“Yonni-ah, your milk is turning into cheese!”

At Kyuhyun’s words, Yonni, who was nodding off over breakfast, sat up with a jolt. Stifling a big yawn, Yonni stretched lazily before slouching back down in her chair, eyeing her glass of milk wearily.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Sungmin asked worriedly as he sat up in his seat, leaning forward with a frown creasing his brows. Yonni hurriedly shook her head and brought her glass of milk up to her lips, giving him a big smile after she took a huge gulp.

“I’m just tired,”

She explained as she emptied her glass in her second gulp, vaguely aware of the fact that Sungmin seemed perplexed by her reply. He had every reason to. Being in the same class with her, he knew that they didn’t have a heavy workload from school recently.

So what was Yonni working so hard on? The finals?

Staring woefully at the sleepy girl, Sungmin was worried about Yonni wearing herself out. For these two weeks, when he got up to go to the washroom in the middle of the night, there would still be light coming from underneath her door.  Many a times he wanted to knock on her door, but had backed down for fear of disturbing her.

On the other side of the dining table, Yonni’s lately tiredness did not go unnoticed by Kyuhyun either. However, knowing her previous instances of being afflicted with her recurring nightmares, the seemingly uncaring boy was secretly worried that that might have been the reason behind her exhaustion.

And I didn’t even have the chance to talk to Heechul hyung about it because he was hardly at home…

With an audible sigh, Kyuhyun grabbed a buttered toast and placed it gently on Yonni’s empty plate, urging her to finish her breakfast. Heechul had been busy with his university assignments and band practices lately, and was hardly at home. By the time he came home, the rest of them would have already retired for the night. When the three of them woke up, the older boy would still be sleeping.

Unknowing of the worries her two housemates had for her, Yonni started nibbling on the toast which Kyuhyun had passed to her half-heartedly. Sleep was not coming to her much for the past two weeks. A certain boy was invading her thoughts throughout the day. Leeteuk had been very busy with school lately, and all his free time was being taken up by Heechul, who was holding band practices with him in their free time. This meant that he did not have much time to rest, let alone meet up with Yonni.

Why must Heechul oppa still hold his stupid band practices when their school work is already so busy?
 

Yonni was grudgingly glaring at Heechul’s room-door, silently cursing him for taking up her time with Leeteuk. Sungmin saw her intense stare and misunderstood her intentions to be that she was missing her brother.

“Yonni –ah, if you miss Heechul hyung, you can always go to his college to look for him. There’s no need to lose sleep over it, is there?”

She was about to reply that she was not missing Heechul when Yonni suddenly realized that Sungmin had just put up an excellent idea. Renewed by the fact that she had found a way to see the boy that she had been missing so dearly, she thanked Sungmin for his suggestion enthusiastically before munching her toast with more energy.

The school day couldn’t pass fast enough for the anticipating girl. She had checked with Heechul that they were indeed having a practice for that day, and would end approximately in the evening. Yonni figured that she would have enough time to rush down to his college after her councilor duties. During break time, she met up with Leejin and told her about her schedule for the day.

The girls had grown much closer as time went by, and were now having most of their break together. Leejin was rather happy when she saw the bright smile on Yonni’s face when they met. Just like Kyuhyun, she did not miss the tell-tale signs of the sleepless night her partner had from the dark rings under her eyes.

“Jinnie! What are you doing after duty later?”

“Nothing much. Probably going back to my room to study or something. Why?”

“Remember that guy that I told you about?”

“Oh, you mean the one that you couldn’t STOP telling me about?”

Yonni flashed Leejin a sheepish grin before nodding shyly. Ever since the incident at Heechul’s party, Yonni’s thoughts about Leeteuk had escalated to a whole new level. She was now constantly thinking about the gentle man, missing him when they were unable to meet up due to his busy schedule. Even in school, she could hardly stop gushing about him to Leejin, who had patiently endured her repetitive description of her heartthrob. 
 

