“Kyu!” Zhou Mi’s voice was barely audible over the blasting stereo. “Turn the music down! You’re going to deafen everyone!”

Kyuhyun lifted the can of beer he held. “Please! Everyone here is used to my level of music!” He gulped thirstily from the can. “Hey, who’s up for a game of strip poker?”

Siwon looked over at him disapprovingly. “Just because we’re celebrating you transferring into your dream school does not mean you can spend all night drinking and playing strip poker! You will only be hurting God’s gift to you!”

Leeteuk patted Siwon on the shoulder. “Lighten up, bro. It’s a time for celebration, since Kyu finally got his parents to let him transfer schools and live in his own apartment. Plus, we’re all guys anyway. Although it would probably be more fun with some girls around.”

Kyuhyun perked up. “Hyung, does that mean you’re agreeing?”

Leeteuk chuckled, ruffling the maknae’s hair. “Why not? C’mon, someone get a card deck, we’ll play by fours.”

Siwon shook his head. “Count me out of this one.” He moved away to make space for the others. Zhou Mi, too, went to sit on the sofa beside Siwon. “Me too, I’m not too interested in stripping, even if it is in front of a bunch of guys.”

“Why, you’ve got ual tendencies none of us know about?” Kangin teased.

Zhou Mi rolled his eyes, but his lips formed an amused smile.

The other thirteen quickly played scissors, papers, stone, and Kyuhyun, Leeteuk, Ryeowook and Henry were to play the first game. The four of them sat in a circle on the ground, with Kyuhyun expertly shuffling the cards. The other boys crowded around them, drinking beer (or coke, in the cases of Eunhyuk and Siwon) and cheering.

Kyuhyun dealt the cards swiftly, flicking them at the other three players in turn. Sungmin whistled. “Wow, you’re really good at shuffling and dealing…have you been gambling much?”

Kyuhyun gave a mischievous smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

There was a moment of silence as the other eleven men watched on in anticipation…

“Three of a kind.” Ryeowook showed his hand first with a grin.

“...Nothing.” Henry said dejectedly to a chorus of laughs, letting his cards spill to the ground.

“Full house, beat that.” Kyuhyun said with a triumphant smirk as Ryeowook lost his grin.

Leeteuk leaned forward with a smirk. “Sure I will. Four of a kind.”

Multiple yells erupted from the three losing players; the other men watching on laughed loudly, clapping each other on the back and high-fiving Leeteuk.

“Shirts off.” Leeteuk said loudly.

Muttering, the other three boys removed their shirts. Kangin whistled. “Yah, maknae, since when did you have abs?”

Kyuhyun’s face flushed slightly. “Keep your observations to yourself.”

Henry dealt the next hand; his moves were less swift, and he fumbled with the cards a few times.

All of a sudden, Heechul cut in, “Yah, how about for the next round, the people who lose will have to take off their pants and dance Gangnam Style in their underwear?”

Dead silence.

There was a roar of laughter, the non-players howling with delight, while the players turned and stared at Heechul with horrified looks on their faces.

Leeteuk was game. “All right, all right, let’s do as Heechul suggests!”

The players studied their cards; there was less humour in their faces this time, replaced by a fear of the imminent Gangnam Style threat.

“Never mind, I’ve won this round already.” Henry spoke up with a relieved grin as he showed his hand. “Royal straight flush.”

There was a collective groan as the other three players threw their cards down in dismay.

“Come on, Kyuhyun, strip it!”

Kyuhyn stared at the others in horror.

“C’mon!” Kangin yelled, grinning widely. “You suggested strip poker, so strip!”

The others began to sing Gangnam Style at the top of their voices, almost drowning out the stereo.

Kyuhyun hesitated, his fingers reaching for his zipper…

And then he bolted, running right out of the house, and almost crashing into a girl standing outside of the door.

He stopped abruptly, frozen, his grin awkward as he stared at the girl.

She was dressed in a long, white dress, so long that it nearly touched the ground. Her hair was neat, and she looked very prim and proper – dressed like she was going to meet the Vatican was the phrase that came to Kyuhyun’s mind. He did not miss the small step she took away from him, or the brief flicker of distaste in her eyes.

