Piper rubbed her eyes, not bothering to look at the angry red numbers on the alarm clock that sat on her bedside table. She knew it was well past midnight. She knew she’d be kicking herself for staying up so late the next morning, but still she didn’t go to bed. A melody had been on repeat in her head for what felt like the entire day, and she’d be damned if she went to bed and lost it.

However, staying up so late had proven to be just as unproductive as going to sleep. Her fingers kept slipping, and she made more mistakes than normal. The time she spent fixing them meant she’d be staying up even longer.

There was a quiet knock at the door, and Piper looked over with bleary eyes and saw Nan creep in, a plate of cookies and a steaming mug on top of a serving tray.

“You shouldn’t be up so late,” Nan chided gently as she set the tray on the only clean part of Piper’s desk.

“And yet you’re bringing me things filled with sugar?” Piper quirked an eyebrow, giving a knowing smile to her adoptive grandmother.

“What can I say, I’m a softie for you kids,” Nan patted Piper’s head gently. “You haven’t talked much about your new school; have you made any friends?”

“I’ve made a couple; I don’t really know about Parker, though. We’re not in a lot of classes together here.”

“Just a couple?” Nan cocked her head to the side. “I would have figured you would have a lot more than that by now. Usually at this time you and your brother would be well-known at your school.”

“Oh, we’re well known,” Piper game a small laugh, “but not in the sense that we have a lot of friends.”

“Well, perhaps that’s a good thing. Fewer friends mean closer friendships.” Nan mused, petting Piper’s hair softly. “Don’t stay up too much later; I don’t want you falling asleep during class.”

“G’night, Nan,” Piper replied, sipping on the hot chocolate.

She ended up asleep at her desk, a terrible crick in her neck from the awkward position. She was still rubbing it on the drive to school the next morning.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t sleep at your desk anymore,” Parker quipped at the pair made their way to Jeguk, already having dropped Prosper off.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t be so annoying,” Piper grumbled.

Parker laughed, “I’d say you got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but you didn’t even sleep in your bed.”

“Ha ha ha,” she sneered, punching him in the leg.

Her mood hadn’t improved as they walked to school, and perhaps got worse as they were bombarded by a bright flashing light.

“Hi!” A boy greeted them cheerfully. “I’m Jo Myung Soo, Jeguk High’s ‘fresh spring water’. Finally, I get to meet the twin transfers.” He looked down at his camera, examining the picture he had just taken. “Wow, that’s amazing. You were totally unprepared and you still took a good picture.”

“Yeah, we’re like the Barney Stinson’s of Jeguk High,” Piper quipped, met with Myung Soo’s blank face. “Oh, right. Wrong crowd.”

“Aren’t you friends with Choi Young Do?” Parker asked, realizing why the boy looked so familiar.

“I’m his best friend,” Myung Soo replied proudly.

“I didn’t think Young Do could have friends,” Piper mused dispassionately.

“Hey, our Young Do isn’t that bad,” he protested.

She cocked her head to the side, “Tell me, where are you ranked at this school?”

“Last I checked, I was ranked 100th,” Myung Soo noted, a smile on his face.

“How many students are in our year?” Piper wondered.

“100,” Parker replied.

“That explains it,” she remarked, brushing past the still grinning boy.

She made her way to the broadcast club room before school, hoping to catch Hyo Shin before he left to class. She poked her head through the door and saw him sitting at the long rectangular table just in front of the audio equipment.

“Well?” She questioned, an anticipatory grin on her face.

“Well what?” He returned, a hint of a smile behind his impassive expression.

“Did Eun Sang make it into the club or not?”

Hyo Shin tilted his head, debating something. “Call me Sunbae first. You don’t use honorifics, and you don’t seem too keen on them either. I just want to hear it once.”

Piper jutted a finger to the door behind her, “I could go find Eun Sang and ask her, you know.”

“Then why did you come find me?” Hyo Shin returned.

“I wanted to hear it from the source,” Piper replied. “And to beat some sense into you if you rejected her.”

Hyo Shin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Just once, Piper-ah. Or you could find Eun Sang, though I doubt you’ll be able to meet up with her before your first class starts, and you don’t seem like the patient type.”

