AUTHORS NOTE: Mianhe for the late post! As the chapters are getting more intense, I do not want to rush. These chapters are also going to be lengthier and may take me a bit longer to write. So expect a new chapter every 1.5-2 weeks as I am also a student and will need to balance my time. Big thank you again to my editor, CalJones!

Vulnerability Ch.6

The next morning Summer heard a knock on her door as she was finishing up her breakfast. She looked up from her cereal in surprise, as her thoughts were on yesterday and what Kim Tan said about Choi Young Do.

She opened her door to find none other than Young Do himself, smirking down at her. “You ready for school? I’m giving you a ride on my bike.” She blinked a few times, “Oh, you don’t have to” she shook her head, trying to regain composure. “Ya, I want to,” his expression was now serious.

She looked up at him again and then smiled, deciding that she was not going to listen to Kim Tan. “Kurae, let me get my shoes on.” She put on a pair of high tops and ran into the kitchen, grabbing her bag and two granola bars.

Young Do was standing in her doorway watching her intently. She held up one of the granola bars, “Here this is for you,” she stood there waiting for him to take it. He looked down at her outstretched hand, and then back at her face before slowly taking the bar.

“It isn’t going to poison you sheesh,” she laughed and pushed him out of her doorway gently so she could close the door behind her. He put the granola bar in his jacket pocket and then put an arm around her shoulders, dragging her with him down the hallway.

Summer blushed at his action and was tripping over her legs as she walked, “Ya Choi Young Do!” He simply laughed and pulled tighter, then let go once they were in the elevator. Summer went to the corner and was eying him suspiciously, wondering what his intentions are.

He pushed the button for the first floor then leaned on the side of the wall, yawning. He then stretched his arms above his head and stretched his neck from side to side. Summer was watching him and started to giggle to which he then looked at her, “Mwo?”

“I don’t know, you’re cute when you stretch,” she was smiling but immediately realized what she said and her face cringed. She took a breath in and physically hid her face behind her hand as she walked out of the elevator that was now open. Why on Earth did I tell him that?

He followed behind her laughing, and then put his arm around her shoulders again to lead her to where he parked his motorcycle. She looked at him still feeling embarrassed and tried to push him away, “I am not your arm rest!”

He smiled in amusement, “really? You’re the perfect height though.” He stopped walking and proceeded to show her that if he stretched his arm straight out it is at the exact height of her shoulders. She looked back at him with a deadpan face and smacked his arm away, “I know I’m short.”

He nodded like it was the most obvious thing, “I think it’s meant to be.” He laughed at her continued deadpan expression and started to walk to his motorcycle again, this time dragging her by the wrist.

He handed her the spare helmet and sat on his bike as he put his on. She put on the spare and went to sit behind him, but he stopped her, adjusting the strap under her chin before nodding to himself in approval. She felt his fingers brush her chin again and her stomach did a flip.

She sat behind him and looked to the side, rolling her eyes at herself, Summer get it together. He started his bike and as soon as he took off she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. He smiled beneath his helmet.

oOoOoOoOo

Young Do and Summer walked into their first class together while she was telling him about how much she missed the ocean. Neither of them noticed the looks they received from the students who were already there.

Eun Sang was sitting in her seat when they both walked in; she was now wearing her new uniform. She wasn’t sure where it came from, but she decided not to question it. She had a feeling it was Summer because the measurements were perfect.

She looked at them smiling; she wasn’t too sure about Choi Young Do and what kind of person he is, but she could tell Summer was happy. Rachel turned around and looked at Eun Sang, then smirked and said “Wipe that smile off your face. You think Young Do is being friendly? Just wait.”

Eun Sang’s smile faded and she rolled her eyes, trying to mask the concern that now flooded her mind. Kim Tan did warn me about him. She got Summer’s attention and told her they should sit at lunch together today. Summer smiled in agreement.

Young Do went to pull Summer’s hair just as the seonsaengnim walked in, telling everyone to open their books. He hesitated for a few seconds but decided to go through with it. He pulled a piece of her hair.

“Ah! What the hell!” Summer turned around quickly at the unexpected pull, to see Young Do smiling smugly while leaning back in his chair. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Summer you should pay more attention to the teacher, not me,” he motioned for her to turn around.

