Slipping her hands into the safety of her pockets, Seul headed to the bus stop. She liked Miss Chung but now she was sure that she would start doing anything in her power to try and set up the two of them. She just got that vibe from her. Besides, it wasn’t uncommon for teachers to do so. She had previously thought they were above shipping but clearly not.

“Yah, Choi Seul.”

She stops at the sound of Jiyong’s voice and her cheeks color. “Jiyong? What are you still doing here?”

He pushes himself off the wall he was leaning against. “Waiting for you. What else would I be doing?”

“But why?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t see you leaving the school so I got curious and waited around.”

“And what if I’d just slipped under your radar? Would you have waited out here until night fell?”

“If that’s how long it took to see you, I would wait.”

She didn’t know how to respond to something like this so she opted to just let out an irritated sigh and head off to the bus stop. He followed closely behind her, not even being discreet about it.

“Now why are you following me?”

He pointed ahead at the bus that just pulled up. “I have to catch this bus, too.”

She sits down in the first empty seat she can get to before the bus driver can peel out and send her crashing to the ground. Naturally, Jiyong chooses the seat next to her. She tries to ignore him, though she can clearly feel him staring at her, by looking out of the window but she catches the reflection of him watching her in the glare.

“Why are you suddenly sticking to me like glue?” she asks after a long time.

He considers his answer carefully. “I’m trying to figure it out.”

She gives him a look. “What?”

“There’s something I don’t understand. I’m trying to understand it.”

The bus stops and lets the two students off.  “Are you alright walking home by yourself? It’s dark out.”

Seul stares at him incredulously. “I’ve been getting home in the dark just fine for 5 years. What makes you think I need you now?”

He shrugs. “Just asking.”

“You’ve gotten really big headed for someone I’ve only really talked to for three days, Kwon Jiyong. I’m leaving.”

He watches her until she disappears with that same smile on his face. He doesn’t quite understand that about her. No matter what she says, how harsh it is or how unrestrainedly blunt, he can’t help but smile. She’s amusing.

He turns to head home himself but his smile quickly fades when he catches sight of who is standing behind him. Lee Seunghyun, better known in the neighborhood as Seungri, is standing there with his gang. Of all the people that he has fought with, no one was more relentless than Seungri. 
Perhaps it was because their two schools were rivals and fights usually erupted between students all the time. Maybe Jiyong had unknowingly done something horrible to him.  But whenever he had the chance, Seungri loved to ruffle his feathers.

“I see lover boy has got himself a new girl,” Seungri says. There’s a menacing tone to his voice. Something more than usual.

“She’s not my girl,” Jiyong says roughly, trying to push past him but the other boys push him back.

“Oh, really?” Seungri’s lips lift into an evil smirk, “Then maybe I should try her out. The good girls are always the wild ones.”

Jiyong feels his chest tighten. Seungri is a disgusting bastard but there is something more to the reason why he strongly opposes this happen. “Shut up.”

“What? I thought you said she wasn’t with you. Besides, I just want to mess around with her. Nothing serious you. You can have her back when I’m done.”

Jiyong grabbed the boy by his collar. “Listen, you piece of . If you go anywhere near her, I swear I won’t just let you go like last time.”

“Last time you wussed out. I’m sure you will again,” he says mockingly.

“But this time I’ll finish you. That’s a promise.”

Seungri wriggles out of his tight grip with some effort, straightening his shirt. “I won’t make any promises. But you shouldn’t be doling out threats like that when you have your own back to watch, Kwon.”

And with that he headed back off. Jiyong was riled up. He felt like ripping his head off. He nearly caught up to them so he could clock Seungri but Seul’s words echoed softly in his head as he processed the thought: “You’ve got a whole world of possibilities but instead you decide to get mixed up with punks on the street.”

She was right. But he couldn’t just let Seungri do whatever he wanted. Especially if it meant that he was going to go after her.