~*~

“Kai, I think you should go ahead. We have some things to do in our club,” Seyoon said to Kai as she packed her bag and cleared her desk.

Kai swayed his head. “No. We’re leaving together. Sehun and I will have a dance practice later. I will just wait for you in case we finish first.”

“That’s great. I’ll wait for you then. Sehun, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun, see you tomorrow,” said Seyoon as she left with Kyungsoo.

“Hey, have you heard about this maniac roaming around this area? There are already five victims from the neighboring school,” said Baekhyun.

“Maniac? I thought it was just a case of robbery,” said Chanyeol.

“No. It’s actually both. I heard the suspect stole some items from the victim,” said Sehun.

“Right. But the scariest is that the suspect cuts the victims hair for I don’t know what he might do with it. Isn’t that a maniac?” said Baekhyun.

“That’s scary. We must be careful then,” said Kai.

“Don’t worry. No one would have an interest on you or us. But we have to be careful for Seyoon,” said Baekhyun.

“Why?” asked Kai.

“I heard the victims are mostly girls especially…” said Sehun.

“Especially?”

“Those with long hair,” said Baekhyun.

“That means…” said Kai.

“You have to be with Seyoon no matter what. Don’t let her go home alone.” said Baekhyun.

“If you can’t fulfill your duty, I’ll break you in half,” said Chanyeol.

“We must be careful then,” said Kai. The other three guys nodded at him. It was the first time that this kind of case happened in their school. And it was also the first time that they have someone to protect to. And for them, at least, it was nerve-wracking but exciting at the same time. After all, boys love adventures especially as challenging as this one.

“But I have one favor to ask you guys,” said Kai.

“What is it?” asked Baekhyun.

“Although we are protecting Seyoon, can we, at least, not let her know that we are protecting her? What I mean is…”

“We understand. You don’t want her to feel over-protected,” said Sehun.

“Don’t worry,” said Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

---

“There are new members from the lower years and they will be joining us today. So, in order for us to get to know each other, we decided that we will be baking cookies and bread that we will donate to the daycare near our school,” said Taemin, the club president. “And you will be working in groups. We will assign one junior member with two senior members.”

Seyoon and Kyungsoo were excited to meet their hoobae who would join them. Normally, there are only few male members of their club expecting that it was home economics. However, the hoobae that would be joining them was unexpectedly male and someone familiar to Seyoon.

The hoobae walked towards them with his head lowered and his gaze fixed on the floor. “Aa—annyeonghaseyo,” he said shyly to them.

“Hello. We will be your group mates. I am Kyungsoo and this is Seyoon.”

‘Se—seyoon?’ the student thought. “Nice to meet you sunbae-nim. I am Hu-a..Huang Zitao. You can call me Tao,” said the student with the stuttering voice.

“Nice to meet you Tao,” said Seyoon as she tried to reach her hand to Tao, whose gaze was still fixed on the floor. Tao reached his trembling hand to Seyoon as he gave her a handshake. “You can look at us now. It is not as if we will eat you if look at us on eye-level,” she said to him as she felt Tao’s anxiety through his hand.

“She’s right. We are not scary. In fact, Seyoon is also a new member. I think it would be a great experience for both of you,” Kyungsoo said to him.

Tao tried to straighten his neck and look at his sunbaenims in the eye. But there’s one thing he really can’t stand, something that he felt nervous every time he sees, something about…Seyoon.

“Oh, I felt like I’ve seen you before. Where was it again?” Seyoon tried to recall when she had a full glimpse of Tao’s face. “Ah! The guy who dropped his handkerchief, it was you!”

“Ah—ah…yes. I’m sorry. I am just nervous to talk to other people since I am new here. By the way, I forgot to say thank you.”

“No problem. It’s good that we see each other again,” she said as she smiled at him. Tao couldn’t hide the blushing of his cheeks as he tried to avert his eyes on the floor again.

“Let’s start…what should we bake?” said Kyungsoo.

