The next morning, Jiyong woke up from a dream.

He dreamt about three birds—one lonely, another quiet, and the last injured—huddled together in a small birds nest that he had built. He dreamt that he watched over the birds grow into different species of birds. He could not feed them, take them to the hospital, or anything. He could only watch, and he watched them grow, separate, fly, and return. Though one bird was flightless, he remembered, and it seemed to have known that. The next scene he remembered was seeing a flightless baby chick plunge to the ground, dead and cold. All Jiyong could think about was how foolish the baby chick was.

After all, chicks couldn't fly.

"Good morning."

The high-pitched voice startled him. Jiyong sat straight up, his eyes wide. He was still groggy and tired, but he knew that it was no time to complain about his drowsiness. He spotted a girl in front of him, setting down a plate of breakfast on the floor. She looked at him, her eyes swollen from crying, but red from exhaustion.

He finally remembered that he had brought a girl to his house. He remembered how she didn't do much when they got to his house. She looked rather lost, but what mattered to Jiyong was that she had calmed down. He threw her a blanket and a pillow, told her to sleep on the floor (he slept on the floor along with her since he didn't have a bed or a sofa), and knocked himself out. He was worried that the girl might do something, but once he realized that she wasn't going to try anything weird, he managed to get some sleep.

Though clearly the girl hardly got any sleep. She didn't seem to mind, though. After all, tons of high school students had a lack of sleep. It seemed as if this wasn't a big deal for her.

"Morning. What's all this?" Jiyong asked.

"A little thank you. I left for a second to buy some ingredients. Don't worry, I didn't use your money. I used mine," she said, raising her wallet. Jiyong nodded his head in response, and stared down at the plate.

There was a handful of rice on one side of the plate, accompanied by two fried eggs and a small side dish of kimchi. He hadn't eaten a proper meal for a while. He mostly ate out or helped himself with some snacks. He broke into a small smile, a bit happy that he would be able to eat a home-cooked meal in such a long time.

"You hardly had anything in the fridge, so I stocked some up for you," she informed him. "You're not allergic to anything, are you?"

"Nope," Jiyong replied. "Can I really eat this?"

"Yes," she said. "Thank you for having me here."

"Yeah, whatever."

He paused, then glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was only five in the morning, and Jiyong had work at eight. As he ate the food, he wondered if the girl had to go to school. What time did kids start school, anyway?

He stopped chewing for a moment, then stared at the girl. She stared at him back, her brown eyes shimmering under the dim light. 

"That's right," he started, "I know nothing about you. Tell me about yourself."

The girl looked surprised. "E-Excuse me?"

"Tell me about who you are. You know, your name, what year you're in your high school, your dreams, goals, all that," Jiyong said.

She bit her lip. "I… I don't know…"

"Then I'll start," Jiyong said. He cleared his throat and took a gulp of water. "I'm Kwon Jiyong. I, uh, work at the convenience store. I'm not a college student, so yeah, I'm basically what most people would consider to be a failure."

"Why?" she asked.

"Introduce me to yourself first, and then I'll answer that," he said, smirking.

"U-Um… T-Then, my name is Lee Jieun. I'm in my first year of high school. Dreams… Goals… I don't really have them. I haven't really thought about it. Before I really wanted to marry my boyfriend and live a good life, but these days, our relationship isn't going too smoothly," Jieun mumbled.

"That ," Jiyong said, taking a bite of his egg. "I've never been in a relationship before, so I can't help you there." He chewed for a few more minutes. "Anyway, what do you mean by 'why'?"

"Why do people consider your as a failure?" Jieun tilted her head. "You don't look like a failure to me."

"Most people think that if you don't go to college, you're life . Then they think that if you don't go to college but find yourself to be successful, then you're just damn lucky. I, unfortunately, am not a lucky guy. I dropped out of college, and now I'm living my life as so," Jiyong explained.

"It must be nice to be alone like this," Jieun whispered to herself.

"So tell me about the guy you were with last night. What's up with him?" Jiyong questioned her.

Jieun looked down at the ground. "He's my boyfriend."

An abusive boyfriend, huh, Jiyong thought, only nodding his head.

"He thought that I was sleeping with some guy. He gets jealous really easily."

"Did you kiss another guy or something?"

"No!" She gave him a disgusted look. "I would never! I'm always loyal to the man I love!"

"Then what's his deal?"

