Keo was having a really hard time sorting out her heart. She was sitting in her classroom fifteen minutes before class with her forehead lolling back and forth on her desk. She ignored the calls and questions from her peers and only focused on Soonyoung.

                He asked so abruptly, Keo really wasn’t expecting at all. How could she? She was too busy trying to keep the airhead hidden from her parents for the past couple of weeks that she’d become blind to his new ways of showing affection. Though they really could just be acts of kindness, or worse things he learned from the institute.

                Most mornings Soonyoung would gently wake her up instead of letting her alarm clock do so. Maybe he was just an early riser and didn’t see any reason for her to wake up in such a harsh way. It was nice seeing his face when she opened her eyes. He always seemed to have this bright as sunshine smile from ear to ear with his head tilted. Keo kind of liked the way his eyes twinkled when he said “Good Morning” in a whisper so her parents couldn’t hear.

                Keo didn’t know how the recent appearances of flowers started off her morning, but now that she was on recalling the past couple of days... She remembered when the first flower came up. A Tulip, freshly picked (from the neighbours garden), yellow of course, had sprung in front of her just a couple days into spring. Soonyoung had cut the stem short and pinned it just above her ear with a clip telling her she looked “Oh, so beautiful this wonderful spring day.” The smile that followed was far from forced.

                The bell rang, but Keo just barely noticed until the seat beside her shifted and her desk mate was on her feet. Keo stood without thinking for the national anthem and then sat while her thoughts continued to drown out the morning announcements.

                Could Soonyoung really be so brainwashed by the institute that he just did these things for Keo like they were part of his training? Keo closed her eyes tightly shaking her head a bit then looked towards his seat. Soonyoung wasn’t there.

                Keo looked all around the room to see if maybe her friend had been wandering, but it looked like he hadn’t even come to class. “Keo, do you know where Soonyoung is today?” Her teacher chimed in right on time.

                “Er, ah- n-no. Sorry.”

                “Hmm, he hadn’t missed a day yet.” Keo heard her teacher mumble to herself checking Soonyoung’s name as absent.

                By lunch Keo was starting to get on edge. Soonyoung was skipping an entire day of school? That wasn’t like him. He was he wanted to catch up on the year he missed and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise that, but now he wasn’t showing up for his classes.

                Worried, Keo caught the next bus home. She didn’t really care that she wouldn’t be on time for her afternoon classes, that is if she came back at all. She knew she’d have to come up with some excuse to tell her parents, but Soonyoung hadn’t come to school and finding him was the most important thing right now.

                What if something had happened to him? He was like a baby in this new world of Canada. Maybe he took the wrong train or bus or turned the wrong day. Maybe he was mugged! Keo’s head was spinning. She didn’t know what she was thinking anymore. That girl in their homeroom kept eyeing him suspiciously too, maybe she scared him and he didn’t want to come to school.

                Keo ran when she stepped foot off the bus until she reached her front door where she jammed the key into the lock bursting through the door. Soonyoung sat on a chair in the middle of the main entrance with his back towards the door.

                “Soonyoung.” A heavy breath blocked Keo from letting out more than one word out at a time. “What are you doing?” She came to his side placing a hand on her knee and another on his shoulder.

                “Do you think I’m fooling you? Like I’m doing all of this because that’s what I’m taught?” Keo didn’t say anything she just looked up at Soonyoung’s face that was away from her own. “I’m not. Kris said you’d love me if I let you know who I was. He said to forget everything they taught me because people like you and Iris want someone real, not someone programmed.”

                Keo nod her head slowly, “That’s right. People shouldn’t have to be something they aren’t for you to love them.” The longer Keo looked at Soonyoung’s face the more she could see the dim gleam of his dried tears.

                “They don’t teach you how to be yourself there and they don’t teach you what to do when the other person doesn’t want you. They expect them to want you because you bought them, but you didn’t buy me.” Soonyoung couldn’t cry. He was out of tears, but his voice was broken. Keo could tell his heart was aching.

                “I don’t know if you want me, but I want you because you are the only person who doesn’t abuse me, who doesn’t hurt me like everyone else did every horrible day of my life. You shouldn’t want me because you know what has happened to me. I’m so low standard taking every action of kindness that comes my way, but you deserve more.”

                “You deserve someone who can support their self. Someone who can buy you nice things and make you smile when you go out on dates. I can’t do that, but I still want you. It’s because I’m greedy. I couldn’t be happy for you when you were with Dominik because I wanted you for myself. And now I’m making you miss your education because I wanted your full attention as my girlfriend.”

                Soonyoung’s voice was monotone while he spoke. There were no emotions left in him to decorate his sentences. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. I’ll ask Kris if I can move back in with him and Iris.”

                Keo closed her arms around Soonyoung’s waist. “You know you can’t do that. Kris still doesn’t know what is going on with you or why someone wants to take you back to Korea.” Soonyoung attempted to peel Keo off of him, but she only held on tighter. “You’re not a problem, though you do have your moments. Just stay here with me.”

                “You should really go back to school. I don’t want you to do poorly because I-“

                “I want you, Soonyoung. I want you to stay with me because I care about you and I don’t want to hurt you. I want to be your girlfriend, Soonyoung.” Keo didn’t process what she was saying and let her feelings take hold. She knew that way down in her heart she wouldn’t be able to give Soonyoung up so easily.

                “Do you hear me Soonyoung?” She asked when he didn’t reply. “I want you and I won’t hurt you. I care about you, and I’m not going to let you go back to Kris’ house, so please stay here with me.” Soonyoung clenched his jaw absentmindedly and let out a stuttered breath from the seal of his lips. He cried dry tears pressing his lips onto Keo’s.

*A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever. This may be the last one for a long time, I'm really not doing well mentally/emotionally.