Soora's POV

Today's the day! That was the first thing I could think of when I woke up. Today I'll help Zelo, no matter how much he tells me not to! I stretched my back, closed my eyes again after glancing at the clock to my left and enjoyed the sunlight that fell through a small gap in my shutters. Then, suddenly, I heard the quiet sound of someone breathing. I opened my eyes, turned my head to the right and saw someone with brown hair sitting next to my bed.

I was startled and sat up in a hurry, only to realize that it was the stick-figure. Why is he sleeping on the ground and not in his room? Like, when did he even come to my room? I was about to wake him up, but there was a tiny smile that appeared on his face as he leaned against my bed and I swallowed, hesitating, because he looked so peaceful. “What's with that guy. He's so strange lately”, I mumbled, got my school uniform and went into the bathroom to get dressed since I definitely wouldn't change in front of Zelo.

I couldn't stop thinking of reasons for him being there. Sitting there. Why didn't he wake me up? Was something wrong and he wanted to ask something? That didn't explain why he had stayed there and fallen asleep though. “Aish, he's like a damn cat! Always snarling at everybody like a tiger, but a pet cat on the inside. I'm unable to make head or tail out of this!”, I said while looking at myself in the mirror and splashing some cold water in my face before getting ready for school. I was quick to grab my camera and the stuff I had prepared the afternoon before from my cupboard and stowed it in my camera bag, carrying it downstairs.

Just when I was about to finish breakfast, Zelo came down, rubbing his eyes. He stopped as soon as our gazes met and tried to walk past the table in a hurry. I was quick to make him stop. “Junhong, what was that?”

He froze, but turned around after some time – slowly, as if he had been caught doing something bad. “Wh-what was what?”

I rolled with my eyes, making sure Hye-sun wasn't present before speaking up again. “You know what I mean: Why were you in my room when I woke up? What are you, a ert?”

“Yah!”, he exclaimed, just to bite his lower lip afterwards and continuing in a lower tone. “That's not it...” I stood up and walked up to him, tilting my head back to look at him as I placed my hand on his forehead. He flinched and took a step back. “What a-are you doing?”, he stuttered.

“It doesn't feel like you're having a fever. Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting strangely for the past days, you know?”

“Did I? I-I mean, I...couldn't sleep yesterday. That's...that's why...uhm...”

I relaxed on the spot as everything got cleared up and sat down again. “You could have told me so. You know, I was totally freaked out when I woke up!”

“You were already sleeping when I came to your room.”

“But it's my room”, I repeated myself. “You could at least have asked for permission, you know?”

“As if I needed your permission for everything”, he growled all of a sudden, getting himself something to eat from the kitchen. “Who do you think you are?”

“The owner of a stray cat, it seems”, I mumbled, raising my eyebrow, but he didn't hear it, ending our conversation for the moment. Was he sulking? That would mean I had won! He looked cute though: the way he chew on his lower lip while pouting at the same time made him look like a little boy. I don't know why, but today there was trouble brewing in his eyes and I was ready to shoot back. I wasn't a stupid snob like he had told me a few days ago. And I would finally make this clear today by helping him. At least I hoped that this would help, because if it didn't work the way I wanted it to, all my preparations were worthless. I wanted him to trust me so bad.

However, I got up and was about to leave when I remembered something. “Ah, Jun- I mean, Zelo?”

“What?”

“Which places should I avoid if I didn't want to run into the Untouchables?”

He frowned. “Why is that of any importance right now?”

I adjusted the camera bag on my back without him noticing and swallowed. “Ah, I just thought...you told me not to get involved with them and they talked to me the other day...I...I thought I should avoid them for a while?”

He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow, indicating that he was still not satisfied, but didn't actually suspect anything. “The plaza in front of the mall. You know, the one with the many side alleys? That's where they can be found. It's often a group of two or three people, mostly dressed in black and looking like gangsters. Nobody would notice them as long as he didn't know about them. Stay away from the mall for a week or two if that's the answer you wanted. Satisfied?”

