Taekwoon didn't see the sheep boy again, or Hongbin, or Ken. Smiley Face probably worked nights, so he only went to that convenience store during the day. He would have just gone to a different one all together, but that was ridiculous and like letting them win.

After his first two weeks of school, a routine developed; he'd tell Seungho he was leaving in the morning, go to school, have lunch with Jongdae and Hakyeon (who talked even more than Jongdae—was he being punished?), and then spend his free period in his secluded spot on the soccer pitch. He'd go back to classes, and then on some days Jongdae would ambush him right outside, and others he would just go home without him. He was bound to show up with Hakyeon anyway.

From the amount of time that Cha Hakyeon spent talking—which was a lot (too damn much)—Taekwoon learned that he was from the countryside, his parents hated his hair, he drank too much banana milk, and he treasured lip balm way too much. Jongdae told him no one had ever seen his forehead before and that he was always trying sneak attacks on him just to see it.

It wasn't hard to tell why the two idiots were friends.

Another thing that had become apart of his day was brewing omija tea, which Hakyeon claimed he hated because he couldn't decide how it tasted, so the unusual blend made his face scrunch up. Taekwoon agreed that it was kind of weird, but it attracted him and the tea's color was pretty (bonus: he didn't have to share it with his stalker) so he kept making it.

Some days, Seungho would invite the three of them over for dinner. Surprisingly enough, Seungho's cooking was a marvel and he always found himself scarfing down anything he made. The food was always more interesting than whatever conversation the other three were having. It seemed to make Seungho happy.

Taekwoon frowned as he searched through his tea pantry for the fifth time. Where was the omija? He couldn't have used it all already . . . What a pain. The convenience store wouldn't have it—not that he'd go there at this hour. Wasn't there a night market nearby?

After searching it on his laptop, Taekwoon shrugged on his jacket and shoes and then went next door to tell Seungho that he was leaving. He got yet another wary look in reply, but Seungho nodded anyway and watched him walk off.

The night was warmer than he thought and he was tying his jacket around his waist and adjusting the hem of his white graphic tee by the time he reached one of the market's entrances. A homely smell that relaxed his nerves drew him in and it was like being a kid again. Why did he ever stop coming to these kinds of places? Comfort seeped into his skin and the aroma of different foods and fresh produce lead him around for a while, and he forgot he was originally here for tea.

Eventually remembering, Taekwoon started looking for a tea shop.

❝Hey auntie, can I have this?❞ an obnoxiously loud voice asked and Taekwoon had a ping of recognition. It was coming from the tea shop he was just about to walk into—and if it was one of those annoying people, or someone from school . . .

He sighed and turned away, deciding to look for another shop.

❝Hey look, it's Jong Taekhoon!❞

The cashier.

He didn't stop walking.

❝Hongbin, don't be like that.❞ a familiarly deeper voice joined.

Just keep walking.

Down the market rode and across the street, there was another tea shop.

Luckily, it was quiet inside and when he slid the door open, earthy scents relaxed his senses. Before the delightful dizziness could set in for too long, the auntie who ran the shop welcomed him, asking if he was looking for anything in particular. When he told her that he was looking for both tea and berries, she launched into an extremely long (unasked for) explanation about their history and where they could be found while moving around the shop.

Good thing he wasn't looking for anything else. Jongdae and Hakyeon talked his ears off enough as it was.

While he appreciated the lesson (he probably knew everything there was about the berries now), it was late and Seungho probably expected him back home. After she bagged up his packages and little plastic container of the small red berries (still chattering), Taekwoon bid goodnight and slipped out.

As soon as he stepped out, ❝Was our shop not good enough?❞

The teasing voice came from right next to him and he stopped on instinct to see Sheep Boy. These people . . .

A small sense of dread filled him as he looked around to see if those other boys were with him—he didn't know if they were friends, but at this point, he wouldn't be surprised.

He was right; there was Hongbin and Ken, standing next to a vendor in front of the shop he was going to try before. A third, shaggy guy that you would probably be wary of passing in the night was peering out next to them.

There was something almost hard and spurning about their expressions. Taekwoon gave a sidelong glance to Sheep Boy.

❝I would rather not.❞ he murmured, and then began walking.

He kept his eyes forward, but the stares from the three other teenagers weighed on his shoulders. They could stare all they wanted—he already had enough of them trying to play him (again). Tch, Jong Taekhoon . . .

