Haneul cursed under her breath as she squeezed through the crowd of students to gain access to her locker, crying out as she tripped over an outstretched foot and stumbled roughly into the metal constructs. She rubbed her nose, certain it was bruised after crashing into the lockers, before reaching up to swipe in her combination and open her locker to retrieve the books for her first few classes. She glanced over her shoulder as she was pressed close to the lockers due to the immense amount of people. The high school was positively stuffed to its holding capacity with students, and to be honest, it was very stressful for Haneul. Her high school probably had a tenth of the number of children that this school serviced. With a small groan, she clutched her books to her chest and scurried down the hallway as quickly as she could do she could make it to class on time.

“Hello, Haneul!” called a cheerful voice as she entered the classroom, and despite her harrowing journey through the crowded hall, a light smile formed on Haneul's face as she crossed the room to take her place in the desk beside a bubbly brunette.

“Hello, Nari,” she answered kindly as she pulled out her class binder and flipped it open to a blank page to start new notes for the day. Though adjusting to the new school had been hard, obviously, Haneul had been lucky in the fact that she had been sat next to a naturally friendly and accepting person. It had made her transition much easier, and for that, she was grateful for, because moving had turned out to be the hardest thing she had ever done.

In addition to the school being massively crowded, the city was as well. It was overwhelming; Haneul could hardly walk down the street without being crushed by the enormous mass of commuters trekking through the streets all hours of the day. In addition, it was the first time in Haneul's life that she had ever experienced the subway, and that was frazzling for even those who did so on a regular basis. She had been d several times already, and lustful stares were a daily occurrence. To combat any would-be stalkers and attackers, her aunt had invested in a bottle of mace, but Haneul still felt her heart begin to pound and her anxiety level shoot through the roof every time she stepped through those automated double doors.

“Helloooooo, Earth to Haneul!” Nari called suddenly and knocked on Haneul's forehead, bringing the girl back to reality. She blinked as the girl beamed at her. “Lost in thought again, are you?” she mused as she leaned her cheek in her hand and gazed softly at her. “You really do have your head in the clouds, Haneul. Were you always this spacey?”

“Sorry,” she giggled and leaned back in her chair as she pulled her head out of thoughts of her ongoing struggle. “I've just had a lot to think about. I came from a small town, you know, so it's been a lot of getting used to,” she explained with a shy smile. “There are just so many people, and I miss everything back home,” she admitted as the smile slowly deepened into a frown. Despite the fact that she had been there for almost a week, she was still hopelessly homesick. She called Sandeul the minute she arrived home from school, and called him once again before she went to bed. In the gap time that she wasn’t talking to him, she was busying herself with her schoolwork.

Honestly, it was just like when her mother was alive and she was living under the oppressive rule of her stepfather, and she was just as miserable.

“Hey,” Nari smiled at her as Haneul began to drift off once more. “I have a great idea. Why don't we go see a movie?" she suggested jovially, and Haneul felt guilty that her initial reaction was not excitement, but hesitation. Nari seemed to sense it, because she scooted the desk a little closer to grab her hands. “Come on, Haneul. It'll be fun! You really should get out and see what the town has to offer! You can't hole yourself up in your room forever,” she giggled and emphatically swung her hands. The girl's insistence brought a small smile to her lips.

“Okay, okay,” she consented with a laugh and reached out to lightly punch her friend in the shoulder. “I'll go to the movies with you today.” Nari squealed in delight and whipped out her phone to begin searching for movie titles and times, positively elated. I deserve this, she told herself as she watched the girl. It's my first time out with a friend in my new home… I need to try to enjoy myself.

When Haneul arrived home at the end of the school day, her aunt was in the kitchen preparing her a small snack like she had been since she had arrived. To be honest, Haneul felt like she was a little old for such things, but she hadn't the heart to ruin the older woman's fun. She was so eager to treat her well. Haneul set her book bag down on the stairs before walking into the kitchen, where her aunt was humming happily as she prepared some sweets for her. The middle-aged woman glanced over her shoulder with a warm smile.

“Hello, dear! Did you have a good day at school today?” she asked cheerfully as she set a plate of cookies in front of her as she sat down at the kitchen table. Hanuel grabbed one of the cookies and munched on it thoughtfully.

“It was a pretty nice day,” she nodded in agreement, grabbing another cookie once she finished the first. “Actually, a friend invited me to the movies tonight,” she added and then was surprised to find that a smile was creeping onto her face. Now that she was saying it out loud, she found that she was actually excited to be going out with Nari. Her aunt gasped and whipped around to slam one of her hands down onto the counter.

