After things had settled down at the dorm and Kikwang had left, Kyung was getting ready to go down to the main office to pick up a map. Jae popped her blonde head into his room and smiled. She was trying to make an effort to be friendly, but not too friendly.

“You’re going out?” she asked, tilting her head. “I need to make sure I know where I’m going tomorrow for my classes.”

“I’m going to pick up a map. We can figure out where we’re going together.” He looked up at her and smiled. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Oh, do you know where Zico went? I actually haven’t seen him since earlier today. I wanted to ask him some things about the room.” She shoved her hands in her sweatshirt pockets, fiddling with her hand phone.

“He’s with Ji Hoon, I believe.” Kyung grabbed his phone and stared at it. One new message. Opening the message, he read:

Take Jae with you to the office. Don’t let him out of your sight – Zico.

Interesting.

“That’s cool. So, are we going or what?” Jae was getting impatient. She just wanted to go explore and get to know her surroundings. It was her first time to be in an unfamiliar place by herself. She was usually with her sisters. She started to walk up the hall and she passed room one, which was open. She back tracked and poked her head in. Minhyuk was the only one inside. He had his back to the open door and was searching for something in his desk.

“Minhyuk Op… Hyung.” Jae caught herself before it was too late. “What are you doing?” she watched him curiously, cranking her neck, trying to get a better view.

“Ah. I’m looking for my head phones.” He replied without looking up. “They were on my desk the last time I saw them.” He frowned and put his hands on his hips. Jae intruded into the room. At first glance it was quite messy. Typical boys’ room, Jae thought to herself as she scoffed. Minhyuk looked like he was dressed to go jogging. She sat herself down on a bed and smiled. Being near him made her mood improve.

“Did you check underneath your pillow?” she blurted out absentmindedly as she lifted up the pillow.

Of course he’ll never change his habits, even if he is in a new place. She lifted them up.

“How did you…” Minhyuk was looking over her shoulder. Jae could feel his breath on her neck. She immediately stiffened, pink creeping up on her cheeks. “How did you know they were there?” he was in awe.

“I put mine in the same place, so I thought you might do it, too.” She smiled weakly as she came face to face with Minhyuk’s profile. Her eyes drifted from his eyes down to his jaw line. Her heart started to race. She swallowed hard.

“Well, you’re incredible.” He reached out and grabbed the head phones. Jae blinked and snapped out of her dazed state. She looked to the door and saw Kyung leaning on the door frame, expression blank.

“How long were you there, Kyung? You should have said something. Let’s go.” She stood up awkwardly and rushed out the door, grabbing Kyung’s wrist and yanking him along with her. He let himself get pulled along until they left the dorm and were outside.

“What’s your hurry? We have the rest of the day.” He stopped and shook her shoulders a little. “We should be able to remember things better if we don’t rush.” Kyung always sounded so reasonable. Jae shrugged.

“I suppose.”

Back inside, Minhyuk was putting his head phones on and leaving his room when Yukwon walked by and cleared his throat. A smile was plastered on his face, as usual.

“What are you so happy about?” Minhyuk squinted at him as he stretched his arms.

“I’m happy?” he shrugged. “What are you talking about?”

“When I first met you, you hardly spoke. You were depressed about something. This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you.” Yukwon put his hands behind his head and looked Minhyuk over.

“Yah, you’ve only known me for a couple of days!” Minhyuk laughed. “It’s not that I was sad. It was more a feelings of guilt. But somehow, I don’t feel so bad anymore.” He fiddled with his mp3 player. “Don’t tell anyone, but there’s a girl I miss. That new kid reminds me of her is all.” He looked up and sighed. “Wonder what his name is? I don’t remember it.”

“From what Taeil just told me, the super short one is Kang Jae and the other is Park Kyung. Kang Jae still looks oddly familiar to me, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen him in my life.” Yukwon shook his head and coughed. “Ya, Hyung, what’s up with your face?” Minhyuk’s mouth was hanging open and Yukwon punched him in the arm lightly.

