Hyo Shin and Piper sat in the abandoned dining area. He had left Tan and Rachel at the hotel to argue until their hearts were content. Piper unloaded the nearly one-sided conversation she had undergone with Young Do, the stress and embarrassment of it causing her to start crying softly.

“When did you realize?” He asked gently. “That you liked him, I mean.”

“Just now,” she confessed. “And I don’t even know why. Am I really so cliché that I fall for the bad guy because I’m convinced I can change him?”

“You can’t change him,” Hyo Shin reminded her tenderly.

“I know,” she agreed.

“I think Eun Sang can.”

Piper sighed heavily. “She already has, and I think that’s part of the problem. He’s starting to be less of a raging jerk and a bully – granted, he’s still a jerk and a bully – and those rare moments of sincerity make me like him more and more.” She groaned and pressed her face into her hands. “I don’t want to like him. I’ve been with a guy who’s hurt me and wronged me and I don’t want to go through that again. What am I supposed to do?”

“I tried liking you,” Hyo Shin confessed.

Piper lifted her head from her hands, looking at him bemused. “What?”

He gave a small grin, “When I realized Hyun Joo, my former tutor, would never see me as anything but a student I tried liking you. I thought that if I could, it would hurt less.”

“Did it work?” She asked tentatively.

“No,” he reassured her gently. “It didn’t, though it did make me value your friendship more.”

“So what you’re saying is that it’s hopeless,” she deflated.

“I’m saying for me it was, but you’ve got an attractive Sunbae,” he teased slightly, trying to goad her into a smile. “You could always try to fall for me.”

He succeeded, and Piper grinned. “I value our friendship too much.”

“Ooh,” he feigned hurt, pressing his hand to his heart as if she had wounded him.

///

The next morning, a few students were gathered around the sink area, brushing their teeth and gossiping. Word about Kim Tan’s nighttime arrival had somehow spread through camp. Eun Sang and Piper exchanged side glances as they listened in, both with their suspicions on the source.

“Really?” One of Ye Sol’s friends asked, shocked. “Kim Tan came here last night?”

“Yeah, Myung Soo said he saw him.” Ye Sol confirmed.

“Oh my god, is that why Yoo Rachel spent the night out yesterday?” Bo Na questioned, slipping in a little English for effect.

“Yoo Rachel spent the night out?!” Ye Sol wondered. “Indeed, I suppose an engaged girl is on a different level.”

“It’s a really heart-fluttering word…’sleeping out’.” Bo Na gushed. “Ah, Yoo Rachel is annoying!”

Ye Sol eyed Eun Sang, who was doing her best not to react. She started to leave, but Ye Sol’s next words stopped her.

“Kim Tan’s approach is quite something.” Ye Sol remarked pointedly. “How can he leave Cha Eun Sang to go back to Yoo Rachel?”

As Piper gave Ye Sol a threatening glare, Eun Sang made her escape. Knowing she’d lose a staring match with the female McPherson, Ye Sol turned to Bo Na.

“But why are you taking care of your skin even here?” She asked, referencing Bo Na’s pore scrubber.

“Without active care, there’s no beauty.” Bo Na answered simply. “Without beauty, there’s no boyfriend.”

Piper snorted, “Oh, Lee Bo Na; if that was an intentional insult at Kang Ye Sol my respect for you has increased exponentially.”

“Until 8’o clock, you need to pack your stuff and meet up.” Chan Young delegated as he walked up to the group. “Once we arrive at the hotel, we’ll sort room arrangements beginning at 9. Then there will be a Harvard graduate Sunbae-nim’s…” He trailed off as the students grabbed their things and walked to their tents. “Global Leadership special lecture.” He shouted after them.

The mood was tense in the McPherson tent, the twins packing their things in stuffy silence.

“Did you sleep well?” Parker attempted.

“Yeah,” she grumbled, shoving her clothes in her bag.

“So did I,” he tried again.

“Great,” Piper muttered as she grabbed her bags, exiting the tent as quickly as she could.

///

As the students piled into the lecture room at the hotel, they were surprised to see Rachel already sitting there. As usual, she was throwing eye daggers at Eun Sang; Piper threw ones of her own right back as she guided her friend to a seat. Young Do walked in, exchanging awkward glances with both Eun Sang and Piper – each for very different reasons.

“You really slept here yesterday?” Bo Na asked as she sat next to Rachel.

“Yes, why?” Rachel replied nonchalantly.