I nodded, full of enthusiasm. That would make everything much easier. “Sure! Thanks, I won't cause any trouble, I promise!” I turned around. “Well, I'll be leaving then! Bye!”

He mumbled something like “You're nothing but trouble anyway” before standing up and accompanying me to the front door, where Hye-sun saw me off. “Just...don't do anything stupid, okay?”

I turned to look at him once more in surprise. Worry? Was that worry in his voice? I cocked my head to the side and smiled at him. “I'll try.” His breath halted, but I didn't notice it as I sat down in the car. I just drove to school and thought one thing:

Let the show begin.

And boy, this was just the beginning of something big.

“And you're sure I can't help you with what you've got to do?”, Daehyun asked, causing me to roll with my eyes, because it wasn't the first time he had done so.

“No, Dae, sorry. It's no big deal, I just want to go there myself for once, is that so hard to understand?”

“Well, you get lost whenever you're alone...”, he stated and I punched his arm in pretended anger. “Okay, okay, got it. I'll pick you up when you're ready, just call me. I can come whenever you want me to”, he continued with a soft voice and I smiled at him as we walked out of the building.

“Alright, thanks, Daehyun. It won't take long, promise. See you later then!”, I said while giving him a brief hug and waving at him

“Sure, bye, Soora”, he replied with a smirk and a last unsure glimmer in his eyes as he got on his motorcycle, put on his helmet and drove off, while I walked up to Jongmin and our car.

“Jongmin, please drive me to the mall instead of driving me home, will you? I've got something to do there.”

He frowned, but nodded. “Yes, miss. You want me to contact Jongup to accompany you? It's rarely seen that you leave for someplace alone...”

“No, thanks. I meet up with someone there. Why is everybody asking me if I need company?”, I replied, checking my camera bag once more as I sat down in the front seat.

“Well...we're worried, miss”, was all Jongmin said as he drove me to the huge multicolored building with a big glass facade and many shop windows. I thanked him, told him that there was nothing to worry about and got off the car as he left me alone on the plaza, taking a deep breath and tightening my grasp around the camera bag's strap. “Let's do this”, I mumbled to myself and took out my precious camera.

I started by walking around and shooting some random photos: the mall, some trees, a macro shot of a leaf. I then began to photograph the people on the open space, asking everyone for permission of course. “It's for a project at school”, I told them when they asked why I did this. “I'm interested in the many different traits a person can have. Everyone is an individual.” I had said this many times before, when I was photographing my special people from the picture wall in my room. Almost everybody allowed me to shoot a photograph and I had just thanked an old man for posing, when a group of four people appeared in my field of vision and I turned towards them immediately. Dressed in black, looking like gangsters, it has to be them, I thought while switching off the auto-focus and photographing some other passerby with a black shirt. The result was a blurred image and I nodded in satisfaction, removing the SD-card from my camera and switching the focus back on. I could just hope that nobody had seen me with Zelo before.

“Uhm, excuse me?”, I asked carefully and the four of them raised their heads in absolute synchronicity. I tried not to gasp, but there was actually one of the leaders standing in front of me. I had seen him once already: Sleepy. His monk-hairstyle was hidden under a cap, which is why I hadn't recognized him at first, but his slim face caused me to realize who he was. Cunning like a cobra. I bit my lower lip, glancing at my camera again. Should I really do this? Now or never, Soora. Now or never!

“Yes?” His voice was surprisingly deep and he looked at me with curiosity in his eyes, which made me freeze. And he was so tall! Just a few centimeters shorter than Zelo, I guessed.

“I..uhm” I started fiddling with the camera's strap and looked at him again. “I'm working on a school project and I have to photograph as many people as possible. It's...it's about...individuality.”

I expected him to decline this offer right away, but Sleepy leaned back instead, frowning. “Individuality?” I nodded and he distorted his mouth, thinking about my idea. “But don't you think individuality can't be measured by looks? That would be too shallow.”

