Episode 1: The Mysterious Boy

The last bell chimes, marking the end of the school day. The homeroom teacher concluded her last words before the students walked out from the classroom while they had already been packing their things and were not listening to the teacher at all. It was always like that – they never bother to take a note of what the teacher was saying anyway.

Yeri was one of them. But she still listened to what the female P.E teacher she barely knew her name said – “Be careful on your way home!” “Don’t forget to do your homework!” – The typical things a teacher would say before the class dismissed. Nothing is important anyway. After the teacher walked out from the classroom, Yeri stood up from her seat and slip her books inside her backpack and walk towards her locker at the back of the class.

“Oh, Yeri-ah. Congrats on getting first again!” A classmate, she doesn’t know her name, but she has a nice smile that Yeri needs to return – and she did. She returned her smile and said her thank you to her with such politeness.

“It must be nice right,” Another girl come, perhaps this classmate’s friend, “coming from Seoul and getting first place in the mid-term exam. But she doesn’t have a pretty face though, what a waste.” She snorted as she was glancing at her with mockery.

Yeri can clearly hear the girl said, “That’s enough!” to her friend and dragged her outside quickly.

Another classmate coming to her, his name is Mark Lee, the class president, who had witnessed such scene and pats her shoulder as she turned to look at him. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Yeri smiled, assuring the male classmate that she was okay. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

“She needs to shut .” Mark sigh as a small smile carved on his lips, “If you need anything, you can ask me anytime.” Yeri nodded at him and not a few moments later he came back with a troubled smile. “Oh yeah, I forgot to ask something. Wanna join us for the karaoke after school?”

Yeri blinked, “Karaoke?”

“Yeah! The class has set it up to celebrate your transfer here. You know, it has already been a month since you came to this school.” Mark shows his bashful toothy smile.

She took a glance at her classmates who were hoping for her to come, then she averted her eyes from them and returned to Mark as she stared at him for a little while before she sends an apologetic smile to him. “Sorry, I have some important errands to do once I back at home.” She bowed to Mark and her other classmates before walking out from the classroom as they stared at in awe.

“Awh I don’t know man, she just so...unreachable.” Mark’s friend, Haechan, came to his side with a fishy look plastered on his face, “You must be so upset she didn’t wanna come to the karaoke, right?”

Mark groaned. “Shut up. Everyone likes her too.” He sighs, “Nobody can hate on Kim Yerim.”

Yeri groaned at the annoying ringing coming from her phone since she walked out from the classroom. She must be expected to have her way back to home right now but oh boy they were wrong. She was still inside the school building and now having her way to the teacher’s room, with an annoyed face. Soon as she arrived in front the teacher’s room door, she took a deep breath as she rejected the phone call that had been ringing. She knocks a few times before the door was opened by a pretty man with a bright smile.

“Ah, you’ve come just in time!” The man smiled brightly at Yeri who looks gloomy. “Your homeroom teacher had to pick her kid at the kindergarten in rush, so she passed this to me.” He showed her an envelope that very familiar with her – the absent student printouts.

Yeri stared at the white envelope on the teacher’s hand and rolled her eyes as she took it into her hand. “Why does it have to be me?”

“I trusted you to deliver it to your absent friend.” The man smiled again as he reaches his hand to pat Yeri’s head. “And because you’re my sister, that’s why.”

“Ugh,” Yeri removed his hand from her head slowly, “It’s your fault I was transferred to this school, Taehyung oppa.” She said as she shoves the envelope inside her bag. “If only you didn’t accept the transfer from your previous school at Seoul, I won’t be stuck inside this crappy school.” 

Taehyung laughed, “At least you got the first place a month after you transferred here. Aigoo, my sister is a genius!” He messed with her hair once again and earning a deadly glare from her, causing Taehyung to stop joking around with her.

“They had me take the midterm test right after I transfer here, do you expect me to fail?” Yeri mumbled on her words, loud enough for her brother to hear her and he just shrugged it off with laughter.

“Ah, right! Is Seokjin hyung going to pick you up today? I hope he’s not busy with his little café.” Taehyung asked his sister about their older brother who manages his own café in the district town, Hwamyeong-dong. 

Yeri took out her phone and showed the message she received from Seokjin, “He said he’ll be working until late at night. So I’m going to walk to home.” She said as she shoved her phone into the pocket of her blazer.

“What?!” Taehyung’s eyes widened. “Wait here! I’m going to get my car keys –“

“Oppa, no.” Yeri sigh, “I’m a high schooler now, okay? You don’t have to worry so much. I can walk home by myself.”

Taehyung stared at her worriedly, “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“I’m seventeen for god sake. Not a five years old.” Yeri turned her heels from her brother, “I’m going to this person’s home anyway. Do you have their address?”

“It was inside the envelope.”

“Oh,” Yeri paused as if she just realized how stupid she was. Of course, the teacher will include the absent student’s home address. “Alright, then see you at home.”

It was near dusk as the sky was orange and red in color. Yeri arrived at the town of the absent student, which she didn’t know it was so far away from school (it takes three trains to arrive here, she wonder what time does this person even wake up every day to go to school) and it was in a town that she barely knew the direction.

