“Get her.” Yongguk commanded.

Jino started to run as Jongup and Zelo followed her.

What were these boys up to and why do they have to catch her too?

Jino tried to catch her breath while running as fast as she could. But it was no use, Jongup and Zelo’s legs were long and of course stronger than Jino’s. As they caught her, Him Chan followed them holding his necktie and a masking tape.

Jino’s heart thumped fast. “LET GO OF ME!” Jino tried to shout so somebody could hear it.

Him Chan knelt and taped her lips with the masking tape he was holding. “You’re cute, but you’re starting to annoy me…”

Zelo on the other hand, used Him Chan’s necktie to tie Jino’s hands. He then blindfolded Jino’s eyes with his handkerchief and they pulled her towards Yongguk.

“Hyung, what are we going to do with her?” Zelo asked.

“Let go of….h-her…” Kai said with a weak voice. Yongguk quickly replied by kicking Kai in the stomach.

***

A typical lunch break for the school’s student government president….

“Aish, why isn’t he answering?!” Su Ho said in frustration as he walked through the cafeteria. He was supposed to be meeting up with Kim Him Chan, the student government’s vice president.

“This is absurd… I’m not going to wait any longer for this punk,” Su Ho told himself and continued walking to the cafeteria.

“Ya! Su Ho!” someone called behind him. It was Xiumin, one of his classmates and closest friends.

“Oh, Min Seok-ah, what is it?” Su Ho asked, using Xiumin’s Korean name as he was used to it.

“Ya, Kim Joon Myeon! I always call you ‘Su Ho’! You’re being unfair!” Xiumin teased, calling Su Ho with his ordinary Korean name as well.

Both seniors chuckled.

“I think I got used to it…” Su Ho said, trying to defend himself.

“Anyways, regarding our Physics project… Did Mr. Lee mention that it was okay if we work on groups?” Xiumin asked.

“Yes, he did. Are you planning to work with a group?” Su Ho asked as he sat on one of the chairs in the cafeteria.

“I’m not sure,” Xiumin joined him and sat on the same table. “I really don’t have any idea about the project so I would love to be in a group instead…”

Su Ho chuckled. “That’s great, let’s just work together! Maybe we could ask Lu Han to join as well,”

“Yeah, I think so,” Xiumin nodded.

Suddenly, the cafeteria got silent. Everyone’s attention was at the door of the cafeteria. Xiumin and Su Ho’s turned to look at where everyone was looking at.

It was Lu Han and Kai’s ex-girlfriend, Goo Yejin.

Xiumin looked at the other side of the cafeteria, as if not wanting to see them together. Suddenly something flashed beside them.

“Ya! Min Yoon Gi! If you’re planning to put that shot on the school paper, forget it. Even the principal won’t allow you to post that,” Su Ho earnestly said to the guy who was holding the camera.

“It’s Suga, alright?! Stop calling me with that Korean name, it doesn’t sound cool,” Suga blurted out as he examined the shot he just took.

“Ya, what’s up with you? Why do you call people with their real names when they prefer to be called with their nicknames?” Xiumin scoffed and laughed.

Su Ho laughed from embarrassment. “Sorry… Just delete it alright?” He then commanded Suga.

“Why should I? This camera isn’t even yours,” Suga said and stuck his tongue out. He left the cafeteria as quickly as possible.

“Aish, that first year…” Su Ho said and drank the banana milk he brought in school.

“Su Ho-ya, Xiumin-ah!” Lu Han called.

Both guys turned to Lu Han. The girl next to him waved at them. Su Ho waved back at her and smiled, while Xiumin just raised his eyebrows as a response.

“I think you guys already know who this girl is?” Lu Han said and wrapped an arm around Yejin.

“Of course, who wouldn’t… She’s one of the queenkas in this school,” Su Ho praised.

“Ya oppa, don’t say that, it makes me feel burdened!”  Yejin said and lightly tapped Su Ho’s shoulder.

