A sick cough, like that of a dying man’s, stopped Sangjune from hitting the weak guy. Sangjune was trying to steal his wallet but it turned out that the man was as dirt poor as he was. “Are you homeless?” Sangjune finally examined the man’s clothing, it was shabby and torn up. The man nodded, and Sangjune could only roll his eyes at their same situation. “Aish... Get lost.” Sangjune and the man then parted ways.

“Money, money, money, ah I’m so hungry” Sangjune whined as he walked down a drunkards street. Tons of pubs and bars lined the street, and more and more drunks stumbled onto the street. “Easy prey,” Sangjune smirked as he spotted a lone lady up ahead on coming out of a bar.

“Ahjumma!” he called as hurried to her. She seemed to be about thirty; Sangjune grinned widely but tried to look as helpless as possible. “Could you spare me some money…? I haven’t eaten in days. My parents died and I live on the streets. I can’t even pay for school tuition; I haven’t been to school in years.” The woman slurred words, but she was reaching for her purse. Sangjune felt that the lady ate up his story perfectly.

“Lee Sangjune, why are lying?” Another female walked out the same bar with her arms crossed.

“Sseng! What are you doing here?” As Sangjune was bewildered by Gina coming out of the bar, the other woman stumbled away and murmured curses.

Gina herself was drunk; regardless she knew when one of her students was trying to con others. She approached Sangjune with her arms still folded and her brow raised in question of his shameless actions. She made a face as she could smell the alcohol coming off of Sangjune. “Were you drinking? You’re still a student!” Gina rubbed her temples with one hand.

“Sseng, you’re obviously wasted. I’m only a little buzzed.” Sangjune countered her words. Gina felt ashamed that one of her students caught her drinking. Sangjune took the opportunity to ask for some money. “But... I wasn’t completely lying earlier. I need money. I’m going to die of hunger. And it’s in freezing out, I need a place to stay.”

Gina looked up “Did you get kicked out again?” Gina’s words stung Sangjune. Gina knew more about him than he was comfortable with, even most of his friends didn’t know his problems. Gina sniffled, her drunkard state starting to show, “My mom kicked me out too this morning because of you kids” She jabbed Sangjune in the chest as she started to shed drunk tears.

Sangjune rolled his eyes at his teacher. “Sseng, I’m sorry but I need somewhere to stay, it’s getting too ing cold out to keep sleeping on the streets.” Sangjune had been living on the streets for the past month. When his father kicked him out he had to stay out for weeks and sometimes months before he could go back home, only to be kicked out again because of the constant trouble Sangjune was always causing.

“Okay…” Gina looked in to her purse. She counted up her bills and looked at her credit cards. “I’ll get you hotel room.”

“Hotel!?” Sangjune lit up. “You could have just got me a cheap motel room but you’re getting me a room at a hotel!?” he was baffled. “Thank you so much Sseng!” Sangjune grabbed on to her arms and was nearly jumping for joy.

“It’s nothing” Gina shrugged off Sangjune, pulling her arms completely out of his grasp. “I’m only doing this so I can keep a better eye on you and because motels will only promote your misbehavior”

Sangjune was no longer listening to Gina, he was savoring the hotel. “Sseng, will there be food? Free food service?” He his lips as he was imagining having luxurious foods. He clutched his two day food-free stomach.

“Of course, it’s all free to you anyway. Just don’t go overboard, I’m paying for it all,” Gina was trying hard to keep herself from slurring her words.

“I love you Sseng!” his eyes turned to crescents as he gleefully clasped his hands together.

“Ah” she pinched the root of her nose, the headache from overdrinking was coming in and Sangjune’s loud voice wasn’t helping the pain subside at all.

“Let’s go boy.” She walked in a beeline and Sangjune trailed behind her.

“Ssem..” Sangjune’s forehead had a deep crease. He stood near the door, inside the hotel room. He kept on looking at Gina with a deep look of concern.

“What!?” Gina wanted to reach for her heels and proceed to missile them at Sangjune. Her head was buried in one of the throw pillows on the couch, groaning in pain.

“You only paid for one room; you said I’d get my own.” Sangjune scoffed like a child who didn’t get the right present for his birthday.

“I never said that…” Gina peeked one eye up at Sangjune from the throw pillow. “Look boy, I’m only a teacher, making meager salary, and I live with my parents. I can’t pay for two hotel rooms for a few days. I’ll be back home tomorrow, hopefully, and from then on you can keep the room to yourself for a few days.”