“His name is Kang Jae? Are you sure you heard right?” Minhyuk’s mind was racing.

“I’m pretty sure that’s right.” Just then, the door to the dorm slammed shut.

“We’re back, Hyungs.” Jihoon announced and walked in, a stuffed toy under his arm. “What did we miss?” he took note of Minhyuk’s face. “You look like you found out some bad news.” Minhyuk’s mouth was still hanging open.

“Hyung, you shouldn’t be like that.” Zico strolled up and smacked Minhyuk’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“Your roommate’s name is Kang Jae, right?” Yukwon scratched his head. “I’m pretty sure that’s his name.” Zico’s eyes narrowed.

“Wae?” he looked from Minhyuk to Yukwon. “His name is Kang Jae.” Jihoon looked completely lost. He began to play with his stuffed toy.

“That name doesn’t ring any bells for me. What about you, Minhyuk Hyung?” Yukwon shook his head and grabbed Jihoon’s toy, tossing it in the air.

“It doesn’t mean anything to me, either.” Minhyuk regained his composure and gave a half smile. “Well, I’m going to go on my run. I’ll be back in half an hour or so.” He his mp3 player and pushed through Jihoon and Yukwon to get to the door. Jihoon was still trying to get his stuffed animal back from Yukwon. Zico followed Minhyuk with his eyes as he left the dorm, the door slamming shut.

“Where is Jae Hyung anyway?” Jihoon took a break from his attempt to get his toy back and looked around the hallway.

“He should be with Kyung. They’re going around the school.” Zico frowned. “At least that’s what they should be doing.” Yukwon shrugged.

“All I know is that yesterday, Minhyuk hyung wasn’t like that. He was in some sort of a depression. Now, that’s all gone.” He tossed the stuffed animal at Jihoon and turned away. “What’s with that?” he sighed and walked to his room.

“Yukwon hyung seems really concerned.” Jihoon pointed out, looking back at Zico who looked like he was deep in thought. His expression was blank and hard to read. Jihoon just stared at Zico with curiosity. He didn’t really know what to say.

“You know, I think I’ll go find Kyung and Jae. I’ll be back later.” Zico patted Jihoon’s head and stalked off.

Meanwhile…

Kyung and Jae had managed to walk all the way to the office in silence. Jae didn’t know what to say and she didn’t want to talk too much. She was still scared of Kyung finding out who she really was. She walked a short distance behind him, studying his back. She could never tell what he was thinking. Not in the past, and not now. He always seemed happy on the outside and nothing else.

“Jae Hyung, we’re here.” He turned around and stopped suddenly, causing Jae to run into him. The top of her head was barely past her chest. Kyung looked down at her and chuckled. “Hyung, I didn’t know you were this short.” Jae backed off instantly.

“Yea, well, I’m just late with my growth spurt, that’s all.” She waved him towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right.” He was suppressing his chuckles and opened the glass door. It was a fairly small office. It had one desk and various pictures up on the walls. Behind the desk was a girl who looked about their age. She had glasses and her hair was tied up into a high bun.

“Excuse me! We’re here for a map.” Jae smiled at the girl. The girl looked up at Jae and blushed.

“Oh, sure.” She reached into a drawer and pulled out a map. She stood up and gave it to Jae and gave a slight bow. Jae bowed back and took the map. “We can share, right?” she looked to Kyung, who was looking around the room. “Yah.” She elbowed him and he jumped.

“Oh, yea, sure that’s fine.” Kyung and Jae turned to walk away when the girl called out.

“What block are you guys from?” her voice was quiet and wavering.

“Block B. Wae?” Kyung looked back at her.

“Will you give this to Woo Jiho and this to Anh Jaehyo?” she held up two clear plastic bags with cookies in them. Jae raised a brow and looked at Kyung, who was still staring, and then back to the girl.

“I guess so.” She reached out to grab the bags but the girl grabbed her hand first.