Piper pouted; he had her there. She could always text Eun Sang, but this was something she wanted to find out in person. Not to mention there was no telling whether or not Eun Sang would even check her messages before class; she was probably with (or avoiding) Kim Tan, or definitely avoiding Young Do.

Groaning, Piper rolled her eyes and slapped on a bashful smile. “Sunbae-nim, did you accept Eun Sang?”

Looking thoroughly pleased with himself, Hyo Shin quickly covered it with his usual indifference. “She’s in, but don’t tell her yet. It’s only official if the whole club agrees. And thank you for asking so politely.”

“Ugh, really?” Piper muttered, looking at him bemusedly. “Why am I friends with you?”

“I don’t know,” he smirked. “Is it because I’m so good looking?”

Piper threw her head back, turning towards the door. “Uuuuuugh.” She moaned, leaving a grinning Hyo Shin behind.

///

True to what Nan had said, Piper found herself falling asleep in class. She had tried pinching herself and biting her tongue, but she still felt her eyelids begin to droop. If she was in a better state of mind, she wouldn’t have done what she did. However, her mind was fuzzy and her judgment questionable.

Closing her eyes, Piper leaned her head back so it rested on Young Do’s desk “I give you full permission to annoy me right now,” she told him quietly as the teacher droned on. “I need to stay awake.”

Young Do leaned in, “But if I annoy you, you won’t be able to pay attention.” He whispered. Piper shrugged and he smirked. “Well, if you want me to annoy you, perhaps I should draw something on your face.”

Her eyes flashed open, and though he didn’t show it Young Do was slightly taken aback. It was the first time he’d ever seen them up close, the difference between her light hazel eyes and the rest of his classmates’ dark brown ones were abundantly clear. Not only that, but the differences between her eyes and her brother’s was also notable; Parker’s eyes were greener than hers, something Young Do inquired about before his mind was able to stop him.

“I thought you and your brother were twins.” He remarked.

“We are; we’re fraternal.” She replied, her eyebrows furrowing slightly at the abrupt change of subject. “Why do you ask?”

“Your eyes are different.”

“What, you’ve stared deeply into my brother’s eyes?” She asked rhetorically, throwing a half grin at him.

Young Do returned the smirk, “Mmhm, oppa and I are planning a spring wedding.”

Piper shook her head slightly. “You’re weird.”

Young Do tapped her forehead with the end of his pen, causing her to wince from the unexpected action. She rubbed the spot and looked up at him in irritation.

“What? You said to annoy you.” He remarked, looking the picture of innocence. “Perhaps you shouldn’t free with your words; you never know how they’ll be interpreted.”

Piper huffed. “I just opened a can of worms, didn’t I?”

“At least you recognize that.” Young Do replied, sliding his notebook from under her head and tapped her forehead with it.

///

Piper traipsed down the hallway, making her way to class the next day. She saw a familiar face a few steps ahead of her, though the two hadn’t been introduced yet.

“Lee Bo Na!” Piper called out, skipping towards the girl as she turned around.

“Do I know you?” The girl asked, confusion etched into her features.

“Piper McPherson, one of the new transfers. You’re Yoon Chan Young’s Bo Na, right?” She inquired, continuing without waiting for an answer. “You’re just as pretty as he said.”

Truthfully, Chan Young had said nothing. Piper hadn’t even spoken to him since her first day. Everything she heard about Bo Na had come from Eun Sang after a long talk detailing her exact situation and who knew what a few days ago.

“You’ve talked to my Chan Young?” Bo Na asked suspiciously. “What did he say?”

“Well, that you were pretty, and that you got even cuter when you’re jealous.” Piper grinned. “But don’t worry; you don’t have anything to be jealous about where I’m concerned. Chan Young’s not my type.”

“Hey! What’s wrong with my Chan Young?” She demanded.

“He’s taken,” Piper merely replied, earning a simple ‘oh’ from Bo Na.

Piper grinned as she walked with Bo Na to their first class, happy to be familiar with at least one other girl at that school. Eun Sang was wonderful, but all that testosterone was driving Piper crazy. Her smile dropped, however, as they rounded the corner and saw a group of students crowding the door to their classroom, Choi Young Do’s lackeys preventing them from entering. Piper knew it was too good to be true that Young Do hadn’t harassed Eun Sang the day before. It was wishful thinking that he had gotten bored and moved on.