“Would you mind if we join you?” Lu Han asked politely.

“Su-“ Su Ho was about to accept but he was suddenly cut off.

“Su Ho, can you come with me to Mr. Lee? I still feel really bothered about the Physics project… I at least want to know what to do on that…” Xiumin said, standing from his chair.

Su Ho naively stood as well. “I’m sorry, but I have to come with this guy first…” Su Ho said and Lu Han nodded.

As they walked outside the cafeteria, Su Ho stopped Xiumin. “You look really upset seeing them,”

“It just doesn’t seem right. Kai and Yejin just broke up. Lu Han shouldn’t be doing this. I know he likes Yejin but it bothers me seeing him take his opportunity…” Xiumin crossed his arms and looked on the ground. “I’m the hyung of these two men that’s why it really bothers me…”

Su Ho patted Xiumin’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine, Xiumin. You don’t have to worry. We’re not in middle school anymore,”

Xiumin smiled at Su Ho. “Thanks,”

They both did a high five and chuckled to it.

“Hey, what’s that smell?” Su Ho sniffed. His eyebrows furrowed, thinking about what the familiar smell is. “Xiumin… Can you… Can you smell that? It smells like swimming pool…”

“What?!” Xiumin gave him a look. “Ya, Su Ho, are you kidding me?”

“Wait…” He then tried to follow the smell; yet he wasn’t sure if he was walking consciously.

“YA! Where are you going? I’m serious that I’m going to Mr. Lee!” Xiumin shouted but Su Ho continued walking like he didn’t hear what the latter said.

As he got nearer, he heard a splash, making him alarmed. As he reached the pool, he saw somebody in the pool, struggling for air. He quickly took his coat and shoes off and dived into the pool.

It was a girl.

Her hands were tied up, her eyes covered with blindfold and was covered by a masking tape. He quickly pulled her to the gutter and carried her up out of the pool. He quickly took off the tie on her hands and the masking tape on her lips.

“Who the heck did this?” Su Ho mumbled.

The girl was still unconscious. Su Ho decided to perform CPR before reaching his phone for help. After five to eight chest compressions, the girl coughed and panted hard. She then opened her eyes and sat up straight weakly.

Her eyes grew wide as she noticed Su Ho beside her. “W-Who are you?!” The girl’s voice croaked as she asked him.

“I’m Kim Joon Myeon, but I am known in the school as Su Ho. I’m the school government’s president.” Su Ho offered a hand to the girl.

The girl then accepted Su Ho’s hand. A tear suddenly fell from her eyes and she continued to cry. “This is real! I’m still alive!!!” The girl suddenly hugged Su Ho.

Su Ho got surprised from the girl’s sudden gesture and so was the girl. She quickly let go of Su Ho and rubbed her hands on her short hair. “Th-The name Su Ho really suits you… I mean, you’ve become like a guardian angel today. Thank you for saving my life,”

“No problem,” Su Ho smiled and got up. She then offered a hand to the girl to help her stand as well. The girl smiled back and accepted his hand. “I’m sorry, but what’s your name?”

“Oh, yeah right! I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Lee Jino, I’m a new student here and I was able to study here because of the scholarship from my past school. I’m a first year student,” the girl introduced politely.

Su Ho felt sympathy to the girl. She was just a new student and she got bullied on the second day of classes. He felt ashamed of the school – Seoul University is famous and is said to be the most elite school in the country. But with the students’ attitude, it looks just the same with public schools… And maybe public schools are better, as she met the new polite girl today.

“Nice meeting you Jino…” Su Ho tried to be as kind as possible to Jino, hoping that she would get her trust although she encountered some bullies in the school. “By the way, can you tell me what happened at the pool? I mean, why were you there with your hands tied up and eyes blindfolded?”