What she did next was surprising to everyone. She stood up from her seat and walked over so she was standing next to Young Do. She put an arm around his shoulders, pressing him against her roughly, “Aigoo but I just can’t get my eyes off you.” She said it with a bite of sarcasm.

The seonsaengnim cleared , “Summer. Go sit down.” She let go of Young Do and smirked as she sat back in her seat. She was smiling in amusement now. Ahh Choi Young Do, I can play games too.

The moment Summer put her arm around Young Do he felt hot all over and was highly entertained at her reaction. He smiled wickedly while watching her and didn’t make a move to push her away. Who knew pulling someone’s hair can be so …. rewarding.

Kim Tan saw the whole thing and was glaring daggers at Summer. She felt his stare and grinned impishly at him, then shrugged her shoulders. She doesn’t know what she’s getting into. He groaned and then looked over at Young Do who now had his head resting on his outstretched arm over his desk, eyes closed.

Myung Soo was giggling from his seat as he had paid attention to everyone’s reaction. He noticed how Rachel looked displeased, how Kim Tan looked worried, how Eun Sang looked amused by her friend’s retaliation. Others looked jealous.

He was most entertained by his best friend Young Do, who looked so calm and was now sleeping. The dinosaur is asleep, after a touch of hmm fire? Ani, Ani, warm rain. Myung Soo narrated the scene in his mind, he was an artist after all.

oOoOoOoOo

Summer was running a bit late to the cafeteria as she stopped at the library to get a few books. She knew Eun Sang would already be waiting for her so she picked up her pace. When she walked in she saw most of the students were already there and eating their lunch.

She looked around, making her way to the food and grabbed a tray. Everything looked delicious and there were so many choices. Be still my heart, we are about to get fat! She laughed to herself and her lips as she started filling up her plate.

She looked around for Eun Sang. She finally found Eun Sang and started making her way towards her when she saw that she was talking to someone. Before she got to the table she saw the guy push Eun Sang out of her seat and at the same time two other people showed up and sat on each side of him.

Summer continued to make her way to Eun Sang quietly, watching the scene. She noticed Young Do was also with the two boys who were now harassing the smaller looking kid. They started throwing food at his uniform and putting it on his face.

“Ya! Stop that!” Eun Sang yelled out while Summer was finally standing next to her. Young Do and the boys looked over at them. One of the lackeys smiled, “Wae? Do the new transfer girls want to have lunch with us too?” By now everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them.

Summer had a look of intense fury on her face, it was all in her eyes. “If you don’t leave the poor guy alone, I swear to god…” She was gripping her lunch tray to try to keep herself calm. She felt vexed and disappointed.

She wasn’t surprised as a part of her already knew this was going to happen, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew Young Do felt dark, but seeing him with them and clearly part of the bullying felt like a slap in the face.

Young Do was looking at her with a serious expression. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the lunch table. He has never seen her look unhappy and was trying to figure out how it made him feel. He had a desire to see what she would do to stop them.

The lackeys went back to putting food on the victim’s uniform, and Summer felt she had enough. She pushed Young Do aside with one hand and threw her tray down on their table with the other, the food spilling a bit, but before she could continue to try to physically stop the boys someone grabbed her arm.

She looked up to see Kim Tan who also was holding Eun Sang’s wrist. He had a look of both concern and rage. He pulled both of them away from the table, “You two need to stay out of it!” Summer pulled her arm free, “if we weren’t going to stop them who would?” She felt sad saying that.

Young Do watched Kim Tan drag them away, feeling like he ruined the show. Aish things were just becoming interesting. He felt the need to follow them, wanting to sit next to Summer, wanting to see her angry with him.

Kim Tan walked to another table on the other side of the cafeteria and let go of Eun Sang’s wrist as he motioned for them to sit down in front of him. They reluctantly sat down, feeling defeated. They both knew trying to stop the bullying wasn’t going to end well.

“I used to be one of them, hell I invented that very seat that Joon Young was sitting in; the only one who sits there is the victim of the school. I know it isn’t easy to watch and I am not proud of it either, but this is something that has been going on long before you both arrived,” Kim Tan sighed and looked down feeling guilty.