“Really? Oh, honey, that's great!” she cried and rushed over to hug her. “You've got a friend and you're going out!” she squealed as she bounced up and down, making her jump up and down in the chair. Haneul laughed at her overzealousness and swallowed her cookie before she could choke on it.

“Yeah, yeah! I’m actually going to meet her in about thirty minutes,” Haneul laughed as she disentangled herself from her aunt to rise from the table and stuff one last cookie into . “I have to go get ready!” she exclaimed before giving her one last quick hug before dashing out of the room to reclaim her backpack and rush up the stairs to change out of her school uniform into some casual clothes. As she opened her closet door, however, she realized her dilemma.

I have no cool clothes! She thought with a slight wail and threw herself down on her bed before calling for her aunt in desperation. The woman hurried upstairs and they went through her closet together to decide on a tasteful outfit, a pair of slim-fitting jeans and a nice, airy blouse with some nice sandals. She turned around in the mirror a few times before smiling widely. I feel really happy… she realized and looked at her aunt. “Thank you for helping me!” she told her gratefully and hugged her.

“Of course, honey! Now you go have a wonderful time!” she beamed at her before shooing her on her way. Hanuel giggled as she jogged down the stairs and out the door, heading towards the subway. Now that it was later and the day and the schools had let out, the streets were more crowded than ever, crammed with businessmen and women who were on their way home from their workday and students like her who were roaming the streets looking for something to do on a Friday night. Haneul kept her purse close to her as she strolled purposefully down the sidewalk. She had found that seeming confident and purposeful often dissuaded any would-be molesters. She glanced down as her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see that she had received a text from Nari.

Hey, Hanuel! Where are you?

Hanuel smiled as she pulled up the message to reply, weaving through the crowd and descending into the underground train system.

I’m on my way! I just got to the subway; I’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so! She sent back before tucking her phone securely into her purse and swiping her subway pass and walking to the loading docks. She stood with the small crowd as she waited for the silvery bullet train to arrive. She glanced down the dark tunnel to see a circle of bright white light rapidly approaching, and she could hear the screaming of metal on metal as the train slammed on its brakes. It rocketed into view, slowing to a stop so that the passengers could board the bullet train. The wide double doors opened in front of her, and Haneul stepped onto the train and sat down on one of the smooth benches, pulling out her earbuds and plugging it into her phone to place the buds in her ears. She scrolled through her music library before settling on a tune and leaning back with a small sigh, closing her eyes.

Baby goodnight/ sleep tight, goodnight/ Then I’m dancing in the moonlight

Haneul half-listened as the music played, and she stared out of the large glass windows as the lighted walls streamed by so quickly that the little rectangular lights all blurred together into a single white strip. She blinked as a certain lyric caught her attention.

Tonight, you're not in my head

She straightened up and glanced down at her phone, where the album track was playing jovially on her phone. She ran a thumb over the smooth surface of the screen, suddenly mellowed.

Sorry, today there's no you!

Haneul hit the pause button and ripped the earbuds out of her ears with a heavy sigh, watching as a teardrop splashed down onto the screen.

Damn it… Why now? Why did I have to think of him, now that it was just getting better? She thought miserably as she in a breath and hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. Just like that, all the pain and heartbreak and hurt came rushing back all at once, hitting her like a wave crashing over her. She wheezed slightly as she felt her chest beginning to constrict with pain. Baro… My Baro, she thought miserably as she tried to keep herself from having a panic attack surrounded by strangers on a metal tube speeding underground at over one hundred miles per hour. Don't think about it, don't think about it… she urged herself. You're in a new place, on your way to hang out with a new friend. You need to leave that all behind…

All behind…

As the train was pulling into the subway station, Hanuel had more or less reigned herself in. She stepped out of the double doors and hurried up the steps, glancing up when she heard a familiar voice floating down the steps.

“Haneul! Hurry up, or we'll miss our movie!” Nari called with a girlish giggle, standing at the top of the steps and waving down at her ecstatically. Leave it all behind and look at what you have now, Haneul told herself firmly one last time before hopping up the steps to join her friend. They chatted idly as they walked the short distance to the movie theater, where they stood in line to buy their tickets.

“So what movie are we seeing, anyway?” Haneul asked curiously as they worked their way through the line. She had to raise her voice due the amount of people surrounding them, all excited and chattering about which movie they were going to see.

