She nearly fell over as she stumbled backwards, her eyes locked on the extra body sitting next to her tutor the next day. Her tutor merely raised an eyebrow at her as he leaned back in his chair, though the boy next to him waved at her excitedly. “Is this the girl you were talking about? Oh my god, she’s adorable!”

“Calm down hyung, I think you’re scaring the piss out of her.” 

At that the boy immediately stopped waving, instead giving her a tentative smile. “Hello, I’m Won-shik’s friend, Jae-hwan.” It took her a few seconds to gather herself before standing up, her shaking hand closing the door behind her. The boy grinned even wider, motioning for her to sit. “Don’t be shy, I don’t bite.” 

She looked to her tutor for an explanation, and his only response was a shrug. “He wanted to come. And really, I should have someone on my side whenever your brother decides to come in here and glare me to death.” 

“Did you dye your hair by yourself?” the boy continued on as if her tutor never spoke. “You look so cute with silver hair! Wow, how did you manage to get such a cutie for your tutoring? I got this kid that looks like he could beat me up.” 

“Hyung, this is my tutoring session. You can’t keep talking or I’ll have to kick you out.” 

“Sorry, sorry. Though, I am excited to see this so-called scary brother of hers. Did you hear? Wonnie here said he could shoot lasers from his eyes!”

“Hyung!” Her tutor quickly slapped a hand over his friend’s mouth, stuttering out a quick, “Sit down!” She scrambled to her seat, pulling the chair closer to the tutor and farther away from his pouting friend, and gave her books to him. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat the entire time her tutor read through her notes; she was highly aware of his friend’s eyes locked on her. The way he looked at her was worse than Taek-woon oppa. 

“Are you sure this is all you have?” Her tutor glanced over her book and she shrunk even smaller, hating the scrutinizing look he was giving her. She forced herself to nod.

“Hey, stop staring at her like that. And you said I scared her.”

“You don’t get it hyung. You try teaching this girl; it’s almost impossible! She just sits there crying the whole time.” 

“Well, if you didn’t stare at her like you want to bite her head off, maybe you’d actually get somewhere. Here, let me try this.” His friend snatched her scheduler out his hand, reading it for a short time before looking back up at her with his wide smile. “What was your name again?” She peeked up at her tutor to see him uselessly throw his hands in the air, turning his chair away from her.

“Y-Yoon Saet-byul…” Her tutor snapped his head towards her, surprised she’d spoken. His friend, on the other hand, smirked gloatingly. 

“I know Wonnie here is pretty scary, but I’m not at all,” he said in the sweetest voice, and she felt a small part of her body relaxing. “Now, can you tell me what part of this do you find hard?”

“Math,” she said automatically, and the boy nodded as he fished out her math textbook. 

“Alright, let me see. Wonnie marked that you’re on chapter five…ah, okay, this part? Okay, well, first…”

This boy was much kinder when he taught her, and even though he quizzed her as many times as her tutor did, he did so in a nicer way. He didn’t snap at her when she said the wrong thing, and he would only laugh when she got the wrong answer. He would make silly jokes that only made him laugh when teaching, but those silly jokes actually helped her remember. In about half the usual time, she finished her whole math assignment, and she couldn’t wait to shove all her books in her bag. The boy chuckled at how enthusiastic she was at leaving. 

“And where are you in such a rush to go to?”

“She’s running off to her brother,” her tutor quipped, glaring at the two of them, irritated that he had sat in the corner sulking the entire time. “She can’t get out of here fast enough.” 

“Well, with you having this dark aura around you, I’d be running too.”

“Hyung!” His friend childishly stuck his tongue out, and her tutor looked like he was about to hit him when he just sighed frustratingly. “Ah, that’s right, Saet-byul.” She froze, hands just about to clip her bag closed. “Did something happen at home?” She stared incomprehensively and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “I mean, you didn’t come for over two weeks. Usually the tutoring would be cancelled by then-”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, and that caught both of their attention. “Nothing-” 

They all jumped when the door suddenly slammed open, her face brightening at the sight of N. She bounded over to his side, very much aware of the hard glare sent to the other boys’ direction. “Don’t ask her useless questions,” N snapped, his arm snaking around her shoulder and pulling her behind him. Her tutor only managed a small, ‘yes’ before he herded her out of there, slamming the door behind them. 

She suppressed a giggle when she could hear her tutor’s friend scream, “Holy that guy was terrifying!”

--

She liked Hyuk and Taek-woon oppa, and she liked the time she spent with them after classes. Granted, she would never go anywhere with them if N wasn’t with her, but she still enjoyed her time with them. She got to learn so much from them; they taught her what a cell phone was and how to use it to call people. Taek-woon oppa let her use his phone to call Hyuk, and she thought it was the greatest thing ever. She could talk to people without being in front of them? 

They took her somewhere called a coffee shop, and even though N was thoroughly against it, they let her try coffee. She didn’t like it at first, it was very bitter, so Hyuk let her try his. She didn’t understand why N thought it was cute that she and Hyuk shared a drink, though she did like how Hyuk’s face grew bright red. Hyuk, at one point, offered to go to an amusement park after class, though she noticed how N’s face fell and he grew quiet. She had to be the one to tell Hyuk it wasn’t a very good idea. 

