My alarm clock went off and I jolt awake. Staring around the room groggily, I sighed and made my way to the bathroom.

"Genies?" I called out. I walked to their room only to find it empty.

Empty? That's weird. How can it possibly be empty?

Still pounding on their mysterious disappearance, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I walked out, I caught sight of the clock on the wall.

8.15

Still calm, I walked into my room when a sudden realization struck me. I ran out to the living room and stared at the clock.

8.15

"I'm late?!" I shrieked, rushing into my room and putting on whatever clothes I can find. "Why didn't they wake me up?"

Still cursing the genies in my mind. I quickly grabbed my bag and a cookie before rushing out.

"Oh, Haejin. Ho-" My elderly neighbor greeted.

"Late! Can't talk!" I cut her off.

On the way, while I almost banged into several people plus a bicycle, I felt someone grab my hand and pull me into an alleyway.

"Wha..."

I trailed off when I felt myself being pulled towards a certain someone. I was lifted a little and before I could figure out what I was standing on, it started moving.

"Zelo?" I yelped, noticing his bright hair.

"Hi noona!" He greeted cheerfully without turning around."You should grab on to me if you don't want to fall."

"What are you talking a-" I trailed off with a sharp shriek when he started going faster. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his waist.

God, I bet riding the skateboard was even worse than riding the motorcycle.

"Are you bringing me to school?" I shouted over the wind.

"School?" Zelo laughed."Of course not."

My eyes widened."What? We're not going to school?"

"Nope! We're going to play!"

I paused for a moment to wait for him to say something like 'ahahaha, just kidding. I got ya didn't I?' but it never came, so that was when my panic came too.

"No! Stop right now! I need to be in school! You can't just not go to school like that!" I shouted, hitting his shoulders.

"Ah, noona. Stop hitting me! Continue and we'll both fall!" He warned.

I stopped hitting but my mouth sure didn't."Zelo-yah, come on. I mean, its okay for you since you'll be going back to your world one day but not me. Every hour counts for my future," I tried to explain it to him calmly.

"But noona, that's the point. I'll be going back one day, so I want to spend more time with you before I'm not here anymore," Zelo said with a tint of sadness.

My mouth hung open as everything in my mind went blank. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out the complete opposite of what I was thinking.

"Fine."

"Really?" Zelo's voice brightened.

"Yeah," I replied bitterly. There goes an important period of chemistry.

"You're the best, noona!" He shouted, attracting some passersby’s attraction.

"By the way, why didn't you guys wake me up?" I asked.

"We did, but you were snoring like a pig so we decided to just let you continue to be a pig."

I slapped his shoulder hard."You really want to die don't you?"

Zelo laughed."Noona, we genies don't die. You do."

My eyes twitched. This brat. I slapped him another time on the head.

"Woah." The skateboard we were on went a little unstable and I immediately grabbed on tightly to Zelo.

"See noona. That's what happens when you don't stop when I've already told you to," He said with a voice full of authority.

I rolled my eyes and directed him to look in front."You watch where you're going. If I get a single cut, I'm coming to find you."

Zelo kept quiet then and slowly rode his skateboard.

"Where are we going anyway?" I questioned.

"A funfair."

"At where?"

"Mangwondong." [a/n: made this up -.-]

"Bwoh?! That's like a few kilometers away!" I shouted, flabbergasted.

Zelo, who was caught off guard by my voice, swerved to the side and almost hit a lamp post. "Noona! Watch with the volume!"

***

"I can't believe you really made it all the way here."

"It wasn't that far actually," Zelo shrugged like it was no big deal."Okay, so now let's go play!"

He pointed towards the entrance, eyes glimmering. I laughed and followed after him.

"What do you want to go on first, noona?" Zelo asked.

"How about the merry-go-round?"

Zelo looked at me bored but then agreed."Let's sit on the pony together."

"We can't! It's too small!"

"No it's not!" Zelo said and tried to prove it.

He made me climb up and he climbed up behind me. Although it fitted perfectly, the person in charge came up to us.

"I'm sorry but only one is allowed on each seat."

Zelo pouted and gave the woman a puppy look.

Yeah, I totally know that look.

"Just this once, please?" He begged.

Immediately, the lady gave in. The ride started and I swore the machine was having a hard time lifting the two of us.

"I think you're the problem noona. Last time I checked, I was only 55kg."

I scowled and smacked his arm. When the ride ended, we decided to go try the carnival games.

"Wah! Look at that stuffed bunny!" I grinned, pulling Zelo towards the 'shoot-a-duck' store.

Zelo then proceeded in playing the game. It was either he was really good at it or he was using magic, because he shot every one of them down, earning the bunny that I was just spazzing over.

"For you, noona," Zelo said, handing me the bunny.

I could see a hint of red on his cheeks and found it extremely adorable.

"You sure you want me to have it?" I asked, thinking this was so unZelo like.

He nodded."I played just so I can get you the bunny."

"Aww, that's so kind of you. Thank you, Zelo," I said genuinely, ruffling his hair.

He gave a bashful smile and shrugged. After that, he continued to play and won me many other stuffed toys.

"I don't think I can carry so much," I said when I felt my hands stuffed full with plushies.

"Here, I'll help you carry the monkey," He said and took the monkey from me. He slung it behind his back, putting its long arms in front like he's piggybacking that thing.

