Something's wrong with this chapter. When I pasted it in here, the lines moved somehow and now it looks odd....I apologize m(._.)m

“How come it's this warm here? I bet in Seoul it's raining and it's cold”, Daehyun wondered while picking an apple and putting it into the basket. We had decided to work near each other today so that nobody would get lost in the vast field of apples, but we would split up the next day to work in an efficient way.
“There's always a warm wind blowing here, I don't know why. But it becomes cold at night”, I replied from another tree when I heard a tiny shriek, a few meters away. “Sohee is that you?”, I shouted out of my tree and she appeared in my field of vision.
“Why did I even come along?!”, she shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear, but nobody reacted. Sohee looked like a normal girl from the countryside in my clothes, but her behavior wasn't fitting at all, which made the whole image ridiculous. “Everything is dirty, I'm sweating...I want to go home”, she mumbled over and over again until Daehyun jumped off his tree, landing directly in front of her.
“Oh, you brought something to eat?”, he asked curiously, staring at the basket she had in her hand without even noticing how much he had scared her at first. He then glanced at her. “Ah, sorry for startling you!”, he added, but she shook her head.
“Ah...it's okay. I brought sandwiches with me. Soora's granny told me to do so...Do you want some?”
“Food!”, Jongup shouted, jumping from his tree just like Daehyun before. What were they, monkeys? The purple-haired boy ran up to Sohee, almost stealing the basket if she hadn't pulled it out of his reach.
“Yah, imbecile, it's not just for you!”, she shouted and I laughed, climbing down the ladder I had been standing on. “Soora, Jongup is annoying me!”
“Sure”, I mumbled as I took a sandwich without asking and another one to bring it to Zelo who kept picking apples as if he hadn't noticed all the ruckus.

I left the three bickering children alone, walking up to his tree. “Stick-figure, come down here!”, I shouted and his head peeked out of the treetop. Had he climbed up the whole tree?! “Time to eat!” I waved with the sandwich, but he shook his head.
“I'm not hungry”, he answered and kept working, making me shrug and put the sandwich into my hoodie's pocket while going back tot he others.
“So, what are you doing with the ahjumma, while we're working out here?”, Jongup asked, taking a huge bite of his sandwich.
Sohee grimaced. “We're working on today's dinner. You better enjoy it, I'm suffering for the community.” Jongup laughed, patting her shoulder and she looked at the fabric that was now brown, because Jongup's hands were dirty. Much to my surprise, she just sighed instead of making a fuss about it and the boy and I exchanged meaningful glances before going back to work. The “average-people-virus” started to affect her.
“Work hard and we'll enjoy it no matter how it tastes!”, Daehyun shouted from his tree.
“You are the least convincing when it comes to judging food, omnivore!”, she hissed before turning around and stomping back into the house, making us laugh at Daehyun.
That's how time passed by quickly and the sun started setting somewhat around 6pm, when I called everyone to get back into the house, because we had worked enough. Zelo landed beside me, looking at me with curiosity. “What's the big house at the end of the field?”, he asked and I frowned.
“What house- Ah, I think I know.” I pointed at a certain direction and he nodded. “It's the barn. We used to have cows here, but it wasn't worth keeping them. That's why that building is empty now, it's really calm and I often go there to think a little. If it wasn't for me, my grandparents would have knocked it down a few years ago.”
Zelo nodded. “It looks like a haunted house”, he mentioned and I grinned, because that's what Jongup had said when going here for the first time, too.

“Soora, help us decide!”, Jongup shouted, leading my attention towards him and Daehyun. “Dae wants to change his hair color again and we don't know which color would be the best.”
“Again?”, I snorted with a smile as we made our way back to the house. “I don't know...Blonde? Brown? I like that blueish color, too...”, I admitted, unable to decide. “They all fit you...Choose on your own, omnivore”, I concluded my argumentation and Daehyun pretended to be mad, pouting in an exaggerated manner.
“Yah, I'm not actually eating everything!”
“Sure, try to find excuses”, I kept teasing, leaving him behind and following the smell of tasty food instead. Grilled meat with salad, vegetables and rice – yummy! “Grandma, we're done for today!”, I stated while running into the kitchen to see if I could help just when Sohee darted out of the kitchen to sit down at the table in the living room. No picky remark or anything like that? I heard the others who came in after a few seconds and turned towards my grandma, whose smile made her look satisfied. “You didn't scold her too much, did you?”
She shook her head innocently. “Me? Never!” She did.
“If you broke her brain, I won't forgive you”, I mumbled before walking up to the living room again and sitting down between Sohee and Jongup, while granny sat between Daehyun and Zelo.

