"Aliseu... Your Korean is really good..." Niel said as he stared into my eyes. I blushed.
"Oh no, not really.... But I have practiced a lot lately."
"I can tell." He said with a smile. I looked back down at the book on the table and tried to memorize a phrase, but I let out a gasp when he took my hand.
Niel...
"I have something to tell you." he said in a hushed voice.
"Yes?" I managed to whisper.
"Well..." he began "I...."

"YAH!"
I jumped, and looked up in a daze.
"Quit daydreaming and focus!" Niel yelled.
"Ah... Sorry." I said embarrassedly, then looked at the page in front of me.
We were currently sitting at his kitchen table. It was friday, and that meant it was the first day of my Korean lessons. My mom had dropped me off at 3:30, and it was now 4:00. I was losing concentration fast. I wanted to do well, but I was really tired and my mind kept wandering off. I looked up at Niel. He looked tired, too. He was working on some math homework while I was trying to work on a quiz that he had given me to check how much Korean I knew already and what he would have to teach me. I scribbled the answer to the final question, and set my pencil down on the table.
"Done. I left the answers that I didn't know blank." I said sheepishly.
He looked at the paper seriously and sighed.
"Well, it's fine for a beginner, I suppose. It seems like you've learned all of your Korean from dramas or something..."
I frowned at his words. "Hey, I have done a lot of research! You could give me some credit for already knowing what I do. It's just hard to learn without a teacher, you know? ... Which is why I have you!" I added with a smile, hoping he would smile too. But he didn't notice, he just continued to read the paper. He didn't seem like himself today. He seemed stressed.
Suddenly he started laughing. I perked up, hoping that his mood had somehow turned around.
"Haha- Alice! AHAHAHA. Your- your hangeul! It's- it's TERRIBLE! IT LOOKS LIKE A MONKEY WROTE IT!" and then he lost it. He practically fell off his chair laughing. I didn't know whether to be offended or to squeal at his adorable laugh.
I sat there idiotically wondering if I should smile or frown, and then his laughing fit subsided.
"Well we really have a lot to work on. You know a few phrases, but none of the technical aspects of the language. And your writing..." he let out a little chuckle "it definitely needs work."
I blushed and decided that I was definitely offended. Even though it was true...
"So let's get to work. Hey, maybe you should call me seonsaengnim! It means teacher." he said proudly.
"Ch, I know what it means... I won't be calling you seonsaengnim, so forget it. Somehow, I don't think teachers are supposed to laugh at their students. Don't think you're so much better than me Daniel Ahn, just because you know something that I don't."
I pulled a book over to me, and pretended to read it. He almost said something back, but held his tongue. He just scratched his head, and got up to get a glass of water. Then a cute tune broke through the awkward silence. The phone in my pocket started to play a short bit of Pinocchio by f(x), and I danced to the tune happily. I opened it and smiled.

Message from: Hanna Aegi♥!
"hows the lesson between the 2 lovers going? ♥"
I typed out "hes mean TT_TT" and pressed send.
Niel came back to the table and frowned. "Hey, no phones during school! ... Who is that anyway?"
I glared at him and my phone rang again. "Dari dari da da da~"
"want me to hit him 4 u? >_>"
"Hey, I'm serious, who is it?" Niel asked, his curiosity overflowing. Ooo do I detect a bit of jealousy?
"Oh, a person." I said to the curious boy next to me.
"Thanks bb, but its ok. he will learn. ill teach him! kekeke" I replied.
I looked up and Niel was making a stern face.
"It's nothing. Let's get back to work, huh?" I said with a smile, trying to be cute.
"Fine, but if they text back, don't check it, okay?"
Oh yes, he wants me all to himself!

