After school, Haruka begged Baekhyun to take her to Kai’s home. At first, Baekhyun refused to because he knew that Haruka had terrific problem with her sight at night. But in the end, he agreed to take her to Kai’s home. She even bought something for Kai—after asking Baekhyun what Kai liked the most. And because Kai’s home was quite far from the school, they decided to take a bus which took 15 minutes long.

Haruka was agaped for a moment when they arrived at Kai’s apartment. Baekhyun looked at her carefully. “Are you okay?”

“Kai—he must be really rich.”

“Well, he lives with Suho Hyung and Sehun. C’mon, it’s too cold outside.”

Baekhyun leaded her to Kai’s house on the 12^th floor. His house was at the corner of the corridor and you could tell right away that it was not just an ordinary apartment. It was luxurious and elegant apartment dedicated for rich people only. Again, Haruka wowed in daze. She didn’t realize that Baekhyun had already pressed the bell and was currently talking with someone through the intercom.

A few moments later, the door was opened, letting them to come in.

“Oh, Haruka…” Suho greeted her. Haruka smiled earnestly.

They were surprised by a brown dog which suddenly ran towards Haruka and barked loudly. It was a toy puddle, but it grew big, too big to be called as a toy puddle. Suho giggled. “Jjanggu-ya, that’s Haruka. You think she’s Kai?”

Jjanggu, that brown dog, entangled Haruka’s leg. It barked, barked, and barked. Not only Jjanggu, but two other dogs also ran and barked loudly under her feet. One dog had smaller body and its fur was white—Jjangah, and the other one a little bit bigger, but thinner than Jjanggu, and had the same color as Jjanggu—Monggu. All the three dogs barked loudly, even Suho couldn’t handle them.

“That white one is Jjangah and the other one is Monggu. All of them are Kai’s children.” Suho explained. Haruka squatted and their head one by one. “They’re so cute, Oppa.” She said.

“They seem to like you more than me.” Kai appeared and observed quietly. “They don’t usually like that to a stranger.”

“Are you okay? I bought this with Baekhyun Oppa on our way.” Haruka stood up and put it on the dining table. Kai walked closer to Haruka. “What do you bring?”

“Fish cake. Baekhyun Oppa told me earlier that you like it very much, so I bought a lot of them.” She said while unpacking the wrapper. She continued. “Anyway, are you really okay? Did I hit you too hard?”

Kai shook his head coolly.

“Why don’t you both have dinner with us? I’ll cook something.” Suho was about to prepare before Haruka stopped him. “No, no, no, Oppa. I have to go back before it’s getting late.”

Someone just came at that time. It was Sehun. He greeted everybody in the house, no exception to Haruka. “Oh, Jjanggu must like her a lot.” He commented when he saw Jjanggu kept wandering near Haruka. “Wow, fish cake—must be delicious but I’m allergic.” He also commented the fish cake on the dining table.

“I just asked Haruka and Baekhyun to have dinner at our house tonight, but Haruka—”

“You can just call me Haru, so it sounds Korean.” Haruka chuckled.

“Wow! That sounds good. Haruka—I mean Haru—you have to try Suho Hyung’s cooking. It’s the best.” Sehun bragged. He smiled cutely. For a tall boy like Sehun, cute image really didn’t fit him. But he did anyway.

Suho smiled shyly. “It’s because you are used to my cooking. But unfortunately Haruka has to go before it’s getting late.”

Another person came by. It was D.O, along with Chanyeol. They directly went to the sofa and threw their body on it comfortably. D.O was the first to recognize Haruka’s presence. He smiled and greeted her, “Haruka, what brings you here?”

Chanyeol yawned widely, and then he answered on behalf Haruka, “She must be really worried about Kai. One thing she doesn’t know is—Kai won’t die even if you throw him from that window.”

Baekhyun stopped that nonsense by saying, “Don’t worry Haruka, you can go home with me.”

“Yeah, I can drive both of you home. Just stay for dinner.” Sehun said before gulping his orange juice. Kai gave the glass of apple juice to Haruka. “Thanks,” she almost whispered.

“Why do you give apple juice to Haruka and to me orange?” Sehun felt unfair. Kai smirked, “Well, because I don’t really like orange. Do you want to change?” Kai offered another glass to Haruka instead to Sehun.

“No, apple is fine. I’m not really into orange either.” She answered. “Guys, I’m really really sorry, but I have to go. It’s—getting dark. I’m afraid I can’t go home.” She really meant it because her sight was getting more and more blurred. The sun almost set though.

Another person came before anyone in that room responded Haruka’s words. Of course, it’s no other than Luhan. He looked so gloomy with his messy hair and awful clothes. He got very dark-dark-circle below his eyes. His breath was heavy—Haruka heard his breathe clearly even from this far.

