Den is packed. Seungyeon and I are stationed at opposite ends of a long couch. There’s an empty space between us, but no one dares occupy it. The bad vibes are so strong that they would probably prove fatal. Then Tablo arrives and plops himself right down. “Well! Looks like the semester is off to an interesting start,” he announces to no one in particular. But suddenly everyone is listening.

“Skip the theatrics, Tablo,” Seungyeon growls. “Just tell us what you want to say.”

“Flick’s boyfriend, Alepo. Turns out, he’s a human resources major.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I correct him.

“Yes, I’ve noticed you two aren’t on speaking terms. . . .”

“Get to the point, Tablo,” Seungyeon butts in.

“The point is that Mr. Jungyeop has put Alepo in some very advanced classes. In fact, he and I have three together. I was surprised when I kept seeing him. I thought maybe he was being set up to fail. You know how our headmaster likes to throw a patsy into every Incubation Group.” No, Dongwoo is the one who’s been brought here to feed the Wolves. Just like Key. I would have thought that much was obvious.

“Well? What’s your take?” asks Seungyeon.

“Alepo’s remarkable,” Tablo says. “Quite possibly the finest human resources student aside from yours truly.” There’s a bruise on Tablo’s cheek where Seungyeon slapped him at lunch. And yet he’s determined to keep taunting her. Which means he’s settled on a plan of action.

Seungyeon kills Sunggyu. Flick kills Seungyeon. Jungyeop kills Flick. Tablo is king. Seems like a long shot, but I guess it could work.

“Perhaps Flick could tell us a bit about his old love?” Tablo inquires.

I just grin and give him a wink. “F— off.”

“I should have known you weren’t the sort to kiss and tell. Does anyone here have any classes with Alepo?” Tablo asks, addressing the other Wolves.

“I watched him spar in kickboxing,” Isaac offers reluctantly. “He’s not bad.”

“Not bad?” Tablo scoffs. “I hear he could have kicked the other guy’s .”

“But he didn’t, did he?” Seungyeon on to him too. “I can see straight through you, Tablo. Which means I always know when you’re full of . Someone go get that Tony kid who just came up from the Suites. I think it’s time for a second opinion.”

A few minutes later, one of the lesser Wolves arrives with Tony in tow. The kid is a born predator, but he’s in the presence of superior beasts. He should be avoiding our eyes and kissing our asses. But the cocky little pup seems to think he could take on all twelve of us. Either we’re not very impressive, or he’s not very bright.

Seungyeon picks up on the dolt’s lack of deference. “Do you know who I am?” she asks him.

“You’re the Dux,” Tony says. Then he gestures toward me. “So’s that guy.”

“You know the word, but do you know what it means?” Seungyeon demands.

“It means you think you’re in charge.” I nearly roll off the sofa I’m laughing so hard. Seungyeon lurches forward, teeth bared, but Tablo sticks out an arm and holds her back. He’s getting bolder by the minute.

“Before Seungyeon eats you alive, we would like to know what you think of one of the students from your Incubation Group,” Tablo says calmly. “Alepo.”

There's no hesitation. “I don’t mess with him.” That’s unexpected. I hear genuine respect in Tony’s voice. “He’s a wizard... or some sort of demon.”

“A demon?” I ask.

“He has special powers.” I thought he was joking, but I see no trace of a grin.

“Interesting.” Tablo sits back and crosses his legs. “And what form do these powers take?”

“Huh?”

“What sort of stuff does he do?” I interpret.

“You know that chick Daeun?”

It takes me a moment to put a face to the name. She was in Sunggyu’s Incubation Group. A tall girl with a Barbie-doll figure.

Even Tablo is struggling to make the connection. “Daeun? One of the new students? What does she have to do with any of this?”

“She’s hot, right?” Tony responds as if we’re all certain to agree. “So I thought Daeun could be my girl for a while. But every time I tried to make my move, something crazy always happened.”

“Like what?” Tablo asks.

“One time a bookcase fell on top of me. A couple days later, I was in the gym and one of those five-pound dumbbells slammed into the back of my head. Knocked me out cold for a few minutes. Stuff like that.”

“And you think Alepo was responsible? Did you actually see him do those things?”

“No. Sometimes he wasn’t even in the room. But he told me he’d put a curse on me. He’s not from here, you know. He’s from someplace where the people are all trained to be witches.” Tony looks directly at me.

“He knows it’s true. He was watching when I fought Alepo the other day. I almost killed him, right? Then my knee gave out all of a sudden and he got away.”

“Why do you suppose Alepo kept attacking you?” Tablo asks. “Did it have something to do with Flora? Was he protecting the girl for some reason?”

“No. Alepo just said I needed to learn my place,” Max says with a shrug. “He told me he owns this school and everyone in it.”

Someone in the lounge starts laughing. It builds from a giggle into a full-blown howl. We all turn to see Sungyeol, clutching his stomach as if his guts might spill out.

“What’s so funny?” Tablo asks.

“Oh !” he wheezes. “I’ve heard that one before!” I know where he heard it. It’s almost exactly the same thing I told Alex the first time I saved Key.

While the Wolves watch Sungyeol, I feel Seungyeon’s eyes on me.

She knows too.

Hey guys, long time no see~ 

It's getting close to school soon (TT TT) so I was a bit busy, but it's ok! I'll try to get at least one or two more updates in before...

And no matter how long I might take to update, don't worry! I won't abandon this story~

And... AHHHHHHHHHHHHH SUNGGYU XDDD