I was in the middle of class, passing notes to Gaesuh, Heemin, and Jinae when the door suddenly slammed open and Yoseob and Kikwang walked in. They were both carrying their backpacks slung over one shoulder. Girls immediately went into a whispering frenzy.

"W-wha -- boys, I'm in the middle of a lesson here!" The teacher spluttered.

"Not a big deal, it's not like it was anything interesting anyway," Kikwang said nonchalently, waving his hand. The teacher gritted his teeth.

"Yah, Ringo-ah," Yoseob said, walking down the aisles until he was standing right in front of my desk. "We have a war today, so we won't be able to walk you home. Can you go by yourself?"

I was blushing bright red and trying vainly to ignore the stares coming at me from all directions. "I can walk home FINE!"

"Are you sure?" Kikwang said, sounding a little worried. "We can't have you, you know, getting stalked or anything. What might happen to you if we aren't there?"

"Oh my god, what are you, my umma? Get lost already! Just for the record, I've walked to and from school PLENTY of times without getting into any trouble!"

Yoseob gave me a sweet smile that was about one millimeter away from becoming a smirk. "Are you sure you can take care of yourself, ringo-ah? Without your manly bodyguards by your side?"

"Go away!"

Laughing, the two gangsters left the classroom, waving at me. It took a few moments before the teacher could restart the lesson.

Gaesuh smirked and discreetly slipped the note onto my table.

Looks like your harem is worried about you! :P

I scowled at her and scribbled something down in my hideous handwriting, before tossing the note back at her.

They are NOT my harem! And they are just being misogynistic pigs!

Damn, long words there, girl XD

Jeez, Gaesuh-ah, it means they just like to strut around and prove they're "manly men" -_-

They don't need to strut around to prove that to me, ah-yup!

I hid a snicker behind my hand.

Trust me, they're like kids once you actually get to know them. I feel like I'm babysitting half the time.

You're worried about them, aren't you?

Maybe.....I guess? 0_0 I don't know, Gaesuh-ah, I guess I am. They annoy the out of me, but I don't wanna see them get hurt either, know what I mean?

Yeah, I get that feeling all the time. I have a babysitting job every Sunday. The kids are a pain in the , but I can't stand the thought of them getting injured or anything.

I think that's just motherly instincts........Wait -- so I have motherly instincts for Beast?

Ew.....that's gross on so many levels.

Yeah, it is.

Let's go with my vision -- you have a harem.

I DO NOT HAVE A HAREM!!! DAMMIT!!!

"Gaesuh! Ringo! Do you two have anything BETTER to do than pass notes in my class?!"

Gaesuh and I shrieked and jumped up in fright. Smiling sheepishly at each other, we turned back to the blackboard where the teacher was doing his lessons.

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"See you guys tomorrow," Heemin said, slipping a light jacket over her. "Ringo-ah, you wanna come hang with us tomorrow after school?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure," I said quickly. Anything to get away from the annoyance that is Beast and the overwhelming anxiety of their well-being haunting me when I'm not distracted.

Gaesuh smirked knowingly. "Gonna be pretty lonely walking home today, huh? Since your harem isn't with you."

I blushed. "Dammit, Gaesuh-ah, they're not my HAREM!"

"Mm-hmm, you can convince yourself but you can't convince the world, my darling Ringo-ah," Gaesuh said smugly. "However you deny it, it looks like a bunch of hot guys fawning over the pretty little damsel in distress."

"Ugh, don't even use those WORDS with me in the same sentence!" I moaned, and the girls started laughing.

"See you tomorrow, then, Ringo-ah!" Jinae called.

Smiling proudly at myself, I began to walk home. I was officially part of Gaesuh, Heemin, and Jinae's little group of close-knit friends, and to be honest, that was more than I ever hoped I could accomplish for myself. I remembered back in my old junor high and early high school days, where I was avoided like the plague and the only people who ever approached me were all idiotic, half-assed gangster-wannabes that tried to pick fights with me. 

The thought that I actually had friends who enjoyed seeing me every day at school made me a little teary-eyed.

As I stood on the side of the street, wiping furiously at my eyes (because, DAMMIT, tears are embarrassing), I felt a cool hand place itself lightly on my shoulder.

"Are you crying? Poor thing," A smooth, seductive voice said soothingly from above.

Not quite sinking in what was going on, I nodded and sniffed a bit. "No -- I'm fine....not a big deal...."

Then I stiffened up and looked up. An incredibly handsome boy was smirking back at me. A handsome boy I remember as none other than Jaejoong from the DBSK gang, Kings of Upper Seoul.

I shot out my hand to grab his wrist -- and maybe break it -- but he had already removed his hand. "Woah, woah, calm down," he chuckled, placing his hands up into the air. "I'm not here for trouble,"

"Yeah?" I sneered. "Then what are you doing blatantly strolling around Middle Seoul? This is Beast's territory!"

