The bells chimed as the door opened. The manager casually looked up, ready to greet his customer. However, he stopped smiling when he noticed a sophisticated woman wearing rich clothing entering the small store. She looked around in awe with her sharp cat-like eyes, as if she had never been in such a small place.

This was not a regular customer. She was here because she wanted information.

Nevertheless, the manager smiled. "Hello! Do you need help in finding something?"

The woman looked at him from head to toe. Then, she looked at the small name tag attached to his right chest. She let out a sigh of relief.

"So you're the manager, yes?" she asked.

He nodded. "That's correct. Have you encountered some kind of problem in our store?"

"It's not a problem, it's just…" She glanced over to her partner. Standing right behind her was another tall man with a dark gleam in his eyes. He pulled out a badge from his pocket and showed it to the manager.

"I am a special agent currently working on a recovering a lost man," the man said. The manager raised his eyebrows, surprised at the detective's deep, clear voice. "May I ask you a few questions regarding this man? His name is Kwon Jiyong."

The man pulled out another photo. When the manager examined the figure in this photo, he realized that it was Jiyong, except for youthful and healthier. Except, he looked less happy with his situation and more serious with whatever was going on with him.

"I have never seen this man," the manager lied confidently.

"We are aware that you have an employee named Kwon Jiyong," the woman said in a desperate tone. "Please, can you give me his phone number or anything? His schedule? When does he come to work?"

"As the manager, I am not allowed to give any of my employee's phone numbers. Those are private informations," the manager stated firmly. "Also, I am unable to tell you his schedule because I'm closing the store for a couple of days, perhaps some weeks. I haven't planned out my employee's schedules yet."

"Damn it, Changmin," the woman muttered, looking away. "He stalled time just for this!"

"If anything comes up and if you're able to give us more information on this man, please contact me through here," the detective said, handing him a business card. The manager took it, but he didn't bother to look at it. He only shoved it into his apron and nodded, going back into his own world.

When the two realized that the manager had nothing else to say, they turned their backs and began walking out the door. Just before they left, the detective turned his head and looked at the manager's back.

"You know," the special agent started, "I've noticed that this place closes down often, and that the manager only has one job, which is to manage this place."

"Are you trying to offend me in some sort of way?" the manager asked.

"No, I'm simply stating that it's highly unlikely that you can make a living like this. I discovered that you were married once, but your wife had passed away a long time ago in an accident. Your first child—"

"Enough," the manager snapped, firmly gripping on the mop's handle. "What are you trying to say? Are you trying to say that my life is miserable and I've accomplished nothing?"

"No." The special agent looked at him with cold, bead-like eyes. "I'm just stating that you look familiar. I feel like I've seen you before when I was a child."

The manager stared. "You're not like the other one. One guy came in before asking about J—about this 'Jiyong' kid, too. You're actually serious. You've done some research, unlike the other guy. I applaud you."

"So Changmin must've been here," the female mumbled. "He's telling the truth then."

"Fair enough," the detective said. "Remember to call us if anything happens."

"I'll do my best," the manager said, nodding his head. He waited for the two to leave and to walk far away from the store.

Once they were out of his sight, he walked into the employee's room and began to rip the business card in small shreds. He looked at the schedule, noticing that he had already placed Jiyong to come at the earliest possible to work. He quickly crossed it out and replaced it with other names. Then, he reached over to the phone and began to make his calls.

"Hello? Jiyong, this is your manager…Yeah, listen. Remember how we agreed that you'd be working after I come back? Take a couple of days off during those weeks… What's that?… Oh, okay. I have a friend who can hook you up to a temporary job." The manager paused. "Wait, let me ask you this: You like kids, right?"

* * *

When Jiho came to school, he saw Jieun already at her seat. The basket of goodies that Chanyeol had placed were already on the teacher's desk. He took a deep breath, then ran the palm of his hand against his hair.

Since the date, he hadn't spoken to Jieun for quite some time. Sometimes he saw her outside, but he never directly approached her like what he'd usually do. Every time he looked at her, Jiyong's face popped into the picture. The way that the old narcissistic guy smirked at him and blocked his attempt to kiss her kept ticking him off. By the time Jiho was done with his mental rant, Jieun was already gone.

