- Eun Sung's POV -

 

When I woke up this morning, I was greeted by my parents' cheery voices.

"Eun-Sung baby, wake up! Breakfast is ready!" I heard their loud calls from downstairs.

I quickly got up and brushed my teeth, excited that my parents were finally back again.

"Mom, Dad, where did you guys go without me?" I complained to them.

"Ah..we..uhm" my dad hesitated to answer me.

"Where?" I asked curiously.

"Honey, we ... we just visited a temple. It isn't that important, so please don't ask anymore." my mom told me.

"Your breakfast is getting cold, Eun-Sung ah. Let's talk about this later. We'll tell you in the future." my dad said tiredly.

"Alright." I dejectedly replied. Reading the uncomfortable atmosphere, I decided not to inquire any further. Although I didn't know where they went, it must have been very important. Important enough to keep it a secret from me.

For the rest of the day, I stayed at home and caught up on my homework. I had to record my observations from my part time job and finish the rest of my language homework.

----

=The next morning=

 

My parents dropped me off pretty early to school because they wanted to get to work sooner so they could preprare for their new product presenation. They both worked in the same business company so whenever one was busy, the other was busy as well.

Sighing, I walked through the long hallway and headed to the library to read. I had nothing better to do. Homework all finished, and none of my friends were at school yet. Well, I still didn' t know if they considered me to be their friend, but at least I felt like they did. Min-Joo, Key, Taemin, Onew, and Minho even though he doesn't seem to like speaking to me. ..And maybe Kai too.

"Yah! You there! Stop right there!" I jumped as I suddenly heard someone from behind me shout angrily at me. I didn't even hear anyone coming.

I looked behind me to see a group of four girls with angry expressions on their faces. "Ha! If it isn't little miss face!" The tallest one mumbled as she sneered at me.

"Yah, how dare you secretly steal our precious oppa? Don't think no one noticed what you're trying to do." another one yelled at me with her scratchy voice.

"U-uhm...wh-what?" I could only manage to stutter. What did I do? Who did I steal?

"She looks like she needs punishment, girls. She isn't even sorry for what she did wrong. Let's teach her a lesson." the one that looked like the leader ordered.

"Eeek!" I screamed and tried to run away as I saw one of them charging at me with a pair of scissors and a packet of permanent markers.

"Stay there, !" She snarled at me and caught me by the arm.

One of them punched me in the face as I resisted.

"S-stop it!" I could barely manage to shout as I remembered parts of my past. Was this really going to happen again? I thought that maybe it could go well..but.. it's like my horrible past is being repeating again.

I slumped to the ground while one of them forcefully grabbed me by the hair and dragged me over to the wall.

"Say you're sorry for trying to steal our Kai oppa!" the tall one spat in my face.

"Wh- what do you mean?" I defended myself. I was never trying to steal anybody!

I recieved a hard kick in my stomach that almost made me pass out.

"What the hell is happening here!?" I heard a loud voice snarl from behind me. One of the girls fell the the ground as they were shoved aside.

Then I saw Kim Jonghyun. His face had the angriest expression on it. Even though he was such a jerk, I had never seen him looking so mad before. Why is he here? Is he..mad at me? Or..

"What are you girls doing?" he demanded for an answer.

"Uh- Uh..Jonghyun oppa.. we were just..we were just teaching this girl here a lesson. If you knew what she did, you wouldn't forgive her either." one of the girls timidly answered, suddenly changing her attitude 180°.

"She's mine, so if she needs any punishing, I'll be the one to do it!" Jonghyun angrily told them. I knew it! That devil would never do anything to help me! He only came here to torture me!

"U-um... okay. We'll leave it to you, okay? Be sure to let her have it! Let's go girls." The leader backed away and lead the rest of them out of the hallway.

"So..what do we have here?" Jonghyun smirked and looked down at me.

"G-go away!" I yelled at him as I cringed.

"Haha! Only in your sweetest dreams would that ever happen." he replied with yet another smirk. He opened the packet of markers and took one out. "Hmm.. so would you prefer a blue moustache, a red moustache, or an orange moustache?" he asked me with a grin.

"S-stop! Don't get near me!" I yelled while backing away from him.

He acted like he didn't hear me and moved the red one near my face. "So the red one it is." the devil decided for me.

