.

CHAPTER EIGHT

.

“Here, here, look at this,” CAP the photo to Ricky, a grin splattered over his face. “I think I’ve found the perfect house for you.  Have a look.” It was a few days after Chunji’s pairing in class, and he had left his friends to their own devices.

“No way, seriously?” Niel laughed, taking a large bite of caramel pudding. The gang had gathered in Chunji’s house several minutes before, and were now helping themselves to whatever that was offered in the large stainless steel fridge. “How did you manage to find one?” He leaned over to take a look, and blinked. “Ah. That house.”

“I was just walking down a street,” CAP shrugged, appearing bashful. “And merely noticed it by the corner. I figured it was pretty ideal for someone of Ricky’s tastes to rob.”

“Rob?” Ricky spluttered, eyes widening to the size of saucers. “I’m not going there to steal things! That’s preposterous!” He gazed about wildly. “Who said I was going to become a thief?”

“No one said anything,” Changjo smiled. “CAP-hyeong’s just messing with you, hyeong.” Ricky’s expression darkened, and he rolled his eyes.

“Now, why doesn’t that surprise me,” he muttered, turning the map to study it closer. He was having the urge to withdraw from the deal; but, since he was a guy and had an ego to uphold…he didn’t. Besides, a small part of him was excited and nervous, too. After several seconds, he looked up, eyebrows arched. “This house looks really…” he trailed off, becoming increasingly uneasy.

“Fancy?” Niel offered, eyes gleaming. “Expensive? Super-duper –richy? That’s because it is,” his grinned widened, almost seeming to tear his face into half. He looked towards CAP. “Some rich dude lives there, right? I think I’ve heard about it before.” He frowned slightly. “This guy that’s the son of this multi-billionaire or something…”

“Yeah, but,” CAP nodded. “I don’t know his name. He’s really good at keeping his private information from others, though. The most that I’ve managed to find out about after seeing that house is that he’s around the same age as us, and is home-schooled.”

“Anything more?” Changjo probed, looking curious.

“Nothing much. He’s a really private guy. He’s rarely seen leaving his house, anyway. Hell, I’m not even sure what he looks like.”

“Well, once we go there,” Niel clicked his tongue. “We’ll probably discover a lot more about him.” He then shrugged. “Not that it matters much to us.” He glanced around. “Where’s Chunji? He hasn’t returned from the toilet, yet? Gosh,” he snorted. “He sure pees long.”

“I saw him heading down to the garden,” Changjo said, appearing thoughtful. “No idea what he’s doing there, though. Probably watering the plants or something.”

“That’s stupid,” Niel laughed. “He has gardeners hired for a reason.”

“He’s been really quiet, you know,” CAP suddenly said, narrowing his eyes. “Did he suddenly fall in love and get rejected? He’s really been beside himself. I know that’s the hundredth time we’ve said that, but it’s really weird.”

“Fall in love?” Niel coughed. “No way. I thought he was gay. I’ve never seen him like a girl before. Most of the time, it’s the girls that like him.”

“Well, that’s one way to put it,” Changjo abruptly burst into laughter. He ceased, and tipped his head to the side. “Then again, CAP-hyeong’s right. I wonder what had possibly happened to him.”

“Lee Byunghun?” Niel suggested quietly, having calmed down. “Remember how much he dislikes him?”

“Can’t be,” CAP shook his head. “He’s stopped the ranting and insulting of him days ago.” He looked to the side where panels of frosted glass obscured his vision, and looked back. “It’s almost as though he doesn’t give two s about him, anymore.”

“Makes sense,” Changjo agreed. “Then again, Niel-hyeong, don’t you despise Byunghun, too? You were always agreeing with Chunji on how much of a jerk he was and stuff.”

“I don’t know,” Niel huffed. “I still think he’s an arrogant prick and all…but nowadays, I couldn’t care less,” he admitted. “I mean, he’s actually pretty okay.”

“What?” CAP interrupted, incredulous. “Could thee ears be lacking hearing? Beseech you, O’ Mighty One, and say once more thy enlightening words.”

“Shut up,” Niel responded. “Look, it’s just that the other day…” he tried to recollect. “If I can remember clearly…”

“You never remember anything,” Changjo cut in. “Just saying.”

“The other day,” Niel glared. “I was crossing the street and stuff when-”

“Don’t you have a chauffeur? Where did he run off to?”

“He was visiting his family in Jeju Island. Anyway, it was then where I saw him assisting an elderly lady who had dropped her bag of groceries.”

“So, you think he’s a good-guy…just because he did something out of basic courtesy?” CAP questioned, amused.

“Of course not,” Niel snapped. “Well, I mean, I thought about it for a while, and realised that…if he really were a bastard, would he even bother to assist her in a deserted area where no one would witness it? He was smiling and all, too. Hell, he even helped her carry the bag down the street!”

“He didn’t see you, then?”

“