The crease in Sangjune’s forehead did not go away. He sighed loudly; making sure Gina knew that he was sad about this. He lugged himself and his backpack in to the bathroom.

Gina left him alone and moved herself on to the corner of the bed, immediately crashing into hangover sleep paradise.

Sangjune removed his filthy clothes, and then stripped off his undergarments. He turned the knob of the shower; he felt the water’s temperature with his wrist. The water was hot enough to almost burn, but that’s exactly how Sangjune wanted it. He retracted his hand and stepped into the shower. He stood there with his head leaning down, letting the steaming water hit his body and cleanse him.

He was rinsing the soap off his body when a loud tapping noise startled him. “Sseng?” he called cautiously. He hurriedly rinsed the soap off his body and peeked out the shower curtain. He saw the door was still closed and saw nobody inside the bathroom.

He turned off the water and heard the tapping noise again. He smiled when he realized it was his phone vibrating under his bag on the counter.

He picked up the phone and looked who was bothering him. “Jaemin” he started to view the two text messages Jaemin sent him. The first one simply just asked for his location; the second demanded his location with an explanation of Jaemin’s frustrated feelings.

Without much thought, Sangjune replied with the hotel’s address and his room number.

In just a few seconds his phone vibrated again and Sangjune looked at it. “What the are you doing so close to here?” Sangjune asked -as if Jaemin could actually hear him- as he read the text message from Jaemin.

Sangjune used the towel to dry and mess up his hair. He shook like a dog trying to get the right messy look. He rummaged through his bag and found –with luck- some clean clothes. He slipped on his boxers and pulled on some black sweat pants. He admired his body in the mirror. He smiled at himself, then winked, the puckered his lips, and then he grinned. He continued the same process over and over again.

He heard a knock at the door. He forced himself to not rush over to open it. He leisurely walked, taking his sweet time to open the door. When the door was barely ajar, Jaemin pushed it open; obviously impatient with Sangjune.

Jaemin was exhausted from looking for Gina the entire day. He felt a lump in his throat when he saw Gina in bed and Sangjune half- in a hotel room. Jaemin’s clenched his teeth.

Sangjune stepped back, surprised by Jaemin suddenly pushing the door open. Sangjune was relieved that the door hadn’t hit him. He saw dark circles under Jaemin’s eyes. “Were you looking for somewhere to stay?” Sangjune tried to sound sympathetic.

“What the hell?” Jaemin stuttered because of his clenched teeth.

“What?”

“What the hell are you doing here with her?!” Jaemin growled; stepping forward, his instinct was to grab on to Sangjune’s collar but Sangjune had no shirt on.

Oh my god! Sangjune came to a realization of why Jaemin was angry. “You think I would your girl?” he was always the one who was getting fingers pointed at, especially when it came to and girls. But even Sangjune knew that Gina was Jaemin’s turf.

“How far have you gone with her?! How long have you two been doing this!?” Jaemin was desperate for answers. He started to yell and he nearly strangling Sangjune.

Gina got up quickly and pulled Jaemin’s arms off of Sangjune. Jaemin let his hands be pushed back to his side. He looked at Gina in disbelief.

Gina didn’t dare look at him. She felt that Jaemin deserved no explanation. She knew that the boy had feelings for her, but she knew it was wrong and that he was only confused. If she gave an explanation she felt that it would lead to him believing that she was merely clearing her name from a misunderstanding because she worried about what he thought.

Sangjune stood quietly glaring at Jaemin.

The silence was overbearing Jaemin and he trembled from the feeling of pain clenching at his heart. He wanted them to tell him that there was nothing between them. But the evidence was so evident and they wouldn’t explain themselves. Jaemin stomped out and slammed the door behind him.

Sangjune looked to his quiet teacher. “Why didn’t you say anything Sseng?” His eyes were wide, nearly bloodshot. Fear, anger, frustration and disbelief ran to his fists, making them close and retract.

“Jaemin!” he called as he ran out the hotel room. He didn’t run far as Jaemin was just a few doors down walking away. “Jaemin” he called for him again, but Jaemin didn’t stop walking. Sangjune pulled him back by his shoulder, forcing Jaemin to turn almost at a 180 degree angle to face Sangjune.

Gina stood by the doorpost, not letting herself be seen, but she was diligently listening. What do I do? She was worried and frightened but she didn’t think her words were going to make anything better.

“Get the off me you son you of a ing !” Jaemin roared. Jaemin was usually never a loud person making Sangjune flinch at his words. He forced Sangjune’s hand off of him, pulling down so hard that Sangjune had leaned forward from the force. Again, Jaemin was reaching for Sangjune’s collar but only realizing there was no shirt. This only made Jaemin more frustrated and he instead pushed Sangjune on the chest.

