"Yah! Slow down!"

Jongin stopped walking and faced Taemin. "What?!"

"Why are we walking so fast...?" asked Taemin, out of breath.

"Well do you want to go back there?" asked Jongin.

"Of course not... I just don't understand why we have to walk so fast..." Jongin sighed, losing patience.

"Look. I don't think you're aware of it, but you just witnessed a shop being held up, and you escaped. Do you realize how much danger you're in?" Jongin finished, out of breath. He took off his cap and put it on Taemin. "Wear this... It'll help." They then continued walking.

"Um, Jongin-ssi..." Jongin looked at him.

"How'd you know my name?"

"I heard them call you that awhile ago..."

"Oh. Just call me Jongin. You're too formal."

"Um, okay... Jongin. Where exactly are you taking me...?"

"I have no idea," Jongin replied, laughing. "Where do you live anyway?"

"Over there," said Taemin, pointing to a building nearby.

"Ah, Kyungsan Building... You live in an apartment?"

"Yeah. I lived with my grandmother before, but when I reached high school, she let me live in my own place."

"Huh." At that moment, they arrived in front of the building. "Okay. Get in, and don't come out until the next day." Jongin pushed Taemin inside, after getting his cap back.

"Um, okay... Th-Thanks." Jongin nodded and immediately took off.

---

"No way!"

Taemin arrived in school the next day and told his friends about what happened.

"He actually helped you escape?!" said Key.

"He looked just like you, didn't he?" said Onew.

"He did," replied Taemin. "It was kind of freaky..."

"It's cool," corrected Jonghyun. "Think about it, you can play pranks on other people--"

"Or you can frame each other, and make it look like you didn't do it," Minho pointed out. "Like that robbing incident."

"Speaking of that... Does the principal still think that you were the one on the newspaper?" asked Jonghyun.

"Yeah... I don't think he'll ever believe me," muttered Taemin bitterly.

"I'm sure he'd believe you if you actually brought him with you," said Key.

"His name's Jongin," Taemin said.

"Jongin? Huh. Well, I'm sure he'd believe you if you actually brought Jongin with you," said Key.

"Isn't that too much...? I mean, he already did give me my punishment, so..."

"It isn't too much," said Onew. "Just because you already received punishment doesn't mean that the principal doesn't think anymore that you were the one who robbed that grocery."

"Point taken," said Minho. Taemin sighed.

"I'll try to talk to the principal next week... I'll see if I can convince him," Taemin said.

---

After the bell rang, Taemin decided to go to that milk tea shop before going home, since he wasn't able to buy any yesterday.

"Can I get one milk tea with jelly?" asked Taemin. The cashier nodded cheerfully and Taemin gave the money to her. "So... Is the shop okay? I...heard that it was held up?"

"Actually, it was," said the cashier, giving Taemin his change. "But one of our co-workers was able to contact the police, and they ran away."

"They didn't get caught then?" asked Taemin curiously.

"Unfortunately, no... But they didn't steal anything, so it's still fine," said the cashier, smiling. She handed over Taemin's order. "Here's your milk tea."

"Thank you~" said Taemin, poking a straw. He sipped some of it and smiled. Nothing like milk tea after school. He then exited the store and started walking back to his house. On his way, he passed by the alley. He noticed that there was a figure sitting on the ground, not moving. Taemin squinted his eyes and immediately recognized who it was -- it was Jongin. He looked battered, and he had bruises all over. Taemin dropped his milk tea and rushed over to him.

"Jongin!! Are you okay?!" asked Taemin, worried. Jongin looked up, surprised to see him.

"Taemin... What are you doing here?"

"I saw that you were injured and all... What happened to you?" Jongin winced as he tried to sit properly.

"I escaped..." said Jongin. Taemin looked at him, confused. "They found out that I let one of the hostages go, and they punished me for that. I'm trying to escape, but this is as far as I can go..." Jongin sighed. "You should go too, or they might hurt you too..."

"And leave you? I can't," said Taemin, feeling guilty. "You did so much for me... It's only fair that I help you out on this one." Taemin went over to Jongin and helped him up.

"What... What are you doing..."

"Just be quiet or we might get caught." Taemin and Jongin slowly started walking out of the alley. When they reached the sidewalk, Taemin hailed a taxi, and they got in. The driver stared at them.

"Is he okay?" the driver asked.

"I'm fine," said Jongin, annoyed.

"Can you please take us to Kyungsan Building?" said Taemin. "Fast?" The driver nodded and stepped on the pedal.

"Wait, we're going to your apartment?" asked Jongin.

"That's the safest place, right?" Jongin smirked and he leaned back.

"You really are innocent." Taemin looked at him, confused. "In a good way, at least." Taemin turned red.

"And you really are troublesome," Taemin shot back. "In a bad way." Jongin smiled, amused. After a few minutes, they arrived in front of Kyungsan Building. Taemin immediately rushed him up the building and brought him inside the apartment.

"Welcome to my place," said Taemin. He helped Jongin walk over to the couch. Jongin sat down and stretched. "You want anything? Tea? Softdrinks? Juice?"

"Softdrinks please," said Jongin. Taemin opened the fridge and tossed him a can. Jongin opened it and gulped everything. After he drank everything inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks." Taemin smiled. He then went into the bathroom and came back out with a first-aid kit in his hands. He knelt in front of Jongin and started wrapping his wounds with bandages.

"Why are you being so kind...?" asked Jongin, wincing everytime he placed the bandages on his wounds. "We hardly even know each other."

"I'm the kind-ish type of person," said Taemin, smirking. Jongin rolled his eyes. "There. All finished." Taemin put his first-aid kit back and sat down beside Jongin.

"Seriously... Don't you get a little lonely sometimes?" asked Jongin, looking around Taemin's place.

"No, not really," said Taemin, shrugging. "I'm sort of used to it... How about you? Don't you get a little lonely sometimes?"

"I live with other people," he replied. "I'm not supposed to feel lonely, but for some reason, I still do..." He scratched his head. "Seriously, why I am I even sharing this to you..."

"No, it's fine!" said Taemin. "I won't tell anybody. Besides, I sort of understand how you feel..."

"But you can just visit your parents anytime," said Jongin. "No problem." Taemin smiled sadly and looked down.

"Actually, my parents are dead," said Taemin quietly. Jongin stared at him.

"I...I'm sorry..."

"No, it's fine," said Taemin as he laughed. "I've already accepted it anyway..."

Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ringing furiously. Jongin gulped.

"Don't tell me...they found us?!"

---

HAPPY NEW YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAR!!!! :D

Please don't kill me.

I AM SORRY I TOOK SO LONG. I was a little busy last month -- or last year rather (get it? get it?) -- and before I could even upload this chapter, my internet broke down or something. It's not yet really even fixed yet... (sigh)

Don't worry though, once the internet's back and running, I'll try to give updates regularly-ish (if I don't get any writer's block and school won't stress me out so much).

I am trying to learn how to make my chapters longer. I'm not really good at it. T.T

So um byeeeee *runs away*