“Soora, time to wake up!”, I heard a familiar voice while someone started shaking my body. “You're almost late!”

“Not now, Hye-sun. Just a few more minutes...”, I mumbled, still half-asleep, but she just wouldn't go and pulled away my blanket instead. “Hey! It's cold without my blanket and I was sleeping!”, I shouted, suddenly wide awake just to see that it hadn't been the maid but Zelo who had taken the warm cloth.

Hye-sun was just standing beside him and shrugged with a satisfied smile. Zelo raised an eyebrow. “I see you're awake now. Get up, you have to go to school.” I glared at him and he endured my stare with a blank expression until I finally gave in.

“Fine, I get it. I'm getting ready, but you two get out. I have to change my clothes”, I growled and I could see a hint of amusement in Zelo's eyes when he scanned my hairstyle, but he hid his smile perfectly. I frowned and looked into the mirror just to see some kind of hair-monster looking at me. Woah, when had my hair developed a life of its own? “And I have to fix my hair”, I added while signalizing them to go and they obeyed silently until the door was closed. It took me a few minutes to get my uniform and to tame my hair, pinning it up as a ponytail. Much better!

That's when Hye-sun knocked on my door again. “Soora? Hurry, you'll be late!” I looked at my watch just to spin around in sudden agitation. She was right. I'd be late if I didn't start running by now and I managed to grab my phone from the nightstand before rushing out of my room, almost running my favorite maid down.

“Sorry and thanks Hye-sun!”, I shouted across the shoulder just to run into Zelo a moment later. “Ouch, sorry, Zelo, I...are you alright?!”

He had cringed and held fast onto the stair's banister while pressing his hand against his chest. “Stupid girl, would you just watch where you're run- Ehem.” He cleared his throat when he spotted Hye-sun upstairs. “I mean, it's no problem, miss. Just hurry and go...to school.” He coughed and I glanced at Hye-sun from the corners of my eyes.

“Please give him something that eases pain, just do it. See you later!” And with these words, I ran towards the door, almost yanking it open to sprint to the car. Jongmin raised an eyebrow before flooring it to get me to school in time.

I really did arrive there in time and I thanked Jongmin effusively before leaving him for my first period. I wasn't able to look at my phone until our lunch break. I had received a new message from Zelo. Probably an answer to my question from last evening. I opened it and read it with excitement. It's not that I was interested in him – it was his private life that I wanted to know more about, because maybe I'd find out why he was chased if I could contact his girlfriend, assuming that he had one.

“Why are you asking? I don't like your curiosity and I won't tell you.” Of course. I let out a disappointed sigh, making Sohee beside me raise her head.

When she spotted my phone, she immediately leaned over the table, making Daehyun curious too. “What is it, Soora? Whose texts are you reading? Do you have a secret we should know about?”

I glared at her, hiding my phone's screen from her. “I'm texting Zelo, but he never tells me anything about himself. It's making me frustrated”, I answered. That wasn't even a lie. But if I had told Sohee-unni that I was asking whether he had a girlfriend or not, she'd start teasing me right away. Daehyun swallowed his food and shrugged before looking at me.

“Isn't it obvious? He doesn't really want to be close to you, but he's spending his time with you, because... Say, how much do you pay him?”, he explained, making my mood grow more and more gloomy. He hit the bullseye, except for the payment, but it hurt hearing it from someone who didn't even know about the actual situation Zelo was in. Well, I didn't know either...

“I don't pay him. All he was demanding was a room and food. He's living with us in exchange for his attention”, I replied, making Daehyun choke on his food and Sohee shriek.

“What do you mean, 'he's living with you'?!”, Daehyun almost shouted and I glanced around to make sure we weren't attracting attention before shushing him.

“That he's occupying one of the guestrooms. Why?”, I hissed silently, making Daehyun's jaw drop open.

“You can't just offer someone a room of your house! What if he's only there to steal your money in a moment of your absence? Or what if he does something to you in your sleep? Soora, what the hell are you thinking?”, he argued, making me a little bit angry.

“Yah, Daehyun, listen: I know that he appreciates that tiny space I kind of presented him and I trust him, okay? Aish, you're just like Jongup. Sohee-unni, tell him that his worry is unnecessary!”, I tried to get myself an ally, but her upper lip twitched once, showing her mistrust.

