Yeongnam Academy’s annual spring festival was finally kicking off. Everyone was busy tending to their respective departments and doing some final touch-ups for all students and outsiders to enjoy. There was only a few hours left until the stalls scattered around campus start forming lines, the classrooms and hallways soon to be swarming with hundreds of unfamiliar faces, and the venue to start smelling like street food and cotton candy. 

Hyerin stood on top of a chair, in the midst of fixing the banner drooped over her classroom’s door. This was the first time she was involving herself in school, and to be quite honest, the current festivities successfully took her mind off of the things she much rather not think about. She was quite hesitant at first, but knowing that she needed a break from M-LX and the problems that came along with it, she decided to give it a shot.

After successfully pinning up the banner, she took advantage of her position on top of the chair to take a look around her.

The hallway was bustling with activity as students scurried around in their uniforms and costumes, all varying from gray and black waiter attires, cardboard helmets painted in silver, to sleek James Bond suits. All departments had different themes assigned to them and, coincidentally, Hyerin’s building was in charge of the futuristic sci-fo ‘alien’ concept. She laughed at the irony of it.

As her eyes passed the cramped hallway, she immediately spotted the lone patch of orange hair in the sea of cheesy robot heads and fake metal antennas. The owner of the bright-colored hair looked up, making eye contact with her.

“Hyerin!” Chanyeol grinned, jumping up and down before squeezing himself through the crowd to make his way towards her. Behind him, Sehun and Luhan followed.

“Hey!” She smiled, stepping down from the chair to meet with the trio. “What are you guys doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be helping in your departments?”

“I was but the head organizer in my building said they didn’t need help. But hey, look!” Luhan spun around in place to show off his steel armor. “We’re doing medieval times. Don’t I look exceptionally gallant?”

“Dashing,” she retorted, rolling her eyes playfully.

“What about me!? We juniors are doing retro!” Chanyeol exclaimed, smiling widely as he sported a pair of bellbottoms and a Shalamek shirt topped with a bright yellow scarf wrapped around his neck.

“Groovy,” Hyerin complimented before turning to Sehun and raising a brow. “And what are you supposed to be?”

Sehun, like Luhan, spun around in place, flaunting his white captain outfit. “Our department is doing K-Pop,” he said a-matter-of-factly as he tipped his hat.

“Then who are you cosplaying as?” she asked, brows furrowing.

“SNSD! You know, Genie?” He did the trademark leg dance step. “Can’t you tell by the sailor outfit?” he scoffed. “What about you? What are you supposed to be?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged. “I just help with the decorations.”

“Bo-ring,” Luhan stuck his tongue out to which Hyerin flipped him off.

“Shut up. Dressing up and is too bothersome. Ain’t nobody got time for that,” she scowled, taking the box of supplies from the table to carry inside. “Now if you gentlemen would excuse me, I have more stuff to do here.”

“Oh just ditch these basic shrews-”

“Sehun-"

“-and go sneak around with us and have fun!” Sehun exclaimed, earning a few glares from the people around him. He ignored them.

“I’ll have fun with you losers later, but right now I have a lot to do,” she said, heading back inside the classroom. “Don’t worry, I’ll call one of you later!”

“Fine, then. See you!” Chanyeol grinned before leaving with the other two, looking extremely out of place in their costumes.

As soon as the trio left, Hyerin made her way back inside the classroom, chuckling as she placed the box of supplies on the ground. Just in time, the bell for lunch rang.

Students then dropped everything they were doing and rushed outside to go to the cafeteria, all tired and wanting to rest. In less than five minutes, only a few kids were left inside the room. With a sigh, she followed suit, when someone called her name behind her.

“Hyerin!” Jongup, the class president, exclaimed, catching up to her.

She turned around with a raised eyebrow. “Yes?”

“I’m really sorry to bother you but is it okay if you help me set these tables and chairs to the side? Everyone ignored me and rushed out for lunch,” he said, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

Hyerin shrugged. “I don’t mind.” She walked over to him. “In fact, I’ll do it myself. You go and have lunch.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yeah. I know you’re tired so I’ll just ask a couple of friends to help me out here,” she said, giving him a small smile. “So go on. I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh man, thanks! I really appreciate it, Hyerin. I’ll see you!” He waved before jogging out of the classroom and into the clearing hallway.

Hyerin sighed, nodding her head satisfactorily. It was true that the president needed rest and besides, it would be harder to have someone help her carry the tables than doing it all by herself with her special ‘ability.’

