With this last song, I bid you all a great night," the smooth voice of the late-night radio VJ echoes throughout what was left of the dead silent city. Those forced to accompany the night bid the VJ goodnight as they clog in their earphones closer to their ears and add one more volume to the last song that slowly faded in. Surrounded by the artificial lights that were trying hard to beat out the dark sky and the almost invisible moon, the city attempts to stay awake and vibrant as another day has rolled in.

2:00 am.

Friday has just walked in, while the clouds and rain from the start of the week still lingered above the city. What was the difference anyway? For those working day in and day out, there was no difference between the day passed and the one crawling in. Clock in, clock out. For those who lived on routine, today was no different than yesterday, nor will tomorrow be any different. The gloomy weather hanging across the city was no better than the mood most had living under it.

The laughter of the drunk men leaving the tents overshadowed the song playing on the radio, and the late-night bars and clubs started throwing out their usual customers, adding more noise to the city. For reasons widely known, the black-suited men had to spend their Thursday night, and last dollars on the beer bottles laid out on the tables. One step forward a couple of steps sideways, most end up falling once or twice as they try walking along the glimmering street lights to their domed houses, their feet know verbatim.

Even the ajummas selling the delicious street food have packed up and left these streets all to themselves. The cold weather wasn't something to be trifled with; neither was the drizzling rain that looked like it would stay up to welcome the sun that would show up in an hour or two. For those tightly tucked into their beds, the weather has been a perfect setting for a cozy night.

" Sir," the driver had made sure to lower the umbrella as he stood behind the boy standing by the driveway. It was his job to make sure not even a single drop of rain hits the coat, which, if not more, costs just as much as his yearly salary. The bullet-like raindrops attacking his shoulder were nothing as he adjusted the umbrella to the perfect height to ensure none of the icy raindrops touched the boy.

Puff- Blowing out the white smoke he was rigorously inhaling, the boy didn't even look that fathomed or concerned by the weather as he started leading the way down the stairs to the black car waiting in front. The man behind had made sure to check for any sign but found none as he questioned why the boy walking in front of him looked calmer and collected for someone that had just spent 4 hours at an undisclosed location. The smell of fancy alcohol and cigarettes was all over the black coat; the driver took one sniff. But surprisingly, there was no sign of being drunk as the boy walked in straight lines, not missing a single step. Maybe his tolerance for alcohol has reached a new limit, the driver assessed as he quickly recalled when this boy and his friends started drinking and doing all the stuff they weren't legally allowed, but nobody was ever there to stop them from doing.

Puff . Junpyo blew out the last gush of white smoke before he threw the cigarette down and jumped into the back seat. The driver, as always, could only imagine what was hidden behind this building. No signs. No labels. These hidden buildings in an undisclosed location he has been picking the boy from for the last year or so have proven to be some of the most mysterious places he has ever seen. But considering what this type of rich people found amusing and exciting enough to liven up their dull lives, he knew whatever was hidden behind the dark and hidden buildings was something he would never want to know.

Bang. He closed the driver's door and started the car. He had stolen some glances at the boy sitting in the back before he started driving. His hair, neatly brushed when he dropped him off hours ago, was a mess as the boy brushed it back behind his ear. With no hint of color on his perfect structure face or no sign of dilution in his dark eyes, the driver was left to question if the boy even had any alcohol today. His every movement seemed coordinated as he took his phone out of his pocket and started texting. For some reason, a smile had escaped his lips as the driver was thankful that the boy wasn't drunk tonight.

