"I just didn't think you would be like that," Hyungwon breathed out, Somi frowned, ready to refute, but she waited, not wanting to do anything that would startle Hyungwon. So, she gave him more time to share his thoughts in the safety of her room.

"You weren't even angry that the guy was attacking you. You were mad that he was talking about us" He tried to debunk Somi's actions, she nodded her head.

"Yeah," She quietly agreed. Hyungwon rubbed his eye with the ball of his hand, showing signs of fatigue.

"I... I don't understand it" He shook his head, Somi shrugged her shoulders, knowing that the answer was plain and simple.

"You're with me now, you all are. I've got to take care of you, it's only fair, and it's what you all deserve" She told him, and she watched while Hyungwon's brows drew together, face scrunching up.

"No, that's not what we were created for. We were made to serve and cater to our holder's needs. What is fair for us is not on the table, it's not meant to be" He refused. Somi pursed her lips.

"There are a lot of things that aren't meant to be, but still are," She told him, and Hyungwon looked to her, sluggishly blinking his eyes, lips parting.

"I'm not supposed to wear my sneakers to classes that aren't Physical Education, but I still do. People used to say serious things like a man cannot love another man, and a woman cannot love another woman, they were not supposed to be options, they said. But people still did just that, they proved society wrong, and as time goes by, acceptance shows. I can accept that you are real, you have feelings and emotions, and you are entitled to rights of your own. If I can give that to you, or if I can help you reach those things and learn to accept them, then why wouldn't I? One agro teenager accusing me of theft isn't going to stop me from doing so" Somi looked down, fiddling with her fingers as thoughts plagued her mind and pulled in all of her attention until she was in her own world. Hyungwon sat, just watching her mull over her thoughts until they had her brows desperate to meet. A deep breath escaped him, and he leaned down, head falling on her shoulder.

It startled Somi back to reality, but she didn't move, just looked down at what she could see of Hyungwon's head and breathed out, hand finding his forearm and holding onto it, fingers firm with reassurance as she held his arm.

"We'll get there Hyungwon, we'll get there" Hyungwon settled with his position quietly while the two lapsed into a comfortable silence.

------------

"This is it, right?" Hyunwoo looked at Somi. Her head bobbed to confirm they were in the right place.

"Yeah, this is the one" Hyunwoo followed her into the pack, jogging ahead of her and signalling with his hand for her to keep up with him.

"So,” Hyunwoo breathed out. Somi hummed, knowing what was coming next.

"That punch you threw," Hyunwoo started, following the curve in the path, "wasn't the first punch you've thrown" Sharing his observations with Somi, he glanced in her direction.

"No, it wasn't" Somi agreed with him. Hyunwoo huffed as a response.

"Though it was rather messy for someone who has clearly trained before, you could have seriously hurt yourself because of it."

"Yeah, I understand that" Somi rolled her eyes at the snark coming from Hyunwoo.

"You know what I want to say, don't you?" Knowingly, Hyunwoo gave another glance in Somi's direction. She did the same, nodding her head to show Hyunwoo that he was right.

"I do."

"What you've done is not something that you can do in this world Somi," The real lecture arrived, and Somi huffed out a breath, "at the end of the day, it is us who are the butlers, not you, it is our responsibility to make sure that each of us and you are safe from harm, not yours. What you did today was reckless and could get you in a lot of trouble if teachers get word of it, not just for standing up for people that are beneath you, but for fighting another student, especially Seongyoon who has no other cards. He has no butler to protect him, and that makes you look like the villain of the story this time" Somi pursed her lips, her brows pulled down, her hands swaying back and forth at her sides formed fists of distaste.

"Well I don't want the world I live in to be that way," Somi retorted. Hyunwoo pulled a brow up, slowing down his jog as more of his attention shifted to Somi.

"It's the twenty-first century Hyunwoo, if you can stand up for someone or something, then that is what you do. It does not matter if I am the female in the situation, or if I got you by chance from some card. You are a person too, I care about you, and I want you to be safe and well, so why can't everyone else want the same?" Somi stopped jogging, panting with a flushed face. Hyunwoo turned and strolled back to her, standing in front of her, hovering over her much as he had earlier in their confrontation with Seongyoon.

"Mum and dad told me to take care of you, because you're with me, under my care, and your special, why can't everyone else see that? If they can be nice to a fellow student, why can't they be nice to you and Changkyun or Hyungwon? Why can’t you be kept safe? Why can’t Hyungwon or Changkyun be taken care of?"

"Because, we are butlers Somi, nothing but an unknown human look-alike that lives in cards and serves with the purpose of keeping our people, like you," Hyunwoo reached out to curl Somi's stray hair behind her ear, "safe and happy until we are no longer needed" His fingers trailed down her neck and his hand stopped on her shoulder as a place of rest, soft eyes looking down at Somi with a newfound fondness, one that Somi hadn't seen from Hyunwoo until that very moment.

