Hana stared at her phone for a moment before deciding that the incoming call was one she should answer. She glanced around the lunch hall and was thankful that no attention fell on her. Sehun had caused an issue that everyone felt the need to gossip about. Hana managed a weak smile before grabbing her bag, she gave her lunch one last contempt look before exiting the hall.

The phone continued to ring until Hana was in the vicinity of an empty classroom. She grimaced and wondered why he was suddenly ringing her, they usually spoke in the evenings when Hana's mind was a little less tense.

"You take too long to pick up. Next time, I won't call you," Tao declared dryly and stared at his watch - he'd been counting the time and was unhappy that it had taken her so long to answer. He knew her timetable. She was free, in which case he was unhappy at being ignored because something, or someone else may have held her attention.

"Sorry, I couldn't," Hana whispered closing the classroom door behind her. She studied her surrounding slowly and sighed when her evaluation was complete, she was satisfied to be alone.

"Why not? Did something happen, again?" Tao asked dropping the arm that held in watch. His tone was quick to change from grouchy to concerned, so concerned that he'd managed to jump out of his seat rendering the papers that were once sitting on his lap to cluster onto the ground. Tao sighed, and crouched down paying more attention to the caller on the other side of the phone than what he was doing mechanically.

"Not really, well... Not to me, to Seryung," Hana explained. The scenario replayed in her head making her frown louder than she should have. Hana let her bag slide off her shoulder to sit on the ground. She rolled her shoulders to relax them and waited for a reply.

"Your friend?" Tao questioned raising an eyebrow as he did. Hana had talked about a friend who'd interjected into her business. That friend had made Tao question things about her until he decided he liked her guts. She was a faceless person to him, a name that Hana frequently used, she was also the sister of Hana's fiance - Tao knew it all.

"Yeah, I think they've started picking on her," Hana sighed and rubbed her temples before running a hand over her head to made stranded hair settle down. She patted her head to finish and heard the ruffling of paper on the other side, a small smile crept onto her face.

"I thought you said she wouldn't get picked on because she's what's-his-face's sister." Tao responded after gathering all the loose sheets. He placed them onto his table and stared at them long and hard. There sat his future, and present life mingled together as if they were utterly innocent, yet they were both utter nonsense.

"Sehun's sister and yeah, that's what I thought too but someone tripped her today." Hana pouted. Tao never refered to Sehun as 'Sehun,' it was either, 'what's-his-face,' 'that-guy,' 'what's-his-name' or 'yer-man.' Although it bothered Hana it also made her laugh. She worried when the two would come to meet. Tao would forget Sehun's name, and call him by the titles he'd given him. She had imagined Sehun's questioning face many times if such a thing were to happen.

"Oh, what about you? Are you okay?" The panic in Tao's voice was evident even if he did try to hide it. Hana clenched her jaw at how much she'd told him. She hated worrying him, he had worries of his own that were just as urgent. "I wish I was," Hana stated bitterly as she examined her shoes and played on her feet.

"What happened?" Tao wanted to know, he was her confidant in many things, and if something were bothering her he was usually the first to know. She told him everything not that he minded. He told her everything too. They were open books to each other.

Hana shrugged. Nothing as such had occurred yet, it was unnerving to think that something was going to happen but it was just as silly to stress about something that may or may not occur. "Why are you calling?" She asked to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about herself, he knew her worries because she'd repeated them time and time again like a broken tape recorder.

"Oh, that, I wanted to check up on your situation first before going AK-47 on you." Tao stated wryly. He made his way towards his bed and stared at the suitcase that was b untidily. His parent's had put it onto his bed so he would pay attention to it. He wasn't allowed to remove it from there otherwise, knowing him, he would probably chose to sleep rather than pack. Packing was a mundane and mediocre task that he hated doing. He would be traveling to Korea soon it was exciting, but packing wasn't.

"Nothing new on my side. My lockers not safe because people like to destroy my property. I just left my lunch in the cafeteria, I don't think it'll be edible when I get back."

