"OH MY GOD KAI, HURRY UP!" Groaned Youngchul as he sat on a wooden bench at the corner of the practice room.

     The sun's rays shone warmly through the glass door and windows, making the practice room unnaturally hotter than it should be. The heat was obviously taking its toll on the young rookie dance group that was Exo K, as they had been dancing non-stop for the past three hours. The air inside the spacious room was dry and humid, making practice a lot harder than it should have been.

     "OH MY GOD YOUNGCHUL, HAVE SOME PATIENCE!" Kai retorted once the song they had been practicing, which was history, was over. While the other members of Exo idly spoke with each other, Kai walked over towards his impatient acquaintance.

     "I do have patience! But you've been practicing for three damn hours. I mean, does it ever stop?" Complained Youngchul. Kai sighed at his friend's ignorance to the idol life. It wasn't his fault, though. Youngchul had about as much idol talent as the 'fancy rocks' Kai had been watching on television a few days earlier.

     A towel was resting next to Youngchul on the bench, waiting to be used. Kai decided to postpone answering Youngchul's questions, picking up the towel and wiping his sweat-beaded face. A drink of water would have been nice, but he had gulped down the only two bottles he had brought already. He turned around to face his other group members, ignoring Youngchul.

     "Anyone have some water?" Kai asked, plopping down on the bench next to Youngchul. Youngchul was still complaining away when Kai received an answer.

     "Here. You can have the rest of mine." Chanyeol's unnaturally deep echoed through the room as he tossed his half-full water bottle to Kai. Kai caught it with sloppy precision and almost immediately started to gulp the liquid down, not giving second though about Chanyeol's offer.

     While the members were cooling down, the glass door of the practice room opened up, another gust of hot air blasting into the room. Everyone's momentary groans at the sweltering heatwave were cut off as they found the person walking in to be their manager. Everyone, save for Youngchul, stopped their current activities and stood up to bow and say hello to the manager.

     "He's wearing a suit. Isn't it too hot for a suit?" Youngchul commented to himself. Kai slapped his arm.

     "Stupid. Be quiet. That's our manager." Kai whispered before turning around to face the manager again.

     "Actually, he's right. The temperature has reached above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, that's why I'm here." The manager stated, looking at the young performers. "Because it's been this hot, you all can go home now. We've also decided to give all groups the day off tomorrow, as they're expecting the same temperatures then."

     There was a small sense of disbelief among the boys as they heard the news. They hadn't had a day off in at least a month, let alone two. Although nobody wanted to admit it in front of the manager, everyone was relieved to finally have two days off to relax.

     "Anything I need to know about?" The manager asked. Everyone shook their head, giving him the all-clear to leave. Giving his goodbyes, he went back out into the fierceness of the heat.

     "We should go swimming." Chanyeol was the first to speak. Although the idea was sudden, it wasn't crazy.

     "But think; all the pools are going to be overcrowded, it's so hot. We should just get ice cream." Suho offered, being in the mood for something sweet.

     "Suho is right. But, I don't think I want ice cream. Slushies, maybe?" D.O continued. As the members went on to argue about what to do with their day off, Kai and Youngchul gave a glance to each other.

     "Are they always like this?" Youngchul whispered to Kai. Kai couldn't hold back from laughing a bit before nodding.

     "Pretty much." He said.

     As Youngchul watched Exo conversate, he thought about what he could do for the day. Kai would probably go do something with his group. The only other person he could think that would be fun to bug would be Allegra - Allegra!

     "Kai, do you remember meeting Allegra?" Youngchul asked, remembering what she had asked the other day. Kai and Allegra weren't friends; they weren't even what you would consider acquaintances, but they had met once or twice through Youngchul. The other day, Youngchul had went to visit his foreign friend Allegra at the library, only to find she shared the same interest in the ancient rocks that Kai had been watching on TV earlier that day.

     "Yeah. Why?"

      "Because, she knows about those fancy rocks or whatever that you've been so interested with. When I went to the library the other day. she was reading some sort of book on them. It was ironic, actually. And I told her that you knew about them, and she wanted me to bring you to the library." Youngchul explain the whole story.

     "She-knows about the stones?" Kai asked, slightly surprised. Youngchul nodded.

     "Ne. Seems to be pretty interested in them."

     "When can I meet her?" Kai cocked an eyebrow questioningly at Youngchul. Youngchul, feeling slightly defensive for his female friend, gave Kai a disapproving look.

     "Not like that, stupid. If she's as interested in this stuff as me...I mean, it would be nice to have someone else who knows what they're talking about." Kai paused for a moment. "You know, instead of someone like you, who keeps calling them 'old rocks'." Youngchul rolled his eyes.

     "I figured you would be going with your group to hang out, and actually planned to go to where she works after this." Youngchul answered. Kai looked over at Exo, who were all still arguing about where they would go to eat and such. Kai shrugged and looked back at Youngchul. Youngchul just nodded towards the door, hinting to leave.