"I… I don't know. My boyfriend—his name is Chanyeol—thinks that I ignore him too much. He thinks that I'm hanging out with another guy when this other guy keeps helping me out. Then again, Jiho keeps telling me to break up with Chanyeol…" Her voice drifted away as she gazed at the clock. "Since the beginning of my first year, Chanyeol's been really cautious over who I hang out with. Now, he just doesn't want me talking to anyone."

"You're talking to me," Jiyong teased. "Will I get punched or something?"

She started getting flustered. "No, no. You're a complete stranger. That's all, that's all."

Jiyong stared down at his place, realizing how clean he had eaten his breakfast. "Oh, thanks for the breakfast. I ate well."

"No, I owe you one," Jieun said, getting up. She glanced over at the clock and sighed. "It's time for me to go to school."

"Enjoy high school. It's hard, but that's where all the fun happens, too," Jiyong told her.

"I don't like school." She grabbed her school bag and rubbed the nape of her neck. "It's boring. Everything is so repetitive."

"Then do something new," Jiyong suggested.

She stared at him, then broke into a fake smile. "Don't you think I've tried that already…?"

* * *

"Woah."

When Jiyong entered the employee's room, he was surprised to see his manager and another employee standing in front of a high school girl. The girl looked upset; her brows furrowed in disappointment while her arms were crossed. The manager turned around, and brightened up when he saw Jiyong's face.

"Jiyong! Come, quickly!" the manager urged him.

"What happened?" Jiyong asked, taking off his coat.

"Shoplifting," the other employee said. "I caught her shoplifting some nail polish. She had friends with her, but they managed to run off. We're trying to get her name, but she won't say anything."

"Wait until you meet the cops!" the manager exclaimed, taking out his phone.

"Can you try talking to her? We've tried everything, and we don't want to call the cops or anything. Nothing was lost, but then the fact that she attempted to steal still gets on the manager's nerves," the employee said.

"Me? Why me?" Jiyong asked, walking over to the three.

"You're good with kids. Heck, even those delinquents swarm around you."

"That doesn't mean that I'm good with kids. They come to me."

"Exactly. Maybe this girl will come to talk to you. I'll take over for a couple of more minutes. I really don't want to call the cops and everything. It just creates a hassle," the employee said. Before Jiyong had the chance to say another word, the employee smiled and patted on his shoulder. "Good luck!"

As the worker left, Jiyong stared at the girl with a dumbfounded expression. The manager walked over to Jiyong, but leaned close to his ears.

"You better knock some sense into that devil," the manager whispered, his tone filled with bitter resentment. Jiyong gulped and nodded his head. This was some seriously business he had to do. He couldn't just fool around and get over with the issue. He had to make sure that knocked some sense into the teenager.

The manager walked off, joining the other employee. Jiyong was left alone in the employee's room with the girl. He took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly. He grabbed a stool nearby and pulled it closer to the girl sitting on the couch. 

There was an awkward pause. It was clear that the girl wouldn't talk, and that he didn't want to initiate the conversation. Jiyong felt lost, completely clueless of what to do. What was he supposed to exactly do? Tell her that shoplifting was bad? It was common sense that stealing was a crime. He was sure that she was old enough to understand such a thing.

Then, Jiyong flinched when her droopy eyes met his awkward gaze.

"Hey…kid," Jiyong stammered. 

The woman said nothing. Her lips were sealed, her arms still crossed, but her eyes locked with his.

"So you go to that high school up the street, right?" Jiyong asked, checking out her uniform. He noticed how the girl uncomfortably shifted in her spot. To him, it was a sign to avoid talking about school. "Where'd your friends go?"

"Not telling," the girl declared.

Jiyong widened his eyes as his eyebrows raised. At least she's talking.

"Let me tell you that there's nothing you can get out from me. I swear that I will keep my mouth shut until I die," the girl stated firmly.

"You just opened your mouth," Jiyong teased, grinning. The girl was not amused, as if it was such a childish joke. He cleared his throat, and looked away from her sharp gaze. "Uh, anyway…I just wanted to let you know that stealing is bad. Yeah." Silence filled the atmosphere. "Do you normally not talk much or are you just doing this because you're in your moody days—"

"Excuse me?" The girl gave him an offended look. "I—"

"Oh neat, you got her talking." The two looked up and saw the employee enter the room. "Sorry to disturb you, but there's a kid who might be able to help us."