“Oh… that… uhm…” Jino scratched her ears, feeling that there’s still some water in it. “W-Well-“

Jino almost said the whole story to Su Ho. She didn’t care if it was D.O.’s friend. Those guys needed to learn a lesson, because if they don’t, they won’t stop doing these crazy things.

But someone called her name. She turned her head and saw D.O. running towards her.

“OMO!” D.O.’s eyes grew wide as she saw Jino and Su Ho soaked with water from the pool.

 “You’re Do Kyung Soo from the music club right?” Su Ho asked.

“Yes, it’s me. And you’re the school government president right? Su Ho sunbae?” D.O. asked politely.

“Just call me hyung, Kyung Soo. Anyways, I found your friend at the pool with her eyes blindfolded and her hands tied up… With this necktie,” Su Ho showed the necktie to Kyung Soo.

“And a while ago, Jino and I were talking on the phone… And I think she dropped her phone since she wasn’t answering anymore. So I ended the phone call and went back to our classroom. When I got there, to my surprise, I saw Kai on the floor beaten up so I took him first at the school clinic… He’s the one who told me they brought you here…”

“Who are they?” Su Ho asked.

“Some guys… Kai wouldn’t tell me even though I force him! But do you know who they are, Jino?” Kyung Soo asked.

Jino looked for words to tell D.O. what happened. If he knew Daehyun and Youngjae were one of the boys who threw her at the pool, he’d probably feel terribly bad about it.

 “Ya, tell us what happened!” D.O. turned to Jino, held her shoulders and slightly shook it.

“Yeah, don’t be afraid to tell us. We won’t do anything,” Su Ho reassured.

“I-I didn’t know who they were too…” Jino bit her lip. She was not a good liar, but she tried to be convincing.

“Really? But could you remember their faces clearly?” Su Ho asked.

Jino hesitated to shake her head, but did it. “N-No, it wasn’t clear…”

But of course it was clear. It was clear to her that Daehyun and Youngjae are not the type of bullies D.O. thought they were back in middle school.

“Don’t worry, Jino. We have this necktie anyways. I’ll help you solve this case,” Su Ho said.

***

Su Ho borrowed Xiumin’s uniform for the meantime, since it was soaked when he dived into the pool. Xiumin watched him as Su Ho fixed the things inside his locker. He let out a big sigh, making Su Ho look at him in curiosity.

“Why?” Su Ho asked.

“It’s just weird that you smelled the pool…” Xiumin muttered, scratching the back of his head.

“Huh? I don’t get it…” Su Ho asked.

“You smelled the pool’s water while someone was in trouble… Was it a coincidence? I mean, really, I did not smell anything a while ago when you said you could smell the pool…” Xiumin asked and crossed his arms, leaning to one of the lockers lined up in the shower room.

Su Ho’s eyes furrowed. “I don’t know, I just followed the smell and it sent me to the pool… And then I saw the girl struggling to breathe…” Su Ho then walked outside the shower room.

“That’s odd…” Xiumin thought and followed Su Ho.

Meanwhile, Jino and D.O. were about to walk inside the classroom when someone held Jino’s wrist.

Jino gasped and turned, as well as D.O. It was Daehyun.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but Jino, can I talk to you for a sec?” Daehyun asked. “Can I talk to you alone?”

D.O.’s eyes shifted from Daehyun to his hand on Jino’s wrist. He felt odd. How come they talk casually like they’ve known each other before?

“Kyung Soo, please stay…” She held one of Kyung Soo’s hands tightly.

“What is it all about that Kyung Soo shouldn’t hear?” Jino asked, trying to gather up all the courage she have in herself.

Daehyun gulped. He didn’t know what to say. He just looked at Jino’s eyes sternly, thinking of how to get her trust.

He sighed and crossed his arms towards his chest. “How were you able to change your uniform?”

“I kept my extra school uniform in my locker for swimming class… FORTUNATELY,” Jino said.

“Who saved you?”

“Su Ho sunbae,”

“S-Su Ho?” Daehyun shrugged. He knew this would become an issue in the school; especially it was the school government’s president.

