When Shin Hye got home, her harabeoji noticed that it was Soo Hyun taking her home. The old man smiled a bit and told Soo Hyun to summon everyone for a sudden meeting.

***

It was past ten in the evening when the meeting was called. The other elders of the gang were surprised, so they wondered what the old man had in mind. Gam Dong took the place in front of the assembly and began his speech about the ways of Korean culture.

"In marriage, the female is always younger than the male," Harabeoji said. "But not in our gang. If we deem that the younger man is deemed fit for the girl, even if he had older competitors, we will have that younger man betrothed to our girl. Geuraeseo, I have decided who I want to be my Shin Hye's fiance."

The young men looked at each other eagerly and anxiously. Who among them will be chosen?

"The man I choose is," Gam Dong announced. "Kim Soo Hyun."

Soo Hyun smiled impishly, much to the astonishment and disgust of the young professionals, most especially the lawyers. Shin Hye was stunned because she was betrothed to her own student.

"Seonsaengnim," one man blurted out. "But Soo Hyun is only a high school student."

"All the more that I want him," Gam Dong replied. "I can see that he has a lot of potential, and I know that he will improve as time goes by. He will be like a volcano that will explode as the right time comes, leaving us all in shock."

Shin Hye stood up, much to the astonishment of the men.

"Harabeoji, Soo Hyun is my student!" she protested.

"I see nothing wrong with it, Ssaem," Soo Hyun said.

Shin Hye was not able to protest. After all, if she will say she likes Yong Hwa, Soo Hyun might point out her argument back at her. He might even accuse her of having double standard. So, she sat back on her seat.

After the assembly, everyone dispersed. Harabeoji was not able to talk to Shin Hye back home because she got home first, walking alone. She did not know how to face Soo Hyun the next day.

****

The next day, indeed, Soo Hyun felt so good at himself for being betrothed to his teacher. Talk about Top Gun. He watched his classmates going to and fro like there was  no tomorrow. He was different, because a future was set for him.

Shin Hye came in the classroom, and he immediately ordered his classmates to sit down. Shin Hye fumed as she looked at him. He was such assuming, she thought. Yes, both of them were in the gang, but she wanted to break free.

"Ssaem?" Nana blurted out, raising her hand.

"Yes?" Shin Hye asked.

"Ssaem...is spacing out," Nana said.

Yong Hwa turned to look at her, but all he saw was a smile on her face. Yong Hwa was only in high school, but his thoughts were that of a mature guy, unlike his cousins.

"Something is bothering her," he thought.

Jung Shin noticed Yong Hwa frowning that he elbowed his other cousins. Jong Hyun and Min Hyuk looked at Yong, then at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"Yeoreobun, I will let Fei discuss all about our coming school event next month," Shin Hye said.

"Mworaguyo?" Fei piped up. "Ssaem!"

"Mianhada, Fei," Shin Hye said, holding out the brochure to her student.

Fei stood up and got the brochure. It was a school festival, which excited her so much that she immediately took her place to discuss. Shin Hye grabbed her chair and sat a few distances from Yong Hwa. She was in deep thought, and did not notice that Yong Hwa was looking at her.

*****

After classes, Nana and Jung Shin hung out at the ice cream shop were Shin Hye and Yong Hwa had their date. Jung Shin was in deep thought, wondering what got to Yong Hwa. He noticed that for the whole time that Fei was discussing, Yong Hwa was staring at Shin Hye.

"Could it be that my cousin is in love?"

Then, he noticed dagger-like stares flung his way. It was Jia, and he looked back at her with his untouchable eyes. Jia hated him, or so he thought. Even Min and Fei gave him angry looks. And of course, he knew why. It is because their friend Suzy was in love with Soo Hyun. As Soo Hyun and Jung Shin were enemies, Suzy would side with Soo Hyun, and her friends would side with her.

"Kyaaaaaa!!!!" Nana squealed. "Oppa, Oppa, look!"

He sluggishly turned to look at her smartphone. It was Alodia's Twitter account, and Alodia had tweeted that she and Super Junior's Heechul had been talking over the phone.

"How did she get to do that?" Nana asked him. "I envy her a lot!"

"Be a cosplay queen too," Jung Shin said.

"Oppa, are you already irritated that I was always Miss Alodia this and Miss Alodia that?" she asked sadly.

"Ani... Mianhae, Nana... Oppa is a bit tired today..."

"Gwaenchanha, Oppa," Nana said as she leaned on him. "I will not irritate you with my fanatic tendencies for Miss Alodia."

