You hastily braided your hair into a low plait and ran towards the dining room. Big houses have their flaws too, you light cursed and dashed down the stairs, tripping over a step but catching yourself quickly.

Around the clear-glass round table sat the Kims, all eating gracefully, with only the sounds of chopsticks clinking against the bowls heard. You gulped and took a baby step towards the dining table, bowing meekly.

Before you could open your mouth to apologize, a dark voice growled,

“You’re late.”

You looked up to see Kai’s gaze piercing through you, and you cringed under his glare.

“I’m sorry for being late, Mr Kim and Mrs Kim, I overslept and-”

“It’s okay dear, ignore Jongin baby.” Mrs Kim smiled at you, patting the seat next to hers. “Come, sit beside me.”

You nodded and thanked her, bowing profusely. Mr Kim cleared his throat and spoke.

“Although you’re the guest, Hyemi-sshi, and as much as I would like to be a good host for your 100 day stay,” You heard Kai slam his chopsticks down in disbelief, “There are certain rules you would have to follow as well.”

“I understand, sir. I won’t be late for dinner again.” You dipped your head down in embarrassment.

“Unfortunately, Hyemi, when you’re late for dinner, you don’t get dinner. It’s our policy, and it applies to every one of us under this roof. Even though it’s your first time being late, rules are rules.” Mr Kim said.

You were clearly embarrassed and ashamed of yourself, not knowing what to do and where to go. Mrs Kim placed one hand on your shoulder sympathetically, and you saw Jonghyun’s lips twitch into a sorry smile.

“Ah, then should I excuse myself? I shouldn’t disturb your dinner-”

“I’m done.” Kai slammed his rice bowl down, bowing curtly at his parents before wheeling away.

You winced at the loud bang and watched him leave through your peripheral view, well aware of the fact that he’s probably pissed off because of you.

“Not so fast, Jongin.” Mr Kim boomed.

Kai stopped in his tracks, but didn’t turn back.

“Hyemi, if you’d allow me to make a suggestion, I’d say you go explore the neighbourhood. The street food around here is excellent.” Mr Kim said, smiling at you. You thanked him in gratitude.

“But appa, the food stalls are quite a distance from our house. Let me go with her, I’m almost done anyway-” Jonghyun said before getting interrupted by his father.

“No. Jongin, you shall accompany Hyemi.”

Both brothers were shocked by their father’s decision. “What?”

Kai scoffed. “Why should I go with her? Nobody would want to her anyway.”

You stopped yourself from glaring at him. Here he was, someone whom you don’t know, judging you as though he knew you long and well.

“Jongin,” Mrs Kim started.

“You rude little bastard, do you not know how to treat a girl?!” Jonghyun raged, slamming the table and standing up.

Kai merely smirked at his brother, ignoring him.

“Jonghyun,” Mrs Kim looked at her older son with pleading eyes.

Jonghyun sat back down, still glaring at Kai. When he had done enough glaring, he gave you another sorry look. You shook your head, bringing your fingers to the edges of your own lips and pulled it upwards, mouthing ‘Smile’. Jonghyun smiled a little and decided to ignore Kai.

“Kim Jongin, when I say you go with Hyemi, you will do it whether you like it or not.” Mr Kim said in a dark, low tone that resonated through the room.

“Sir, it’s okay-”

“Now.”

Mrs Kim pushed you lightly, telling you to get your coat and your personal belongings in hushed tones. You quickly nodded and rushed back up to the room, grabbing your auburn cloak and your wallet. Flashes of Kai’s irritated expression appeared in your mind: How much he didn’t want to tag along. You then remembered his harsh words.

Hmph, likes as if I’d like his company. Who does he think he is? You gritted your teeth, trotting down the steps.

Kai was already at the door, grumbling to himself with a frown etched across his smooth tan face. He was in a striped sparkly jacket, tapping his fingers along the armrests of the wheelchair impatiently. When he saw you coming down, he whirled around, expecting you to follow him.

“Please take care of him, Hyemi.” Mr Kim gave you a knowing look as you nodded.

You waved goodbye and gingerly placed your hands on Kai’s wheelchair, pushing him forward. You half expected him to slap your hands away like how he did before, but surprisingly, he did nothing of the sort.

Once the both of you were out of the house, he spoke in a cold tone, “You can drop the act now.”

Does he really think that lowly of me? You frowned.

You loosened your grip on the handles as he wheeled away, not even waiting for you. The cold wind slapped your face as you shivered slightly, pulling your hood up to shield your face. You looked up to see Kai far away, and you silently complained.

How gentlemanly of him. Tch.

You quickly caught up with him, considering how you were on two agile feet while he was on four foreign wheels.

“Jongin-sshi, I would appreciate it if you actually had a little more patience to wait for me.”

“Kai.” He replied.

“Excuse me?” You asked, baffled. What on earth was he saying?

“Call me Kai.”

“Okay, Kai-sshi.” You replied sarcastically, rolling your eyes at how fussy he is even over a name. However, you couldn’t help but find that name very familiar, as it rolled off your tongue smoothly. Where have I seen that? You racked your brains hard, but later decided that you were too hungry to care.

The two of you walked in silence as you approached the hustle and bustle of the night market life, with food stalls on both sides of the street. The smell of food was intoxicating, the sight of food cooking made you salivate, and the sound of food cooking made your taste buds dance with joy. The cold wind hit you again, blowing your senses away, along with your hood.

