When Hanbin arrived home his parents dropped a bomb on him. No he wasn't going to become a big brother, rather they'd enrolled him into an academy. “Your recent grades taught us you've got brains. So we thought it would help. Aren't you glad, Hanbi’? You won't have to do all that nasty studying on your own.”

“Don't you have to be real clever to get into one of those?” Hanbin wondered.

“Money,” his father motioned, “Makes the world bow and offer leway.”

Hanbin rolled his eyes and was about to say ‘no thanks dad,’ but instead blurted, “Which one are you sending me to?”

“Khan Academy; you start tomorrow.”

Hanbin’s jaw dropped to the floor. That was the place Yowon attended! He would go there now too. Hanbin was chuffed but not for long because he was given a pile of thick books he was expected to look through beforehand. Then his social life obliterated before his eyes, not like he had much of one to begin with. Still it was depressing to see his freedom deflate like a wrinkled balloon.

He carried the stack of books to his room and deposited them on the floor. Heck they reached his knees! They would murder him one day; he just knew it.

A pair of googly eyes peered from under his bed. Hanbin resurrected Dooley, holding the keyring in the palm of his hand. “Your owner is nothing like I thought she would be. Did you feel that way too after getting to know her? Did you want to be with her because she was pretty and fearless? What was it like the more you got to know her? Did you want to protect her too?” Hanbin sighed and belly-flopped into his bed. “I don't understand it myself. My head's a mess because of her. Owing her one doesn't help either.” He exhaled solemnly.

There was an abrupt rapping on his door after which his mother burst inside, red in the face. “Hanbin are you a member of iKon?”

Hanbin blinked. “Erm… no?”

His mom nodded distractedly. “Okay,” she said to him and craning her neck out the door yelled, “Honey he says he's not. You can let those boys out now. They're not lying.”

Hanbin jumped from his bed. “Mum what's going on?”

His mother gave him a quick smile. “Oh nothing honey, just clarifying some rumors.”

Hanbin gave her a look filled with suspicion. “Don't iKon work for us?”

“‘ Course! Your dad had the craziest idea that you'd joined them and became their leader.”

“How long are you going to keep gangs?”

“Oh honey, we're a family of mobsters. We'll always have underlings.”

“Mom, I thought you wanted us to be a normal family.”

“Oh, I was on my period then. It was a stressful time and I wasn't thinking correctly.”

“Moooooom!”

“Oh boo you! You’re going to inherit almost half of the country. Stop complaining!”

“It's less than half!” Hanbin refuted with a pout.

Hanbin’s mom made a face at him. “How is Bobby keeping? You hardly talk about him anymore.”

Hanbin’s expression darkened. He was made to recall how chummy Bobby was with Yowon. “Don't talk about him.”

“Oh, did you guys fight?” Mrs. Kim prowled. Hanbin’s silence seemed to answer her question. “Don't fight for too long Hanbi’. Good friends are tough to find.” She left him with that piece of advice.

Hanbin was forced to recall the old days where he had been a wimpy kid. That was another time where the now ferocious Hanbin was once a punching bag for other's entertainment. It was Bobby who had helped him back then. After that, friendship occurred… well, at least until Lee Yowon came into the picture.

Hanbin groaned. His mum was right. He shouldn't fight with Bobby. Still… Bobby should try too. Hanbin didn't want to hate him but Bobby was insistent on being friendly with Yowon. The guy didn't even share how he knew the girl. Of course this would antagonise Hanbin. Yes, this was Bobby’s fault not Hanbin’s. It was up to the former to keep their friendship intact.

Knowing this, Hanbin still felt guilt wash over him. It wasn't fair! He shouldn't have been in such a state of dissonance. He was the offended party in this affair. With a confused mind Hanbin decided to ignore it all and go to bed. Perhaps when he awoke the situation would fix itself.

-

There was a chocolate waiting on his desk when he arrived. Hanbin’s left eye twitched. As he placed a carton of strawberry milk on Yowon’s desk the chocolate watched him scathingly, seemingly judging him. He picked the foul thing and glared at it. His grip slowly crackled the contents inside the wrapper. Chocolate; Hanbin hated chocolate and especially the received kind.

His anger flared as he headed for the bin and chucked it in with a force that made the garbage container quiver. Still shaking with ire, he stomped unhappily to Yowon’s locker to get on with the proceedings. Every card, every gift, every token of affection was removed from there. These were cleverly deposited inside another locker with sly intention.

After this he was a lot less grumpy. His lips twitched a secret smile. Now it could be said that that the root of this delight was a diabolical plan to separate Bobby from Yowon, or it could have been Yowon who right then was sitting at her desk immersed. Either way, he was no longer pissed.

However all good things come to an end and Hanbin experienced what he would deem as ‘the cold shoulder.’ He had only tried to approach her when she packed her things and left, brushing past him as if he were a meagre classmate. Hanbin was stunned. He stood glued to the floor until reality became apparent, then chased after her, overtaking her so he could express his frustration. “What's your problem?”

“Problem? There's no problem. I'm going to the library. Why, is that a problem?”

“Then why do you sound mad?”

She responded with a peculiar look; an expression he didn't understand filled her brow. Immediately Hanbin knew he'd done something incredibly wrong. He pondered it as her back vanished. The clockwork in his head ticked and