“Wait, I didn't know the person's name.” How silly of her, she should have look at it in the train before. She took out the printouts from the envelope and read the name out loud, “Jeon…Jungkook? Oh, it’s a guy.” Yeri never heard that name before, not even when she was in class for the past few weeks. “He had been absent since last week? I guess he didn't take the mid-term test. This guy has some nerve.” She shoved it back inside the envelope and continues to walk, searching for the correct address of the said classmate.

After a few hours turning left and right, asking a few people for directions, she finally arrived at the apartment complex name ‘Haruhana’. The sight of the building was quite shocking at the first moment she saw it – it was old and worn out. How could even a person live in there? It took her a few moments to climb up the stairs as it was too squeaky and she almost tripped on a hole.

“House No.3… AH! There!” She jogged to the door written with no.3 and smiled in satisfied. “I finally can go home – wait, something is not right here.” When she looked at the family nameplate in front of the door, it was not Jungkook’s first name. “It says Min Yoongi here. But his name is Jeon?” Yeri tilted her head as she scratched it in confusion.

She read the address again and looked at the house number back and forth. She was confident that she had arrived at the correct address but the family’s first name was…different.

“Did our homeroom teacher mistook the address for someone else's?” Yeri sighs as she put the envelope inside her bag again as she walking down the stairs with disappointment. The sun has almost set down. She needs to go home before it gets too dark.

Returning with disappointment, Yeri walked around the neighborhood that seems beautiful in her eyes. The view of sunset setting as it shadow reflects on the river, it was beautiful. Yeri stops her steps as she took a seat on the grass to watch the sunset. She never felt this peaceful before and the scenery really helps her to release the burden inside her head.

The first day when she comes to Busan – to this small town of Hwamyeong – she never liked it here. Whether it’s her new neighborhood – everything. She wanted things to go back as it was before. She never wanted to be the prettiest in school. She never wanted to be known as the ‘transfer student who got good grades’ and ‘transfer student from Seoul.’ She wanted to be known as herself – Kim Yerim, the girl who never wanted any attention and spotlights on her. It was also the reason why she keeps it a secret at school that the handsome art teacher at Hwamyeong High School, Kim Taehyung, is her brother. It was good to be loved by everyone but it was enough for her – she doesn’t want any more of it. It's getting to the extent like as if it's a burden on her shoulder. She really doesn’t care if anyone hates her – just like what had happened today with that classmate’s friend. She probably annoyed of her that she couldn’t take it anymore.

Yeri knew that well, she had gone through everything since her middle school days. It was the time for her to grow out of it.

“Ah, I should get back home.” She realized she had been wasting her time looking at the sunset and decided to call it a day when suddenly she heard a faint voice as if wailing in pain, not far away from where she was sitting. “Did I just hear a voice?” She looked around the grassy field but there’s no one came across her vision. Was it her imagination? But she clearly heard the voice and it was – “OH MY GOD!”

Yeri’s eyes widened when she saw the scene upon her eyes – a boy was surrounded by three men that obviously bigger than him (and her, damn it!) and the boy was getting punches from each of them. Even though he looks weak but he returned their punches and ended up getting more of it. Yeri couldn’t take her eyes from him, but she was too scared to help him. What if she ended getting all beaten up too?

“Should I just…go home and pretend like nothing happened?” She just could do that, but after looking at the condition of the boy she had no choice to go running down to where he is.

I’m going to get killed by my brothers tonight. I’m sorry oppa! 

“Yah! Stop it! I said stop it!”

Ah, I’m doomed.

The three men turned around as they threw the already weak boy in front of Yeri, causing her to shriek in horror.

“Huh? Who are you?” One of them asks.

“His girlfriend, huh? Didn’t know he had one.” All of them laughed, rather forcedly.

Yeri gritted her teeth and bite her lip. She doesn’t know what to do after she stopped these guys from hitting the poor boy. “Please, stop it…or else…”

“Or else what?” The men walked closer towards her as she took a few steps backing away from him.

“Or else I will call the police!”

The men looked at each other before they burst out to laughing again. “Do you think we will fall for that trick? Also, we’re not the guys that the police should be arresting.” One of the men pointed at the boy, “He stole our bike, who do you think is the bad guy now?”

Yeri gulped as she took out her cell phone from her pocket, “Do you think I’m joking? I’m not. I’m calling the police.”

“YOU !” The men were coming to get her but before they could lay a finger on her, the boy, who once was lying weakly on the grass floor, has risen to lay another knuckle sandwich on them.

As they were in a punching session, Yeri took the opportunity to call the police.

“You did a great job miss.” The police officer bowed to Yeri, “These guys have been causing chaos the past few weeks and we were unable to track them since they kept moving from town to town. If it wasn't for you, we would not be able to catch these neighborhood criminals. Thank you again.”