Nevertheless, he smiled, sticking his hand out. “You must be the neighbor. I’m Kyuhyun. Cho Kyuhyun.”

The girl ignored his hand; her eyes flickered briefly to his apartment, noting the fourteen men inside, the messy house, the clothes thrown everywhere…she ignored his hand, speaking in an overly formal tone. “I am sorry, but the music you are playing is rather distracting. If you do not mind, could you please turn it down? I am trying to study.”

Kyuhyun gaped at her. She waited, her eyebrows raised, clearly expecting a response.

After a moment, Kyuhyun coughed, clearing his throat. “Right, oh…right. Yeah, sure. Sure I don’t mind. I’ll just…go turn it down…” He backed into the apartment awkwardly, and ran to turn down the volume.

The other men stared at him in surprise, and Leeteuk asked, his eyes wide. “What’s up with you?”

Kyuhyun shook his head, his legs still a little wobbly from the meeting with the cold, overly formal girl. He sank to the ground, his heart palpitating, although he didn’t know why.

Zhou Mi consulted his watch. “Gosh, it’s late. I better go back before my parents get worried. I’ll see you guys.” He gave the other men a little wave, clapped Siwon on the back, then grabbed his wallet to leave, closing the door behind him.

“Why’s he leaving so early? It’s only 11 pm!” Heechul complained.

“You know what Zhou Mi’s like,” Leeteuk replied, “Always the obedient boy.”

Joo Hyun was about to return to her apartment when another man came striding out of her neighbor’s house.

This man was much more to Joo Hyun’s approval; he was clean-shaven, dressed in a neat suit, his brown hair cut short. He had a handsome, almost noble expression and he gave her a polite nod as he went by.

Joo Hyun gazed after him for a moment, surprised that someone so dignified would come out from the same apartment as that uncouth youth from earlier. And, she had to admit, she was rather taken by this well-dressed man. He looked absolutely like the perfect guy to be with.

As the man disappeared around the corner, Joo Hyun shook herself out of her thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking about all this! She had to focus on her grades, and focus on finding a way to pay her school fees…

With a sigh, she entered her apartment and shut the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyuhyun trotted into school at a brisk pace, admiring the gleaming walls and majestic structure of the school. It was everything he’d imagined and more! He consulted his timetable with a bright smile – literature first.

A tall, thin girl walked up to him with a flirtatious smile, her posse following after her. “Hey there. I’m Hara. You must be new. Can I help you?”

Kyuhyun held out his timetable. “Hi. I’m Kyuhyun. Can you tell me how to get to literature class for sophomores?”

Hara looked impressed. “You’re taking literature class? You must be smart. Hardly anyone dares to take up literature, and the only one who can actually cope is The Worm.”

Kyuhyun blinked. “The…the what?”

Hara rolled her eyes as her posse. “I’ll show you when we get there, you’ll understand.”

Kyuhyun hurried after Hara, who kept up a constant stream of chatter as they walked, but Kyuhyun tuned her out, paying more attention to the school surrounding him.

Before long, they had reached his class. Kyuhyun bobbed his head in thanks, but before he could escape from the girls, Hara grabbed his hand, pointing at a long-haired girl sitting at the front row. “She’s The Worm. She’s a total , all right.”

Kyuhyun peered for a moment; then his eyes widened – the girl from yesterday!

He pulled away from Hara without another word, leaving her standing there unceremoniously, as he went to sit beside the girl.

She paid no attention to him as he sat down, so he turned to her, addressing her, “Hi. My name’s Kyuhyun, your neighbor. We met yesterday.”

The girl didn’t even bother looking up.

“So what’s your name?”

Silence.

Kyuhyun glanced at the exercise book in front of her. “Seo Joo Hyun…your name’s Joo Hyun.”

Finally, she looked up, a hint of irritation in her tone as she said, “I am sorry, but you are distracting me. Again.”

Kyuhyun shifted his chair closer to her. “That’s kind of the point, girlie. I’m Kyuhyun, you’re Joohyun, and we’re neighbours. We should be friends, too.”