I shut my eyes and prepared for the worst.

For a while, I waited, but nothing happened. He didn't use the marker to doodle on my face, nor did he pick up the pair of scissors to chop off my hair either.

I could only hear the sound of us two breathing. No one moved from their spot.

Strange, I thought. Why hasn't he done anything to me yet?

 I slowly opened my eyes and peeked at him. Eeep! Why is his face so close?? I could see my own reflection in his staring eyes.

Disturbed by our proximity, I scooted away frantically.

"D-don't you know anything about personal space?" I yelled at him, "What were you doing?"

I looked at his face and saw a slightly shocked expression for a second before it turned back into a smug look.

"I was just wondering how you managed to live so long without being bothered by your horribly bad skin! You have so many pimples!" Jonghyun teased.

"Huh? I-I do?" I touched my face, but felt no pimples. My skin was in fact, pretty smooth. "What are you talking about? I don't I have any!" I said as I glared back at him.

I was about to get up and run away, but I saw that the expression on his face had changed again. He looks...worried? No way. Not ever! I shook the thoughts way.

"Are you okay? Earlier..." Jonghyun asked while nodding in the direction of where the girls had left.

"Oh..Um..I-I'm okay." I answered, wondering why he suddenly cared.

"You're not!" he stated with a concerned look as he noticed my beat-up face and quickly got up from the ground.  He touched my face gently and said, "Look at your poor face! A bruise is already forming on your cheek."

He lifted up my chin with his fingers and examined all over for other injuries.

"I-It doesn't hurt..It's n-nothing really." I stuttered at the awkward contact.

"Here, let me go get some ice. Stay right there." Jonghyun didn't notice my awkward reply and ran off to the infirmary.

Why in the world was he acting so nice all of a sudden? Just a moment ago, he seemed to have such bad intentions towards me.

I sat alone in the hallway while I waited for him to come back with the ice.

"Eun-Sung?" I heard a voice come from the opposite direction.

"How did you come back so fast, Jong-" I stopped when I saw who it was.

"Kai? How come you're here?" I asked, surprised at his sudden appearance.

"Oh..actually, I came early because I had something to give you." Kai said.

"Really? What is it?" I asked curiously.

"What happened to your face?!" Kai screamed at me when he noticed my bruised face, "It's all swollen up!'

"Nothing..I just tripped on the stairs earlier, thats all." I quickly made up an excuse. I didn't want him to worry.

"This won't do. I have an instant cold pack in my bag, but it's in the classroom. Let's go." He made a face and dragged me quickly in the direction of the room.

"B-but" I tried saying, but he wasn't listening.

We passed by the infirmary on the way, except I didn't see Jonghyun come out. I felt bad that he was doing something unnecessary for me, but then again, why would I even care about that idiot.

When we got to the end of the hallway, I felt like I heard footsteps behind me, but they quickly dissapeared and I paid no attention to it.

`

`

"Ta da!" Kai pulled out a white instant-cold pack out of his backpack and squeezed it until it was cold, "These really come in handy don't they?"

I stared at Kai as he concentrated on making the pack cold.

"Sit down here." Kai looked at me crossly, patting the seat next to me, and ordered me to take a seat.

I sat down slowly.

"Uhmm.." I started.

"Shhhh! Don't say anything." Kai said as he gently held the cold pack to my face.

His eyes were concentrated on my bruise.

I couldn't help but to stare directly at his face.

Even though I used to think that he was a clutz, he was starting to seem more mature.

I stared at his tall nose bone and his gentle eyes. I had never really realized that the immature Kai could really feel this dependable. My heart skipped a beat and my face started to feel hot, even with the cold pack on my cheek.

W-what is wrong with me?

I-I I'm not falling for him, right? No way!

I turned away and grabbed the pack. "I-I'll hold it." I told him.

Kai pouted but let me do it myself.

"I-I don't want your arm to get sore from holding it up." I told him without facing him.

"Fine." he said, but he didn't sound too happy.

"So..what was it that you wanted to give me?" I asked, changing the subject.

I could see Kai's face light up again from the corner of my eyes. "Yes! About that, ah...I'll tell you at lunch! You will eat with me today, right?" he asked while making a puppy face.

"I told you to stop making that face! It's too cute.." I told him with a bothered look.

