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The cram school bell rang, signifying the end of their night lessons.
Cheol instinctively looked back in Mi-ae’s direction, Honggyu quickly filling his vision instead to have a chat with him and potentially hang out.
Cheol liked his friends, he really did, but he sometimes couldn’t help but feel… them getting in the way.
In the way of what? Me and Mi-ae are just… friends, anyways…
He tells himself this a lot. He genuinely, really tries to reassure himself of this every day. Especially on nights when he finds himself weirdly missing her. Or at times when he maybe goes a bit further than a normal friend would, and this fact gets pointed out by friends such as the guy standing in front of him.
God, he needs to chill. It’s probably better that Honggyu inserted himself in front of him before he did too much again. He doesn’t want to weird Mi-ae out either.
Cheol did his best to relax for a moment, chatting a bit with both Honggyu and Jungwook as they made their ways out of the classroom.
They reached the front of the cram school before going their separate ways, it turning out that his two friends don’t have enough time to do stuff today anyways.
Cheol exhaled, eyes wandering to the bus stop in front of the school where Mi-ae should still be waiting.
Should.
His breath hitched.
Why… Isn’t she there?
He found himself making his way towards the bus stop quicker than he could even process his actions.
Everyone from the cram school who needs the bus is still waiting there. The bus hasn’t come yet. So where is she? He even stayed a bit longer than usual chatting with his friends, so the bus was going to be here any minute.
It’s weird. It’s too weird.
He had a bad feeling.
Don’t tell me that idiot decided to get a quick snack or drink nearby before heading home? I told her this neighborhood isn’t safe for her. Fuck-
Cheol briefly considers taking his bike to search for her, but she couldn’t have gone far with those little legs of hers.
He takes off, sprinting towards the nearest convenience store down a nearby street. With the speed he was going at, he nearly slammed into the glass doors, slowing himself down in time and waiting for the electric doors to open.
Ding-doo~!
A cute jingle for a not so cute situation.
He enters. He checks each aisle. He curses under his breath when she’s not there.
“Excuse me, sir?” Cheol rushes up to the front counter. “Have you seen a small girl? About this high, short bob hair, a long plaid skirt-”
“Ahh, yes, she was in here just five minutes ago, I reckon.”
Fuck. She should be back already.
Cheol nodded stiffly, thanking the old cashier under his breath before darting back out of the store.
Racking his brain on what to do next as he took a few heavy steps back towards the cram school, he heard an odd sound coming from an alleyway behind him.
“SHIT! She fucking bit me-” “Come here bitch!” Thwack!
Cheol felt his heart fucking sink.
He turned. He swore he'd never moved so quickly in his life.
-
She had just wanted a snack.
Last night, before Mi-ae had gone to sleep, her dad snuck her a 5000 won bill to treat herself for studying so hard recently. A whole 5000 won!
The whole day she had been thinking about it. After school? No that’d be a waste… It’d be better to reward herself with a nice treat before going home at the end of the day, right? So… After cram school!
In class, she found herself kicking her feet in a giddy manner. Cheol had given her the side eye a few times - not a bad one, more like a “What are you so happy about?” one - to which she just stuck her tongue out at him, refusing to spill.
Not that she felt like it was something he shouldn’t know. It was actually more that… She was planning on getting him a little treat too with the money… Because he had been helping her with studying so much recently!
So, the second the end of the lesson bell rang at cram school, Mi-ae darted out of the room as quickly as she could, heading towards the nearest convenience store.
I know Cheol said I shouldn’t wander around here too much… But it’s super close by and it’ll just be for a second. And anyways, I’m almost in highschool! I can handle myself…
Mi-ae truly believed she could protect herself well, yet the thought of Cheol being so… Protective of her definitely made her face a bit warm.
He deserves the best snack.
She arrived at the convenience store-
Ding-doo~
-and made her way to the salty snack section and picked out some silly shaped chips, being aware of the fact that Cheol isn’t big on sweets.
Her though? She got herself some sweet bread and some soda. Mom would kill me if she knew I was drinking soda this late, hehe…
Mi-ae had her stuff rung up, giving the old man working at the register a big smile and wishing him a good night.
She exited the store, only managing a few steps forward before she felt a violent tug on her backpack handle, jerking her whole body backwards, falling to the ground.
“Hey, wha-” Wack- Mi-ae gasped as the air was knocked out of her, someone’s foot meeting her back hard.
Disorientated and still trying to get oxygen back in her lungs, she could barely do anything against the two people picking her up and bringing her around the corner, tossing her into the alley.