“You were with Kim Tan?” Ye Sol pressed.

Rachel glared pointedly at Eun Sang. “Did it seem like that?”

‘Kim Tan and Yoo Rachel didn’t spend the night together, did they?’ Piper scribbled on her notepad. ‘He came to see you.’

‘We slept by a fire last night,’ Eun Sang wrote back. ‘It was actually really nice. I’m trying not to let her bother me.’

‘Don’t’, Piper agreed. ‘She’s desperate and an attention monger. She doesn’t deserve yours.’

Piper couldn’t concentrate during the lecture. She could feel her brother staring at her, which she avoided at any cost. He was trying to make amends for being so harsh with her; she knew this. However, she was too angry.

Angry with her brother. Angry with Yoo Rachel. Angry with Kang Ye Sol. Angry with Choi Young Do.

Mostly, she was angry with herself. Angry at the fact that she had somehow fallen back into a bad habit she had thought she had broken when she discovered how vile her ex had been. She had begun to like a guy who had no idea how to treat a person with genuine kindness.

Piper remembered how she had spiraled out of control when her family had moved to Sweden not too long after she had ended things with Ian. She was almost positive she wouldn’t be able to recover as cleanly if it happened again.

///

Eun Sang caught sight of Tan immediately as the class entered the hotel’s dining area, and she made a beeline for the buffet. Piper noticed her hasty swerve, and followed along. As the girls collected their breakfast, they kept tabs on the ensuing interactions, trying to find an opportune moment to sneak by and avoid their respective sources of anxiety.

“Oh, Kim Tan!” Myung Soo called, noticing him.

“You came, too, Sunbae?” Young Do wondered as he and Myung Soo walked up to the table.

“Yeah, I guess you could call it ‘escape from love’.” He remarked, earning a scowl from Tan. Hyo Shin winked, enjoying his own joke.

“I’ll go first and distract them,” Piper offered, willing to sacrifice her pride as she noticed the way Eun Sang was trying to remain unseen. After all, Eun Sang’s emotions were more susceptible to being bruised given the current situation.

Her friend nodded gratefully and Piper walked ahead, purposefully passing by the table that Tan and Hyo Shin were occupying.

“Piper-ah, how did you sleep?” Hyo Shin asked as he noticed her pass, tossing her a grin. “Did you dream of me?”

“Yeah,” she answered coolly. “Horrible nightmares.”

As Hyo Shin threw her a sarcastic frown, the three boys beside them looked between the two with varying expressions of confusion.

“Is it possible…are you two together?” Tan wondered.

“No,” they answered in unison.

Hyo Shin looked past her to see Eun Sang walk by, her head down and eyes averted. “It’s Eun Sang.” He noted, and immediately Piper began shaking her head as imperceptibly as she could, her eyes wide as she stared at Hyo Shin.

Eun Sang stopped, and slowly turned to face them. Myung Soo gave a happy wave, ignorant to her distress.

She gave a small bow, “Good morning.”

Eun Sang scurried past, sitting at a nearby table without another glance at them. Piper cast a disapproving glance at Hyo Shin before sitting across from Eun Sang. Tan noticed Young Do and Myung Soo still hovering around, and kicked a chair out for them.

“You going to sit down?” He asked.

“Should I?” Young Do quirked an eyebrow, kicking the chair aide and sliding in.

“I’m going to get some food.” Myung Soo announced, walking to the buffet line.

As he left, Rachel came sauntering over with a tray full of food, taking the empty seat at Tan’s table. “I woke up a bit early. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.” Tan answered, and Piper couldn’t help but notice Eun Sang’s crestfallen face.

“Sunbae-nim!” Bo Na called as she and Ye Sol strolled up to the table.

“Lee Bo Na announcer, it’s nice to see you outside.” Hyo Shin greeted.

“Right? But Sunbae, you slept here, too?” She wondered.

“Yeah, with Tan.” He nodded.

“With Tan?” Bo Na repeated, her gaze shifting to Rachel. “Then, what about her? What is this? So you slept here by yourself?”

“I thought you slept together. Unbelievable.” Ye Sol interjected.

“I spent the night in the corridor because Yoo Rachel wouldn’t open the door. Gosh, she’s strong.” Tan lied, and Eun Sang deflated more.

“Enjoy your food. You guys, too.” Bo Na remarked. “Let’s go.”

“Why do you live so busily?” Young Do questioned Tan as the girls walked off. “Having a girl you miss, and a separate girl you want to sleep with; is this American style?”