“Oh, Haneul, you'll love it! It just came out. It's a wonderful romance movie,” Nari beamed, a hint of a dreamy glaze passing over her eyes. She continued to babble excitedly about the plotline of the particular movie and the attractiveness of the lead actor, but Haneul had already phased out of the conversation, growing nauseous. It felt like the entire universe was throwing her failed relationship into her face, but she had no choice but to purchase a ticket and follow her friend to the concession stand to buy some snacks before heading into the darkened theater room.

Haneul sat in the soft fold-out chair with a bucket of popcorn in her lap, staring blankly at the gigantic cinematic screen as she nibbled at the popcorn. Come on, Haneul. A romance movie will be good for you. It's just a movie, after all; it has nothing to do with real life. Just leave it all behind, she told herself as the memories threatened to resurface, but she squashed them back down to settle herself into the seat as the screen kicked to life. There were a few commercials advertising future films appearing soon, and then the room darkened further and the main film began to play. It was interesting enough, at the beginning, and as time dragged on she found herself actively interested.

Then the plot thickened, and the scene turned into something eerily similar.

“I don't understand! Why do you have to leave?” the male love interest yelled at the main protagonist, who was currently packing her things into the trunk of her car. Haneul breathed in deeply as her eyes widened, and she sunk down into the chair with a slight whimper. No… Please, not this, not when I was just enjoying myself… she thought as she continued to watch the movie with a growing feeling of dread.

“Please don't go. I love you,” the man begged as he took the girl's hands, and that was when Haneul could take no more. She jerked up from the seat, upending the bucket of popcorn all over the floor as she dashed down the aisle and down the steps. She heard Nari cry out in alarm, but she continued running down the dark hallway to explode out of the double doors and look around wildly. She spotted a bathroom and ran down the hall to burst inside and lock herself in a stall, curling up into a ball on the tiled floor as she collapsed into bitter tears.

“I don't understand,” she hiccupped miserably as she looked up at the ceiling, staring at the fluorescent lighting bitterly. “Why? Why are you doing this to me?” she sobbed as she punched the bathroom door angrily. She ignored the burning pain that bloomed in her fist as she did it again, and again. “I did it for him! I did it to keep him safe!” she shrieked as she descended further into despair. “I just want to leave it behind! Why do you make it stay?” she wailed and buried her face into her arms.

“Haneul?” called a timid voice, and Hanuel glanced up as a shadow appeared in the gap between the bottom of the bathroom door and the floor. “Are you all right? Why are you crying?” Nari asked as she crouched down in front of the door so she could hear her better. “Please tell me what's wrong.”

Haneul sniffled as she shifted on the floor to sit cross-legged as she reached up to unlatch the door. Nari pulled the bathroom door open and sat down in front of her, grasping her hands tightly. “Haneul… Oh, Haneul. What's wrong?” Haneul let go of one of her hands to reach up and wipe her eyes with a despondent sniffle.

“I'm sorry… I really ruined the movie, huh?” Haneul murmured as she looked at her friend tearfully. Nari just smiled brightly and shook her head insistently.

“No, of course not. I’ve seen it, so I know how it ends! I’m more concerned about you! What's up? Did you get a text or something?” she asked, her eyebrows knit together in concern. Haneul shook her head and looked down at her lap, trying to still her quivering bottom lip.

“No, it's just… When I moved from Daeyang, I left someone very important behind… My boyfriend. I was in love with him… And it hurt me so much to leave him behind. So, so much… And I just… No matter how much I try to move past it, it just keeps clawing its way back into my mind,” she explained hoarsely, rocking herself back and forth slightly. Nari frowned as she listened to the girl's tragic confession.

“Oh. Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I had no idea! I never would have dragged you out to this movie if I knew that you had just had a bad break-up!” Nari fretted and scooched forward to envelop the crying girl into a hug. “Now, dry those tears, and let's do something fun!” she laughed as she pulled back and beamed at her. “Clean yourself up, okay? I’ll go get you some candy from the concession stand!” she giggled as she climbed to her feet with a wink. Haneul nodded with a weak smile as the girl hurried out of the bathroom so that she could pull herself together. Haneul sniffed and dragged herself to her feet to walk over to the sink and turn on the water, splashing her face with cold water before looking up at the mirror. She could almost hear Baro's snarky laughter.

Man, you look terrible. Why don't you just let me take all your pain away?

“How I wish you could,” she whispered before drying her face off and walking out of the bathroom only to be greeted by four boys standing across the hall with smug grins and dark, black wings folded neatly behind them.

“Hello, sweetheart. Care to take a walk?”

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to “Baby Goodnight.” Those rights belong to B1A4; they were merely adapted for storytelling purposes.