****

Min Hyuk was not in the mood to go to Yeon Seo because Yeon Seo was having a long exam, so he hung out with Jong Hyun and his girls. While he was busy laughing (in a deadpan mode) at the Slam Dunk manga, Jong Hyun was in deep thought.

He had never seen Yong Hwa looking at a girl. Of course, he had never known of Yong Hwa's stalker tendencies. As he was contemplating, a pair of lips locked with his, and he tasted another person's tongue in his mouth.

"Ya!!!!" a girl shrieked.

He woke up after the kiss, and he was even more alive at the shriek. It turned out that the girl who kissed him was G.na, and Victoria freaked out that her bestie had even kissed her boyfriend away.

"Huh?" Jong Hyun innocently asked.

"Ya, Choi Ji Na, I know we are best friends, but Jong Hyun is my boyfriend!" Victoria freaked out. "How could you?"

"Noona!!!!" Jong Hyun hushed her.

Of course, he did not want them to be known for corrupting minors.

"But he is delicious, can't you see?" G.na said. "For a high school guy, he's totally hot! I want him!"

"Traitor!!!!" Victoria hissed.

"You can have my Uncle if you like," Jong Hyun said.

Min Hyuk stopped laughing at Sendoh, then turned at his cousin. The girls looked at each other and cringed. They were not going to hook up with some old ajusshi.

"He's not old," Jong Hyun said.

"He's only 27," Min Hyuk said.

G.na and Victoria looked as Jong Hyun searched through his phone. He showed them a picture of Geun Suk with his bad boy image and guyliner on.

"He. Is. Hot!" G.na squealed.

"Noona has the hots for hot guys," Jong Hyun commented. "He is hotter than me."

Victoria smirked. There is no more way that G.na was going to flirt with Jong Hyun.

"Can... can you introduce him to me?" G.na asked.

Min Hyuk scoffed, and Jong Hyun smirked in a deadpan way.

"Uncle has a French girlfriend, but we hate her," Jong Hyun said. "You can steal him away if you like."

"Because stealing boyfriends is your forte," was Victoria's come back.

"Ya! You are so mean!" G.na said.

"Gaja," Jong Hyun said.

*****

Jung Shin came ahead of his cousins and went to the study room to do some planking on the table. Meanwhile, Jong Hyun and company came and went to Geun Suk's living room (apart from the main living room). They saw the vampire watching French movies and sipping red wine in that elegant way of his. G.na was attracted to this other bad boy.

"Oh, you're back?" the vampire asked his nephews.

When he saw the girls, he cocked his eyebrows.

"Nuguseyo?"

The girls greeted the Uncle politely, and Geun Suk smirked when G.na pouted her lips after the introduction.

"Jong Hyun, I told you not to have girlfriends while you are in high school," Geun Suk said.

"They...are my friends," Jong Hyun said. 

He had no guts to tell his uncle, unlike Jung Shin and Yong Hwa who always knew what to say. The girls giggled because Geun Suk was funny.

"But if both of them are your girlfriends, I can have the other one," he told his nephew.

Geun Suk held out his hand at G.na and grabbed her. Of course, he was just like Jong Hyun, liking G.na for her chest assests. Turning to Victoria, he said.

"You will not mind if I borrow your friend, right?" Geun Suk said with a seductive look in his eyes.

"Gwaenchanhseumnida," Victoria said.

G.na did not mind. After all, what she wanted was some naughty days to color up her boring college life. Victoria thought it was a good way to keep her bestie off Jong Hyun.

****

A few minutes after Victoria left, Yong Hwa came to the gate--the same time that Shin Hye did.

"Annyeonhaseyo?" he greeted again.

"Annyeong?" she said tiredly.

"Is Ssaem having a problem?" he asked gently.

It was the first time she heard him say that, and it comforted her a bit.

"Yong Hwa... This is just family problem... gwaenchanha..."

Yong Hwa opened the gate and let his teacher come in.

"I think Ssaem should not have come right now."

"It's my duty, so I will do it..."

Yong Hwa closed the gate, and before Shin Hye could even turn away, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Shin Hye felt that his heart was trying to reach out to her, so she closed her eyes, hid her tears on his chest. He felt her shaking around his embrace that he hugged her even more and  her back.

"I wish you can tell me..." he sadly thought.

"Save me, Yong Hwa.... Please take me away..." she begged in a whisper.

It was so different from the tough girl Shin Hye who once fought bullies. What had happened?

~~~~