" Take a long way," as the car gentilly drove out of the driveway, the boy commanded. As ordered, the driver leaned forward and adjusted his GPS to take the longest route to the other side of town. Avoiding all freeways and shortcuts, the GPS came up with a new route through streets they had never been in before as it estimated the arrival time to 3:57 am. The driver glancing back, assessed the boy, who leaning closer to the window, was lost in following the raindrops washing over the side of the city he usually doesn't care about. The silence in the car forced both to enjoy the drive. The two men were lost in their thoughts as the car quietly drove across the empty roads. The raindrops drumming against the window had a tune of their own as they danced along the night's flickering lights. Not even a single soul in sight, the car slowly cruises across the empty streets with ease. With every red light that stopped the vehicle, the driver had made sure to glance back at the miserable but still breathtakingly beautiful master of his sitting in the back.

Those cold dark eyes glued to the window looked just as empty as the road they were taking. His emotionless face was perfectly structured to even hate on, but the ingenious mind above it was a menacing one the driver had witnessed at work ever since the boy could talk. When he sat there in silence, his enchanting eyes looking as lost as ever, it was easy to feel sorry for him in these moments. The black-suited boy that jumped into his car almost a decade ago had the same ghostly cold skin, the same set of dark & hauntingly beautiful eyes that can silence with just a glance. He had witnessed the depth of darkness the boy had been sinking into year after year as even his once lovely & cheerful voice had become raspier and darker.

" YAYYY" the driver screamed as he stepped on the break & his palm landing on the horn. The attention he didn't pay when he noticed the green light and almost stepped on the gas was placed on the pedestrian crossing the street at the last second. The tiny black figure in front of the car didn't stop for even a second as it crossed the road.

" Was that a girl?" after taking a second or two to calm his startled heart, the driver asked as he glanced back at the boy in the backseat. He needs some confirmation to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Slowly stepping on the gas and lowering his window, he started driving the car closer to the right pavement the figure was walking on. The black hoodie the tiny figure had fully covered their face, which the driver was trying to make as he drove the car slower. Of course, he couldn't see the person that jumped in front of his car dressed in all black. The black boots, pants, and topped with a black hoodie.

"is it really a girl" as the car drove closer, the driver leaned closer to the passenger window he lowered to get a better view. It wasn't just him that was curious; leaning forward to the window next to him, Junpyo focused his eyes on the figure becoming fully visible. The hoodie covering her head, Junpyo focused his gaze on her figure as his eyes traced down the jacket, then the black jeans. As they landed on the boots, his eyes couldn't help but question where he had seen them before.

"YA, YOU almost got hit " The moment he noticed a face, the driver started screaming at the hooded figure that was steps away from their car.

" YA," the few raindrops coming in through the opened window were ignored as the driver continued screaming. His eyes were busy trying hard to make out the face hiding behind the hoodie. Both men were analyzing the cold rain that had drenched her entirely, but only one was concerned.

" yaaaa. Are you okay?" the driver as he noticed some wet strands of hair on the face; he couldn't make out thanks to the girl, who didn't even glance up once, asked. Her damp cloth, slumped shoulders, slow steps, and head held down, but above all, a girl walking in this neighborhood at this time of the night had instantly turned his anger and shack to worry and concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked again as he stepped on the break and stopped the car. He had hoped he would get any reaction but now. The girl didn't even look up as she just went on walking. All his instincts being on making sure she was okay, he hadn't even thought about how a man in a tinted car talking to a teenage girl in this time and place would be conceived.

"Yaaa. Kid. I am not a creep," he explained as he stepped lightly on the gas and started following the girl.

"I am just trying to make sure you are okay," He added, but there was no response. The only reaction he got was her right hand lifted to her hooded head before it was sent back to her jacket pocket.

"I am going to call the police. They can help you," The driver added as he sent his eyes from the girl to his phone that had been sitting in the passenger seat and receiving some of the rain that was coming in. Junpyo had been the only one that noticed how the girl stopped her steps and glanced up the moment his driver said police.

" Yaaa, what are you doing" she didn't even let him finish typing his security code as her hands slipped out of her jacket's pocket, and she dashed out of view, taking the right turn ahead and running out of sight. The split-second view of her face hiding behind the wet strands of hair glued to her pale skin had only left him even more bewildered as the driver threw his phone onto the passenger seat. Still left speechless and unable to process what was going on, he just started as the girl sprinted away out of view.

