The light was off as everybody’s sleeping soundly on their own bed when Chunji and Jiyoon arrived back at their dorm. Chunji closed the door carefully behind Jiyoon, it would be his worst nightmare if they caught Jiyoon and him sneaking in together. They tiptoed all the way to their beds. Chunji was grateful to have one of the sleepyhead to share his bed with, so he didn’t have to worry that he would wake him up. He fell asleep soon after whispering Jiyoon good night.

Meanwhile, Changjo the light sleeper witnessed everything by his ears. His suspicions were true, Chunji and Jiyoon were going out together since he couldn’t find Jiyoon anywhere before. His curiosity had brought him wandering around the hostel, just to search for Jiyoon’s presence. The rest didn’t really mind her absence. They thought Jiyoon was spending her time with the blonde girl she’s talking to when they arrived at the hostel. Only Changjo who had been insecure by her absence since the mega flirt was also missing. He really made his moves a secret.

Changjo had been with Teen Top all day long, which was amazing, until they scattered to their own beds that night. And until that, he didn’t remember Chunji had ever told them he’s going out again. Well, he did tell L.Joe. But not in front of them all. Changjo felt something fishy on Chunji and L.Joe. They’re up to something.

******

The next day was probably Chunji’s luckiest day during his stay there with Teen Top. Nobody questioned his absence nor Jiyoon’s absence in the night before. Everything went as usual. Changjo was trying hard to get rid of his negative thoughts about Chunji and L.Joe. But he just couldn’t.

The guys were going out without Jiyoon that day. From what Changjo saw, Chunji was being uneasy all along. He even kept asking when they’re going back to the hostel. Miss her already, huh? Changjo eyed him sneakily. Well, me too. The others questioned Chunji’s unusual anxiety just to get a more nonsense reply from him. He wasn’t feeling well he said, but he clearly didn’t look like one. Or maybe it's just lovesick.

******

Days went by. Teen Top and Jiyoon lived their days separately although they still went out together sometimes. Chunji slowly showed his moves openly to the others, so he didn’t really need to explain what he’s actually doing. The clueless Jiyoon didn’t budge with his changes towards her. She did notice his changes, but she really didn’t bother herself to spend her time thinking about those. Behind her, Teen Top kept teasing Chunji about his moves. Changjo even joined the others on teasing him, just to make alibis. They didn’t expect him to turn into such a er when he had to deal with serious love cases. The mega flirt had long gone.

Changjo’s frustration was growing bigger as Chunji moved faster. He’s not only throwing tantrums on his hyungs for nothing, but he did it to Jiyoon as well. The girl had noticed his cold self was back on. But she didn’t expect him to change into somebody who was even worse than the person she saw at the first time. That’s why she had been reducing her bonding time with Teen Top just to avoid Changjo.

Changjo and Jiyoon didn’t know how long they hadn’t been talking to each other. Getting to live around Changjo with his special demeanor turned herself tougher although she still had the other guys to at least melt down the ice in their room. The guys had ran out of ideas on how to disenchant Changjo from the devil inside him. While actually to Changjo, the devil was still running around the room, smiling brightly, teasing the girl he loved. The pale white devil named Lee Chanhee.

Changjo noticed his bad side. Ricky had tried talking to him personally for thousand times, but those didn’t work at all. If Changjo himself couldn’t fight his ownself, how could others? His hyungs frustration on him didn’t work as well. The maknae really grew thick skinned through his anger. In the end, his hyungs just let him do what he wanted to without trying to cool him down anymore.

******

Jiyoon’s growling stomach made her climbed down her bed. She tiptoed out the room since the guys were all sleeping. Not bothering that it’s almost midnight, she’s willing to walk down the alleys just for her stomach’s sake. There’s a 24/7 convenience store right at the entrance of the alley. It’s the nearest place that could help her that night.

The clerk greeted her as she stepped into the store. She ordered the only one hotdog left and sat on the stool. It was just her and the clerk there since it was a weekday night. The clerk sat on his chair behind the counter, clearly holding back his sleepiness. She stared blankly at the street through the glass wall while she was munching her hotdog. A mid aged male worker was sitting behind the wheel, waiting for the traffic light to flash green. He looked so badly tired. Somehow he reminded her of her dad.

