Jieun felt a bit awkward, as she put her remaining stuff inside a box. She can feel the seven boys looking at her and watching her every move. 

The cheery guy from awhile ago was the first one to approach her. She was putting her books inside a box, and the boy just started picking up the remaining books left on the floor. 

"Sorry if we haven't formally introduced ourselves to you," he started, wearing his giggly smile that is somehow comforting  for Jieun to see. He's really pretty.

Aish. Lee Jieun. These are the boys who stole your house, when will you stop noticing how pretty they are? Jieun asked herself, pinching the back of her hand while she watches the brown haired boy finish her work.

"I'm Lee Minhyuk. I'm 23 years old," the brown haired boy bowed, offering his hand in front of her. "I'm from Gwangju."

Hesitant, and feeling a bit trapped, Jieun took his hand, bowing back.

He's older than her. Jieun is 20 years old now. She's a freshman art student majoring in filmmaking. Movies and TV dramas has always been interesting for her and it was her dream to write and direct one in the future. It would be nice to be a variety show PD as well. At this moment she has a lot in mind, she's in her first year anyway. But so far she's been really enjoying university. It's hard not having close friends around though, since almost all her high school friends (that she could count in one of her hands) literally skipped college and auditioned to be idol trainees. Almost everyone in her age aspires to be idols these days. She actually don't get the hype. Her friends bugged her throughout their senior year in high school to try auditioning as well since she knows to play a couple of instruments and could also sing a bit. But she refused all the time. She really wanted to pursue directing. 

"And those are my friends, some of us met at the audition and some of us came from the same dance school," he went on gesturing his head at the six boys behind him. "That is Changkyun. He's training to be a rapper. He's 20." Minhyuk pointed at another brown haired boy who is a bit shorter compared to everyone,

When Changkyun heard his name, he gave Jieun a half-smile, bowing at her, before going back on playing something on his phone. He looks a bit intimidating, with his tall nose and sharp features. For someone who has the same age as Jieun, he looks a bit mature and a lot smarter than her. But the 0.5 second smile he made suddenly made him look 10 years younger-- Jieun can't believe she only got a short glance at it.

"That's Jooheon," he motioned his hand to the guy taking snacks from his luggage. Like Changkyun, he automatically looked around when he heard his name. He smiled at Jieun and waved at her. He's got a big face, but soft facial features, making him look almost like a mandu (steamed dumplings). "He's an underground rapper. He's 21." Jieun took another glance at Jooheon, confirming what Minhyuk just said. Him? A rapper? He's probably one of the cutest individuals she has seen in her life and he's actually an underground rapper?

"And that's Kihyun," beside Jooheon, the pink haired guy is busy wiping the floor, and spraying it with what seems to be rubbing alcohol. "He's a bit of a neat freak, but that's actually really helpful" Minhyuk added. "He's a singer, and as much as I hate to admit, he's really really good and he knows it."

Minhyuk continued introducing his friends to Jieun. "That's Shownu," Shownu, a tall and muscular boy, started helping Kihyun on wiping the floor. He already got his own rag. "He's the oldest among us, and also the one who's been training longer compare to the rest of us. He's a dancer and is aspiring to be the next Rain." Shownu looks like he's a towering 6 feet tall but it's evident that he's just a gentle giant.

"The blue haired boy is Wonho," Wonho approached Jooheon, getting one of his chips from him. "He's the same age as Shownu. They're both 24. He's also a singer."

Wonho is busy chatting with Jooheon, compared from a while ago, he looked comforable and a bit carefree now talking to his friend. This is also the time Jieun had a good look at him. Where have I seen him? Jieun asked herself. He looks familiar, especially when she saw him smile. She was a bit scared when she first saw him this morning, but now she suddenly can't take her eyes off him.

"And that's Hyungwon," Minhyuk popped Jieun's thought bubble. Hyungwon, with a hair that looked like he's just got out of bed, started sprawling a blanket at the middle of the floor, looking like he's about to get ready to sleep. "We were classmates in high school, we're both singers as well."

"Do you want us to help you on moving your stuff?" Minhyuk asked.

Jieun  shook her head.

In spite of being a bit impressed on how good looking all of them are, and Minhyuk being obviously and overly nice to her, Jieun somehow still feels a bit bitter about them being the new owners of her house.

So coldly, she replied, "No I'm good. There's really nothing much to move anyway."

Minhyuk's face fell, his smile disappearing. He nodded almost to himself, biting his lip.

Jieun stood up, wearing her backpack and carrying her box of books. Minhyuk started carrying her luggage for her, but she quickly grabbed it from him. "I told you I'm good," she muttered, not looking at any one of them.

All seven of the boys automatically stood up and bowed at her as Jieun exited the house.

She slammed the door behind her, rushing to her new room, just one floor away from her old rooftop.

