Taeil was walking home after school. The sun shone and everything looked nice. A shadow of something passed overheard, then again. He looked up to see a bird in flight. It stayed near him. Taeil looked closer and the "bird" seemed to have human legs. It also didn't look like it had a beak, but a human head. In fear, Taeil ran home and slammed the door.

Taeil woke up swaety and breathless. He was scared to look out the window, so he never did. Mrs. Lee was puzzled by his frazzled appearance, but let it go; he needed to hurry for school.

At school, the students buzzed about a new kid who supposedly looked like a freak. This new kid's first class was also supposedly the same as Taeil's, so he was excited for that.

"Everyone, please make Jiyong feel welcome here," the teacher introduced the new kid. "You can sit by Jiho over there."

Jiyong had a lip piercing, which justified the students' claims that he was a semi-freak, but Taeil could get past that. Jiyong looked back to Taeil like they knew each other. Taeil smiled, but Jiyong looked away not long after. They both felt they needed to find out more about each other. Taeil couldn't wait.

That night, Taeil dreamt of the bird again. This time, it was banging on his door. "Itercessnga!!" it kept saying. Taeil didn't understand it, but it reminded him of how his grandmother talked. The bird kept banging on the door until Taeil forced himself to awaken.

That morning, he called his grandmother and tried to remember what the bird said.

"What is it?" Taeil's grandma asked.

"Grandma," Taeil began, "what does iter...itercess..."

"Itercessnga?"

"Yes. What does it mean?"

"Let me in."

"Oh, okay. Thanks grandma."

"You're welcome."

Later that day, Taeil shoved the bird out of his mind, and decided to invite the new kid to his house.

He felt like it was something he needed to do.