" Follow her " His photographic memory beyond ordinary; it took Junpyo a minute to match the boots to the ones his eyes had been scanning for a week as they marched across the school hallway. The driver bewildered by what was going on didn't even waste a second as he stepped on the gas and took the right turn. As he stepped on the gas, the figure in the distance was where both men focused all their attention.

"Is she crazy?

"Maybe somebody is chasing her."

"You know how dangerous this neighborhood is," The driver went on as he stepped harder, and the car slowly started catching up to the girl. A glance back silenced his words as both finally got a glimpse of her face. While the driver was assured, it was a girl, the boy behind him was even more curious as he couldn't quite make out her wet face hidden behind her hair that was flying around. Her legs speeding up, she made another right turn.

"Ohh," the driver sighed as he saw the red light step on the break.

"Go," the boy commanded; this was not the time to be worried about traffic rules. He only had one thing in mind. Following the order, the driver turned the right to find the girl in the distance making another right turn. Speeding up, they followed the next turn. But as they made the turn, there was nothing but an empty street waiting for them.

Shhhhhhhh shhhhhhh

The gusting wind fighting against the trees was the only thing that could be heard as the car came to a halt. The two confused men sitting in the car focused their eyes and started scanning everything in their view.

"Where the hell did she go."

"What the hell."

Looking more confused than the one in front, the one sitting in the back lowered the window by his side as he sent his eyes to every dark corner of the street. He could swear those were the same boots. Her face might not have been in full view, but her slim figure was the same he had seen walking with the weird bag in her hand at every lunch break. He couldn't explain it, but he knew something was similar to the girl that had just disappeared from view.

But for his brain to accept that it was her, he had to devise a convincing reason why she would be in the rain in this part of town at 2:45 am - 2:45 am. - dressed in all black and casually walking around dark neighborhoods. - 2:45 am, running away as though she saw the devil. Hundreds of questions crossed his mind as he stepped out of the car and started walking around. His inquisitive mind can't stop until it finds the answer, which he knew will eat him up. Maybe he should blame it on the alcohol. Perhaps it was all just a hallucination.

The countless raindrops that started attacking his body didn't bother him as much as the figure he couldn't see at any corner of the dark street. His right hand brushing his wet hair behind his ear gave his eyes a clear view of the entire block. Taking a few steps away from the car, he started looking at every corner possible. The car's headlight, the driver turned to the max, was helpful as both started looking around again. There was nothing. Forget a sign of a person; there was not even a single spot that looked like it would be able to hide a girl.

" Did you see how fast she ran? My God "

" She was running for her life" the driver holding onto the umbrella for himself, was following the curious boy around as they started walking around the street. There is no way it was a hallucination, Junpyo thought to himself as he took in his driver's chitter-chatter in one ear and out the other. His eyes zoomed into the dead-end wall in front; he was left questioning where she had run off. There was no door. No stairs.

"huhh" he sighed as he brushed his wet hair back and stood there, taking in what had just happened. Was he hallucinating? Was it a ghost? But his driver had seen it as well.

" Oh, sorry " just now realizing he was supposed to be getting wet, the driver pushed the umbrella forward and held it above the boy.

" Sorry," he apologized again as the boy turned around and sent his terrifying dark eyes his driver's way. He had thought it was for him, but the boy was looking back at the empty street, leaving him with more questions than he could come up with. After one last glance to find nothing, he was left with getting back into the warm car.

"What a crazy night" the driver closed the back seat door and started heading to the driver's side.

This was going to be what he would talk about tomorrow morning at breakfast. The neighborhood he had always stayed out of was again proven to be the weirdest and most dangerous one; even he wouldn't dare return unless he had to.