The only time she had gone, Seok-jin had been with them. 

She could barely contain her excitement as she stared up at the two tall figures of N and Taek-woon oppa, N having told her they would be going somewhere special today. He wouldn’t tell her what it was, though it seemed he’d told Taek-woon oppa, the two having been whispering to each other beforehand. She had grown to really like Taek-woon oppa; he was a lot quieter than N, and he never asked her questions to force her to talk. He never made her feel as comfortable as N did, but his quiet presence did comfort her. 

“It’s too bad Hyukkie couldn’t come with us today,” N said as he turned to look at her, once again frowning when his attempt at teasing her about Hyuk got nothing out of her. She instead ran up in between him and Taek-woon oppa, taking both of their hands in hers. 

“Hey!” N snapped, pointing at her and Taek-woon oppa’s hand, “What are you doing, carelessly holding another man’s hand?”

“But I like holding Taek-woon oppa’s hand.” Taek-woon oppa sent N a small smirk, his hand tightening. 

“That won’t do!” N shouted, leaning over and yanking her hand out of Taek-woon oppa’s. “You can’t go around holding men’s hands! Men are bad!”

“But Taek-woon oppa is nice. Why can’t I hold his hand?” 

“No! I won’t allow it!” 

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully before taking Taek-woon oppa’s hand again. N spluttered uselessly before glaring at Taek-woon oppa, the other boy smirking innocently. She giggled as she brought both boys’ hands to her cheeks, reveling in how warm their hands were. 

She missed the gentle looks the boys sent her.

She froze at the sight of the store in front of her, being very aware of the number of people in the building. N seemed to realize her anxiety, pulling back and moving to her side, placing a hand calmly on her back. “It’s alright,” he said softly, “you won’t have to talk to anybody here. Just stand next to me, okay?”

“Where are we?” she whispered, leaning into his comforting arms for support.

He smiled. “We’re going to buy you a present.” She glanced over at Taek-woon oppa to see him wearing a matching grin. She wasn’t sure what kind of present this would be that would make her have to go inside, but she trusted N. He would never bring her anywhere that would harm her, and if he was this excited to bring her here, it had to be safe. So even though her insides were screaming no, she nodded her head and allowed them to bring her inside. 

She nearly squealed when a woman ran up to them, bowing slightly as she greeted them warmly. She watched in amazement as N easily spoke with her. 

“We’re here to buy a cellphone.” 

“I see. Please come this way.” She guided them past the group of people talking at the counter, coming to another, empty counter. She stepped behind it, still smiling, as she waved her hand over the glass. “These are all of our newest models. If you sign up for a plan with us today, we can give you a discount.” 

“Actually, we were just going to buy simple basic phones.” Whatever that meant, it must have upset the woman because her smile slipped slightly. The woman recovered quickly though, forcing a smile as she moved to the very edge of the display, motioning towards a small phone. 

“This is the only basic phone we have. It can only call and text. There are no discounts with this phone-”

“That’s fine,” N said, cutting her off and making her frown again. “We’ll take two of those.” The woman didn’t seem to be completely happy with his choice, but nevertheless going under the counter and pulling out two phones. Taek-woon oppa frowned at them. 

“Woo-jin, if you need money, I can-”

“It’s fine,” N cut him off. “This money was hard-earned; I don’t want to have to borrow from anyone else.” 

“Where did you get the money?” she asked, curious. Her mother never gave them money.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” he said calmly, patting her head. He turned back to the woman. “How much longer will it take?”

“Not too much longer, I just have to insert the SIM card.” N, huffing, sat down on the nearby stool, reaching out and pulling her onto his lap, wrapping his hands around her waist. She stole a glance at Taek-woon oppa, the other standing alone silently with his hands in his pockets. She wanted to say something to him, to make him smile as easily as N does, but felt her tongue become heavy, her sweaty hands grabbing N’s for support. He noticed.

“Are you alright Saet-byul?” N whispered into her ear, and she responded with a curt nod. 

“Alright, it’s finished. Now, this one is yours, sir, and this one is yours.” N took both phones from the woman, gently placing it in her hands. 

“Thank you,” N bowed his head, she hurriedly copied him, and got up, patting Taek-woon oppa on the shoulder. “Let’s go.” 

She jogged to catch up to their long strides, forcing her hand into N’s while she gripped her new phone to her chest. 

“You did great.” N gushed, reaching over and pinching her cheeks. “I’m proud of you.” Her heart swelled with pride. “Here, let’s stop at the park, we should check out your new phone.” While Taek-woon oppa thought it only was excitement in his voice, she knew better. They would never be able to take them out in front of her mother. 

They sat down on the bench that they had labeled as their bench, her sitting on N’s lap and Taek-woon oppa relegated to sitting on the side. 