Haruka quietly observed him through her glass although truthfully she couldn’t see him as clear as before. And actually, when Luhan opened the door, she felt that breeze again. Well, if it was in the school fields or in the parking lots, she could understand it—maybe because it was out door. But it was indoor room—in Suho’s apartment. Where did the breeze come from then?

“Ya, Luhan-ah, did you run all the way here? Go to my room and have a rest.” Suho patted Luhan’s firm shoulder.

Luhan lifted his head and was about to get up. But accidentally, his eyes met Haruka’s eyes. It was too fast and everyone wasn’t ready yet. Luhan growled and jumped towards Haruka. Luckily, Baekhyun was already in a steady position. He grabbed Luhan’s strong arms and bore it with all his might. The others came to help, before he destroyed the whole apartment and harm Haruka.

This accident happened again. She thought it was de javu. It was exactly the same. That groaning, that growling, that fear that covered her mind and soul—it was the same. Luhan might have attacked her again. But someone—his savior, he came again to protect her from Luhan’s brutal attack. Haruka felt the same. She believed it was the same person from last night. He embraced Haruka and brought her to the corner. That time, she couldn’t hear a thing. She might have gone deaf because of that sorrowful growl. She really didn’t know a thing, not a single thing. Everything was dark and she felt her body smashed down in the deep, very deep valley.

“Haruka, can you hear me? Haruka!” Haruka felt her body was being shaken, gently. She had woken up, but she just wanted to sleep more. But the shake was getting even stronger. Not only her body was being shaken, but her cheek was also being slapped really softly. She didn’t have choice but to open her eyes.

Haruka blinked her eyes repeatedly. She still couldn’t see—well, because it was night already. But she could see a silhouette of a man on top of her because she was lying down on his lap.

“Is she alright?” someone from the back asked. It was Suho who asked.

“Kai-ya, is Haruka alright?” Suho asked again as he might not hear him. Haruka smiled as she heard Kai’s name. She murmured, “So, it was you.”

“Kai, is she hurt?” Chanyeol crawled to the corner and checked Haruka’s condition.

Chanyeol sighed. “She’s alright, just a little bit shocked. Don’t worry, Haruka, he’s not dangerous now. We tamed him.” Chanyeol joked, but not actually a joke.

They really tamed him. It seemed like they figured out the reason why Luhan couldn’t control himself. Right now, Luhan’s eyes were covered by the eye-cover to prevent him from attacking.

“Can you get up?” Kai asked. Haruka nodded and tried to get up herself. Yeah, she could get up, but she couldn’t see anything. This was what she’s afraid of. In fact, as she knew, only Luhan did know that she had night-blindness.

Haruka stayed in the same position. She zippered , didn’t want to say a thing.

“I’ll hold you. Walk slowly to the right.” Kai said. Haruka followed what Kai said. She sat when Kai asked her to sit. “Thanks and sorry.” She mumbled.

“We accept the thanks, but not the sorry. Just wait a little longer. I will cook something for us since we did something big today. C’mon Sehun, you ought to help me, you too, Kyungsoo-ya.” Suho dragged Sehun and D.O each in his arm to the kitchen.

“Where’s Luhan?” she asked out of her curiosity. Kai who was sitting next to her, yawned while saying something. It was quite unclear, but everybody heard it. “He is sitting across you, right in front of you. Really, he did something big today.” He said.

“Luhan, did you tell something to them—about me?” Haruka asked.

“No.”

“Wait, wait, wait—telling us about you? What is it about?” Kai asked in a strong voice.

“About my—my disability—maybe.”

“It’s not Luhan who told us. It’s Baekhyun. Sorry—but it really doesn’t matter to us.” Chanyeol said. Haruka widened her eyes. “So, you guys know since the beginning about my night-blindness?”

“Uh-huh, since you were tripped, remember? Didn’t you know that Baekhyun followed you since you were at school? He really was worried about you.”

Baekhyun felt guilty at the same time. “I’m sorry, Haruka, I shouldn’t have told them about this.” He bowed his head.

Kai patted her shoulder gently. “It’s okay. Well, Baekhyun did that because he wants us to keep an eye on you, in case if he can’t be there to help you go home.”

To be honest, Haruka was moved, but she smiled, and even chuckled. “What to sorry, Oppa… It’s—it’s just good you tell everybody about my disability. But I don’t want to burden you—I can’t burden you. Towards Baekhyun Oppa, I really feel guilty yet thankful. Usually Minhwa would take care of me, but—” she stopped. She remembered about her conflict with Minhwa. “But since she’s too busy nowadays, I can’t—bother her. I have never seen Minhwa this happy when she was with me. She kept helping me walk, study, do my homework—all things I can’t do at night—she helped me a lot. Maybe she was tired and bored. She could never play with our friends because she had to walk me home. So—I will never blame her.”