This caught me off guard. Who would ever question stuff like this?! I swallowed once more, but his face remained calm and...I don't know...friendly? Did I ask the wrong person? No, this was definitely Sleepy! “Of course, it's not only about the looks”, I explained calmly. “To be honest, that's what this project is about. You know about the nature of icebergs? You can judge them by the shape of their appearance, but there's so much more hidden under the surface.” I started gesturing as if I was an excited student that was proud of her idea. “You may see a person, but you can't see that person's story. That's what is so exciting about pictures, you know? A person may look different from another, but maybe they have more in common than you might expect?” Well, I actually was really proud for saving myself like this. I didn't know what I was saying though.

“The way you say it, it sounds nice, indeed”, Sleepy replied and I raised my camera with a smile, but he pushed it down with his hand. “But I'm afraid I have to decline. I don't like having pictures taken of me, young lady.”

“Oh...”, I replied in almost completely pretended disappointment. “What about your friends?” I raised my gaze and gave the remaining three guys a hopeful smile. “Pretty please?” They shook their heads, but I could see that they were having a hard time resisting me until Sleepy glanced at them with narrowed eyes.

“I'm really sorry”, he said, patting my shoulder with his hand and giving me a little smile. “We should get going.”

“No!”, I exclaimed, a bit too loud, and he stopped again. “Really, I want that picture!”

“Who do you think I am – a celebrity?”, he retorted with a raised eyebrow and a nervous chuckle while looking down at me.

“N-No...I think. But you look like there's much going on in your mind. That makes it interesting.”

“You're right, I'm thinking a lot, but you'll have to find someone else-”

“It's no big deal, is it? Look, just like this!”, I interrupted him, raising my camera and pressing the shutter release. Click. “Done. It didn't hurt, did it?”

Sleepy glared at me as I shyly took a step back. This wasn't good. “I'm sorry, young lady, but I really can't allow this.” His kind smile faded. “Now delete the picture.”

“It's not like I'll upload it to the internet or something like that.”

“I know, but I don't want it.” He was raising his voice like a cat that was hissing, ready to jump at whatever was threatening him. “Delete it.” He was the opposite of Zelo: Looking like a pet cat, but a tiger on the inside.

As if I had planned it, my phone rang and I accepted the call with trembling fingers. “Y-yeah, hi Daehyun”, I said calmly, noticing that Sleepy's eyes didn't leave mine once.

“Soora, are you ready? I just came back from walking Mocha and can drive to the mall now...”

“Sure, I'll be waiting there, I took some awesome pictures today, I've got to show you later on!” I didn't even dare to look back at Sleepy while saying these words, but I put on a casual smile.

“Oh, sounds nice. See you then, I'm on my way.”

“Yup, see you”, I replied curtly and ended the call before meeting Sleepy's gaze again. “I gotta go, my friend is waiting. Bye and thanks for the picture!”, I said and ran off as fast as I could.

“Hey!”, I could hear him exclaim behind me before he barked orders at his 'friends' – more like peasants – and started running after me.

I made my way through the crowd of people that were visiting the mall. This wasn't according to plan A, I didn't mean to run away, but I had thought of a plan B beforehand, so it wasn't a problem. Sleepy probably knew that I knew there was something fishy about them, though he didn't know how and why I did this now. I ran as fast as I could, panting after a few seconds and pulled out my SD to put it into the camera again. It worked and I closed the small hatch with a satisfied smirk before running on. I fled into an alley, which was my biggest mistake: They surrounded me in no time. “”, I hissed, holding on tightly to my camera.

“I don't mean to threat you, but this picture mustn't remain in your hands. We've got our reasons.”

I managed to put on a sulk. “Why?? I don't want to harm anyone and you're a perfect addition to my project!”

“Listen, young lady-”

“It's Miss Kim.” I regretted it the moment I said it. I just couldn't stand it when someone treated me like a kid by calling me 'girl' (right, Zelo?) or 'young lady'. But I had just told him my name. My damn name. At least not the full one.

