"Class, there's going to be a paired History Assignment for you guys before I end the lesson." Teacher Shin grinned.

Groans ensued. Everyone complained and pouted, not liking the idea of an assignment, especially a paired one. "She loves torturing us, I swear." Yongguk muttered under his breath. "I'm around 90% sure that she's a devil in disguise."

"For your information Bang Yongguk haksaeng, your voice isn't that soft." Teacher Shin told him as she arranged her papers absent-mindedly. Yongguk froze, reddening instantly.

"I have your pairs planned." Teacher Shin announced. "There's only going to be a single group with three people, and that is Himchan, Zelo and Jongup."

"My sons!" Himchan grinned and clapped. Jongup looked over at So Eun and pouted lightly, wanting to be paired up with her. Zelo just continued doing his sudoku under the desk.

"Youngjae and Yongguk!"

"What? How can I be paired with that -" "Oh seriously and now I'm paired with that cocky rooster-"

"Daehyun and So Eun!"

So Eun's eyes widened and she glanced beside her. She wondered if he would reject this idea again like the last time when he was supposed to be her tutor.

She bit her lip, slightly afraid at that possibility. She still didn't know why he disliked her that much.

Daehyun just looked as emotionless as he always did, staring back at her. He jerked his head questioningly and So Eun quickly shook her head. A small smile appeared at her lips. *At least he didn't go against it this time.*

"You will be required to write up on the transition from the Silla Period to the Goryeo Period. It has to be handed up two days later so you and your partner better start working on it today." Teacher Shin told them. "Class dismissed."

So Eun packed her things and looked over at Daehyun. "Shall we do the assignment today?"

Daehyun gave a grunt to signal his approval. He packed his things as well, wondering how he was going to take doing an assignment with her one to one. He said no once, he didn't have the heart to say it a second time.

"Can we go to your house instead?" So Eun asked. "My parents have friends over to our house today so it's unavailable. Can't we go to your house?"

Daehyun immediately stilled. His house? His wasn't even considered a house. It was a one room apartment and it was practically a slum. How could he bring her to somewhere like that?

*But wouldn't that be better?* he calculated in his mind. *It'll make her disgusted and she'll dislike me more.* he nodded to himself, agreeing with the plan. "Fine." he muttered.

So Eun smiled, glad that he agreed. Perhaps going to his home would allow her to get a glimpse of what he really was like inside. They left the BAP boys after saying goodbye, leaving Youngjae and Yongguk bickering as to which house they were going to go to for the assignment.

So Eun followed behind Daehyun as he trudged out of school, his hands in his pockets. So Eun ran to catch up with him, noticing how he kept his strides slightly shorter so that she could follow. She smiled.

"Where do you live, Daehyun?" So Eun asked, looking up at him.

Daehyun didn't answer as he continued walking. So Eun made a face. "Yeah yeah we'll know when we get there." she muttered. "Are your parents home, by the way?"

Daehyun's eyes twitched at the question. He knew his parents' reincarnation were staying somewhere in Insadong but his real parents from back then were dead. Dead for a long long time.

So Eun pouted at his lack of response and shuffled along with him. "Why don't you ever talk much, Daehyun? Don't you have anything to say?" she mumbled.

*It's because I have too much to say that's why I don't know where to start.* Daehyun sighed softly. He turned around the corner and So Eun followed, her eyes darting around curiously. They came to the poorer part of town where the poorer people lived.

There were few guys smoking along the road and they eyed So Eun in interest as they passed. So Eun swallowed nervously and darted nearer to Daehyun, not feeling comfortable with the way they were looking at him. Daehyun glared at them and moved closer to So Eun, an action that signalled that she was already taken.

The guys just shrugged and passed, and Daehyun let out a small sigh of relief. So Eun swallowed and followed him tightly. "They're scary." she muttered.

"Delinquents surely. Don't they go to school?" she muttered to herself. "We've got to increase the literacy rate in South Korea.."

Daehyun reached the end of the street and he turned into a dark alley. So Eun couldn't help but shiver when she eyed the vandalism on the walls and she darted even closer to Daehyun. Daehyun reached a door at the end of the alley and he dug his pockets for his keys.

So Eun's eyes widened. *He lives here?*

Daehyun unlocked the door and he had to kick it a few times before it would budge. So Eun blinked, shocked as she shuffled into his home. It was an one room apartment with little furniture and even lesser space. So Eun swallowed, looking around. "Where do your parents stay? Your siblings?" she whispered coarsely.

Daehyun glanced at her, knowing she was shaken. He didn't want to shock her like this but he needed to give her a reason why she should keep away from him.

"I'm an orphan." he told her.