Jaejoong raised an eyebrow. "You sound like a gangster. Did you join Beast already?"

"WHAT? NO!! I AM NOT PART OF A GANG!!!" I yelled. Oh, ! I really DID sound like a territorial gangster! What was I thinking?

Jaejoong snickered. "You're really interesting, Red Lion. Not like the other worthless street-trash around here."

I scowled. "Around these parts, I go by the name Saja Ringo, face. The Red Lion is dead."

"I wasn't really sure if it was you," Jaejoong said conversationally, his hands stuck in his pockets. I noticed he was still wearing his fancy- rich kid school uniform. "But, then again, how many redheads do I know? I decided to follow you a bit to see if it really was the mystical Red Lion. Aren't I lucky?"

"Not really," I snarled. "If you're trying to get me to join your gang, I will personally answer by shoving my foot up your . If you're looking for Beast, they're busy and they aren't with me, so get lost."

"Too busy with that war?" Jaejoong suggested evilly.

I froze. "How do you know that?"

"Gangsters know everything?" Jaejoong said smugly.

"Who invented gravity?" I shot at him.

Without missing a beat, he replied, "Isaac Newton."

"," I hissed under my breath, before muttering, "Shouldn't have asked.....damn rich kids...."

"And he didn't 'invent' gravity, he discovered it," He added smugly.

"Oh, off."

"So," He tilted his head, smiling in a way that shouldn't be legal in the world of teenage hormones. "Do you want to come hang out with DBSK instead?"

I felt my brain switch off. "Uh.....um...." Was all I could say. Wow, how coherent. God, I'm such an idiot.

He gave me another charming smile. This was more than Kikwang's dazzling white-teeth flashes, this guy had a smile that turned a woman into a puddle of melted goo on the spot. I felt my bones going soft, which I'm pretty sure was not even scientifically ing possible.

"Won't you come?"

Dammit, Ringo, get a hold of yourself! Just because he has a smile and a voice that makes you think he's totally interested in you, he's not! He wouldn't even give you the time of day if you werent the Red Lion! Dammit, come on! Say no! Say no!

"U-um........"

"Please?"

That one simple word got me. "Okay....." I managed to stammer out, my bran sparking and completely fizzing out. I'm pretty sure smoke was comng out of my ears.

"Good," Jaejoong said, grabbing my wrist and leading me away, me stumbling along like an idiot. "Oh, and even if you said no, I would have made you come along anyway."

"What are you, some sort of manhwa ulzzang pretty-boy or something?" I stuttered out lamely. 

Jaejoong burst out laughing. "Manhwa ulzzang pretty-boy? Oh, that's a good one. I bet the boys would get a kick out of that if they heard it -- which I am asking you right now to never repeat, that's way too embarrassing even for a guy as handsome as myself."

"Way to be full of yourself," I muttered. Now that he was turned away from me, leading me through the crowded streets of Middle Seoul, my mind was turning slightly coherent. 

"Someone has to be," Jaejoong said smugly.

"Shouldn't your fangirls be enough for that?"

"Mmm.....not really."

"Egotistic bastard."

I wondered vaguely why I was letting him drag me around to emminent danger. But my brain was still sparking feebly, so it would take a while before it started to actually function properly. DAMN IT, if only there were more hot guys back in Pusan! Then I wouldn't be so inexperienced and vulnerable here!

"Why are there so many hot guys in Seoul?" I found myself asking, blushing beet red as soon as I realized what I just said.

Jaejoong couldn't stop laughing. "Beats me," He chuckled, leading me into a small coffee shop. 

The waitress girl looked stunned as she gave Jaejoong a once-over. Her smile suddenly became much more friendly. 

After glancing at me with a small glare, she turned back to Jaejoong and said coyly, "Hi there, what can I do for you?"

Was I the only one that heard the double-meaning over there?

Jaejoong must have heard it too, because he smirked deviously and leaned forward ever so slightly. "I would like a table near the back, away from others. By the window, seats for six." Wow, and he sure knew what he wanted too.

The girl, looking slightly dizzy, led us to a table exactly like what Jaejoong wanted. "I'll be back to take your order shortly," She said, giving him a surreptious wink, which Jaejoong returned.

"Oh, spare me the flirting and just go make out with her or something," I said, pretending to vomit. "Don't mind me, I'll just go home."

"It's fun being in a different part of Seoul," Jaejoong said, smirking slightly. "The ladies are much more relaxed down here."

"Cuz they're all uptight rich es where you're from," I mumbled under my breath. Evidently, he heard me, because he burst into laughter again.

Suddenly, a ringtone filled the air. Jaejoong took out a cell phone and flipped it open. "Yeah, it's me. Who else?" He said into the receiver. "Yeah, I got her." The person on the other line was yelling so loudly Jaejoong had to distance his cell from his ear before he went deaf. When it finally grew quiet, Jaejoong placed the phone back over his ear. "Jesus, stop yelling. I got her in the end, so it's not a big deal, right? Whatever, just come over to the meeting spot as fast as possible, we don't have much time left."

