Holding the front door open, the guests begin to file out into the hall. From the ‘thank you for dinners’ and to the ‘are you jealous Mino got a kiss from Hanbins’, I’ve succeeded in receiving them all whole-heartedly. 

“See you all tomorrow,” I say with curt wave of my hand. 

“We’re seeing each other again?” they ask all innocent-like. 

“Well, you all always manage to show up anyway.” Whether I like it or not. 

In response to my accurate answer, I receive shrugs and agreeable nods. They had no place to deny. The last person to leave ends up standing at the doorway a little too long and draws my attention. 

“Out with it, Bobby,” I look up at him. 

“I didn’t forget about the deal.”

“I would certainly hope not.”

***

Can Bobby hurry up with his side of the deal?

I kept my cool last night when he mentioned it but, this morning has created a sort of urgency. Maybe because I’m reminded once more of the kind of danger I’m in by just being outside. You know, being a normal human being?

Hiding while heading to class certainly is tiresome and it creates more work for me when I don’t have the energy in the morning to begin with. Sighing, I leaned back against the building I had chosen to currently hide behind. 

God, send me a miracle. 

A buzz in my pocket captures my attention and I pull out my phone to find out who decided to bother me in my moment of misery. 

Jaewon. 

He wants me to borrow some stupid book for him right now? This is a whole new level of bad timing even for him. I slip my phone back into my pocket and try to pray once more. God needs to know that I’m being utterly serious. 

God, send me a miracle. 

Just then, a shadow falls over me and I open my eyes to see if it was this miracle I was hoping for or just my doom to announce that it’s too late. That would be quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you think?

Looking up at the person, I straighten up in surprise. “Hanbin?”

“Morning.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I have been sent.”

“By who?”

“Bobby.”

“For… what?” 

“I’m your bodyguard for the day.”

I sigh once more. This isn’t what I had in mind when Bobby said he didn’t forget the deal or when I was hoping God to send me a miracle. What kind of solution is this? It was like Bobby and God wasn’t even trying. 

I obviously just wanted him to go home… but, I had to think carefully about my words. “Look, Hanbin, I love you but you need to stop speaking nonsense.” Was that gentle enough?

Unaffected by my words, as it seems, he shrugs. “There are only three days left,” he reminds me and immediately, my motivation to just leave for class vanishes. “Hello?” he calls out when I offer only silence. 

It didn’t take long before I gave into his words. “Just don’t face him head on.”

“These muscles aren’t for decorations, Jiwoo.”

A sigh of resignation leaves my lips. When did I ever say that out loud? “Let’s hurry, I’m going to be late.”

***

True to his words, Hanbin stayed with me the whole day. He never did enter my classrooms so, I don’t know how he kept busy while waiting for me. More importantly, I don’t know how he didn’t get bored. 

On the other hand, I was distracted from actual learning as I worried about him. 

Bobby, I got to say– what a hell of an idea you had. 

“I was looking forward to lunch,” he says once we take a seat across from one another in the cafeteria. 

I’m sure he was. Considering that this is probably the most interesting and exciting part of his day. 

“Your senior schedule is just as busy as the previous years,” Hanbin comments. 

I hum a response. “How’s yours?”

“They’re pretty much all electives so, it’s not heavy at all.”

That must be nice. 

With a sigh, he continues, “It didn’t keep me busy… so, I had time to think a lot.”

I pause in my chewing as I start to make sense of his words. I suppose that we have to have a proper talk about the topic sooner or later. 

Well, let’s get started then. 

“I know I may seem fickle– even, I could tell –but, I am being serious about this,” he clarifies before his eyes widen for a quick moment. “I mean, I’m serious about making you work for it.”

I narrow my eyes. That was so unnatural. 

But, I decide to let it go. I’ll just focus on what I have to do because trying to figure out what Hanbin is up to is just too tiring. Besides, it seems like what I’m doing is correct, so…, 

“So, are you staying with me the rest of the day?” I ask. 

He nods while he resumes his eating. 

“I have to stop by the library after this.”

“Whatever you want,” he casually answers. 

And, I will come to find that he is quite fickle– a contrast to what he was saying earlier. Because, not even twenty minute later, he changes his mind (something I’m not too shocked to find). 

“Okay, I disagree.”

“You told me, ‘whatever you want’,” I retort while scanning the shelves. 

“That was before I found out who you’re doing this for,” he responds while still minding the volume in his voice. 

If we weren’t having such a discussion, I would tell him how proud I was. 

“I’m just d