Although Sangjune was trying to sympathize with Jaemin he had zero tolerance for being pushed around and yelled at. He growled and pushed Jaemin back just as hard. “What the hell is your problem?” Sangjune pushed Jaemin again seeing that Jaemin wasn’t moving at the moment. “Why the would I be sleeping around with Sseng?! Huh?!” He was aiming to push on Jaemin’s chest again when Jaemin used an arm to brush away Sangjune’s arms like a fly and push his other hand onto Sangjune’s throat. Sangjune choked from the sudden impact and then remained glaring at Jaemin, hoping fear wouldn’t show in his eyes.

Gina heard this and rushed out to them. “Let Sangjune go!” she said firmly.

Jaemin scoffed, blowing his bangs to the side. Noona… why do you only come out to protect him..? You did the same just a few moments ago. Only for him... Jaemin turned his fiery eyes back to Sangjune and tightened his grip on his throat. Sangjune let out a gasp at the constriction.

Gina panicked and couldn’t rely on words and authority anymore. She grabbed onto Jaemin’s wrist with both hands. She pulled hard but Jaemin hardly even budged from Sangjune’s neck. “Jaemin, you need to let him go.” Gina looked Jaemin in the eyes and spoke cautiously but firmly. “You could go jail for this, but more importantly he’s your friend.”

Jaemin eyes moistened. “I can’t believe you. I thought you were better than this… I- I love you and yet… you’re always spouting some moral and age crap to me. And… and yet you go around sleeping with… with what you just called my friend?!” Jaemin finally let go of Sangjune. “You’re a piece of crap you know that. Both of you.”

Gina still didn’t want to explain to the reality to him. She felt that it would only lead him on. She kept her heart stuck to that thought. “Jaemin you need to control yourself, and realize that we –me and you- can’t happen. And neither can Sangjune and I.”

“You !” Jaemin’s eyes pupils became smaller as he became angrier.

“Jaemin, control yourself!” Gina used her authoritive tone again. She gave him a look that she had learnt in college to use against misbehaving students. Her eyes narrowed.

That look, those words, the entire situation; the cage was opened and out came the lion.

Sangjune who was watching silently, quickly leaned away from the wall and hurried to stop what he knew was going to happen.

Gina yelped and squirmed backwards as Jaemin threw his fist in her face. Gina gasped as his fist made contact with her upper cheekbone. She wanted to run away and in doing so she fell to the ground, but it was too late. The distance between Gina and Jaemin had been too close that Gina received a full force punch to the face. Her under-eye area was quickly swelling and darkening and the pain was setting in.

Sangjune stepped in front of Gina and threw Jaemin’s clenched fist down. “What the are you doing?!” Sangjune was in complete disbelief. “A-A-A-re… Are you ing nuts?!” He was stuttering and stumbling on every word. His mind was near blank, but he knew not to physically attack Jaemin. Sangjune could not even close his mouth; his jaw was as low as it would go. “Oh my god...” he breathed in trying to take in the situation. “You love her?” he scoffed. “You ing abused her! A teacher! No worse, a woman! Are you insane!?” Truthfully, Sangjune always boasted that he was the only one in their gang that could ever hit a woman, but Sangjune was mostly talk. He boasted about being with women every night but that wasn’t him either. In fact Sangjune was undoubtedly the most innocent guy of their group. “You know what? You need to get the of here before I call the damned police and beat the out of you!”

Jaemin wasn’t entirely listening to Sangjune; his eyes were emptily gazing at Gina the entire time. He turned around and left as Sangjune finished.

Gina held in several of her whimpers as she tried to not let the pain overwhelm her. With the help on Sangjune she stood up and was escorted back to their hotel room.

Nothing much was said that night between Gina and Sangjune. A few times Sangjune would ask her if she’s okay, and Gina would mumble that she’s fine. Sangjune read the quote on the internet before, he knew that fine didn’t mean fine, but he focused on sleeping and so did she.

Jaemin had strolled out to the alleys. He didn’t know where to go. Sometimes he would stay wherever Sangjune was but that possibility had been overruled. Yongbin was out of the question, Youngpyo’s parents would never let Jaemin or any of them near their house, and Taehwan and he seemed to be irritating each other lately.

He could feel the regret set in and tug at his heart. Why did I do that? Jaemin still believed that something was going on between Sangjune and Gina, but he couldn’t understand why or even how he had come to punch her.