Haerin was putting on her shoes together with the boys when a teacher called her name.

“Student Son Haerin?” He says.

“Yes?” She pauses, meeting his eyes.

“The principal would like to see you in his office,”

Haerin doesn’t budge until Kyungsoo taps her shoulder.  “Haerin,”

“Oh, ah, yeah, okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” She nods, taking off her shoes again.  She shares the same expression everybody has.  

“What’s up with that?” Sehun asks.

Shrugging, Haerin turns towards the hall.  “I don’t know either.  You guys should go first,”

“Ey, we’ll wait,” Baekhyun shoos her away.  “It won’t take long,” He sits down by the shoe lockers, followed by all the others.

Haerin chuckles.  “All right, wait a sec,”

Haerin knocks the door to the principal’s office and when she hears him say ‘come in’, opens the door quietly before shutting it behind her.  “You were looking for me, Mr. Lee?”

“Yes, Haerin-ssi, please, have a seat,” He nods, setting his papers aside and gesturing towards the chair across from him.

“Am I in trouble?” Haerin asks as she takes the seat.

“Not quite,” The principal shakes his head, a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes plastered on his face.  “I just have some questions for you,”

Haerin doesn’t like that smile.  And she’s not going to like where this conversation is going.

“Your uncle called,”

Her nightmares really were trying to send her some kind of message.  , Haerin curses inwardly.  “Is something the matter?” She covers up her anxiety, clenching at the hem of her uniform skirt.

“He asked whether the school knows of your whereabouts or not,” He says, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward on the table.  “Haerin-ssi, did you run away from home?”

Haerin lets out a chuckle.  “That uncle.  I told him that I would be staying at my friend’s, Mr. Lee, it must have passed his mind,”

“’Our Haerin had took her brother and their luggage with her two days ago, and left the house.  Have you heard of her, Mr. Lee?’ was what your uncle had told us, Haerin-ssi.  If you had told him that you were staying at a friend’s house, he wouldn’t have said that, wouldn’t he?” The principal pushes, tackling down Haerin’s lie.

“Mr. Lee, I-“

“Look, Haerin-ssi.  Your uncle is a huge contributor to this school.  If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be having that gym and that auditorium.  So if you ask me to pick sides; an overachieving student – you, that is – can’t get me the money I get from your uncle, so why don’t you be a good girl and come home?”

“Why didn’t he call me himself?”

“He told me that you couldn’t be contacted,”

“Ah, that’s right, I changed my number,” Haerin slaps her forehead before standing up to bow at the older man.  “I’ll inform him of my whereabouts, so don’t worry, Mr. Lee, you’ll still be getting the money,”

With that, Haerin leaves the room and her feet had unconsciously fastened its pace, frantic in getting away from the room that had traces of her uncle, even if it was just a phone call.  He really is looking for her.  

“Haerin, is something wrong?” Kyungsoo becomes the first to see her rushing towards them.  The others stand up as he does, crowding around Haerin, who was focusing on her shoes.

“I have to- he shouldn’t- we gotta-“ Haerin keeps on dropping her shoes onto the floor as her hands can’t stop trembling.  What’s wrong with her? Was she really that scared of her uncle? Wasn’t she supposed to be used to him?

“Noona, what’s wrong?” Sehun reaches out to touch her shoulder but jerks away when she flinches.

Kyungsoo’s arms shoot out and he grabs her by the shoulders firmly.  “Haerin, talk to me,”

Haerin searches his eyes for something she doesn’t know, and then she looks around to see everybody else looking at her with concern etched in their foreheads.  “Sit down, noona,” Baekhyun helps her settle down onto the floor while Kyungsoo grabs her shoes.  

“What did the principal say to you, Hae?” Kyungsoo sits in front of her as he places her legs onto his lap, putting on her shoes for her.

“H-he’s coming,” Haerin tugs at Kyungsoo’s sleeve.  “He’s coming, Kyungsoo, he’s looking for me, I-I have to go,”

The boys share an uneasy glance with each other, knowing that the ‘he’ Haerin mentioned was her uncle.  Who else could have scared her to the bones like this?

“He won’t find you, noona,” Kai speaks up.  “He doesn’t know anything about anybody around you, right?”

Haerin nods.

Chanyeol grabs her bag, carrying it for her when Sehun and Kyungsoo help her up.  “And didn’t you change your number?” He asks.

Again, Haerin nods.

“So he won’t find you, then,” Suho shrugs, smiling at her.  “It’s gonna be fine,”

“W-what if he does?” Haerin squeezes Kyungsoo’s hand, the one that’s stuck to hers.  “What if people see us coming to school together and presumed that I live together with Kyungsoo and the principal knows and he’d te-“

Haerin’s sentence stops when Kyungsoo’s phone starts ringing.  He fishes it out of his backpocket and waves the caller ID at Haerin’s face.  “It’s my parents,”

“Hello?” He speaks into the device.

‘Kyungsoo, what’s Haerin’s surname?’ His father’s voice comes through the line.

“Son, it’s Son Haerin,”

A pause.

‘Can you ask her what her uncle’s name is?’

Kyungsoo puts his hand over his phone and turns to Haerin.  “What’s your uncle’s name?”

“S-Son Jisung,” Haerin squeaks.

“She says it’s Son Jisung,” Kyungsoo relays.

Another pause.

‘On the night Haerin had came to our house, one of our patients came by our office before we went home.’ His father starts, his voice dangerously low.  ‘His name was Son Jisung and he told us that his niece and his nephew ran away from home, Kyungsoo,’

Kyungsoo glances at Haerin and turns his head to the side to hide his shock.  “Are you serious?”

‘He asked us too, about where you went to school, because if it happens to be the same as his niece’s, he’d like to ask for help to get her back,’

“A-and then what did you say?”

‘We didn’t know who he was and told him the truth.  He said that it was the same school as his niece’s.  And then he asked for your name and number,’

Kyungsoo’s heart sinks at his parents’ next words.

‘When he got them, he thanked us and said: “I’ll be sure to call him,”’

As if prompted, another call buzzes in Kyungsoo’s phone.

Haerin looks over his shoulder and in an instant, her eyes widen in surprise and fear.  “T-that’s my uncle’s number,”