"That's nice to know, I'm glad you're being careful. What happened to your friend, the one who tripped?" Tao flipped the suitcase closed and decided to sit on it to even it out. He concluded it made an uncomfortable chair.

"Her brother helped her, he even threatened the person who tripped her," Hana explained the events that she'd witnessed in detail to her brother from another mother.

"He can be nice? I thought he was just a cranky woman-hater." Tao shrugged and threw his pillows onto his suitcase. He tried to sit on it again but it had managed to exceed the level of tolerance making him curl his mouth in a curt fashion.

"He's dated girls before..." Hana trailed off. Sehun's dating history wasn't something anyone would be proud hearing, some of Hana's friends had even dated him. He had no criteria and had been rude and stiff towards them. She doubted he even wanted to be there, from what she'd heard, he was passive aggressive towards anyone who wanted more than just the title of 'girlfriend.'

Tao rolled his eyes as if guessing what she was thinking, "Your parent's agreed to have you married, to someone like him?!" The Chinaman dragged his feet towards his wardrobe and reached the top shelf for a quilt, he jumped back as it tumbled to the ground. Making a face he used his foot to lift it for his hand to catch, and dragged it back to his bed.

"Yeah, I was wondering too, but I don't know what they're up to," Hana replied. Her parent's were the choosiest and pickiest people she knew, their standards for everything were sky high.

Did Oh Sehun really meet their criteria? That question in itself ignited her interest, what did they see in him? She saw plenty of things, he was tall and handsome, a broody fellow, his family background was acceptable, his parent's worked with the CHA (Cultural Heritage Administration), and his grades were also excellent. Hana pressed her lips together, had her parent's thought to consider Sehun's character? All in all, he was an enigma, had that characteristic appealed to her parents? Hana hung her head, it appealed to her, more than she liked, but it wasn't a viable option. Sehun was nice to look at from afar, as he was. She didn't particularly like what she'd seen on their first meeting but her parent's curiosity ignited her own. She wanted to know what they saw. Why they had approved? What was it about Oh Sehun that met their sky-high standards?

Hana usually trusted her parent's decisions; they always seemed to chose the right things for her. This decision should have been right too but it made Hana wary. Her crush on Sehun stemmed from his mysterious personality, it made her want to know more but Hana feared that, that was exactly what his previous 'girlfriends' may have been looking for. He wasn't 'dating' at the moment; his dating pattern was temperamental and always impulsive. However Hana wished he would stop dating now, he was set to marry her and she didn't want to have to deal with his 'girlfriend's' hostility once they found out who she was.

"They want to pay for my school fees, the house is a mess. It's all that gege's* fault." Tao's words interjected Hana's thoughts and brought her musings to a close. Hana's mind drifted back to the present situation - Tao's fees, Tao's schooling, Tao's gege and Tao's life. Hana remained silent not wanting to pry further into the mess that Tao spoke of. She was aware from what Tao told her, the gege had been having relationship problems of his own until he snapped.

Tao had gone through a hard time after that. He'd done badly is almost every subject come exam time and hence he was being forced to repeat a year. Tao had royally ruined a year rendering him in a class below Hana. This had led his parent's to believe it was the end of his world. They had insisted that he study and pick up from where he left of and although that idea too seemed genuinely okay, Hana's parent's had also thought to interfere. Their ideas were much more definite. Mr. Kim had insisted that Tao come to Korea to finish his schooling, he wanted to enroll Tao into Hana's school. The problem with that was that Tao's parent's couldn't afford such a thing with their modest teacher salaries. Mr. Kim had gone further, he'd told them he would pay for Tao's fees as money was not a problem. Tao's parent's had felt burdened and had then enrolled  - an already stressed out Tao - for Korean language classes.

Tao had studied Korean all summer, from the basics of reading and writing to the concept of studying in Korea. This would have been manageable if he didn't train for Wu Shu**.