Chanyeol got up and moved next to Haruka. He patted her head softly.

Suho who listened while cooking felt his heart hurt as she told them in that kind of way. “She isn’t tired or bored, Haru-ya. She just, unfortunately, meets someone whom she has never known before—someone who is totally new to her. She might never know someone like Jenny before. It’s okay. She will go back to you soon—as soon as she realizes that—am I allowed to say this?” he asked the others who were in the room.

“Just say it.” D.O replied him.

“Yeah, Jenny isn’t that nice though—compared to—you.” Suho turned his body quickly and busy himself with his cooking.

Haruka chuckled. “But why are you being nice to me? I’m curious.” She d the air, looking for a pillow. Baekhyun perceptively gave his pillow to Haruka. She thanked him voicelessly, hoping he read her lips’ movement.

“Well—we’re nice though. Who told you we’re not nice?” Chanyeol asked furiously.

“Someone. I won’t mention her name. She said you’re not that nice to give other students your seat—at the corner. She said you will not allow it. Why do you share your seat with me, then?”

“Just don’t be too confident. I keep refusing though.” Luhan chimed while having his eyes covered. These two people just couldn’t look anything now. It was funny though to see both of them talking without seeing each other.

Haruka shrugged.

“We never do that actually. We never claim that corner place as ours. It goes naturally like that. Whenever we come, that place is always empty. It seems like they really are afraid to sit in that table—not us who are not letting them sit, ok?” Sehun completely didn’t accept it what Haruka said just before. So he cleared it up.

“Someone also told me that everything that is given to you will end up in the trash can.” Haruka said again.

“Wow, wow, wow, that’s even worse, Haruka. I think it’s the same person—” Chanyeol’s lips became O shaped as he said wow.

Haruka shrugged again. “Well, Luhan said that.” She stopped.

A moment later, she heard pillow-lacing-sound not far from her seat. She guessed, Chanyeol might have thrown Luhan with a pillow, but it turned out that Kai also threw the pillow to Luhan. She heard Luhan moaned in pain.

“I’m just curious whether if you really throw it or not. But at the moment I saw that cake, I was relieved—you didn’t throw the cake. Did you remember? The strawberry cake—”

Chanyeol sighed while rolled his eyes. “Luhan had to tell you something before. Tch, this person—” again, he threw his tantrum through a pillow. It hit Luhan’s head accurately. Luhan moaned again, but the voice just didn’t come out.

“I can never throw your cake to the trash can, Haruka. It was hard. I want to keep it myself but since I have these brothers around me, I have to share with them. The piece of cake I gave you, it was supposed to be Luhan’s. But since he doesn’t like cake, I gave it to you—you had no appetite back then, remember?” Chanyeol explained clearly.

“But that cake was from Minhwa though, not—me. Didn’t Luhan tell you?”

“Omo—it wasn’t from you?—but this punk told me that the cake was from you.”

“I didn’t say like that, brat.” Luhan sighed heavily—and loudly. “I said ‘she asked me to give this cake for you. You should ask her, maybe she has something to say’. I remember clearly. Are you trying to mess up with me, huh?” Luhan clenched his teeth.

Baekhyun threw his pillow to Luhan’s head. “Stop that, you dog.” He tried to calm Luhan’s anger.

“Yeah—yeah, it was my fault. I didn’t go to you after receiving the cake, Haruka, I’m sorry. I was supposed to, but I was busy bragging to Suho Hyung that I got a cake from you.”

“It’s from Minhwa.” She corrected him.

“Of course—Minhwa—of course.”

Sehun clicked his tongue as he brought a very big of bowl to the table in the living room. The dining table only had 4 chairs. So it would be better to sit in the living room together. D.O caught Sehun up with a pile of plates in his hands. Baekhyun and Chanyeol quickly got up to help them preparing for dinner. It was out of Haruka’s expectation that she ended up eating dinner together in Suho’s apartment. She also felt sorry towards them because she couldn’t help anything, but D.O said nothing to help because they were almost done.

“Haru, this is your spoon—do you need us to feed you?” Chanyeol asked bluntly. Haruka sniggered while shaking her head left to right, left to right. “I can do it myself.”

“Anyway, Chanyeol-ah… you have to say thanks and sorry to Minhwa. You make them become uneasy like this.” D.O swung his chopstick to Chanyeol. Chanyeol who didn’t like that act, sighed with his face down. “Stop that wingardium leviosa thing. It’s sickening. Besides, I just knew that it was from her friend.”