Everyone at the table stared at Young Do in surprise, and Piper noticed Eun Sang stiffen even more.

“I made a mistake.” Tan answered with a sigh. “Should you get up or should I?”

Eun Sang had heard enough, and stood up from her chair to walk out to the pool area.

“I’ll get up.” Young Do smiled coldly. “It seems like we can’t even eat one meal together.”

He stood up and left the same way Eun Sang had. Tan spun in his seat to watch him leave, noticing Piper’s acidic stare in Tan’s direction.

“What?” He asked petulantly.

She held up her fingers in the shape of a gun and aimed at Tan’s head, pulling the imaginary trigger and shooting him, complete with the sound effects. With a final scowl, she stood up from the table as well and followed after Eun Sang and Young Do, hoping to pull her away from any torment Young Do had cooked up.

She arrived in time to see Young Do pull his signature trip-catch maneuver on Eun-sang, and then let her go so that she fell into the pool. Piper gasped and ran over to them.

“I’m sorry, my hand slipped.” Young Do kneeled and smirked as Eun Sang resurfaced.

“Young Do, are you crazy?” Piper shouted, squealing as Young Do pushed her in as well.

When she resurfaced as well, he sneered down at her. “I always like to have seconds,” he mocked.

Piper gaped, enraged at his insolence.

“You’re really going to go this far?” Eun Sang shouted. “Is this the sincerity you wanted to show me?!”

“No, what I just did is what Kim Tan is going to do to you from now on.” He answered. “Pretending to grab you and then... eventually letting you go. So before that happens, you let go. Let go and create your distance. I’m saying this for you.”

“You’re a proper psycho,” Piper hissed. “Where in your twisted mind did you think it was okay to demonstrate like this instead of just saying it? And why the hell bring me into this?”

“Actions speak louder than words,” he informed her.

“Thanks for the warning, but I already know.” Eun Sang bit out. “That’s why I’m saying this. You’re dead in my hands. I’m being serious.”

“Really?” Young Do laughed. “I’m going to die to your hands?”

As he laughed, Tan walked up behind him and kicked Young Do into the pool, causing a large splash. The students remained in the dining area, but pressed their faces against the glass to see what was going on.

As Young Do rose out of the water spluttering, Tan looked at him impassively. “Sorry, my foot slipped.”

“That could happen.” Young Do acknowledged sarcastically, laughing. “This doesn’t feel too bad. It feels like I won.”

Tan looked at the two girls still standing in the pool. Eun Sang looked alarmed at the situation, Piper was a mix of embarrassment and wanting blood.

“You two,” he called over to them, kneeling down and extending his hand. “Come out.”

Young Do came out of the water first, walking up the steps of the pool. “What are you doing? Why?” He questioned. “Are you going to let Cha Eun Sang be called ‘mistress’ like somebody?”

Tan stood up, grabbing him viciously by the collar. “Shut your mouth.” He hissed. “Can you deal with the consequences?”

Young Do grabbed the scruff of Tan’s sweater. “That’s why I asked.” He fired back. “Can you deal with this engagement?”

“Have these guys lost their minds? Let go, you bastards!” Hyo Shin shouted, storming in to separate the two boys. “The dumbest kids in the class and all you guys do is get into stupid fights. Just because you have good parents and live in comfort, do you think there is nothing you should care about? Huh?!”

There was a pattering of footsteps against the concrete as Parker, Chan Young and Bo Na rushed out. Parker and Chan Young held towels in their hands.

“Are you okay? Can you come up?” Chan Young asked, bending down to extend a hand.

“Don’t grab Chan Young’s hand!” Bo Na interjected, shoving him out of the way. “Hold my hand!”

Eun Sang smiled and took Bo Na’s hand, stepping out of the water.

“Pip, why are you still in the pool?” Parker wondered, kneeling down and extending a hand to his sister.

“I was debating whether or not to drown myself out of embarrassment,” she muttered, ignoring his hand as she made her way up the stairs, though she gratefully accepted the towel he placed on her shoulders.

“Kim Tan, you go up to the hotel.” Hyo Shin ordered, turning and viciously throwing a towel at Young Do.

“Wow, Sunbae, your voice when you’re cursing is really nice.” Young Do quipped.

“You...try getting caught once more.” Hyo Shin threatened. “What are you doing?! Are you not going inside?!” He shouted at Tan, who was still standing there. “Are you not going to listen to your Sunbae now?”

