“Hyung!” I kicked off my shoes and ran off to my brother’s room. I jumped on his bed. He looked away from his laptop and brought down his glasses.

“You seem excited today.”

“Hyung, My friend, Miinho, invited me for a sleepover tonight at his place. Can I come? Can I come? Please?” I knelt before with my hands clasped together AND with puppy eyes.

He just stared at me. C’mon hyung I know you’re going to give in. I blinked twice.

“Oh Okay.” Then he returned to his work. “Just where is your friend’s house?”

“Just a couple of blocks away. It’s not that far hyung.” I stood up and got my bag. I headed for the door.

“Wait a minute. You’ve got a friend???” He turned to look at me again. I just shrugged my shoulders and went out of his room. “I’m going to start packing now.”

I stuffed in my pajamas, my school uniform, underwear and toiletries in a duffel bag. Should I buy snacks for us too? I flipped open my cellphone and texted Minho.

To: Minho hyung

From: Taemin

Hyung, what do you want for snacks?

I grabbed my bag and ran off to the kitchen. What can I bring? I rummaged the cupboards for some chips. “Hyung! Don’t we have some chips?”

My brother’s voice rang throughout the household. “Uhmmm…Sorry Taem! I haven’t done any grocery shopping for a while…I promise, we’ll go to the supermarket this weekend.”

“Aish. Okay hyung.” A beep resounded from my pocket.

From: Minhyo hyung

To: Taemin

It’s okay Tae! I’ve got it all covered. Kibum dropped off a batch of cookies this afternoon. Come on over while it’s still hot! Take care on the way! See you!

I put back my phone in my pocket and headed for the door. “Hyung! I’m going now! Call Hankyung hyung for some company!”

“I’m way ahead of you Taem! He’s coming in a few minutes! Take care! And don’t forget to call me once you get there!”

“Okaaaaay…bye~”

As soon as I got out of our apartment, the cold night air embraced me. Suddenly, Miinho’s house seemed so far away. If I take the bus, it’ll take time and I want to taste Kibum’s cookies already. There’s only one way to do this. RUN!!! No..uhm..how about brisk walking? Yeah. That’s better. Here we go. I mentally hummed a tune with every step that I take. It’ll keep me in pace. The better the pace, the faster I get to Minho’s house.

I know this is childish but…what the heck. Just a few more houses to go. Hum da bum.

“Hey kid!” I turned around and saw three guys from an alley. Uh-oh. This isn’t good. Usually guys from alleyways are bad news. In this case there are two options, first one is to stop and be an ignorant innocent kid and let them come near you. The second option is to walk away as soon as possible. Well, I maybe innocent or even ignorant but I will definitely choose option number two.

I walked faster, the guys kept on calling me but I didn’t even dare look back. Passing by a store, I looked at the reflection at the window. Damn, they’re still following me. I hurried my steps even more and turned around a bit. Why are these guys on my trail? Then a car stopped beside me. The passenger seat opened.

“Get in quick.”

I didn’t need another call to make me sit inside the car. I don’t know who’s driving this thing but I need to get away from those guys. Big guys from alleys are, most of the time, dangerous. Weak kids like me should stay away. Then the car stared to drive away.

“Aish. Why are you always in trouble?”

I stilled upon hearing the familiar voice. I turned around and saw him shaking his head.

“Kibum…”

“Why are you always saying my name everytime you see me?” He smirked at me. I didn’t answer. I didn’t know the answer to it. “I guess you’re going to Minho’s huh?”
I nodded in reply.

“Why are you out? I thought you have a lot of things to do.”

“Yeah. I just went to the bookstore to buy a few things.” He pointed to the backseat. I looked over my shoulder and saw plastic bags of posters and books.

“You can do that over at Minho’s. I’ll…we’ll help you…”