Jino nodded slyly. “He said he’ll give the necktie that was used to tie my hands in the office for further investigation,”

Daehyun nodded. “That’s good. It’s a relief that he saw you,”

Jino snickered. The guy was amazing. “You almost killed me from throwing me in a pool and you’re saying it was a relief that I was saved? Fool!” Jino thought to herself, wanting to shout it out loud towards Daehyun. If only Kyung Soo was not on her side.

“I’m sorry for what had happened earlier,” Daehyun continued.

Jino’s eyes grew wide and so did D.O’s. She looked at the latter, whom had curiosity written in his eyes. She quickly cut off the eye contact and gave her attention back to Daehyun.

Daehyun then used his palms as he rubbed his forehead and put his hands to his pocket as he looked sternly at Jino. He then lowered himself and leaned his upper body forward to reach Jino’s ears.

Jino tried to keep a distance away from him, but Daehyun held her shoulder to stop her. “Remember, Jino… You can’t trust everyone here. Sometimes, there are people who tend to look so naïve and innocent. But the truth is, there’s no such thing as ‘innocence’ in this world. I am reminding you this because you are a newbie. Whoever that innocent man is, he’s dangerous. So stay away from him. And I can guarantee that you’ll never be hurt again,”

Jino looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed. Daehyun smiled at her and patted D.O.’s shoulder. He then went inside the classroom, leaving both Jino and D.O. dumbfounded.

“What does he know about the incident a while ago?” D.O. asked.

Jino tried not to look at him. “Just… Uhmmm…”

Before Jino could say anything else, luckily for her, the bell suddenly rang. Their teacher could be seen walking towards their classroom and Jino quickly pulled D.O. inside the classroom.

Meanwhile, at the school’s clinic…

Kai’s eyes opened as he fell into a deep sleep after being beaten up a while ago. He looked up at the ceiling, trying to wake himself up. He wanted to cut classes already, since he was not in the mood to show up his overly bruised face.

He was still staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to relax his mind for a bit when he heard a conversation.

 “Noona… Why can’t I stay here? I think I’m really sick,” Jimin asked the nurse, trying to use his aegyo. He’s been following her everywhere she had gone around the clinic.

The nurse sighed. She then crossed her arms towards her chest. “Park Jimin, for the hundredth time, you’re not supposed to stay here unless you have a valid reason.

Jimin bit his lip as she looked at the nurse’s chest that was emphasized when she crossed her arms.

The nurse rolled her eyes, knowing what or where Jimin’s looking at. She then got a syringe with a needle inside her drawer. “Watch were your eyes are looking at, Jimin,” The nurse threatened as she raised the syringe.

Jimin chuckled and looked to the nurse’s eyes. “Ooohhh… I like you being hard to get noona,” He then giggled.

The nurse rolled her eyes. “Please, Jimin. Please go back to your class,”

Kai on the other hand, did not mind what he was hearing. He tried to sit and looked for his phone in his pocket, thinking to call his ex-girlfriend Yejin. He wanted to see her. She’s the only one who could make him smile whenever he’s down. And she’s the only one who understands her in times of trouble.

But then he found something else instead of his hand phone.

A white handkerchief.

Jino’s white handkerchief.

Someone suddenly pulled the curtain of Kai’s cubicle. It was the nurse, checking Kai’s condition… And beside her was Jimin.

“Oh! Jong In-sshi, you’re already awake,” The nurse said and got the things she needed to check Kai’s state.

“Y-Ya! KAI?! Is that you? What the heck happened to your face?!” Jimin asked.

Kai was not listening to any of the things they’ve said. He held his forehead and looked on the ground. “Where’s Jino… What happened to her?” He thought.

And in no time, he suddenly ran outside the clinic, leaving his coat and necktie on the side table of his bed.

