I fidget uncomfortably when I see Donghae’s car approaching from the distance. We’re not allowed to leave the campus after midnight, but it’s Donghae we’re talking about, and he must’ve pulled some strings to get past the guards at the front entrance. Donghae doesn’t live in the dorm, and from what I’ve heard, it’s most likely because he gets blacklisted from applying for the accommodation due to his ‘splendid’ reputation.

But surprisingly, for someone who spends his nights dealing and winning money in an underground fighting ring, his grades are not that bad, and he’s even actively participating in sports. I guess that’s why he hasn’t been kicked out yet.

“What up, munchkin?” he flaunts his smirk at me as soon as he pulls over.

I’m a little surprised when I notice his new hairstyle; a clean cut, short black hair, that somehow I think suits him really well, though it actually makes him look even more intimidating than he already is. Why did he change it anyway? It couldn’t be because of what I said the other day about his hair, right? No way, that can’t be.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to trouble you,” I get into his car, throwing him sideway glances as he steps on the accelerator and roars out of the campus ground. “So, umm...where’re we going actually?”

“My house.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean your house?”

“Unless you don’t mind getting beaten up I can just send you back there,” he replies in a mocking tone.

‘Well I didn’t ask you to do this, so why don’t you just drop me somewhere and off, you son of a bulldog?’ was what I’d like to say, but I hold myself back and keep my mouth shut. He might drop me off for real, so I better watch my words. Still, who’d have thought he’d actually come? He’s always been indifferent towards a lot of things, so why did he bother to come? We’re not friends, and we’ve never talked to each other before.

Or maybe we have once. I remember talking to him back when I was still in my first year, but that was only because I was blocking his way at the car park and he was telling me to move, so I bowed and apologized. A very fateful first meeting indeed.

Donghae is undoubtedly popular and has a lot of friends, not to mention admirers, but in my eyes, he’s just like a lone wolf. He always keeps a certain distance from everyone else. And I’ve always found him mysterious and scary, not just because of what he’s doing, but also because of how he discretely isolate himself from the people around him. But I’ve never really bothered to know why, until now.

“You live alone?” I ask.

Donghae simply nods. He has his right arm placed on the window sill, while his left hand on the steering wheel. I know I should at least keep the conversation going to avoid the awkward silence, but his stoic face is making it hard for me to speak. Sometimes I wish I could split his head open so that I can take a look into his mind and figure out what he’s thinking. He’s hard to read and difficult to approach, like a wild animal being cautious of its surroundings.

But at least he’s better than Jackson, in some way.

Donghae’s apartment is not that far from the campus, but somehow it feels like a really long ride. No one’s around at the parking lot when we arrive, but with Donghae here, I doubt anything’s gonna happen. It’s strange though. He’s no different than Jackson, he does bad things and he’s definitely dangerous but for some reason, he makes me feel safe when I’m with him.

Wait. I didn’t just say that.

“You coming?” Donghae sounds a little impatient when he notices me spacing out.

I realize then that the elevator has arrived at the fifth floor, and I hurry out, almost bumping into Donghae’s back. He throws me a glance, but doesn’t say a thing and keeps walking, until we reach a door at the end of the hallway. He pulls out a card from his pocket and puts in the security code, before swapping the card against the scanner.

“Get in,” he says as soon as the door opens.

His apartment is quite spacious and looks expensive, but I’m not surprised. The ‘late night business’ always pays well, and he definitely seems like someone who comes from a rich family.

“You can take the guest room next to mine. It’s the second on the left,” he tells me, as he goes straight to the bar counter and grabs a half-emptied bottle of water, and gulps it down.

“Thanks,” I nod. “I, uh, I’m really sorry that you have to do all this. I mean, it’s not even your problem and I got you involved, so...”

“Get some sleep, munchkin. It’s late.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“I thought you liked it.”

“No I didn’t,” I scrunch my nose, and he chuckles inwardly.

“Night, munchkin.”

“Yeah, goodnight Hulk,” I mock him back.

He looks amused, but I’m too exhausted to have another round of word fight with him. So I take my leave and head to the said room, right next to his. I open the door and peek inside, expecting a dusty room with spider webs all over or something, but it’s surprisingly clean and tidy.

I slump down on the queen-sized bed and let out a long sigh, suddenly wondering how I end up here. Who’d have thought I’d be getting help from Donghae, of all people? But then again, fate has a twisted way of doing things. I should just be grateful that I won’t have to die in Jackson’s hands tonight.

* * * * *

I didn’t really expect to see Donghae in the living room when I wake up, sitting in front of his laptop with papers and books scattered around him. Has he been studying all night? I’m so used to seeing him as the bad guy that I sometimes forget that he’s a student too. He looks pretty worn out, and I suddenly feel bad for not refusing him when he offered to pick me up last night.

But he could’ve ignored me right? He could’ve said nothing and I wouldn’t even mind, because this is my own problem to begin with. I was desperate before, but now I’m starting to feel like I’m being a burden to him. So why did he help me? He shouldn’t have to. And he doesn’t have any reason to either. I’ve been meaning to ask, but it’s harder than I thought.

He glances up when he notices me, flashing a tiny smile. “Morning, munchkin.”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Did you have a good sleep?”

“Not really, the bed’s dusty and the room doesn’t smell nice,” I say.

It’s a lie though. I slept pretty well last night, to the point that I had a hard time waking up. I guess staying with Donghae has its benefits too. I don’t have to worry about Jackson, I don’t have to think about anything.

“Yeah, right,” Donghae smirks. “You at lying.”

“What’re you working on?” I walk over to him and bend a little, taking a peek at his laptop screen.

“The final report on marketing str