Not wishing to dampen the Yonni’s high spirits, Leejin tried her best to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Yonni began her daily talk about Leeteuk for the 20th time for the week. Strangely, Yonni had never brought up Leeteuk’s name in her talk, referring to him as ‘Oppa’ instead. This meant that Leejin had absolutely no idea that the target of Yonni’s infatuation was none other than her own brother.
 

In fact, she had also been hearing about Yonni from Leeteuk when she went for her weekly visit on the weekends. Similarly, her brother had never brought up Yonni’s name before, preferring to denote her as ‘Teardrop’s co-owner’.
 

“So! Do you want to come with me?”
 

“What? I’m sorry, I was thin-“
 

“So you’re coming with me? In that case, I’ll see you after school okay? I have to go now! Bye!”
 

With that, Yonni skipped back to her class, leaving behind a very confused Leejin, who had been focusing on her phone and had not been listening to her partner. Sighing, Leejin slowly trudged back to her class, trying to comprehend what Yonni had made her agree to.
 

Time flew after break, and soon, the bells signaling the end of school rang. At lightning speed, Yonni grabbed her bag and shot out of the classroom before the teacher even left the classroom. Their duty for the week was to clean all the sports equipment in the sports room. Rushing through her duty, she kept prompting Leejin to hurry up, not wanting to miss the chance to finally see Leeteuk after two long weeks.
 

By the time they reached Heechul’s college, it was already 5.30pm. Worried that they might have already missed the boys, Yonni kept prancing up and down outside the school gates, stretching her neck to full extent once in a while to look up the pathway leading to the exit.

"Yonni... How long are we going to wait?"

Leejin asked as she sulkily kicked at a pebble that was lying near her foot. They had been standing at the same place for almost an hour, and whatever little patience she had was wearing thin. Yonni did not answer her question, and sent her a sad smile instead.

"I'm sorry, Jinnie. Let's just wait for a while more okay? 5 more minutes and then we will go,"

Five minutes later, there was still no sight of the boys. Finally, after casting one last forlorn look down the empty pathway before her, a terribly disappointed Yonni decided that she must have already missed Heechul and Leeteuk.

However, just as she was about to turn around and leave, she suddenly saw Heechul and Leeteuk approaching. Heechul, who was walking in the front, had a scowl on his face and was seemingly complaining to Leeteuk about something or someone who had upset him. Meanwhile, Leeteuk was simply answering him with a big smile that showed off his dimple.

Yonni's previously disappointed heart skipped a beat as her excitement escalated upon the appearance of the boy whom she had been missing so badly. Suddenly aware of the blush that was building up on her face, she sought refuge behind a bewildered Leejin, who did not understand her partner's abrupt bashfulness.

"He's here! Walking down the pathway!"

Upon Yonni's hushed words, Leejin immediately looked in the direction of the boys. However, from her position, she was unable to see Leeteuk. She could only see Heechul, who was now looking as if the whole world had stepped on his toes. Mistaking Heechul for the boy Yonni had been talking about, she turned to Yonni slowly with a horrified face.
 

Gentle? Kind? Has Yonni gone crazy?
 

“Jinnie… Can you see him?”
 

“I can see him alright… Bu-”
 

“He looks so bright and kind right?”
 

“He sure looks like a li-What?!”
 

“Look at the way he’s smiling…”
 

Whipping her head back in the direction of the boys in disbelief, Leejin studied the scowl on Heenim’s face closely, unable to comprehend the ‘smiling’ component behind it. Now totally confused, she listened to each of Yonni’s sentences with growing bewilderment.
 

“Look at his dimples! They really complement his face don’t they?”
 

His dimples? It’s actually kind of scary when your dimples are showing with a scowl that big…
 

“Oh! And the way he’s flipping his fringe! Just like those models we see on the television! Aigoo… Oppa should go and be a celebrity!”
 

Not unless it’s female models we’re talking about! The way he move his fringe with his fingers… So… Delicate…
 

“And his eyes! Look at the energy in them! So bright!”
 

