“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.”

~ Mark Caine

Sungjae eventually got a hold of his flustered self and climbed up the stairs after Peniel and their manager. 

“Please, this is a misunderstanding!” He heard a familiar voice ahead of him plead. 

“People like you should be thrown in jail. Get out before I call the police!” 

Sungjae turned around the corner to see the BTOB manger firmly shaking Rainie with two hands gripped around her shirt collar. A baseball cap covered most of her grim face, but her clenched fists were visible at her sides. 

“Hyung! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Sungjae yelled, rushing forward to pull Rainie free. 

“This sasaeng was trying to sneak into your dorm room!” The manager shrieked, raising a threatening finger at Rainie. She looked away and bit her lip, holding back all the profanities at the tip of her tongue. 

“This sasaeng fan you’re screaming at happens to be my sister.” 

“She’s your sister?!” The manager stammered indignantly. 

Sungjae sighed and reached for Rainie’s hand. He led her into the dorm entrance behind him. The manager still stood in the doorway, a frazzled look upon his face. 

“My god, Manager-hyung’s stupid. How could he have forgotten you being at our concert so quickly?” Sungjae asked Rainie. She shrugged while looking around the already furnished apartment.

“How’d you know we’d be here anyways?” Sungjae continued, still breathing heavily in frustration.  

“I texted her.” Peniel said, emerging from a bedroom off to the right of the main living room. He had a stick of Pokky in his right hand and the dorm keys in his left. 

“When? I didn’t see you do it.” 

“Well you weren’t exactly paying much attention to things on our way here, were you?” Peniel tilted his head in a way that made his question sound more like a statement. 
 

30 minutes before (right after school let out in the afternoon)

*Beep* 

Rainie reached with a gloved hand into her back pocket for her phone. Pulling it out, she saw a text from a number she’d never seen before. She opened the message cautiously. 

From: -------------
Hi, this is Peniel. Can you meet me at ------ in 20 minutes? 

Rainie’s heart started thrashing ferociously within the confines of her chest. How did Peniel have her number? She couldn’t imagine her brother willingly giving it to him, what with his newly-revived protective side. She stood in the middle of the sidewalk, pondering her options. She could ignore his message, and simply continue on her way to Papa’s restaurant. Or she could meet him as he asked and be late for work. It might just be a prank as well. Her phone beeped again.

From: -------------
Don’t try to skip out on me, I already told your boss you’re going to be late. You’ll thank me later. :)

Rainie’s jaw dropped; Peniel really knew how to take the initiative. If she didn’t already have a soft spot for him, she’d consider his requests blackmail. She had to admit, though, his lack of tact was actually kind of cute. Rainie smiled goofily to herself, her cold lips pressing together against the winter air. 

An insistent bicycle horn behind her brought her back to her senses. Hitting the REPLY button on her phone, she started typing as she resumed her walking. 

To: -------------
I’m on my way. This better be worth it. 

Seconds later, Peniel’s reply beeped in. 

From: -------------
I’ll make it up to you if it isn’t. Hurry! :D

Rainie laughed and quickened her pace, not even noticing where she was heading until she rammed face first into someone else, her lips fitting tightly with his.  

“I – I’m so sorry!” She stuttered, tripping backwards away from the boy. He appeared about the same age as her, but the out-of-place sunglasses he wore made it hard to be sure.

“It was my fault. I wasn’t watching were I was going.” The boy answered, looking as uncomfortable as Rainie felt. 

“No, I wasn’t watching either. I can’t believe I just – ” 

“It’s alright, I really don’t mind.” He suddenly started grinning. “I won’t say anything if you don’t.” 

Rainie found herself staring curiously at his mouth. He had full-rounded lips that blushed in the cold weather. They’d been soft too; she could remember that quite clearly. Her first kiss in years. With someone she didn’t even know.

“I need to go, I’m going to be late for practice.” The boy winked. “I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around though.”

With that he bowed ever so slightly and continued walking the opposite way. Rainie shook her head furiously to clear her mind and followed suit to meet Peniel. 

A/N: Thank you to all of my new and old subscribers, I’m glad you’re enjoying this fic.  I apologize for the long wait; I’ve been busy with a -load of AP tests and stuff, so I’ve been on a semi-hiatus up until now. Please, feel free to comment your thoughts and suggestions so I can adjust my writing and make it better. An upvote if you like my story would be greatly appreciated! ^^ I understand if this chapter is a bit of a disappointment, I'm sort of brain-empty right now, and this was the only thing I could think of off the top of my head. 

Who do you think the mysterious boy is? Comment below your guess and the first right answer will get 37 karma points! Wrong answers may be featured in the story later on as well.      
Hint 1: Often portrayed as rather cocky and charismatic. The class-clown type.  
Hint 2: Member of boy group under a large company. A well rounded guy who’s a great dancer, rapper, and singer. 
Hint 3: Knows members of BTOB in real life.