He stands up, practically pushing you away from him in a panic, and starts fixing the sleeves of his shirt. "I have to go," he says shortly, his breath coming out in a rasp.

"Kai," you say, although you don't know why you say it, because it's not like it's going to help him. He just shakes his head at you, and with one last regretful look, turns around and jogs away from the pond. You watch him disappear around the corner of the building before you stare at your hands, thinking about everything that's just happened.

You feel bad for Kai, although you doubt that's what he'd want you to feel. Just when things seem to be going good for him, life has to step in and ruin his day. Always. Always. Maybe that's why Kai's personality is so unpredictable; because that's the kind of life he's used to living.

Will his dad be okay? You know for a fact that Kai dislikes his dad. But he can't completely hate him. If he did, he wouldn't have had that look of fearful desperation in his eyes right before he left. If he honestly didn't care about his dad, he wouldn't have gone running after him like he did. Maybe they're both really bad at showing their feelings. It's tough love, you suppose.

Staring at the empty bench, you trace the nerves of wood on the seat and try to memorize the moment you had shared. His face had been so close, yet his mind had been so unreachable. You shake your head. You can't think about those things right now. It would be too selfish. You should focus on hoping that Kai's dad ... that Kai's dad is okay.

You stand up, banishing those thoughts from invading your mind, and head for the dorms. You realize that you don't spend a lot of time there, so you suppose you might as well go. Using your student ID to enter the building, you take the stairs and approach the second floor. The hallway is quiet, and some doors are open to reveal girls lazily sprawling on their beds, listening to music or reading books. You enter your room and collapse on your own bed. A stack of homework sits on your desk, and you barely give it a glance before you curl up and take a light nap.

You wake up with a jolt. From the dim light that intrudes your room, you guess that it's already evening, and your stomach tells you that you've missed dinner. You grab your phone to look at the time and realize that it's 9pm. Surprised at how easy it had been to nap for so long, you push the covers that had somehow become tangled with your legs and rush out of your room, almost bumping right into Hyunsoo in the hallway.

"Sorry," you mutter, still a bit sleepy. She reaches out to steady you, and you give her a grateful look. Although you're sure that your hair doesn't look particularly attractive, you run a hand through it anyway. You look down at the paper bag in her arms and smell the distinct scent of food. "Is that dinner?"

"It's ... leftovers," she says, eyeing you. "You skipped dinner, didn't you?"

"Can I have it?" You ask her. She barely gives a tiny nod before you take the bag and pry it open. The smell of french fries greets you, and without a second thought, you grab a couple of pieces and toss it into your mouth. 

"Sorry," you say through a mouthful. "That was rude."

"You're hungry," she comments dryly. She looks past your shoulder and into your room. "Can I go in?"

"Oh. Yeah," you say, moving aside to make space. You follow her into your room, making sure to close the door behind you. She sits on your desk chair, crossing her legs on the comfy seat, and throws her head back tiredly. "What's up?" You ask her as you settle on your bed, the paper bag of food positioned between your knees. French fries have never looked or tasted so good.

"Nothing. I was just bored," she shrugs, looking around your room. "It's a mess in here. Is it always a mess?"

"Only on Mondays," you say, and she laughs. You observe the sad trace in her movements and ask, "You sure you okay?"

"Am I see-through?"

You bite off an end of an unfortunate french fry. "Maybe a little."

"I'm fine. For real," she insists after seeing your doubtful look. "Just tired. Oh. So I have news for you."

"Is it about Kai?"

She seems taken aback by this. "Wait. Kai's dad, you mean? How do you know about that?"

"I was with him," you say, focusing on your french fries. "When he got the call."

"That's horrible," she states, staring at you. "You ... oh, my gosh. I wish ... geez, he won't even let me see him. I texted him, asked him if his dad is okay, but he just replied, 'quit bugging me', and he won't answer my calls. I swear, that guy ... " She trails off and shakes her head, but there is a slight smile on her lips as she thinks about his boyish actions.

A moment of comfortable silence passes between you two before you ask, "You guys really are close, huh?"