Summer knew this about him as she was the one who helped him change when he arrived in America, but by the look on Eun Sang’s face she knew it was news to her. Eun Sang’s stunned expression turned into a soft smile, “It’s okay Kim Tan, what matters is what kind of person you are now.”

Both Kim Tan and Summer smiled at her, feeling the warmth she brought to the table. It was quickly replaced by something else as Young Do came out of nowhere with two trays and sat next to Summer on her other side, putting a fresh tray of food in front of her. She felt metaphorically sandwiched between light and dark.

Summer looked at him a bit surprised, but mostly annoyed. He shrugged his shoulders and did his best to sound innocent, “Aish I don’t know why they bully a friend, can I sit here?” She sighed, “Not sure I want you to,” she felt disheartened by his earlier behavior. Eun Sang was staring at them both, feeling the tension.

His attempt of an innocent smile turned into his usual predatorial look, but before he could say anything further, Kim Tan kicked his chair from underneath the table, “Leave.”

They were now glaring at each other, and the air around them was growing heavy. “What if I don’t want to?” Young Do spoke back.

Summer was looking down at her new plate of food and in that moment she remembered one of the mantras her mother had written, the only cure to suffering is kindness. She looked at Young Do who was still staring at Kim Tan; she could see his jaw was clenched tight, his body stiff.

“You can sit with us if you behave nicely,” her words were a cracking whip in the silence. All three of them looked at her in shock. She smiled coolly and began to eat her food. Kim Tan was staring at her incredulously and Eun Sang awkwardly started to eat her food, hoping no more conflicts would arise.

Young Do was still staring at Summer, feeling completely off guard. She looked up at him then and motioned towards his plate of food, “Eat a lot!” He smiled a little, but his eyes told her he was genuinely happy. “Look at her, no wonder I’m into her,” he smirked and began to eat his food.

Summer choked as she registered what he said, Mwo? Is he trying to get on Kim Tan’s nerves? She looked at Kim Tan who was glaring at him again, … yes that’s it. She shook her head and decided to ignore his comment and continue eating, staring intently at her food.

For the rest of lunch Young Do watched Summer eat while he ate his own food, completely ignoring Kim Tan, unsure of whether he himself was joking.

oOoOoOoOo

Kim Tan was sitting in his last class of the day, feeling bored out of his mind. It was music class. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing; some students were playing instruments, others singing, but mostly everyone was talking to pass the time. The seonsaengnim was nowhere to be found.

Myung Soo was sitting next to him when he suddenly got up. Kim Tan followed his gaze which was on Young Do and his lackeys approaching. He sighed audibly, not wanting to deal with anything right now—especially after the lunch he had to endure with him.

Young Do had a grin on his face as he motioned for his lackeys to kick everyone out of the classroom. He wanted to see Kim Tan privately. Most students already knew the drill and started walking out, and Myung Soo was trying to help usher them out.

Once everyone walked out, Young Do gave Myung Soo a look. Myung Soo nodded and he and the lackeys walked out, standing as lookouts on the other side of the door. Kim Tan stayed in his seat looking very annoyed.

“You better transfer back out since you know we both can’t be here,” Young Do spoke first, standing above him with his arms crossed. Kim Tan smirked, “Afraid I’ll take your position as big boss?”

Young Do smiled at this, amused, “I don’t think a bastard can take a position in anything. You wouldn’t want people to know about your illegitimacy, would you?” He went straight to the point of his threat.

He then pretended to think about something, “Ahh but then you and that, Cha Eun Sang was it? Can happily be lovers since she is as poor as you will be when everyone knows the truth.” He clicked his tongue, feeling proud of himself; he always knew the truth behind everyone’s façade.

Kim Tan felt anger filling his body. He stood up from his chair, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you better stay away from Cha Eun Sang, and Summer.” He then added after a short pause, “You want to rule the hierarchy? Go ahead. I don’t want anything to do with it.”

Young Do stood his ground, feeling like the Kim Tan in front of him has changed. He smiled devilishly, “You know I am not going to leave anyone alone as they are now my property, and as for you? It’s too late for us to get along, too late for us to avoid each other. The weak always fall, and I won’t be one of them.”