Mi-ae took a moment to recover from the shock of hitting the ground, holding her head with a scraped hand. Shadows began to loom over her. She blinked groggily before her eyes slowly followed the bottom of the figures up to their faces.
“It’s really her. That bitch that Kim Cheol threatened us over.” Spat the one boy.
“Man, all that for this pathetic thing? ” The other boy tsked while pushing Mi-ae back down onto the ground with his foot.
She recognized these boys now. They were a part of the group of highschoolers who had tried to set Honggyu up- The ones that had taken them hostage until…
Until Cheol…
Mi-ae bit back tears, chewing on the inside of her lip so hard she thought it might bleed. She felt so weak. She felt herself hoping, just maybe, he might appear from the entrance of the alleyway and save her once more…
“Hey, look at me.” One of the boys crouched down over her, gaze piercing through her. He forcibly grabbed her face, squishing her cheeks and turning her head to be forced to stare back at him.
Mi-ae looked into his cold eye’s, holding eye contact for a few moments before she mustered all her strength and kicked him in the balls as hard as possible.
“FUCK!!!” The dude cried out, Mi-ae taking the opportunity to scramble out from underneath him and try to run past the other boy.
“Not so fast you fucking runt!” Mi-ae squeaked as her collar was grabbed, jerking back once more before he slammed her into the brick wall, holding her securely in place with his arm.
“Bitch, you just made this so much harder for yourself. I was just going to fuck you up a little bit to send Kim Cheol a message, but now this is personal. ”
Mi-ae’s entire body froze and her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she heard the sound of a switchblade being opened. The boy brought the blade up to her face, teasing the area underneath her eye with the tip of it, not breaking any skin though.
“I wonder, how would Kim Cheol feel seeing his girl with a matching scar? Would he be happy that he's no longer the only freak around here? Or would he feel shame and despair everyday with a permanent reminder of the fact that he wasn’t there for you?”
Although she felt all the hair on her body rise, screaming “DANGER! DANGER!” she still had half the mind to be fucking appauled at what the boy in front of her was saying, her eyes hardening as she glared at him.
How dare you? How fucking dare you? Why can’t you all just leave Cheol alone? He never did anything to you. How could anyone be so evil?
The boy gazed at her steadily, reading her reaction. He hummed in thought, pocketing his knife again before covering her mouth.
“Or… You’re not half bad looking. You have a fucking attitude, but we could shut you up long enough to…” She felt the boy’s other hand move to the bottom of her shirt.
Mi-ae’s whole body went cold. She felt her heart stop.
Her fight or flight instinct immediately kicked in.
She bit down on the boy’s hand as hard as she could.
“SHIT! She fucking bit me-” The boy staggered back, holding his hand which started to bleed.
The boy who got hit in the nuts had long since recovered and was ready to apprehend her. “Come here bitch!” Thwack!
And Mi-ae was out cold.
-
Sliding into the entrance of the alleyway, gripping onto the brick of one of the buildings to catch himself with how fast he was moving, Cheol took in the sight before him.
There stood two boys in highschool uniforms, one cradling his hand while the other held an unconscious Mi-ae by the collar.
Cheol’s eyes locked on the limp girl.
And then, all he saw was red.
He was in front of them. His fists stung, and stung, and then they were numb. All he could hear was a weird ringing in his ears.
Cheol had no clue how much time passed. Eventually, the two boys were unconscious at his feet.
It took him a moment to realize he was hyperventilating. His fists were still clenched tightly, he realized his whole body was shaking, but his full senses didn’t return to him yet, no not yet, because-
Mi-ae.
He rushed to her side, sweeping her up in his arms and gently cradling her.
“Hey- H-hey, Mi-ae- Mi-ae please, are you okay- Mi-ae-”
“Mmhg…” Mi-ae groaned, having a hard time getting her eyes to open.
Cheol let out a shaky breath of relief. She’s alive. She’s okay.
“Shh, I got you, it’s okay now…” He whispered shakily, pulling her closer to himself.
Mi-ae took a bit longer to fully regain her consciousness and become aware of her surroundings again.
C… Cheol?
She realized who was holding her oh so sweetly and pulled back a bit, trying to look at his face.
Cheol let her, both of them leaning back a bit to meet each other’s eyes.
They just stared for a few moments, both with shaky breaths. But then, Mi-ae’s gaze trailed down to his cheek.
Blood.
Her eyes then slowly wandered to the boys lying unconscious deeper into the alley.
Cheol realized too late. As soon as he noticed where she was looking, he wrapped an arm around her head and pulled her into his chest. “Don’t look.”