"He's like my bro," she says, throwing a random thumbs-up sign. "I love that kid. But he's a pain in the ."

You snort at this, but you can't necessarily disagree. "So how's it on your side?"

"What?"

"You know, after the strike."

"Oh." She scratches her head. "I don't know. Better, I guess. My dad is doing his best. But at least he didn't get a heart attack over the stress. I'm glad about that."

You reach a hand into the paper bag but find that it's completely empty. Had you finished it that fast? "You think he'll be okay? Kai's dad?" You question her. Hyunsoo just gives you a tight-lipped smile, not bothering to sugar-coat the situation.

"I just hope that whatever happens, Kai will still be okay," she says honestly. She takes a deep breath and, intent on not getting sentimental, she forces her voice to become quirky and says, "I met that girl ... the person they mentioned in the article? The one that goes to our school? I found out who it is."

"Yeah?" You say, curious as you crumple the paper bag and aim for your trash can. It bounces off the rim and pathetically flops to the ground. "Who is it?"

"Her name is Miyoung," she says, a pondering gaze entering her eyes. "She's in some of my classes. I just never really knew how big of a hotshot she was. I hear she's some kind of idol wannabe."

You think of Kai as she says this, and not wanting to be discouraged by the potential future, you reply, "Is she nice?"

"I don't know. Didn't really talk to her," she confesses. "But, I guess, for a top girl, she's nice." She taps a rhythm on her knee, playing the beat to a song you don't recognize, before getting up abruptly. "So ... I'm gonna go start on my project for school."

"Okay," you say, watching her as she heads for the door. "Thanks for the fries!"

"No prob," she grins, pulling the door closed as she leaves. A new quietness permeates the room, and you look around you, trying to figure out what to do to disperse the boredom you feel. Homework? Nah. You don't really feel like it. It's either that or sleep, but since you've only just woken up, you decide that's not an option at all. It comes down to homework, and while you don't want to complete it, you force yourself to open your textbooks. 

About an hour or two passes before you finally finish the necessary schoolwork. You push the curtains aside to peer out your window, but the light of the moon is too dim for you to visibly identify things outside. Should you take a walk around the campus? There is an hour left until curfew. You might as well try to organize the thoughts in your mind by strolling the grounds aimlessly.

You're about to grab a scarf from your closet when the ringtone of your phone pierces the air. You're so startled that you involuntary jump, and after gathering your bearings, you grab your phone off the bed and answer the call without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" You answer as you slip your feet into some flats.

"Can you come down?" A low, husky voice asks. It's Kai. With your heart beating too hard for you to control, you run out of the room like your life depends on it.

"Come down where?" You ask, although you're already pounding down the stairs in an unconventionally loud manner.

"Just come outside," he says. "I'm right here."

"What, you couldn't throw rocks at my window?" You tease as you almost slip across the tile flooring.

"Just come out already," he says, and you can hear the evident tone of nonchalance in his voice. Giving up on being playful, you hang up just as you exit the building.

Kai is standing outside like he said he would be. He's still wearing the same clothes you had seen him in earlier, although now his hair really is a mess, and his suit no longer looks straight and prim. Seeing you, his eyes light up underneath the glow of that hazy moon, and he smiles, a wonderfully sad smile that makes you stop in your tracks with its dolefulness. 

"Did I wake you up?" He asks you, stepping forward to make up for the difference of space you hadn't had the ability to overcome.

"No," you say, honestly considering his answer for a few seconds. "I've been awake. I couldn't sleep."

"I get that," he responds quietly, and you know that his understanding of your statement is entirely different from how you're interpreting it. "You're not busy, are you?"

"Not really." You blink. "How's your ... dad?"

"Can you do something for me?" He turns on you, his voice and eyes pleading. "Just tonight. Let's go somewhere. And do something. We can do whatever you want. But just for tonight, can you forget about how my dad is doing, or about how I'm doing, and can we just do things that don't really matter? Can you do that?" He searches your face, wanting - no, needing - a sincere response. You in a breath and gradually give him a nod.

"Okay, Kai," you reply softly. "Okay. I can do that."