Kim Tan stared at him realizing that the Young Do he knew before he went to America had only gotten worse. He was still obsessed with feeling like he had power over everyone, feeling the desperate need to be strong, to be in control.

Kim Tan felt exasperated because he was worried about his best friend and the girl he liked, but he also felt depressed seeing the kind of person Young Do has become. Would I have become like this if I didn’t leave this place? His irritation subsided slightly and he sighed.

Young Do felt the shift in Kim Tan and his brows furrowed, what is he thinking? He suddenly felt like he didn’t recognize Kim Tan, and it made him feel …. alone? He was trying to figure out why he felt that way, but before anything further was said or done, Myung Soo walked in to let them know seonsaengnim was returning.

Young Do shook his head laughing slightly, pushing anything he was feeling aside. “You heard me Kim Tan, transferring would be easy with your...mom number two? Being head of the school,” with that he turned around and walked out.

Myung Soo looked at Kim Tan curiously, who now had his hands in fists by his side and looked deep in thought. He stood for a few seconds expecting Kim Tan to say something, but he didn’t. Myung Soo ran out to follow Young Do just as the seonsaengnim returned.

oOoOoOoOo

The next day Summer expected to hear another knock on her door, but as it got close to the time she needed to leave for school, she heard nothing. She shrugged her shoulders and though she felt disappointed she wouldn’t admit that to herself.

Why am I even feeling this way? What was I expecting? She shook her head to free herself of her thoughts as she made her way to the elevator. Still no sign of Young Do.

She looked at her watch, knowing if she left any later she would be late. She pressed the button for the first floor. Her driver was already out front and waiting for her.

Young Do casually walked into class 20 minutes late, to which no one seem surprised. The seonsaengnim told him to go sit down and not to disturb the class as he made his way over. He had his usual predatorial look, but Summer felt something was off.

She looked up at him when he walked by, but he did not make eye contact. He sat down and immediately put his head on his desk, trying to fall asleep. She felt his energy was especially dark today.

After the class ended Summer turned around to ask if he was okay, but he was already standing and about to walk past her. She grabbed his wrist, surprising herself by her own action. He stopped and looked down at her, his expression was of someone in deep thought startled back to reality.

It lasted a few seconds before he smiled at her. It was a crooked smile, but he said nothing. In that moment the only thing she noticed was the minor flinch when she grabbed his wrist, and the bruises on his knuckles.

She looked from his hand back to his face as he pulled his wrist away and put his hands in his pockets. She looked troubled, did he get into a fight with someone at school? I feel like I would have heard about it…

Young Do watched her curiously as she was clearly lost in thought. His body ached from the Judo meeting with his father the night before. His father knew it was a school night, so his face was spared. “America, I got things to do, so are you done?”

He felt weak and defeated. He was itching to find someone to take it out on.

Summer was staggered by his comment and could definitely tell something was wrong now, more wrong than the usual. “Choi Young Do are you okay?” She continued looking up at him, not caring that the remaining students were watching their interaction.

He looked at the people watching and then back at her, and smirked. He then put both hands on her desk and leaned forward, to which she leaned back, feeling nervous. He continued smirking, but she felt his expression was empty.

“You should stop worrying about me so much, you’ll give them the wrong idea,” he motioned to the students watching and stood up straight again. He stared at her for a few seconds and then walked out.

Summer could hear the whispers again, but she was more focused on slowing her heart beat. What was that? She stood up from her seat and one of the girls watching her sneered at her, “Hey Bak do you have a death wish?”

Summer looked at her and smiled, “We are all dying, so how could I wish for something that’s already happening?” With that she walked out, leaving the girl feeling both dumbfounded and creeped out.

Summer went to her locker to switch her books when she heard a commotion. She shut her locker quickly and made her way over to the noise. She pushed through a crowd of people and stopped in her tracks when she saw Young Do slapping Joon Young on the head, hard.  

He didn’t notice her as he told Joon Young how worthless he is, and that he should know his place. Joon Young was flooded with outrage. Having had enough, he pushed Young Do away and hit him with his backpack across the face.