“Saet-byul,” Taek-woon oppa said suddenly, both of them surprised he had spoken. “Let me see your phone.” She hesitated before handing her phone over, watching carefully as he flipped it open and pressed a button. Instantly it lit up, and she couldn’t help but breathe out in amazement.

“Hey! I can do that too!” N whined as he held up his own for her and did the same thing, his screen lighting up. She clapped for him, and he smiled brilliantly as he shifted her on his lap. She watched as N showed her the different features of the phone; she was so engrossed in watching that she nearly shrieked when Taek-woon oppa shoved her phone back in her face. 

“T-thank you, Taek-woon oppa,” she stuttered, the other boy turning red and shoving his face into his own phone. 

“Now that he’s done, let me put my number in your phone,” N continued, taking her phone. “That way, if something happens, you can call me and- hey! Jung Taek-woon, what is your phone number doing here?”

Taek-woon blinked up at him, the shy look he’d given her gone. “I put it there.” 

“Yeah, b-but why’d you list yourself as ‘Oppa’?”

“Because that’s what she calls me.” 

N opened his mouth to say something but eventually shut it, his eyebrows crossed and a pout on his lips as he angrily put his number into her phone. “What happened to the cute Taek-woonie who would write notes for me?”

“You told me to change.” 

“Yeah, but who said to change this fast? You’re like a different person!” Neither missed the shocked, almost hurt expression that passed over the other’s face, and N quickly backtracked. “I mean, if I knew you were going to hit on my innocent Byullie, I wouldn’t have said anything!”

The hurt look changed to one of annoyance, the other going back to his phone. “You’re the one assuming I’m hitting on her.” 

N stuck his tongue out at him, earning a giggle from her, and handed the phone back to her. “Okay, I’m going to call you.” He pressed a couple buttons on his phone and suddenly her phone lit up, saying she had a call coming in from N. She excitedly pressed the answer button, bringing it to her ear. “Is this Saet-byul?” she heard asked in both ears, the phone speaker tickling her ear. 

“Yes!” she shouted, turning to see N snickering at her. Taek-woon oppa chuckled next to her. 

“Now you can talk to me whenever you want, even if I’m not with you.” 

She panicked at his wording, whirling around. “Are you going somewhere?” 

“Of course not,” he laughed, tapping her nose with his free hand. “This is just for emergencies.” Comforted, she jumped down from his lap and sat on the opposite side of Taek-woon oppa. She leaned away from both of them, her hand cupped over as she hissed,

“Can you hear me?”

That time they both laughed out loud. 

--

She couldn’t have been happier when she and N arrived home, though they both froze at the sight of her mother sitting by the fireplace, the heat from the fire making the place almost unbearably hot in the warming spring air. Her mother smiled at them, her fingers in the middle of making a doll. 

“You two are finally home,” she said pleasantly, her eyes never leaving them as she tugged the string tight, the needle glinting in the sun’s glare. They both sensed something was very wrong, and N stepped in front of her, her fearfully clinging onto the back of his shirt. Her mother noticed the motion and her eyes narrowed. 

“Sorry, her tutoring ran a little late.” 

“I see,” she said slowly, the briefest flash of anger crossing over her face before disappearing almost as quickly. “You know, I’m not as stupid as you think. I can call the school…and I can find out that you only have tutoring twice a week.” She gasped as her heart dropped like a brick into the pit of her stomach, her hands shaking. Her mother continued on as if nothing was the matter, cutting the string with her teeth. “Your friends look nice. What were their names again? Hyukkie and Taek-woon, am I right?”

No, no no no no! This wasn’t supposed to happen! Her mother wasn’t supposed to find about her friends! N surprisingly managed to stay calm, though his hand slipped behind him and brushed hers.

“They’re not our friends,” he said slowly, his voice void of emotion. “They’re just-”

“Don’t give me that,” she snapped, slamming down the incomplete doll onto the table next to her, her eyes lighting up. “I’ve seen you go with them to your coffee shops and parks. I’ve seen you let that filthy boy touch my daughter!” 

She shrieked when her mother shot over and knocked N away, grabbing her wrist and yanking her forward. She cried out when she slapped her cheek hard, slapping again and again until her world spun and her ears rung. She barely registered her backpack being snatched until she squinted past the stars to see her holding N’s doll in her hand. She blanched. 

“No! Mommy, please! I was wrong! I’m sorry! Please don’t take N away!” 

“I’ve given the two of you too much freedom,” she hissed, squeezing N’s doll in her hand, causing him to cough out painfully. “Your punishment is I’ll be taking your doll away.” 

She crawled forward as she tugged on the hem of her mother’s skirt, begging. “Please Mommy, please don’t take N from me.” 

“You should have thought of that before playing around,” her mother reprimanded, kicking her away with her foot. “Now go to your room before I punish him further.” She glanced over to N to see him pale white, one hand holding his chest as he struggled to breathe. She swallowed heavily as she crawled over to his side, kissing his cheek; begrudgingly going to her room. She stole one last glance of her beloved N before disappearing down the hallway. 

She could only pray her mother wouldn’t hurt him too badly.