“YAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” A high-pitched scream hauled through the entire house, shocking even HaYeon who was in the washroom changing. From the other side of the door, she could hear rapid thuds made against the old creaking wooden floor followed by unappreciative groans that was muffled by the closed door.

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS NOW?!” The same voice reined as the desperate scampering continued. HaYeon immediately knew that it was Jin waking the boys up, again. With a smile creased on her face, she hurriedly prepared so that the boys could use the bathroom as well. It was a routine and sight she had grown to love and follow.

“Aish, we are early today. I don’t know what that fuss was all about,” Jimin complained as the three headed into school, flashing an obvious cynical smile at Mr Ahn who seemed to be expecting their tardiness again.

“I think he was just being nice to you boys, taking care of you and making sure you weren’t late,” HaYeon chimed happily along, having zero regard for the looks that people were throwing her even after so many days had passed since the encounter with Kai. “He’s like a mom to you guys.”

“Chh… nice?! I think I’ll be deaf by the end of the year. You’re only saying that because he is taking care of HwanHee for you today.” TaeHyung spat, “Anyways you should get going,” he reminded as he pointed to the opposite direction of the corridor from where they were heading as HaYeon had mindlessly followed them to where the boys’ class is.

“Ah, we are working tonight, you’ll be fine going back yourself, right?” TaeHyung added as they began to part ways.

HaYeon gave them a reassuring smile as she shooed them off to their class. Giving TaeHyung an extra big smile to which he reciprocated shyly, she then turned to leave.

Jimin smirked. “Ohhhhh TaeHyung, what was that?” He teased as he held his friend in a headlock, after noticing the exchange, but TaeHyung failed to see the sad smile that followed for a second.

“Nothing. It was just a smile.”

“YAH IT WAS NOT JUST A SMILE!” Jimin echoed excitedly, hiding his disappointment, “You are dead for not telling me anything, I’ll make sure you spill everything today!”

“So you have a girlfriend now?” Jimin asked for the fifth time that day as they headed for the gate. TaeHyung just rolled his eyes and nudged his friend in the chest, annoyed that he had to repeat it so many times.

“I told you! She’s not my girlfriend yet. I just told her I like her! That’s all! We don’t even know if she likes me for sure.”

“Yet? Aigoo Aigoo!!” Jimin coddled as he patted TaeHyung’s playfully, our TaeHyung has grown up, he even likes a girl now.”

“Shut up.”

Amidst their jokes, some older men standing by the gate looking in caught their eyes. Their faces were gruff and perplexed as they seemingly scanned every single student leaving the school. Inevitably, it evoked fear as students started to avoid the men standing by the gate threateningly by taking the gate farthest away from them.

Puzzled, Jimin and TaeHyung looked at each other before heading towards them. “Are they waiting for us here? How do they even know which school we go to? I thought we were supposed to meet them somewhere else along with the rest of the guys.” TaeHyung discreetly asked Jimin as they moved closer to the boys, uneasy about the heavily scarred and tattooed men standing by the gate. The last thing they wanted was to get into any kind of trouble with the school. It was going to cost more than just detention if Mr Ahn saw them. Despite so, they quickly approached them, wondering if they had other work to be done before their assigned jobs. And hopefully get them out of the way before any teachers caught on.

“Hyung.” Jimin called out, catching the other men’s attention. With a slight bow and lowered tone, the younger boys greeted the group of men.

Looking equally confused as they were, the men acknowledged them half-heartedly. “You boys go to school here?” The eldest of the group asked, but not keeping his eyes off the people exiting the gate.

“H-huh?” TaeHyung responded, even more confused, “ah yes. Did you come to look for us? I thought we were meeting near the river in an hours’ time.”

The older men just brushed it off insincerely, saying that he had something else to be done. When it occurred to the men that their job was fruitless, the older men then whipped out a photo from his back pocket and showed it to the boys.

“Do you know who she is?” his gruff voice echoed, “She goes to the same school as you two.”

“TaeHyung and Jimin?” HaYeon whispered to herself as she recalled noticing the two boys standing near the gate earlier as she prepared to leave for home, a group of rugged men standing nearby. Their mannerism seemed to be those of uncultured and rough, making even the tough Jimin and TaeHyung look helpless beside them as they had their hands firmly held in front of them respectfully while they conversed.

She wanted to approach them but something about the offensive vibe of those men stopped her. They reminded her so much of Kai and the group he used to hang out with that even the sight of them revolted her. But before she knew it, TaeHyung and Jimin left with the group of men, disappearing at the corner of the street in no time. Shrugging it off, she continued to make her way back to the boys’ house, making sure to hurry as Jin reminded her that he had to get to work by 6 that evening.

“Hi JungKook!” She greeted cheerfully as she coolly kicked her shoes off and stuffed them into a corner outside of the rusty door without a care. Over time, she had grown accustomed to their lifestyle, even if it were vastly different from her well-managed and proper life before. Peeling off her bag and dropping it in the corner nearest to the main door first, she headed straight for Jin who dropped what he was doing and stood up. Frantically, HwanHee was passed into her arms. Almost immediately after, Jin absent-mindedly grabbed his things from all over the living room and left hurriedly for work in a dishevelled state without even properly greeting the girl.

Quickly, she shouted an apology to Jin as he slammed the door carelessly behind him while struggling to put on his shoes. His hair was in a hasty mess and his coat ed, but he could not care less. HaYeon laughed a little at how nervous he looked about being late. It was, indeed, so different from the carefree and apathetic attitudes of TaeHyung and Jimin that she wondered why they had never picked up that habit of punctuality from Jin.

Laying HwanHee down beside JungKook as she usually does, she once again began her monologue as she blabbered on about her day in school and what they were going to have for dinner.