While we were munching on the blue and pink candy floss, I noticed that the people were getting lesser.

"What time is it now?" I asked Zelo.

He looked up at the sky, examined it for a little while before answering."Somewhere between 6.30 to 7."

"It's that late already? Should we go home then?"

Zelo frowned."But it's still so early. Let's stay here a little longer."

"But we still need to get the others dinner."

"Nah, I'm sure Yongguk hyung will settle it for them."

I looked at him uncertainly and then agreed."Just for a little while more."

But I should have known better if it was Zelo we're talking about. To him, a little while more means staying all the way to closing time.

"Last ride noona! I promise!" Zelo pleaded.

I sighed. "Last one, if not I'm dragging you home."

Zelo nodded enthusiastically and pulled me towards the Ferris wheel. We got into the small cabin and sat opposite each other.

There was a moment of silence, and while I was looking at the people from below, a question popped up in my head.

"Zelo, do genies die?" I asked out of the blue.

Zelo turned to me and nodded. "Of course we do."

My eyes widened."Really?"

"When we get into an accident of have cancer, we die."

My eyes narrowed."So you don't die of old age?"

"Nope."

I sighed and started envying how great it would be to be an immortal when Zelo broke the silence.

"But I almost died before."

I looked up at Zelo and saw him looking out the small window. His once joyful face was replaced with one that I've never seen him have before. He seemed sad, in pain, but it's the seriousness in him that's scaring me.

"Once when I was 12, I almost died if had not Yongguk and Daehyun rescued me," He explained.

I was about to ask why when he continued himself.

"This group of men, they were after me because I stole from them."

I gasped."Stole? You steal, Zelo?"

Zelo smiled bitterly."In the past, I did. It wasn’t much of a choice. I was poor and had no one, so the only thing I could do was steal to keep me alive."

My heart ached for the poor boy in front of me. I didn't know Zelo had it so bad for him in the past.

"You know what my real name is, noona?" He asked.

"Isn't it Zelo?"

Zelo shook his head."Of course not. That's just the name I gave myself."

I kept quiet and seeing that Zelo wasn't continuing on his own accord, I broke the deathly silence between us."Then what is your real name?"

"Junhong. Choi Junhong."

"That's a nice name. Why do you want to change it to?"

"Because Junhong was the guy with the bad past. The one who was so poor, so pathetic, the one who steals. I didn't want to be that guy anymore..."

"So you changed your name," I finished his sentence.

I could see tears forming in his eyes as he was trying to hold back a sob. I didn't know what to do. Maybe for others yeah, but it's Zelo we're talking about here. The guy who was always that...sunny.

"Zelo's a happy guy, and that's what I'm going to be. I swore to myself that I'd never go back to what I am in the past, so I changed."

"But is Zelo really who you are?"

"Yes, it is. Not fully, but at least Zelo is the better part of me."

"Are you happy this way, Zelo?"

Zelo swallowed hard and nodded."Yeah."

I felt my own tears form when I saw Zelo drop his head and a tear landed on the monkey's face.

And all this time, the Zelo with the bright smile and optimistic personality was an act so that he won't have to face his dark past again. For a young guy, to know how much he went through and how much he's putting up with, is really heart wrenching

When Zelo did look up, I almost wanted to wrap him in my arms and never let him go. With a bright smile plastered on his face now, he shook his head.

"Noona, promise me you won't tell anyone my real name."

I nodded."I promise."

"Good, because only Yongguk and Daehyun hyung knows this too."

"Do you not like being called by your real name?"

Zelo looked up at me startled."Not that...well, it just brings back bad memories."

"But you can make it good."

Zelo looked at me in a manner that only Daehyun could muster.

"I mean, you can create new memories with your name. Erase away the bad ones and replace it with better ones, like what you and I did today. And instead of remembering it as Zelo, you can remember yourself as Junhong."

Zelo winced when he heard his name escape my lips, and for a moment there I thought it was a bad move to try to talk him into using his name but he just lowered his head.

"Maybe not now. I'm still not ready," He whispered.

The Ferris wheel came to a stop and I knew our time was up. And I know that once we were out of this cabin, he'd want everything to be forgotten, so before we stepped out, I took his hand in mine and gave it a light squeeze.

"Then only when you're ready," I said to him.

He blinked, a smile tugging at his lips and nodded."Thanks noona. I'm so glad I got to know you."

"I'm glad I got to know you too." I smiled back.

***

"We still need to go home tomorrow, don't we?" Zelo asked as I opened the door to my house.

"Of course we do."

As we walked in, we saw Jongup sitting on the couch. He was staring at the television screen, not bothering to greet us which was weird. He always does.

"Jongup hyung. I went with noona to a funfair today. It was really fun. Next time we should go together. Okay, I'll go bathe and sleep now," Zelo rattled on and skipped into the bathroom.

I chuckled at his change of attitude and set down the stuffed toys on the kitchen table.

"Jongup, you should go sleep too. There's school tomorrow," I reminded, standing behind him.

When he didn't reply I reached out and place my hands on his shoulders but almost immediately, he shrugged it off and stood up, walking into the room.

I frowned, thinking how odd he was being. But shrugging it off, I off the television and went to get myself ready for bed.

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long awaited chapter, i sneaked up just so i can post this stuff so hope you guys liked it!