Without further ado, she walked over to the furniture and stacked five of the heavy wooden tables on top of one another for easier carrying. She squatted and set her right shoulder under the table and slowly lifted it from the ground.

It was a struggle at first, but when she finally found her balance, she immediately got the hang of it. With a smile, she walked towards the other end of the classroom where the whiteboard was.

Just when she was halfway across the room, there were running footsteps outside followed by the opening of the door. It all happened so fast that Hyerin didn’t even realize that it was her classroom that someone just walked into.

She whipped around, eyes widening as she saw Hyeseul just standing there, mirroring the same expression she had.

“Oh my god,” Hyeseul whispered. “Oh my god.”

“,” Hyerin hissed, dropping the five extremely heavy tables from her shoulders to the floor, making an annoyingly loud sound.

The bang of the tables meeting the tiled floor made Hyeseul flinch. Hyerin had never seen the girl so scared in her entire life.

She backed away slowly. “D-Did you just carry a-all that by…by yourself?”

“Hyeseul, I-”

Without waiting for her explanation, Hyeseul stormed out of the classroom, abandoning her things that she earlier unintentionally dropped from seeing such a bizarre sight.

“!” Hyerin exclaimed, running after the girl. Luckily, Hyeseul was not even halfway across the hallway so she easily caught up to her. Hyerin grabbed Hyeseul’s arm and dragged her inside an empty classroom.

“What the !?” Hyeseul exclaimed, watching Hyerin lock the door. “What do you think you’re doing!? Let me out!”

“I can’t! Look, Hyeseul, what you saw in there-”

“Is incredibly outrageous! I don’t care what the hell kind of girl you are, just let me out of this room!” she yelled, her back pressed against the windows at the other side of the room.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Hyeseul,” she said in attempt to calm her down, slowly walking up to her.

Hyeseul desperately looked around the room and spotted a box cutter lying beside her. With no hesitation, she grabbed it and pointed it at Hyerin, hands shaking from fear.

“Stay back!” she demanded. “Or I’ll stab you!”

“Hyeseul, drop that thing now,” Hyerin ordered sternly.

“No!”

“Hyeseul, please. I don’t want things to become violent.”

“Then stay back!”

Without much of a choice, Hyerin advanced towards the girl and easily grabbed her arm. She took the other until Hyeseul was pressed against the windows with her hands behind her back. Hyerin took the blade and tossed it to the side.

“Please!” Hyeseul begged, eyes welling up with tears. “Please, don’t hurt me. I just want to get out of here, please just let me go!”

"I’m sorry, but I can’t. Just please, don’t be scared-”

“Are you kidding me? After what I just saw you do? You just carried five ing tables by yourself! Heck, even the guys wouldn’t be able to do that!” Hyeseul exclaimed. “I knew for the first time I saw you something was off. You were different from the rest and it’s not the good kind of different. Who are you, Kim Hyerin?” she questioned. “What are you?”

“Just like anybody else,” Hyerin said before quietly adding, “only a tad bit different.”

They both were silent until Hyerin loosened her grip on the girl’s wrists. She was careless. She let herself be discovered, and by Hyeseul at that. She honestly didn’t know what to do but right now, she really didn’t have a choice.

“Look, if you stay quiet I’ll let you go,” Hyerin promised.

Hyeseul looked contemplative for a second before nodding meekly, dropping to the ground once Hyerin completely let go of her arm. Slowly, Hyerin sat on the ground opposite the girl.

“So are you going to explain what I just saw there a while ago?” Hyeseul asked, protectively wrapping her arms around her as she brought up her knees to her chest.

“Yes, I will.” Hyerin nodded. “But I’m telling you this, Hyeseul. You cannot tell anyone about what you saw and what I’m about to say to you right now, okay? This is for my safety and for yours as well. Got it?”

Hyeseul nodded silently.

“Okay,” she sighed, closing her eyes briefly before speaking. “The thing is…I’m not normal. I’m able to do things that normal people can’t do. I pick up on things really easily no matter what it is and at first I didn’t know why but now…now I understand,” she explained, fumbling with her fingers. “There’s…There’s something in me that I can’t really say what. It’s what made me this way – stronger and faster and all that stuff. But the thing is, all this is for a purpose.”

Hyeseul’s brows knitted together, leaning in a bit closer. “What is it?”

Hyerin shrugged slightly, the corner of bitterly tugging upwards. She didn’t mean to laugh. It wasn’t something appropriate to do at a time like this, but she did anyway. “To save this city.”

