Jieun POV

Riiing. Riiing.

"Hello." I answer the phone.

"Hello. Is this the parent or guardian of Park Jisung and Zhong Chenle?"

"Yes. I am their guardian, Park Jieun. Is something the matter?"

"I would like to inform you that they did not attend school today."

"T-that can't be. They left this morning with their school bag."

"Well, from the attendance taken today, they didn't show up."

"I see. I'll talk to them about it. Thank you. Bye." I hung up the phone with a sigh. Park Jisung. Zhong Chenle. You are so dead!

*************************************************

"Hey, noona." Jisung and Chenle said entering the house followed by their four friends: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, and Jaemin.

"Hey, noona." The others chorus after Jisung.

"Hey, Dreamy babies. Come here?" I wave them over and they stand side by side in front of me. I put my cooking utensils down and turn to them. I see cuts and bruises on their bodies but I don't question it. "How was school today?"

"O-ok." They all stutter with a nod of their head.

"Really?"

"Mm." They nod yet again.

"Well, that's funny because, I got this phone call telling me that you didn't attend classes." They all gulp. "You wanna...tell me why?" I scan the boys and they stand perfectly still. "Chenle." He flinches. "Why did you guys skip school?"

His eyes waver with hesitance. "U-uh."

"Chenle." The others said through clenched teeth.

"I can't tell you or the others will attack me!" He shouts running upstairs with the others following suit.

"Yah!" I scream up the stairs. I hear their bedroom door shut close and I let out a sigh. Where did my parenting go wrong?

My parents passed away when I was 20 years old and Jisung was 10. After my parents passed away, we moved to a different city. That is where we met the other Dreamy babies. They're all bright kids, but they have problems of their own.

Renjun moved here from China after his parent's divorce and he lives with his father; however, the step mom doesn't like him very much and treats him terribly. So he moved out to live with his hyung, or so he says. Jeno lost his parents in a car accident. Haechan's father is in jail for assault and murder of his wife. Jaemin lives in a single mother household; however, his mother is a drug addict and ran away due to debt. And Chenle was abandoned by his parents due to their company going bankrupt.

Since these boys have such a hard past and they click well with Jisung, I took them under my wings. I'm the legal guardian of Chenle and Jisung, but the others are under someone else's care. The four that is not under my custody doesn't live with me, but they act like they do. They come home every night. Not that I mind. I love these boys so much. I've raised them for eight years after all.

I shake my head with a sigh and continue to cook for the boys.

"Dreamies! Dinner is ready!" I shout up the stairs. Nothing. I sigh and walk to their room. I knock on their door. "Dreamies?" I hear a lot of shuffling before Jaemin opens the door with his bright smile.

"Yes, noona?" I look behind him and he blocks my view. "Yes?" He repeats.

"Dinner's ready." I said and walk back down the stairs. Why were they shoving a bunch of papers under their bed? I tilt my head in wonder. Whatever. I shrug it off.

*************************************************

"Dreamies." I said and they all look at me. I stare at their bruised bodies and avert my eyes, ignoring it. "About today-"

"We're not telling you." They cut me off in sync.

"It's classified information." Haechan adds.

"Ok." I chuckle. "I won't ask where or what you're doing, but can you guys not skip classes so much? I just want you all to graduate." They all glance at each other.

"We understand, noona." Jeno states. "We will graduate."

I nod and we all continue to eat.

*************************************************

"Please go to class." I said to the boys the next morning.

"Ok." They said giving me the 'ok' sign running off. I sigh and lock the door behind me. Time for work.

"You didn't come in yesterday." My best friend, of 20 years, Areum states, while cleaning the tables.

"I know." I said. "But you own this coffee shop too."

"Yes, But as co-owner, don't you think you need to show up to work too?" Areum asks.

"Sorry. I was busy."

"Mhm."

I let out a sigh. "Ok, well, I got a call from the school."

"What? Our precious Dreamies ditch school again?"

"Mm." I nod.

"Oh god." Areum sighs. "Let me guess. All bruised up again?" I nod yet again. "They're so energetic."

"They're young after all." I said. We stand in our coffee shop waiting for customers to arrive.

"There's not much to do." Areum said sitting down.

"Well, our shop is small and located in an isolated place. Kinda hard to find, really."

Areum laughs. "We're still in business."

Cling. Cling. Our first customer of the day arrives and Areum takes their order.

My cellphone starts ringing. "Hello?"

"Is this the guardian of Park Jisung and Zhong Chenle?"