Everyone was shaken. Summer was a second away from stopping them, but it was a second too late. Young Do looked at Joon Young with a smile that could kill as he wiped the blood from his cheek.

Young Do’s eyes were malicious, but that didn’t stop Joon Young from trying again. He was confident in that moment and it was the worst thing he could be. He went to punch Young Do, who easily flipped him over his back and threw him on the floor.

Summer flinched, feeling the air leave his lungs. No one was doing anything, she wasn’t doing anything. Why won’t my legs move?

Young Do then noticed both Summer and Eun Sang watching him and his expression faltered ever so slightly before he stepped on Joon Young’s chest. He then looked directly at Eun Sang, ignoring Summer completely, “I can’t wait to see what happens to you next.”

At that statement Summer walked in front of Eun Sang and put her arms out protectively, “You’ll have to go through me first.” She looked at Young Do directly in the face, swallowing any emotions she felt would give her away—give away the truth that she felt like crying, she felt like screaming, she felt scared.  

He looked back at her, and his expression was like a void. She couldn’t read him. “I plan on it”, was his reply before he simply stepped back, turned around, and walked away with his lackeys following behind.

There was a stillness in the air as no one else moved, as if they were waiting for the dense atmosphere to clear out. Summer reacted first, feeling chills from his statement, but worry filling her mind at the state of Joon Young who was groaning in pain on the floor.

Both her and Eun Sang, who was slowly recovering from her own fear, bent over him trying to help him up. Before they could get him standing Kim Tan was quick to grab both of their wrists and pull them away against the lockers.

“Stop getting involved! Never be on the same side as someone weak. Then you look weak too, don’t you get it? Do you want to be the victims of this school?” Kim Tan was practically yelling now, the worry apparent on his face.

Summer felt the anger in her override anything else that was going through her mind, “This whole thing is pathetic! I will help whom I want!” She pulled away from Kim Tan and caught up with Joon Young who was slowly trying to make his way to the infirmary. She put his arm over her shoulder and helped him walk the rest of the way.

Rachel, who was watching from afar, felt weak-kneed as she couldn’t understand why Kim Tan even paid attention to these girls. She was bitter and hurt, but her face was stoic. She watched as Summer went to help Joon Young again. This girl really doesn’t get it, how stupid is she?

Eun Sang stood frozen against the locker, never knowing how she should react. Part of her knew she did not want any added attention and felt the need to stay as inconspicuous as possible, but another part of her agreed with Summer. This whole thing felt wrong.

Kim Tan stared at her, still standing close, “Cha Eun Sang you have nothing to worry about. You know I won’t let Young Do hurt you, right? …But please try to stay out of it.” His eyes looked pleading and she nodded softly. She could still feel the weight of Young Do’s words on her shoulders; she knew Kim Tan couldn’t always protect her.

oOoOoOoOo

Summer stayed late after school to make sure Joon Young got home safe. She had her driver take him home while she made her way to the little ramen shop. She didn’t want to run into Young Do at the hotel.

She went directly to one of the tables and sat down, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. She knew she couldn’t eat anything right now. Her stomach was in knots. She sighed deeply, replaying the fight in her mind over and over again.

Young Do’s eyes haunted her, the way they looked empty one moment and then filled with pain the next. She felt overheated as multiple emotions rose to the surface. Why is he like this?

She put her hands in her hair, trying to piece things together from what she knew about him thanks to Kim Tan’s letters and what she experienced in the last few weeks. She felt the need to understand him and his actions, though she wasn’t sure of her intentions.

As her mind was burrowing deeper, trying to analyze every little thing, her phone rang, startling her. She looked at the Caller ID but couldn’t recognize the number.

“Yeoboseyo”, she said wearily. The voice on the line gave her goosebumps. “Hey America.” Summer’s eyes widened and her heart hit . She took the phone away from her ear and looked at it as if it was something she didn’t recognize. She slowly put the phone back to her ear.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” Summer didn’t lie, she still felt the need to clear her emotions before she could interact with him. He hurt Joon Young, and threatened Eun Sang…

“Why not?” Was all he said. She could hear the strain in his voice. “Because you hurt people and you threatened my friend. You may not like Kim Tan or Eun Sang, but I do.” She felt ready to hang up.

