Hye Mi is on vacation. 

Jiwoo is eating lunch alone, walking home alone, and is doing everything alone.

During lunch, Minhyuk sees Jiwoo eating alone, so he joins her.

“You look so lonely without your other half,” Minhyuk says. 

“I’m fine,” Jiwoo says.

She looks around and sees Taeyang eating lunch alone. He looks lonely to her, but she doesn’t want to join him. He also looks scary.

“I’ll walk you home after school,” Minhyuk says.

“No, thank you,” Jiwoo says. “I’m going to stay after school today to study.”

“I’ll stay with you.”

“Please don’t.”

Minhyuk ponders. “Okay,” Minhyuk agrees. “I won’t.”

Jiwoo stays after school like she says. After she is done studying, Jiwoo packs up and exits the school. She has her headphones in and is listening to music.

The sun has already set. The stars are out, and so is the moon.

Jiwoo keeps walking, but she feels like someone is following her. She turns off her music, but she keeps her headphones in. Jiwoo listens behind her. She hears footsteps following her.

“Oh my gosh,” Jiwoo cries internally. “Am I being followed?” She quickens her pace. Jiwoo grasps onto her backpack’s strap. “I’m almost home,” she tries to calm herself down. “Just a few more blocks.”

Suddenly, she hears people laughing. 

Jiwoo’s heart jumps. She quickens her pace again. Suddenly, someone grabs her arm and pulls her into an alleyway. The person pushes Jiwoo against the wall and smiles.

“Look who it is,” the boy says. “Your friend isn’t walking you home today?”

Jiwoo looks at the boy and recognizes him. He’s the same person Minhyuk stood up to. She looks beside him and sees his friends.

The boy reaches over to Jiwoo and takes her headphones out of her ears. He holds on to them and plays with them.

“Why are you walking home so late today,” the boy asks. “You usually go home right after school.”

“I was studying,” Jiwoo replies.

“Ahh. Studying. You must be a straight A student.”

Jiwoo shakes her head.

“Since you’ve worked hard, how about we go play,” the boy asks.

“No thank you,” Jiwoo says. “I have to go home. My parents are waiting for me.”

“Just one hour.”

“I don’t have an hour to spare.”

“Half an hour.”

“No.”

The boy chuckles. “You sure are persistent.” He drops the earphones. “I like girls who are persistent.” He takes a step toward Jiwoo.

She wants to take a step back, but she can’t because the wall is already there.

He continues to walk toward her. 

Jiwoo internally cries.

The boy grabs her wrist and holds them down.

Jiwoo has her head turned to the side. Her eyes are closed. She is scared. It’s so obvious what they are going to do to her. Jiwoo wants to scream, but she can’t seem to find the courage in her to do so.

“Anyone,” Jiwoo pleads in her head. “Please, help me!”

“Friends,” a guy shouts from afar.

“Yes,” Jiwoo sings in her head. “Someone is here!”

All their heads turn to where the voice came from. All of them see a male black figure walking toward them.

Jiwoo’s little gleam of hope goes down the drain when she sees who the guy is.

The friends smile at each other. “Well look who it is,” the boy holding Jiwoo says. “Our role model.” He lets go of Jiwoo and walks over to Taeyang.

The friends make sure Jiwoo won’t be able to run away.

“Why are you here,” the boy asks Taeyang. 

“Just taking a stroll,” Taeyang replies.

The boy snickers. “Want to join us?”

“Instead of that,” Taeyang says. “Let me give you a tip.”

Jiwoo is feeling helpless now. She feels herself trembling and her eyes watering.

“A tip will be nice,” the boy snickers.

Taeyang gestures for the boy to come closer. The boy walks over to Taeyang.

“Tip number one,” Taeyang says.

Taeyang raises his fist and lands a punch on the boy’s jaw. The boy tumbles to the ground.

His friends gasp and run over to help him up.

“Never disrespect girls,” Taeyang says.

“What the hell is your problem,” the boy screams. He stands up.

Jiwoo is taken aback by Taeyang’s actions. She is confused.

“People like you are my problem,” Taeyang says.

“How can you say that when you’re a problem maker yourself,” the boy says angrily.

“I only did what I had to do. Run along before I beat you all up.”

“Beat us up then!”

“Okay.” 

The friends charge at Taeyang. He dodges the two friends and throws another punch at the boy. Taeyang turns around and kicks one friend down before he punches the other friend down.

The boy stands up and charges at Taeyang, but Taeyang dodges him and elbows him on the back. He takes care of the friends as well.

Jiwoo is watching everything happen. She is so startled that she doesn’t know what to do. Jiwoo wants to flee the scene, but her legs won’t move. She sees Taeyang beating up one friend. The other friend is on the ground groaning in pain. The boy that pinned Jiwoo down is slowly rising from the ground. It’s obvious that he is going to go attack Taeyang when Taeyang is distracted. Jiwoo frantically looks around and sees a red brick sitting on the ground. She runs over to grab it before she charges at the boy and hits his head.

The boy falls to the ground groaning.

“Argh!!!” The boy shouts. He is cupping his head.

Jiwoo drops the brick and starts backing away. She is trembling in fear. 

Taeyang hears the commotion. He stops beating the friend up and turns around. He sees the guy on the ground cupping his head, the brick lying on the ground, and a trembling Jiwoo.

The boy slowly stands up.

Taeyang walks over to the boy and kicks him down again. “Don’t let me see you bully her or other girls again,” Taeyang threatens. “I’ll make sure to kill you next time.” He walks over to Jiwoo and grabs her hand. Taeyang takes her away from the scene.

