“You look like you want to say something, spit it out,” hoodie-guy encouraged him with a small smile, taking Yongguk by surprise.

“I-uh, I...” Yongguk fumbled with his words.

“Don't worry, I don't bite,” the other smiled softly.

He chuckled nervously, not quite know why he was nervous. “Well I was wondering why you called me cute the other day? Bullying is a serious matter and I think you should tell a teacher if you're getting bullied,” Yongguk told the other.

Hoodie-guy seemed to fight against a smile. And then small snorts escaped him, followed by a chuckle and a happy laughter. Once again he was laughing like Yongguk had told the joke of the year. It was a happy laughter, the laughter of someone who was genuinely amused. It made himself smile a little bit, even though he didn't know what was going on.

“I'm sorry,” hoodie-guy apologized in between his laughter and visibly tried to stop himself. With a brilliant smile on his face, that seemed to light up the room, he finally stopped laughing. Yongguk tried to think of some way to ask 'why', but he couldn't get the word out as hoodie-guy let out small chuckles.

“I'm really sorry, but you have no idea, do you?” hoodie-guy asked.

“What?” Yongguk asked back, confused.

“I'm not getting bullied, no one has been bothering me,” the other told him.

“But what about the jackets?” Yongguk asked, still confused. If the jackets weren't bothering him, what were they doing then? Was it all a game? No, it couldn't be that.

“The jackets?” hoodie-guy questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

Yongguk realized what he had said. “Oh, you know, the guys who wear the same kind of jackets?” he explained slowly and awkwardly, hoping the other wouldn't figure out he didn't know their names. His friends had told him that usually you figured out the names of your classmates. If not on purpose, then because their names are mentioned all the time in class.

“Oh, Sunghoon and his lackeys?” hoodie-guy asked.

He nodded in reply, hoping it really was this Sunghoon guy, whoever that was.

“Do you not realize I'm not their target?” hoodie-guy questioned.

“But they keep ganging up on you and say things like 'we'll get you' and stuff,” Yongguk replied, feeling totally and utterly confused.

“Yeah, because I prevent them from doing something too bad to their actual target,” hoodie-guy smiled gently.

“Oh. Well that's awfully nice of you,” he nodded. Wow. Hoodie-guy seemed to be a really nice person. To do something like that for someone else. He had read and heard that helping a bullied person was a feat in itself, seeing as most people are scared to help. Group mentality and pressure played a big role in it.

“Thank you,” hoodie-guy smiled oddly. Like his thoughts were somewhere else.

“Who is it?” Yongguk asked and hoodie-guy focused in on him in the blink of an eye. “Sorry, I don't know if that's okay to ask. I just asked. I'm curious. Sorry,” he rambled for a moment, before stopping himself.

Hoodie-guy chuckled. “You really have no idea, do you? You're awfully oblivious,” he smiled, showing he didn't mean it with malice. “I take it I've done well then.”

“Uhm..?”

“The person I've been... helping, doesn't know I've been helping,” hoodie-guy told him, still smiling brightly and looked at him like he should know by now.

“Oh. Uhm. So who is it? Unless you just tried to avoid the question?” Yongguk asked once again.

Hoodie-guy chuckled again. “You'll figure it out,” he said, closing the conversation. Taking the hint, he nodded and went back to cooking.

He finished the ramen in silence. As they ate, hoodie-guy started up the conversation again. They talked about music. One of Yongguk's big passions and apparently hoodie-guy's too. It was weird how easy the conversation flowed as they talked about their favorite musicians and bands. He didn't feel that awkward as he usually did with new people. It was... odd.

After they finished, they went back to the books and studied for a few hours. Every once in a while they would tell the other of what they found and then hoodie-guy's phone went off. After a short conversation with someone, he told him he needed to go home. He packed his stuff, Yongguk led him to the door and then he was gone.

Going back to the living room, he collected his notes and went to his room. With a quick look at his clock, he saw he only had an hour left before his parents would be home. Starting up his computer, he went on skype, hoping his friends would be online. They were.

Making a group call, he greeted them one by one as they answered.