“Jong In-sshi! Kim Jong In-sshi!!! You still can’t run! Jong In-sshi!” The nurse tried to stop him but Kai quickly disappeared. “Ya!” The nurse slapped Jimin’s arm. “Why didn’t you stop him?!”

“Why would I do that?! You won’t even let me stay here with you,” Jimin pouted like a high school girl.

“Aish, you’re so irritating!”

***

Kai quickly went to the pool, hearing Yongguk’s plan a while ago. But there were no signs of Jino’s body there.

“Where could she be?” He mumbled. He then thought about seeing Daehyun in their classroom to persuade him to tell him where they brought Jino.

Because he was rushing to go back in their classroom, he used the front door, interrupting the Math teacher with his discussion. And to his surprise, he saw Jino writing her notes diligently. Her hair was still damp, probably because they really threw her in the pool. And to his relief, she didn’t have any bruises on her face.

Kai snickered and rolled his eyes, thinking it was a waste of time and effort. He opened the door again but the teacher stopped him.

“Where do you think you’re going, Kim Jong In? You came to class late with an improper uniform, and with those bruises covering almost half of your faces, and now you’re going out?!” The teacher roared in anger.

“Sir, he was beaten up,” Daehyun stood, making Kai and Jino surprised. “What was he trying to do?” They both thought.

“That’s true! I even brought him to the clinic!” D.O. stood, trying to defend his friend.

“It’s alright, don’t cover him up for his mistakes,” The strict Math teacher said.

“Fine. Let’s say I wasn’t in the clinic. Would you expel me now?” Kai said slyly.

The math teacher threw the chalk at his head and walked out of the classroom. A few seconds later, Kai quickly walked out of the room. Suddenly, the room was surrounded with murmurs.

“Aish, damn it, I was so into her discussion! It was my first time paying attention to a Math class!” Jackson said and threw his notebook at the back, hitting Jino’s face.

“Ouch…” Jino exclaimed, making Jackson turn to his back.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry!” He said in English. Good thing Jino could understand some basic English because of their English class.

“It’s alright,” She replied back in Korean.

Jackson pushed his chair towards Jino and got his notebook. “Hi! I’m Jackson Wang. I’m from Hong Kong but I don’t want to stay there a lot because I tend to spend the rest of my time there training with fencing and martial arts. My father pressures me a lot… And I’m the cousin of Kris Wu… If you know that tall guy… Although I’m short and he’s tall… We’re cousins… And I like dancing… I am in a dance team with the student who just walked out a while ago, like a boss. Hi!” Jackson introduced himself with his energetic self.

Jino chuckled from Jackson’s long introduction. “Hi, I’m Lee Jino and I’m a new student. I got here because of a scholarship offered in my school last semester,”

“Woaaahhhh, daebak! We have a smartie here!!!” Jackson announced and pointed Jino. Some girls giggled while some just continued whatever they’re doing. “Ya, can I count on you when I need to?”

“Uhmm… Are you asking me to be your friend?” Jino asked.

“Well, of course! If we’re friends then… Can I cheat when I can’t answer anything on tests?”

Jino was dumbfounded. She didn’t know what to tell him.

He then chuckled. “Ya, I’m just kidding! I’m smart too!”

***

The dance team’s training started as soon as the clock hit 5PM. Jongup was finally back, and the members welcomed him.

Suddenly, the dance studio’s door opened and made a banging sound on the wall. It was Kai, glaring at each one of them.

He walked towards Lu Han and held his collar, pinning him on the wall. “Go bring your asses out of here,” Kai said, trying not to be scandalous by keeping his voice low.

Lu Han chuckled and pushed him. Kai replied by pushing him back.

“YA!” Xiumin shouted and went between Kai and Lu Han while raising his arms to the side to keep them away from each other. “COULD YOU NOT DO THIS HERE?”

Lay went next to Lu Han to stop him while Jackson went next to Kai.

“Both of you are the officers in the team! You know the rules! Personal problems shouldn’t be brought here!” Xiumin said, trying to do his part as the eldest in the team.