“Aren’t those Young Do’s guys at the door?” Piper inquired, the thin line Bo Na’s lips had been pulled to her answer.

Bo Na pushed her way to the crowd, Piper on her heels. “What is it?” Bo Na questioned the two cronies guarding the door. “Did Choi Young Do ask us out?”

“You should go in a little bit later.” One of them informed her.

“You go in a little bit later.” She fired back, pushing them aside so that she and Piper could walk through.

They found Eun Sang sitting at one of the tables, Young Do leaning against it. When she heard them come in, Eun Sang attempted to get up, but Young Do grabbed her wrist and forced her back in her seat.

“Hey, Choi Young Do. Did you rent the entire school for yourself?” Bo Na demanded. “Even if you did, this school actually belongs to Kim Tan. So, who are you to order us to leave?”

“Not to mention I remember clearly that my brother warned you against manhandling his sister’s friend,” Piper added spitefully. “So why are you doing so, in front of his sister of all things?”

Young Do hadn’t taken his eyes of Eun Sang. “I wanted to know something about New Money.” She looked up at him, the worry in her eyes causing him to raise an eyebrow. “Don’t be nervous.”

He bent down and grabbed her backpack off the floor, opening it roughly and dumping the items on the floor.

“What the heck are you doing?!” Eun Sang yelled, Bo Na and Piper running up with no real plan in mind.

“What are you doing?” Bo Na repeated.

“Good thing you two came.” Young Do remarked, grabbing their bags away from them and overturning them, dumping their contents out as well.

“Hey! You psycho, are you crazy?!” Bo Na shouted, attempting to

“Choi Young Do, if you’ve scratched the screen you’re dead.” Piper hissed, bending down and picking her tablet off the floor, inspecting it closely.

“You see this?” Young Do went on, referencing the collection of items on the ground.

There was a clear distinction. Bo Na had expensive cosmetics and accessories, Piper had her expensive tablet and headphones, and both girls had expensive music players and cellphones. And then there was Eun Sang, who lacked all of those things.

“Look, you have never spent money. You’re not New Money, right?” He interrogated, letting go of Bo Na’s arm. “Lee Bo Na, is she really New Money? I heard you know her a bit.”

“I don’t know, you elementary kid! Why does it matter to you if she’s New Money or not?!” She demanded, bending down alongside Piper to pick up her things.

“It does matter.” Young Do insisted. “If someone on a welfare scholarship pretended to be New Money, then it means that she lied to the entire school. So, of course it matters. We are all victims. Right?”

Eun Sang, who looked as if she were fighting back tears, finally spoke. “If you have no intention of apologizing, would you get lost?”

Young Do laughed humorlessly, stepping forward. “If I ask ‘who’s looking after you, that you’re messing with us’, would it be too rude?” He asked lowly.

“Yes, and it’d be thinking too highly of yourself to believe you deserve that answer as well,” Piper sneered, standing up as she glared at him.

“Move.” Came a voice from the door, Chan Young striding inside. “What’s wrong, Bo Na?” He asked, seeing his girlfriend picking her things off the floor. “What happened?”

“Chan Young, Choi Young Do has finally gone insane!” She pouted, standing up quickly.

He turned to Eun Sang and saw her terrified expression. Understanding what had happened he squared his jaw and looked to Young Do. “You preventing us from getting ready for class... it’s starting to get annoying.”

“Our transfer student... why do you have so many knights who look after you? It makes me want to compete with them.” Young Do addressed Eun Sang, ignoring Chan Young. As she looked up, he turned to Chan Young. “Ah, I’ll start acting out, in a twisted way.”

“As opposed to what?” Piper bit out as Young Do stalked off, purposefully bumping into Chan Young as he left.

“Are you both alright?” Chan Young asked, looking between them. “Let’s clean this.”

He walked over to Eun Sang’s things, helping Piper pack them back into the faded backpack Eun Sang always carried.

“So annoying!” Bo Na fumed, glaring at Eun Sang. “What the hell; is this all because of you?”

The students filed in silently, though there was no doubt they had witnessed and overheard everything. Eun Sang quickly bent down to finish shoving her things in her bag.

