“Pretty boy, you’re ruining my status.”

In-Na furrowed, seeing Byunghun who has stepped inside the detention room. She has her head propped on the desk, lazily glaring at Byunghun, who didn't appear pleased.

It has been difficult trying to hide his identity as an Underground Gang member in Seoul High. Teen Top and him weren’t doing their job right. They were attracting attention. Unnecessary attention.

Byunghun spoke hatred of the moment. His blonde hair seemed prominent as ever, hissing something, inaudible as he settled inside detention. He was running away from reality. He was running away from pain. Most importantly, he was running away from them. Detention maybe, was a good place to run into. He thought that, the pressure of being sent into detention would pull away the unneeded attention. Turned out, he was wrong. Landing himself in detention made him the limelight.

“What the is wrong with everybody!” Byunghun threw his bag on the table, curving his fist. He tried guarding his words carefully in the moment. He didn’t want to slip out his identity. He didn’t want her to know, fearing that Teen Top’s secret would be left out in the open. He sat on his desk, punching the table down. The air was still. It was cold. In-Na had no answer to that.

“What games are you playing at?” She raised a brow, piling some sort of notebook on her desk. She stacked the pens, in purple and black, while trying to comfort him with her words.

“I’m hiding.” He replied dark and his tone covered with flawed cracks.

“I’m doing the same,” In-Na smiled a little.

He gave a quizzical look. “Who from?”

“I wish I knew that answer, pretty boy,” she said, throwing over a piece of paper towards him to which he caught on time. “I’m my own worst enemy. I’m a little messed up in here.” She narrowed her finger to her heart. “And in here.” She pointed to her head. Byunghun nodded. It was the same for him.

“You left this morning,” In-Na added. “It was nice. The late night talk. I mean. Really, it was nice.”

Byunghun gave a tiny smile. He was drawn by how honest she was. He wanted to know every inch of her.

“Why are you always late for school? What games are you playing at?” This time, Byunghun questioned her.

“You saw me the other time in the streets. I’m working in a ramen restaurant. Working and schooling. That life is not worth living sometimes. My father gambles and spends our earnings on s he picked up from ed up alleys. His ideal life made me feel terrified by the thought of being in love,” In-Na hung her head low, scribbling lines on her blank paper. “I’m helping my mother with her medical needs and in paying for my own school fees. I figured, I could solve my own problems.”

“You can’t run away.”

“Gee, thanks.” She grinded her teeth. Her eyes screaming for help. “I’ve made conclusions to why you’re always in that ed up alley. I’ve my answers to what you are but I think, time will tell.”

He felt his confidence spiraling. She wasn’t just anyone to mess around with. “Let’s see if your theories are right, Park In-Na.”

“Bring it on.”

“It’ll get ugly,” he muttered, tasting words off his tongue. He wanted to be honest. Instead, he changed the topic.

“But what is with you and Seoul High?” Byunghun wished that there were ways to help her.

“Why is it Seoul High for you?” In-Na retaliated, smirking in return. “I know that you didn’t want to be a part of this place.”

“I thought that it’ll help me get to somewhere,” Byunghun said. “This place is ing rimmed with gold. Wouldn’t it help dreamers like me, at least, get to a better place?”

In-Na pulled her chair next to Byunghun. She rearranged her thoughts before laying them out.

“Okay, pretty boy, here’s my plan. Since you’re as screwed as me, or at least I think we’re on the same wavelength. Let’s just be screwed up kids in this ing rimmed with gold, place of hell. You’re intelligent. Just like me." She gave a conceited smile before making her point. "But we’ve our own priorities. Just be a mess. Just be yourself.”

“I’d say - that’s brilliant. Life has been hard on us,” Byunghun grinned. He liked the idea how they were discussing unrealistic expectations of life.

“It might not work and we might be thrown out of school,” In-Na added. “But it’ll make school a lot less painful.”

“There’s something missing out in this.” Byunghun said thoughtfully. His eyes shone brighter. He felt the missing pieces in his life, piecing himself back alive. He took out the spare lighter from his bag, handing it over to In-Na. She wondered, finding answers through Byunghun’s empty eyes.

“What is this for?” In-Na asked, resisting the urge to stammer.

“The lighter to your cigarette,” Byunghun said. At that moment, he saw by how her cheeks flushed pink. He rushed a hand against his blonde hair before turning away to finish up on his homework. He wanted to be the light. Her light.

“Thank you, Lee Byunghun,” she said before returning to her desk.

She tore open her bag, digging out for her cigarette box.

"Not now!" Byunghun hissed.

“L.Joe, Diamonds are crossing the line.” Chunji cornered him by the school’s lockers. The latter’s eyes were worried. “They’re warning us about taking away something precious from G-Dragon-Hyung. I’ve no ing idea what they’re talking about.”

Byunghun felt a slight dent in his heart. Things were turning ugly. “Changjo said before. His cousin. Diamonds would go after her.”

“What could they possibly do?” Chunji hissed, anger ringing incessantly in his head. “The thing is, he has never revealed her identity. Diamonds are probably messing with our heads.”

“Those bastards aren’t forgiving. They get what they want. They do what they want.” He left a heavy silence. Realization struck him somewhere. “Chunji, by any chance, do you think we should ask Hyung about this mysterious cousin of his?”

Chunji gave an alarmed look. “And do what?”

“Protect her.” Byunghun gave an obvious look of annoyance.

“For a moment, I thought you’d be interested.” Chunji gave a light laugh.

“For the first time, this whole Diamonds and Teen Top rivalry haunts me,” Byunghun admitted. “I used to love the part where I’m able to hurt and cause damage to others. But there’s just something about Hyung’s cousin. I don’t want her to be hurt. There’s enough hurting.”
 

He took out his phone, dialing In-Na's number.

"Are you alright?"

"Who's this?" She replied over the line. Byunghun released a grateful sigh.

"Your boyfriend." He snickered.

"Byunghun?" She yelled over. "Where did you get my number from? Yah!"

"It was on sale on E-bay," Byunghun rolled his eyes. "I got it from the headmaster's file."

"Screw you," she muttered. "And you're not my boyfriend."

"Would you like to hang out with Teen Top?" Byunghun felt warmth resurfacing. Talking to her made all the anxiety fled. "Or me?"

There was something about her that needed protection. He didn't know if his conclusions were right.

"That would be nice."