"You moved my car?" Someone asks. You look up to see Hyunsoo jogging up to you, a huge grin on her face. She grabs the keys from your hands, and you stare a bit forlornly at your empty palm before clenching it into a fist.

"I didn't. Kai did," you say, watching her freeze as you say this.

"You're kidding," she says, searching your eyes for a lie.

You're utterly confused. "No? He was right here, and then he ... left," you finish lamely.

She blinks as you say this, as if Kai helping anybody out is a marvel in itself. "Huh. Well then. I guess I'll have to give him something later." She shrugs and tosses a pile of notebooks into the back of her car before slamming the door shut. "I'm heading out. You got anywhere to go? I can drop you off." 

But something is bugging you. Maybe it's because of how she had mentioned Kai earlier, like they're on close terms. Or maybe it's how she always calls him her business partner, but denies all other speculations. Or maybe it's how she had looked at you just then, like she couldn't quite believe that Kai would do something for someone like you.

"Hyunsoo," you speak up, before you lose her nerve. "How well do you know Kai?"

"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" She asks as she leans against her car. You open your mouth to reply, but she hurries on, "Not that I mind, I just ... I mean, he's my 'business partner'."

"You said that," you protest, wanting more information. "But like, how did you ... get to that point?"

"Oh." She considers this, and after a moment, she shrugs. "I don't know. It just happened. I mean, we're friends ... we have this thing, you know? I went to preschool with him, and we always have this thing we say to each other. DBD."

"DBD?" You ask. What does this have to do with anything?

"'Don't be dumb'," she quotes, laughing. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about my liking him," she adds, making you blush as you realize that she's seen right into your ulterior motives. "We're friends, but we're not that close. And he's cute, but ... I already like someone else. And anyway, I'm not going to like a guy who's my neighbor."

This catches you off guard, and you wonder, "He's your neighbor?"

"Yeah," she replies, looking confused. "I thought you knew that."

Now you do, and you have to admit you're pretty jealous.

"Well anyway, I need to get going. You sure you don't want a ride to somewhere?" 

"You said you were in a hurry, right? I'm fine," you respond, waving her offer away. 

"Suit yourself," she says, and with that she enters her car and starts up the ignition. Her vehicle quietly hums as she pulls out of the lot, and you watch her until she's out of your sight.

Sighing, you adjust the strap of your shoulder bag and cross your arms as you turn away and start walking toward the sidewalk. You might as well go to the dorms. Your day has been completely sidetracked because of what's just happened, and you don't think you can focus on homework, but you don't think you have a present state of mind to do anything other than that, either. You're taking a step forward, and another step, when you hear the low rumble of another car come to life.

You turn around only to satisfy your curiosity, and really, you hadn't expected to see Kai, but he's sitting in the driver's seat of his car with the door wide open, fiddling with his radio. You hesitate a bit before approaching him, but when your shadow falls across his view, he doesn't look up.

"You're back? I thought you left," you say, remembering his calm exit just a few minutes before.

"I can't leave without my car," he says, as if you're entirely too stupid. He plays with the controls on his radio once more, the music shifting from pop to hip-hop to rock, until he finally looks up, a seemingly bored expression on his face. "You need a ride?"

You stare at the leather seats and impeccably clean windows and shake your head. "Uh, no thanks."

"You're going home, right?" He asks.

"The dorms are nearby," you point out.

"So is the city, but you don't see anyone walking to get there," he smirks, sending a chill up your spine with that mischievous look. You stare at his car a bit more and wonder if you'll stain it, somehow. Will you ruin those perfect seats and smudge a window just by sitting there? It looks way too untouched. It's his car, but it's as if he never uses it. Maybe he just likes to keep things pristine. There's something in the loud organization of his car that completely contradicts his school conduct, and you can't help but wonder why that is. "Just get in," he says, getting out of his car to walk all the way over to the passenger's side and open the door for you. You stall for a bit, standing there as he stares at you, his gaze unmoving. You finally give in and slip into the passenger's side, and afterwards he slams the door shut behind you and moves to sit behind the wheel. 

"So where to?" He asks as he starts pulling out of the parking lot. Your heart is beating rapidly in your chest. You've never been in such a fancy car alone with a guy as reckless as him. It's entirely new and exciting, but at the same time, the unpredictable scares you as much as it intrigues you.

You start to suggest places you could visit, but after a while you sit back and stay quiet, content with letting him drive you around the streets. The radio is on, but the music is played low, so you're faced with a tight silence that you struggle to fill. Would it be weird to say something? Would he even reply? Kai just doesn't seem like the type to make mindless, pointless conversation. Maybe he's content with the silence. So should you just not say anything?

Just then his phone rings, interrupting your thoughts, and Kai brings it to his ear as he turns the wheel. "Hello?" He calls. You watch his face change from a blank expression to one of annoyance. Who could be on the other end? He doesn't say any more words and just listens to his phone, and after a few seconds, he hangs up and throws the phone behind him. It lands on the backseat.

"I have to make a detour real quick," he tells you, getting straight to the point. You nod, and he takes an abrupt left turn. You look out the window and realize that you've entered the business district of this rich city and gape at the skyscrapers that loom over you as you whizz by them. People pass you in a mass of unidentifiable blurs, and you squint, trying to make things out as Kai turns the car there, here, there, here, until he finally stops.

"Stay inside," he demands as he unlocks the car, and you realize that you're in some sort of parking garage. Cars similar to Kai's in terms of style and price are parked on either side of you. Hearing his set of keys jangle, you turn to watch Kai turn off the ignition and open his door. He's only just put one foot outside when someone, whose face is blocked because of Kai, comes and greets him.

"You came here quicker than I expected," this stranger says. You your head to get a peek, but all you see is a man in a black, formal blazer and a white button-down shirt with a blood red tie. 

"I thought you said to meet you at the reception desk," Kai says. His tone is different. It sounds ... threatened, and yet, so respectful to whom he is speaking. Exactly who is his conversation partner?

"Well, come on, we can't keep them waiting," the man replies, and Kai gives you a quick glance. You understand what he says in that look - that you shouldn't move, that you shouldn't speak - but before you can turn away, Kai shifts just enough that you lock eyes with the stranger.

"Who's our guest?" The man asks. He has a wizened face, and hints of wrinkles line his eyes and mouth. He greets you with a tight smile and holds out his hand with a business-like manner. Kai stutters to respond, but the man just leans into the car and introduces himself, saying evenly, "Hello. I'm Kai's dad."