He flipped the phone shut.

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked bluntly.

"The others are coming," was his simple answer.

"That didn't explain any --" I started to say, but I was cut off by someone yelling "JAEJOONG!!!" from across the coffee shop.

Yunho came storming over to our table. "You bastard, you could have called sooner! We were busting our asses looking for the Red Lion, and you're already here having a nice little chat with her? You're DESPICABLE!!!"

"Shut up and take a seat," Jaejoong offered kindly.

Yunho sat down. The door opened again, and the rest of DBSK came filing in, heading straight for us.

"Hey there, honey. Remember me?" Changmin said cheerfully as he sat in a chair.

"Go away," I snapped in response.

The waitress came back, and looked incredibly staggered and overjoyed when she saw the hot guys at the table in the back had multiplied by four. "I'll be taking your orders now," She said.

DBSK all glanced briefly at the menu before turning to look at her. She seemed a bit dizzy at all the hot guys with their eyes on her, because her voice shook slightly when she said, "W-what will you a-all be having?"

"Raspberry cheesecake for all of us," Junsu said, cutting into everyone else.

"What the -- hey! I wasn't going to order that!" Yoochun complained. 

The waitress looked at them in confusion. Junsu ignored the others and turned to her once more, giving her a smile that could rival the Yoseob's cavity-inducing sweetness. "Raspberry cheesecake: all of us," He said firmly.

The waitress shakily left; poor thing, probably traumatized by the blinding sweetness.

"I didn't want to eat cheesecake, you bastard!" Yunho yelled.

"Yeah, but I do," Junsu said smugly. 

"I just wanted a coffee," Jaejoong muttered sullenly.

"I wanted to eat a cream cheese bagel," Changmin complained.

"Don't be silly, everyone wants to each cheesecake," Junsu said, turning to me. "Right, Ringo-ah?"

"Huh? Um....yeah?" Oh, what the hell. I was getting a free raspberry cheesecake, so why not stick around? Besides, I could always kick their again if they try something.

When our orders finally arrived, I dug straight it. And DAMN, was it the sweetest, most delicious, fruity cake I've ever had. It practically melted on my tongue.

While Junsu and I were devouring our cakes, the rest of DBSK looked at their own sweet delicacy gloomily.

"......wanted bagel....." Changmin pouted, poking at his cheesecake with a fork.

Yunho was taking a sadistic delight in mashing up and obliterating his own cheesecake until it resembled a pink, red, and white mass on his plate.

Only Yoochun was calmly eating it, although he made a face every time he swallowed.

"Ick, it's so sweet. I feel like I have a cavity coming on already."

"Sorry about that, it is sweet, isn't it?" I said. "You want me to finish the rest for you?"

Yoochun glanced out the window, froze, then immediately smiled deviously. "Sure you can." He cut out a slice of the cake with his fork, before gently grabbing my face and leaning it upwards. He held the fork to my mouth. "Here, say 'aaaah'."

"Eeeehh?" I stammered, turning red.

"Wrong vowel, darling."

"B-but, I could just eat it myself...." I stammered.

The door to the coffee shop slammed open.

I looked up to see a very pissed-off Beast, all sporting wounds (Junhyung had a shallow, but bleeding cut on his forehead). "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Oh, ...." I scowled. "Yoochun, you're a bastard."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," He grinned boyishly.

"RINGO-AH, YOU CHEATER!!!" Yoseob yelled, loud enough for the entire shop to hear. "WHEN WE'RE OUT RISKING OUR LIVES, YOU GO BEHIND OUR BACKS WITH OTHER MEN?"

"WHAT THE HELL?"  I yelled back at him. 

"BESIDES THAT -- DBSK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN OUR TERRITORY?" Junhyung thundered.

"Eating cheesecake, obviously. What does it look like?" Yunho retorted.

", THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, AND YOU KNOW IT! GET OUT!"

"We already have one war underway, we don't want to start another," Hyunseung said dangerously.

"RINGO-AH, YOU'RE A CHEATER!"

"SHUT THE UP, YOSEOB!"

"Shall we go?" Jaejoong sighed. 

"Yeah, why not." Changmin rose from his chair.

Before they left, Jaejoong turned back to smile at me. "It was fun, Ringo-ah. Come visit us some other time."

"Yeah, sure."

Thirty seconds after they left the store, I shrieked. "THEY DIDN'T PAY THE BILL!!!"

Then I turned to Doojoon, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said very seriously, "Doojoon......I'm counting on you."

"Huh?"

Then I was dashing out the door. 

Behind me, I heard Beast once again yell "WHAT THE HELL?"

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LOL this was so random. XD