He began teaching me about subject and object particles, and I was completely lost. I could feel my eyelids getting heavier. They were almost closed, when I was jolted awake by "Dari dari da da da~"
Will he get jealous again? I got a mischievous grin on my face. I looked at him, and he stared back at me.
"Don't do it." he commanded me.
"What if it's my mom or something? It could be important!" I said desperately.
"Trust me, It isn't." he argued.
"But it could be!"
"But... it isn't." he said with a firm gaze.
I slowly started to slip my hand into my pocket, and he watched me VERY closely.
"I'm just gonna quick check it!" I yelled as I jumped up from my seat and made a break for it. I ran for the bathroom, but before I knew it, he was ahead of me, and had slammed the bathroom door. I ran for the next room down the hall, but he was already in front of me, blocking the hallway. I tried to stop, but my SHINee socks continued to slide along the wooden floor. I shut my eyes, and braced myself for a collision.
BAM 
My phone slid out of my hand, and I shrieked as I crashed right into him, causing us both to fall over. I opened my eyes and saw his pretty little face. As soon as I realized I had fallen right on top of Niel, I quickly got up, feeling my face turn red. I helped him up, asking him if he was alright, but before he could answer, we heard pounding footsteps coming from above us. Niel and I both looked at each other worriedly. I winced, remembering Mr. Ahn was home.
"DANIEL!" I heard him yell, and then some things in Korean that I had no hope of understanding. He quickly headed out of the hallway and responded to his dad. I waited in silence, listening for anything that I'd understand, but it was useless. My Korean wasn't good enough. They talked for a couple minutes, and Mr. Ahn still sounded unhappy. I didn't have to understand Korean to know that Niel was getting scolded... for something that was my fault. Finally I heard footsteps returning to a room upstairs, and a door shutting.
Niel peaked his head into the hallway and said "He says we have to be more quiet..." then slowly headed past the hall, back to the kitchen.
He sounded really tired and gloomy. It broke my heart. I knew there's no way that's all he said. You can't talk for that long and only say that. From what I heard, he got a lecture...

I started to follow him, but let out a little yelp of pain as I stepped on something sharp. MY PHONE.
There lay my little pink phone on the floor, it's parts spread out around it. I picked it up and carried it back to the kitchen, hanging my head in shame. I knew it was my own fault. That stupid little phone caused so much trouble.
Niel was doing something on the counter, and I sat down at the table and laid the pieces out. Luckily it wasn't as bad as I thought, and I was able to put it back together. It , and I saw there was a message from Hanna. Oh yeah, that's right, I never saw it.
"just dont do anything stupid, k? ^^"
I sighed. Too late for that, Hanna. Too late for that.
"Is it okay?" Niel asked as he came over to the table with a bowl of fruit. Guilt plagued my body. I just got you in trouble and you're bringing me fruit? Is there something wrong with you?
"Ah yeah. It works." I said quietly as I picked up a little cube of melon and popped it in my mouth. "What about you? You kinda broke my fall, did you get hurt anywhere?"
"Uh, no. I'm fine!" he said with a weak smile, but I noticed he was rubbing his elbow.
"Are you sure? Let me see that." I moved his hand, and under it was a big purple bruise. I let out a gasp, and he pulled away.
"It's not as bad as it looks." he assured me, but I didn't believe him. I rushed to the freezer and looked for something to use. Ah! An icepack! Good. I grabbed a dishtowel, wrapped it around the icepack, and returned to him.
"I'm so sorry." I said as I pressed it against his elbow. "Everything is all my fault. I get so carried away sometimes..."
"Hey, hey. I told you I was fine. It's not like I have any broken bones or anything." he smiled.
"What about your dad? You got yelled at because of me. Ughhhhh. I'm really sorry~"
"Oh, that? That happens a lot. That's just the way he is."
That didn't really make me feel better...
"He's just really stressed out. His job keeps him really busy. When he's not traveling for work, he's working from home. Though he does occasionally come to the store. Anyway, I'm fine, so don't worry!"
I thought for a moment, and remembered his face after his dad yelled at him. He can't really be fine with it... But I won't ask anymore about it.
"Hey Niel. What is your dad's job?" I asked.
"Oh, you don't know? He owns the store that my mom and I work at!"
My jaw dropped. "He- He OWNS the store? The store I come to every week? Your family owns the store??"
He nodded. "Well, actually, we just co-own it. My dad's partner, the other owner lives in Korea. Oh, and it's not just that one. We own.. er, co-own stores across the country, and we even have some stores in Korea!"
"K- Korea?" This time, not only dropped my jaw, but also the icepack. I couldn't believe it. No wonder they were so rich. "Wow, I don't even know what to say..."
He smiled. "My dad used to live in Korea, but he and his partner wanted to expand to the US. Since my dad had studied English, he was chosen to be the one to handle it. So he moved here. That's why he travels back and forth to Korea so much. Oh, and he met my mom here, too. She actually grew up in America."
"That's amazing. I had no idea. I can see why your dad is so busy, then. Huh..."
"Uhuh! Pretty cool, right? Do you have a new respect for me now?" He asked with a smirk.
"Not a chance~" I replied as I stuck out my tongue.