Tan clenched his jaw and turned, walking back to the hotel without a single glance at anyone. Eun Sang watched him leave with a deep set frown. Young Do walked up to her and placed his towel over her head.

“It’s cold.” He remarked. “Don’t catch a cold.”

“Hey, you grade school kid!” Bo Na shouted after him as he walked off towards the hotel. She turned back to Eun Sang. “Hey, don’t listen to him. Just catch a cold.”

Eun Sang looked at her with surprised, giving a small incredulous laugh.

“You okay?” Hyo Shin asked, looking to Piper, who was staring off in the direction Young Do had left.

“Nope,” she sighed, turning to face him. “But you already guessed that, didn’t you?”

“Sorry,” he apologized.

“Why are you apologizing?” She cocked her heard to the side.

“It would be a lot easier if we liked each other,” he grinned, causing Piper to burst into surprised giggles.

“I am so confused,” Parker admitted, causing Hyo Shin to laugh and Piper’s giggles to intensify.

///

As the twins ate breakfast the next morning, Piper was startled as Parker nearly choked on his cereal as he scrolled through a news page on his laptop.

“Chew, don’t inhale,” she quipped.

“Oh my god,” he sputtered, gulping down a swig of milk to clear his throat. “Choi Young Do’s dad and Yoo Rachel’s mom are getting married.”

“Seriously? That means Yoo Rachel and Choi Young Do will become siblings.” Piper surmised. “Yeesh, that’s a family made for hell.”

“You gotta wonder what Christmas dinners would be like,” Parker joked.

“Full of sarcasm, insults, and dry turkey,” she grinned.

Her grin didn’t last, though, when she saw the effect it had on the school. There were snickers and jibes, all sent in Rachel and Young Do’s direction. As she leaned against the lockers while Eun Sang got her books for first class, they watched as a gaggle of students crowded around Rachel and Young Do.

“We saw the news. Congratulations!” One of the girls smiled insincerely.

“Your stocks really skyrocketed.” A boy commented.

“Of course, it’s the uniting of RS International and Zeus Hotel.” Ye Sol’s friend remarked.

“Geez, how much more of a distance will there be on the business rankings, between your family and ours?” Another boy lamented disingenuously.

“Congratulations, Young Do.” Ye Sol ended the taunting, looking up at him.

Young Do brushed them off, turning to face away from them and caught sight at the two girls staring across the hallway. Both Eun Sang and Piper wore expressions of pity, and turned away as he kept staring.

“How fake!” Bo Na muttered as she strode up to her own locker. “Even though they’re really cursing deep inside, they’re all lining up.”

“Since they are friends, they are probably congratulating.” Eun Sang suggested, always wanting to see the good in people.

“How could there be friends in this school?” Bo Na questioned. “In here, to everyone, everyone is just connections.”

Bo Na’s words struck a chord with Piper; she had unknowingly echoed the words Hyo Shin had spoken a few days ago. Could people here really be so cold?

Yoo Rachel stormed past them, a cold mask pressed firmly on her face. Eun Sang gathered the rest of her books and she and Piper walked silently to their class. As they went to the outside walkway, they caught sight of Tan comforting Rachel, patting her on the back as she cried.

Piper sighed, “She’s rude and arrogant, but I feel bad for her.”

Eun Sang was silent, though Piper knew she felt something similar. As they went to continue on their way to class, their path was blocked by Young Do.

“If you are jealous,” he began, looking at Eun Sang with a wide smile, “should I hug you instead?”

“Are you... okay?” She asked hesitantly.

“What?!” He wondered.

“The news... it has to do with you, as well.” Eun Sang went on. “I hope that you’re okay. Thinking about it, you’re also only 18 years old.”

With each word, he looked more baffled and stunned. Young Do looked at Eun Sang like he had never known genuine kindness before, like it had never been directed at him by someone he actually cared about.

‘Damn him’, Piper thought to herself. ‘He’s doing it again.’

“I’ll push back the thought of getting revenge on you.” Eun Sang remarked, leaving on her own.

Piper and Young Do stood there, silent for their own reasons. Piper looked down at Tan and Rachel and saw him staring up at Young Do, but she was too far away to get a clear read on his expression.

“Look at him,” she remarked. “So jealous that she’s even talking to you. How fragile it is….a person’s ego.” She turned back to Young Do. “One word and you can shatter a person’s self-esteem.” She gave a rueful smile, “But I guess that’s high school, huh?”