So Eun's eyes widened and her hands flew to . "I didn't mean-" she faltered. All of a sudden, she ran to him and hugged him from behind, her hands wrapping round his waist tightly. Daehyun froze, praying that she would hear his heart beating so rapidly.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and she meant it. "I really am."

Daehyun closed his eyes, swallowing hard. All the years of pain and suffering suddenly came back to him and he felt his eyes water. Gosh he's so weak.

He fixed his expression and clear his throat loudly, making So Eun release him awkwardly. "Sorry." she sniffled. "I just didn't expect it." she mumbled.

"How do you even pay the school fees and daily expenses?" she wiped her tears. "There are many organizations out there that help people like you, Daehyun, maybe we should do this assignment another day and-"

"No." Daehyun shook his head. "Don't in my business, I'm happy the way I am."

"But-" So Eun looked around at the run down place. She really wanted to help him. She wanted him to live better, to smile. Was this the reason why he barely talked most of the times? She gazed at his firm expression and relented reluctantly. "Fine, we won't talk about that today." she mumbled.

Daehyun was still wondering where he should offer her to sit when So Eun just plopped herself on the ground. Daehyun cursed himself for not mopping it the previous day. He sat down beside her hesitantly, leaning against the wall. "Assignment." he reminded.

"Ah yes." So Eun wiped away her tears and searched her bag for paper. Daehyun watched the moisture on her cheeks that shimmered under the light and he sighed softly. Did she cry so easily for any random stranger as well? She had always been too kind-hearted for his liking. He didn't like how she easily got upset when someone unimportant suffered and it brought tears to her face.

So Eun got out the History Textbook and flipped it to the page about the Silla Period. "It says here we've got to analyse the transition between the Silla Period and the Goryeo period." So Eun tapped her chin. "Isn't that easy? Emperor Taejo unified Korea in 918 and united the later Three Kingdoms in 936, done." she clicked her fingers.

"Babo." Daehyun muttered. "It's not only that."

So Eun looked at him curiously. "But that's all it says in the textbook." she protested.

Daehyun sighed softly and looked up at the ceiling. "Taejo was a benevolent leader and he was really good to his people. He was originally a military commander but slowly rose to power because the original emperor Gung Ye was cruel, killing many monks and even his own wife and two sons."

So Eun gasped, flinching.

"Even with his harsh ways, Gung ye had his own supporters." Daehyun remembered, his jaw clenched in fury. "I still don't get how they could hail to a king who killed innocent people at whim, it's sickening." he gritted his teeth.

So Eun watched, taking it in and listening well. She never saw him with as much emotion in his face as he did now.

"These supporters hoped that Gung Ye would not step down from his throne because he promised them money and power." Daehyun whispered. "And because of that, they fought Taejo madly in hopes of getting what were promised to them. In the mean time, they killed so many other innocent people...just so many.." he whispered, remembering the bloodshed. "It was horrible."

So Eun swallowed, wondering why he was talking as if he had been there himself.

"And there were supporters of Taejo that were killed as well. Ministers that were kind hearted and capable, they were heartlessly killed." Daehyun

murmured. *Like Abeoji.* he thought silently.

"When Taejo took over and peace reigned, who else remembered those who sacrificed themselves in the pursuit of greater good for the country?" Daehyun asked without expecting an answer. "No one. No one except for the sons and wives of the dead men."

So Eun watched him silently, knowing he was deep in thought. She wondered if he had experienced something similar before, because it certainly seemed to strike a chord within him.

Daehyun reminisced in his memories, only snapping out when So Eun zipped her pencil case. He blinked, startled, suddenly snapping back into reality.

He raised his brows when he saw that she had already written a page and a half for the assignment, finishing what they had to do. "You..."

So Eun threw a small smile at him. "You seemed to be really absorbed in your thoughts so I didn't alert you. I finished the assignement with what you just told me, take a look." she passed the paper to him.

Daehyun took it uncertainly, wondering if he revealed too much of himself. He read her words, nodding and smiling inwardly. She got everything down.

"What were you thinking about before?" So Eun asked softly. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. But you know, your face doesn't show any expression most of the times. You're emotionless."

Daehyun almost chuckled.

"But when you were thinking..." So Eun looked at him. "Melancholy. I felt it."

Daehyun snapped his eyes away from her and cleared his throat. "Since it's done, you can go." he got up, brushing his pants awkwardly. So Eun pouted and got up, grabbing her bag.

"You sure you don't want to talk about welfare organisations for your school fees and-" So Eun stopped herself when Daehyun sent her a look. "Fine. Tomorrow."

Daehyun opened the door and gestured for her to leave. So Eun pouted and trudged towards the door. "Take a cab." Daehyun muttered. "Don't walk around here, it's dangerous."

So Eun turned back to smile at him but he closed the door in her face. Her smile froze and turned downwards into a pout.

"Mean."