---

Kai’s dance practice finished first so he dashed his way towards the adjacent building to wait for Seyoon. He reached the room where the home economics club was staying. He tried to peak on a small window on the door when he saw Kyungsoo and Seyoon happily talking to each other. But, he also saw another guy talking to them. Every now and then, the guy would have few glimpses of Seyoon which Seyoon didn’t notice but Kai knew perfectly well as he was observing them. ‘I never saw this guy before,’ he thought.

When their meeting finished, Kai saw Seyoon still talking to Kyungsoo and the guy as they walked out the door.

“That’s where you live? I live there too,” said Seyoon as she was happily talking to Tao. Kai just looked at them with a stern face which changed when Kyungsoo and Seyoon waved at him.

“Kai!” Seyoon ran to Kai and greeted him. She was followed by Kyungsoo and Tao from behind. “Let me introduce to you our club mate and hoobae, Tao. Tao, this is our friend Kai,” she said to him.

“Hi.” said Kai.

“Annyeonghaseyo. I am Tao,” Tao said as he bowed to Kai. “Well, I have to leave now. Bye Kyungsoo and Seyoon,” he said as he tried to leave.

“Wait! You said you live on the same street as us. Why don’t you just come with us?” said Seyoon.

“Ahh…is that alright?” he said shyly.

“Of course. Besides, it’s already dark. At least, you are accompanied by us, right Kai?”

“Sure,” Kai said coldly.

“Well, I have to go now. Bye! See you tomorrow!” said Kyungsoo as he left the three alone.

“Are you a new student?” Kai asked Tao.

“Yes. I am supposed to be in the same year as you guys but I have some problems while transferring here so I was put in a lower year,” said Tao.

“He’s the same age as us,” said Seyoon.

The three stayed silent all this time while riding the bus. There are times when Kai would catch Tao looking at Seyoon. He was sitting in between them and every time he turned his head Tao would gaze somewhere else. But he knew who he was staring at. As they went down the bus, Seyoon already waved goodbye to Tao, who was going the opposite direction. Kai just observed them as he wait for Seyoon.

“That guy is weird,” he said to her.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. He just looked weird. Even though he really looks weak wearing those eyeglasses and the way he stutter when he talked, but his eyes would say otherwise,” said Kai.

“Well, that’s what I thought too when I first met him. But I think, he is just naturally shy. Besides, he said that he came from China. He must have a hard time adjusting here,” she said.

“But you also came from another country before you came here, but you are not that fearful as him.”

“That,” Seyoon smiled at him. “That I owe to you and our friends. If I didn’t meet you, I might not adjust well here. Thank you for always being there for me,” she said as she gave him another of her lenient smile. “Oh, we’re already here. I’ll just see you tomorrow,” she said as she waved him goodbye and entered their gate.

Kai just stood there smiling while thinking of what Seyoon had said to her. ‘Thanks to me…I’m such a good friend,’ he thought as he went home with the smile still plastered on his face.

---

“We don’t have club meeting today but you can go ahead,” Seyoon said to Kai.

‘Wait. She doesn’t have a club meeting and yet she wanted me leave ahead,’ Kai thought. “Why?” Kai asked her.

“Kyungsoo, Tao, and I are buying ingredients for the cookies we are making. It might take a long time and you might get bored. Remember the last time I ask you to buy some ingredients with me? You insisted that I should buy faster because bakeshop doesn’t interest you.”

“Did I say that? No, I don’t remember it. Bakeshop is an interesting place. Besides…ah…my mom asked me to buy her something. So, I’ll go with you,” said Kai.

“He’s the one who said not to be over-protective of Seyoon and yet he is the one who’s being overprotective,” Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol nodded. “Maybe he just want to take all the credit for protecting Seyoon,” he whispered back. Baekhyun nodded at him.

“What are you saying?” asked Kai.

“Nothing. By the way, who’s Tao?” asked Chanyeol.

“He’s our club mate. He’s the same age as us but he’s in the lower year,” said Kyungsoo.