“Thanks, Lee Bo Na.” Chan Young looked up at his girlfriend, no doubt having asked her to keep Eun Sang’s situation a secret.

“I hate you the most.” She fired back, eyeing him angrily.

“Let me do it, go and help Bo Na.” Eun Sang requested, but Chan Young ignored her, earning another spiteful glance from his girlfriend.

Once her things were inside her bag, Eun Snag took it gratefully from her friends and sat in her seat. Piper took the empty spot next to her, throwing a grateful half-smile at Chan Young as he moved to his.

“Are you okay?” Piper asked her, painfully aware of the stares being directed at her friend. Eun Sang was silent. “Do you want me and my brother to fight him?”

Eun Sang gave a small smile, knowing her friend was saying it to make her feel better.

“Just stay by my side for today,” Eun Sang requested. “I don’t have to fight twice as hard to beat him when someone else is there.”

And so Piper did as she was asked. When their class was dismissed, she walked with Eun Sang to her locker, keeping an eye out for any approaching tormenters. Though when they arrived there, they saw a sight that was far worse. Young Do had yet again cornered Joon Young against a locker, a piece of paper in Joon Young’s hands. From the whispers of the surrounding students, Piper and Eun Sang determined the paper in his hands was a lawsuit against him.

“Please pretend this didn’t happen.” Joon Young pleaded.

“Hey, if you come out like this, it takes the fun out of it.” Young Do informed him quietly. “Didn’t you think that this could happen, before you hit me? How good of a guy did you think I was?”

“I’m begging you.” He implored breathily.

“The doctor wrote me a letter to take 3-weeks of rest.” Young Do continued, looking pleased with himself. “I was really in pain. Tears kept falling because I was so sad...”

“I’m sorry. Please act as if it never happened.”

“How can I do that?” Young Do smiled wider. “So, my friend,” he flicked the paper in Joon Young’s hand roughly, “take this and spend a lot of money on finding a really good lawyer.”

“If I step in,” Piper whispered to her friend, “he’ll take it out on you, too. Won’t he?” The pleading look from Eun Sang was all it took to keep her rooted to the floor.

“What do I have to do for you to stop?” Joon Young asked earnestly.

Young Do gave a small laugh. “Oh, you make my heart go soft. Then...how about kneeling down to me?” Joon Young blanched, and Young Do’s smirk deepened as he shrugged. “Maybe I might just change my mind.”

Gulping deeply, Joon Young stared yet again at the lawsuit in his hands. Shaking, he slowly went to his knees, supplicating his tormentor. Young Do grinned wildly at his victory, while Eun Sang and Piper looked on in horrified pity.

Tan breezed past them, making a beeline for Joon Young and Young Do. Piper noted with curiosity the way Young Do’s smile faded as Tan stopped in front of Joon Young. “Hey, get up.” Tan ordered the kneeling boy.

“It’s none of your business.” Joon Young ignored him.

“I said get up.” Tan repeated more aggressively.

“Don’t try to act kind! It’s repulsive.” Joon Young shot back. “You’re exactly the same as Young Do.”

Young Do gave a deep laugh, seemingly genuinely pleased. “Just as I expected, our Joon Young is a smart kid.”

“Perhaps...did I used to bully you?” Tan wondered.

“Choi Young Do... he at least remembered.” Joon Young sneered.

Tan grimaced. “I’m sorry. Instead, I’ll repay you like this.” Without any warning, he spun and threw a punch, landing it directly on Young Do’s jaw. The surrounding students gasped in unison, and Eun Sang gave a tiny squeak as her hand flew to . Young Do looked at his attacker, lip bleeding. Tan looked at him audaciously. “Try to kneel me down since I too hit you too.”

“Can I do so?” Young Do questioned.

“Can’t wait.” Tan fired back.

“How do you think I’d feel?” He continued, stepping forward as if to begin a fully-fledged fistfight.

“You there! What’s going on?” A teacher’s voice shouted, it echoing off the walls. The students scrambled out of the hallway, not wanting to get involved in the ensuing disciplinary action. “Who’s fighting? What are you doing, now?”

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Piper whispered, linking her arm in Eun Sang’s and pulling her away.