That look… It’ll burn through even the Sun… Where have I seen that look before? Oh right, in a Spanish fighting bull when they are just about to charge…
 

“Aigoo… He must be the kindest and most gentle looking creature on Earth!”
 

Did the lack of sleep drive her crazy? Kind and gentle? That man would make a tiger look like a kitten!
 

Having decided that Yonni was blabbering nonsense from her lack of rest, Leejin was just about to usher her home as gently as possible when she suddenly spot a second figure behind the boy that he had been observing.
 

A figure that she was very familiar with.
 

Jungsoo oppa?!
 

“Heechul oppa! Leeteuk oppa!”
 

Yonni called out enthusiastically as she started pulling Leejin towards the boys, who had by then reached the gates. Upon hearing Yonni’s voice, the scowl on Heechul’s face was replaced by a look of surprise when he heard his sister calling out to him.
 

“Yonni? What are you doing here?”
 

“Because I missed you! I’ve haven’t seen you in a long time even though we’re living in the same house!”
 

Running up to them, Yonni pounced onto Heechul as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, whining like a little child. Leeteuk smiled at her before side-stepping a little, wanting to give the pair of siblings a little private space.
 

However, he froze when his eyes fell onto the person who was previously standing with Yonni, who was none other than his own sister, Leejin. He was just about to call out to her when instincts suddenly took over. The pair of siblings had never acknowledged their relationship openly ever since the incident which had drove them to the city.
 

Clearing , Leejin walked up to him as casually as possible, sharing his thoughts on not wanting others to know their relationship unless necessary. Heechul, who had by then broken out of Yonni’s embrace, was messing up the hair of his sister affectionately, while throwing strings of scolding at her for displaying such intimacy openly.
 

“What should I do if others mistake you to be my girlfriend?!”
 

“Then I’ll commit suicide! Being your girlfriend would be worse than death!”
 

“Yah! Michyeosseo? Do you want to die?”
 

“Oppa… I know you won’t bear to kill me!”
 

“You litt-“
 

“Leeteuk oppa! Was my oppa bullying you just now? I saw him losing his temper just now!”

“Yah! An Yonni! Are you insinuating that I have a bad temper?”
 

“Aigoo oppa, I thought you would never ever realise it!”
 

“YAH! For your information, I was teaching your Leeteuk oppa how to perform better!”
 

“I don’t believe you! You looked as if you were going to eat him up!”
 

“MWO?!”
 

“Aniya! Heechul was just telling me I should focus on the guitar more and not the audience!”
 

“Ne! You should have seen the way he was flirting with the mirror just now! It’s almost as if he was falling in love with his reflection!”
 

“That’s something I see going on every day when you are in the bathroom, oppa…”
 

“AN YONNI! YOU’RE DEAD MEAT!”
 

“ARHHHH!!! LEETEUK OPPA! SAVE ME!”
 

With a shriek, Yonni dived down behind Leeteuk, using the older boy as a shield as Heechul tried to grab at her. Laughing, Leeteuk allowed himself to be used as he stretched out his arms to the sides, blocking Heechul’s attempt to reach behind him. Eventually, Yonni gave up in hiding behind Leeteuk and dashed to Leejin’s side, pushing the girl towards Heechul.
 

“Yah! Babo-ni what are you doin- Oh! Annyeonghasaeyo, I am Leejin,”
 

Suddenly pushed directly in front of Heechul, Leejin hurriedly bowed as she greeted Yonni’s brother formally. The latter returned the bow and gave up his pursuit as he glanced casually at Leejin from head to toe.
 

“Oh! You’re the one that had been suffering because of my babo sister?”

Sister? So Yonni wasn’t referring to him just now? Phew... What a relief...

Leejin had to physically cover to keep the sigh of relief from escaping. Her relief did not last long though. With a jolt, she suddenly realised that if Yonni wasn’t talking about Heechul previously...    

