Luhan had initiated a project meeting at the library next week which was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. But since the issue of her not being able to read has the potential to bring disastrous consequences, her attention for the rest of the day was entirely fixed on how to break this news to him and not have him hate her for the rest of his life. These thoughts had occupied her so much that she almost didn’t notice that the last bell for the day has rung until she felt a sharp nudge on her left arm.

She turned around to the source of irritation. It was Baekhyun. As usual, he was smiling the megawatt smile being the forever happy person that he is. How nice must it be to be awesome in everything you do, she grunted deep inside her heart as she subconsciously squinted her eyes at him. The only worry he has was probably deciding whether to wear boxers or triangle briefs.

“ What’s the matter grumpy princess?” he teased, as he spun the empty chair next to her around and plopped down on it.

“ Is that what you call me now?”, she grimaced and began shuffling her textbooks and pencil case in her backpack.

“ Yeah, during lunch I named you cranky duchess but it wasn’t so catchy. I think the new name suits you more.” He chuckled.

Robin suppressed a laugh. She can really count on him to be witty even in the worse of times. “ Where were you after lunch? You were really late for class,” she asked and tried to sound as indifferent as she could.

“ Oh that.. it’s a long story,” he drummed the table. “ And speaking of that, why did you partner up with Luhan for the project? Are you signing up to be the public enemy of the female students?”

“ What?” she laughed. “ Okay first of all, he was the one who asked me to partner him it’s not like I asked for it. And secondly, you’re really exaggerating. He’s popular, I get it but it’s only a project. It’s not like we’re dating or something.. no one is gonna victimized me over it because it’s stupid.”

Baekhyun shook his head playfully. “You really don’t know do you?”  

“ Well maybe I wouldn’t even have to know if you weren’t late for class and I could have partnered you instead,” she snapped at him, and realized it sounded wrong.

Baekhyun seemed a little taken aback as his eyebrows raised.

She quickly added, “ I mean you know I can’t read or write hangul right? And besides you and Leah no one else knows about it. I don’t wanna sabotage anyone’s project because of that and yeah… “ she struggled to continue. Then she sighed outwardly and gave up.

“ Ahhh..” Baekhyun seemed to get it. “ So you were planning to sabotage me instead by wanting to partner up with me?”

Okay maybe he didn’t really get it.

“ No! “ Robin objected. “ I mean.. it’s not like I want to freeload and not do anything for the project but I mean if it’s you then you’d understand and.. and.. and you know maybe I could help in other aspect of the project that’s not writing or like I could get Leah to help us out..” she trailed off. Urgh. Why does no one in this school understand her struggle. It’s almost unfair.

Baekhyun laughed. “ Relax, I was just playing with you.” Robin finished packing her bag and looked up at him and squinted her eyes. This only made him laugh even more as he shrugged his shoulders.

“ What? Come on you can’t always be so serious can you?”

Well. Easy for him to say. It’s not like he was the one with a thousand worries that revolves around her inability to read or write hangul. She’s not even sure if she can pass the exams and stay in this school.

Seeing that Robin was getting up to leave the class, Baekhyun quickly added, “ Anyway I’m sorry for being late. Don’t worry too much about Luhan. I know him and he’s a nice guy, he’ll understand you. If all else fails I’ll talk to him and help you guys out as much as I can. Can you stop sulking now?”

Strangely hearing what he said had made Robin feels a little assured. What a strange feeling. Why was he being so nice to her? Or everybody for that matter..

“ What? Did I say something wrong? “ He frowned slightly.

“ No no.. okay well..” Robin mumbled. “.. thanks. It wasn’t your fault anyway.” She admitted as they began walking out of the class. Her next stop was the singing studio where she would meet Leah.

“ You’ll be okay,” he smiled. “ And it’s Thursday today. You can’t miss the awesome kimchi stew at the dining hall. Wanna eat together? He offered.

Robin looked at him and chuckled. What the heck. Why not? Friends are rare to her.She was in no position to be unfriendly if she wanted to survive here. Besides for the past five days she's been eating with Leah at her dorm dining hall but she's never been to the own one. 

