'Stop, thief!' The shout went up all around the market, drawing attention from all over towards the portly shopkeep and the tiny girl running away from him, rapidly opening up the distance as she ducked down an alley.

'Dammit, I swear, who hasn't she robbed?' The shopkeep panted as he turned back to his shop, face red from the short distance he had chased the thief.

'I mean, she was right there, she even picked one of the better fruits.' A passerby who had stopped to watch the commotion said, drawing raucous laughter from everyone watching the poor shopkeeper.

'Well, the next time I get her I'm going to give it to her.' The shopkeeper growled, wringing his hands from his sheer frustration.

---

Several streets away, Yerim squatted behind a pile of boxes in an alley, clutching the chamoe in her hands, looking about in case someone had managed to follow her from her flight.

Satisfied that noone had followed her, Yerim started to tuck into her melon hungrily, tearing into the sweet flesh.

'Haven't eaten in a while, have you?' Yerim jumped at the voice, stumbling back against the boxes, falling among the cardboard they collapsed all around her.

'You okay?' The voice was male, young. Yerim scrambled out of the boxes, scampering past the tall figure that stood before her, only to be grabbed by the arm and pulled back.

'Let go of me-'

'You gotta steal again? Or do I have to take you to the police station now?' That stilled Yerim's struggle as she looked up at the man holding onto her.

No, not a man. A... boy.

'And who are you?' Yerim was scornful, trying to pry the boy's ahand off her arm.

'Police. Sergeant Constable Jeon Jungkook. I.. might arrest you for theft.'

'Might?' Yerim looked perplexed.

'Do you have any parents? You look... underage. Where's your ID?' Jungkook held out his other hand, a determined frown on his features as Yerim fumbled in her jeans pocket for her ID.

'You're of age... barely. Where the heck did you come from?'

'Its none of your business.. let go.' Yerim still struggled, although her movements were a little halfhearted, as if she had already given up on getting away.

'I'll have to take you in, you're a legal adult.. although it hasn't been your birthday.'

'It was just a melon...'

'Did you pay for that?'

'No..' Yerim knew she was done, but she didn’t want to just give up.

'If I let you go, will you steal again?' Jungkook was feeling a little more generous today. Also, this girl was pretty cute. He wanted to let her go with a warning.

'Nowhere to go? Where are your parents?'

'Gone.'

'Gone?'

'Dead.'

'Okay... have a place to stay?'

'Yeah.' Yerim muttered.

'Go on home then.' Jungkook let go of her, letting her go wherever she stayed.

'I already am.'

'What..?' Jungkook gaped for a moment, before he realised the truth.

She’s homeless.

'Follow me.'

'Why?'

'Do you want to sleep on something other than the floor tonight?'

---

That night, Yerim slept on the bed in Jungkook’s little apartment, curled up under a blanket for the first time in what felt like forever to her, and Jungkook slept on the couch.

When Jungkook woke up, Yerim was still asleep.

She’s so pretty when she’s sleeping.

Jungkook went off to clean up and prepare breakfast, and Yerim woke up to the noise of plates being put down outside the bedroom. She stretched, dressed in one of Jungkook’s oversized shirts and nothing else, wandering out of the room sleepily.

‘Good morning little thief.’ Yerim was confused, nearly bumping straight into Jungkook as she rubbed her eyes, and Jungkook had to cover his face when the hem of the shirt rode up her thighs.

‘Hey, hey, get some clothes on then have some breakfast, okay? I have to go to work.’

‘What am I going to do?’ Yerim mumbled, looking about for the bathroom and trudged in that direction.

‘You can stay here, the spare keys behind the oven, if you want to go out. But don’t try to steal anything, okay?’ With that, Jungkook left the apartment, leaving Yerim to her own devices.

---

To be honest, he didn’t expect her to stay that day. And the last thing he thought was that she would clean up the apartment for him.

‘I.. I cleaned up.’

‘I can see that. Thank you, I guess.’

‘Uhm….’

‘Yes, little thief?’

‘Can I stay? I.. I can earn my keep. I’ll c..clean?’

‘Can you cook?’

‘No…’

‘Do you want to learn?’ A nod.

‘Okay, come on.’ Jungkook took her arm, pulling her along to the tiny kitchen adjoining the living room.

‘Is that a yes..?’

‘Was it that inobvious? Yes, you can stay.’

---

A few days later, Yerim was cooking when Jungkook came home, and she had some news for him.

‘Oppa, I got a job.’

‘What?’ Jungkook looked up, still holding onto a shoe as he stared at the tiny girl.

‘I got a job, oppa. I can help with the bills now!’ Yerim was excited, nearly flipping the kimchi pancake she was cooking onto the floor.

‘Well… its not being a thief, right?’

‘No!’

‘Then go ahead. But..’

‘But..?’

‘I was thinking..’

‘Thinking, oppa?’

She’s been calling me oppa since I took her in, why didn’t I notice?

‘Yes. Do you want to move out? If you have a job, you probably can support yourself, right? Its your right to live your own life.’

‘But oppa, I want to stay with you.’

What?

‘Excuse me?’

‘I want to stay with you.’ Yerim turned from the cooking, staring up at Jungkook almost pleadingly.

‘But.. why?’

‘Oppa was the first person to bother about me. When I stole last time, no one asked why I did it, they just.. they just condemned me. Oppa gave me a chance.’

‘Yerim, I think that’s gratitude, but you have to grow up.’

‘I.. I want to grow up with oppa.’

‘What?’

‘Grow up with oppa. I like oppa. A lot.’

‘Yerim, this is very sudden.’

‘But oppa should like me too. I mean.. you must have given me a chance for a reason.’

Well, she’s right.

‘Well then.’

 

 

-----

OH M Y G O D THIS IS JUST CHEESE CAN SOMEONE SLAP ME.