“Soora, I have to agree with new money this time. It didn't look as if he was used to behaving well, in my opinion.”

“What do you mean by that? He's perfectly fine and healthy. Well, he contused his rib, because of-...be-because he has fallen down our stairs... But he's no bad guy or something like that. Come on, you liked him too!” Why was everybody so mistrusting towards Zelo? Should I be too? No, I should just try to find out what was going on in his life, I shouldn't judge him by other people's opinions!

Sohee raised her hands in a defending position. “I can't deny that he's good-looking, but I'm just saying what I think about him. Try not to depend too much on him, that's just an advice from your unni.”

Daehyun scowled before continuing to eat. “I'm worried about you, Soora. Don't endanger yourself, you're too naive to estimate a normal guy's character. He seems quite introverted to me and you never know what a person is hiding.”

And that's why I want to trust him, you idiot! I was really angry then, but I felt that they were right at the same time. Still, I didn't want them to talk about Zelo like that and I drew myself up, grabbing my lunchbox. “I thought that you'd know how much I like those people for their secrets, Daehyun. If you're not okay with him then I'll just tell him not to come along next time we meet up.”

I glared at my friends, turned around and left the cafeteria with my food to find me some place where I could eat without being disturbed. I don't know why I was so furious about such a little thing. It was rare that the two of them liked the people I liked, but did that imply that they were bad? They had reacted that way to many of my acquaintances already, but this time, it was the last straw to break the camel's back. I retreated to the school's yard where I could think freely while enjoying the summer breeze. There was kind of a small garden nearby and I sat down on an old broken wall in the shrubs.

It wasn't the same, eating lunch without my two companions, but I was too pig-headed to go back and apologize for... yeah, what did I do in the first place?

“Yes, I'm at the school at the moment. They lost track of me when I crossed the road”, I heard someone say and spun around to see who it was. There was a tall guy with a black hat marching through the thicket. His leather jacket and his long and ripped jeans seemed to bother him – no wonder. It was way too warm for something like that today! “Yes, take care. Stay wherever you are and make sure they really can't find you there, okay?” Was there someone else being chased by some creepy guys? At least he wasn't looking dangerous at all... Should I ask if I could help?

The man didn't seem to notice me until I cleared my throat, making him almost drop his phone. “I'll call again later. See ya.” He hung up and remained where he was, staring at me intensely. He took off his jacket – finally – and adjusted his hat so that I could see even less of his face. But now that he wasn't wearing the thick coat anymore, I could see how thin he was. His arms were well exercised, no doubt, but he was almost as thin as Zelo, making me feel sorry again. Yes. I'd try to help. The school was nearby and I could call for help whenever he came too close, right?

“H-Hello”, I mumbled, making him frown. At least I thought he was frowning; his face was almost completely hidden under that black hat.

“Hi.” His voice was so deep!

“You want to eat something?”

He shook his head in reply and slowly walked around me. At least he wasn't running towards me to steal my wallet or something like that. “I'm not here to chat with strangers-” His stomach growled loudly, making me smirk when he snorted in embarrassment. He'd have to be an awesome actor if he was a criminal...just like Zelo.

I offered him a part of my lunch and he hesitantly grabbed it. “Are you running from someone?” He nodded. “Are you a thief?”

He hesitated for a moment before smiling widely. God, his gums were gigantic! “Why else would I be chased?” I stiffened on the spot. Zelo hadn't reacted that way when I had offered him help and I prepared to scream if that guy leaning against the wall tried to rob me, but he chuckled only a few moments later. “Just kidding. It's not me they want, it's my friend. But they know that I'm connected to him. I hope he's alright, he won't tell me where he is at the moment...” I wasn't trusting him, but still, I felt so sorry for him... and he really looked worried. I frowned.

“That sounds like some tough friendship”, I noticed, making him chuckle again before he took another bite of the bread I'd given him.

“It is, but I can't let him down. He's a kind person and like a brother to me, I have to find a way to help him...” He glanced at me from the corners of his eyes. I noticed that he looked much older than me. Maybe as old as Himchan... “Are you from that school?”
“Mhm”, I hummed in agreement when the bell rang on cue. “Oh, I have to get going...don't get caught. Or...maybe you should. I...I don't know whether you're a good-guy or a bad one, but I hope whatever happens will be the best for us all...Euh...Yeah, bye”, I stuttered nervously, making the other one chuckle again.