As the car slowly backed out of the curb and got onto the main road, the driver glanced back to notice how quick the young masters' fingers were as they started typing before he threw the phone halfway across the seat and laid his head in between his hands. For once, there was a hint of emotions on his face as his hand brushed his face and his eyes were sent out the window. Let it be curiosity or annoyance for not finding his answer; the driver was glad the boy could still process emotions and display them as he noticed something new on the boy's face. The tiny smile that escaped his lips made him remember how much the boy doesn't like not knowing things once he is interested in something. Growing up surrounded by yes men who bowed to his every demand, anything that didn't bend to his will and desire was a challenge he had to win. Sometimes just for the sake of winning.

3:12 am.

As he stepped on the gas, the driver looked at the time and followed the rerouted direction home. Today marks the 189'th night in a row this boy had come home after the clock had turned a.m. Unlike any other household, none of the workers dressed in white cared about why, but they had to stay up late again. The life of the boy they waited on hand and foot was not much of their concern as he has proven time and time again that he doesn't even know of their existence.

"Welcome home, sir," they chant as they take in his wet body, walking across the mansion's great hall and praying to God; he locks himself in his corner of the house and drugs himself to sleep as usual.

While the driver tells the weird story to the ones who waited to give him his dinner, the boy locked in his room sunk into the warm bath he buried his body in. His body always felt sedated and at ease when floating in the rose+ eucalyptus salt and oil-filled warm water. Eyes closed, he tried relaxing his mind, instantly replaying what happened tonight along with every mental picture of the weird mute girl he had in his short memory. Although his sixth sense was never wrong, he knew he had to find more concrete connections, and the black boots she wore religiously were his target for Monday morning. For the first time in months, he had something to look forward to at that boring school.

Monday Morning.

She wasn't late this time as she arrived at campus earlier than most as she didn't even see any cars parked in the VIP parking slots. The parking building was mostly empty, and she headed to the indoor swimming pool, which had been why she arrived early. Having a heated luxurious indoor swimming pool all by herself for a few minutes was another reason she tolerated being at this school. The swimming pool, in the right corner of the old gym building, was across the garden of the massive school. With the new gym building that cost millions opening a year ago, nobody ever used this gym anymore, making it even more appealing to the girl who enjoyed being alone. The rain had disappeared for at least this morning; as she took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the still-wet trees across the garden. Her earphones plugged into her ears, playing the softer tone; she wasn't even aware that her body was relaxing as it took in the green garden and fresh breeze. Her slow walk across the rocks was accompanied by her body that started swinging left and right to the tune of the song. No matter how much she tried, there was something about music that helped her silence everything else and, for a minute or two, enjoy being alive. Alone in her own element, she couldn't stop her lips from mouthing the words to the song that had forced her swinging body to match its beat. The tall trees surrounding her, the beautiful flowers and veins that were adding color to her gray view, and the fresh air brushing against her face, no wonder being in nature was the healing place where she felt the most at peace. Maybe it wasn't number one, but it was a close second. For a moment, she starts imagining what type of garden she would love to have if she ever bought a house. Or she could buy a farm and raise her own plants. Maybe that could be her job, and she could live on an unknown farm. The minute-long wishful thinking and plans were immediately shut down as the dark clouds that linger above rail her wild mind back to reality. There was no future to dream about. No plans. No future. Her lips stop their humming as he swinging body returns to its walking.

The minute-long tiny joy she experienced in the garden would return as her body jumped into the heated swimming pool. That was the number one place. Was there anything more heavenly than sinking in the warm water? At least for the girl to whom everyday life and happiness were an elusive dream, she would never attain in this cursed life she was sent to live; this was the highest form of heaven on earth she had experienced. Her body, trained to swim even in the darkest depth of the ocean, was like a feather flooring in the air as it danced through the warm water that adapted to the beautiful shape of her body moving through it. In minutes, the smile she hides would be forced across her face as she closes her eyes and starts floating. Her ever-imaginary mind couldn't help but swift her away into what it would feel like if she could float away into the abyss.