The person that Yonni like is... MY OPPA?!

“Heechul oppa! How can you say that to Jinnie?!”

“Wae? What did I say wrong?”

Sticking out her tongue at Heechul like a little child, Yonni pulled Leejin away and pushed her in front of Leeteuk, who had an awkward smile on his face from trying to act as though he had never seen Leejin before in his whole life.

“And Leejin, this is Leeteuk oppa! Leeteuk oppa, this is my best friend, Leejin!”

“Ann-Annyeonghasaeyo, I am Leeteuk. Pleased to have met you.”

“Ne, Annyeonghasaeyo, I am Leejin.”

“Leeteuk oppa, you look really tired... Oppa! How can you overwork Leeteuk oppa? Look at how tired he looks!”

“Yah, An Yonni! Are you really my sister? He’s not the only one who is tired! I’m tired too!”

“You still have the energy to reprimand us...”

“Mwo?! Why you lit-”

“I’m sorry, but I have to make a move first.”

“What? Jinnie, you are going off so soon?”

“Ne, I still have piles of homework to complete. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”

“Okay... Be safe!”

Throwing out an excuse, Leejin then took her leave, leaving Yonni behind with the two boys. She was still recovering from the shock of seeing her brother, not to mention the shock from realising the person whom Yonni had a crush on was none other than her own brother.

Strangely, the person whom she was describing seemed alien... What happened to oppa’s resoluteness and childishness? Mwahaha...

Just as soon as Leejin left, Heechul suddenly recalled that he had left his drumsticks in the music room. Rushing off to get them before someone took them, Heechul then asked Leeteuk and Yonni to move on ahead without him. Thus, the pair went home without anyone to play gooseberry.

Happy that she was now alone with the man that she had missed so dearly, Yonni could hardly contain her excitement. Her head was already full of the things that she wanted to chat with Leeteuk. However, they had barely moved away from the gate when Leeteuk heard something that almost made him jump out of his skin.

 “Park Jungsoo!"

Leeteuk's heart skipped a beat when he heard those three words, though it wasn't long before he stopped using this name. Unknowingly, his feet came to a stop and he simply stood rooted to the ground.

Then, silence followed.

I must be hearing things...

"Oppa, what's wrong?"

A curious Yonni asked when she realised Leeteuk had stopped walking. Giving her a small smile, he was about to answer her that everything was fine when the voice called out to him again

"Park Jungsoo!"

Now certain that it was not his imagination, he whipped around in shock. Standing behind them were three other guys, faces whom which he knew all too well. His body naturally stiffened up when he saw the sneering looks on their faces.

"Park Jungsoo! It's really you! Hey, look guys! It's really him! For a moment I thought I was seeing things."

"I think you guys got the wrong person. That's not oppa's name!"

Yonni smiled politely as she gestured towards the silent Leeteuk. She had caught on Leeteuk's awkwardness almost immediately, and attributed it to the reason that these guys had mistaken him for another. She was taken aback when the three guys burst out laughing at her.

"What? ’That's not oppa's name!'? Yah, Park Jungsoo! Are you at it again?"

"Yonni, let's go."

Leeteuk muttered as he gently grabbed Yonni's hand and started moving forward, not wishing for her to see the ugliness of what was to transpire. Pleasantly surprised by their physical contact, Yonni followed his lead without any objections. However, as soon as they started moving, the other three guys closed in on them.

"Where are you going? Afraid I will tear down your mask in front of this little sweetie?"

"Get lost! I have nothing to say to you."

Body stiffening up even more, Leeteuk unknowingly tightened his grip on Yonni's hand as he tried to maintain the slippery leash he had over his temper. Surprised by the vigor by which he was holding on to her hand, Yonni turned her head and looked at him curiously.

Why is oppa being so uptight?

"Nothing to say to us? But we have a lot of things to say to you. To this young lady, in fact."

At this, Leeteuk instinctively pulled Yonni closer to himself as he glared at the trio, daring them to come any closer. The young girl was feeling very confused as she tried to catch on the conversation between the boys.