“I'm not the bad-guy, promise. Thanks for the food... You always meet twice, I'll pay you back then!” He showed me another warm smile that made me feel more comfortable on the spot. I nodded in reply and said: “Well, at least you don't seem to be evil in any way. I hope you won't have to worry about your friend in the future anymore!” I waved at him and turned around to go back to school, while his amused chuckle came to my ears.

That was some strange encounter... Who was that guy? I didn't plan on offering him the second guestroom, because he looked a little bit too strange for that. But his big gums would make a good picture on the wall...NO! No, Soora! Remember that such a picture is the reason why you're burdened with Zelo for the next two months! No more strangers in your house!

I sighed. I felt like I was too kind these days, even sharing my food with strangers...I behave like some kind of drama character, I thought while entering the school's building again and walking to my classroom.

“Soora! Hey, Soora, wait!”, someone shouted behind me and I turned around to see Daehyun running towards me. Ah, right. I had left them kind of pissed off. He stopped right in front of me, his breath was quick, he seemed to have run through the whole school. “I've been searching for you for the past twenty minutes! Where were you?” So he actually did run through the whole school, because of me?

Oops.

“I was eating with-” I hesitated and coughed to think for a second. If I told him that I had helped a stranger who was running from someone, he'd go insane, I figured. He didn't know that it had been the same with Zelo and he didn't even trust him... “I was eating outside, because of the fresh air. You know how much I like summer, right?” He nodded with a gloomy face and I frowned. “What's wrong?”

“Sorry for making you angry earlier... I didn't mean to, I was just worried about you, because that Zelo kind of gives me the creeps. I... I don't want you to be mad...”

He lowered his gaze and I noticed how much he cared about me all the time. He was taking care of me whenever Jongup wasn't nearby and I should have been thankful instead of angry at him. “Hey, it's alright. I'm just very stressed with school and Mum's...uh...the day of the year I hate the most, you know? I'm easily annoyed, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you, it's me who should be sorry.” I smiled at him when he looked at me again, making him look relieved.

“Can I help you with that...day? It's been ten years...”, he asked in return and I gave him a sad smile before shaking my head.

“I don't think so, but thanks. I treasure your care a lot. But let's just forget my inappropriate hissy fit and go to the next class, okay?”

“Let's do that!” He nodded effusively before grabbing my wrist to drag me along and I just let him with a silent laugh. I'd never be able to be mad at him for a long time, but he showed me so many cute expressions when I was for the moment. My Rainbow-oppa~

Class ended only an hour later and Daehyun looked at me with a smile. “Do you want to come along, eat some ice cream? My treat this time!”, he suggested but I returned an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Oppa, but I promised Zelo to go shopping with him today, maybe tomorrow, okay?” He frowned and wanted to reply something, but I knew what it was, seeing the worry in his eyes. “That's what he's with me for. I want to spend time with him” No, not really, but well... “and in case it helps: Jongup will come with us. Zelo isn't dangerous, seriously... Don't worry that much!”, I said half jokingly while winking at him. Daehyun gave me a shy smile and nodded afterwards.

“Alright, have fun. See you tomorrow then?” It was my turn to nod now and I waved at him before wanting to leave for our car where Jongmin and Zelo were waiting for me. “Soora!”

I turned around again just to find myself being hugged by Daehyun. “I couldn't resist. Take care”, he mumbled so that I almost couldn't understand it and I agreed with a surprised hum. He hadn't been this attached to me before, he hugged me quite a lot in the past days...but well. I mentally shrugged it off and walked up to the car, this time for real.

“Ready to go shopping?”, I asked Zelo who had been leaning against the car and staring at me ever since I left Daehyun. “It will be difficult to find something in your size, but I'm not going home today until I bought some clothes for you!”

Zelo scrunched his nose before getting on the car where I heard him mumble:“It's going to be a looong afternoon, I guess...”

Not satisfied with this one, but I needed a chapter to fill in the gaps of my timeline xD The next chapter will be more exciting, I promise <3 Now who is this guy Soora met? Hmmmm, who knows? xD