When it was seven in the evening, night had already consumed all natural light provided in the neighborhood. Only fluttering streetlights existed to bring visibility to the small winding roads in the community. The moon was a beautiful crescent, clouds wrapping around the edges in a shady blur as they passed through. It was almost haunting. Nights like these made people want to just sit at home with their family all snuggled around a campfire, but tonight, there was something else Sunhwa had in mind. Without telling her husband, she left the house with not even a purse to do some scoping. She was curious of no other than Minjung’s once vacant mansion of thorns and roses. Though she believed every bit of the story Yonghwa and Shinhye shared, she wanted to confirm some things with her own eyes. Sunhwa loitered casually around the gates, looking as if she was just a passerby when cars rushed past. When she was completely alone in the street, she would peer through the openings in the fence, trying to see through transparent windows though no lights flickered on.

            The sound of footsteps nearing caused her to panic and she quickly shuffled to the far corner of the fence, hidden by a thorny bush outsider their fence. She peeked over the branches to see a young boy passing through the gate with a proud posture and slightly tussled hair. That must be Kang Minhyuk. After he entered the house, it wasn’t long until half the lights flashed on and his silhouette could be observed through the larger front window past the thin beige curtains. He was standing in front of a woman with long, curly hair who was seated with a glass of wine in her hands. It was hard to hear conversation, in fact, she couldn’t hear even a word but it didn’t stop her from trying. She pressed her ear against the fence and waited, hoping one of them would make a loud outburst that would pass through the confines of their walls.

            “I want Yonghwa dead!” Minhyuk’s whining voice travelled through the glass window and Sunhwa’s ears could not mistake it. Those cursed Kangs were crazy. If they wanted to kill, Sunhwa knew from experience that they would kill—and not let anything get in the way. Shuttering with fear for her son’s life, she rushed back home to share the news with her husband.

@}--,--'----

            Shinhye was dozing off in class with her head comfortably resting on her forearms when a gentle finger poked her side. She wanted to ignore it, but after two more pokes she gave into her ticklish self and nearly stumbled off her chair. Her bangs had been messed up from her light nap, and the same hand that poked her took the initiative to straighten out her hair for her.

            “Class is over.” Yonghwa informed after he fixed Shinhye’s hair. He was seated in front of her now, and she wasn’t used to seeing him sitting up close. He always occupied the seat by the window because he liked the view or something. Shinhye shrugged and then looked around the classroom. They were the only people here. She then glanced out the window to see that it was pitch black. How long had she been sleeping?

           “Why are you still here?” Shinhye yawned, straightening herself up in her chair and stretching her arms out. Her shoulders felt uncomfortably stiff, and she was in dire need of a massage.

            “It’s Monday. We were assigned clean up again.” Yonghwa explained briefly, not admitting to his amusement with her obliviousness. She shot up from her chair and looked around.

            “Oh shoot, we better start cleaning then.”

            “Forget it, I already finished.” Yonghwa tried to hide his proud chuckling. Shinhye felt useless now, having slept the entire time Yonghwa was working. How did she not hear him bustling around the classroom? She didn’t even realize that she was so tired.

            “How long ago?” She glanced at her watch. It was nearly nine.

            “Twenty or thirty minutes ago?” He calculated in his head while looking up at the ceiling, and then nodded, looking back at her.

            “That long ago? What were you doing since then?” She questioned, not sure why he didn’t just wake her up when he finished or even left her here overnight.

            “Watching you sleep,” He replied honestly; there was no shame in his voice.

            “You… were… what?! Why?!” She was confused and startled, and for even a slight second she had the idea that Yonghwa was a ert.

            “Calm down. It’s just interesting how loud a girl can snore.” He laughed, getting up from his chair. She blushed, knowing that her foster parents often cracked jokes about her sleeping habits.

            “Since you’re awake now, let’s go home.” He directed, already waiting by the door with his backpack slung over one shoulder. The way he phrased his statement made her smile slightly. He offered to walk her home again, and though at first she refused, he brought up the fact that she was terrified of the dark and if someone attacked her she’d be too injured to fight back. He had a point, and this was pretty much the ghetto, so she allowed him to walk her home yet again. They left through the exit leading to the parking lot because it was closer, and to their surprise, a black car parked outside the curb was there to greet them. Both of them could recognize that black car. Just as they expected, Kang Minhyuk stepped out from the driver’s side and slammed the door shut, walking around the front to face them directly. Seeing him like this under such dim lighting terrified Shinhye, and she couldn’t help but hide slightly behind Yonghwa as she watched. They stood frozen like that for a few seconds and waited for Minhyuk to speak, but he didn’t look like he was going to open his mouth anytime soon.

            “Let’s go; just ignore him.” Yonghwa whispered to Shinhye who was shivering, half because of the cold and half because she was scared. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his so he conveniently pulled her along, passing Minhyuk without looking back.

            “Your mom is a .” Minhyuk challenged, he didn’t turn his head either. They paused where they were again, and Shinhye could see that Yonghwa was getting annoyed. His hands clenched into tight fists, and Shinhye could feel his forearms flexing but Yonghwa never turned around. Minhyuk shifted to make eye contact with Shinhye who out of curiosity looked back.

            “If you don’t believe me, go ask her yourself.” Minhyuk continued to dig himself into a deeper whole, tempting Yonghwa’s temper. It wasn’t often that Yonghwa got mad. Shinhye actually couldn’t remember an incident when Yonghwa was angry at all, since he hid his emotions well to begin with. His fists were shaking as if he wanted to land a punch on Minhyuk’s face, but his feet didn’t even pivot. The last thing Shinhye wanted was to be caught on the news for public violence on school property, and she knew Yonghwa didn’t want that either. She slipped her hands over Yonghwa’s right fist, trying to stop the vibrating as if it would calm him down—and it worked. He decided to ignore his remark and began walking away again, giving Shinhye some room to breathe, but Minhyuk wasn’t dropping the subject so easily. Before he got back in his car he shouted out,

            “Your parents are Shinhye’s guardians.” After saying his last words, he drove out of the parking lot and speeded down the road out of sight. Their pace stopped, and the wind from the car zooming past created a gust of wind that pushed their hair in front of their eyes. Shinhye brushed her bangs aside and looked up at Yonghwa. His hair still covered his face, casting a dark shadow over his eyes in a spooky manner.

A/N: Sorry for the foul language, guys!!! I really hate using bad words but when it's necessary for the emotion of the story I use them ): Very very rarely haha. The last few chapters probably filled some holes and gave out some secrets, but I think this chapter just added some more to the list. As you read this, try to pay close attention to details, even if you think they're minor because I like to have a lot of foreshadow in my writing ^^ (And probably other literary devices learned in english class since forever :D!) As I wrote this I was listening to a lot of CN Blue and Heartstrings OSTs so I think I work with this plot better when I'm listening to Yonghwa's voice O_O Hm....~~ Leave some comments?^^