We studied a bit more, and I was more confident now. Niel finally explained things in a way that I could understand them, and I was really glad. I could feel myself learning more already! We had just finished up and were getting something to drink, when we heard the upstairs door open and Niel's dad coming down the stairs. My eyes widened as I wondered what he could possibly want from us.
He started speaking, and his deep emotionless voice surprised me. I still wasn't used to it.
"Daniel. I need you to go to the store and pick up some papers for me. They'll be in my office. I'm not sure where, just look around for a red folder. I'm too busy to go get them right now."
"Ah... Okay dad. We just finished anyway. I'll ride my bike over and go pick them up for you right away."
I got confused for a minute, but I realized that the store was just a couple minutes away from their house. I never really thought about it before.
Niel turned to me. "Will you be okay here? I'll only be about twenty minutes, is that okay with you?"
I dreaded the thought of being alone in the house with his father lurking upstairs, but it couldn't be avoided.
I nodded. "Yeah it's fine. I should start cleaning now, anyway."
"Alright. Just don't break anything, huh?"
"I will try my best." I smirked.
He grabbed a backpack, some keys and a water bottle, and headed for the front door. I stood in the doorway watching him as he got on his shiny red bike, waved at me, and rode off into the sunset attractively. There was something oh so attractive about him on a bike, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I just smiled goofily, and stared at him until he disappeared. I was almost positive that his favorite color was red now, and it made me smile even more.

When I realized I was just staring at an empty sidewalk now, I shut the door and locked it. I turned around, and took in their immense house. All mine to clean. Oh boy. I was wondering where I should start, and then remembered something. I needed cleaning supplies to be able to clean. Where do they keep their mops and brooms, I wonder...
I walked though the silent house, feeling a slight eeriness. I was getting a bit lonely. I missed Niel. I started looking for a supplies closet. I was quietly opening doors and peeking inside, but no luck. I felt strange looking through their house. I started to open another door, but heard something scatter across the floor behind me. I stood frozen in fear, but managed to slowly turn my head around. I looked, and there was nothing there. I sighed with relief, and continued to open the door, but out of the door this hairy bristly monster lunged at me. I shielded my face and started to scream but covered my mouth, remembering Mr. Ahn. I fell over backwards and shut my eyes tight as I heard a big clatter. I quickly jumped up and opened my eyes, but there was nothing there. Nothing of any threat. Then my foot bumped up against something, and I looked down next to me in a daze. And there lay nothing but an old broom.
I sort of laughed and whimpered at the same time. A broom. A BROOM. I am so so stupid. Alice, you need to get a grip... Who in the world puts their broom away upside-down, anyway... I hope Mr. Ahn didn't hear any of that...
Then I looked up, and smiled. Mission complete! I found the supplies closet! I picked out a mop, and brought it into the kitchen. I was happily singing and mopping the kitchen floor, wondering when Niel would get back. I looked at my watch, and it was 5:15. Niel only left ten minutes ago... no way he'll be back any time soon... I sighed. I was going to be staying for dinner tonight, and I wondered what we would be having. Would it be a normal American meal? Or would it be Korean dishes? Or maybe a mixture of both...
Then I heard it again.
*SKITTER SCATTER*
I felt chills go down my spine. "Is it possible that they have mice? But that sounds like one big mouse... Could it be... a killer rat with rabies? ... No, Alice. That's silly. It's just your imagination."
I was going to sweep the hallway next. I grabbed the broom and started to sweep up the dust into the dustpan, then headed for the back door at the end of the hall to dump it out. I was about to close the door, when my "imagination" went off again.
"PITTER PATTER*
I gripped the broom handle tight, there was no way that this was my imagination. I was not alone in this house. There was some sort of creature that was stalking me, and I was determined to get it out. I heard whatever it was creep up behind me, and I waited until it was close enough. I turned around, saw some sort of furry rodent, took the broom, and swept it out the back door. I swung the door shut, and sunk down to the floor. What was that? I didn't really get a good look at it... Some poisonous giant radioactive rat with rabies? Who knows. But now it was gone forever, and I just saved their house! Yay me! How did it even get in, I wonder? I shrugged. Oh well, back to work.

I was just starting to dust things, when I heard the doorbell. My heart leapt. NIEL! I couldn't wait to tell him about how I saved his life by getting rid of that rabies-infested-disgusting creature! I ran for the door and swung it open. "NIEL, WELCOME BACK! I-"
But confusion struck me, as I saw someone standing in front of me who definitely wasn't Niel. I was looking at a boy, a bit shorter than Niel... He had black hair and a cute little face. His features were really different from Niel, but my immediate thought was that like Niel, he looked like he belonged in a boyband or something.
I was surprised to see him, and he definitely looked surprised to see me. Then he talked to me in a cute little voice.
"Um. I'm... not Niel. My name is Ricky. And you are?"