Her morning started great, but she knew the water was the only place she was provided peace as she walked into the main hallway, and the hound of the chattering students started pressing through the loud music screaming at her ears. Her tiny joy still lingering behind had made her body that would never dare move along to the beat of her favorite song but could at least walk to the beat. Her wet hair, still glued back, had provided full access to her face if somebody had cared to notice.

Maybe the mental space she was in had given her the guts to look up as she sensed those dark eyes staring her way. Her head slightly glancing up, she wasn't even hiding behind her hair as she sent her brown eyes his way. Maybe the calm she experienced in the pool gave her the ease to look up at the boys she knew never to dare to look at. Perhaps it was realizing there was nothing that accompanied his eyes that gave her the confidence to dare. Her eyes weren't hidden behind her bangs as they zoomed in on his eyes that were doing the same.

She could finally catch his lingering eyes scanning her up and down. Starting from her hair, his curious eyes weren't even discreet as they scanned every inch of her body. In a second long glance, she knew what his fascination was all about. She knew the look in his eyes. Her body that reacted to it was very familiar to men who looked at her as he did. With her slender figure, she was used to being viewed in all types of ways; this look was one of the thousands she had learned how to read. He was a man, after all.

"huhh" she laughed it off inwards as she sent her eyes to the floor. Knowing the answer to the eyes that had been following her, she knew looking at him longer than a second or from close by was a No-No. He can be curious, but she wasn't afforded the same luxury. He could look all he wanted; what she could do was give him access and go on about her day. Even that was a blessing. The slaps she received days ago were a reminder of what she could face for even walking in the same direction as them. With not that many students filling the hallway, there was only one student in between them as they crossed each other. For the hundredth time, she was thankful that she was too weird and below their grade even to bully.

Four classes back-to-back, they were dismissed for lunch right when the clock hit noon. Her lunch hideout they had discovered, the other two places covered in the rain that started at mid-day, she was left eating at the cafeteria; at the same corner where she ate last week.

Her lunch finished in 20 minutes; she was tasked with writing down everything from the failed plan on Friday night. The black notebook she had brought with her was where she planned to spend the rest of her lunch break. She needed a minute-by-minute detail of the night, and her mind, busy with recalling everything, didn't pick on the boy staring her way from the second floor.

"You know I wanted to get the red one," Wonbi explains his new obsession while Yijeoung, annoyed by his girlfriend begging to borrow his car, wasn't even listening as he tries to come up with an excuse to say no. Junpyo standing by the balcony wasn't paying attention to either as his fascination was placed on the pair of boots which needed to be confirmed were the same. Were they the same boots as the girl from last night? Do multiple people have the same shoes? Especially poor people. It's not like this girl wears limited additions or custom-made items. If it must be somebody with the same shoes, his logical brain tried to convince himself. The tiny girl writing in her note didn't even look like she even knew how to handle a few drops of rain, let alone run like the figure from Friday night did. He had witnessed her weak body wabbling to walk from a slap. There was no way she could run that fast or disappear into thin air like that.

"Please leave her alone" Ji-hoo, who had walked in minutes ago, had finally come to his best friend's side. It didn't take long to notice; while the other two were fighting with their video game, Junpy0's mind was elsewhere.

"She is a scholarship student. She can't even talk," Jihoo, standing with his back against the balcony, whispered. His eyes from the girl Junpyo was staring at were sent to his phone he started typing.

"why weren't you at lunch," Junpyo asked as he glanced up at Jihoo standing next to him.

"We had a student senate lunch meeting" Jihoo didn't even glance back as he went on typing.

"Why?"

"Did you miss me?" while his busy fingers went on typing, he asked a silly question that forced a smile out of him. The best friend he met in preschool was the same spoiled brat who sometimes couldn't even function without him. There was a reason most considered them to be best of best friends. It wasn't just the times they spent together; the tight bond united them, which both value above most things. The boy standing next to him, Junpyo knew, was one of the few people who were honest with him and cared about him. After his sister, the kind but annoying boy he was assigned to sit next to in preschool, was the only person he would do anything for.