Sleepy took a deep breath, reaching out with his right arm. “I'm sorry to say this, Miss Kim, but if you don't delete this picture you'll have to give me the whole SD card or even the camera.” He snapped his fingers and the three Untouchables took a step closer. Too close. Now give up, Soora, be convincing.

“Okay, okay, I got it! I'll delete it. Man, you are no fun”, I mumbled, pouting like a kid, but Sleepy wasn't impressed. I the camera and let the image show. “Oh...”

“What is it?”, Sleepy asked curiously and I showed him the screen.

“It's blurry...nobody can be recognized...I swear, this lens is so hard to use, I still don't understand it...Well, if it wasn't a good shot anyway, why do I even bother... All of my effort was worthless”, I complained sheepishly while pressing on the button that showed a big trash can. After two more clicks, the picture was deleted and Sleepy was obviously relaxing. “Are you sure I'm not allowed to take a picture of you? Like, reeaaally sure?”

He shook his head. “Thank you for all that interest in us, Miss Kim, but you see, I really hate photos. I'm glad you decided to-” he glanced at his companions who stepped back immediately “cooperate.”

“I wouldn't have been able to use it anyway”, I replied quietly, still acting as if I was sad or disappointed. “No need to make such a fuss. Why don't you like pictures?”, I asked curiously, but Sleepy just shook his head again. He talked to me like before now: friendly with a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.

“We don't want our image to be ruined, you know? It's very important to us.”

“Wait, are you actually famous? Like, for real?” I think, that's when they finally believed I was dumb. It was surprisingly satisfying to see my acting wasn't that bad after all.

The four of them chuckled. “No we're not”, one of the three companions said and even Sleepy snickered, causing his necklace to clink. A golden cross with red markings, just like Youngjae's. Probably something really popular with the “normal” people...

“I like your necklace. I've seen them a lot lately”, I noticed casually causing Sleepy to frown and exchange glances with his companions.

“Is that so?” He then shrugged, looking at his watch. “It's a nice design, the younger people like it a lot, I guess. But we really have to go now. Sorry for the trouble.”

“No problem! I was being impolite, I should be sorry! I just love taking pictures so much... Have a nice day!”, I exclaimed with a bow and waved at them as they disappeared into the crowd again. I waited for a few seconds – seconds like hours – before I dared to breathe properly again. I removed the SD, checking for the image. There it was: A more or less well-taken picture of Sleepy. You could even make out the other guys.

As if I didn't know how to use that lens, who do you think I am?, I thought while smiling in satisfaction. Want to know, how I had saved the image? Internal memory, es. The 'unsuccessful' picture I had deleted had been the one I had taken seconds before approaching the Untouchables.

As you can see, I had actually thought of the perfect plan. It had worked. Thank god they didn't see me remove the card. I couldn't wait to tell Zelo! The face he'd make when I showed him the photo would be priceless for sure! I skipped towards the meeting point I had arranged with Daehyun; he was waiting already and I was smiling brightly as I hugged him rapidly. “Hi, Daehyun!”

“Woah, what's wrong, you look as if you'd run a marathon. You're all hyper, what's up?”

I just couldn't stop smiling as I put on the helmet he handed me. “I'm just having a great day, that's all. And now-” I sat down on his motorcycle behind him “it's even better.”

“What did you do? Seriously, I'm totally curious now”, he asked while staring at my eyes through his own helmet.

I waved it off with a smile. “I saw someone for what feels like the first time in forever. I'm just happy to have met him again, that's all. Let's go!”

He didn't seem to get a thing – and that was good, considering that nobody but Zelo and myself knew about the Untouchables – but looked a bit pensive as he made sure I held on tightly before letting the engine roar.

“Alright, then. Let's go.”

I hope you all got what I was trying to write here, it may seem kind of confusing, but the outcome is: Soora got a picture of Sleepy! And that's important, isn't it?

Thanks a lot for 100 subscribers, I love you all <3 <3 And thanks for upvoting, Floqkpop, I appreciate that! °^°

Hah, Daehyun is back again, you may expect a lot of fluff during the next chapter :3