“Aish, these two—” Sehun stopped before he really cursed.

Out of them, Luhan was the only one who wasn’t eating. He hummed a song which was more like a light groan. Everybody didn’t seem to be disturbed as if they were already used to his behavior. Only Haruka found it strange, but she decided to keep it only for her. She pretended not to know.

***

In the morning, when Haruka just finished her bath, Minhwa had been sitting on the edge of her bed while crossing her hands in front the chest, waiting for her purposely. She looked at Haruka from head to toe as if she was looking a criminal. Haruka tilted her head while rubbing her hair with her pink towel, waiting Minhwa to say something—like greeting maybe. Well, she didn’t hope that. She knew how to place herself.

“Where did you go last night? Why did you come home so late?” Minhwa asked with very vicious tone. Haruka came to her—still rubbing her hair cleverly. She sat on the other edge of that bed while preparing her books. She wasn’t rubbing her hair anymore. And finally took a glance at Minhwa who was behind her.

“I had dinner at Suho Oppa’s apartment.”

Minhwa clicked her tongue. “So, that’s how you got home late. Aaah—I see…”

“It’s not like what you think, Minhwa-ya. I was supposed to just visit their house to look how Kai’s condition was. You know, I bumped onto him after being kicked by Jenny.”

Minhwa snorted in disgust. “Jenny would never do that. She’s kind and nice. Kicking you? It’s something she will probably never do. Are you making up story?”

“Why would I fall on Kai’s body, then? Am I making this up—to look pitiful?”

“Well,” Minhwa stood up in anger. “You often fall, don’t you? Of course—I believe you’re not making up story. Then, how about you—getting a strawberry cake from Chanyeol? Are you going to make up story for this?”

“No!” Haruka dodged. “That strawberry cake—there is something I didn’t tell you about that.”

Minhwa nodded and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen it all, Haru-ya. Do you think I didn’t know about my chocolate cake which was thrown up by you in the trash can? You didn’t even give the letter to him, Haruka! What did I do wrong to you? Why are you being like this to me? Why are you trying to steal Chanyeol from me? Just because you’re close with him, does it mean you can do anything to me? All this 17 years—our togetherness—our friendship—no, Haru-ya… I can’t take this anymore.”

“Minhwa-ya, it’s not like that. I’m not trying to steal Chanyeol from you. I don’t have anything special with him—”

“Are you making up story right now? Oh—just take him, I won’t care.” She continued after taking a deep breath. “One thing you ought to know, Haru-ya… Jenny—she’s nice and trustworthy.”

 Minhwa grabbed her bag roughly and walked out. She even smashed the door loudly, making the wall vibrate.

Haruka didn’t really feel like going to school after that. She just wanted to move. She couldn’t help anymore to be in one room with a person who didn’t even want to talk to her. She surely wanted to explain everything, but was also afraid that Minhwa thought she was making up story to defend herself. It wasn’t the case. Chanyeol had to explain it himself.

Haruka half-heartedly finished packing her stuff up and was ready to go to school. When she opened the door, Baekhyun was already there, standing still while reading a—not really big—book diligently. When the door was opened, Baekhyun put his book inside his pocket coat and gave her a slight smile.

“What was happened? Did she throw a tantrum to you?”

Haruka shook her head weakly. Baekhyun looked at Haruka carefully, trying to see her face. “Are you sure?”

Haruka sighed. “She—is feeling deceived by me. She found the cake in the trash can. I—didn’t throw it there. I—don’t know what to do.” She covered her face with her hands and cried silently. Baekhyun suddenly felt guilty—because he was the one who pried her to talk about Minhwa.

“Haruka, what to do if you cry like this?” Baekhyun asked, but it didn’t make Haruka stop her crying. She cried even louder.

He had no other choice but to hug Haruka gently, putting her trembling head to his chest and patting her back really softly. Baekhyun could smell Haruka’s sweet scent. He let Haruka cry in his embrace until she calmed down.

“You’ll lose your shine if you keep crying. Don’t cry, Haru-ya…” Baekhyun mumbled in her ear. After hearing that, Haruka slowly got her feeling better.

“I’m not a sun though…” She said while sobbing toughly.

“You’re the moon.”

Haruka pushed Baekhyun’s body softly and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She also turned her body so Baekhyun couldn’t see her face after crying. She always looked horrible after crying and she couldn’t let Baekhyun see the worst side of her.

“Are you done?” Baekhyun chuckled—he chuckled. That was strange because he never did that. Haruka rarely saw his smile and—it was good. She felt warm.

“I’m—almost done.” Haruka locked the door and ran downstairs quickly.

Baekhyun sighed in relief and quickly chased her.

***