Jiyong furrowed his eyebrows. "Just who can help—" He smiled when he saw the familiar figure. "Jiho! Hey!"

The blond student entered the room, slightly annoyed at the sight of Jiyong being happy. His eyes rolled across the room, examining every inch and corner to its detail. His brown orbs finally landed on his fellow classmate, which caught him by surprised. His eyes slightly widened, but quickly softened as he looked away.

Jiyong looked over at the girl, who became tense. Her face paled, and her jaws dropped at the sight of Jiho entering the room. For a minute, Jiyong mistaken her reaction for being alarmed to see a crush, but when he noticed her hands trembling in fear, he knew that she wasn't staring at him with eyes full of love. She was becoming anxious of something, and Jiyong didn't know what it was. All he knew was that she was scared, as if something had came to attack her or to ruin her life.

"Kid, you know anything about this girl?" the employee asked.

"She's Bang Minah. She's a c—" The girl froze for a second. "—lassmate of mine. She's a good classmate."

The girl relaxed her shoulders, but her eyes were still wide.

"A good classmate? Jiho, be honest. She was caught shoplifting," Jiyong said.

"Sorry. I don't know her much," Jiho said, his eyes averting Jiyong's or Minah's. Jiyong took a glimpse at Minah's reaction. She seemed rather disappointed or sad, but she had definitely calmed down.

How strange, Jiyong noted to himself.

"Can I go now? I have to go to school," Jiho told them.

"Yeah. Thanks, kid," the employee said, shooing him.

Jiyong stared at Jiho for a minute longer, then opened his mouth as he remembered his earlier conversation with Jieun. "Hey, Jiho. Do you know anyone named Lee Jieun?"

The boy stopped and stared at Jiyong with a frown. "How do you know Jieun?"

"Nothing, I was just asking. We talked earlier this morning," Jiyong explained. He paused. "Then do you know a guy named Chanyeol?"

Jiho's eyes darkened. "He's a bastard. That's what he is."

"Language," the employee warned him. He finally turned to Jiyong. "Jiyong, I'm going to go. I got to get to my college classes. Later!"

"Yeah, see you," Jiyong said, bidding his fellow worker a small "goodbye."

Although the worker left, Jiho was still standing in front of the door. He peered into Jiyong's innocent eyes, trying to figure out why he knew Jieun or Chanyeol. When he knew that he wouldn't get an answer just by looking at him, Jiho gave him the cold shoulder and left the room, leaving Jiyong alone to deal with Minah. Jiyong finally turned to the girl, getting up from the stool.

"Well," Jiyong started again, "I think we're done here. Just don't shoplift at our shop, okay? When you step outside, just apologize to the manager and promise that you won't pull off a silly thing like that again."

"How do you know Jiho?" Minah asked, completely ignoring Jiyong's words.

"Hm? Jiho? Oh, he's a regular visitor," Jiyong said. "Anyway, you know what to do when you step outside, right?"

"He's a bad kid. No one likes people like him." Minah's voice grew distant. "No one likes him…"

Jiyong blinked his eyes. "Um, hello? Are you okay?"

Minah quickly shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts. "Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. I'll apologize to the manager. Sorry."

She got up from her seat and patted down her skirt. She politely bowed at Jiyong, apologizing to him once more. Just as she was about to leave, Jiyong stopped her.

"Oh, Minah?" he called her.

She whirled around. "Yes?"

Jiyong smirked. "You're bad at keeping promises, aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"No, nothing." Jiyong shook his head as he put away the stool back where he got it from. "Nothing at all…"

* * *

Jiyong was quite surprised when he saw Jiho staring at him after school. Jiho and his three friends were eating a cup of ramen at a small table across from the cash register. Normally, Jiho didn't care too much about Jiyong, but today, Jiho payed exceptionally well to Jiyong's actions. For a second, Jiyong wondered if he had done anything wrong to offend the boy, but deep inside he knew that he did nothing wrong.

"King Kwon! How much are these chips?" Wooshik asked, raising a bag of chips in the air.

"Come over here and then pay for them," Jiyong said lazily, sitting behind the counter.

"Aw, come on King Kwon! You know that he'll pay. It's too far to walk to you," Changshik complained.

"It only takes a few steps. If you want the chips, come here and buy them," Jiyong replied.

"King Kwon, we have money right here! If we don't, then you know that Jiho has the money," Kyungsoo pointed out.