"You have to learn to adjust to this world. It's different to the one you grew up in."

"Or you change it," Somi breathed out, heavy-eyed blinks giving a shadow under her eyes that added to the darkness already there from a loss of sleep over time, "and I like that option better" She smiled at him. Hyunwoo breathed out, studying her.

"What's wrong princess?" Mingyeol looked over his daughter in worry as her smaller features curled downwards in dissatisfaction. Her little hands kept hold of what was causing her dissatisfaction, so he moved towards her, looking over her shoulder.

"What a pretty picture did you draw that at school?" Her new schoolbook, curtesy of her teacher, had a ballerina in her pink tutu and ballet shoes.

"No," The small girl grumbled. Mingyeol crouched down, enveloping his daughter with his long arms, humming.

"Sara did it, and I don't like it" The young Somi grumbled.

"What's wrong with it?" Mingyeol inquired, drawing a further frown from his little girl when verbalised that he could not tell what the matter was.

"All the boys were drawing cool soccer players and wrestlers, but when I tried to make my book a pirate book, Sara yelled at me and turned her into a ballerina" Somi scowled, and Mingyeol chuckled, annoying Somi further.

"Did she now?" He stood up as Somi nodded, ponytail bouncing with the movements her head made.

"Well then, if you don't like it, change it" Mingyeol walked to his desk, opened the paper slot of his printer and took out a fresh sheet. He pulled open the drawer on his desk and dug until he found his glue stick.

"But she already drew it in crayon, it won't go away" Somi pointed out, turning the book to Mingyeol to show him the cover again.

"No, we can't get rid of it," He agreed with the little girl's point, "but we can cover it up and start over again" Mingyeol assured his daughter, popping off the lid of his glue to spread it all over the book that Somi held out for him.

"We can do that?" She began to smile, relieving Mingyeol of his worries.

"Of course we can" He nodded once, "when something isn't to your liking, you cover it up and start again, or if you know something isn't right, you change it" Mingyeol explained to his daughter, making her eyes brighten with a new awareness.

"I can finally draw my pirate!"

"You can do anything you want to do."

------------

"People are looking at us" Somi pointed out, looking around at her classmates, who were in fact, sending glances in the group's direction with a lack of discretion.

"Because you're the only one who has all of their butlers present" Hyunwoo explained, and Somi rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Hyunwoo, I didn't think it was because of that," She remarked sarcastically. Hyunwoo shrugged his shoulders.

"You need to decide who you think will be the strongest card in today's challenge, so that will be Hyungwon or me" Hyunwoo cut right to the point, reminding Somi of what they had gathered in their little huddle for in the first place. Somi's face contorted into disapproval quickly and she shook her head with a dispute on the tip of her tongue that shot out like fire.

"As much as I want to work on our connection Hyungwon,” Somi looked towards Hyungwon with her lips giving a short smile, “no it's not either of you. Why would you assume who I want to choose?" She quipped. Hyunwoo pointed between himself and Hyungwon, while Changkyun watched on, openly discouraged by the segregation Hyunwoo was causing. Hyungwon looked between everyone, not sure where his place was in the situation.

"That's fine you can work with whoever you want to" He commented softly, letting Somi know he had no worries.

"I want to do this challenge with Changkyun," Somi told them before Hyunwoo could explain what his finger pointing to himself and Hyungwon meant.

"Ok" Hyungwon nodded, stepping back. Changkyun's eyes, clearly holding sadness cast to Somi, fingers itching to reach out to the girl who had not looked his way yet, his mind knowing that his safety resided within the young woman he was looking at.

"And what shall we do?" Hyunwoo's curt tone proved that he did not like Somi's decision. She pulled up an eyebrow, arms crossing over her chest.

"Hyungwon, isn't there something about teamwork that all butlers have to work on?" She questioned, and shocked by attention being given to him again, Hyungwon's mouth dropped open wordlessly, and his head bobbed.

"Then you can two can do that if you like. We'll see you two after class" Somi reached out for Changkyun. Clasping his hand in hers, she pulled him towards the group that was gathering around their teacher. Stopping just behind them all, she let Changkyun go and looked at him.

"Changkyun?" Visibly, Somi was worried, and Changkyun straightened up to lessen the look in Somi’s eyes.

"Yes, Somi?" He replied, back straight and hands held behind his back, holding the upmost etiquette around his peers. It disappointed Somi a little but realised it was something she could not comment on yet.

"You just looked, not like yourself" She looked him up and down. Changkyun forced his lips to curl into a polite smile to give reassurance to her.

"I assure you that I'm fine Somi" His voice sounded promising, but Somi knew what she had just witnessed between the three boys and what she had seen coverin