You spotted a stall selling o-dang, one of your favourite street yummies, and ran off to it without telling Kai.

“One serving of o-dang please!” You shouted over the noise, waiting excitedly by the sides. You paid hurried and skipped off to a less crowded area, munching on the chewy, delectable fish cake with satisfaction. You then proceeded to buying kebabs and skewers of different meats, chicken, beef and pork, lost in your little world of edible goodies even though there was a gnawing feeling in your gut.

When you finally cleaned the last kebab with your stick, you finally remembered what was missing – Kai.

The thought of losing Kai in a place like this came as a shock, causing you to choke on the last piece of meat. You wheezed and coughed heavily, thumping on your chest, when a cup of water miraculously appeared in front of you – just what you needed. You snatched the cup away and gulped down the cold water in 3 big gulps, releasing a loud ‘ahh’ after downing the cup of water.

Wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, you looked up to see your savior, who was none other than Kai himself.

He looked somewhat angry, frustrated yet worried at the same time, with his eyebrows creased and his lips pressed in a thin straight line.

“You’re irresponsible.” He stated, staring right at you.

You had no reason to deny, so you mumbled a small apology. Kai looked at the heap of sticks and bowls next to you, raising his eyebrows in amusement. Assuming you were already full from your food expedition, he whirled around.

“Push me back.”

Shocked, you stared at the back of his head, wondering.  Kai tilted his head back, “Ahem,”

“Oh, right.” You stood up immediately and stacked the food bowls, disposing them into a nearby dustbin. You dusted your hands on your cloak and grabbed the handles.

When the both of you were walking along the empty lane back to the Kim’s mansion, you looked down at Kai’s slightly tousled hair that glistened under the moonlight. You fought the urge to poke his fluffy hair.

“Where were you after I disappeared?”

“I’m glad that you’re aware of your own irresponsible disappearance.”

You frowned at his reply in annoyance. “You’re not answering my question.”

“I’m not obliged to.” He stated.

“Fine, be that way.” You had low tolerance for stubborn airheads like Kai. He didn’t reply you, as the both of you continued padding down the dark lane that was lit by dim street lights.

Out of the blue, Kai said, “If it wasn’t obvious enough, I was looking for you.”

He was looking for me? You widened your eyes in surprise.

“I’m not as irresponsible as you are.” He continued. You ignored the fact that he was once again insulting you.

“Do you know why I’m here?” You asked warily.

“Yes.” He said. “I’m well aware of you intruding into my life.”

You grimaced. “I hope you’ll cooperate with me and accept my help.”

“Maybe.” He replied quietly. You blew a raspberry at his reply.

When the both of you returned to the house, Kai didn’t even bid you goodbye before wheeling off to his room. You stared at his disappearing back in disbelief and scoffed. I thought we might be friends already.

Mr Kim, who was reading the newspaper on the couch, lowered down his newspaper and winked at you, before continuing to read. You wondered what the wink could possibly mean, but shrugged it off – you were never one to ponder on questions for too long a time, they make your head ache.

You went back to your room and tossed your weary body on the bed, patting your full tummy happily. Through you peripheral view, you saw something hanging on the bathroom door and made your way towards it. You pinched your fingers together, lifting up the caramel coloured blazer. You frowned at it. There were no uniforms in your previous school. On the blazer was another hot pink post-it.

If I were you, I’d press the button 2 on the phone sitting on your desk.

P.S. I’d like to keep myself anonymous, because that’s the charm of anonymity, no?

You laughed, already guessing the supposedly mysterious post-it man.

You picked up the phone and pressed 2. Once he person on the other side picked up the phone, you spoke, “Jonghyun.”

He chuckled on the other end. “Well isn’t someone a smart cookie.” He then continued, “I was wondering when you would be back, because I swear I heard Kai slamming the door.”

“Aww, was someone worried?” You laughed.

“Not one bit, young lady. I just wanted to make sure that my of a brother didn’t abandon you and come home by himself.” He replied. “Did he treat you well?”

You pondered on it for a few seconds. Considering he actually talked to you (even if they were insults), it was still an improvement.

“Yeah, sort of.”

“That’s good. Please don’t take any of his insults to heart, he tends to be a little blunt like this.” Jonghyun said. “Anyway, school starts tomorrow for you, so be ready by 8 and we’ll go to school together, okay? It’s pretty late, you should get some rest. Goodnight Hyemi.” Jonghyun ended the call without giving you a chance to reply.

“Goodnight to you, too.” You whispered and put down the phone.

“And goodnight to you too, Kai.”

...

Hey guys! Surprisingly, I'm updating quite frequently these days!
That's b/c I have a one week holiday rofl which is going to be over soon sigh.
But in the meantime, I'll be updating once in two days, so look forward to the next update!
I apologize for the long chapter, but at least it's Kai-filled! Kekeke.

So, the people in my neighbourhood like to put discs in front of their bikes' baskets.
When it's extremely sunny, the discs often reflect the sunlight into my eyes. AKDJHGALHGA I HATE IT OMG.

Ugh, I think I'm the only one who faces problems like this. Just my luck.

But anyway, thanks for subscribing omg I don't know how to express my gratitude and it's obvious that I'm socially awkward, so.
But thank you all for subscribing! Although there are few comments ;___;
By any chance, are you guys silent readers? Or does nobody read at all?
No matter, thank you for subscribing anyway and have a great day!

xoxo,

exogasmic