"I can't wait until this is over and you stop pretending to care about this school" Junpyo's eyes pointed at the student president tag on Jihoo's uniform. Since they got transferred into the high school and Jihoo ran for the student senate, which he won and a year later was elected student president, Junpyo has been consistent with hatred and disdain for the number of hours his best friend was spending with the student senate.

" We all have something that keeps us entertained in this vacuous place; mine is this," Jihoo went on typing.

" We have months to go."

"you should find something too," Jihoo whispered as he tapped his friend back and left him to head to the dessert section of the lunch buffet. He needs something sweet before heading to class.

Four pages of the notebook were shut closed as the bell rang, and she started packing her stuff. Focused on her world, she hadn't even noticed the four boys that had walked to the vending machine a distance away from the table she was sitting at. Her six senses, usually able to pick on whenever she was being watched, hadn't noticed the boy focused on her as they passed by her and headed to the vending machine, which he started pressing. Lunch bag in one hand, notebook in another, she kicked her chair into the table before starting her walk across the tables.

Her mind was distracted for a second by the call she didn't get about what she was supposed to do now; she had missed the legs walking her way. When her eyes returned to reality, she immediately noticed the leg that mimicked falling her way. She was quick as she glanced up to catch a hot cup of coffee aimed at her face. Her quick reflexes to the rescue, her right hand holding the lunch box was raised, covering her face. The burning hot coffee landing right at her lunch bag sprayed the hot coffee across her chest.

The burning liquid that passed through her thin dress shirt and started pinching her skin wasn't what fueled her anger-filled eyes but the intentional hands that threw the coffee. Most might have accepted it as an accident, but she was too intelligent and observant to buy the fake excuse. The angle the right hand holding the big cup of coffee had turned as his legs fake bumped into the chair; she was too smart to believe it to be an accident. As she lowered the coffee-drenched lunch bag and brought her eyes up, the dark eyes eagerly waiting for her reaction confirmed how intentionally the coffee was spilled across her chest.

". OHH SHIT," it was Won bin who cursed out as he saw the smoking hot coffee that had landed on the girl, who, unlike what he expected, didn't even let out a small scream, nor did she start cursing out. She didn't even flinch as she glanced up at his friend in front of him, holding the empty cub that, as he let go, landed empty on the floor. The smoke still coming out of the coffee that landed on her chest, she stood still, her brown eyes staring right at the one responsible for the burning sensation on her chest.

" Are you okay?" Ji-hoo placing his phone he was busily typing back in his pocket, asked. Always the nice one, he didn't even wait for a response as he quickly walked to the napkin box, which he saw on the table a bit away. The antagonizing way her brown eyes gunned him down for a couple of seconds was the only reaction Junpyo got as the girl quietly turned around and started her quick walk away from them, heading to the bathroom.

" Here "

" You might need to wash." she didn't even let Jihoo finish his advice as she ignored his hand that stretched to hand her the napkin.

" YAA" right when the always quick to blow up Won bin stepped forward screaming, Jihoo's right hand quickly pulled him back. Her left hand quickly unbuttoning her shirt; Junpyo's eyes followed the girl until she disappeared into the hallway. Her marching boots were forgotten as he immediately replayed the mental picture of her tiger-like brown eyes that masked all the anger she didn't display. Maybe it had the same making skills that allowed him to recognize the hint of fury that escaped her ever-in-control mind. The golden hue of her sharp eyes he could decipher as the firey glare from them convinced him they would have loved to attack him back if they could.

" Who the fuck does she think she is" Won bin was the only one that was mad at the girl that did not weep nor bow down to them as most would even after an incident like this. The way she had glared at their friend was beyond bold and new.