So when the dreaded Monday came, he gulped and slowly approached Jieun's desk. She took notice and looked up, startling him.

"Oh," she said, blinking her eyes. "Good morning, Jiho."

"M-Morning," Jiho greeted back. He stared at her for a while, waiting for her to say something else. When she did nothing but stare at the front board with a dreamy sigh, he could already tell what she was thinking: Jiyong.

Damn it, Jiho cursed. 

"I heard we have a substitute," Jieun informed him.

"You're kidding," Jiho said. "We don't get substitutes, and if the teacher is missing, then it's basically self-study."

"Yeah, well, the teacher kind of found a 'trusted acquaintance' to take over for a couple of days. It's only our homeroom teacher, anyway."

"But our homeroom teacher teaches us English. That's our first lesson," Jiho pointed out. He let out a sigh. "Man, this teacher is seriously putting us in a tight spot. Doesn't she understand that we need to prepare for our college entrance exams in a few years?"

Jieun laughed, which made his heart skip a beat. "So you do care about your education, hm?"

He gave her a gentle smile. "Someday life isn't going to be like this. We need to go through college to assure ourselves that we have a stable financial life. Especially kids. If we're going to have kids some day, then we really need good jobs."

"If you have kids," Jieun corrected, taking out her notebooks. "You better sit down. The bell is about to ring."

As if on cue, a friendly chimed echoed from the speakers. Everyone in the class took their seats, waiting for the teacher to step inside. They waited for a minute, noticing that their homeroom teacher was running late. 

Jiho elbowed Jieun's rib. "Are you sure that we have a substitute?"

"I heard that we have one," Jieun whispered back, frowning. "Maybe not? Maybe the principal will come in and—"

The door opened. Everyone turned their heads to the young man entering the rooms. Whispers and low chats erupted as the man closed the door behind him. Jiho and Jieun's eyes widened as their brown orbs followed the awfully familiar man to the teacher's desk. The substitute turned to them, gave them a small nod, but turned to face the entire class.

"Hello," the substitute greeted. Some of the girls in the back squealed. "My name is Mr. Kwon. Some of you might know me because I work down at the convenience store below. I'll be your substitute teacher for a couple of days. It's nice to meet you all."

What the hell is Jiyong doing here? Jiho wondered bitterly. He glared at the man, who focused his attention on the basket of goodies.

"Is this for me, or is this for the teacher?" Jiyong asked.

"You look different," Jieun blurted, garnering attention. Her eyes were glued to Jiyong's sharp look. His hair was neatly combed and gelled and he was wearing semi-formal clothing instead of some loose pants and shirt.

"You look hot, mister!" a random female student shouted in the back. Everyone erupted into a laugh except for Jieun. She whirled her head around, glaring at no one in particular. She turned her attention back to Jiyong who had a gentle expression on his face.

"Why are you here?" she asked. "If I remember correctly, you dropped out of college. You shouldn't qualify to be a substitute."

"Connections," Jiyong said. "Besides, I need to work somewhere while the store is closed." He pulled out a notebook from his business bag. "Anyway, I do have some assignments that you have to work on. After I take attendance, I'll write down the pages on the board." He pointed to the basket. "And if no one claims this and if everyone's here, then I'm willing to share this with the rest of you."

"Chanyeol gave Jieun that," Jiho revealed. Jieun shot him a quick glare, but Jiho looked straight at Jiyong. "Usually the teacher ends up throwing it away after Jieun puts it on the teacher's desk."

"I see." Jiyong looked at Jieun. "So Chanyeol still is in the picture…"

Jieun tried to explain, but she realized that her classmates were all staring at her. She never spoke much, especially in front of the teacher. Hearing her speak and converse with Jiyong and Jiho aloud interested the students.

She quickly lowered her head, waiting for Jiyong to take attendance. After a pause, he did what she expected him to do: resume to his job and focus on his job. He took attendance, wrote the pages and the numbers the students had to work on, and passed out the treats.