“So did you ask?” Daehyun asked eagerly, getting right to the point.

“Yes,” Yongguk nodded.

“And?”

“Apparently he isn't getting bullied,” Yongguk told them.

“Oh that's good,” Hyosung nodded, while the other two nodded as well.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Apparently he is helping someone who is getting bullied. He won't say who though.”

“Maybe it's a private thing?” Hyosung said, not sounding sure at all.

“ that, I want to know,” Youngjae waved her off eagerly. “Tell me everything he said, and we'll figure out a profile, then Yongguk can figure it out Monday!”

“Youngjae, I don't think-” Yongguk started.

“Oh shush, I want to know,” Youngjae cut him off. “And maybe you can help this hoodie-guy and give some hope to the poor person who is being bullied.”

“Fine, but only because I want to help,” he gave in after a moments thought. He didn’t think he would succeed, but he could try.

“So what did he say?” Hyosung asked eagerly.

“Start from the beginning and say everything, not just the stuff you think is important,” Daehyun told him.

“Well, when I asked he started laughing again. And then he asked if I really had no idea,” Yongguk started.

“Which you obviously didn’t,” Daehyun nodded.

Yongguk shot him a small glare through the camera for interrupting. “He then said that no one has been bullying him, but he was helping someone who was getting bullied. I told him that was nice of him and he thanked me,” he continued. “Then I asked who it was, and he asked if I really didn’t know and told me I was oblivious.”

“Well he’s got that right,” Daehyun smirked, while Youngjae was wearing a weird expression and Hyosung looked thoughtful.

“He then told me that the person he’s been helping doesn’t know he’s helping,” Yongguk finished.

“That’s all?” Hyosung asked, while Youngjae was still looking awfully deep in thought.

“Well he said something about him having done well after he said I was oblivious, but that’s it,” he shrugged. He didn’t know how they would figure out anything from what he had told them, but the ways of human minds had always been beyond him.

Youngjae facepalmed. “Oh my god,” he said.

“What did you figure out, sweet cheeks?” Daehyun asked eagerly, but Youngjae didn’t look up nor answer.

“Oh my god,” Hyosung copied Youngjae and facepalmed too.

“What?” Yongguk asked.

“Yeah, what?” Daehyun repeated after him.

“The person hoodie-guy is helping, is oblivious if he doesn’t know he’s being helped from bullying,” Youngjae said, not making sense. It seemed to make sense to Daehyun though, who looked like a light had brightened in his mind.

“What?” Yongguk asked once more.

“Yongguk, what happened the week hoodie-guy was gone?” Hyosung asked him, emerging from her palm.

“Weird stuff, why?”

“Because if you think just a little bit, you’ll know,” Daehyun told him.

Yongguk thought back to that week, even though he’d rather not. That was a bad week. Someone or some people had been doing weird stuff to him for some unknown reason. But they had stopped after that week.

“Remember that hoodie-guy has been helping someone oblivious from being bullied. But the person who he is helping, doesn’t know,” Youngjae helped him along, but it just confused Yongguk more. What did those two things have to do with each other?

“What does that have to do with my bad week?” he asked them, only to receive three slaps in return as they all facepalmed at the same time.

“What does it have to with it?!” Daehyun exclaimed. “Ev-”

“No Daehyun,” Youngjae interrupted. “Let him figure it out.”

“Let me figure out what?” Yongguk asked, feeling left in the dark.

“You’ll see,” Hyosung smiled gently.

“I set forth a challenge for you, Bang Yongguk,” Youngjae smiled. Yongguk raised an eyebrow in question. “Don’t sleep through the day for an entire week and notice things.”

“But, that’s kind of impossible,” he told them.

“I don’t care. You go to bed early and you try,” Youngjae told him.

“If you still can’t figure it out at the end of the week, we’ll tell you,” Hyosung promised and though the other two hesitated, they nodded in agreement.

And here is chapter 3 ^^

A challenge has been made! Now all to see is if it can be fulfilled. ^^

Hope you guys have nice day

Peace out (^_^)v