From: Ae Sook

Kai, my father said yes. You can come.

As Kai stared at the message, he couldn't even hide his big grin as he fumbled with his phone, thinking of something to say, anything! Anything would work! His fingers just didn't cooperate well with him.

His thoughts just went ahead and before he knew it, he typed his reply as he sent it, and now, he was waiting for her reply.

From: Kai

Really? Please tell him that I appreciate it so much and that I thank him. And oh, I'll wait for you after school tomorrow. I'll wait for you after the bell rings.

Ae Sook smiled. She felt happy that he replied; she expected him to reply, but she didn't expect him to reply that fast though. He must've been so happy that she'd help him. She felt glad as well; at least she was helping a person in need, in desperate need, to be quite specific. He needed to finish everything by the end of the week for crying out loud!

But what made her stop typing halfway was her current situation; she didn't know her father wouldn't be home for a few days which meant Kai would be alone with her at home, and the main reason why Kai wanted to stay at her house instead of his was because of her father; he was supposed to be there to watch over them in case something happened, but it wasn't like Kai would do such a thing.

She needed to tell Kai. Now.

From: Ae Sook

Kai? I...I actually need to tell you something. Something important.

I hope you won't get angry.

When Kai read her message, a thousand thoughts came into his mind; he felt mixed emotions all over his body and he just panicked, his face losing color.

His fingers wanted to type words like, "Is it something about us? Our friendship?" or perhaps words like, "Did I do something wrong?" He just felt worried, of course he would! He was dealing with the sweetest, most innocent girl in the whole school, and that alone made him panic more. He gulped once before sending his reply, which he'd hope would sound like, "Don't you trust me?" or anything related to that line itself, but he just stared at his message which didn't relate to any of his thoughts.

From: Kai

Please tell me. I won't get angry.

What's wrong?

His heart jumped when he felt his phone vibrate.

From: Ae Sook

My dad won't be here tomorrow.

Did she know about this all along? Kai thought to himself, thinking that Ae Sook would be creeped out if it was only them all alone tomorrow.

Then his heartbeat fastened.

He wanted her to trust him.

From: Kai

I thought your father would be there tomorrow? So this means that we'll be alone?

Alone; that made her shiver as she stared at her phone screen. She honestly didn't know her father would leave until he told her a few minutes ago.

From: Ae Sook

I didn't know he'd be out on a business trip. He won't be here for a few days, actually. But he said you could come over here anytime so that I could help you finish sooner.

If Kai wanted to say what he felt right now, he'd say he was happy, not down, not worried, but just happy. He didn't get angry at her for not telling him her father wouldn't be home; it wasn't her fault to begin with.

But after she said those words: 'finish sooner,' he didn't know but he wanted to vomit; the thought of going back to his old self and the way he was living, with friends who would pressure him, who would look down on him and force him, that thought just made him feel sick! He never wanted to go back to them; they just made his life worse. He knew they were not the right ones, not the right friends, the right crowd, and he knew very well that they wouldn't answer his questions and hopes of having good friends.

He felt more secured if he was with Ae Sook.

Kai felt more assured just by being next to her, just by seeing her smile; she made him grin like never before and it made him chuckle to himself just by thinking about that.

Not once did he smile when he was with his friends; he never showed his real smile when he was with them.

He actually pitied Chanyeol and Baekhyun for being there. They were much better than those three musketeers (as Kai liked to call it); Luhan, Kris and Sehun, though he felt bad for Sehun, too. He knew very well Sehun was in a similar situation as he was in; he needed friends, he was lonely, and he needed someone to make him feel secure and safe, and it just so happened that Sehun thought Luhan and Kris were the right answer for him; that made him stick to them ever since, not saying no to any command they'd give, causing him to end up that way.

From: Kai

Is that good thing or a bad thing? I mean, is that okay for you? It's okay for me if it's okay with you. :)

Of course it was okay with her, Ae Sook smiled as she thought about it. He indeed was the first who had caught her attention ever since. This was an opportunity and she didn't want it to go to waste; she also needed friends and thinking that Kai would be with her for awhile to let her help him with his lines was more than enough.

At least he paid attention to her unlike anybody she had ever met in her life.

From: Ae Sook

Of course it's fine with me, Kai! I'm helping you and helping people is a blessing itself. ^^

I'll see you tomorrow then, alright? :)

Goodnight.

Judging from Ae Sook's reply, her reply that had emoticons said that she was happy as well; Kai grinned wider just by the thought of it.

But her last words?

Goodnight?

Was that it?

Was she going to sleep already?

He didn't want to end this yet. Just not yet.

Kai wanted to let her know that she made him smile out of the blue, and that she made him feel secure just by being with her, but that would sound crazy; he was known as one of the bad boys at school just because of his records and his friends, but that fact, and that alone would make her think he was crazy as well! Crazier, if he wasn't mistaken; maybe she already thought of him that way.

Helping people was a blessing, that was what Ae Sook said, but Kai was thinking that maybe she was a blessing to him, too, but he just didn't put it that much into thought.

Maybe she was a blessing to him, he told himself.

Maybe he was blessed; blessed to have her.

From: Kai

Wait, you're going now?

You're going to sleep already?

He typed those and it was sent to her, but he didn't want to sound clingy or anything (that's what he hoped for). But why did she have to say goodnight when in fact, he didn't want her to leave yet? Why would she leave him when in fact, he didn't get to tell her that something was stuck in his mind?

Don't leave me. Keep talking to me. Don't say goodnight, don't say goodbye