"Don't you dare open that bag without paying first," Jiyong responded, looking up from his magazine. He saw Jiho stand up from his seat and take the bag from Wooshik's hand. He thought that Jiho would put away the bag, but was surprised to see him walk towards him with the bag and some money in his other hand. The three boys cheered, obviously happy that they didn't need to get up to pay for their little snack.

"How much?" Jiho asked, setting the bag down on the counter.

"2000 won—"

"Here," Jiho said, handing him the exact amount.

"Thanks." Jiyong took the money, but was stunned when Jiho forcefully held onto the money from the opposite side. "I'll take the money now…?"

Jiho stared at him, his eyes squinting as if he was about to shoot lasers. Jiyong awkwardly looked down at the cashier, unsure of what to do. Should he stare back? Was this some sort of new games that teenagers made? Was he supposed to do something amazing?

"I still don't get it," Jiho murmured.

"G-Get what?" Jiyong asked nervously. When Jiho finally let go of the money, Jiyong almost fell back. He stumbled for a few minutes, then looked at the money in his hands. He put them safely back in the cashier and pushed the snack closer to Jiho. "You can go now…?"

"This doesn't make any damn sense," Jiho muttered to himself, turning around with the snack in his hand. Jiyong blinked his eyes and slightly tilted his head, wondering what was going inside Jiho's mind.

Teenagers are so hard to deal with, Jiyong thought, heaving a sigh as he rested his forehead against the palm of his hand. He looked around the counter. I need a light…

He stopped himself when he heard the bells chime, notifying him that someone had arrived. He sat up with a proper posture, only to realize that the person entering was Jieun in her usual paparazzi disguise again. He relaxed his shoulders, and searched his pockets for a cigarette. When he couldn't find any, he gave up and went back to reading his magazine.

In matters of minutes, he saw a box of bandage and some ointment on the counter. He held his head up and saw Jieun nervously rolling her head back and forth, checking to see if anyone else was coming in.

"Is this all?" Jiyong asked.

"Y-Yes," she stuttered.

"You got beaten up again or something?" he asked her. She remained quiet, which confirmed Jiyong's suspicion. "You know that we sell some cosmetics, right? It's pretty cheap and efficient."

"Make-up? For what?" Jieun asked, her voice muffling through her dust mask. She lowered her large pair of sunglasses, revealing an even more purple bruise on her eye. 

Jiyong shuddered. "For that. Don't tell me that you walk around school looking like that."

"I usually put my hair down and long. My school only has clothing restrictions. We can do whatever we want with our hair," Jieun explained.

"Mhm." He stared at her slip back on her sunglasses. "Okay, forget it. Go and turn around and get some cosmetics off the shelf."

"I don't have the mon—"

"I'll pay for you. I'd hate to let you leave knowing that you'll look like that. At least go to school tomorrow with more confidence," Jiyong said. When Jieun wouldn't budge from her spot, he heaved a loud sigh and looked at one of the three students. "Hey! Um… Wooshik, right? Go over there and get me some concealer."

Jieun looked up with amazement. "You know make-up terms?"

"I know a thing or two. I'm not sure on how to use it, but I know it," Jiyong replied.

The two watched Wooshik get up with enthusiasm, while the other two shot him a glare, jealous that their role model had told only one of them to do something. Wooshik walked over to the make-up counter, looked over at the many products, and took box of concealer from the rack. He approached Jiyong with a beaming smile, as if he had accomplished something big. Jiyong only have him a nod and took the concealer from his hands.

"Thanks, Wooshik," Jiyong said. "You can go back now."

"Yes sir!" Wooshik saluted, turned, then scurried over to his friends, bragging about his little mission.

Jiyong's attention was back on the items. He checked off the bandages, ointments, and concealer as he pressed several numbers on the cash register. Once he was done, he put them in a bag and glanced over to double check that he had made the right calculation.

"Your total is—"

"Yo, Chanyeol! Isn't that Jieun?" someone asked. Jieun gasped, pushed away the bag, and quickly bowed at Jiyong. She brought arms closer to her face and took off, making sure that no one else had seen her.

Jiyong widened his eyes as he saw Chanyeol and his friends enter the store. He looked down at the items in the bag. Didn't she need all this?

"Hey mister!" Chanyeol's deep voice rumbled in Jiyong's ear. He saw the high school student approach him with angry eyes. "Do you know the girl who was here just now? You looked awfully chummy with her."

