Oh, hey, his friend's got a name::

          He gets surrounded by the same students that were watching outside their classroom right after Bourei left. Suddenly, he's getting complimented for his bravery - - for my what? - - because apparently, he's the only one who had the guts to talk with Bourei like that - - like what? - - and there are people patting his back, and the girls swoon at him, telling him that he looks manly now - - does that mean that I looked girly before? - - and they should talk more often. 

          Hyukjae is this close to pinch himself. This is surreal. "What did you say, Yoona?"

          Yoona blinds him with the sweetest smile Hyukjae's ever seen. "I said that we should talk more often. I would like that."

          He didn't know that a single word would gain him instant popularity that temporarily vanishes the moment their professor slams the door shut. Mr Park doesn't start adoring Hyukjae like the others. Instead, he shoo-es all the students, except his. Hyukjae wonders if their teacher thinks that the disaster in the room is Hyukjae's fault because he is glaring and tapping his foot at him. 

          Uh-Oh. Luckily, somebody explains that Hyukjae is not the culprit. 

          He's the hero. Hero. 

          "He's my savior!" Minwoo's pupils round when he looks at him. "He saved my life."

          I'm. A. Savior?

          And because Minwoo wants to show his immense gratitude to him, he offers to clean everything and for Hyukjae to just sit down which he refuses at the beginning, but he has to change his mind in the end. Despite insisting that he can work and a simply 'thank you' - - but thank you for what? - - is enough, he realises that he's fighting a losing battle the moment Minwoo gives him the big-puppy eyes to which Hyukjae can't resist. It's not like the big-puppy eyes that Minwoo shows are irresistable. His friends Donghae's and LuHan's are way better and cuter. Maybe Hyukjae just can't win against puppy-eyes. He has a thing for them like someone has a thing for people wearing good cologne or like Sungmin has a thing for cute stuffed toys. That's it.

          Speaking of Sungmin, he takes Hyukjae's upper arm, jerking him forward. "So this Bourei guy is someone who can see ghosts," he says quietly, looking around him as if not wanting people to hear their conversation, "How crazy is that?"

          Hyukjae grimaces. "Nice to know that you didn't hear anything of what I told you before."

          "I was too busy thinking of a plan to help Minwoo."

          "But you just asked me what to do," Hyukjae points out.

          Sungmin glowers. "I said thinking," he argues with Hyukjae, "Not that I had one."

          "But - -"

          "Case closed." Sungmin hisses, then changes the subject. "Does people like Bourei really exist? Like seriously being able to see ghosts," he spits, putting emphasis on the last word. "That's so ing unbelievable."

          Hyukjae simply shrugs. "You know that I don't believe in any of that ."

          "Of course you don't," Sungmin says, pretending to remove dust from the nearest very clean desk with the back of his hand when he notices that one of his female classmates has been glancing at him a few times. Probably because Sungmin is doing nothing unlike the others and he cannot stay resting like Hyukjae. When the girl goes to help to put the desks in rows, Sungmin is facing him again. "How can you believe that when you were that kid who made taking out all of the fun of Christmas from children the mission of his childhood?"

          Point five, Sungmin doesn't forget anything. He specially remembers all of your mistakes and all the embarassing moments of your life. He remembers even the smallest detail of your embarassing moments. More, he likes to remind you of them everytime, mostly when you two are having a discussion or even in silly bickerings.

          "Santa Claus doesn't exist." Hyukjae declares. "A man living in the North Pole with elves - -"

          "You made Christina cry." Sungmin interrupts him because he has to always be right. He rakes a hand through his hair in frustration. "Poor little girl was just waiting for a Barbie from dear Santa and you had to tell her that it was her dad."

          Hyukjae defenses himself with a lame excuse. "She was going to find that out once she grew up a little anyway."

          "On her birthday," Sungmin continues. "And when she told you that she found one of the buttons of Santa's jacket, you said that probably her dad bought the wrong size of costume." He is glaring at Hyukjae with an icy expression. "You said that her dad is fat."