“Oh. Well, Baekhyun and I have to go. We have our band practice. We’ll just see you guys tomorrow,” said Chanyeol.

“Can I come with you?” asked Sehun.

“Sure. Let’s go,” said Baekhyun

---

As expected, Kai couldn’t stand staying in this kind of place. First of all, he never cooked. And second, he never baked so nothing in this shop interest a single strand of his hair. All he cares about were the products that these baking equipment and ingredients could make. But he had no choice. He didn’t like the way Tao looked at Seyoon. Even though he looked weak, there was really something in his gaze that creep him out. But she seemed okay with him. Kai observed them as the three were happily talking about this ingredient and that ingredient.

“Kai,” Seyoon called her as he noticed Kai just standing far behind them. “You said you’re going to buy something for your mom. What is it? I might help you find it,” she said.

“Ah…what is it? Potholder!” said Kai.

“That’s upstairs, let’s go. Kyungsoo, Tao, we’ll just go upstairs to buy potholder for Aunt Kim. Let’s just see each other in the counter,” said Seyoon.

“Wow, these potholders are cute. Which one do you want?” Seyoon asked Kai. Kai just looked at the potholders in front of him. There are too many colors, too many shapes, too many sizes. But whatever their differences are, for Kai, they are all the same, just a potholder.

“I don’t know. You pick one for me,” said Kai.

“Huh?” Seyoon said with a sulking face. She looked at the wide range of potholders as she tried to pick which one is the best.

“Seyoon…”

“Yes?” she said with her gaze still fixed on the potholders.

“Don’t you think Tao is really weird? I mean…”

“Ey,” she looked at him. “It’s just your imagination. I don’t think there’s something weird in him,” she said.

“But…I noticed him sometimes looking at you,” he said with a worried face.

“Hahaha! Of course, he would look at me. We are talking so naturally he would look at me every now and then,” she said to him.

“That’s not what I meant. What I mean is that…”

“Hmm…you’re weirder. Ah! Maybe you’re…”

‘What? Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not overprotective. I’m not. I’m just concerned for you,’ he thought. “What? Maybe I’m a what?” he asked her. She let out a chuckle. “What? Why are you laughing?”

“Haha! You just remind me of a skeptic old person I know.”

“What?”

She smiled at him. “You remind me of my brother. You know. He questioned a lot. And the way you look right now, you really sounded like him. He’s being too skeptical when it comes to my affairs. Everything for him needed to be questioned. Why this? Why that? You know, being too overprotective.”

Kai looked at her wide-eyed. This was it. This was the thing he was afraid the most. He didn’t want Seyoon to think of him as being too over-protective. He’s just concerned for her. His face was already on defense mode when Seyoon spoke.

“But you know what? I like my brother for being like that. At least, I feel that someone really cares for me. Just like you now,” she said to him.

Kai just looked at her speechless. ‘So that means it’s okay for her that I’m being over-protective?’

“Ah! I’ve seen Aunt Kim using an orange potholder. She might like this one,” she said as she grabbed an orange-colored potholder. “Let’s go and pay for this downstair.”

“Seyoon?”

“Yes?”

“Just be careful with that guy. I mean I might not always be here for you so just be careful of him,” he said with a concerned face.

“I understand, Kai-oppa!” she .

“Oppa? You call me oppa?” Seyoon kept laughing at him.

Suddenly, Tao came upstairs calling the two of them. “I think it’s getting dark. Let’s pay for these so we can go home,” he said to Seyoon.

“Alright,” said Seyoon as she went ahead downstairs.

In that instance, Kai felt something not weird, but fearful. He felt perplexed. For a moment, he thought he saw Tao’s expression changed. By the time Seyoon’s back was facing them, he saw that frightful stare from Tao’s eyes. And it changed into (for Kai) the most sinister smile he had ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

And yay! I finally introduced Tao. Although I have to say sorry that his character here is quite scary. Just read and see if Kai's instinct is true

credit: here

Oh, he looks like Yokoyama Yu (if you know who he is)