Lu Han snickered. “Look at the president who initiated this fight,” He then moved his shoulders, shoving Lay’s hands off of his body. He then walked out of the dance studio.

Kai shoved Jackson’s hands off of him. “Let’s just start training,”

“You’re training? With those bruises?” Jimin asked.

“When you get bruises on your legs because of the stunts we practice, do you stop training?” Kai asked.

“No,” Jimin replied.

“That’s just the same as my condition right now,” Kai asserted.

Mark held his shoulder. “We’ll take care of it, Kai.”

Kai looked at Mark and sighed. He then got his bag and walked out of the room as well.

***

“Su Ho, why aren’t you with Jin?” Su Ho’s mother asked.

“Huh? The driver told me you were with him…” Su Ho said in confusion.

Suddenly, their doorbell rang and one of their housemaids ran to open the door. It was Jin.

“Jin, who fetched you home?” Their mother asked worriedly.

“I took the bus. Where’s my own driver?” Jin asked stubbornly.

“Seok Jin-ah…” Their mother pulled Jin and Su Ho towards the living room. She then sat on the couch and the two boys sat on the couch as well. Jin kept a big space between him and Su Ho.

“Your father and I decided to suspend Jin’s driver as of the moment… Since his daughter had a cancer, his daughter definitely needs him for support. And we thought it was a good idea to suspend him for a while to bring you closer as brothers,”

Jin sighed. He then walked towards the stairs and headed straight to his bedroom.

Their mother looked on the ground.

Su Ho held her mom’s hand. “Eomma, don’t feel bad about it. I’ll try my best to become a better brother,” He then kissed her forehead and hugged her.

***

Su Ho closed his eyes, feeling sleepy on the soft mattresses of his bed. He covered himself with the thick dark blue comforter and let go of all the things that stressed his mind – academics and his little brother, Jin.

Everything was peaceful.

Silent.

He can even hear his heart beating as he breathed normally…

Until he suddenly smelled the seawater. He heard the waves of the sea and it mesmerized his ears… But suddenly the splashing of waves sounded heavier.

As he opened his eyes and looked around him. He was in seashore.

He suddenly saw a familiar girl drowning. It was again, Jino.

“Y-You again?!” Su Ho mumbled. But he quickly ran and swam towards Jino. As he got her, waves suddenly splashed away from them, forming a round shaped barrier around them.

Something was forming at the sky from the waters. The round waves around them stopped and a light fell in front of Su Ho. The light turned into a goddess-like figure. She wore a shimmering blue gown that matched the color of the seawater. It was as if her dress was sewed on the sea.

“You found her,” The woman said.

“W-Who?” Su Ho asked, dumbfounded from the unbelievable things he had just witnessed.

“The princess!” The woman replied excitedly.

“Wait… Princess? I’m dreaming, right? There are big waves and then… Wait, why is Jino here and drowning again? Is this trauma from the experience a while ago?” Su Ho kept on asking questions to himself.

“Calm down, Su Ho. This isn’t a dream, this is a vision…” The goddess-like woman said.

“A vision?” Su Ho laughed and rubbed his nape. “I’m sorry, but I think I have to leave you here and wake up now…”

“No, I have a message for you…” The woman stopped him.

“What is it?” Su Ho asked.

The woman sighed, and searched for words on how to say what she needed to tell him. “Exo Planet’s in danger. The only way to save it is to bring back the queen and the princess… And your other eleven brothers,”

“Eleven brothers?!” Su Ho found it hilarious but just went with it. “I only have one brother, okay?”

The woman looked at her reflection on the clear seawater. “I have no idea on how will you be able to understand what I’m trying to say here… But I want you to look for your eleven brothers who share the other elements of Exo Planet with you… Because they will help you understand who you really are and what I’m trying to say…”

“What is Exo Planet? Who are you?” Su Ho asked.