How is he doing right now. Her dad had never let her accomplish her dream, the dream she had been living lately. He was against her will to live in Japan for a while. Because if she did, he would be all alone at home. Jiyoon was the only child in her family. Her mom had gone for long, leaving her and her dad forever until they got to reunite in heaven later. That’s why her dad treasured her so much since she’s the only one he had.

Jiyoon made her way to Japan when her dad was away for a 2 weeks work trip to Europe. She had no idea how he would react when he found out. She knew she had to deal with the consequences later, but who cares? I’ve fulfilled my dream, after all. Right?

Jiyoon smiled slightly, replying the clerk’s bow before getting out the store. She yawned as she glanced at her wristwatch, 00:20. Her full stomach made her walked happily back to the dorm. She was just turned left at the last turn when she saw two drunkards were leaning on the wall a few metres in front of her, mumbling random things. The drunkards’ faces became brighter as they saw a girl coming. They went towards her with their wobbly steps, forcing the girl to step backwards.

She kept walking backwards before she bumped onto something. She turned around to see another drunkard smirking to her. She tried to pushed him off, but he was still stronger than her although he’s drunk. His hands held both of her arms and pinned her to the wall. Strong smell of alcohol made her dizzy as he leaned his face towards her. She didn’t get any single thing he said since he spoke it in Japanese, but she already guessed what he probably said all along. She struggled to get loose while she was still one on one with the third drunkard before the other two approached them but her attempts were all useless.

She was totally hopeless with her fate, thinking that it’s a punishment she got from betraying her parents by running away. But suddenly the drunkard in front of her was jerked backwards before a loud whack could be heard. A guy beat the third drunkard, finishing with a step on his chest. Jiyoon, who was still taken aback by what just happened, lifelessly slumped down on the cold concrete right away, trembling. She stared blankly at the guy who was then beating the life out of the two other drunkards by himself. Not believing that it was really him. Changjo.

He was panting as he approached the shocked Jiyoon. He was just standing in front of her. The girl’s empty eyes was looking at his shoes, not yet ready to face him. She glanced at the beaten drunkards who were lying lifelessly around them. He completely took them down.

Changjo grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her to get up. Jiyoon was way too bummed to argue. She let herself being dragged all along by him. She was trying to remember the picture of their bedroom before she left to the convenience store. She remembered it clearly, Changjo was sleeping on his bed.

Jiyoon’s memory was accurate. He really was sleeping on his bed. The light sleeper noticed her walking out of their room. The thought of her going to the bathroom made him went back to his sleep right away, but he hadn’t heard her steps back to her bed after fifteen minutes. He thought he just didn’t hear it before his curiosity made him got up and peeked up to find her empty bed. He wandered inside the hostel, searching for her. He even stayed in front of the female bathroom but there’s no signs of existence inside. He shrugged off his bad thoughts as he wandered inside the property for another lap. In the end, his instinct moved him to put his hoodie on and made his way out of the hostel.

“I can’t believe you’re that stupid!!” Changjo snarled. Jiyoon didn’t even take a look at him. He let him barked all he wanted. “You almost got and you might meet the end of your life just now!!”

Jiyoon gulped. She knew all of it without being told by him. He really didn’t have to. She already knew it all. “Why didn’t you ask one of the guys to go with you?! You’re a stranger here! You don’t know the surroundings well!” his shouts echoed through the alley.

Jiyoon sighed, still not looking at him. “You should have waken one of us up!!” Changjo referred to Teen Top. “How if I weren’t there just now, huh?! You’d give away your body and soul for them?! You'd let them have fun on you?! You’d let them leave you lifeless there?! Huh?!”

Changjo’s words triggered her anger in the end. The stinging pain of her slap on his cheek made his jaw dropped open in shock. “Watch your mouth.” Her teeth rattled. “You know what? I wasn’t that selfish to bother others for my own sake. How if I really got or killed just now?! Maybe that’s just my fate. I wouldn’t care about it as long as I didn’t bother others. Maybe you just saved my life, but it’s really unnecessary to scold me that harsh. I knew I was stupid, I could have just died with my stupidity just now! Please don’t feel so heroic like you’re the right one and I’m the wrong one to blame since I really didn’t ask you to save me. I was about to thank you, but hearing your sharp words on me just now, I don’t think I even need to bother myself to.” She pulled her arm from his grip and walked away.

