Hye Jin knew that there will be no class today, so she focused on helping the firemen. She tied her hair tighter in a huge bun and took off her outfit for some clothes she grabbed through the rescue in order to blend in and hide her real age. Reaching back the school gate, few hours after that, she found Taemin, Jin Ki, Key, Minho, and Jonghyun cleaning the classrooms with the rest of the students.

“Half of the school got caught.” She announced. “As well as the teacher offices, so I don’t think we will be studying for the afternoon.”

“We won’t.” Taemin confirmed. “We are helping the school’s council with the cleaning.”  Hye Jin nodded and went in to clean with the girls. Cleaning the windows, Hye Jin noticed someone standing not that far from the school, looking straight at her. Zooming didn’t help her to see his face clearly because he had bangs and was wearing a mask, but she managed to save his height, and stature; His body won’t go unnoticed for sure and she made sure to keep him in mind because she found his behavior suspicious.

The afternoon went by and the group thought of hanging out instead of heading back home. By the restaurant, Hye Jin and Jin Ki found themselves sitting next to each other, which made them awkward while the rest sat normally. “Do you think we will continue studying in our school? The forth level is extremely damaged, the chemistry rooms exploded first due to the heat.” Key sighed sadly.

“I’ll make us all go to the school in the other side of the road, tomorrow.” Hye Jin offered. “Unless you plan to study somewhere else.” They shook their heads. “Good! I’ll tell father. Excuse me. I’ll make a call.”

As Hye Jin spoke to her father, the same boy showed up in her vision, as he stood not that far, relaxing his head on a wall, just in front of her, drinking his jus. She could feel the challenging smirk in the man’s face and didn’t know why she felt like facing him. Technically, he didn’t provoke her. She explained her request to her father who agreed and offered his help right away. Getting back to her spot between Jin Ki and Taemin, she smiled happily. “I told dad about our wish to study together in the same school and he said that he will make us go to the South Ming school, and if he didn’t manage to, to the school in the other side of the road, it’s five minutes far from the school we were in.”

“Fine for me, I’m always early.” Minho offered with a smile, as he leaned to hug his girlfriend. “As long as we are together.”

“I hope they will put us together in the same class this time, oppa.” She said with a small giggle.

“Oh hell no! If you do, both of you won’t focus on studying. I know you both.” Key scolded, with a teasing tone before facing a surprised Hye Jin. “Don’t let them be in the same class, ok?”

She laughed, amused at Key’s words. “I hate to admit it but Key is right.” She teased back, only to get a kind of punch in the shoulder from Key.

“Hey! What is it supposed to mean?” Jonghyun laughed at Key’s outburst and pulled him closer. They left the table,  Hye Jin and Minho’s girlfriend leading the way as they had their things to discuss about, to walk around, and probably shop, when they noticed Taemin missing. “Where is Minnie?” Hye Jin asked them, panic showing up in her face. The boys froze and each ran in a way seeking for Taemin in the previous shops they went in, but no sign of the boy. Hye Jin meanwhile went to the reception.

“Could you please call for Lee Taemin? We can’t find him.” The receptionist nodded and called for Taemin in the reception but even when the boys met up with them, he didn’t show up. “I tried to call but the phone was with Jin Ki all along.”

“I’ll try to seek for him in the toilets. It’s the only place where we didn’t check.” Jonghyun offered as he ran. Key went to the other side, since the mall had 12 toilet aisles. Each one of them went to one, when Hye Jin got a call from Jonghyun. “Hye Jin… I’m in the third toilet are in the first level, east side. Hurry up.”

Hye Jin knew from his tone that something happened, and she ran to the aisle the fastest she could only to find Taemin curled up in one of the cubicles, his clothes torn, and his face bleeding somehow. Jonghyun was alone with him.

“Taemin!” She knelt in front of him, scanning him with her hands. “What happened?” He looked up right when her hands landed on his waist side, only to get her to gasp in horror. She looked at Jonghyun who had a gloomy expression in her face. “I’ll call others to make them stop looking for Taemin and make him talk, since all he said was Hye Jin.”

Hye Jin locked the door as soon as Jonghyun left and sat next to a silent Taemin. “It’s my fault.” She mumbled, sadness filling her veins. “I had to keep you with me, to look after you…”

“He said he will hurt you by using me, as much as you did hurt him by killing his Hyung.” Taemin was rather calm but Hye Jin knew better. “He said… things I don’t want to talk about.”

They sat there, silently for a while. “Was he in your height, with dark hair, slightly tanned skin?” Taemin shivered, nodding. “… I knew that he was suspicious.” Hye Jin stood to open the door and looked back to the boy curled down. “For me, you are the purest soul, the purest heart, and purest mind ever existed, Taemin. Don’t let what happened pull you down.”

A sob left Taemin’s lips as Taemin tried to stand. “He me.”

“He did.” He looked at her, shocked. “But he didn’t kill you. You have still a chance to make him pay for the pain, and to move on.” He cried right then while Hye Jin cupped him, slowly, and walked out, shocking the men. Jin Ki just showed up when she left the aisle.

“I came as fast as I knew. What happened?” He leaned to touch Taemin but the kid just looked away. “Taemin…” Jonghyun patted on his back as Hye Jin walked away with Taemin sleeping in her arms. “He refused my touches.”

