The Next Morning

I woke up as the sun's rays peeked through my window. Ahhh, a new day. School awaited. I tried to stand from the sofa, but a masculine weight held me down. That scent—unmistakable. We were on the sofa, not the bed, and last night’s kiss flooded my memory. My face burned with embarrassment.

I slowly pushed his arm away and dashed to the bathroom. Ahhh, this hickey. I needed a way to hide it, and makeup wouldn't suffice. After showering, I dressed for school. As I was about to head down for breakfast, I glanced at the sleeping figure on the sofa and decided to wake him. Once he’d showered, I offered him a spare uniform. He scoffed, "It looks like ladies' clothes."

"But these are all I have here," I protested, showing him seven more identical uniforms.

"Forget it. I'm going home to get ready," he declared. Ha, he had to be kidding me. He had no clothes. I quickly texted Jang (장) to bring Taeyang's (태양) clothes, and they arrived swiftly.

"Young Master, here is..." Jang (장) began, but froze, noticing the prominent hickey. I wished the ground would swallow me whole.

"Scoffs... You said you wanted me, huh, Kim? How could you change so quickly?" Jang (장) accused, sounding betrayed.

"Hey, I'm not gay, okay? Don't take it to heart. Besides, I was drunk that night; I might have babbled too much," I retorted, my gaze turning fierce and cold as ice. Jang (장) swallowed hard.

"Kim," he murmured, then ran off. Yohan (요한), who had grabbed his uniform and headed to the closet, was just returning when he saw Jang (장) leaving. What could Kim have said to that guy? He looked hurt, Yohan (요한) wondered.

"B-breakfast i-is ready," I stuttered nervously, terrified he'd overheard. He cleared his throat.

"I'm... I'm sorry about last night. It was a mistake, and also to stop you from telling Aunt," he apologized sincerely, but my face flushed pink.

"We're all adults; it should just slide," I said, hurrying from the room. He followed.

Dining Table

As usual, various dishes adorned the table. But today, to impress Yohan (요한), his favorite food was specially prepared. We ate in silence until Young-i (영이) arrived.

"Baby, I missed you!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into my arms. I caught her; she was sensible enough not to fully lean her weight on me. She then rained kisses all over my face.

"Good morning, Aunt Jian (지안)," she greeted my mother, who returned a warm smile.

"How are you?" Mother asked. After exchanging pleasantries, she finally noticed Yohan (요한), who was clearly nervous but attempted a smile that turned out awkward.

"I'm sorry, love, for what happened last night, okay? Hope you forgive me," she said to me. Hell yeah, I couldn't be angry with her.

"Of course, dear, we're good, okay?" I said, giving her a tight hug. Suddenly, Yohan (요한) awkwardly stood and excused himself. I followed him. He rushed to the bathroom, splashing water repeatedly on his face, then emerged. I was waiting, sitting on the reading chair.

"Are you okay?" I asked as he came out. He seemed shocked I'd followed. He nodded and reached for his bag, but I stopped him.

"We'll... we'll go together. It would be cruel of me not to drop you since we're going to the same place," I offered.

"We're running late. People like me dare not miss music class," he said. I couldn't understand what he meant by "people like me." I looked at him in confusion.

"You see, you're rich and I'm poor, and Mrs. Kae favors the privileged," he explained. Okay, now I got it. So I had to hurry, forgetting to button my shirt, leaving my chest exposed.

Parking Lot

"Cover up!" Jian (지안) called out, but I was too distracted to understand, and I kissed her goodbye. She froze, touched her cheeks, and tears welled, but I left it at that for now.

School

Young-i (영이) held my hand as we entered the school. People immediately began to gossip. "They can't see us together," Yohan (요한) muttered, changing direction. Now it was just Young-i (영이) and me. I stopped her before she entered our classroom, and she hugged me, then gave me a peck on my lips. She would never change. I wish Eun-su (은수) would see her...

"Okay, love, bye... Should I pick you up?" she asked loudly as I stepped into the class. I turned, looked at her, and nodded.

"Bye, dear," I said softly, heading to my seat. She didn't leave; she just stood there, seemingly waiting to cause trouble for Taeyang (태양). At the same time, the girls flocked to my desk.

"Is she your girlfriend?" the black-haired girl asked. I ignored them as my face turned red.

"She's beautiful," the brown-haired girl said, and I flushed even more.

"Ahhh, she gave him a hickey! Tell us, Kim, did you spend the night with her?" a guy with short, blue hair teased me. I remembered Yohan (요한) giving me that hickey, and I turned crimson like a cooked shrimp.

"Hey, ask me if you want to know, you unmannered people!" Young-i (영이) fired, walking toward my seat. She hugged me, making me rest my head in the crook of her neck, and I couldn't help but sniff her scent... just like honey, ahh.

"Yes, he spent the night with me because I'm his girl, and any bitch who dares to trouble my baby, I will rip your limbs one after the other!" she declared, her gaze fierce.

"We just asked," the guy said.

"Asked your mother, you bastard! When I'm talking, people like you should fuck off!" she spat. "Ki-Ki, tell me, who bullied you?" she asked me in a caring tone. I could only shake my head. In my other life, I had to fight for myself, but now, I had people to back me up, even if I was in the wrong. So I had to follow along.

"We are sorry, Miss," the black-haired girl said, lowering her gaze.

"What's going on here?" A stern voice came from the door, and without looking, my heart skipped a beat.

"N-nothing, Yo-Yohan Bei (배이)," the blue-haired boy lied.

"Let me tell you... the whole class was bullying my baby. What's the punishment for that?" Young-i (영이) asked with authority. Yohan's (요한) gaze swept over the class with an icy expression.

"Bei-er (배이-어), I promise I was not among them," the brown-haired lady said. After the argument, Young-i (영이) left, and class began.