“And how exactly do you draw that line of logic?” Joo Hyun’s eyes returned to the notebook she was writing on.

“It makes sense, Joo Hyun. We’re going to be best friends. I can so feel it.” Kyuhyun leaned towards, but Joo Hyun pulled her chair away. “I would thank you not to invade my personal space.”

“So are you like, this really mysterious gothic girl whom everyone treats as a social pariah, then you undergo some magical, radical transformation like Cinderella and everyone treats you like a princess?” Kyuhyun inquired. Joo Hyun had to actively stop herself from snapping at someone for the first time, but her tone revealed thinly disguised impatience, “I do not know what you are talking about, and frankly, I do not care either.”

Kyuhyun would have gone on pestering her, if the teacher had not entered at that moment; he pulled his chair back to its original position, his back suddenly ramrod straight.

Joo Hyun could not help but notice the sudden difference in Kyuhyun’s attitude. He was unusually interested in the lesson, paying complete attention, his eyes fixed on the teacher.

The other students did not fail to notice the change in class dynamics. For every question the teacher asked, there was no longer just one hand up, but two now, and Kyuhyun answered the questions just as easily as Joo Hyun, his answers just as accurate as hers would have been.

The murmurs in the class now changed; they were all about Kyuhyun now, and all impressed murmurs – impressed that a guy as good-looking as him could be as smart as Joo Hyun was. God certainly favoured some of us.

As class ended, the Literature professor strode over to Kyuhyun. “Well done. You’re the transfer student, aren’t you? Cho Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun stood up, bowing respectfully. “Yes, sir.”

“Very clever student you are – I saw your grades at your previous school. Top of the school, weren’t you? You’ll have some competition, Miss Seo.” He addressed the last sentence to Joo Hyun, who just nodded silently in acceptance of his words.

“In any case, if there is anything you don’t know or don’t understand, you’re free to ask Joo Hyun, although I doubt you’ll have to. Your next class is History, I believe?”

Kyuhyun consulted his timetable, then nodded. The professor indicated  Joo Hyun. “That’s good, Joo Hyun takes the same subject. She can show you around.”

Joo Hyun’s bag was already packed, but she waited patiently for Kyuhyun to pack his. As Kyuhyun was stuffing his pencil case into his bag, Joo Hyun spoke up, “You are rather talented in academics.”

“My dad was a good teacher. So was my mum. My good grades are all thanks to them. They were top in their schools, too.” Kyuhyun replied, more than a little pride in his voice, “How about you? You’re not too shabby yourself, did your parents teach you?”

“…For the first few years of my schooling, yes. I tutored myself after that.” Joo Hyun replied, her tone suddenly cold.

Kyuhyun slung his bag over his shoulder, aware of her sudden change in tone and quickly changing the subject, “So, where to next?”

Joo Hyun led Kyuhyun to their next class; unlike Hara, she stayed quiet, engrossed in her own thoughts. Kyuhyun was fine with that, too. He took the chance to study the quiet girl carefully.

Joo Hyun was a tall girl, almost as tall as Kyuhyun himself was. She was wearing a dress again – a dull blue one this time, and just as conservative, since it was practically sweeping the ground for the cleaners. She wore thick glasses that hid her eyes from close inspection, and her hair was tied up in a tight bun like those old schoolmistresses.

It was only a hunch, but Kyuhyun had a feeling that if she let down her hair, dressed herself up a little more, she would definitely be a stunning young lady.

Out of the blue, he said, “Seohyun.”

Joo Hyun did not stop, but she frowned. “I am sorry? What did you say?”

“Seohyun.” Kyuhyun repeated, “I’ll call you Seohyun.”

Joo Hyun did stop this time, staring at him like he was an alien. “Why in the world would you do that? My name is not Seohyun. Where did you even get that name from?”

“Your surname is Seo, isn’t it? And Joo Hyun…well, it’s a nice name, but it’s a little too old-fashioned and stuffy. Seohyun sounds a lot nicer.” He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before she could duck out of the way. “And it fits you, too.”