Zelo's POV

“Where's your grandpa?”, Daehyun asked the girl, but her grandmother stopped him with a wave of her hand.
“Ah, he ate already and went to sleep to be at peak condition tomorrow”, she explained and the rainbow-hair-man shrugged, gazing at the food.
Meanwhile, I was trying to send a glare towards the girl, but she didn't see it. Okay, my problem was the following: Since I didn't want to get involved with anyone here, I wanted her to sit beside me. And since that Daehyun-guy would surely cling to her too, I left a spare seat between the two of us. Now guess, who didn't sit down beside me? Stupid girl, now I'd have to talk to them-
“The food looks delicious!”, Daehyun exclaimed and grape-head agreed with a nod.
The girl's grandmother smiled and I'm sure it could seem warm-heartedly if it wasn't for that suspicious glimmer in her eyes. “You have to thank Sohee, she helped me a lot today.”
“Ah, that- I didn't put much effort in it”, the other girl mumbled, but I was quick enough to see her hands that were cluttered with band-aids disappear under the table and smirked a little before looking at her face.
She is actually quite pretty, but too shallow, I noticed shoving a bite of the dish in my mouth. “Oh?”, I let out a sound of wonder with a frown and her eyes widened, staring at me.
Bingo. “What is it?! Is something wrong? Maybe there's too much salt in it and-”
“It's awesome”, I tried to calm her down, satisfied with her reaction. “You have worked hard for it, it seems.” Yongguk would be so proud of me if I told him that I had helped at a farm and complimented someone else.
Something was wrong with me these days, but what was it?
“Woah, it really is daebakk!”, the rainbow-hair-man shouted with his mouth full of food and she put a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Ah, thank you”, she replied, the tips of her ears slowly turning red. She was behaving just as childish as the orphanage kids, so were rainbow-man, the girl and grape-head, which made me question my own thoughts. What if there weren't only people that wanted to hurt you? It was rare to find them, but what if, after all that suffering, I had found some of them? As if a light was finally brightening up my world and-
Don't be ridiculous. Humans are egoistic little things, just waiting for an opportunity to betray you. I'm not any different from them. Yongguk is different. They are not.
“Are you okay?”, grape-head asked to my right and I blinked to get back into reality to find him watching me with a raised eyebrow. “You've been staring at the table for a minute now.”
And back it was: The wall I had built around myself. I put another spoonful of food in my mouth, standing up from the table. “I'm full, I'll go for a walk.”
“Wait, where are you-”
“I won't get lost”, I interrupted the girl before she could say anything.
“Stay in reach of the house!”
“Sure”, I mumbled while walking out of the living room, feeling five pairs of eyes following me until I closed the door. I had to think again. And I couldn't think in a noisy environment, so why not go for a walk? Damn, I had to think a lot during the past weeks, I thought, leaving for a certain destination.

Soora's POV

He is dead meat, I thought when Zelo left the house. Grandma would kill him for leaving his plate on the table. I should have warned him beforehand, I guess, but I decided to just enjoy the food. It was really delicious, I can't say it often enough and I was proud of Sohee for trying so hard.

Jongup was still staring at Zelo's, now empty, seat with a frown. “He is so strange”, he mumbled and I shrugged.

“We're strange in his eyes, too. It's okay to be strange”, I concluded and Jongup grinned at me.

“You're so deep, should I dig for you?”, he asked in amusement, but I cut him off by stuffing some more food in his mouth that he gladly accepted with a satisfied expression.

“So, Jongup, how is Soora doing? I know she'd lie to me anyway, so you're the one to tell me about her”, grandma asked across the table and I raised an eyebrow, causing her to grin at me. She was such a sly woman – just like Mom, but in old.

“Ah, she's doing fine. Since Zelo's there, we don't spend that much time together, but-”

“She's letting you slide just like that? Why? Is she interested in him?”, she asked as if I wasn't there, but I was, blushing really hard.

“I'm not!”

“She's not!”

I frowned, glancing at Daehyun who had jumped up in sudden agitation and was now getting that the outburst had been unexpected, sitting down again. “Uh, I mean, he's not her type at all, right?”

I nodded, actually thankful that it wasn't me who had denied it. Grandma didn't believe anything anyone said about himself and it would have made her assume wrong things. “Right, he isn't.”

“Then who is?”, she asked and Sohee joined the question.

“Right, you never told me. What kind of guy do you like?”

I bit my lower lip. “Himchan-oppa is good-looking.”

“Liar. Your brother looks like a horse”, grandma said, looking at Daehyun. “You, tell me. If Zelo isn't her type, who is?” The young male started stuttering, searching his brain for any information he could use to set me free.

“Uhm...that...she is...Oh! Junior! Junior from Got7 is! Do you know him?” Strike, he remembered my bias!

Sohee looked surprised. “Really? He looks good, but JB's voice is better-”, she replied just to shut herself up by covering with her hand.

