"C'mon, Haneul. Let's go out" Minseok grinned. 

"But uh...Kai..." I stammered.

"Oh," Minseok blew a raspberry, "you're back? Well, you should come with us then, Kai."

"H-Haneul" Kai tugged on my sleeve uncertainly.

"Minseok, we actually have some important things to do here" I lied.

"Important things...like what?" his head tilted to one side as his eyes scanned the empty house.

"We're uhh studying?" I chewed on my lip.

"Our exams are scheduled for late next month" he pointed out.

"Oh, but Kai's school. They have a different schedule" I bobbed my head too quickly to be natural.

"Alright," Minseok nodded, "then come alone with me. He'll be able to focus better if he has the house to himself."

Ugh, he can't get the cue, can he?

"Ah, but I promised that I'll help him...study" I gulped.

Study teleportation. Technically, I'm not lying.

"Eh?" Minseok raised his brow at Kai, "are you a repeater?"

"Me? No, I didn't repeat school. I actually dropp--" Kai answered, only for his words to be blocked by my hand.

"Ha ha ha, what are you talking about?" I grinned nervously.

"Kai is obviously older than you, so how can you help him study for lessons that you haven't taken up yet?" Minseok explained.

"Well umm..." I scoured my brain for another excuse, but it's running rather slowly today.

"This is another excuse, isn't it? Is he forcing you to stay again?" Minseok asked in a serious tone.

"Forcing? Again?" I blinked and turned to Kai whose face had also turned into a question mark.

Minseok pulled me closer by the wrist and whispered, "I remember what you always tell me at the cafe about this guy. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"I can actually hear you..." Kai said with a troubled expression.

Cafe? What is Minseok even talking about? He speaks as if Kai did something wrong, but I don't remember saying anything like that because he didn't do anything wrong.

"C-can you give us a minute, Minseok-ah?" I requested.

"I'll go get a glass of water then, if you don't mind" he said, retreating to the kitchen.

"Haneul? Did I do something wrong?" Kai began.

"No no, I have no idea what he's talking about" I stepped closer to him.

"He said he'll protect you as if...you told him that I had hurt you" he continued.

"I know, but please believe me when I say that I did no such thing" I looked at him straight in the eye.

"Then why will he say those things? I don't understand. I know I've been useless in this house but..." he said.

"No no no, I told you to stop thinking of yourself as useless. You are not. You just need time. To fix your ability. Until then, I'm fine with this setup. Remember what you told me this morning? That sometimes, one does not have to do anything because being around is just enough? I'm ok with you just being around" I explained.

"You will tell me if you hate me, right? If you don't want me around anymore?" he asked, water slowly building up in one eye.

"Kai..." I reached out a hand to his cheek.

"If there's something you don't like about me, you will tell me, right? Please say it to me and not to other people. So that I can fix it" he said, the water now escaping from his eye as he placed his palm on top of my hand.

"I swear that I never said anything like that to Minseok. Or to anyone. Please don't cry. I don't know why this is happening" I replied.

All of a sudden, Minseok marched from the kitchen. He pulled Kai by the shoulder and landed a fist on his face.

"Oh my god, what is wrong with you?!" I screamed.

"Is he doing it again? Why were you touching Haneul?" Minseok bellowed.

"Kim Minseok! We are just talking! What are you even saying?! Doing what again?!" I cried out.

"You don't have to pretend that it's ok, Haneul. You don't have to make up excuses for this guy" Minseok picked Kai up by the collar.

"I'm not even doing anything" Kai breathed as he struggled to get out of his grip.

"Excuses" Minseok huffed as he shoved Kai back.

"Who are you to barge into my house and hurt him like this?" I yelled.

"I am your friend! The one you cry to about how burdensome it is to be this lazy guy's caretaker. How he takes advantage of you. How you feel harassed whenever he comes near you. And how scared you are to go home and find him in here again because he might do something while you two are alone, so you asked me to walk you home!" Minseok said.

"That's why...he walks you home nowadays?" Kai looked at me with hurt in his eyes.

"I never said any of those things. Get out of my house!" I cried.

"Yeah, get out" Minseok snickered.

"Not him. You. Get out of my house, Minseok."

"Haneul, is that really how you felt...about me?" Kai mumbled with a voice like broken glass laced with a bitter undertone.

"No no," I held out both hands to his cheeks, "I never said any of those."

"Never said...but did you think of them?" Kai continued.

"Stop it, Haneul. He needs to know" Minseok jabbed in.

"Haneul..." Kai called out with one last tear from his eye before vanishing right under my touch.