"Cut it out, Park Chanyeol." Jiyong was surprised to see Jiho stand up from his seat and step up to the taller man. "Get off the man. He didn't do anything. I was watching."

"No, no. I clearly saw him flirt with her. Disgusting," Chanyeol muttered.

Jiyong widened his eyes. "What? Excuse me?"

"Chanyeol, this guy has no interest in kids like us. Leave him alone," Jiho said.

"Why should I listen to you? You're always flirting with Jieun. Heck, she even flirts back. She was at your house last night, huh?" Chanyeol turned his body and extended his arms out to shove Jiho. "Admit it, Jiho. She was sleeping with you again, right?"

Jiho frowned. "What? I don't even know where she leaves. She doesn't even know where I live, either. Stop making assumptions based on your own fantasy!"

"Save it, Jiho! She was at your house last night, huh?" Chanyeol grabbed Jiho's collar. "Damn you, Jiho! I told you to back off!"

"I did nothing to her or with her! I didn't even see her last night!" Jiho yelled back, trying to pry off Chanyeol's fingers.

"Everyone knows that you're just toying with her. Stop it and leave my girlfriend alone—"

Before Chanyeol got to finish his sentence, a plastic bag full of items was thrown at his face. Chanyeol released his grip, and Jiho fell on the ground. Jiho slowly looked up and stared at Jiyong with wide eyes, stunned to see Jiyong's dark side.

"That will be 10,000 won," Jiyong said slowly.

"What the freak was that for, you old—"

"She wasn't at his house. She was at mine," Jiyong replied. Jiho dropped his jaws while Chanyeol gritted his teeth.

"You…"

"Tell her to come back tomorrow. She needs to pay. For now, give her the items in the bag and I'll pay for her," Jiyong said. He took out the exact cash and slipped it in the cash register.

"You—"

"Get lost, kid. No one wants to deal with people like you," Jiyong snapped.

"Y—"

"Are you dumb? I said get lost!" Jiyong shouted, raising his voice.

Chanyeol clamped his mouth shut. He held onto the bag tightly, his fist shaking, enraged. He narrowed his eyes, obviously displeased with the employee. Finally, the student turned around and began to walk away. His friends quietly followed behind hm, scared and confused.

"Oh, and one other thing," Jiyong said just before Chanyeol and his friends left. "If you want your girlfriend to come back home, don't beat her up. She looks terrible."

Chanyeol quietly gulped as his eyes went wide. He bit his tongue and continued to walk away, acknowledging that Jiyong was more of a threat than an enemy. When the group disappeared from Jiyong's sight, Jiyong relaxed and watched the three delinquents help Jiho up from the ground. Once Jiho was back on his feet, the three turned their attention to the hero.

"King Kwon! That was amazing!" Kyungsoo exclaimed.

"Yeah! You didn't even need to use violence! Usually Jiho's the one fighting, but you only needed to say a few words to get that jerk quiet!" Changshik added.

"All hail King Kwon!" Wooshik cheered.

Jiyong chuckled. "Guys, stop it. I don't need this flattery—"

"How do you know Jieun?" Jiho asked slowly. He finally raised his head to meet Jiyong's. "Why was she at your house last night?"

"Things happen. It's nothing important," Jiyong assured him.

"No, I need to know," Jiho demanded.

Changshik leaned close to Jiyong's ear. "You better tell him."

Jiyong scratched his head. "Well…I saw something and something happened and I ended up taking her home."

"That's too vague," Jiho pointed out. "I want the specifics."

"Look, kid. If you want the details, go ask Jieun personally. This wasn't my business to begin with, so I can't tell you what happened between me and Jieun," Jiyong told him.

The boy stared at Jiyong a bit longer. Then, he sighed, giving up, and walked back to the table to grab his bag. He signalled his friends that it was time to leave, which was followed by complaints and grunts. Everyone bid their goodbyes to Jiyong except for Jiho, which was expected. 

Jiyong was left alone at the counter. When he thought that no one else would come in, he took out a cigarette and a lighter. While he lit his cigarette, he carefully thought about all the chaotic events that happened today. He let out a puff of smoke, his eyes wandering off to the ceiling.

What a long day, Jiyong thought. He closed his eyes, and continued to think about his actions throughout the day. Yep, it was definitely a long day.

Author's Note: I was supposed to update this yesterday, but I decided to wait for the poster to arrive. Poster credit is linked under my foreword, so go and check it out!