Daehyun blinked a few times. “You like Got7? Isn't that something for the 'average people'?”

“I don't!”, the girl denied and I decided to keep eating, hoping that the 'ideal type'-topic would soon be forgotten. “It's just that Soora showed me some poster of them the other day and- Euh...I mean...a CD...and...I mean...Doesn't Junior look like you in the first place, Daehyun?”

“What? No way!”, we exclaimed at the same time, staring at each other and making Jongup chuckle.

“They're even about the same age. When I saw Junior for the first time, I thought of that guy immediately”, Sohee added and pointed at Daehyun, making him squint. “Keep quiet, eat your food and take this as a compliment. It's the only compliment I'll ever make concerning you, appreciate it, omnivore.” And as if she had magical powers, that's how Sohee ended our conversation. Jongup started chatting with Daehyun about their hair-colors again while Sohee and I started gossiping about Jongin with my grandma until all the food was devoured.

After clearing the table and doing the dishes, I noticed that Zelo was still gone. It was pitch black outside and I wondered whether he was alright. “I'll go look for the stick-figure”, I stated.

“Wait, I'll come with you-”, Daehyun mumbled, lying a hand on my shoulder, but I shook my head, removing it.

“Go to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow. Since you're not accustomed to the strain you'll have a hard time if you don't sleep now, I swear.” He glanced at Jongup, who nodded in agreement before he sighed.

“Fine, but don't stay out for too long, he'll find the way back if he needs to”, Dae-oppa stated with a bitter undertone, mumbling something like 'just like a stray cat' aftewards, but I couldn't scold him for that statement, because Zelo was like stray cat after all. But that didn't stop me from worrying.

Exiting the house, I took out my phone, dialing Zelo's number while running through the rows of apple-trees. It rang a few times and I bit my lower lip. What if he had fallen into the nearby river? Would Yongguk be mad? Probably. My feet got cold. How would I explain it if he got lost? Calm down, Soora, he has just gone out for a walk, he's probably-
“What?”, a grumpy voice asked and I sighed in relief.
“Zelo!”, I exclaimed. “What are you doing? Are you okay?” I stopped, listening attentively to make out steps or where his answer came from, but I couldn't hear a thing. The cold wind made me shiver.
“I'm thinking.” Click. Beep. Beep. I stared at my phone with a frown. He had just hung up? Like, for real? I let out a sound of frustration.
“That brat!”, I shouted. “Thinking? Thinking?! What am I supposed to do with that-” I stopped, my frown deepening as I turned towards the old barn. I had told him that I was thinking there, but he couldn't possibly have memorized it...right?
Before I knew it, I was picking up speed again, running towards the big and fragile house. I was panting by the time I got there, because it was quite outlying. “Zelo?”, I shouted, gasping for air as I moved towards the stairs that were leading up to the first floor.

I heard something rustling around and then steps that made the wooden beams creak. When I was halfway up the staircase, Zelo's head appeared in the dark barn that was only lit up by the moonlight that shone through the big windows. “Are you stalking me now?”, he asked without any emotion.
I squinnied, trying to accustom to the darkness. “We were a bit worried about you, because you left just like that.”
“So, being 'a bit worried' makes you run like a mad man?”, he mentioned, but I rolled with my eyes, looking for the oil lamp I had left on the table a year ago. Nobody would have removed it, because nobody cared about the building anymore, but Zelo sat down on the stairs with a frown.
“What are you looking for?”, he asked, tilting his head to the side.
“The lamp...I'm sure I put it here somewhere...”
“Ah, the oil lamp? It's upstairs”, he replied casually, standing up to go back to where he had come from before. I followed him slowly, noticing how his steps became more careful the closer he got to the lamp until he sat down on the floor again.
A tiny sound caught my attention. Was it a...meow? “Hey, what's that sound-” I whispered, just to stop when I saw three fluffy balls walk around in the light. “Cats?”
Zelo raised his head, looking at me. “Yeah, that's what they are called, idiot.” But his voice didn't contain the typical irony, it sounded...softer? I stepped closer to him, sitting down and leaning against the wall. The cats were very young, maybe six weeks old and my presence made them curious. I reached out with my hand to touch one of them, but Zelo's hand snapped forward, grabbing my wrist. “Don't touch them unless they touch you first. Their mother is watching.”
I followed his gaze to a darker corner, where I could make out a big, white cat that was staring at us attentively. “Ah, sure. Protective mothers.”

