The room was spinning when Kai opened his eyes. He shut them quickly before grunting, falling back on the couch. “I feel like . What happened? What kind of alcohol did Baekhyun made me drink this time?” he asked, words slurring as the effect of whatever he took is still not wearing off. Guessing from the scent, he could already tell that he’s at the common room of their exclusive dormitory.

“You are . I can’t pronounce the name of alcohol that you drank. You knew better to go on a drinking spree with Baekhyun in the middle of the day,” Lay answered as he placed a glass of water on the table beside the couch.

Kai grunted as he pushed himself up before reaching for the water. He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. It’s already 9 in the evening. He shook his head, trying to get his senses back. Lay just stared at his friend, not knowing if he’s supposed to just leave him alone or throw him out of the building for being so stupid. “Why the hell were you even drinking in the first place?”

“No particular reason,” Kai replied after he downed the glass of water in a matter of seconds. “My throat feels so dry. I swear Baekhyun was trying to kill me.” He coughed up before putting the empty glass on the table. Lay just shook his head.

When the door came open, they both looked at Baekhyun who was entering with a playful grin on his face. “Oh hey, welcome back. It’s good to see your face again,” the blonde guy greeted as he plopped down on the couch opposite Kai. He started tossing the glass ball on the air and catching it before it could fall on the floor.

“Screw you,” Kai spat before grunting. His head’s still spinning. Baekhyun chuckled, taking Kai’s words like a joke. Lay stood from his seat and walked to his room. He’s done with the stupidity that those two have been doing. Kai has a playful side to him but Baekhyun’s just a whole new different animal when it comes to messing around – especially when it comes with the ladies.

Sensing that Lay’s out of the premises, Baekhyun’s expression changed into a serious one. “How did your raid go?” he started while tossing the glass ball once again. “I guess it did not go that well. Am I right? You looked so worn out yesterday.”

Kai ran his fingers through his hair before leaning back on the couch. “Those scumbags are getting on my nerves,” he muttered, shutting his eyes again. The light’s hurting his eyes like hell. “How the hell can they hide so well and attack just out of nowhere?”

Baekhyun chuckled. “Isn’t that what you want? A challenge?”

He made a face, not really liking how Baekhyun phrased that. Yes, he’s up for any challenge but the raids that he’s been doing for years are not considered as light challenges which he can just go halfheartedly. He’s after the worst men of their kind. “Whatever,” he huffed.

The two remained quiet for a while before Baekhyun broke the silence. “I think that’s not the only thing that you’re supposed to worry about.”

Kai raised a brow. He opened his eyes and looked at Baekhyun. “What do you mean?”

The corners of the blonde’s lips curved upwards. “Remember the mission that you did this afternoon?”

Squinting, Kai slowly shook his head. “No. What was it? Honestly, did you put anything else in my glass when I was not looking? I can’t remember a thing.”

Baekhyun just grinned. “Your mission was to kiss the first girl you see inside the Main Building and you successfully carried it out. It was actually a sloppy kiss but it did not matter. It’s just a shame that I did not have my phone with me that time. It was a scene worth capturing.”

“I what?” Kai asked in disbelief. He’s not the kind of guy who goes around kissing anyone. He’s not Baekhyun for Pete’s sake. Baekhyun could not hide the playful smile on his face. Kai grabbed the pillow beside him and threw it hard at the blonde. “Ah, my head freaking hurts. I really did that? How the hell…” he trailed off as the pain became unbearable. He took a lungful of air. “I swear I’m going to make you bleed one of these days if you don’t stop messing with me.”

The blonde just shrugged, not taking Kai’s threat seriously. He’s heard that a thousand times and look, he’s still in one piece. “The kiss was not really that important though. It’s the person you kissed who’s more important.”

Lifting his face, Kai met Baekhyun’s eyes. “Who was it?”

“Sir Han Shinwoo’s daughter.”

Kai couldn’t hide the surprise on his face.

“What?”

“Stupid. Maniac. ert,” Mina cursed under her breath as she started taking out her clothes from her luggage. She could not shake the thought of that pink hair pressing his lips on hers. Her precious first kiss was stolen from her by a stranger. “Ugh! I swear I’m going to shave all his hair if I see him again.” Just the thought of encountering him again makes her shiver.

Shutting her eyes, she plopped on the bed. After a while, her eyes slowly fluttered open and she stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t read their minds. Those guys exude the same aura as Yunho. Awhile back, at that lobby, she couldn’t read the minds of those guys who were watching Kai being dragged by his friend. A part of her actually liked it because she’s been waiting for the day to feel normal but there’s an unsettling feeling inside her since she knows that she’s not an ordinary person. She has an Alice but why could she not use it on them?

Yunho once told her that it’s all about concentration and training. So that means those guys are on a certain level for them to block my ability. Sighing, she looked at her right and stared at the camera sitting just beside the pillow. I wonder who my real parents are. Are they also Alice users? Where are they now? She’s been planning on asking Yunho about such things but she never found the courage to do so. She’s been telling herself that it’s okay even if she doesn’t know them. She was left at an orphanage in the first place. Maybe they did not want me.

She pushed herself up and continued what she was doing a while ago. After some more minutes of folding and hanging, she decided to check the building out. Yunho gave her a short tour after introducing her to the headmaster but she was not able to check the details of the rooms. With the size of the building that she’s in, she doubts she’ll be able to memorize the paths in a short time.

Speaking of the headmaster, that unforgettable aura of hers made an impression on her. Mina could still vividly remember how the headmaster stared at her with an unexplainable expression. She was just as tall as her but the headmaster projected a distinct charisma. Jessica Jung – that’s her name. Mina read it on the nameplate on her table when they entered the room. “Welcome back, Miss Han.” Jessica’s words echoed inside her mind.

Welcome back? Why those words? I have never been here… She trailed off. Was I? When I was younger? Such questions suddenly filled her mind. At that moment, she made up her mind – she needs to ask Yunho about her parents as soon as possible.

It’s already late in the evening but she’s still not sleepy. Following wherever her feet were taking her, she found herself wandering in the middle of the vast field. The field’s well-lit and there were still people playing soccer there. Maybe people here are nocturnal. She could hear a group playing the guitar under the big oak tree. It’s like the university campus which she was enrolled in before. She rubbed her arms when she felt the cold wind brush against her bare arms.

There was a wooden shed at the end of the line of trees and she decided to sit there for a while. From that shed, she could see the ocean below. It’s literally near a cliff but she felt no fear. She’s been in the verge of dying before and being near a cliff does not scare her anymore. As the wind blew this time, she closed her eyes as she enjoyed how it made her hair fly here and there. A small smile crept on her face.

“Hi there.”

She quickly opened her eyes when she heard that and she stood in surprise. She looked around. There was no one. “What was that?” she muttered to herse