" These students are becoming way too bold," he added as he breathed out his slight anger and calmed down. The girl hadn't even learned from the slaps she got days ago since she had dared to glance at his friend as she just did.

"We seriously need to teach them a lesson.'"

" We do," Yi Jeong added his two cents.

"I'll see you guys later" Won bin was the first to leave as he started heading to the computer lab classes. He hasn't even done his coding homework. Then again, his teacher never had the guts to ask him about what he did and did not do, let alone punish him for the homework that wasn't done. Yi Jeong following behind left for his sculpture class.

" Did you do that intentionally?" Ji-hoo asked as he bent down to pick up the empty coffee cup and threw it into the recycling bin. Junpyo, who only drinks coffee brewed by a handful of people drinking vending machine coffee, was one thing. Still, the ever-careful Junpyo spilling a cup of coffee on a person was another. Distracted by his texts, Jihoo followed along as Junpyo led his friend to the vending machine none had ever used. The two fighting over Yi Jeong's dilemma about leaving his car to his girlfriend didn't question Junpyo either, as they let him buy the instant coffee with no question.

" It's his last day. Make sure to come for dinner " snapping the napkins away from Jihoo, Jonpyo started wiping the drops of coffee left on his hand as he started heading to class. He couldn't explain why or how, but what just happened was interesting. The small but devilish smile that escaped his lips hinted at that as he placed his hands in his pocket and quickened his steps forward.

She had thought some of the kids in her class would have laughed at her change of cloth, but nobody cared as she walked in with her gym clothes. Ignoring all, she sat in her seat, eagerly counting the minutes until the last bell rang. All her attention was focused on the plan she was just texted, and the coffee incident was instantly forgotten as she prepared for more important tasks. And when the bell finally rang, she was the first out of the class. The comfortable gym outfit gave her the flexibility she needed; she quickened her steps even faster as she cruised through the crowd and headed to the main hallway. She has so much to prepare. She has so much to do between now and where she was expected to be at 8 pm.

The cold air the rain had left behind was refreshing as she took a deep breath, letting the excellent breeze play with her short hair that started dancing with the wind. She quickened her steps down the stairs and then right. Trying hard to avoid the line of luxurious imported cars that filled the driveway, she headed to the small walkway that led away from the parking lot.

" So, I have dinner till like 9 or 10. Can I drop by after that? '' won bin asked as he jumped in and started his one-month-old Ferrari. As always, he was the first one to leave.

" I am coming after 9 too," Jihoo, not even bothering to address won bin''s question, responded. His busily typing hands were focused on addressing the issue his assistant was texting him.

"Sure," Junpyo's reply was always for won bin's questions first.

" See you later, hater," known to be reckless out of the four, won bin vroomed out of the parking lot as his loud car drew everyone's attention. The fact that he had gotten the car that just came out a month ago might have forced a few to pay attention, but it was to be expected. The cars he switched every quarter or so were one main thing he was known for.

"Why do you always do that? " Zipping his coat, Ji-hoo asked but did not get a response. Junpyo's bored-out of their socket eyes, avoiding all the flirting eyes looking at him, were quick to focus when they found something distracting. Her red gym uniform forced her to stick out from the green trees she was walking alongside, she was easy to notice for anyone that bothered to pay attention.

"Because you're my favorite. " Junpyo whispered as he leaned back to keep his eyes on the girl marching across the empty walkway. Her red gym pants tucked into her boots were noted, as he couldn't even figure out if she had multiple pairs or just wore one all the time. Do poor people wear the same shoes daily? Can she not afford new shoes? All her school expenses are paid; can she not work and get new shoes? Why on earth does he care?

" Whatever," Ji-hoo said, throwing the box in his hand to Junpyo, and started walking back to the main hallway. He has three meetings in a row he must lead and wrap up quickly if he wants to make it to the dinner. No goodbyes were exchanged between the two best friends as Junpyo caught the box and kept his attention on the girl, who was becoming smaller as her quick steps were headed to the gate out of his view.