“Come back here,” the boy shouts angrily.

Jiwoo feels herself still trembling. Her feet are quickly following Taeyang, but that’s only because he’s pulling her with him. Her heart is beating rapidly.

“Wait,” Jiwoo breathes. She pulls her hand out of Taeyang’s. She stops walking, and so does Taeyang. He turns around and sees a shooken up Jiwoo.

“Are you okay,” he asks her. He makes sure to keep some distance between them.

Jiwoo shakes her head. “I’m very shocked right now. Everything seemed to have happened so fast yet so slow.” Jiwoo takes a deep breath to calm herself down. 

“It’s best for you to go home now.”

Jiwoo nods her head. She takes a step, but falters to the ground.

Taeyang gasps and takes a step toward her, but he stops. “Are you okay,” he asks.

Jiwoo shakes her head. A tear finally rolls down her eye. She wipes the tear away and decides to sit on the ground until she calms down. More tears start rolling down, and Jiwoo finally breaks.

Taeyang feels awful. He wants to go comfort her, but he feels like he doesn’t have the right to. He stands around awkwardly. Taeyang reaches into his backpack and pulls out a handkerchief. He carefully approaches Jiwoo and bends down to her level. Taeyang slowly extends his hand over to her.

Jiwoo sees the handkerchief in Taeyang’s hand. She wipes her tears with her hands. Jiwoo sniffles. Her hand reaches out and accepts the handkerchief. She blows her nose into the handkerchief. Jiwoo looks at Taeyang and at the handkerchief. 

“I’ll wash it before I return it to you,” Jiwoo sniffles.

“Are you okay,” he asks her.

She shakes her head.

“I know I have no right to be doing or saying this,” Taeyang says. “But should I walk you home? Should I explain to your parents what happened?”

Jiwoo shakes her head. “I’ll be fine,” she says. “I’ll explain to my parents myself.”

She stands up and starts walking away.

Taeyang stands up and watches her go.

Jiwoo is crying on her way home. When she enters her house, she tells her parents everything. They are furious.

“We’ll make sure to call the school and the police,” her father tells her. “Don’t worry.”

Jiwoo enters her room and lies in bed. She is still shaken up, and she could barely get any sleep that night.

Taeyang watches as the front door to Jiwoo’s house open. She falls into her mother’s arm and cries. Her mother comforts her and brings her into the house. Once he saw she was safe and sound, Taeyang left.

The next day at school, Jiwoo walks into the classroom. The class is already filled with her classmates. Taeyang is also at his desk already.

Jiwoo takes a deep breath and walks to her desk.

Taeyang doesn’t greet her, and she doesn’t greet him. 

Jiwoo lays out her notebook and pencil pouch on the desk. She reaches into her backpack and slides the handkerchief to Taeyang.

“Thank you,” she tells Taeyang. “For saving me last night and for giving me that.”

Taeyang grabs the handkerchief.

“Sorry I didn’t say thank you until now,” Jiwoo says.

“Did you sleep well last night,” Taeyang asks.

Jiwoo shakes her head. “I barely got any sleep. Hopefully tonight will be better.”

“I’m sorry you had to experience that,” Taeyang says.

“It’s not your fault,” Jiwoo says. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Because I know the feeling. The feeling of being wronged and being the victim.”

“What do you mean by being the victim?”

“Nothing.” Taeyang puts the handkerchief away and exits the classroom.

“That was weird,” Jiwoo tells herself.

In the middle of the school day, the homeroom teacher pulls Jiwoo and Taeyang out of class.

"Jiwoo," the teacher says. "Your parents are here to pick you up, and Taeyang you have to go with them."

"Why," Jiwoo asks.

"Your father told us about what happened to you yesterday. The police caught the students who did that to you. Since Taeyang helped you, you two must go to the police station for questioning."

"My parents are out front?"

The teacher nods her head.

At the police station, Jiwoo and Taeyang are sitting in front of the policeman answering the questions that are being asked. 

The friends are locked up in the mini jail cell in the back.

Jiwoo tells the police her side of the story, and Taeyang tells his side.

"You went and helped her," the police asks Taeyang. 

He nods his head.

"Why were you there in the first place," the police asks.

"I wanted some fresh air, and I just happened to see them," Taeyang replies.

"You didn't go there to help the friends?"

"No."

"Officer," Jiwoo says. "Taeyang did nothing wrong. He was only trying to help me, so please don't try to accuse him."

"I'm not," the officer says. "I'm only asking questions to make things clearer." He types on his computer. "Alright. You two are free to go. Thank you "

On the way out, Jiwoo hears some cops whispering to each other. 

"Isn't that Yoo Taeyang the ual assaulter," one cop says.

"Yes," the other replies.

The cop sighs. "Did he cause trouble again this time?"

"No. I heard he helped the victim this time."

"He's even paying his sins after he's out of jail. Good for him."

"Unless he's trying to play the good guy for now."

It seems like Taeyang overheard them too. He walks outside by himself.

Jiwoo quickly follows him out.

"Taeyang," she calls. She stops at the top of the stairs. 

Taeyang is standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Thank you,” she continues. “I’ll make sure you don’t get convicted from this.”

Taeyang walks away.

Jiwoo’s mom comes out.

“Did he leave,” her mom asks.

“Yes,” Jiwoo replies. 

“We could’ve given him a ride.”

Jiwoo stares at Taeyang getting further away.

“Oh well,” her mom says. “Why risk you getting attacked again. This time from him. Let’s go. You don’t have to return to school.” Her mom returns inside.

Jiwoo continues to stare at Taeyang.

“Why did he help me,” Jiwoo asks herself.