     "I'm going to go hang with him for a while." Kai managed to get his voice heard through the clutter of his band members, pointing towards Youngchul. "Call me if any of you need me." The members just nodded as the two walked out into the blazing heat that were the crowded streets of Seoul.

     "Dear God, tell me she's nearby." Begged Kai as he fanned his shirt, trying to give relief to his already overheating body.

     "It's not terribly far..." Youngchul trailed off. "...But we should probably take a bus."

     Kai didn't argue, as the heat was too much to handle for the both of them. After waiting at an overly crowded bus stop, the two finally caught a bus that didn't seem too much like a sardine can. The two barely talked on the ride, making their way to the library in good time.

     "She works here? In Gangnam?" Kai asked in skepticism. Youngchul nodded.

      The two made their way inside, the library being surprisingly full of people. With the day so hot, it wouldn't be a shock that someone would rather read a book than go outside in the heat.

     To Youngchul's dismay, SooHwa, one of the workers in the library, was no where to be seen, but Allegra didn't seem to be hiding today. She was sitting at the desk, checking out books for a young looking teen. Youngchul made himself at home, not having to be as quiet as last time since the library was already bustling with sounds. Kai followed, having never visited Gangnam before.

     "Hey Allegra, can I check you out?" Youngchul said, a large amount of grease in his voice. Youngchul was trying in his own way to show Kai that Allegra was, in a way, his 'girl', even if they weren't dating. Allegra, who was wishing the young teen a good day, looked up at Youngchul with slight anger.

     "You can hardly read a book. Good luck reading women." She said in Korean, but quickly went to English, not noticing Kai behind Youngchul. Kai laughed at the remark. "What are you doing here, you ball of grease?" She asked. Kai, suddenly confused by the English, looked at Youngchul, expecting him to translate. Feeling a little happy, and possibly big headed, at the fact he spoke English, he continued to speak English with Allegra.

     "Remember Kai, the one who likes old gravel as much as you do? This is him." Youngchul said, pointing to Kai. Kai, who wasn't really sure what they were saying, waved anyways.

     "Hi..." she paused. "Does he...yeongeo mal su isseumnida?" - Does he speak English? She asked in a mix of Konglish. Kai shook his head.

     "Hanguk mal su isseumnida?" - Do you speak Korean? Asked Kai.

     "Ne. Choneun Allegraimnida." She said, bowing slightly.

     "Oh my god, don't even start with being formal. There's nothing formal about rocks." Youngchul shouted in Korean.

     "Rocks have more class than you." She retorted. Kai laughed again. Youngchul groaned.

     "I didn't bring him here so you could make fun of me, dammit. I brought him here because you wanted to talk about rocks. Stones. All that...fancy...stuff." Youngchul stated, slight irritation in his voice. He didn't like being made a fool of in front of his friend by his OTHER friend.

     "Okay, okay. Kai, what do you know about the Elemental symbols?" She asked. Kai was normally shy, but the topic was an interest to him.

     "Well, I know there's 7 discovered. And that the symbols have been found in civilizations through history. Completely unrelated civilizations." He responded. Allegra nodded, everything he said ringing true.

     "Let's go to the section that has books on this. I'm done at the desk for now." Allegra instructed. The trio went back, picked up a few books, then sat at a table together.

     "Where to start?" Allegra asked herself, opening a book and shuffling through the pages.

     "Do you know where the symbols originated?" Kai asked, learning in next to Allegra for a better view of the book. Youngchul, not as interested as his two friends, decided to go off and look around the library.

     Allegra flipped through the pages a bit more until she came across a picture of a large stone. Around the stone were seven symbols. Inside the large, round stone were many designs, two of which being the sun and the moon on opposite diagonal sides. The center of the stone showed some form of star, while the outer right edge housed the symbols.

     "Here, I think. On the Unknown Wheel." She began.

     "Called that because no one's quite sure of where it originated." Kai completed, as if the two were thinking the same thing. Allegra nodded.

     "Some of the symbols seemed to have worn off over time. Now all we have are seven." She named them off as she pointed to them on the picture. "Triangle, Baphomet, Droplet, Star, Phoenix, Wind, and an Hourglass."

      "Each symbol is supposed to represent something, possibly elements. We've not been able to find much info on which symbols mean which. The Unknown Wheel was supposedly found in a temple, but the people who found it refused to tell where the temple was, afraid of it being vandalized." Allegra taught.

     "Who found it?" Kai asked, skimming over the pages for an answer. Allegra did a little more searching herself before finding the answer.

     "It was actually two people. Michael Dekker and Rick Koning. Both Dutch. They found the stone in 1743. Because they wouldn't tell anyone where the stone came from, all current information came from them."

     "Although the stone was discovered in an anonymous area, the symbols had been found throughout all of history."

     "Which makes one wonder why we only found and paid attention to them now." Kai interrupted.

     "True. It was thought the wheel came from a civilization that had taken these symbols from other people throughout history, but according to Dekker and Koning, the stone was found in an area that none of these civilizations that used it had been." Allegra said.

     "We only know what four of the symbols represent because that's all they found before one of them, Koning, passed away. Dekker refused to do any more research without Rick's help." Allegra continued.