With that, Piper brushed past Young Do as well and made her way to class.

///

As lunchtime rolled around, Piper walked towards the stairwell to make her way to the cafeteria. She was stopped by Eun Sang, who bounded up the steps and blocked her path.

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?” She demanded, out of breath.

“It’s on vibrate; I haven’t checked it for a while,” Piper answered, stunned at her friend’s reaction. “What’s going on? Are you still trying to avoid Tan or something? Is he down there?”

“Uh….yes,” Eun Sang nodded vigorously. It was a lie – she had semi-made up with Tan after he had trapped her in the broadcasting room – but Piper didn’t need to know that. “That’s why you need to go. We need to go.”

There was shouting from the landing downstairs. It was her brother, shouting in English for someone to go.

“What the hell is going on down there?” Piper muttered, looking over the banister.

What she saw floored her. Her brother was arguing with her ex-boyfriend. Hyo Shin had walked up and joined the fight, shouting in Korean at the boy who couldn’t understand him. Piper gave a small gasp and stepped away from the banister before she could be seen.

She gaped, utterly dumbfounded as she scrambled for words. She could only manage sounds, incomprehensible and incomplete.

“Go,” Eun Sang urged. “Will you just go?”

She took Piper by the shoulders and spun her around, pushing her off down the hallway. As Piper trudged off, Eun Sang hung back to stall as well as she could any attempt Ian made to find her. She had seen how down her friend had been, and – although she wasn’t sure Piper’s low spirits were only because of her fight with her brother – the last thing Eun Sang wanted was for her best friend’s ex-boyfriend to crush the remaining bits of happiness Piper was holding on to.

Piper plodded down a hallway – she wasn’t sure which – with her head down. After everything that had been going on, after she had gotten herself so confused, did whatever god that existed want to punish her some more?

Young Do was walking down the same hallway, heading the opposite way. He was staring at his cell phone, debating the reply he should send to Myung Soo’s request to hang out after school. He looked up in time to see Piper collide with him, and he unconsciously reached out to grab her before she fell. As he caught her, he didn’t miss the irony that she landed in the exact same position Eun Sang had just before he had dropped her in the pool.

It wasn’t intentional; he’d essentially written off annoying her since her confession that she was tired of coming in second. The incident at the pool was a fluke, he admitted that; if she hadn’t have run out and interrupted him, he wouldn’t have reacted that way. But while knocking off her feet had been accidental, Young Do’s mind sprang to action on instinct with various quips and witticisms fighting to be the first out of his mouth.

And then he noticed how her eyes didn’t seem focused. She was swaying slightly on the spot, as if in some kind of stupor. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly, and her breathing came in short puffs. Had he really broken the wild horse doing so little? No, it was something else.

“Are you…what’s that face?” He asked as he brought her back to her feet, unsure of how to act while she was being this way. He’d never experienced this before – anger he could handle, crying less so but it was still more favorable than this.

“You brought your motorbike to school right?” She questioned, her voice distant and hooded. He nodded warily, unsure if this was some kind of trick. Piper attempted a smile, but her lips wouldn’t cooperate. “I think I need a getaway car; will you help me? Please.”

It wasn’t a word he had ever heard her use. It wasn’t a word to be used lightly around him, and he knew she was fully aware of that fact. Yet here she was, using a word that he equated with begging.

Shouts came from the stairwell just around the corner, grabbing both Young Do and Piper’s attention. They could hear Parker, Hyo Shin, and a male voice Young Do didn’t recognize, all yelling in English. He could see Piper’s expression shift as she cursed under her breath, a barely exposed desperation or anxiety coming out from underneath. Her eyes darted wildly as her mind whirred, trying to come up with any kind of escape plan.

“Play along,” she told him, looking up to him with an expression of guilt. “Sorry.”

He didn’t expect it – he never would have expected it in a million years. So when Piper grabbed him by the lapels of his school blazer and brought his lips crashing onto hers, he was so shocked he failed to resist. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself onto her toes to lessen the height difference, it was the surprise that caused him to react the way he did. If he had seen it coming, he never would have wrapped his arms around her waist. If he had seen it coming, he wouldn’t have closed his eyes. And he definitely wouldn’t have kissed her back.

That’s what he told himself, and he’d keep repeating it to the grave.

The shouters had rounded the corner, the yells trailing off and the echoes fading into the walls. Piper – with her wits still somewhat about her – broke the kiss and feigned surprise as her gaze moved to the end of the hallway.