Before he knew it, he was already halfway home.

❝Taekwooniiiie,❞ a voice called, and Jongdae appeared from the darkness. Before he said anything else, he stopped and was looking at something . . . over his shoulder?

Taekwoon stopped too, turning to look back. Sheep Boy was staring back at Jongdae. (❝ this isn't one of your dramas Woonie.❞) Wasn't this too much?

Huffing, Taekwoon strode forward and met Jongdae halfway. He latched onto his arm and then started dragging him along back to his apartment. Even when they got there, when he was unpacking his bag onto the kitchen counter, he could still feel Sheep Boy's stare burning into his back.

❝So what was that about?❞ Jongdae asked loudly, hopping onto the opposite counter. Taekwoon didn't reply. ❝You know who that was?❞

Setting the berries in to the refrigerator, Taekwoon shrugged and began to boil water.

Jongdae sighed, giving up, and then scrunched his face. ❝Omija again?❞ he asked, ❝How do you like that stuff . . .❞

He offered a small shrug. The weird blend of tastes wasn't for everyone—Taekwoon didn't even like bitter or sour things, but the sweetness made that worth it. Besides, he liked how its strength made him feel pleasantly light and lazy.

Even though Jongdae's curiosity practically radiated off him, Taekwoon didn't want to talk about what happened at the market. It was bad enough that they were everywhere he went—if Jongdae wasn't lying about them going to Jawoon, he'd probably end up having to see them there too. He didn't have enough patience in the world for that.

When Jongdae figured Taekwoon wasn't gonna give, he made him get out his PlayStation (it had been boxed away and they had to go through the hill of boxes kept in the spare [that was supposed to be Taekwoon's parents'] room to find it) and Taekwoon lounged on the couch, dazing in and out of watching him play some assassination game as he sipped at his tea.

After a little while, he saw Jongdae texting someone.

Luck seemed to always be on his side when it came to finding private places to be alone. Somehow, it felt better to be alone in a public place than at home, so he decided to finish his homework in the library at a small table he found in the maze of bookshelves.

With books and papers scattered around him, he worked his pencil and tried not to think about the looks that Jongdae kept giving him yesterday night. It wasn't like he ran into those people on purpose or actually wanted anything to do with them. It was probably just coincidence—he didn't want to believe they were actually following him. He didn't do anything for that—but if they wanted a fight . . .

The chair across from him slid out from the table and the interruption whitened his knuckles around his pen. Count to ten . . .

He looked up to see vibrantly red-haired Hakyeon smiling at him. Alright. Ignoring him probably wouldn't work (wouldn't it be great if it did for once), but Taekwoon started writing again instead, moving one of his books down to read the text for a math problem.

❝Jongdae told me about last night.❞ Hakyeon announced, and Taekwoon nearly stopped writing. ❝He said Ravi was following you?❞

Ravi?

He continued. ❝Jongdae already told you, didn't he? Those guys are like, bad news. I really think you should stay away from them. I even heard two of them, y'know, Hongbin and Yongguk?❞ Unfortunately, about Hongbin, but Taekwoon had never seen Yongguk and only vaguely remembered Jongdae mentioning his name. ❝I heard them talking about you—that convenience store Hongbin works at? And you bumped into Ravi . . . Hongbin said Ken thinks you did it on purpose.❞

Not very surprising—Ken seemed like the type. Maybe they were trying to pick a fight with him.

Taekwoon stopped writing to look up at Hakyeon, whose smile was playful but warning. ❝Hakyeon, what do you want?❞ he asked.

❝I'm just looking out for you, Taekwoonie,❞ he cooed, pulling a cute face. Taekwoon rolled his eyes. ❝But I'm serious. You should be careful around them, okay? They're not people you want to know.❞

Dramatics, that's all it was. They were just a bunch of teenagers, what harm could they really do?

Like he had read Taekwoon's mind, N continued. ❝It's not just them. Don't you know how it is when you're different? People treat you weird . . . They're the bad guys—if people started associating you with them . . .❞

Hands folded under his chin, Taekwoon stared at Hakyeon. Since when couldn't he take care of himself? Did Jongdae and Hakyeon and whoever else really think he wanted five more people stalking him and constantly bothering him? No. They were already too damn much.

❝Is that all you wanted?❞ he stated rather than asking, and then turned ignore mode back on.

Hakyeon sighed.