"Bwoh? Don't call me cute! I'm a man, so I'm supposed to be handsome." Kai replied with a pout.

I laughed quietly at this, not wanting to offend him further.

He started to scold me for laughing at him, but I cut him off. "Okay, I'll meet you at lunch today. Where?" I asked.

"Meet me in the school garden." Kai told me.

"We have a garden?" I asked. I didn't even know that.

"Of course! You didn't notice it? It's right next to the library building." Kai laughed at my stupidity.

"Ok, I'll try to remember it." I told him.

"You'd better!" Kai answered with an angry smile.

`

`

"Eun-Sung ah! What's the special event today?" Key asked me as he caught up to me, "You look really happy today."

"Do I?" I hid my face as I thought of meeting Kai at lunch. Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? It's not like I've never hung out with him before.

"Yeah." Key smiled at me curiously, "Did something good happen?"

"Uhm..you could say that.." I answered vaguely.

"Tell me about it?" Key asked.

"I-I'm going to meet with someone at lunch, so I'm sorry I won't be able to sit with you guys.." I said, hoping that Key wouldn't get mad.

"You got a boyfriend??" Key shouted at me with widened eyes.

"Wha-n-no! I don't! S-stop being so loud!" I answered in shock of that possiblilty. I shook my head at the possibility of me and Kai being together. Even if I-I liked him, he would never think about me in that way.

"Then who are you meeting with?" Key continued to probe.

"Just..Just someone. I'll tell you later." I avoided his question.

"Ah, okay then, I'm off to lunch now. See you later." Key left with a smile.

I was about to head to the garden when I remembered about my lunch. My lunch.. He won't mind if I take a minute to grab something first, right?

I quickly got something from the line and headed back towards the cafeteria door.

On the way, I passed by Shinee's table and said a few quick hi's to them. Some girls were still glaring at me, but I didn't even care anymore. I was used to it.

But when Jonghyun noticed that I wasn't going to sit down with them, he stood up and looked at me.

"Where are you going?" he asked nosily and started to follow me, "And where did you go earlier when I clearly told you to stay in that spot?"

"It's none of your business!" I told him with a huff.

I walked away from him in a hurry.

"Yah! Come back here! I wasn't finished with what I had to say!" I heard him yell at me in annoyance. Why did I care what the arrogant fool thought?

"If you don't turn around right now, you'll regret it!' I heard the devil shout again. Really? As if.

I was almost out through the door when I heard a loud jangling noise.

Wait.... was that...  I turned around and saw the devil holding out my favorite necklace and jangling it out in front of him.

"M-my necklace!" I shouted as I ran back in his direction, wide-eyed.

"Thank you for picking it up for me the other day!" I told him happily as I held out my hands for the necklace.

"Ha ha ha!" he smirked at me and looked down at my pitiful palms.

Wait..does that mean...My gaze hardened and I looked up at him with a puzzled look.

"Of course, you won't be getting it back." the devil replied with a smug look.

"But..but you said that you would return it to me today!" I complained.

"I didn't say that it was going to be for free." Jonghyun smirked proudly.

"That..that's so unfair!" I pouted unknowingly.

"Do you want it back or not?" the devil demanded.

"I do!" I insisted. Of course I did! That was my favorite necklace!

"So you have agreed to marry me?" he asked with a smile.

"Of cou-Wait what? W-what are you talking about??" I asked in disbelief.

"You just said 'I do'." he replied back as a matter of a factly.

"No, I meant I do want to get it back!" I argued, "That has nothing to do with marrying you!"

"And just the thought of that is disgusting!" I added as I shuddered.

"Hey! Watch it!" the devil hissed back defensively, "You just don't notice it, but there are actually a lot of girls in this school who would die to marry me!"

"Y-yuck!" I pretended to barf at his disturbing remark. Yeah, right.

"Well, if you want this back, you're gonna have to make a deal with me." He stated without a hint of letting up.

"F-fine! What will it be?" I asked after taking a deep breath.

Jonghyun didn't say anything for a while.

Probably thinking of the most horrible thing he could possibly make me do.

Then he cleared his throat.

"....I want you to go out with me." he finally stated.

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A/N: Hi! Sorry for the late update! >3< No excuse! Anyways, enjoy? ;^; If you can? Sorry crapdate/// I'll try to make a better chapter next time :P