Hyerin gave the dumbfounded girl a glance, not at all surprised by the incredulous look she was giving her. What with all the talk about superpowers and all.

“It’s crazy the first time hearing it but trust me. It’s true.”

“So you mean to say that you’re like…a superhero or something?” Hyeseul asked.

“No. Well,” She hesitated for a moment before sighing, “Well yeah. Something like that I guess? Except I’m kind of part of an organization full of people just like me.”

“There are others like you!?” Hyeseul questioned.

“Yes.” Hyerin nodded. “There is. But I can’t tell you who they are.”

Hyeseul opened only to abruptly close it once again. Her eyes became somewhat hard and cynical, and just from that, Hyerin knew that she didn’t need to drop hints as to who they were, because she had the feeling that the girl already knew.

Hyeseul nodded grimly. “I see.” 

“Hyeseul,” Hyerin started, taking the girl’s hand. “I need you to promise me not to tell anyone this. I don’t care if you believe me or not but please just don’t tell anyone. Please.”

Hyeseul pulled her hand away. “Why tell me all this in the first place then? You could have just made an excuse or something.”

“Because I trust you,” Hyerin said, catching the other girl off-guard. “Because I know that no matter how mean you can be there’s some goodness in there. Hyeseul, I was brave enough to stand up to you the first time. And then I was brave enough to let my brother be with you,” she said before adding, “Now, I’m brave enough to depend on you, and I’m sure you won’t fail me because you’re just like me. I trust you.”

“How would you know that?”

She shrugged. “I know a strong girl when I see one.” 

Hyeseul gave her a look before sighing in defeat. She brushed her skirt and rolled her eyes. “Just so you know, Kim Hyerin, this is ing crazy.”

“I know.” She nodded. “But it’s nothing you can’t handle, right?”

Hyerin was about to get up on her feet when Hyeseul reached out a hand to her.

“You said it yourself. I’m a strong girl,” she muttered, taking Hyerin’s hand and helping her up.

Hyerin grinned, extremely relieved that she ended up pulling the girl into a tight hug. “Thank you so much. I’m so grateful.”

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Enough with the drama, please!? And oh my god, you are crushing me!” Hyeseul screeched, prying away from the girl’s iron grip but to no avail. After trying several times, she sighed, giving in.

Hyeseul pressed her lips together before wrapping her arms around the girl as well, surprised, as she felt no resentment.

“Thank you,” Hyerin said once again.

Hyeseul sighed. “No,” she shook her head, “thank you.”

---

The festival had officially started. The gates were wide open for both students and outsiders eager to participate in the festivities, for once taking their minds off of schoolwork and other activities. People formed lines in front of food stalls and classroom cafes to eat, as well as the other booths and departments of different themes. The atmosphere was light and busy and the sunny weather that everyone waited for finally came, bringing people into good spirits.

Hyerin and Sehun walked arm in arm in the middle of campus, on their way to the juniors’ campus to Kyungsoo’s department after spending a good thirty minutes at the retro-themed disco Chanyeol was in charge of running with a couple of his classmates. It was fun yet tiring, leading the two to go somewhere else.

“Man, did I bust some moves on that dance floor!” Sehun laughed, once again doing the signature leg dance step from SNSD’s Genie.

“Stop doing that already!” Hyerin exclaimed, pushing the boy aside before laughing and snatching his captain hat.

“Hey. I have to be in character, right? I am cosplaying,” Sehun snorted, pushing the doors open to Kyungsoo’s department.

She placed the hat on top of her head. “You don’t need to. You already look like an SNSD member,” she laughed, suddenly stopping as she looked around in amazement.

“Wow,” Sehun whistled. “I’m impressed. This has got to be the prettiest department.”

Inside the building was a completely different dimension. The walls were covered in fancy wallpaper and the ceilings decorated with silk of different colors drooping so low that it was brushing against the top of their heads. Signs painted with Japanese calligraphy were everywhere, as well as fake Cherry Blossom trees in random corners of the building. Everyone was dressed in Yukatas. The only source of light were the lanterns hung on the ceiling, casting a soft glow on the women in Kimonos dancing to the traditional Japanese music faintly playing in the background.

“Wow,” Hyerin mumbled. “How much money do you think they spent on this?”

“I heard most of these were made by the students themselves,” Sehun whispered. “This puts ours to shame. I suddenly feel ridiculous in this captain suit.”