          "I said that maybe he couldn't fit in." Hyukjae corrects. "You are - -"

          "You implied it." Sungmin remarks quickly.

           Ohmyingg. Hyukjae groans. "Go to hell, Sungmin," he says, but there's no sting in it. He always feels kind of er-punched by Sungmin's use of those memories. Hyukjae should always expect that Sungmin's going to recall them, but he's never been able to get himself ready.

          He's known Sungmin for years, but he's never learnt how to predict his words and moves. Damn it. It is not like he makes Hyukjae seem bad. Sungmin makes Hyukjae seem cruel - - he makes him feel like he's cruel which he is not.

          Cruelty isn't part of his personality.

          (Those are Kim Heechul and his childhood friend.)

          "Okay, let's forget that for now," the reincarnation of Lucifer concludes, but his tone suggests that there will be a next time to bring that up again. "You must feel important now," he guesses after a moment.

          "K - - " Hyukjae shakes his head a little and tries to regain composure. "Yes. Kind of. I mean, unreachable girls talked to me just a few minutes ago. How cool is that."

          "They picked you up and put you on their same level in a snap of fingers," Sungmin says flatly. "And why that? Oh. Right. Because you agreed on meeting this Bourei."

          "You made it sound like it was a very bad idea." Hyukjae shoots him a poisonous look.

          "Nope." Sungmin counters, popping the 'P'. The other simply an eyebrow because he's feeling too lazy to actually ask the older guy what he means. "Are we two outcast at school or what? I really don't like being left out. Why didn't I know about this person?" As he sees that Hyukjae's about to say something, he beats him and speaks up clearly. "I heard that part. No is the answer. I don't feel better by knowing that you didn't know Bourei either."

          Hyukjae sighs because that is all he is allowed to do if he doesn't want to start another round. I don't want to. Absolutely not. "Don't you think that they are all making a big fuss over him?" He asks carefully.

          "Maybe."

          He's taken aback by that. Hyukjae blinks. "Wait - - Don't you or do you?" 

          Sungmin scowls, looking down. "They are all afraid of him, ain't they?" It doesn't sound like a question because it isn't. The way he locks Hyukjae with his stare says the other unsaid sentence. If they are all scared, then it must be true. Or he should replace that 'must' with a 'should', but the overall meaning is that.

          "Seriously?" Hyukjae sags in surprise/shock. "But you were saying 'unbelievable and things like that' before. What's with this now?"

          "I remember hearing about some special people who talk to spirits," Sungmin says, his expression all serious.

          "Yeah, on Discovery Crap." Hyukjae chokes out a startled laugh. "Don't be like them. Please." He snorts at the sudden image that his mind is suggesting: Sungmin beginning to back out wherever the first year schooler is around. What's wrong with people? "He's just a moody kid who has lots of fun playing games like being able to see ghosts and ." When Sungmin watches him sidelong with that you-think-I-am-going-to-fall-for-that look, he adds, "He likes being alone and he makes up that story so that no one will ever approach him?"

          "Hyukjae." Sungmin complains.

          "Yes?"

          "You're an idiot."

          "At least I don't watch stupid programs on TV and then get influenced by them." Hyukjae replies.

          "At least I give an opportunity to everything instead of being stuck with my judgemental theories."

          "At least I have my theories and I don't tail after the mass."

          "At least I don't go Hermione Granger about everything."

          Hyukjae rolls his eyes. "At least I'm not making movie references."

          "At least I am not movies deficient." Sungmin squints at him.

          "At least - - "

          "Sungmin, come here and help us!" Minwoo screams, running to them. He starts pulling the older guy's uniform in an attempt to drag him to where their classmates are working as fast as they can under the scrutiny of their Physics teacher that, to Hyukjae's big discomfort, is still eyeing him some times. He wonders if Mr Park is going to ask for his homework, he also wonders why their teacher didn't interrogate them any further about the happening before.

          Most of Hyukjae's concern goes to the first thought. He's sure to have written all of the formulas neatly and correctly (he had to copy them), but a strict teacher in a bad mood isn't someone you want to stay close to.