Mi-ae stayed still like that for a moment. So, so still. Before she began to shake. A sob bubbled up from her chest, her hands coming up to grip his shirt.
“I-I’m so s-s..orry…” She choked out, pressing her face into his chest further.
Because of me you… You had to… If someone caught you…
“Shh… It’s okay Mi-ae… Shh…” He swayed her gently, subconsciously pressing his lips to the top of her head.
“It’ll be okay. I just needed you safe. I’m just… glad you’re safe…-” He held his breath, pausing before trying to get a proper look at her.
“You’re okay, right? Does it hurt anywhere? Do we need a hospital for you?”
Mi-ae resisted his attempt to look at her face at first, but eventually gave in, wiping hot tears away.
“N-no. I’m a bit achey, but…” She sniffled. “.. You came just in time. Somehow, you always come just in time…”
Cheol’s heart ached as he gazed at her.
He loves her.
He fucking loves her.
He refuses to deny it any longer, he loves this girl more than anything and he’d do anything for her.
“Always. I promise… I’ll always protect you.”
Mi-ae smiled. It was still tired and shaky, but so warm and genuine.
He pulled her back close into his chest.
Cheol loves her. Now is not the time to say it. But he’s never been more certain of anything in his life.
As Mi-ae continued to take comfort in his embrace, he didn’t have to say it. She knew.
For now, they would take a moment to recover.
Tomorrow will be a brighter day.
Bonus
A few days had passed since the incident. The highschoolers had been too terrified of Cheol’s wrath to report him and potentially get fucked up again.
As for their parents, when they had gotten back home, both families were waiting outside for them. Cheol’s dad was quick to get upset before Mi-ae threw herself between them. She stood there, standing her ground to protect the man who gave his everything for her, until Cheol placed a hand on her shoulder.
That’s when she broke down and started crying.
“He was protecting me.”
The biggest hurdles were overcome with those words.
For that night, there wasn’t a lot of discussion. They let Mi-ae stay by Cheol’s side as they cleaned him up and tended to him.
Cheol and Mi-ae embraced tightly before separating so she could return to her home.
Conversations happened slowly over the next few days. Cheol’s parents were understanding, but firm with how terrified they had been. How this can’t happen again. Mi-ae’s parents were so thankful that Cheol had been there for her, but were firm with how she can’t go around on her own at night like that.
That brings us to today. Mi-ae’s mother has softened up on her enough to let her go over to Cheol’s place.
The vibes are still a bit odd in the families, but they’re all slowly recovering.
Mi-ae arrived at the Kims’ home, being polite with Cheol’s mother before hurrying her way over to his room.
“Cheol~!” She exclaimed as she barged in, Cheol having expected her but still being startled, currently reading on his bed.
“Hey Mi-ae.” He gave a little wave.
Mi-ae waddled over, dropping her bag in front of the bed before dropping herself onto it, a grin on her face.
Cheol rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips too. “What’s up with you, goof?”
Mi-ae gave him a silly look. “Oh, nothing, I just remembered something I had really wanted to… give you…” She trailed off as she started digging into her backpack.
Cheol cocked his head curiously as Mi-ae slowly (for dramatic purposes) pulled out a bag of funny looking chips.
He was even more confused. “Whaaat’s… that you got there..?”
Mi-ae opened her mouth to say something before pausing. She opened and closed it a few times like a koi, hesitating on how to say what she wanted to before just going through with it.
“I… Got these for you. A few days ago…-” Her gaze trailed to the side.”
“Um- they might be a bit crushed now. I only remembered earlier this morning that I still had it- the bread I got for myself has definitely flattened- Like, it’s a pancake now- which is not what I bought, they had pancakes and I purposely got a round bread, but- And I also got a drink we can share-! It’s like, warm now it’s no longer cold but-”
“Mi-ae…”
The girl in question had been looking away throughout her whole tangent. She felt a gentle hand graze hers, causing her to slowly allow her eyes to come back and meet…
His.
“Thank you.” He said softly. Genuinely. His eyes were so warm. Mi-ae felt her heart rate increase. She felt her cheeks slowly begin to heat up.
“U-um! Yeah, of course! I… really wanted to give you this. Really…-” She cut herself off as Cheol gently gripped her wrist and pulled her towards him. Into his arms.
Her face got warmer, but she didn’t dare protest. Instead, she nestled her face into his chest.
So warm.
So safe.
He began to hesitantly card his fingers through her hair. Once she melted into the touch, he became a lot more confident in it.
“.. Mi-ae…” Cheol whispered softly.
“.. Yeah..?”
“.. I want to keep you safe. Forever…”
“.. I love you too, Cheol…”