Hyerin snorted, trying hard not to laugh at the boy as she peeked inside one of the classrooms that now served as a fake shrine. There were a couple of visitors who were praying inside even though they knew it was nothing but an imitation.

“Here! Here!” A girl in a blue and white Kimono yelled. “Come visit the Kimono Renting Place! Be a part of the full Japanese experience dressed up in a Kimono for only $9.99!”

Sehun’s eyes lit up as he heard the impromptu announcement. With a big grin on his face, he pulled Hyerin with him towards the girl.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Hyerin demanded.

“Is that for the whole day!?” Sehun asked excitedly.

“Of course, sir! You get to pick your own sandals, too!” the lady said.

“Ahh!” Sehun yelped excitedly. “Perfect! For two please!”

“Woah, woah, woah! Hold up!” Hyerin exclaimed. “What are you doing!?”

“We’re going to dress up in Kimonos!”

“For ten ing bucks!? No way!” Hyerin hissed into his ear. “Do you know how much food we could buy with ten bucks?”

“Oh, come on! Don’t be cheap now! This is a once in a lifetime experience! I want to dress up nice and I really want to get out of this stupid captain costume. It’s ridiculous!”

“Shouldn’t have worn it in the first place.”

“Whatever. Madame, take my money,” he said, giving the girl a twenty before walking inside the classroom and pulling Hyerin with him. “Please give us your best Kimonos. I want to look like royalty.”

“Understood, sir!” the girl said cheerily before following them inside.

It took a while to dress the both of them up as it was not easy putting on a Kimono. Sehun’s strict and precise demands were no help too, as it only made the process longer. After a whole lot of struggles and waiting, they were both finally done.

“Bow down to the King Oh Sehun, ruler of the South,” Sehun announced, lifting his arms up as he flaunted his navy blue Kimono with gold and red dragons imprinted on them. His belt was a sunset orange painted with small dragon figures in light green, his head carrying a fake golden Silla crown. He proudly turned in a circle as the workers around him ‘ahh’ed in appreciation. Hyerin rolled her eyes.

“And I present to you my lady, Queen Oh Hyerin of the South!” he announced in a booming voice.

“Oh Hyerin?” she repeated, shaking her head in embarrassment.

Hyerin walked up beside Sehun unwillingly, clad in an all black Kimono. Her back had the same gold and red dragons Sehun had, except hers were made out of sequins that were meticulously sewed into the back down to the entrails of the dress. Her belt was thick and made of red silk, completed with wooden slippers and a crown matching Sehun’s.

Everyone clapped, playing along with Sehun’s ridiculous act. With burning cheeks, Hyerin bowed to the students and pulled Sehun out with her.

“You are such an idiot!” Hyerin grumbled, to which Sehun just laughed out loud.

“Oh, come on! Wasn’t that fun? Now we’ll be dressed fabulously ‘till the end of the night!”

“How is that supposed to be fun?” Hyerin rolled her eyes. “My feet better not get blistered because of these hard sandals.”

“Shush, my queen. We must be at our finest as our humble people are watching us.”

“No one’s even looking at us.”

“I said shush, you little .”

After that, they roamed around the Japanese-themed building some more, enjoying their time there. It was only a matter of time before they decided to finally go to where Kyungsoo was at as that was the only reason why they were there in the first place.

Sehun pushed the doors open to Kyungsoo’s classroom that was now turned into a small eatery serving traditional Japanese food.

“Excuse me,” one student in charge of the entrance approached them. “Do you have a ticket to go in?”

Hyerin shook her head. “No.”

“Then you can’t come in. You have to have a ticket to eat here. It can be bought at the first floor just by the entrance.”

“We’re not even going to eat here, we’re just visiting a friend,” Sehun scoffed.

“I’m sorry but-”

“No, I’m sorry because you’re going to get your whooped for talking to royalties like that,” Sehun cut off, rolling his eyes at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Make way for King Sehun and Queen Hyerin before I send your to exile, peasant.” Sehun glared at the boy, to which the latter gulped and stepped aside. With his head held up high, Sehun walked inside.

Hyerin raised her eyebrows. “Wow.”

“A ruler must take no from a mere commoner,” Sehun said haughtily before calling a waitress. “Where is Kyungsoo?” he asked.

“Oh, he’s at the kitchen at the back,” she said.

“Very well. The king shall visit the lad now. Thank you very much.” He smiled before walking away, ignoring the waitress’ confused look. Hyerin apologized to the girl before following Sehun to the back.

“Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo!” Sehun exclaimed, pushing the door to the side and startling the people inside.

The said boy lifted his head up, surprised to see the two suddenly barging into the kitchen. He was also wearing a Yukata, except cheaper and less fancy than the two. He had a towel wrapped around his forehead that indicated he was a worker.

Sehun beamed. “Ah, Do Kyungsoo, my peasant friend!”

“The you just call me?”

“Don’t mind him, he’s just really getting into character.” Hyerin shrugged, peeking at whatever Kyungsoo was making.

Kyungsoo turned to the boy with a skeptic eye. “What the hell are you all dressed up for?”

“I am King Oh Sehun and this, my friend, is your Queen Oh Hyerin.” He pointed at the girl beside him.

He raised a brow. “Oh Hyerin?”

“Now bow down.”

“Like hell I will.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes before turning back to what he was doing. "You look ridiculous.”

"I told you!" Hyerin exclaimed, slapping Sehun's shoulder.

“Restrain yourself, my queen!" Sehun commanded, rubbing his sore shoulder. "Now what’s cooking, peasant? I am ready to taste the food you have especially made for me.”

“Who said I cooked this for you? Here, have some dango.” He slid a small plate towards him with the said delicacy. “So what brings you here?”

“Well, we both have nothing to do in our departments so we decided to sneak out and have fun,” Hyerin said, watching as Sehun finished the dumplings in less than a second. “He was pretty eager to get out of his building.”

“This is really good!” Sehun exclaimed. “Do Kyungsoo, you are now promoted as the royal cook of my palace!”

“Fantastic,” Kyungsoo mumbled sarcastically before giving him another plate. “Here’s some manju as well to shut you up.”

“So,” Hyerin started, grinning at the boy teasingly. “Your secret cooking skills aren’t a secret anymore, huh?”

“Well it’s about time someone actually cooked good food in here.” Kyungsoo shrugged, cutting up a block of tofu. “Obviously there’s only one person and that’s me. How’s the manju, Sehun?”

“That’s King Sehun for you!” Sehun corrected, mouth filled with the red bean-filled mochi. “This is so good! You are now promoted as a lord of my court!”

“Please just shut up.”

“That’s no way to talk to your king!” Sehun exclaimed. “Now serve me more food so I can forgive you.”

With a sigh, he handed the boy an onigiri. “There you are, your grace.”

Sehun took a bite, and he smiled like never before. “You know what? You’re promoted as the king’s hand. You’re too good at this, man, how are you so good?”

"I have magical hands,” Kyungsoo said, pleased with the boy’s reaction. “What can I say? I’m the best.”

Hyerin stuck out her tongue. “Don’t be cocky now.” 

“Says the one with the fancy crown on her head,” Kyungsoo teased, watching the girl look away from embarrassment.

“It wasn’t my idea!” she reasoned out.

“I know,” Kyungsoo mumbled, chuckling slightly as he patted her head. “You look great.”

Hyerin glared at him to hide the redness of her cheeks before Sehun decided to break it up, standing in between them.

“How dare you touch my queen!?” Sehun questioned.

Hyerin shook her head good-naturedly before going to the other side of the room to watch the other cooks do their work, not wanting to hear Sehun blabbering.

“Jesus, Sehun, quit it with the king act or I’ll stab you in the face!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, raising the knife in his hand to prove a point.

“Planning to murder me for my place in the throne I see.” Sehun gave him a mischievous look. “For what, Lord Kyungsoo? The hand of my wife in marriage?”

“Oh my god, not this again.” He shook his head, taking a handful of flour from the sack beside him and throwing it at Sehun’s chest.

“Don’t deny it. I know how you look at her!” Sehun dug his hands inside the sack and threw flour at Kyungsoo as well, hitting him on the shoulder. “But don’t worry. If you fight for her hand and you win then she shall be yours.”

Kyungsoo gave him a look before throwing more flour at his face. “You’re the stupidest person I’ve ever met.”

---

Despite the heat during the day, it was chilly in the night. This was why after all the events of the afternoon ended, everyone headed to the football stadium where a massive bonfire was set to warm both the students and the visitors. The stadium was big enough to make room for everyone, whether be it just to lie around or chat with their respective group of friends.

Hyerin, Suho, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Luhan, and Sehun sat in a circle closest to the fire. They had to because it was cold and also because Chanyeol was controlling the fire, preventing it to go off even though it was big as it was now.