" Sir," it only took seconds before Junpyo's driver pulled over and opened the back seat door of the black car. All the students in the driveway were used to the two black cars that rolled in and were as clean and smooth as always. The two black-suited men that stepped out of the car were also a common sight. The black shades they always had on, the earpieces glued to their ears, even the drivers were too familiar for anybody to be bothered by them.

" huh," Junpyo sighed as he threw the box Jihoo handed him and got in the back seat. The car leading the way always set the speed and direction; Junpyo was placed in the second car. The presence of two cars meant there was something important as he was usually picked by one car. The unique licensed cars heading to the gate garnered a little attention as some tried to figure out the important thing that had caused him to be escorted.

" The CEO and madam are flying out to Paris tonight " the driver glanced at the back seat as he passed along the message to the unbothered-looking boy in the backseat.

" The CEO said to bring you to the gallery opening in 25 minutes before you go home," the driver went on as Junpyo tried hard to silence the voice coming from the front seat without having to ask for silence. His dad's assistant calls he had been avoiding were changed to texts that were annoying for a week as he had pretended he wasn't aware of tonight's plan.

" We are picking up Miss Junhee on our way ''the driver added, hoping that mentioning his sister's name would get a reaction out of the young boy, and it did.

" She asked to be picked up with you," the driver added, noting how his sister's name always gets a reaction out of this boy. His love for his sister was unmatched. Not even the mention of his mother can do what hearing his sister's name does to him. She was number one.

" She is married, so Mrs" Junyp whispered a fact he hated the most about his sister. Her wedding he didn't even attend; the sham of marriage wasn't something he liked to acknowledge.

" Oh, sorry, Mrs. Jun hee" the driver apologized.

In seconds the car would be out the gate and join the main road. His arms crisscrossed against his chest, Junpyo's complete attention was out of the window at the three or four people waiting at the cross light. He needs a distraction from thinking about the cursed wedding. Driving in the right lane, the second car came to a smooth stop at the red light, giving Junpyo a great view of the girl that stood at the right edge of the road in the middle of the four people waiting for the light alongside her. Her gym uniform made her easy to pick from the people around her Junpyo leaned back and got a full view of the girl standing a distance away from the tinted window, hiding him away from her sight. Thanks to her messy bangs, he couldn't quite make out her eyes that glanced up. There was not even a hint of color or glow on her icy cold face, cuddled by her short dark hair that was getting wet thanks to the tiny raindrops still falling. His attention quickly shifted all the way down to the boots.

" Do many people wear these boots?" he asked as he startled his driver.

"What boots?"

"Oh, the ones the girl with the uniform has on?" the driver zooming his eye on what the boy in the back was looking at, asked.

"They look like typical boots for winter."

"a little worn out but looks ordinary," he added as he glanced back at the boy whose attention didn't shift from the girl. Before his attention returned to her face, she started walking off to the other side of the road.

"Is she one of those scholarship students? She looks like one" the driver was the only one talking as both followed her every step across the road.

"Is she the new focus" the driver tried hard to find the term. He knew he could get in trouble if he said the new girl picked to be bullied. He was very aware of the reputation of the F4 and the scholarship kids they often chose to torcher, which he had always felt sorry for. Looking at the girl walking across, he could only imagine what students like her had seen and experienced at the hands of his young master. His kind heart, for a second, thinks about her poor family that sent her, hoping she could change not only her life but theirs. The type of abuse the children were forced to tolerate in hopes they will have a better chance once they joined the dark world was heart-shattering for anyone who knew the outside world was where the actual abuse and hell began.

" Your sister said to bring her some snacks on the way," the driver added as he started that car when the light turned green. He changed the focus of his mind to something cheerful before his evening was destroyed, thinking about all the disturbing things he had heard about. He glanced up at the rearview mirror, but there was no reply as usual.

And the long drive was going to be a quiet one as usual.