      "So far, we know that the Phoenix means rebirth and immortality for its people. The star represents some form of light. The droplet, of course, represents water. And the wind symbol is, well, wind." Allegra said. Kai intently listened.

     "Could someone tell me why these symbols are so important?" Youngchul, who had been idly walking around the library, seemed to appear out of no where.

      "Well, besides the fact it's just interesting, some people are thinking this might have something to do with the beginning of humans and civilization." Allegra said.

     "People actually think these symbols represent the beginning of humans?" Youngchul asked, leaning against the table at which Kai and Allegra sat.

     "Not just that, but maybe our ending." Kai added.

     "Does this have to do with that Mayan Calender thing?" Youngchul questioned. Kai nodded and looked over at Allegra, hoping for her to explain.

     "As I said, these symbols have appeared in many civilizations throughout history, one being the Mayans. On the Mayan Calender, some of these symbols actually appear."

     "Why do we think they are some part of our beginning?" Youngchul continued to ask. Allegra just shook her head.

     "I've not gotten that far yet. That's just what I've heard. Might have something to do with the fact that nearly every civilization has used at least one of these symbols. There are even cave paintings opposite places like France and South America that show these symbols."

     "They could be that missing link we're looking for." Kai added.

     "Where do the symbols come from?" Youngchul asked.

     "That, we don't know. As I was telling Kai, it was never told where they came from exactly. Some people think the world's first civilization created them."

     "And who is the world's first civilization?" Youngchul continued to play 20 questions with the two.

     "I wish we knew. But we don't." Allegra shrugged. The two continued to converse when a voice startled the trio.

     "Allegra!" the familiar voice of SooHwa rang through. "We have a huge back up at the desk. I'm so confused!" She said, her tone desperate. Allegra gandered at the front desk momentarily to see SooHwa was right. A few of the other library employees were furiously trying to assist customers to know prevalence. Allegra stood up and began to walk off, but turned to face Kai and Youngchul.

     "You two can put those books back. I have to go help. Come back again when you can, and we'll see what we can research." Allegra said before following SooHwa to the front desk.

     "FINALLY. No more rocks and symbols." Youngchul cheered.

     "How did you pass any of your classes?" Kai pondered, shaking his head.

     "Cheating!" Youngchul proudly exclaimed.

     "You can't cheat history." Kai said before getting up from the table, picking the books up that him and Allegra had been reading moments before. He didn't know where they belonged, so he decided it would be best to set them at the front desk for someone to put back later. He began walking towards the desk, leaving Youngchul behind.

     "Don't get wise on me!" Youngchul said with anger in his voice, following behind Kai. Kai just laughed to himself. Youngchul was one of his best friends, but sometime he was ridiculous.

     The two left the library onto the streets of Seoul, which had cooled down only slightly. A loud boom of thunder shook the streets, a flash of lighting striking in the backdrop of the city. No one paid much attention, as maybe a storm would cool off the blazing city.

     Kai's phone began ringing, hardly audible through the many voices and sounds that cluttered Seoul. Motioning to Youngchul, the two went to a small alleyway between a coffee shop and a clothing store.

     "Yeoboseyo?" He asked.

     "Kai, where are you? The manager didn't seem to mention we have an interview later today." The voice of Chanyeol spoke. Kai let out a loud, irritated groan. "I felt the same way." Chanyeol exclaimed.

     "Where are /you/ at?" Kai asked.

     "The SM dressing rooms." He said.

     "I'll be there as soon as I can." Kai said, hanging up without another word.

     "Late?" Youngchul, as if on cue, gave the infamous question.

     "Of course. Apparently there's an interview I didn't know about. I'll just take a bus to the building. Let me know when you're free again; we'll hang out again." Kai said before walking out of the alleyway He gave one last wave to Youngchul as a few fans recognized him and began talking to him. Youngchul just rolled his eyes before walking out of the alleyway and deciding the only place to go was home. He had more friends besides Allegra and Kai, but they weren't in the main city of Seoul, and were a bit more effort to see.

     Hoping to waste time, he decided walking home would be the best, even if it rained. While trudging to his apartment, many thoughts were in his head. Why were Allegra and Kai suddenly interested in all of this history stuff? Allegra wasn't much of a surprise, considering history probably ran through her veins, but Kai? Kai was an idol. All he really needed to be was talented and good looking. Being a history genius wasn't on the contract. Or, at least, Youngchul didn't think it was. If Kai was interested in them, either he was crazy, or there really was some sort of meaning behind all these symbols and rocks.

     Youngchul pushed the thoughts out of his head, deciding they weren't important right now. He didn't want to overload on the thoughts of history, as he knew that Kai would be wanting to go back to the library to hang out with Allegra. And that was what bothered him the most. He didn't like Allegra in a romantic way, but that was his best friend. Maybe like his sister. He was protective of her. Kai wouldn't really like her, anyways, would he? He's an idol. He can't.

     Youngchul shook his head, feeling stupid. These were things he didn't need to worry about. All he need to worry about now was going home, enjoying his Summer off from university.