When Jieun saw her assignment, she noticed that it wasn't hard. It was a review from the lesson before, and she knew that everyone knew this. It was an easy day… At least, it was supposed to be.

A random girl from the class raised her hand. "Um, Mr. Kwon? Can you explain this part for me, or are you not good with English?"

Jieun stared at the girl with disbelief. One of the smartest girls in her class was asking a mere substitute for the answer. Only one question popped into her head: why?

"Uh, I don't have the textbook itself," Jiyong said, raising his hands as if he couldn't do anything.

"You can borrow mine!" someone from the side exclaimed.

Jiyong forced a smile. He easily caught on what these girls were doing. His eyes rolled over to Jieun, who grimaced without knowing it herself.

"Thanks, but I'll use Jiho's textbook," Jiyong said, walking over to Jiho.

"No," Jiho said, glaring at Jiyong. "I want to use my own textbook. Use someone else's. Someone already offered, right?"

You brat, Jiyong thought. He couldn't really blame Jiho, though. He knew that the younger boy was trying to get even with him. "Okay, then… Jieun? Can I borrow your textbook for the moment?"

Jieun let out a quick gasp and blushed. Right when she was about to hand him her textbook without question, Jiho quickly intercepted and shoved his textbook in Jiyong's hands. Jiyong blinked his eyes, staring at Jiho, who only looked away. When he realized that the substitute teacher wasn't taking his book, Jiho gave Jiyong a quick frown.

"Didn't you say you want to use my textbook?" Jiho asked. "Hurry up and give it back."

Jiyong smirked and accepted his textbook. "See? Was that so hard?"

Ears red, Jiho kept silent. Jieun lowered her textbook back on her desk, slightly disappointed. As Jiyong listened to the page number and looked at the problem, he walked over to the board and grabbed a white chalk.

"This is a fairly easy sentence, but you need to identify the subject…" His fingers glided against the chalkboard, explaining in detail of what the problem was asking for and how to answer it correctly. 

Jieun and Jiho widened their eyes, their orbs filled with pure shock. They knew that Jiyong dropped out of college, but why would he drop out of college when he was this smart? 

When some students finished their assignments early, they went up to Jiyong and asked him questions on other subjects. He was able to solve any difficult math problems the students gave him, and he was able to help the students memorize the historical events in their country.

"He's hot and smart! Not to mention that he's young, too," someone whispered.

"Dude, we need to get close to him and learn all his tricks. I think he's even more popular than Chanyeol," a guy in the back muttered.

Jieun began to feel sick. She knew how great Jiyong was, but now everyone was knowing that. Even worse, people were figuring out things that she didn't even know.

Jieun placed her hand on her stomach, turning slightly pale.

"What's wrong?" Jiho asked.

"Nothing," Jieun told him, forcing a smile. "Just…I have little butterflies in my stomach."

* * *

"Okay, I'm sure that you guys know this, but what the hell is Jiyong doing here?" Minah asked before drinking a cup of water. 

"He's substituting," Jiho said. He smiled. "Isn't it great?"

"Why is it great for you?" Minah asked, frowning.

Because he's not looking at Jieun. He's too occupied with the other half of the student body, Jiho thought, grinning like a fool. "What? I thought you liked Jiyong."

"I have him next class, and all I've been hearing is how 'hot' and 'good-looking' he is. Like, really? Plus, more than half of them saw him before at the store and always made fun of his lazy appearance." Minah shivered. "It's disgusting." She looked at Jieun, who hardly touched her foot. "What do you think, Jieun?"

"H-Huh?" Jieun looked up, staring at Minah with blank eyes. "Did you call me?"

Minah heaved a sigh. "You're worried about Jiyong, aren't you?"

Jieun bit her bottom lip. "Is it obvious?"

"Relax, Jieun. Besides, he's just a teacher. As long as he's our substitute, he can't do anything," Jiho told her.

"Hey, do you think he took this job on purpose?" Minah asked. She groaned. "I really don't want to go to my next class. Should I skip?"