“Well I want to talk to you,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s too bad Choi Young Do”, Summer felt bad saying that, but she wasn’t ready. Not yet. She needed to think of a way to help him.

How can I help him?

“Well you don’t have a choice,” he said it as he came out of the shop holding a bowl of ramen while hanging up his phone. He was no longer wearing his school uniform, but a black leather jacket and black jeans. A Band-Aid covered the cut on his right cheek.

Of course we were both here, Summer exhaled and leaned her head back. He walked over and sat in the chair across from her. He stared at her not saying anything. She finally looked at him and broke the silence— “Why do you do the things you do?”

His lips twitched at her question, before they turned into a slight smile. “I don’t know what you mean.” Summer’s expression turned serious, “Yes you do. Why do you bully people? What happened to your hands?” She looked towards his hands again, which he had already put back into his pockets, remembering the bruises from this morning.

“For someone who didn’t want to talk to me, you seem to have a lot of questions.” His expression turned serious as well. He looked tense, but started eating his ramen. Summer smiled slightly, trying to break the tension, “Well you’re kind of forcing me to talk to you since you ambushed me here, so I figure I’d use this opportunity to see if I can help you.”

He stopped eating and looked confused, “Help me? I don’t need help. Shouldn’t you be telling me instead to stay away from Cha Eun Sang?” Summer felt him get defensive; it was strange for someone as intense as him—she felt she understood him a little better in this moment.

She physically relaxed, feeling some resolve about how she should approach the situation. “Kurae, please stay away from Eun Sang. Like I said, you’d have to go through me first.” He laughed at this, “And what will you do about it?”

She leaned forward, “I will try to help you be a better person because people who bully are hurt inside. You are hurting, Choi Young Do, and I’m not sure why no one else notices this. But I do.”

Young Do felt taken back. He went back to eating his ramen again, trying to regain control of his thoughts. He felt vulnerable and he hated it. Slowly, she was putting him on the edge of something, and he couldn’t tell what it was.

Summer continued looking at him, “Truthfully, it makes me want to protect you.” At this he looked up at her again and leered, “You really have no idea what you are talking about, do you?” He felt he lost his appetite and was beginning to feel nervous.

“I do actually. I know that you are lonely. I can see it in your eyes. It took me a bit, but I think I understand now.” These words were his breaking point. His face turned cold, and he grew rigid in his seat. He put on a smile as if it was a mask, “Omo you really are full of yourself, aren’t you? You want to play the hero huh?”

He turned his head to the side, each word with more bite than the last, “You don’t understand how this world works, and I can guarantee it will be you who will need protecting. How about you stop trying to figure me out and accept the fact that you know nothing about me.”

Summer sighed, but didn’t break eye contact, “I would like to get to know you if you let me.” He laughed emotionlessly, “I don’t think you can handle it.” She remained serious, “How about you let me decide that? I know more about you than you think. I have been friends with Kim Tan for a very long time after all.”

His jaw clenched at her statement and his eyes turned livid, “Really now? What kind of things has Kim Tan been telling you?” Aish, I shouldn’t have said that, Summer thought as she shook her head.

She hesitated a bit before answering, “He told me about your childhood, because he felt really alone himself when you stopped being his friend. I think part of him understood why you treated him the way you did after what happened with your…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence because she physically felt the situation losing control, Young Do was seething now. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea…She felt nervous wondering how she could get him to calm down.

Young Do felt so overcome he could taste blood in his mouth, he was shaking. He felt like running, but he also wanted to stay. He felt like yelling at her, but he also wanted her to smile. He felt exposed, but a little less lonely.

“Aish America, you’re really annoying. I—” his words were his defense, his shield. He was about to tell her he regretted meeting her, a complete lie, but one he felt could save face, but his phone rang in that moment and he answered it without thinking. It was Kim Tan.

“You like that ramen?” Kim Tan was standing across the street watching both of them. Young Do exhaled, not sure whether this was a blessing in disguise, “You want some too?” Kim Tan laughed, “You think I called because I missed you?”