"Yes, I am."

After the phone call, I put my phone down and let out a deep sigh. I stare out the window. What am I going to do with you?

*************************************************

I make my way home and make dinner for the boys. I look at the clock. They're home later than usual. I sit on the couch waiting for them to return. But they never did.

"Why didn't you come home?!" I shout at the boys the next day after school. "What happened to you boys?!" I shout realizing their beat up state.

"Nothing." They reply monotonously.

"Then how are all your pretty faces all ed up?! Did you guys fight a brick wall or something?!"

They chuckle. "Sure. Why not?"

"Come here." I sit them all down and check out their wounds.

Jaemin has a busted lip with a scratch on his cheek bone and a bandaid across the bridge of his nose. Jeno has a black eye with blood on the corner of his lip. Chenle has small bruises scattered on his face and he is holding his bandaged head. Renjun's face has light scratches and bruises and he is holding his abdomen, wincing in pain. Jisung has a busted lip with a black eye. Haechan is the worst of all. His eye is swollen with his lips busted. All of their wounds are taken care of.

"Seriously, what happened?"

"Nothing." They said yet again.

I let out a sigh. "I told you guys to go to school, but get you all cut class yesterday and today."

"We did go to school." They protest.

"Yeah, but you ditched halfway through first period!" I retort and they all look down in shame. "And then you guys come home all beat up."

"Sorry." They mumble. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, I'm..." I sigh. "I just...I just really want you all to graduate high school. Safely."

"We will." Jeno said.

"Boys, I trust you. You know I do. It's just...how are you all going to graduate if you don't attend class?"

"We'll ace all the subjects. You know that's easy for me." Haechan said.

"Haechan, you're the worst at studying, after Jisung."

"I'll ace my classes and help them too. That way, we can graduate." Renjun assures me.

"But school doesn't work like that. Attendance is a big part of school and graduation credit." At that, Renjun falls silent. "Wouldn't your hyung want you to graduate?"

"He does!" Everyone pipes up.

"But we have to work too." Chenle said making the others hit him.

"Work? Why are you guys working?" They gulp and nudge Chenle for messing up. "Tell me. Chenle." He flinches and grips onto Jisung knowing he'll let out the secret. Chenle was never very good at keeping secrets.

"I just want to help support you." Jisung speaks up.

"Baby, I can support myself." I said in a soft tone.

"But you're supporting the six of us too. I mean, where are we getting the money from?"

"Jisung-ah, I own a coffee shop. You know that."

"You're always taking care of us. We're adults now. We need to get around on our own."

I shake my head. "No, baby. I can support myself and the six of you. Trust me."

"But-"

"No, but's." I cut Jeno off. The others nudge Jaemin.

"We trust you, noona." Jaemin speaks up. "We really do, but we just don't want you to overwork yourself because of us. We love you noona, and we want to help you if we can. Please, let us work to help support you."

I glare at the others. These brats using Jaemin to console me. Him and his sweet words.

I let out a sigh. "Fine."

"Yay~" The others cheer.

"But," They all stop and look at me. "Don't overwork yourselves that you guys come home all beat up, please. It happened way too many times. Since the start of the school year."

"It's only been three months." Haechan said and I glare at him. "Ok. Three long months."

"Someone took care of your injuries." I change the topic.

"The hyungs did." They chorus.

"Hyungs. Meaning, more than one?"

Renjun smiles. "I live with Mark hyung. Mark hyung lives with Taeyong hyung. Taeyong hyung lives with...wait." He shakes his head. "Taeyong hyung owns the house."

"With you being forgetful like that, how are you passing your classes?" I chuckle.

"The hyungs helps us. They want us to graduate before officially joining the gang." Chenle said.

"What?" I said shocked. Chenle gasps and covers his mouth. Renjun wraps his arm around Chenle's neck into a chokehold. Jisung slaps Chenle's arm. Jeno pinches Chenle's thigh and Jaemin let out a nervous laugh.

"He means that the hyungs want us to graduate before they let us hangout with them in public. They don't want to hangout with minors after all." Jaemin said with a nod. I look at the others and they all nod in agreement rushing upstairs to their room.

====================================

Ok, so...Mark is not part of Dreamies. Again, not because I don't like him. I wrote this and was just like..."wait! Mark lives in 127 dorm." So I kicked him out...then after I wrote a few chapters and I'm just like, "wait, doesn't Haechan live in 127 dorm too?" But I got too lazy to change it and was like, "nah, I'll just roll with it."