 Wu Shu was Tao's back-up plan, if all else failed he would open his own dojo and teach martial arts. Wu Shu... Wu Shu training however, cost a hefty sum but Tao had been insistent and defiant, he'd even won a scholarship to train for free. Tao's parent's remaining unimpressed by this, Wu Shu was a waste of time in their opinion. Wu Shu was the reason why Tao had failed, although Tao claimed otherwise.

"Not like my grades are that great anyway. I don't know why everyone's concerned. I won't make the same mistake twice." Tao replied arranging the quilt and checking for comfort.

It was very comfortable and Tao lay back on it knowing that he could solve any hurdles that came his way. He just had to focus! The problem was that no one let him focus, they worried about him because he'd made a mistake, they were afraid he'd make one again, but he knew better. Human's made mistakes, but they wouldn't repeat their mistakes a second time that's how they learnt. Tao's parents and Hana's parents didn't understand that, they made him worry, he feared he would ruin their work and that was the last thing he wanted to do! Going to Korea would be fun but it was also seeming to be a daunting experience.

"Hm, I hope not... When will you be arriving in Korea?" Hana asked tilting her head to check her watch, the time she had to herself was steadily decreasing, she wouldn't have enough time to have her lunch - her stomach told her that - but it was too late now, time wasn't on her side today.

"Whenever you want!" Tao grinned, he'd missed her too because she was the only one he had left to lean on. The gege he'd admired had been the cause of his epidemic, and although Tao had been unable to save him he would save Hana. He'd learnt from that mistake, he wouldn't lose them both!

"I've to sort out a few things, I can honestly say I'll be happy to get out of this house," Tao admitted as the edge of his bag began to prod at his back. He shifted uncomfortably - it was the same with his parents, they made him uncomfortable, hence why he was searching for a change of scenery.

"Are your parent's giving you a hard time?" Hana asked knowing all to well how troublesome parents could be. It was the same everywhere, parents loved their kids and kids loved their parents but sometimes things became hard to deal with especially when the two parties didn't see eye-to-eye.

"Not really, they're pretty quiet. I think they think it's their fault." Tao stared at the ceiling, a prickling sensation prickled his eyes, how had things gotten this bad? All his gege had done was fall in love, was love that wrong? On the opposite end of the spectrum Hana was being forced into a love-less marriage, she was also having a hard time. Love or no love, they were the two sides of the same coin and suffered equally.

Tao just wished the magnitude was different. He wouldn't lose Hana, he would save her and he would save himself too, he wouldn't watch anymore. His gege had gone mad, the older brother didn't recognize anyone, he caused his parents and his friends more trouble that they could bear. No one smiled anymore. Their smiles had been snatched by that girl - the one his gege had loved - she was happily married now. She who'd loved his gege and promised to be together for eternity was happily married to someone else. His gege had gone mad, he was like a lost and frightened child who had random outbursts. The load on gege's parents had been huge and they were saving up for a mental institution. It was hard to think that such potential had been lost and for what? A simple difference in social statuses!

Tao rubbed his eyes furiously and strained his ears to catch the last of Hana's words that he'd been ignoring, "- I wish my parent's thought like that."

Tao chuckled at her wry tone, "I know you do, do you want to swap parents?" It was a genuine request and if the option were viable would solve both their problems.

"If it were possible to do so." Hana laughed at the idea. Her parent's adored Tao as if he were their own son. Tao excelled at everything from martial arts to studies, he'd just tripped in his path, her parents saw his potential and so did she.

"Hm... You're having a hard time." Tao remarked sitting up, he leaned his elbows on his knees and sighed. It was the same for him, he'd had a hard time, he was getting over it, and restarting was intimidating.

"Let's talk about something else." Hana decided, they'd dwelled on things they couldn't change for too long. Tao was sounding dispirited with each sentence, it wasn't like him at all, he'd never been pessimistic but the world around him was weighing him down.

"What I don't understand is why your parent's would let what's-his-face, marry you. Why him? There must've been something that caught their eye. Too bad though, he's a jerk."

'He is a jerk,' Hana thought to herself with a wry smile. She was preparing herself to excavate the shell Oh Sehun had hidden himself under. It was risky business on her part but she still wanted to see what was hidden and why he kept himself hidden. "I wanted to try and talk to him but..."