"Do whatever you want," Jiho told her. He looked at Jieun. "But you can't skip. I forbid you to skip."

"Why would I skip?" Jieun asked.

"You wouldn't, that's why," a familiar voice said. Jieun stiffened and froze, while Minah and Jiho looked up at Jiyong with a look of distaste.

"Ugh," Minah grunted. "It's my new substitute teacher."

"What? Is there a problem with me working here?" Jiyong asked. He squatted in between Jieun and Jiho. "What's going on with you three?" He examined the area. "You guys eat here? At the back of the school? No one's here."

"That's exactly why we're here," Minah said. "We're nobodies, remember?"

"Correction: we're nobodies," Jiho said, pointing at himself and Jieun. "You? You're an outcast."

"Shut up," Minah snapped with a glare.

"Isn't being a nobody and an outcast the same thing?" Jiyong asked. He looked down at Jieun's lunch. "You're not hungry?"

Of course not. I was feeling queasy since you got here, Jieun thought, poking her rice with her chopsticks. When Jiyong realized that she wasn't in the mood to talk to him, he sat down comfortably on the ground.

"The other teachers are getting mad at me for giving the students a lesson not on English. They told me to just be a substitute for the English teacher," Jiyong said, chuckling.

"Speaking of teaching, you're going up in the social latter, aren't you? You started as a convenience store employee, and now you're a substitute teacher." Minah laughed. "Next thing we know, you're going to be a billionaire or something!"

"Yeah. When did you get so smart?" Jiho inquired him.

"I'm not smart. I had to study and do my share of work at school," Jiyong answered him.

"Oh please. Everyone is basically talking about how you're a gifted genius. You can't go around saying that you're 'not smart' when you're basically teaching more than half the subjects at our school," Minah retorted. "Maybe that's why you dropped out of college. You're too smart for everybody."

Jiyong gave her a weak smile. "That's not the reason…"

"Whatever. Anyway, I heard that the schedule for work changed? You're going later than everybody. What's up with that?" Minah questioned him.

Jiyong shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It was really sudden, too. It's like the manager is trying to delay something and needs me to go later."

"How's Changmin? I haven't seen him in a while," Minah said. She paused. "Hey, does Changmin only run a fashion brand? Isn't he partnered with an entertainment company or something?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to him in a long time. Why?" Jiyong asked.

"Well, our school has been talking about our future, and I think I know what to do," Minah said.

"Be queen?" Jiyong asked. Minah's cheeks went red. "You've always had that aura where you wanted to be on the top."

"W-Well, who knows," she muttered. "I'm still thinking about my future…"

"Entertainment company? Let's see… I'm pretty sure Changmin knows. I'll talk to him when I find the time to," Jiyong promised.

"Did you meet the other three guys?" Jiho asked. "You know, Wonshik, Changshik, and Kyungsoo?"

"I haven't gotten the chance to talk to them. I saw them looking at me, but they never approached me. I think they're having mixed emotions right now," Jiyong said. He glanced down at his watch. "I better go. I need to finish my lunch with the teachers. I told them that I was going to the bathroom."

"You've been talking to us for, like, ten minutes," Jiho said.

"I got lost," Jiyong lied, grinning. He got up and patted his pants. He looked at Jieun, who still played with her food. She didn't look up at him, and he could only think that she was angry at him.

Subconsciously, he reached over and patted her head. Jieun's eyes grew wide and she finally looked at him. Her cheeks turned bright pink when she saw Jiyong giving her one of his special smiles.

"I'll see you later or tomorrow, yeah?" he said.

"Y-Yeah," Jieun stuttered. To avoid feeling even more embarrassed, she stuffed a mouthful of rice in . She chewed silently, but quickly, causing Jiyong to let out a soft chuckle.

"Cute." 

The word slipped out of his mouth like soap. Jiho and Minah dropped their jaws. Jieun only turned to a deeper shade of red. 

"I'll see you next period, Minah. Don't ditch," Jiyong warned her. Then, he walked away, disappearing at the corner of the building as if nothing big had happened.