He was shivering and he shoved his hands deeper to his pocket, walking aimlessly on an empty and dark street on a winter night wasn’t really what he wanted, if only he has normal parents, maybe he would drink a cup of hot chocolate with his parents and talk about life, love, future or just anything. But who is he to dream of such things? He can only sigh on the thoughts of having a happy family.

                When the cold became unbearable, he decided to go back home.

                “Maybe the fight’s over already” mumbling to himself.

                He was about to turn on the corner when suddenly two men standing in front of him.

                “Don’t be scared.. we wouldn’t hurt that pretty face of yours.. as long as you cooperate well”

                He has no guts to lift his head up, the other guy stepped closer to him, made him stepped backwards

                “We need to buy something, but unfortunately, we have no money.. you know what we want don’t you?”

                “I have no money..”

                That’s true though, he only grabbed his phone when he stepped out of his house for the sake of saving his ears, and mind in that matter, from all the curses his parents throw at each other.

                “Listen here boy, we don’t want to hurt you and you wouldn’t want to be hurt either, so let’s make this simple and give me your money already!”

                “But I really have no money ..”

                “You really want to make this hard don’t you?!”

                The guy raised his fist, he shut his eyes and ready to receive any punch or whatever that man trying to do to him. After a few second of nothing happened to him he braced himself and opened his left eye just to find that man sat on the street holding his bleeding nose, and the other one just stand there jaw dropped, eyes wide. If he wasn’t on that kind of situation, he might laugh his head off already.

                He lifted his head and saw a boy standing in front of him, back facing him. The two men ran away like chickens chased by a wolf,

                “Oh wow! That’s easy” he thinks to himself.

                He didn’t have much time to think about other thing when the boy who just helped him turned around and facing him.

                “You better not walk around here alone at night” with that, the boy started walking away.

                “Thank you!’ he said, but the boy ignored him.

                That night, he can’t sleep.

                “That boy looks familiar” he said to no one. He can’t remember that boy’s face clearly because it’s pretty dark. But as much as he can remember he has sharp nose and jaw line, dark hair, not really tall but obviously taller than him. Duh, he’s short after all.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                “What’s wrong with your face?”

                Kevin, the new student from Australia who just moved to his school last semester asked him as he put his tray down on cafeteria table.

                He held up his spoon in attempt to see his reflection on the spoon,

                “What’s wrong with my face?”

                “You look like you stay awake all night” DongJun rolled his eyes .

                “Ah.. really? I got an interesting book to read” he lied.

                He just started to poke his rice again when he unintentionally catch a glimpse of a familiar face. His heartbeat rose a little when he finally realized who’s sitting in the far corner of the cafeteria. That person has the same sharp nose and jaw line as the boy he met last night. He can finally see his hair color, dark brown. The boy had his eyes closed, leaning his head against the wall, sun light fell soft on his face. Breathtakingly beautiful, he thought.

                In front of him, a blonde boy seems busy with his phone, he looks kinda cute to him. Another boy came with a tray of food, he looks really handsome, with red hair covering his left eye, and a high nose.

                He can’t seem to remember those three students. Well, he didn’t really socialize that much. And this is one of the few times he wished he had socialize more, the other time was when he wish he can find someone other than him to teach Kevin Korean because he felt like give up and all Korean DongJun told to Kevin was how to curse.

                “His name is HeeChul, Jung HeeChul.” DongJun said, made him almost fell from his chair.

                “What?”

                “That person you starred at, his name is Jung HeeChul”

                “I’m not starring!” He blushed

                “Yeah, and Kevin’s Korean is perfect..” earning a death stare from the Koala boy.

                “I’m just....”

                “The blond one is MinWoo, Ha Minwoo, he won some dance completion at the town. And the red haired is Moon JunYoung, I heard he came from a rich family, I don’t know how he ended up with those two, they don’t have a really good reputation.”

                His eyes widen at DongJun’s explanation.

                “What’s with your expression? They are pretty famous, if only you can stay away from your books for a while you must’ve know them.”

                And when Kevin nodded in agreement he thought he was going to faint.

                Jung HeeChul....

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                That was another night when he can’t stand his parents fight, walking alone down the empty street. He tightened his coat and shoved his hands deeper to his pocket. Sometimes he would spend his time on DongJun’s or Kevin’s place, but sometimes he just needs time for himself. Besides, he didn’t want to be a bother more than he already is to his friends

               DongJun, he’s one of few people he can actually counts as a friend. He may look like he never cared about anything, but in reality, he’s someone who always there every time he needs him. He doesn’t really talk much, but he has a deep thoughts. People would mistaken him as arrogant, but he knows better, behind all those walls of maturity and strong expression, DongJun, too, was just a kid, a kid who crave for some love, and would cry every time he thinks about his parents who left him when he was 8. And no matter how angry he is to his parents who forced him to live alone this last 10 years, deep inside his heart, he wish he can meet them again.

                Kevin, in the other hand, maybe the luckiest one out of them. He moved to Australia when he was 9 and moved back to Korea earlier this year. He came from a ‘normal’ family he may say. But even with his limited knowledge about the language and culture, and no matter how hard for him to understand the other two, he always willing to try. And for once, after 10 years, DongJun finally found something he can call a ‘family’.  Sure, DongJun always have him as a good or maybe best friend, but it’s just, Kevin’s presence made it complete.

                “I told you not to walk alone here at night.”

                A voice made him jumped at the spot and abruptly turned his heel. There, standing a boy, wearing blue padded jacket and grey sweater inside. His hair tied on the back into a ponytail.

                Jung HeeCul..

                “I..I..I just.. h..have nowhere to go” he stuttered, sudden warmth crept on his face, as he looked down to his sneakers as if it was the most interesting things in this world.

                An awkward silence. He wished HeeChul would just say something. Telling him to go home is okay too. Instead HeeChul just looked at him from head to toe, he shivered as he felt the temperature around them dropped a few degrees, and he doubt it’s something to do with the weather.

                “I work there,” HeeChul pointed at a small convenient store near the corner before continue

                “I can treat you a cup of warm coffee, unless you prefer to stay here and just freeze to death” he lifted his head at the offer before giving a small nod.

                “You look familiar” HeeChul said as he handed him a cup of coffee, and take a seat on one of the stool beside him.

                “Yeah, we came from the same school”

                “Really? What’s your name?”

                “Siwan, Im Siwan..”

                “Ah! Aren’t you that student who got the best grade at our school?”

                “You know?”

                “I heard something about that. I’m HeeChul by the way.”

                He was about to say “I know”, but he didn’t want HeeChul thinks he’s a creep. So he just nodded his head and sipped his coffee.

                The rest half an hour they spent it in silence, but he can’t help to take side glances once in a while, blushing at his own action.

                The sound of the store’s door open broke the silence, and as HeeChul rose from his seat to greet the customer, he finally spoke

                “I think I’ll go home now, thanks for the coffee”

                “You better go home quick, it’s dangerous around here at night”

                “I will, thanks.” with that he proceeded to the store’s door and started walking home. Fast.