Yeri bowed back. “It’s okay. I didn’t know the police are also looking for him. They do look like criminals to me.” She laughed awkwardly as the police officer excused himself to go back to his car. It was a coincidence that those guys were some wanted thugs that have been roaming around the neighborhood and causing chaos. As a random citizen, she was glad she has served for her country.

 As Yeri watched the police drove their way from the field, she realized she had forgotten the poor boy that was punched by those guys before. She turned around to see him, only to found out he was already walking away from the field. “Hey! Are you okay?” She yells but there was no response from him. Yeri crooked her eyebrow, “Did he become deaf after getting punched?” She then decided to follow him from behind but when the boy stops, her steps immediately stops in impulse.

“Why are you following me?” He asked her with a slight annoyance. “Things are done. You should head back home.”

“I’m just checking out if you’re okay.”

The boy sighs heavily as he turned around again and proceeds to walk with Yeri following behind him. Before she realized it, Yeri found herself walking in the same neighborhood she entered before – the Haruhana apartment neighborhood. She stops herself from following the boy and asked him to fulfill her curiosity, “Hey, did you live here?”

The boy stops, “Why did you ask?” he asked, still not looking at her.

There was a silence gap in between, before Yeri asked again, “Do you, by any chance, know anyone name Jeon Jungkook? I can’t find his house since his first name is Jeon. I can’t find any house with a family nameplate with Jeon on it.”

The boy turned his body around as he walked slowly towards her as if he was interested in her question. “Why are you looking for that guy?” He was finally looking straight at her but his eyes were cold – almost emotionless.

Yeri was struck by his cold eyes before she returned her thoughts on the things she needs to do before heading back home. She rummages inside her bag and took out the white envelope she supposed to deliver. “I’m his classmate and the homeroom teacher asked me to deliver the printouts to him. He’s been absent for like…a week.” She hands it to him with a big hope this boy can deliver it to him, “It would be a great help if you can –“

“Throw it away.”

“W-what?” Yeri was shocked by the sudden comeback. What is this guy talking about?

“School anyway. You can throw it away.” He said. “You’re so stupid to be involved with a guy like him.” His words pierced through her like a sharp knife. Yeri was speechless, it was so sudden.

“W-wait! Hey! Are you his friend?” Yeri followed him up to climb the stairs. “At least please give this to him or I’ll be – “ Before she could finish her words, the door slammed on her face. Yeri sighs, there’s no way she could convince a guy like that. “Ah, really. He could have just told me he’s a friend or anything!” She bites her lip in frustration as she stared at the printouts on her hands. “I’ll just leave it here.” She put it in front of the door as she quickly leaving the apartment.

It’s really weird, that guy. He’s so weird Yeri thought inside her head.

“You’ve got some explaining to do young lady!”

Yeri knew this will coming. When she arrived in front of their house, Seokjin was already standing there with his arms crossing and foot tapping - the sign he was upset with the younger sister of him. She knew he will be angry because Seokjin care about her the most and going home late from an unknown town was a bad idea.

“Where were you 4 hours ago after school was over?” Seokjin crossed his arms with a disapproval face and he turned his gaze towards Taehyung. “You! What are you doing not looking after your own sister?!” Taehyung looked away, avoiding making any eye contact with his older brother.

“I told you right; I only went to a classmate’s house to deliver his printouts!” Yeri stood up from her seat and Seokjin turned his attention to her. “His house was three trains away, how could you expect me arrived before the sunset?”

Seokjin sighs softly, “You got home so late, Kim Yerim. I was worried sick. What if anything bad happened to you? I almost lodge a police report on missing person!”

“No! Nothing bad will happen to me!” Yeri groaned. “Oppa, please! You don't have to go that far. I’m not a child anymore. You don’t have to worry so much about me!” She stomped her feet on the ground as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn’t bother to look back again when Seokjin was calling her name and the sound of door slamming could be heard. Seokjin sighs in defeat as he looks at Taehyung who was troubled too.

“This is so much worse than when her pre-menstrual syndrome.” Seokjin threw himself on the sofa, pinching his temples while closing his eyes.

Taehyung blew a raspberry, “It was my fault. I should have just driven her there when she said she can do it by herself. Ah, what kind of brother I am?”

“She probably doesn’t want her friends to know you’re her brother.” Seokjin placed himself into a comfortable lying position. “I heard you’re quite popular in school.” He held himself from laughing at Taehyung. How could this person is so popular with the young girls? They clearly don't have any taste in man. Seokjin thought inside his head. I'm more handsome than him.

“She had told me once before.” Taehyung rested his head on the couch head. “I guess it’s probably because of that she rejected my offer.” He took off his glasses and put it in his shirt's pocket. They just have one little sister but it was hard to take care of her. 

Author's note:

Hi guys, I'm back! Really really sorry for the delayed updates but I'm back for good as for now! And here's the first chapter of the story, I hope you guys like it. I'm sorry if it's not as you expected it to be but trust me it'll get better (and more surprise ;) ) on the next chapters. It'll be a slow update since I have lots of unfinished fanfics. I will try to update this story frequently and finished all the fanfics I have abandoned for months /sweats nervously/ anyway, thanks for reading!