They were in the middle of conversing when Suho’s phone rang.

With a smile, Suho answered the phone, later finding out it was Kris. The phone was passed on within the circle and through this, they learned that the others at Hong Kong were in the middle of searching for Tao’s captors as well as finding more about their case. It was evident that they were busy, and all everyone wanted was to be together again as soon as possible.

Hyerin sighed heavily as she handed the phone to Chanyeol beside her after having a long talk with Lay. Apparently, Kai and Baekhyun were giving each other the cold shoulder. Lay said that they weren’t even talking to each other despite the fact that every night they leave the hotel and wander around the streets to look for enemies together. Lay said it was immature and annoying, and she honestly could not agree more.

“What’s with the long face, sugar?”

Hyerin turned her head to the her left only to see Luhan lying on his stomach, knuckles supporting his chin as he looked up at her with a smile on his face.

Hyerin sighed. “Things aren’t going so well back there.”

“You mean between Kai and Baekhyun?” To her right, Sehun squeezed himself between Hyerin and Chanyeol. “Of course it wouldn’t be. The guy who dumped you and the guy who likes you can’t stay in one room without trying to rip each other’s head off! That’s just impossible!”

“Well, so far they haven’t…yet,” Hyerin grumbled. “I just wish it wasn’t this complicated.”

Luhan shrugged. “Your fault, obviously.” 

“Gee, thanks.”

“Oh, you should think less about the people who make you feel upset. Instead, why not focus on the ones who make you happy?” Sehun said.

“What do you mean by that?” Hyerin asked, frowning.

Luhan gave her a devilish smirk. “You know what he means.”

“You should pay attention to your surroundings because it doesn’t take a genius to know that Mr. Right might just be around the corner,” Sehun said. “And in some cases, you don’t even have to look. Sometimes, that someone can be right in front of you,” he muttered, taking her chin and turning her head to the front.

Her eyes landed on Kyungsoo. He had his knees brought up to his chest with the phone pressed against his ear, plucking grass idly as he laughed with whoever was on the other line. She found herself laughing as well, until he lifted his head and met gazes with her.

He muttered something short to the person he was talking to, eyes not tearing away from hers. He had a mischievous yet calm look on his face, and she wondered if he was talking about her.

“What?” Hyerin mouthed.

Kyungsoo smiled slightly. “Nothing,” he whispered.

With a smile, Hyerin shook her head at him before looking down on the ground. Beside her, Sehun was smirking.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that,” he said smugly.

“Don’t make up stuff between us, Sehun.”

“I’m not. Honestly, you’re the only one who’s absolutely clueless right now. Go ahead and ask him about his feelings. You’ll be surprised with his answer.”

“Are you telling me that he likes me?” Hyerin asked incredulously, half joking.

"That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

Her brows furrowed as she turned to look at the boy once again, genuinely estranged how she actually didn’t find this all that surprising. She felt worried, though, that if this were true, Kyungsoo would end up getting hurt.

And honestly, she wanted anything but that.

“And you think that’s a smart move for him to make?” she asked him.

“Smart? Nope. But admirable? Yes.”

“Admirable, you say.”

“For a boy to have the courage to care for someone that can so easily break,” he said quietly, “that’s pretty admirable.”

“You tell me this like it’s true.”

“And if it is true, what would you do?”

Hyerin stared at Sehun, not knowing what to say. What would she do? She didn’t want to let what happened to Chanyeol repeat itself with Kyungsoo, yet she didn’t know how to prevent it from happening. She was no expert when it came to this, and it made her think that letting Kyungsoo fall in love with her was a very bad idea.

Just when she was feeling troubled enough, she looked up across the bonfire and there, standing so calmly and quietly were the Noxius brothers.

It was no surprise that they were here, yet Hyerin couldn’t help the cold shiver that ran down her spine. Their eyes were on her, she was sure of that, yet she didn’t speak of it to the others.

Hyerin turned to look at Minho, his solitude eyes giving away no expression. For a while they remained just like that, until Minho opened his mouth ever so slightly to utter one word.

“Soon,” he whispered, and Hyerin knew perfectly well what he meant by that.

War is coming soon. Those words kept repeating itself in her mind like a broken record as she continued to watch Minho. The flames of the bonfire looked like it was eating up his figure, like the tips of the burning flames were swallowing the last of his hope as he stared at her with fearful, cynical eyes.

War is coming soon, and they’re running out of time.

---

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