Joo Hyun stared at him, but there was something odd in her gaze this time. And – he could have been wrong – but it seemed to him that her eyes were glistening, almost moist.

But before he could say a word she turned away, her voice slightly different, not as cold as before, “Come on, we’ll be late for class.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joo Hyun quickly put on her uniform, aware that she was already fifteen minutes late for work. As she hurriedly made a cup of tea for a customer, Junsu, the manager, walked in with a slight frown. “Faster, Joo Hyun, the customer is waiting. I’m letting you go off early today so I expect a good performance from you.”

Kahi snickered to Jooyeon, “Look who’s getting scolded.”

Junsu sent Kahi a scalding glare. “You hurry up too, there are two customers out there who have been waiting for their muffins for fifteen minutes.”

Joo Hyun barely heard this exchange; as it was, her thoughts were occupied by her mischievous neighbor with the boyish grin, Cho Kyuhyun.

They had spent practically the whole day together, since many of his lessons were the same as hers. And every lesson they shared had followed the same routine; Kyuhyun would show off his considerable intelligence, impressing all the teachers and classmates.

Not that she would admit it, but he was beginning to impress her, too. He wasn’t the uneducated youth she had first thought him to be – far from it. He certainly appeared that way – a jock who had no interest in sports, but behind his playful façade was a powerful intelligence, one that Joo Hyun had never seen in anyone else before.

“Joo Hyun! The coffee!”

Joo Hyun jumped and looked down, startled to realize that the tea was spilling out of the cup. Hurriedly, she set the cup aside, grabbing a cloth to mop up the mess.

As Kahi went by, she snorted, “Great job, Worm. Just make your customer wait even more, yes.”

Joo Hyun shook her head, trying to wipe away the mischievous grin of Cho Kyuhyun as she tried to focus on her work. She quickly prepared another cup of tea and hurriedly carried it out to the customer. She placed it on the customer’s table with a soft, “I am sorry for the delay.”

A gentle, deep voice made her look up, “You’re Kyuhyun’s neighbor, aren’t you?”

Joo Hyun was startled to recognize the dignified man in the suit she had seen the previous day, and she paused for a few moments before replying, “I…yes, I am. And you are…?”

The man held his hand out. “I’m Zhou Mi, Kyuhyun’s adopted brother.”

Joo Hyun’s eyes widened slightly as she took his hand, but she was too polite to ask the question. Zhou Mi noticed, however, and explained without being asked, “Our mum was thought to be infertile, so they adopted me from an orphanage. Kyuhyun, on the other hand, is kind of a miracle baby. No one thought it was possible for our mum to get pregnant, but, well – there Kyuhyun is, living proof that she did.”

“He does not stay with you or his parents?” Joo Hyun asked, her eyebrow arched.

Zhou Mi shook his head with a slight laugh. “No, Kyuhyun’s always been a bit of a wild kid. Our parents mostly let him do as he likes – there was a huge argument when he asked to move out, though, and transfer to a new school. But, as usual, he got his way, of course.”

Joo Hyun’s eyes narrowed slightly as she detected the tinge of bitterness with which he said the last sentence. But she did not draw any attention to it, choosing instead to bow to him. “Well, please enjoy your tea.”

Quietly, she returned to the kitchen, and a sudden thought struck her.

What a tangled web we weave.

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Next chapter up!

Seohyun and Kyuhyun meet again~ Kyuhyun's totally adorable, trying to get to know Seohyun better whilst she just treats like him an annoying little pest. Zhou Mi and Joo Hyun also meet; him being the usual gentleman and being a very nice Exposition Fairy to Joo Hyun. 

Although Kyuhyun's a very wild person, but he's also extremely kind. He doesn't judge Seohyun the way other people do, and he's also a lot more than he seems at first, both of which are qualities that draw Seohyun's attention to him. 

That last quote actually refers to the complicated love lines - Kyu likes Vic and is attracted to Seo, Seo is attracted to Mi but interested by Kyu while Vic likes Mi, and Mi...well, his interests are as of yet unrevealed. Yes, very complicated indeed. 

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