I leaned back again and Zelo relaxed when one of the kittens, a gray one, climbed up his long legs. “You said you were thinking?”
“Mhm.”
I hugged my knees to stay warm. “About what?”
“My life and my current situation.” I blinked, glancing at him from the corners of my eyes and he seemed to be far away again, staring at something I couldn't see. “It seems like I still don't know how to survive in this world.”
“The Untouchables?” A brown kitten rubbed its head against my legs and I massaged it behind the ears, which made it purr. It went back to its mother and one of its brothers, curling up into a ball and enjoying its mother's warmth. Zelo nodded, swallowing loudly. “Want me to pay your debts for you?”
He snorted, but couldn't completely cover his surprise. “What would that change? I'd still be depending on someone else.”
“At least I wouldn't blackmail you or want to kill you if you didn't pay me back”, I mentioned with a shrug, but he shook his head again when the gray and white kitten lay down on his lap.
“I told you not to get involved, girl. Yongguk and I can do this on our own, why would I need anyone else?”
“Why are you doing this?”
The sincerity in my voice confused him even more than my offer from before. “What?”
“Denying the fact that you need help. Saying you've had enough food when you didn't? That kind of stuff.”
“What has that got to do with my situation? And I had enough to eat, why would I-” His stomach growled and he bit his lower lip, making me raise an eyebrow.

“You're just like Yongguk, you know?” He frowned at my statement when I pulled out the sandwich I had stuffed in my hoodie's pocket when Sohee had given them to us. Good thing they had been wrapped in plastic wrap. “He said he wasn't hungry when he was. Now eat. It's not much, but I don't have more with me.”
“Don't compare me to an angel when I'm a demon.” Zelo shoved my hand away, a hint of irritation in his voice. He glanced at the kitten that was sleeping on his lap now, tickling its belly with a smile playing around the corners of his mouth, trying to ignore the food I was offering him.
Okay, other methods. “What's its name?”, I asked, putting away the sandwich and he looked at me with a frown.
“Huh?”
“The kitten's name. You seem to like it.”
Zelo looked down at his lap again. “It doesn't have a name. As soon as you give something a name, it grows dear to you and you won't be able to let go of it.”
“Who told you to let go?”, I retorted, leaving him speechless for a moment. “Is that why you never call anyone by his or her name?”
“I...uhm...” He remained silent for another moment and I knew that I had finally hit the mark. Zelo blinked a few times, not wanting to lock gazes with me, because I had seen right through his facade. The lamp was flickering a little. “That's not the point, I don't have a problem with names.”
Wow. Such a great argument. Not really. But good thing, I came prepared. “Then say my name, if that's not it.”
“What?”
“My name. Wouldn't be much of a problem, hm? Come on, let's say it together: Soora. Soooraaa.”
“You're ridiculous”, Zelo snorted, knowing that he had lost when he had answered me for the first time and I laughed out loud, waking up the kitten on his lap that toddled back to its mother after letting out a tiny and cute hiss.
“Come on, I know you can”, I kept teasing him, poking his side until he got really angry.
“Stop it!”, he shouted, trying to defend himself, but in the end, my pokes seemed to tickle him and he started screaming. “STOP! Soora!”, he shouted, glaring at me and I stopped with a bright smile, shooting him a meaningful glance.

“See? Was it that difficult?” Zelo fell silent once more, probably hating himself for doing what I had wanted him to do. “What's so bad about having friends?”, I asked.
“I told you I don't believe in such banal and sentimental things. They are like a candle”, he replied, getting up and looking at the cats once more before blowing out the oil lamp. “Burning down until nothing is left of them and it gets cold.”
“Then why not enjoy its warmth as long as it burns?”, I asked, getting up in the dark, barely able to make out Zelo's silhouette. But he just snorted, walking down the stairs and I followed him in a hurry before he could run away. I was so quick to go after him that I nearly bumped into him when he stopped all of a sudden. “Yah, what-”
The stick-figure was staring at the stars that were clearly visible in the sky, the wind played with his hair and he looked as if he didn't belong into this world. He breathed in a few times, absorbing the air around him and I raised my hand with the sandwich again. “Yongguk accepted it the other day.” This time, he examined it before taking it, accepting his defeat. I grinned when he started drifting towards the house, following silently. Who is the angel now?
“Can you keep a secret? Even if the candle dies?”
I didn't know whether I had imagined the voice or not, but it sounded warm and vulnerable at the same time. “Excuse me?”, I asked unsurely and he sighed.
“If I told you a secret, could you keep it for yourself?”
I wanted to bite my lower lip, because I was nervous, but decided to shrug casually instead. “If it's a secret, I'll keep it as a secret.” Was that the right answer? I didn't know, because Zelo was walking in front of me, which is why I wasn't able to see his face. He seemed to think about my words and when he spoke up again, the vulnerability was still there.

“Junhong.”
“What?”
“My name. It's Choi Junhong. Don't you ever dare calling me that in public, got it?”

Kyyyaaaah, JUNHONG! Finally! I love week-end trips, they always bring something good with them, don't they ^^

Sorry for not updating in so long, I'm busy learning for my exams ;___;