“He was bullied; maybe he didn’t want you to touch the injuries in his face.” Key pointed out. “You saw how bad his bruise looked. Maybe he didn’t want to see how worry and disappointed of yourself you were. After all, he hates it.”

“Maybe you are right.” Jin Ki mumbled but deep in his heart, he knew that something wasn’t right. Meanwhile, Taemin opened his eyes as soon as he knew that they were far from Jin Ki.

“Don’t let him know.”

“I won’t.” Hye Jin assured. “He will take himself for responsible because he wasn’t careful enough, the way I feel.” Taemin didn’t speak; he just slept on her shoulder and dozed off. Hye Jin walked straight to the front door when she noticed the same boy, not far from them. He seemed in deep thoughts, waiting, when a taxi stopped in front of him, and he left.

The feeling she got at that moment was beyond her system’s understanding. Fortunately, Jin Ki showed up soon and she made Taemin sleep on his brother’s shoulder. “Go home, put him in bed, and don’t try to make him speak. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” She said fast before running away. She could see the taxi driving few meters ahead and followed it, keeping the same distance. It took her the full capacity of her batteries, and the use of a generator, to reach the address where the taxi did drop the kid.

As soon as the kid paid the taxi and turned, she was facing him. He seemed shocked. “What? Do you think that I can’t follow your taxi?” She pinned him to a wall, before he could speak. “I won’t try to know who you are, but let me tell you one thing. I didn’t mean to kill your Hyung like you meant to destroy mine, so it makes us uneven. I will leave you now with a warning, but if you dare to get near me or my friends, I’ll hurt you.”

“What is holding you now?” He chuckled. “Do it. Kill me, and stop acting so nicely.”

“I’m not a killer. I tried to save someone from a kidnapping, this is my mistake.” Hye Jin yelled at him. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t because I know people died because of me. I’m not as monstrous as you. How would you live with the guilt of an innocent boy in a public toilet? Will you live with that? Because if it is not monstrous, then I don’t know how humans think.” The boy didn’t say a thing. “Just to let you know, it was his first time.” She said before running away.

What is holding you now? The answer to that was easy: Lee Taemin. She couldn’t dare to make it worse for Taemin, which is the reason why she didn’t call for the police or thought of punishing the kid herself. People will ask why and will know that Taemin was for revenge. “I won’t let people hurt him again.”

The first thing she did was to make a gadget for Taemin. It was in the form of a wrist band, but had a locator, and a recording device connected to her inner system. It took her the whole night, which meant that she didn’t fully charge her batteries. She stood in front of the Lee mansion to find Taemin already there, curled up in the floor. She stood in front of him. “Where is Jin Ki?”

“Still inside.” Taemin answered. “I didn’t want to go to school but if I don’t… he will notice.” 

“Does your body hurt?” he nodded and she sighed before taking the wrist band. “Here.” He looked up and, as she helped him to stand, observed the object.

“It’s pretty.”

“It’s not as pretty as you, Taemin. Not the way I see you. ” Hye Jin looked toward the front door, checking of Jin Ki was coming. “I know… that you must hate me…”

“I don’t.” Taemin said simply, as he wore the wrist band. “I don’t hate you. I know that he is punishing you using me, because of something you didn’t mean to do, so he is the one who is making it unfair.”

“But I won’t be hurt if you hate me, Taemin. I’m the reason why you are…”

“It could be Key or Jonghyun, or Soo Jung, or even Minho… Either ways, you aren’t the reason of such foolishness, of such unfairness. You tried to save lives, you failed, and it is pretty normal.” Taemin said as he tried to walk ahead. “Do you realize how many officers, fire men, nurses, and doctors fail on saving someone’s life every day? If we punish them this way, it will be chaotic.” Hye Jin didn’t know why she fell on her knees, she did feel her tears though, and held them. She didn’t know why Taemin’s words made her feel weak. Unfortunately, Jin Ki showed up just at that point.

“Hye Jin! What happened? Are you ok?” He helped Hye Jin to stand up and led her to stand by Taemin’s side. The last held her without a word. “What happened, guys? I feel like something odd happened. It’s not the first time someone bully Taemin.”

“True… it’s the second time someone bullies him because of me.” Hye Jin mumbled and Jin Ki threw her a shocked look. “The one who bullied him was taking revenge for someone I killed… and I know very well it’s the kid I accidentally killed when I stopped the van.”

“ARE YOU ING WITH ME RIGHT NOW?” Jin Ki yelled as he pinned her in the wall, shaking her body, and using his full strength to crush her back on it. “Are you saying that he was bullied because of you? Are you daring to say that in my face?” Taemin was shocked by how red Jin Ki became and the tears that showed up in his cheeks. “I thought you were someone I could trust. I thought he was safe with you…”

“He wasn’t.” Hye Jin expressionlessly said. “He will never be.”

Beyond angry, he pushed himself away. “ you.” Jin Ki said as he pulled Taemin closer to him. “You are prohibited from getting closer to my brother and if you had any decency, I’d love if you study in another school.” Hye Jin nodded, looking down, as Jin Ki pulled an unwilling Taemin. The kid didn’t know what to do at that point.