“ Sounds good. 6pm?”, she suggested.

Baekhyun nodded. “ Make it 7. You don’t wanna eat with the crowd.” He said casually and waved a gigantic goodbye to her promptly before hopping into the horde of students in the hallway and disappear.

What was that? And what is he talking about? Their dorm building only has about 30 students at most. How could their dorm dining hall be crowded? Robin shrugged off those thoughts as she struggled towards her locker.

--

“ Wait.. so Luhan asked you to be his partner for the project and you agreed? Leah summarized the story that Robin took about 20 minutes to tell her.

“ Yeah. He probably thought I was some smart since I transferred from London. Maybe he thought partnering me would gurantee him an A for the project,” Robin lament.

“ Maybe he just likes you,” Leah pointed out.

Robin made a sour face. “ That’s not possible.”

Leah gave a questioning look. “ There’s no law that states a Chinese citizen is not allowed to be interested in a female Korean citizen.”

Robin shrugged. “ Maybe he likes you and he’s trying to score point with you through me.”

Leah frowned. “ That’s absurd. Why would he like me instead of you? I’m not his type!”

“ But you’re gorgeous and well, I’m just a potato” Robin argued. She will admit this for once, she lacked self-esteem and it can’t be help because she grew up being the ugly girl.

“ What are you talking about? You’re not a potato and I’m not gorgeous. You know that because you’ve seen me drool in my sleep. And it’s not like I’m saying he’s in love with you. It’s only the first week but you know maybe you’re his eye candy and he just wants to know you more. Come on! Give him the chance to at least develop a crush on you,” Leah reasoned.

This was the thing with her and Baekhyun. These evil cousins were so good with their words. They could even convince you to buy a pink toilet bowl even if it had no real benefit to your life.

“ Out of everyone in the class and the school? Please no,” Robin refuted.

Leah frowned. “ Okay look, if he wanted to partner people to get good grades don’t you think there’s plenty of better options in the class who  has already proven their worth over the years in this school? Like Luna or Suho or anyone else?” She looked at Robin with that eyes. The eyes that would hypnotise you to do anything. And right now she was convincing Robin that Luhan likes her.

Leah persisted. “ And he did approach you first and declared that he wanted to be your friend. Even brought you to our lunch table and basically initiated you into the group so easily!”

Robin grunted.

“ And you’re easily one of the prettiest girl in this school.There’s already a bunch of guys trying to get your number.”

Robin eyes widened. “ Really?”

Leah shrugged her shoulders. “ Okay maybe I exaggerated. It’s like 2-3 of them. It’s a lot for the first week. But that’s not the focus here.”

Robin sighed. “ But what’s the point? Even if he does like me a little like what you’re saying, he’ll probably hate me for being useless in the project. I don’t wanna drag him down or anything.”

“ You’re really overthinking it. I’m sure there’s something you guys can work out. Other than the report there’s other creative elements that you could take charge of you know. Like the field trip next week? You can do all the photography instead. “ Leah pointed out.

Robin sighed. “ Let’s hope he understands. Gosh I’m hungry..”

Leah looked up from the piano where she was playing. “ Oooh. It is Thursday isn’t it? Eleanor hall serves the best kimchi stew on Thursdays! It’s too bad I can’t make it today. Argh” Leah grunted.

“ Singing practice?” Robin asked.

“ Yup. You bet it is. Mrs.Kim never lets me go.” Leah grunted. Robin knew Leah was also a good singer with great potential. She just needed to brush up on her techniques. And it was probably for the same reason why Mrs.Kim was always making her stay back for extra practices.

“ And what’s with this kimchi stew anyways? Is it really that good? Baekhyun was raving about it earlier too and he wanted us to eat at 7pm to avoid the crowd? You mean people all over the school just flocks there for the stew? Robin asked.

