My stomach growled for the third time that evening. It had been three hours since I locked myself in the bedroom with a huge mug of coffee on my desk and a blue pen between my fingers. I regretted skipping dinner as much as I regretted being caught by the devil in Mr.Kim’s office. The mere memory made me want to palm my face because of how careless I had been that day. If only I could travel in time. If only I hadn’t enrolled in Seoul High. If only I wasn’t expelled fro my school. If only I wasn’t this aggressive. If only my parents didn’t get a divorce.

When I was young, I was the most timid toddler in the neighborhood; long bangs on hair were covering my eyes as the rest of my locks were held into a pair of pigtails, floral dresses were my mother’s choice, and I was okay with them back then. I would always hide behind my mother’s long skirt whenever she was talking to a friend or a neighbor; with the exception of my parents and grandmother, I used to find adults really intimidating.

My parents loved each other, I could tell from the morning kisses they shared, the soft glimmer of my father’s eyes when he watched my mother busy herself in the kitchen, and the pinkish shade that would blossom on  her cheeks whenever he hugged her or held her hand. Too bad they resembled each other; both hot-headed, mercurial, and both have strong personalities, which meant that if he yelled at her, she’d do the same, and slowly things got out of control between the two until I found myself with only one parent, all of a sudden.

I never cried when I learned that my parents had a divorce, nor when I understood what a divorce was, the only thing that was pretty noticeable was the abrupt change in my behavior. People couldn’t quiet comprehend how I turned from a shy girl to an aggressive and insurgent one, and instead of trying to understand the situation, they only made it worse. I got into many brawls during middle school, but no one has ever taken my side, not even my mother, my own flesh and blood.

For a girl that age, it was incredibly painful and agonizing. I was on the verge of destroying myself, if not for Baekhyun who appeared at the right moment of my life. I owned him everything I became.

A knock on the door snapped me from my misery and dragged me back to reality. With a huff, I opened the door, revealing the maid who was standing at my door with a tray of food in her hands, smiling warmly at me.

“I bought something to eat since you didn’t come down for dinner” she said and stepped in, putting the tray on the nightstand.

“Thank you” I bowed genuinely. The woman was really nice.

“Please tell me if you need anything, I don’t go to bed until midnight” she bowed and went out, silently closing the door behind her.

I didn’t know I was hungry until I saw the food in front of me. With a sigh, I dug in.

An hour later, I was done with that sissy’s homework and mine. The clock showed eleven thirty, and I was supposed to be in bed by ten. More than four hours of work made my tired body crave for bed. Stifling a yawn, I carried the tray and walked downstairs to the kitchen where the lights were still on.

The backdoor was half-open. The maid was talking to someone—a girl, judging from the voice—the conversation was shushed, and the old woman jumped up when I put the tray on the kitchen’s counter, startling her.

She hastily bid goodbye to whomever she was talking to and closed the door, turning to me with a nervous stare.

“The food was delicious as always, thank you” I said

“Yuri, please don’t tell—“

“I never saw you, I was in my room the whole evening” I gave her a toothy smile and she sighed in relief, her smile showing how grateful she was.

I knew that Sekyung wouldn’t think twice of throwing the poor woman out the door. One of the rules my stepmother set in the house was that servants were forbidden from seeing members of their family at work place, and it was totally absurd because where was the harm in that? The aged female saw her family on Sundays, since she would spend the other six days doing different tasks to satisfy this family. I hoped that my father paid her well because she deserved it.   

I wasn’t feeling well. My back was sore from the few hours I spent hunched on the desk, doing something I wasn’t supposed to do, that’s why I slept in.

My hair was carelessly cascading down to my waist. I hastily brushed it after wearing my outrageous uniform and dashed out of the house.

Walking with long strides down the street, I didn’t pay much attention to the skirt that was uncomfortably flapping around my thighs because of my furious steps, all I had in mind was getting to school on time, this and giving Sehun a piece of my mind when I’d see him. My thoughts were blinding my consciousness and I accidently walked into someone. Our shoulders bumped violently and stumbled backwards, dropping the bag and spilling its content.

“Ugh!” frustrated, I groaned as I kneeled down and started picking my stuff. The stranger wasted no time in helping me.

“I’m so sorry” he apologized repeatedly, but his apology wouldn’t get me to school in time. I glanced at my wrist-watch and I almost broke in tears “Oh no!”

“You must be late for school. I can drive you” his offer caught me off guard and I hesitated for a moment. I shouldn’t ride with strangers, but it was an emergency. The boy noticed the uncertainty on my face “I have a motorbike, it’ll be quick” he gestured to the other side of the road. Indeed, there was a red motorcycle parked there.

I followed him as he crossed the street. He gave me a helmet and asked which school I go to.

“Seoul High” I said before putting the helmet on my head and sitting behind him. I didn’t know where to put my hands, to I discreetly held to the sides of his jacket, but the boy reached for my hands and wrapped them around his torso, taking by surprise.

The way he drove was really smooth, and I arrived to school without a scratch. Handing him the helmet back, I bowed gratefully and run through the gate, avoiding the stares I was receiving and mentally slapping myself thrice for not asking for his name.

Five minutes before the class started, I was standing in front of the locker, arranging my books and whatnot.

“Good morning sweetheart!” a cheerful Sehun showed from behind me. The name made me blush a record shade of red for some unknown reason; nevertheless, it was still ridicul