"So you're the one from West Paragon?"

The girl scoffed, then sighed. "It's all in the papers, woman."

The middle-aged lady ignored the rude tone. She was used to it. Paragon had never had any idea how to handle abandoned delinquents and had tried and tested many ways to deal with them. Eventually, they went the old way -- foster homes. The ruthless and corrupt caretakers were sent to jail and in an attempt to mentally rehabilitate the 'lost kids', education specialists (who weren't needed anymore since the laws were strict enough to handle that aspect) were evenly distributed across the massive state to be their supervisors. 

"And you are from...."

"West Paragon," the young boy said, his words in an embarassed hush. He obviously felt ashamed upon having the same hometown as the girl next to him, who was loudly tapping her Doc Martens against the squeaky clean floorboards. The foster home owner already found herself endeared towards the boy and gave a small smile to let him know so. He nodded, acknowledging her kindness and threw a fleeting glance at the girl. 

"Sunyoung and....

"Sungjong."

"Sungjong," the lady cooed. The girl named Sunyoung rolled her eyes and upon finding her black duffel bag delivered next to her, grabbed it and pushed off. 

"It's okay," the lady reassured to Sungjong. "As long as you keep to yourself, most of the kids won't do anything."

"But I want to make friends ma'am," Sungjong smiled. 

"Don't try too hard Sungjong," the lady said, looking worried. But Sungjong shook his head. 

"Trust me ma'am," he said, his flawless face stretched out into a confident smile. "All's well that ends well."

                                                                                              *******************************************************

The man guffawed, startling the occupants of the majestic hotel lobby. 

"Daughter??" he repeated. He laughed again and the blonde next to him giggled, holding an expression that was a cross between not understanding the joke and not being bothered by it. 

"Do I look that old?" the man asked, his tone suddenly bordering upon a playful, but legitimate threat. The receptionist fumbled and fervently shook her head. 

"N-n-no sir..."

"I'm Bang Dongwan!" the man commanded. "And this is my girlfriend Yeon!" The girl yelped as the man pinched her waist, making the confused woman behind the counter look away. 

"The Regency Suite sir?" she inquired and began tapping away at the hologenic keyboard. The man nodded and waved his hand, as if speaking about anything other than himself would be a waste of energy. The blondie was playing with her tresses, concentrating on them as if the mystery of the universe was buried between the blow-dried tendrils. 

"32nd floor sir, we'll have the bellboy accompany you with the luggage."

"Thank you hon!" the man called out. "And hey, when does the casino open?"

The receptionist widened her eyes and gulped. "The casino, sir.... All day."

"BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" And with that modest expression of happiness, the odd couple left with the highly amused bellboy, who had already stumbled upon the gigantic steel trolley. 

"Watch it!" the young girlfriend hollered, her icy tone lightyears away from the soft giggle. The boy bowed and quickly brought himself together. The receptionist apologized, explaining that he was new, but the man was least concerned. 

"Just manage to get the luggage up in one piece and I'll give ya a hefty tip. Got it? And hey, what's your name?"

The bellboy blinked at the man, his large eyes widened in alarm. The receptionist hissed a warning and he coughed. 

"Kyungsoo sir," the bellboy stuttered. "My name is Kyungsoo."

                                                                                         ********************************************************

The doctor gave the new nurse a once-over glance and cleared his throat. "You're a little young--"

"Where are the kids?" the nurse interrupted, a grin on his face. The doctor narrowed his eyes and shook his head. 

"Last door to your left," he said, waving at the corridor. "Your resume definitely boasts of your over-qualification but--"

"I love helping people," the young nurse said, now sounding a bit peeved at his senior's doubts. "And I have always wanted to work at the hospital, especially with the kids."

The doctor gave a brief nod, feeling confused at his own intimidated self. He was just a kid. Just a young guy. 

"Feel free to call me," the doctor murmured and left. The nurse quietly walked towards the door and carefully opened it. There were hushed conversations, squeaking of toys and the crackling hum of the radio. It was playing the special channel for children. 

"Hello children," the nurse smiled. "I'm your new friend."

The children looked up, disbelief rampant on their expressions. One kid stood up and in a monotonous voice, said, "They said we'll never have friends. Because we're going to disappear before we do."

"That's not true," the nurse smiled. "Let's start off with names shall we? I'm Taemin."

                                                                                 *************************************************************

"Are you sure they're there?" Yoona hissed. Niel looked around then rolled his eyes. 

"Stop talking about this out here. We're officially not us." With that, he took a swig of the Scotch and waved for another glass. Yoona scoffed and found herself in the eyes of a distant observer. 

"Looks like I found my first customer," she smirked and sauntered towards the corner of the room. A tall young man with brown hair, neatly set up for a night-out, smirked back at her. 

"I heard you're the new ," he said and gave her a body a once-over glance. The girl locked a strand of her hair behind her ear and threw a dazzling smile. 

"I heard you were the new kid in town."

"Daehyun."

"Yoona."

While she entwined her elbow around his left arm, Yoona found a poker-faced waitress looking at her. The latter simply nodded and gave a sheepish smile before heading to a shady corner with a tray full of rum and Cosmos. 

Sorry for lying about your sister Eun Seo, Yoona thought. But I'm not supposed to know her and I'm not supposed to know you. Seohyun is safe and sound. Trust me. 

                                                                                                    ******************************************************

"These are your new bodyguards ma'am." The butler deeply bowed and waved at the third man. "And here is the man who will be accompanying you and guiding you through your personally requested piano lessons."

The first two men were tall and attractive, but with a no-nonsense gaze penetrating through their eyes. The pianist had a shy smile but with a charming and confident stature. His hair was platinum blond and he was chicly dressed, obviously classy in recreational activities and lifestyle. 

"You are Byun," the woman conferred. The dark-haired bodyguard bowed. The woman nodded and looked at the blonde man, his soft and pretty features a little distracting. "And you are Han." 

Han bowed and with a polite smile said, "We have been ordered to fulfill your request to protect your surroundings and make you feel secure wherever you go ma'am." 

The woman stared at them for a while then mutely nodded. She looked expectant but upon seeing the pianist, she sighed. "And your name is..."

"Byunghun." 

"I hope you can keep us entertained Byunghun," the woman said, not even making an effort to smile. She then looked at all three and said, "But please, don't call me ma'am or Miss. There is a reason why I don't teach anymore. I do not have any duties related to guiding lost kids, nor do I have any interest in holding a position of respect not earned. You can simply call me Taeyeon. Any more questions?"

"You used to teach ma- I mean," Byunghun smiled, looking sheepish. "Taeyeon-sshi. Where? I studied at the School of Arts so..."

Taeyeon handled his incomplete sentence with a blank gaze, causing discomfort to all three. Finally, she spoke. "I was a kindergarten teacher at the Institution. Now would you please leave? I will see you in the morning at the breakfast table."

Byun and Han bowed and left, giving Byunghun a stern look that made him skitter away. The door closed and along with the absence of the three men, there was an absence of the only colours. The room returned to its white emptiness, but the woman's vivid memories gave her complexion a healthy glow. 

"You two still not recognize me?" she asked and traced a photograph that had been lying in her lap, out of the line of sight of the new acquaintances. "Byun Baekhyun.... Luhan.... how is your hyung?"

The woman sighed and buried the photograph underneath the room. Whatever the reason for these lies, I'm with you.