“ No?” Leah laughed. “ Not that I heard of. I mean it’s awesome but it’s like a secret that is so well kept among Eleanor Hall students. I had to press it out of Baekhyun because he wouldn’t meet me on Thursdays for dinner.”

Robin frowned. “ Oh.. “

Then as if she was thinking out loud, Leah replied her. “ Baekhyun probably said that because he doesn’t want you to be the victim of his fangirls.”

“ Huh?” Robin was even more confused.

Leah laughed. “ His bunch of junior fangirls are always camping at the Eleanor dining hall on Thursday nights because that’s when they know for sure he’ll be there to eat his favourite kimchi stew. They’re pretty obsessive with him so he’s trying to protect you from them. If they see him eating with any girl, other than me because I’m his cousin, they’ll rip you to pieces.”

“Whoa whoa. Back up.” Robin was taken aback. Were people here usually this crazy? Is it normal? And was Baekhyun that popular? Then what more of luhan? Oh.. so that was what he was trying to warn her about..

Leah continued playing on the piano before speaking over it. “ I know my cousin. He may seem playful and immature but he’s really thoughtful.”

Robin subconsciously nodded. Definitely. Did not see that coming.

“ And where were you during lunch? Baekhyun thought you got lost in school since you were new. He was looking for you even after the bell rang.” Leah asked casually.

And suddenly Robin felt a pang of guilt slapping her. So.. baekhyun was late for class because he thought she was lost and was looking for her? And because of that she had to partner luhan and then she even went on to snap at him for being late?

Gosh. If there was a time to be guilty this was now. She officially feel bad about Baekhyun all this time. And all he was being was a great friend.

“ Is he always this nice?” Robin blurted out.

Leah shrugged. And then a cheeky grin spread across her face. “ Maybe he likes you too?”

Robin rolled her eyes and laugh. “ Stop it! You’re going to turn me into one of those obnoxious girls who thinks everyone likes her!”

“ I’m just saying.. but honestly. I’ll rather you date Baekhyun. Just because I know him well and he’ll make a great boyfriend.”

Robin grimaced. “ but he’s such a flirt!”

“ Maybe he only just flirts with you and you think he does that to every other girl too?”

Robin shook her head. “ Whatever. Okay I’m getting out of here, It’s about time I have dinner. Have fun!’ Robin waved bye to Leah as she got up towards the door. On her way out she caught D.O walking into the studio.

“ Were you the one playing the piano?” He asked her out of a sudden as she walked passed him.

“ Oh no no. It wasn’t me. It’s Leah.” She almost stammered. D.O seemed to never blink. And it’s unnerving because his eyes are huge and glaring at her.

“ Oh.. “ he replied. And brushed past her. Okay..

Then behind her back she could hear Leah singing as she plays the piano.

“ You’re pitchy. And you messed up the lyrics too. “ D.O said as he settled his stuff down on the table. He probably has the same practice session with Leah and Mrs.Kim.

Then within seconds Robin could hear Leah snapping back. “ Yeah. Thanks for being so nice about it. “

A few more lines of sarcasm were exchanged as Robin laughed and exited the room.

--

Walking back to the dorm, Robin had been busy checking her email on her phone that she almost bumped into a group of female students who popped up abruptly infront of her.

Looking up, she saw four girls about her age glaring back at her. One of them had short red hair and a mean expression. The other three had long black hair and a matching face as well. She could feel herself breaking into cold sweat. Surely they weren’t going to extort money out of her?

“ So you’re the new girl Robin right?”, the short hair girl spoke.

Robin nodded. Her eyes shifted in between the girls. How did they know that? Do news travel around here that fast?

“ I heard you transferred from London.”, one of the long hair girl commented. Robin wasn’t sure if she was supposed to answer or reply. Once again, she was impressed by how fast her information has travelled within the first week of being here.

“ Are you going to answer her?” Another girl demanded.

“ Y.. yeah.” Robin replied. God. Why was she being like this?! Why would she have to be scared of them?!

“ What’s the deal with you and Luhan?”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up. “ Nothing?”

“ I heard you partner up with him for a project.”