"Oppa, what's going on? Who are these people?"

"They are nobody. Let's go."

"Now now! How can you call us that after you were the one that reduced us to that state?"

"Chief, you can't blame him! His father was the bastard! He’s just a son of a bastard!"

“Don’t forget son of a too!”

"Yah!"

"You will be thanking me later, little missy. There's no need to be so fierce."

The three man burst out laughing as Yonni looked at over to Leeteuk with a small pout on her face, unhappy that Leeteuk was not saying anything despite the insults that the other three had thrown at him.

They are calling you names, oppa! Why aren't you saying anything?

It was difficult to read the expression on his face as he merely looked into the distance. It was as if none of the disturbing names the three guys were calling him were getting to him. The three guys took the chance to further humiliate Leeteuk.

"So hyung, how did you end up here?"

"Ne! How did you end up here when none of the colleges in our town wanted to take you in?"

Oppa's been rejected by the colleges in his town? Oppa's grades ain't that bad!

Staring wearily at the silent boy, Yonni couldn't understand why he was keeping mum when they kept talking about him in this way. On the other hand, Leeteuk was trying his best to keep his cool.

Park Jungsoo! Don't you dare lose your temper! You've been through this before! You're now grown up! You will not use violence to settle things!

"Hyung, why aren't you answering my ques- Oh! I get it... It's better to keep mum about bribery, no?"

"Myungyok-ah! Don't be ridiculous! He's poorer than a church mouse now! Where would he get the money from?"

"Chief! He has got our money! Even if he has already used up all those money, he can cheat to get more! Fraud is in his blood, remember?"

Oppa's a cheat? What on earth is going on?!

"Oh yes, of course. Con-man. A con-man is what he is! Scum!"

The leader of the trio had slowly approached them while speaking in a taunting manner. Upon his last word, he had intentionally placed his face close to Leeteuk's, smiling sneeringly. An unexplainable anger started boiling in Yonni. She did not like the way the three boys were ridiculing Leeteuk, feeling pained for her Oppa's who was still holding on tightly to his tongue.

"Step away from Leeteuk oppa! There's no need to come so close!"

Slipping her hand away from Leeteuk's, Yonni instructed in the most authoritative tone she can as she placed herself between the two boys. Leeteuk was very surprised to see Yonni speaking in such a hostile manner. He did not know such a kind girl was capable of summoning enough courage to stand up to three guys who were at least a head taller than she was.

"If I was a girl, I would stay far away from him, sweetie. He's not whatever he told you he is."

"And if I were you, I would hide in a corner and bawl my eyes out for being such a wimp. Only losers like you would gang up against one person. Most probably you're jealous of Leeteuk oppa and are too afraid to look him up on your own."

"What did you just call him? Leeteuk oppa? Jungsoo hyung, is that the name which you have taken up now?"

"And how many times must I tell you? He's not the Jungsoo that you sp-"

"Little missy. Shut the hell up."

"Mwo?! Wh- Why are you being so ru-"

"Seriously, dolly-face. I know things about your Jungs- Leeteuk oppa that will chill your blood. What? You think he's an angel?"

"At least he's not a crook like you!"

"He would be if crookery runs in the blood,"

"Nonsense. I'm sure Leeteuk oppa's family is just as nice as he is."

"Oh really? Jungsoo hyung, you really act well. Must have inherited it from your father."

"Oppa, was your dad an actor?"

"His fath-"

"PAEK JANG-HUN!"

Leeteuk's sudden outburst caused everyone to jump a little. A curious Yonni watched on as the leader of the gang, Paek Janghun, faced off Leeteuk with defiance written clearly all over his face. The veins on Leeteuk's temple were throbbing visibly as the enraged boy tried his best to control his volatile temper.

Cool down, Park Jungsoo. Chill... You're going to scare Yonni if you lose your temper.

"Oppa?"