          The worry dissipates when Sungmin's voice breaks through his little bubble of thinking. 

          "I hurt my back yesterday." Sungmin says. He rubs a hand to the spot that aches. "Can't I pass?"

          Minwoo first flashes a smile to Hyukjae that the latter awkwardly mirrors, before turning to Sungmin. "How?"

          "I - - uh - - w-wresting?" Sungmin stammers under his breath. They all hear him anyway.

          "But," Hyukjae raises a brow, "you don't do wrestling."

          "Point to Hyuk - - my Savior." Minwoo points at him with his thumb. It occurs to Hyukjae that the more his friend calls him that, the more he would have liked not to ever listen to what Minwoo says and not to have saved him from Bourei. What the hell. The one and only positive thing that came from it is the popularity.

          "I don't." Sungmin clears his throat. There's a slight redness on his cheeks. "Heechul hyung does."

          "But Heechul hyung doesn't - - " Hyukjae starts but pauses and clams his lips together. It clicks in his head.

          Holy .

-

          The conversations at their table during lunch break are that type of conversation that you categorize as 'assorted' and random. Hyukjae prefers to tag them as '', 'super ' and 'extreme '. The members at their table just spit out whatever random comes up in their minds and the most questionable thing is that the conversation goes on smoothly without anyone stopping it and asking why they're problematising over that (you get assorbed in the ty conversation and you realise that it's ty only once it's finished). 

          That is why Hyukjae sometimes chooses to be alone - - you have to take these small little breaks to ensure your sanity stays intact. Since yesterday didn't go well, and today is not going to be easy either, he thinks of trying to spend even the shortest time by himself.

          His friends think otherwise.

          Of course they do.

          "She keeps saying that watching is cheating." Kangin's face smashes on the wooden surface. He earns a glare from the almighty Kim Heechul because his drink sloshes in his glass due to the impact. He doesn't mind getting tissues to clean. Instead, Kim Heechul just stares at the mess as if wanting it to clean itself magically, before turning back on Kangin. A silent threaten that the latter doesn't sense at all. Kangin's brain is entirely occupied by his problem.

          "I told you to break up with her, but you made me sick with the I-love-her-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart thing. I gave up and now, who's wallowing in regret?" Jaejoong says with a smirk playing on his lips. 

          Kangin lets out a loud groan, feeling too glum to react properly. "Your face makes me sick."

           "How can she class it as cheating?" Yunho asks, chewing on his burger. He swallows the bite. "How do you call that? Virtual cheating? Odd form of betrayal through ion?"          

          Heechul doesn't really look interested at Kangin's ways to get rid of his ual frustration. He hasn't forgiven the other for wasting his soft drink. "The worst thing you could do is put your in the disk-drive," he says anyways. He wets his lips with the tip of his tongue. He turns to his left where Sungmin is staring at him. "Do you count that as cheating?"

          Sungmin shoots his eyebrows, not expecting the question. "No, I don't."

          "Good."

          Mother of holy s. Hyukjae pretends that he isn't rewinding the previous scene and he isn't preparing a list of questions to make when he'll call Sungmin tonight. 

          "Well, he could the disk-drive which is worse than simply putting it in. Don't cha think?" Henry grins when Yunho chokes and drinks half of his Sprite in one gulp. 

          Yunho coughs. "That's gross."

          Kangin makes other weird sounds.

         "The solution lays in two words, dear bro," Jaejoong is totally enjoying the teasing. "Break up."

          "Why are you so mean to her, bro?" Kangin's voice is muffled by the table against his mouth. "She hasn't done anything to you. Stop picking on her." He raises his head. "She makes you pastries on weekends," he is practically trying to make his brother feel guilty.

          "That are as soft as rocks and as sweet as that disgusting syrup Mom used to give us when we had stomach aches." Jaejoong's forefinger is stabbing the table to prove his point. "And they gave me dhiarrea once."

          Yunho stops eating. "Yeheey," he murmurs with a grimace, "my boyfriend is so ing romantic."

          "It is more like they want to recruit you in the gay side, " Henry interjects, then beams. "You'd make an awesome th