“ Yeah I did.” Robin replied as cooly as she can. She will not be stepped on by them. She was determined.

“ Well since you said that there’s nothing between you and Luhan then why would you partner with him?”

“ Because he asked me. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Classmates can partner with each other for school projects and it doesn’t have to mean anything.” Robin replied. Behind these cool exterior she was shaking inside. Gosh. Maybe these girls have knives which they use to scar girls’ faces for fun. Maybe they’re one of those that likes to pull your hair and yank your face into the toilet bowl.

The girls studied Robin’s faces as if to decide whether she was telling the truth. Then seemingly satisfied with the answer Robin gave, they replied “ Fine. It’s good that there’s nothing between you two other than classmates. Remember, don’t you ever touch our oppa.” The short girl growled, which reminded Robin of a hyena.

Then sending her one final glare, the girls spun around and walked away.

Whoa. What was that?

She could feel her heart thumping so hard that she might faint from the sheer intensity of that situation. Never before in her life had she been in such an aggressive confrontation. These girls are really crazy. Now she knows what Baekhyun was talking about. Suddenly, there was also an accompanying feeling of regret for being Luhan’s partner. As much as she kind of like him, maybe she should back out because his fangirls were too scary.

As Robin regained her composure and began walking towards her dorm building, she was once again sent into another fit of nervousness as the view of Luhan’s back appeared infront of her. He had turned in from another corner and was walking into the lift lobby now. Because he was busy talking on the phone he hadn’t notice her. Immediately, Robin turned around and jumped behind the nearest tree on her left.

Did he live in the same dorm as her too!? What were the chances?!

Warily, she peeped through the branches. He was scanning his fingerprints now. Gosh that was close! It would have been a very bad situation in the shared lift where Luhan might find out that she was rooming in with a boy. Baekhyun in particular, since they both know each other. Robin applauded herself inwardly for her prompt reaction.

Then she felt a tug on the hem of her skirt and a hand brushing against her right thigh. Immediately, she squealed in response. Robin quickly spun around to see her molestor.

Baekhyun stood staring at her back with a blank expression on his face.

“Just so you know you were showing your underwear to the whole world before I came to your rescue.” He muttered. She realized he had just pulled her skirt down.

At once Robin flushed and pressed her skirt against her legs tightly. Oh my God. What is this sorcery!?!?

Did Baekhyun just.. see my underwear? Wait, did the whole world saw my underwear before he came?

She was overwhelmed by a huge amount of embarrasement that she didn’t know how to deal with. She just wanted to dig into the ground and bury her head in there. She can’t bring herself to look at Baekhyun. No.

She never want to live in this world again. What was she thinking? That she didn’t even realized her skirt flew up and she dreaded to think how many people saw her underwear.

“ Don’t feel bad. It only flew up for a couple of seconds when I walked by. No one other than me saw it.” Baekhyun offered, and Robin looked up warily to see that he was smiling sincerely. That kind of soft and gentle smile that she’s never seen before. Yet his words offered her no comfort. Even if it’s just him who saw it, it was bad enough.

“ I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. Come on, “ Baekhyun urged. “ We’ll look back and laugh about this one day.”

“ yeah, I think I’ll just die from laughing” Robin mumbled.

Baekhyun laughed. “ And what the hell are you doing hiding behind this tree anyway?

Robin sighed. “I saw Luhan going into the lift lobby and I didn’t know he lives in the same dorm too. I was worried we would get on the same lift and he’ll find out about my rooming situation..”

“Oh.. tough luck. “ Baekhyun whispered cheekily. “ Because he lives next door.”

“ WHAT?!” Robin echoed.

At once a few students walking by turned to look at her. Baekhyun looked around cautiously and motioned for her to be quiet.

“ What do you mean he lives next door?!!?” Robin suppressed her voice to the best extent she can.

“ Can we talk on the way up to the dining hall? I’m starving!” Baekhyun whined and began nudging Robin to walk forward.

“ Will we run into him at the dining hall?!” Robin hissed.