"You didn't?"

"No, I didn't get a chance to. There are so many girls around him all the time and I don't want his friends to know about us."

"A secret relationship? Well it's to be expected because he exploded at the idea. Have you asked his sister why yet?"

"No."

"I'll take it that you're waiting for me then. I'll put them back into their rightful places for you. There's a fee though, will you be able to pay up front?"

"Tao! That's not funny!"

"I'm kidding, haha, what were you thinking?"

"No favours, I hate owing people favors!"

"Am I just another person to you?"

"Are you not a person? Maybe an alien?"

"Exactly, I'm an alien from an exo planet. I come in peace."

"An ambassador?"

"Exactly!"

"Why did you call again?"

"To let you know I will be moving in soon. Are you exited? I'll be taking up the guest room again. Let's get along."

"When will you be arriving? That guest room is actually called 'Tao's room,' and don't we always get along?"

"I know it's mine. I have a place in everyone's hearts. We do get along but I mean it differently, we need to get along."

"We will though, it's natural."

"It's got to be unnatural."

"You know what? I think we can do it but you still haven't told me what day you're coming. I want to collect you from the airport."

"It's a secret."

"You haven't booked?"

"Not yet, I told you, all this stuff is being done for me, I have no hand in it."

"Well, you know they're my parent's when they start to do that."

"Exactly! How have you lived with them this long?"

"I don't know, I guess I got used to it."

"No you didn't, if you did, you wouldn't cry over the phone. How are your grades looking these days?"

"Let's not even go there, I'm doing okay I guess but I 'should be doing better,' if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean and I think we should both take that advice into consideration."

"You're accepting the challenge?"

"Game set and match. I will graduate from high school."

"I know you can do it, you've always worked hard. I feel bad every time you pretend."

"You get into trouble every time my test results come in. They're just tests I can flunk, and do well in finals."

"I hate the way you ruin your score for me, did you know that?"

"I'm aware, you're a very difficult person to please missy. I just don't want you getting into trouble every time. It's hard to hear about it, I can't imagine what it's like actually being you."

"There's nothing to imagine but please don't flunk on purpose. You can't afford to do that. Your gege wouldn't have wanted it either. He may have lost his mind but that doesn't mean he don't know you."

"He can't recognize anyone, Hana, not even his parents. Do you think he'd recognize some neighborhood kid who used to cling to him?"

"Still, he wouldn't want you to do badly because of him."

"It happened anyway, I failed badly. I'm repeating the year, we're in different grades now. The only up side is that your parents won't compare us."

"Who else is going to tutor me over video chat?"

"Tsk, if you ever need help, I'm still your man."

"Your words are reassuring, thank you."

"It'll help me too so it's a win-win situation. I study my material and the material for the next year. Just don't let your parent's know, they'll be on your case."

"'Tao can balance two years worth of load, and then there's you who can't even manage a year.'"

"Well, it's hard! Don't fret, I'll make sure you do well."

"I know, you're always the one to save me."

"You don't need another, don't get married!"

"How does this and that relate?"

"Nah, I mean don't marry the jerk, he sounds harder to live with than your parents."

"Maybe... I don't know what they saw in him."

"Do you see something in him? Close your eyes! It sounds like he would give you a hard time."

"Everyone seems to like giving me a hard time, am I that easy to pick on?"

"Probably. Anyway, I'll message you once the ticket has been booked. I've got to go sort out some things, stay strong little princess."

"Alright, I'll see you then mister, bye!"

"See ya!"

Hana ended the call and smiled, she looked forward to seeing Tao again. How long had it been since he'd last visited her? She missed him when they were separated for too long, he was her companion and friend whom she could talk about everything. Talking to him always eased the burden in her heart. She was thankful that he existed, and was thankful that they got along. There was only the two of them in a world of adults who liked to pave paths for their children.

*gege - Chinese term for older brother. It's Korean equivalent would be hyung/oppa.

**Wu Shu - Chinese martial arts.