“You need to tell them that it’s from Mari.” She looked desperate, her eyes pleading. Kyung grabbed Mari’s hand and pushed it off Jae. Jae glared at Kyung.

What is wrong with him? I've never seen him act like this before.

“Araso. We got it.” He snapped, his eyes narrowed and he took the bags, leaving in a huff. Jae glared at Kyung’s back and looked back to Mari, her expression was confused.

“Don’t mind him. We’ll give them the cookies. Don't worry about it.” She gave a slight wave and followed Kyung out. Jae kicked the back of Kyung’s knee which caused him to stumble. “What was that all about? She was just asking a favor.”

“She’s annoying.” Kyung muttered. It took him a while, but when he turned around, his face was happy once again. “So, where is your first class?” he took the map and lightly tapped her forehead. Jae frowned and slapped Kyung in the shoulder.

Why does he treat me like a baby even when I'm a boy?

“I think my first class is in the morning. I’ve got music theory.” She grabbed the map and opened it up. The campus was much larger than she thought. “We have a lot of area to cover. The building is all the way across the campus.” She sighed. Kyung leaned in to look at the map and Jae held her breath. She wasn't used to being that close. 

“We can see my first class first then. The building is close by.” He began walking in the direction of his class. Jae let her breath out quickly and followed, her bracelet jingling as she jogged to catch up to Kyung’s long strides. Along the way, the two passed by Jaehyo. He stopped and greeted them.

“Where are you two off to?” he asked, his eyes intense as ever.

“We’re almost to Kyung’s first class.” Jae pointed to a blue building. “My classes are quite far away. Oh, and a girl named Mari wanted to give you some cookies.” She elbowed Kyung and he handed a bag of cookies over.

“Mari? I don’t know a Mari.” He hesitated before taking the cookies. “I’m not quite sure.”

“Neither are we.” Kyung shrugged and began stalking off towards his building. “I’m going to check things out.” He called out before going inside. Jae rolled her eyes. Kyung was acting quite strange. He was angry, then he was happy and gentle, and then back to mad.

What is going on with that boy, she thought to herself.

“You sure you only met today?” Jaehyo eyed Jae’s face. “That guy seems very comfortable around you, no?”

“What are you trying to say, Hyung?” Jae cleared , trying to seem oblivious. “We met on the bus. Maybe that’s why he seems so comfortable with me.” She began to crinkle the map in her nervous state. Jaehyo was silent for a bit. He seemed to be contemplating.

“Maybe that is it.” He sighed. “It’s nice to make friends right away. I came here from Busan all by myself.” He finally cracked a slight smile. “Consider yourself lucky.” He opened the bag of cookies and began to nibble one as he headed back towards the dorm areas. “I’ll see you back at Block B.” he waved.

“That guy is so strange. I don’t know what to make of him. He is a mystery.” she said quietly to herself.

That Jaehyo guy is so hard to read. I don’t even know what he’s thinking half the time, she pondered. Just then, Jae’s pocket began to vibrate. Grabbing her phone, she looked at the notification. It was a text message from Minhyuk.

Hope you’re doing well. I heard it’s your first day of school tomorrow. Good luck.

Jae read the message over and over and sighed. She hadn’t communicated with him in so long. What am I doing? She ran her free hand through her short hair and crouched down.

This isn’t like me at all. I usually would enjoy seeing messages from Oppa.

“Are you feeling alright? Who is that message from?” Kyung’s soft voice rang in her ear, causing her to startle and jump up, hitting Kyung’s head in the process. “AISH! HYUNG!” he yelped as he held the side of his head and backed away. “I thought this already happened today!”

“This has already happened!” she winced and tried to hold back her laughter. “Mianhae!” The passersby stared at the pair. Jae felt especially embarrassed, her cheeks and ears were burning. Kyung grabbed Jae’s hand and put it to the spot where he had collided with her.

“Hyung, if I become stupid from all of this, I’ll blame you. How will you make it up to me?” Kyung pouted, making his bottom lip protrude.