“ Nah. Luhan eats his dinner with Xiumin at the Griffin Hall. He’s probably going back to his room now.”

Robin heaved out a sigh of relief as they got into the lift.

“ What’re you so worried about?” Baekhyun asked.

“ I don’t know.. I mean for a girl to be rooming in with a boy is not exactly something I want to promote to the whole school..”

“ Yeah I get that part. But really, even if Luhan finds out you can just explain the situation to him and he won’t tell anyone.” Baekhyun argued. But of course he didn’t understand. Luhan would probably think there’s something going on between Baekhyun and her, which will effectiviely erased all the chances she has with Luhan. And she don’t want that to happen. Besides there’s no reason why he needs to know that she’s rooming with a boy. It doesn’t even sound appealing.

“ I just don’t want him to find out okay? Let’s just.. keep it this way. You won’t tell anyone won’t you?” Robin asked Baekhyun. He shrugged in response. “ If you insist.”

As the stepped into their dining hall, Robin realized Baekhyun made the right choice. The posh, clean and well-decorated dining hall was almost empty with only a few students eating.

“ This is really nice and quiet,” Robin commented as they took a seat nearby the window. The soft and warm yellow light gave a homely feeling. Baekhyun chuckled. “ It is. Mostly around this time people would be back in their room doing homework and stuffs. That’s why I love it. Peace and quiet.”

Robin nodded her head in agreement. It was really nice to be away from all the students in this lively and crowded school. It’s been so noisy that she forgot how nice the feeling of peacefulness was. Baekhyun began signaling and smiling to a middle-age lady as she carried a food tray over. Within minutes two bowls of sizzling hot kimchi stew were set before them. It looked absolutely delicious as Robin began tugging in. With the first mouth she gulped down, she knew she was hooked. It was awesome. Tasty and warm, the right amount of spiciness which reminded her of home cooked food.

“ It’s really good!” Robin commented as she slurped down another spoonful of soup.

For the first few minutes they didn’t speak much but just devoured their stew with hunger. It was a good kind of quietness. Not the awkward kind, but the comfortable silence. Then the next half an hour they began discussing random things. It was filled with snorting and laughter. Something which Robin never thought she could do. It was different being with Baekhyun now. Different even from a few hours ago. Fun. Robin didn’t feel like her real self was buried under eight layers of fear and diagnosable anxiety. 

Eating the last few spoons of his stew, Baekhyun grabbed his stomach painfully with a hand as he winced.

“ What’s the matter?” Robin asked.

“ Gastric problem. It happens a lot I’m used to it. It’s fine.” He answered and continued eating. Robin studied his expression. He didn’t seem like in total pain yet she could see the discomfort in his face.

“ Do you have any medication?”

“ Yeah. But I always forget to take them. Or I can’t find them. It’s like the dorm eats it up for me.” He joked. Robin frowned. Surely he shouldn’t be joking when it comes to his health?

“ You really should find those meds and start taking them.” She said, looking at him sternly. “ I mean it.”

“ It’s fine it’s not serious and I’m used to it,” he brushed off her comment. This only made Robin frown again. “ No. You should take care of yourself and take those meds. You don’t know when it’s going to get worse.”

Baekhyun conceded with a smile. “ I’ll try.”

Somewhere inside he felt an unfamiliar feeling of warmness. Maybe it was because he’s never had a meal with a girl other than Leah. He hadn’t thought much when he asked Robin to eat with him other than that they were roommates and that’s what roommates do. But unexpectedly sharing this meal made him feel a certain kind of comfort. The sort that calms him inside and made him feel like he could relax at the end of the long day of him entertaining others. Robin was an interesting character. And with her he didn’t feel the pressure to entertain or be the funniest guy in the room. He felt like he didn’t have to be funny if he didn’t’ want to. He could just say whatever he liked and she would listen. And when Robin had told him to take his meds sternly, in that moment he felt a foolish kind of joy. The one that deceits you into thinking that maybe, maybe you need love.