Changjo was jabbed by her words. He didn’t think his scolds would hurt her that much. His chance to get her was getting lesser automatically by his mistakes. He had never been good with words that he couldn’t show how much he actually cared and worried about her. His lacking on words made his words easily got interpreted wrongly by people. Moreover, his improper way on expressing his mind often doubled the troubles. He had never been good. And he didn’t know if someday he even could.

Tears started falling down on Jiyoon’s cheek. She was way too upset for everything. Her stupidity to go out alone, her near death experience, added by the heroic guy’s scolding on her. She didn’t think she could face him again, facing the stiff figure with that harsh gaze of him as a garnish. But she didn’t want to go home yet. Her dream was still going on, waiting to be lived. One person couldn’t ruin her very own dream. Who’s he daring to ruin my dream?

Meanwhile Changjo was standing still at the same place when Jiyoon left him alone, staring blankly at the fading figure of her. He screamed in frustration after the girl went into the hostel. He jogged back through the alley, going nowhere exact. He slowed down when he almost reached the place where the three drunkards were still lying lifelessly, grunting in pain. The burning devil inside Changjo made his way to one of the drunkards, squatting on him. He grasped the drunkard’s collar and beat him again mercilessly. Blood spat out from both his mouth and his nose. Changjo gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist to whack the bleeding face for the umpteenth time. He left the first drunkard choking in his own filthy blood.

He moved to the second drunkard and did the same, or maybe worse. He kept throwing his punches on the second bleeding face in his grip. To his unknown, the third drunkard whom hadn’t got whacked in the second round yet, clumsily got up and walked closer to Changjo’s back who was busy beating the life off of his friend. It was the drunkard who was jerked by Changjo when he made his moves to Jiyoon. The dragged wobbly steps of him didn’t get heard by the mad young guy.

The drunkard pulled Changjo’s hoodie roughly with his remaining power left, startling the young guy. He started kicking Changjo’s body before he got to realize that it was the third drunkard. Changjo fell backward right away since he really didn’t expect the sudden attack. His unguarded stance made the drunkard easily stomped on his chest and abs. Changjo tried his best to get up but the drunkard was faster than him to stomp on his abs again, causing him to grunt louder. The drunkard was on his knees, grasping Changjo’s collar to punch him right on the face. Changjo struggled to revenge back, but his arms were locked by the drunkard’s legs.

After some punches had landed on him without having the chance to counter, Changjo gritted his teeth. He gathered up his strength, fueled by his rage, to push the weak yet fast drunkard. He got up swiftly and jabbed him as hard as he could. The drunkard’s instability made him stumbled back, bumping his back to the wall harshly. Changjo used the opportunity to beat him again, ignoring his sore abs. He brutally beat him, letting out the remaining fire in him. His emotion made his tears fell down as he remembered the scene when the lifeless man in his hand was harassing his girl. He took a deep breath before whacking him mercilessly for the last time.

Changjo got up slowly, holding onto the wall to support his body. He stumbled on his own feet and landed on his knees. Spending a few secs to badmouth at himself, he tried his best to stand up and walk again. He was unconsciously crying all along. He couldn’t feel the pain on his abs and jaw anymore. His heart hurt more he couldn’t handle.

He was then walking on the deserted street, walking wobbly just like the drunkards whose lives had just got beaten by him. The difference was he didn't have any bottles of alcohol in his hand. He had nowhere to go yet he didn’t want to go back to the hostel. His hand was rubbing his sore abs, slowly realizing how hurt it was.

He put his hoodie up before getting into a pharmacy. The clerk somehow shot him a dirty look, like he was desperately searching for drugs he hadn’t had in months. He asked the clerk for an alcohol, cottons, and some painkillers. The clerk just nod as he finally noticed the bruises on his face, then left to get the things he was asked. The clerk kept stealing suspicious glances on Changjo as he did the transaction, probably guessing which gang he was on.

Changjo was back wandering on the street, he did need a place to settle. The hospital once went through his mind as he was thinking whether he should get a proper treatment, but he didn’t really like to be there. Moreover, he got to be alone. He couldn’t tell his hyungs about what he just had.

The receptionist slided his card after finishing the paper. Changjo had decided to check into a hotel nearby. The bellboy was worried for the black and blue young guy as he accompanied him to his room. “Do you need anything else, sir?”

“No, thanks,” answered Changjo politely. The slight smile he showed to the bellboy soon faded by the stinging pain across his face.

“Enjoy your rest.” The bellboy bowed before leaving him alone.