Ms. Baek is there, cleaning the room for her.

It's almost three times smaller than the rooftop. The kitchen and the bathroom are just a couple of feet away from each other. There isn't also a separate room for the bedroom; the entire space is basically her new bedroom and her living room at the same time.

"The truck that will be loading your stuff is already downstairs," Ms. Baek told Jieun.

"Uh yeah Ahjumma," she started. "Mom's piano..."

Ms. Baek nodded, "I pawned them to my friend's antique shop." She handed her an envelope, "You can get it back when you can afford it already, but at the mean time have this."

Jieun took a peak inside the envelope and saw quite a thick amount of cash. She gulped, fighting back her tears. She didn't even care saying goodbye to her pieces of furniture because she thinks that it's pretty stupid if she started crying over inanimate objects. But still she's a bit thankful that Ms. Baeak didn't sell her mom's piano, she really thought she would and is she's aready ready to give it up. At least she knows she could have it again.

"Thank you Ahjumma," when she started talking again she suddenly felt a lump on , so she decided not to say anything next and just give Ms. Baek a small smile.

Ms. Baek smiled back at her, patting her like her mom used to do when she did a good job,  "Jal-hae-sso, Jieun-ah."

Jieun nodded, forcing back her tears.

When Ms. Baek got out of her room and Jieun's the only one left, she sprawled on the floor, feeling the new environment that she will be living in for the next days, and probably the next years. She closed her eyes and imagined that she's back in her rooftop; her mom's washing the laundry just outside. She imagined that everything is normal. She sighed and said to herself, "Everything will be okay Jieun. Everything will be okay."

She said that over and over again until she falls asleep.

~

A soft knock on the door woke Jieun. When she opened her eyes, everything is pitched black.

She was asleep for six straight hours. Her head feels heavy and her back hurts since she fell asleep on the hardwood floor. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and used it as a flashlight.

The door is just a few feet away from her, so she did not even have to stand up when she opened it while kneeling on the floor.

"Ah kkamjjak kiya (That startled me)," Minhyuk's voice echoed in the darkness.

Jieun put her phone closer to her chin, illuminating her haggard face. Her face gets super swollen whenever she's just woken up, and her hair is also all over the place.

"What," she snapped, standing up and scratching her head sleepily.

Minhyuk cleared his throat, "Uh before anything else... can you just at least turn on the lights?"

Jieun groaned from Minhyuk's polite demand, but she the lights anyway.

There she saw him holding her pink rice cooker.

"You forgot this," Minhyuk told her.

She grabbed it from him and muttered a "Thanks" before closing the door in front of his face.

Another knock followed.

Jieun opened it again and saw Minhyuk still standing in front of her. He gave her his usual smile and said, "Kihyun cooked dinner, I just thought... uh... if would you want to join us..."

Jieun nust stared at him. Is he actually serious right now? She thought.

After stealing her rooftop, the boys seems like they are trying to make everything up to her by offering her food. As if that—

Krrruuuuuukkkkkkkk.

Suddenly, her stomach growled wildly.

She cleared , coughing as loud as she can; as if that would drown the sound of her stomach. "No thanks, I'm not hungry," she said after.

"Uh—" Minhyuk was about to start convincing her again when...

Kruuuuuuukkkkkkkkk.

She doesn't have a refrigerator and a stove where she can cook, she also haven't gone to the grocery to buy food at the same time (as if she have money). She's both broke and hungry. She can't believe she's rejecting this kind offer at this state.

"Kihyun makes the best kimchi beef stew," Minhyuk offered.

Jieun gulped. The thought of the hot soup and the tender beef made water.

~

The next thing Jieun knew, she's sitting at the floor with seven good looking boys over dinner.

Jooheon gave her a cup of rice with both his hands, while Kihyun offered her a bowl of his infamous stew.

She looked around. If only they have not been like villains stealing her properties from her, she thinks that there will be a chance that she could be friends with them. But just like what she felt a while ago while packing her stuff, there's still bitterness trapped inside her.

If it isn't because of her growling stomach, she wouldn't be here. But she was left with no choice. She has to start looking for a job and earn money. She's lucky that before her mom died, she had an educational plan applied for her already, and so she doesn't have to think about school expenses and stuff; but still, now that she's alone and her mom's savings are already about start to not be enough for her and her daily expenses she really needs a job.

There are just so many things that are running inside her head.

She sighed, stuffing a spoonful of rice in .

Jieun sniffed, stuffing herself another spoonful. Her cheeks fulled with rice making her look like a sad hamster.

The boys looked at her in awe.

And then out of nowhere, she started crying in front of Kihyun's kimchi beef stew. The things that had happened today just came crashing down at her tonight.

Still crying, she slurped the stew straight from the bowl. She sniffed again, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

In a room filled with seven people, she has never felt more alone.

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