Chanyeol held me by the arm all the way up to the tower so that I would not fall off my feet. I was grateful, really, but he completely acted like a guard courting his prisoner back to the jail. His grip was so secure that I could swear he left marks on my skin after letting go. Still, being the well-mannered boy he is, he apologized to me right after, saying that he never really supported a girl before that is why he was so nervous and two, that he shouldn’t have touched me in the first place. I thought he was just being conservative by adding the latter, but seeing the sincerity in his eyes, I could tell, there are meanings behind those words. So, I ended up adding that to the list of questions I mentally compiled for my agenda today.

                As soon as we reached the top of the stairs, I told Chanyeol that he could already go back as I could do it alone from here on. At first, he hesitated, but after just a heartbeat, he nodded his head and turned his back on me. I waited for a few seconds, checking if he’s already out of hearing range, before I faced the door to the headmaster’s office. Taking a deep breath, I mustered the guts to knock three times.

                Just like my first visit, the door opened of its own accord. I crossed the threshold, only to see two pairs of eyes already watching me. The first one, of course, belongs to the headmaster, and the other, seeing that the door opened by itself, was none other than Luhan's. 

                My eyes immediately fixated on Luhan, and that’s just not because I have a somewhat deeper connection with him. It was definitely all about his appearance. It was only six days when I've last seen him, but his hair, from being golden brown, now appeared more bronze and more tousled in appearance that it looked like it had been permed. The shapes of his eyes were more evident, as if he put on eyeliner on his waterline. He’s aura seems somewhat manlier, too, as though his hormones suddenly turned him into the guy all girls would kill for.

                As uncomfortable as our situation was, Luhan was the first to break eye contact. But, he did not go for the door, he just backed away to one side of the room so I can have my conversation with the headmaster.

                “Mi Yeon,” the headmaster spoke first, gently smiling at me. “It’s good to know you're back.”

                I made my way a little bit closer to his desk, and slowly at that. I was conscious not to show any sign that I’m still in pain because I might be sent back to that room immediately to be examined by healers. That of course is disadvantageous to me because it would mean postponing the questioning that I already pictured in my head. There's absolutely no way that I'm getting this meeting cancelled.

                “Yes sir,” I answered him. “Thank you for the concern and the services the academy provided me. I am fine now.”

                “I shouldn’t really be the one you should be thanking,” he answered with his sincere eyes. “Luhan, my son here, was the one who found you first and brought you back to the mansion.”

                Luhan? I furrowed my eyebrows a little. I didn’t expect it to be him. I remember hearing rather quite a lot of voices before I was knocked out. And not only that, I felt the wind slowing my fall. Of course, I would not like to assume, but I thought it would be somebody else who has absolute authority over that element. 

                But well, I guess I’m wrong.

                I turned my head slightly to the side so that I wouldn’t find myself face to face with him. I nodded and said, “Thank you.” Luhan didn’t respond.

              “If I may sir,” I continued, immediately proceeding to my original intention. “I would like to ask some questions.”

                Right at that moment, I noticed the exposed wall that was covered before by the ilumane. There’s no figuring out who stole it. I know perfectly well now who the number one suspect is.

                “I suspected as much that that is your reason for being here,” the headmaster said in a somewhat lower voice, turning so serious all of a sudden. “Fire away, then.”

                “Well, first,” I said, attempting to lighten the mood. “How did Luhan know I was out that night?”

                To this, Luhan was the one who answered.

                “Krystal came knocking furiously at my door,” he started and my eyes immediately focused on him. “She was asking if you met with me…to discuss some things, and I told her we didn’t. Plus, it’s already past curfew time. She told me that you’re not in your room and you didn’t tell her where you would go so we came looking for you. We found you just in time before you fell to the ground.”

                I know why there are pauses in the statement. He was trying to simplify what happened because I’m sure as hell know that Krystal tends to overreact about some things. She must have cursed him a lot that night, and I just suddenly felt sorry for not warning Krystal at all that I was going out that night. 

                “Okay,” I said then averted my gaze back to the headmaster.

                “I don’t really have any idea where to start…” I said, furrowing my eyebrows in concentration. “But…I’d like to know…if…if you personally know my father.”

                The headmaster did not answer right away, but instead surveyed my face. He must have been waiting for an emotional moment from me, but those days were over. No one’s around to mess with my personality and thoughts anymore. For the first time in what felt like years, I felt like my brain could finally inhale fresh air. 

                “Mi Yeon,” he said. “I’d like to answer all of your questions but I’d like to know first what exactly happened that night.”

                I hesitated for a fraction of a second. It’s true, I remember them all but I try not to relieve every single detail. But, since I wanted answers, I should be doing my part of the bargain. So, after taking in a deep breath, I spilled the story. I started on the point where Ji Hye knocked on my room, then I recalled every word that slipped her tongue, including the phrases that I hardly understood, me being her opponent and me having warriors, all the talks about my father, up to the point where she banged me to the great wall and symbols flew all around me. Those were symbols that didn't ring a bell at all, except perhaps for one. 

                “One looked a lot like Luhan's mark on his collarbone,” I said firmly, finally ending the story. I then looked at Luhan who was doing the same back at me. The tension was definitely high on the air. 

                When I