“Oh, it up.” Jae mumbled as she rubbed his head as well as her own. “I’m sure you won’t be stupid.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would believe that you’re my Kang Jae.” He laughed and snatched the map away from Jae. She scrunched her nose. That was the last thing she wanted him to be thinking.

“Well, I’m a guy. It must just be a coincidence.” She shrugged and scoffed. “Why would I remind you of her anyway?” Curiosity was getting the better of her. She folded her arms in front of her stomach as she started walked towards their next destination, Kyung trailing behind her, plotting their route.

“She was one of my best friends along with Zico. She always took care of me. You kind of do the same thing, but differently I guess. I mean, you are a guy and all, so…” he trailed off, never once looking up from the map. “I’m probably creeping you out now. But the similarity is scary. I miss her a lot right now.” Jae smirked. Somehow, she felt herself getting angrier and angrier.

If I was your best friend, then why didn’t you contact me for eight years? I don’t think you missed me at all.

“No, you’re fine.” She forced herself to sound indifferent. “We should probably get the sightseeing over with.”

The rest of the trip was spent conversing about the school and nothing else. By the time they had finished visiting the campus, it was late afternoon and they began making their way back to their Block. The campus wasn’t too busy that day and most people were getting their dorms set up. When they were passing Block A, they saw Minhyuk heading for the dorm too.

“Kyung, I’ll meet you back at the dorm, araso?” Kyung nodded and gave her a half smile, quickening his pace to the dorm. “Ah, Minhyuk Hyung! Where have you been all day?” Jae ran up and punched his shoulder. “Kyung and I went around the whole campus.” Minhyuk looked surprised and then smiled.

“I was working out.” He had a white towel with him which was stained with red. Jae’s face lit up.

“When you go work out again, take me, araso?” she looked up at him and put her hands on her hips.

“I suppose.” Minhyuk dropped his towel on her head. “Are you sure you can keep up with me?” he chuckled and began sprinting towards Block B. Jae pulled the towel off her head and sprinted after him, her shorter legs working twice as hard to catch up.

“Yah! Minhyuk Hyung!” she was nearly side by side with him when she stopped all of a sudden. Minhyuk didn’t bother to wait for her, and ran inside the dorm and shut the door. Kyung and Zico were at the side of the dorm talking with what looked like a girl. Their backs were turned and it sounded as if they were in an argument. Jae walked up to the, the reddened towel still in her hands. She cranked her neck to try and see over Zico and Kyung’s heads.

“I just want to find my way back to the bus stop.” The familiar female voice snapped. “Can’t one of you take me there? You’re my unnie’s friends!”

“Eun Jung, why are you up here in the first place?” Kyung sounded as if he was desperate. “Do you know where Jae is?” Zico was yelling over him.

“You need to leave! You’re not allowed near our dorms or we’ll get in trouble!”

“Eun Jung, Just give me the address of Jae’s university!” Kyung pleaded, grabbing Jung’s hand.

“Yah, you need to leave already!” Zico started pushing her towards the direction of the bus stop.

Jae finally decided to speak up.

“Who is that?” she called loudly, grabbing everyone’s attention. All three of them look at her in surprise. Eun Jung smiled widely and ran over to Jae.

“You seem nice enough, Oppa. These two aren’t helping me at all. I just need to go back to the bus stop. I entered here by mistake.” She clung to Jae’s arm. Zico put a palm to his forehead and Kyung sighed and looked down at the ground, kicking the pavement.

“I guess I could help you.” Jae was fighting the urge to smile and hug her little sister. “The bus stop is this way.” She escorted Jung out of the dorm area, leaving Zico to deal with Kyung, who was letting Zico have a piece of his mind.

“We have a problem.” Jung hissed, her grip on Jae’s arm tightened. “Why didn’t you text or call me back?! Appa got into an accident. Your tuition is paid for this semester, but not for next. You might have to drop out and come home.”