"Look look. There she is!" Jekyung pointed to Jungah, who was standing in front of her locker. "Go and do it, now!" 

"No.. Not yet.. The dance isn't for a long time. We can wait.." Kiseop tried talking her out of it. "She's there now.. You're going to communicate with her one way or another.. At least go speak to her" Jekyung demanded and pushed Kiseop in forward. Kiseop inched closer to Jungah when he looked back at Jekyung and shook his head.

Jekyung nodded her head and gestured him to keep walking. He turned and saw that Jungah was still standing at her locker, but was now looking at him. "Lee Kiseop..?" she asked. Kiseop froze, losing his train of thought. Jekyung did a face palm.

"..Hi Jungah" Kiseop said and waved. Jungah giggled and gestured him over. Kiseop looked back at Jekyung, who just smiled and nodded. Kiseop walked over to Jungah's locker and stodd next to her. "How are you?" she asked. 

"Uhm, I'm good.. How are you?" Kiseop asked back. "I'm good.. I don't think I've actually seen you in a couple years. Your hair grew" Jungah said while looking for something in her locker. "Oh, yeah. I'm not a big fan of the barber.." he coughed, making Jungah laugh.

"I'm actually making her laugh?" he thought. "Well, why don't you do something with it? Like style it?" she asked

"I can't think of any ideas of what to do with it.. It's just hair" he sighed

"I can give you some ideas" she smiled and looked up at him. "Really?" he said excitedly, making Jungah laugh again. "What? Am I funny?" he asked

"Yes. Very" she giggled. "But I'm not trying to be..." he said truthfully. 

"Well, then I guess you're just a naturally funny guy" she smiled and winked at him. Kiseop's heart stopped and he had to look away. Then the bell rang

"I gotta go" Kiseop said. "Me too. I'll talk to you later, Kiseop" she gave one more award-winning smile and walked to her next class. As soon as she walked into the next hall, Jekyung jumped up from where she was sitting and ran up to Kiseop. "What happened?! Tell me!" she demanded. 

Kiseop couldn't talk or tear his gaze away from the hall that she'd walked into, so Jekyung took him by the shoulders and led him the other way. "Lee Kiseop, speak to me" Jekyung said again. 

"She thinks I'm funny" he smiled. "Wait, what? What did you say that was funny?" she asked

"I don't know. She said I was a naturally funny guy"

"AHA! That's a funny joke"

"What?"

"You're not funny... I guess she's an easy laugher"

"Gee thanks!"

"Well it's true.. Anyway, we have to go to class. Have fun" Jekyung patted Kiseop on the back and started walking away. 

"Kyung!" Kiseop called out to her. Jekyung stopped and froze at the sound of her nickname, her first time hearing it since her dad passed away. She slowly turned around and nodded. 

"Thanks.." Kiseop smiled. Jekyung pointed to him and made a clicking noise with awkwardly. "Okay, don't do that" he shook his head and walked away.

"It was worth a shot!" she shouted at him. Kiseop waved back at her without looking back

"I'm really happy you're gaining your confidence, Kiseop" she thought and walked the other direction

When school was out, Jekyung sat on the bus stop bench and waited for the bus when some kid sat next to her. She looked over at saw a familiar face. "Oh hey.."

"Hey.. You look super tired" Soohyun smiled, but then looked more at her face. "Today has been tiring.."

"How so?"

"I've been helping my friend with his so called social life.."

"And how is it going?"

"Actually it went well today. Hence why I'm so tired"

"Oh, well I commend you. You're doing a good thing for a good person" Soohyun smiled and patted her on the back. Jekyung looked up at him and smiled weakly. 

When Jekyung got home, she went straight up for her room. When she opened the door and screamed.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?!" she screeched.

"I.. was .. looking for something. It's missing and I thought it might be in he-ere" Jekyung's step father said as he stood in her room. "Get out! Get out now!" Jekyung screamed. 

"What's going on in here?" Jekyung's mother walked in on the scene. "I came home to your husband in my room! Tell him to get out!" Jekyung shouted. 

"Stop yelling, young lady. He's just looking for something" 

"Well I refuse to enter this room until he leaves" she stomped her foot and made her way downstairs.. As she walked downstairs, she felt her lunch coming up.

---

Kiseop walked into his house to find his step father asleep on the couch, a bottle of alcohol on the floor next to him. Kiseop rolled his eyes. 

"Mom, I know you miss dad, but why did you have to marry that waste of skin on the couch" Kiseop spat as he walked into the kitchen. "That "waste of skin" is your father" Kiseop's mother hissed back. Kiseop looked up at his mother and saw a new bruise on her cheek. He could feel anger build up inside him and he curled his hands into fists. "NO HE'S NOT!" Kiseop stomped his foot and shouted, waking his step father up. "YAH YOU LITTLE BRAT! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" he raged. "I don't care!" Kiseop yelled

"Lee Kiseop!" his mother gasped. Kiseop's step father stood up and stumbled to the kitchen and with no hesitation, hit Kiseop right across the face.

"Baby!" his mother cried and ran to her new husband. "Yeobo! You promised! You promised you'd never hurt him" she pleaded with him, but he only grabbed her face and pushed her down to the ground. "Mom! It's okay" Kiseop reassured 

---

The next day at school, Jekyung searched high and low for Kiseop because she had thought of a good idea to get closer to Jungah, but when she looked over campus, he was nowhere. 

"You stupid kid.. Where are you?" she thought..

Then, she totally forgot to check out his favorite shadow. 

She tripped a couple times because she walked too fast, and when she got there, there he was, sitting in the shadow with his head down.

"YAH!" Jekyung shrieked. Kiseop's head shot up in surprise. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I thought you didn't need to sit in your shadow anymore"

"I don't.. It's just.."

"What..?"

"I was waiting for you" Kiseop pouted. Jekyung softened and kneeled down to sit next to him. "You don't have to wait for me.. Next time, go on without me.." she said tenderly. Kiseop put his head in between his legs again and Jekyung felt like there was something wrong.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just tired"

"Liar..."

Kiseop sighed and looked up at her, revealing a black eye. Jekyung gasped. "Omo! Did you get in a fight?"

"Sorta..?"

"With who?"

"My mom's husband"

Kiseop reminded Jekyung of herself when she refused to call her step father as such. She hated the mere fact that he was family by marriage. "He hit you.. Did you hit back?"

Kiseop shook his head as his lower lip started to shake. "Well, that's good.." Jekyung looked down at the dirt and sighed. Kiseop sniffed and let a tear fall from his eye. Jekyung looked over and saw him crying. She didn't know what to do. Even now, she didn't know Kiseop well enough.

But he needed someone. 

"Don't cry, Kiseop"

"*Sniffles* Why not?" he hicupped. Jekyung felt a lump in and her eyes water

"Cause I feel like crying today too" she finally started to sob loudly.

Kiseop rolled his eyes. "Stop being so loud" he whispered, trying to calm her down. "I said be quiet" Kiseop raised his voice, but Jekyung wouldn't stop..

"She's really sensitive.. I feel sorry for her next boyfriend" he thought and cried silently, leaving Jekyung by his side to sob. Soon, Kiseop made up his mind and put his hand on her back. "Calm down" he said soothingly and started rubbing circles into her back. Jekyung started to slow down her breaths and took in deeper ones. Kiseop smiled when he finalized that she wasn't crying anymore. 

"Good girl.. "