Yonni's tiny voice broke into the silence. There was a little hint of fear written on her face as she unknowingly took a small step away from Leeteuk. She had been shocked by Leeteuk's outburst, never having seen the gentle boy shout at anyone before.

"Awww... The little girl is frightened by you, hyung... Your little facade is breaking."

Biting his lips hard, Leeteuk forced himself to swallow the anger that was boiling in his heart. He had been through these situations too many times to know that arguing back was just going to make matters worse.

However, the three guys weren't ready to let the matter go just yet. Sharing a conspirator's grin, they surrounded Leeteuk and Yonni and separated the pair by standing in between them.

"Dolly-face, I'm in a giving mood today, so I shall do a good deed and pull off his mask for you."

Unable to comprehend the meanings behind the leader’s words, a very confused Yonni looked to Leeteuk for some explanation. However, the latter was simply looking down at his feet silently.

"Don't bother to look at him. He's too ashamed to say anything."

“My chief is right. His whole family should burn in hell for all the things that they have done!”

What have oppa done? Why do they make it sound like he had committed a dreadful crime?

"Park Jungsoo, you thought by escaping to the city, you can then run away from the sin of destroying so many of our families? It is something that will follow you for your whole life!"

"My chief is right! You are nothing but a stain in this world! An unwanted presence!"

Don’t call oppa a stain… It hurts… It really hurts…

Yonni’s own heart was starting to ache as the pain brought about by the insults they were throwing at Leeteuk got to her. The situation had reminded her of the bullying that she had received in the town elementary school for being an orphan outsider.

I'm an unwanted presence... An ugly stain in the world...

Each of their words were stabbing deep into Leeteuk's heart, reopening old wounds that he thought had long healed as he kept his head down. Fighting hard to keep his tears from falling, he bit down even harder on his now trembling lips, tasting iron in his mouth when his teeth broke through his skin.

Oppa… What did oppa do? Why are all these people being so mean to him?

Being a sensitive girl, she had noticed the mini shudders wrecking Leeteuk’s body as he tried to keep his sobs from escaping. She had tried to move closer to the boy to try to comfort him, but the three boys had cut her access off by standing in between them.

"If I were him, I would have committed suicide to spare myself the embarrassment. But apparently, he's too cowardly to even kill himself."

“My chief is right! Park Jungsoo is a cowa-“

“STOP IT!”

Everyone except Leeteuk stopped in their insults and looked at Yonni, who had bellowed at the top of her voice to make them stop. Tears b in her eyes, she had tried her best to puff up her chest to look as intimidating as possible.

“The three of you ought to be ashamed of yourself! Ganging up against the two of us! You are nothing but sissies! Bullies who are only stronger in numbers and nothing on your own!”

“You better hold your tongue, dolly-face. Just because we’ve been civil to you doesn’t mean we are afraid of you!”

“You think you’re brave by coming up to oppa and humiliate him like this? I’ll tell you this. No matter what Leeteuk oppa did, he is still stronger than all of you!”

“Mwo? You call this coward who dare not even kill himse-“

“You’re the true coward! The true hero is not the one whom kills himself over setbacks! It takes real courage to live on and face the repercussions of your mistakes!”

“Dolly-face, for your information, his father was the coward!”

“My chief is-“

“Right? My chief is right, my chief is right. Losers! All you two been doing is to repeat after your leader! If you have nothing intelligent to contribute to the argument, just shut the hell up!”

Mouths agape at Yonni’s powerful comeback, the two men, who had been following their leader’s lead, did not know what to say. Looking at their leader for guidance, they each earned a hard knock on their head as Paek Janghun chewed their heads off being useless.

“Idiots! You can’t even out-talk a girl? Go to the side and shut your traps up!”

After hearing all the things Yonni had said, Leeteuk was no longer able to control his tears as all the emotions of all the things he and Leejin had been through hit him like a tsunami wave. No wishing anyone to see his tears, he did the only thing he was capable of doing at the point of time.

He ran.