“Ian,” she spoke, and Young Do turned to see a blonde haired boy standing in between Piper’s twin brother and one of her best friends, their mouths agape. “What are you doing here?”

Her tone was a convincing mixture of surprise and casualness, but Young Do could feel her hands betraying her, gripping the back of his blazer so tightly it would take the hotel’s staff weeks to iron it out.

“Sweetheart,” Young Do purred, inwardly relishing that he had finally found a way to get under her normally impassive brother’s skin, as the horrified look on Parker’s face deepened as Young Do pulled his sister closer. “Who’s that?” He spoke, his heavily accented English used for the stranger’s sake.

“An ex-boyfriend. He treated me poorly.” She replied, keeping it vague to seem like she didn’t care, though her lungs were burning.

Had she forgotten how to breathe, or was Young Do holding her too tight? No, it was from the tension she was trying to hide. That was it. Definitely not because of the arms wrapped around her waist. She couldn’t even think about enjoying this. Not now.

“Would you like me to send him away?” Young Do asked, running his nose along her cheek, a playful grin on his face.

Though his outward appearance remained cool, his mind was throbbing with bewilderment. Why was he playing along? It was because it was annoying her brother, and she was probably seething deep down underneath the mask she was currently wearing. It was for those reasons only.

“You’re terrible,” she giggled, swatting him impishly as she stepped out of her arms to face the blonde. “Though I am curious; why are you here, Ian?”

“You…you disconnected your phone,” he stuttered, his open mouth closing only slightly.

“Yeah, I moved to Sweden, and then to Korea. My old number wouldn’t work outside of the U.S.,” she stated. “Did you come all the way here because of that? I mean, it’s been almost a year since I left America. How the hell did you even find me?”

“No, I just…I miss you.” Ian gave a small hopeful smile, one that used to make butterflies erupt in her stomach. “You still have the same Facebook profile. I check up on it from time to time to make sure you’re okay, even if I can’t message you on it. “

“Well, clearly she doesn’t miss you,” Young Do remarked, draping an arm around her shoulders.

“After all, you did sleep with three other girls behind my back,” Piper added spitefully. “I think that’s enough to stop me from missing anyone. Though thanks for letting me know I need to change the privacy settings on my profile, stalker.”

“Not to mention you’re a complete liar,” Parker interjected, alternating his burning gaze from Young Do and Ian. “You don’t miss her; you don’t worry about her. Pip and I both know that since you’re close to graduating, you’re only here to get back into our family’s good graces so that our dad will pay for your college tuition – just as you had hoped he would when you and Piper were dating. You used her then, and you’re trying to use her now.”

“That’s disgusting,” Hyo Shin reproached the blonde boy.

“That’s Ian, for you,” Piper pursed her lips, her fists balled at her sides to stop the outburst of embarrassment, anger, and hurt from spilling out.

“By the way, this school isn’t public property,” Young Do mentioned. “If you’re not a student, you need to leave. I can call security to show you the way out if you like.”

“No I…” Ian looked at Piper, keeping up his act of guilt and sadness, but her face remained impassive. “I’ll go.”

His shoulders hunched over, the blonde boy turned and walked away, defeated. When footfalls on the staircase faded away, the calmly sculpted façade Piper had worn dropped. The embarrassment, hurt, and anger finally poured out, each emotion warring with the others on her face.

“Piper,” Parker began.

“Why? Why now?” She wondered, her voice catching slightly. “Why would he show up now? We left Sweden months ago. He never showed up then! Why now? Did he just want to give me another reminder that I’m not good enough?”

“Stop,” Hyo Shin commanded gently. “Stop.”

She let out a deep sigh, collecting herself before looking up to Young Do. “Thanks, for playing along. I know you’ll probably want me to pay you back somehow, so…whatever.”

She gave a smaller sigh as she turned and marched off – Hyo Shin trailing behind her, knowing she’d be beating herself up over this, especially since only he was privy to her feelings for Young Do – leaving the two other boys behind her. Parker looked to Young Do, a quiet rage burning behind his eyes.

“I will break your face,” He seethed.

“Now, is that any way to speak to the guy who just saved your sister?” Young Do wondered, the smirk back on his lips as he recomposed himself.

“You didn’t save her,” Parker fired back. “It could have been any guy – Hyo Shin or Myung Soo – and she could’ve gotten through it on her own. You just happened to be there. And if you use this to hurt her, no amount of money your family has will save you.”