Ji-hun walked into the apartment building, and his steps were light as he headed up the stairs. He slipped off his shoes at the door and ran straight into the living room.

His dad was sitting by the window. He was facing outside even though he couldn't make out the finer details of the view. The sunlight came in and helped him see the shapes of buildings and the trees swaying in the distance. When he heard Ji-hun at the door, he turned his head slightly to catch the movement.

Ji-hun ran to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"Hey, Dad!"

Dong-min smiled, his eyes following Ji-hun's shape as he came close enough for him to see his face.

"How was your day?"

"It was alright," Ji-hun said, still holding onto him. "I met some of the students in the photography club. They seemed nice."

He straightened up a little and looked toward his room. 

"I've got a couple of assignments. Can I finish them first so we can have dinner together?"

His dad nodded, eyes flicking to the light in the hallway to help keep his bearings.

"Of course."

Ji-hun headed to his room and dropped his bag by the desk. He took out his textbooks and notebooks, spreading them out neatly before sitting down to work.

As he tried to focus, Ho-jin's words kept echoing in his head.

I'm your sunbae. You can even call me 'hyung' if you want.

"Idiot…" Ji-hun muttered, face warming.

He flipped through his notes, but the memory of Ho-jin kissing that girl popped up again. His cheeks turned red, and he sighed in frustration.

"Can you just get out of my head already?" he whispered, tapping his pencil against the desk. 

"I can't even study like this."

—

Ho-jin walked down the quiet street alone. His hands were in his pockets. Lights were starting to turn on in the apartment buildings around him.

Then someone called out to him from behind.

"Ho-jin…"

He turned, eyebrows lifting a little. "Hm?"

Min-ji was standing there. She looked a little out of breath. Her hair was messy, like she'd hurried over.

Ho-jin froze. "Shit," he said quietly. He'd forgotten.

"Min-ji, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot we were supposed to meet after school."

She gave him an upset look, breathing hard. 

"How could you forget, Ho-jin? Where has your head been?"

"I'm really, really sorry," he said quickly, glancing around the street. Without another word, he took her wrist and led her between two apartment buildings where it was quieter.

He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, his hands resting on her waist.

"Ya," he whispered between kisses, "don't be mad at me, okay? I'm just a little tired. How about we go see a movie?"

She looked at him. The frown on her face eased a bit.

"Okay," she said, a little quiet.

Ho-jin took Min-ji's hand. They walked down the narrow street together under the streetlights.

He looked down at the road while they walked. One thought stayed in his head.

Where was my head today, anyway? he wondered, squeezing her hand a little tighter as they kept moving forward.

—

A few days passed, and school started to feel normal. The hallways were loud with people talking and laughing. The awkward feeling from the first day was gone. Everyone moved more easily now, chatting as they walked to class.

Ji-hun was leaning against the wall outside his classroom. He was talking with Hae-sol and a few other classmates. They laughed while people passed by. Sunlight came in through the high windows, warming the hallway.

Down the hall, Ho-jin showed up with one of his friends. They walked straight ahead, not talking, heading right for Ji-hun's classroom. They pushed the door open and went inside.

Ji-hun wanted to look, but he didn't. He kept his eyes on the floor.

"Ya, wanna play soccer after school?" Hae-sol asked, sounding upbeat as he shifted on his feet.

"I'm just gonna go home and do my homework," Ji-hun said, lifting his shoulders a little. He tried to look into the classroom from the side, but he couldn't really see anything. 

Before anyone could say more, there was a loud noise. Ho-jin came out of the classroom fast with his friend, and he looked really angry. He hit the door frame with his fist, and the sound echoed down the hallway. The hallway went quiet.

Ji-hun waited until they were out of sight, and then he looked into the classroom. Inside, a girl was sitting alone at a desk. It was Choi Da-eun, one of his classmates, and she was crying. She wasn't the girl from the alley, but she looked just as scared.

Hae-sol leaned closer. "What do you think happened?" he asked quietly.

Ji-hun looked away and played with his sleeve. "Don't look," he said. "Just stay out of it."

—

When the final bell rang, the hallway got loud. Students grabbed their bags and started leaving their classrooms. 

Ji-hun and Hae-sol packed their things too, laughing as they went.

"I'll see you later," Ji-hun said. He smiled at Hae-sol and then disappeared into the crowd.

As Ji-hun walked down the quiet street near the school, he saw Ho-jin leaning against a low wall with a cigarette in his hand. He was talking to his friends. When he noticed Ji-hun, he looked straight at him. 

Ji-hun felt uncomfortable and turned his face away right away. His heart was beating fast, even though he didn't want it to.

Idiot, he thought, and he started walking faster.

From the other end of the street, Min-ji showed up and ran straight to Ho-jin. When he saw her, his face changed right away. He didn't look angry anymore. She hugged him around the neck, and he pulled her close and kissed her. His friends laughed and teased them.

Ji-hun felt his face get hot while he watched. He held his bag tighter and kept walking. He just wanted to get away from there.

I will never become someone like him, he told himself. He decided to focus only on his studies.

 When he got home, he kicked off his shoes and hurried inside. He almost tripped as he looked for his father. When he found him, he hugged him tightly.

"Hey, Dad. Do you want to go out for a bit?"

His father turned around and smiled when he heard Ji-hun's voice.

"I'd love to," he said.

They got ready quickly and went outside together. They walked side by side through the streets they knew well.

On a quiet block, they saw Ho-jin walking toward them with his bag over one shoulder. He passed by, looked at Ji-hun for a moment, and bowed slightly.

Ji-hun kept looking straight ahead and didn't look back.

"Did someone just greet you?" his father asked.

"Yeah," Ji-hun said. "He's from the photography club. I don't like him, Dad. He's not a good person."

His father nodded.

"Then stay away from people like that," he said. "Nothing good comes from trouble."

They kept walking together as the city lights slowly turned on around them.