I couldn't believe that I actually let them into my house.

I didn't know anything about them other than the fact that I saved one of them and that Rome, Siwoo, Kangjun, Ray, T.K., and Maru were all close friends. And now they were my bodyguards. Somehow I doubted that they could beat Zico and Block B. Zico was scary. Maru was a cute little kid - just, one that was taller than me.

"So," I began awkwardly, "you can't tell my parents about any of this." They looked at me curiously.

"I know I don't know much about the difference between mafias and regular gangs, but I thought the mafia had a strong family tie," Rome said, puzzled.

"Um, they don't know about all of this... No one else in my family does..." I mumbled.

"Then, wait, who else is in C-Clown?" T.K. asked.

I was silent for a moment. If I told them that there was no C-Clown, then they would be mad at me for making them go and get my skateboard anyway. If I lied and said that there were other people, they would want to meet them. Neither of those options seemed very nice, so I went with one randomly.

"There are several sub-groups within it. I only see them so often, because they're out around in different parts of the city," I lied.

"Really? That's a smart idea!" Maru beamed.

"Do they each have names? Or is it just C-Clown?" Romae inquired.

"Uh... They have names. The one I most actively participate in is called 'Tea Party.'" I figured that it would be best to add details to make the lie seem believable.

"Tea Party? Where did you get that name from?" Maru asked.

"It's because they're all rich kids that used to invite me over to their house to have tea when I really wanted to play hide-and-seek because they had huge yards," I laughed. That much was true at least. The benefits of private school.

"Oh," was all that the kid replied.

I heard the front door open and close. It was most likely Mom. Well, that was great. If she saw six teenage boys all in the same room with me, I was pretty sure she would have "the talk" with me after they left. I was not looking forward to that. I sighed and ran my hand through my long hair. My bangs were messed up, but I didn't really care.

"So, now that we've joined C-Clown..." Rome began, but trailed off as Mom walked into the room. She raised an eyebrow at the boys, but did not comment on them. Instead, she turned to face me.

"C-Clown?" she questioned. I nodded.

"Uh, hi, Mom. And, uh, see? Clown!" I said the last part in English while pointing to Rome's shirt, "We're studying for an upcoming English exam, right, Maru?" I desparately hoped that he would play along.

"Um, yeah."

I was disappointed in his answer.

Mom clearly wasn't buying it. She took in their outfits and compared them to my neat uniform. She obviously didn't trust me, and at that point in time, I couldn't blame her. I wouldn't trust me either. It was one of the few things that we had in common.

"But, forgive me, you boys seem a little bit too old to be in the same grade," she stated. Rome glanced around.

"We're in the grades above Ema's. We - Siwoo, Ray, and I - were picked to tutor Ema, Maru, and Kangjun. Since the library had to close temporairily, Ema kindly offered to let us all study at your home," he lied easily. I was shocked at how easily he slipped into formal speech. I had to admit that it made the lie seem a little more believable.

"Oh, well then, I'm fine with that, but Ema, tell me next time first. I also expect all of you to leave by seven. We have an important meeting tonight," Mom agreed, surprising me. What didn't surprise me was the fact that she had another appointment with work. I suddenly regretted not going out to dinner with my parents; they were gone so often.

"You and Daddy are going out again?" I asked.

"Actually, all three of us are," she corrected me.

"Where are we going?" I inquired.

"We need to sign you up for Chinese lessons," she answered. Well that was great. And I did not think that in a sarcastic way. I had been bugging my parents forever to let me visit China over the summer. I guessed that she had finally agreed.

"So I'm going?" I questioned excitedly. She smiled and nodded.

"One of our business partners offered to let you stay with his family at their home. You know, he has a son only a little older than you," she hinted. I groaned inwardly.

"Oh, really? Well, I really need to get back to studying." I smiled at her. She looked at the newly formed C-Clown once more before she walked off. I let out a sigh.

"You're good at lying," I told Rome.

"I should be by now," he said proudly. I wasn't sure he should have been proud, but then I remembered how proud I had been of my own lies just earlier that day. I was becoming a real hypocrite

"So what were you going to ask?" I remembered that he had been talking when Mom had joined us.

"That? Um... If your parents don't know about.... All of this, how will we see you enough to protect you?" he asked.

"Huh. I hadn't thought about that. No one really comes after me, though. T.K., you saw Zico's face when I told him. No one really knows who I am," I explained.

"They do now," Ray mumbled.

"That's true," I agreed. I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck.

"We can't just switch to your school, can we?" Siwoo observed, "Rome and and I are already out of school, and Ray, Kangjun, and T.K. are seniors. I think Maru's in the same grade as you."

Then why the heck has Maru been acting like a little kid?

"I could probably get in on grades," Ray said.

"They already offered me a place on the archery team," Kangjun added.

"Dance," T.K. told the group, grinning.

"My godmother is the vice-principal," Maru pointed out.

"Then it's settled; they'll go to school with you, and I'll be a student teacher!" Rome decided happily. I wanted so badly to say that they couldn't, but I had already promised them, and I never went back on my word. I suddenly felt a little sick and brought a hand up to cover my mouth.

"What about you, Siwoo?" I asked.

"I'd prefer not to. I'm currently working at a restaurant in downtown Seoul, and I'm busy with that," he answered. I nodded. The one normal man out of the whole group and he wasn't going to be there. This was going to be fun.

After another hour or so, the boys stood up and waved as they left. As if on cue, Mom came back in. She sat down opposite me on the couch.

"So, I thought I should tell you," she began. I nodded.

"If a boy ever wants to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable," she continued. I already felt uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

"Mom, please, no - we had this talk when I was twelve!" I shuddered at the memories.

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I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O.O

Shocker right? Haha.

Well, there's this new group that debuted yesterday, and expect them as side character later. Just, I flippin love them. They're called 24K, and their debut song is Hurry UP (Palliwow). Just, just go and listen to it. ^^

from your evil author who apologizes for taking so flipping long to update,

Juliette