Young Do was watching Summer as she was hanging on his last sentence, she looked a bit hurt. It made him regret what he said. “Weren’t you here to see Summer? Come on over Kim Tan”. With that he hung up. He was hoping Kim Tan would take her away before he could destroy everything.

Summer now looked across the street as she noticed Kim Tan staring at her, he was giving her a look that spoke a million words. She knew he wanted her to follow him as he started walking away.

“Aren’t you going to follow him?” Young Do looked coldly at her.

“You want me to follow him?” she stared back, she looked tired.

“I mean since you are so close and all, why don’t you go share some more information?” He said it feeling both jealous and still defensive from earlier.

Summer rolled her eyes, feeling that this conversation was no longer productive. She still wanted to help him and she felt perhaps she went in the wrong direction with her approach, but she didn’t want to make Young Do feel this way anymore.

“Kurae,” she stood up and looked at him briefly, wanting to be with him but her feet dragged her away.

Young Do sighed heavily after she left, feeling like he was holding his breath. The hot-blood subsided, but he still felt uneasy, he felt helpless not knowing what it is he wanted from her. “She’s good at arguing. I am so lost.” He said to himself as he put his head back in defeat.

He didn’t want her to see him when he was feeling vulnerable, he wanted her to think of him as strong. But he didn’t know how; with her, everything seemed upside down. He felt like he was upside down, or falling, his stomach was dropping constantly.

He looked at his bruised knuckles and remembered the night with his father. Then he looked at her empty seat and he turned around to look in the direction she left. He didn’t want her to leave, but he didn’t know how to say it.

oOoOoOoOo

Summer walked to Kim Tan’s place as she figured he would wait for her there; it was nearby. She felt unstable and her hands were clammy.

I could have definitely handled that better. Aish why do I do that? Why is he so frustrating? Why do I care so much?

Summer kept asking herself questions as her anxiety increased. She reached Kim Tan’s house and was let into the courtyard where Kim Tan was standing. He looked at her with a sad look.

“Why are you hanging out with him?” he stood in front of her now.

“I wasn’t, he ambushed me…” she looked down at the ground, avoiding his gaze.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay away from him? You should have gotten up and left!” His voice was getting louder.

“I’m not going to. I want to help him!” Summer’s anxiety was at the brim now.

Kim Tan sighed, knowing this was how she is. “Summer, you can’t fix everyone.” He put his hands on the side of her arms to give her comfort, sensing her distress.

“But... I don’t have a mom either so I know how he feels, I want to protect him.” Her eyes were brimmed with tears now.

“You’re being stupid, Young Do will only take advantage of you. You have to listen to me, it’s not advice, it’s a warning!” Kim Tan hated to see her cry. It made him feel helpless and neurotic.

Summer laughed a little at his tough nature, “Why don’t you worry about Eun Sang instead, because according to him, she’s his next victim. Don’t worry about me so much Tan-ah”, she tried to put him at ease, holding back her tears.

He only looked more apprehensive. Summer shook her head, “You two were once such close friends. You even used to be bullies together. You said it yourself, you were more of the mastermind behind the tricks. But you changed—”

Kim Tan cut her off, “I don’t think he will change. He has ty circumstances, and he is surrounded by a hierarchical culture. I was lucky enough to have your support in an environment that made it much easier.”

Summer bit her lip, knowing what Kim Tan was saying was partly true. “But I really feel if someone showed him kindness despite who he is now…he will open up and grow into someone who is nice. Perhaps he is stronger than you think.”

Kim Tan shook his head this time, “Ah Summer, I know you will do what you decide to do. But if that idiot hurts you, or Cha Eun Sang…I can’t promise I won’t kill him.”

Summer smiled at him, “I know. We are best friends after all. You got my back, I got yours. But you also have to trust me on this. I have a feeling I was supposed to run into him.”

Kim Tan rolled his eyes, “Here we go again, don’t tell me about the fate of the stars.” He laughed at her antics, though he always acted annoyed by it, he truly liked it as it made her happy.

Summer looked up at the night sky, just now noticing it was a full moon. “Look Tan, it’s a full moon.” She smiled softly, her tears fading. Kim Tan looked up too, “Doesn’t that mean our wishes are being granted or something like that?”

Summer laughed, “Ne, something like that.”