"It looks...horrendous." Lisa let out a voluptuous yawn as she followed Jung-Kook along the hallways of their dormitory building. In her hands hung a light box filled with what appeared to be clothes, and on the very top, laying tummy first, was Love.

It was a quarter past eleven A.M., the same day, and they have finally been allowed access into their new dorms for an uncertain period of time. Most have already claimed their new rooms, but the brunette's vet appointment slowed down the process. The corridors were long, as she acknowledged, and the never-ending walls appeared to look the same to the point where if she ever walked in circles, she would never notice. Jung-Kook led the way, thus she could not see anything in front of her, but definitely was able to name some students known to her as she passed by them.

"Mind the steps." the boy warned as he gradually stepped down after turning to Lisa to make sure his words were heard. She looked closer to unconsciousness, but one could not blame her considering the past events she had to witness.

"Are you sure we did not pass by my room?"

"Affirmative, we did not even reach the right quarter of the building."

"What do you mean? Everyone's here."

"You are of higher interest."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she painted a confused frown, still analyzing her left and right. Therefore, Jung-Kook stopping in the middle of the hall went unrecognized by her until she was physically unable to continue walking because of slamming into him, or, her box digging into his abdomen, that's more like it.

"That means," he explained, gently pushing the box aside, "that everyone did not have a corpse piece on their door mate. Also," his left hand grabbed Love from under his tummy, and as both of Lisa's hands were occupied she could do nothing against it except look beggingly at him, "this is confiscated."

"What do you mean Love is confiscated? He's just a dog!"

"No dogs in the dorms."

"But there you are." she dared to roll her eyes, defeatedly sighing as he faced him again. "What are you going to do? Throw him out?"

"Obviously not." Jung-Kook assured her as he returned to heading forward. "He will be transferred to the canine yard of our Academy, along with our other dogs."

"But I don't want him to become an aggressive and shameless dog. He must remain a distinguished gentleman."

"Do not worry. Our other dogs are neither aggressive nor shameless. They are all well-behaved and educated. I can assure you Love has a bright future waiting for him and he will achieve that."

The more they dived into the building, the more she saw the boy use his badge to get through security checks. As Lisa obediently followed him, it seemed as if she were a prisoner sent to her cell. She would never find this place worthy of being called her home, thus a wish of the investigation being over soon rose in her heart. The fact that she had so little clothes to wear alone was the first reason for that desire of hers to go back. The second one was having to swallow the boy's arrogance.

"What's your name?"

"Jung-Kook."

"Cool name." She awaited for the question to be returned and when that seemed like forever she came again. "I'm Lisa."

"I know." He stated, the calm in his voice made it sound cold and distant, yet it hasn't failed to give Lisa a spark of curiosity.

"Why?"

"It's the third time I meet you, I think it's about time. I also believe that since you'll be living here, it's only fair."

The brunette wasn't particularly in need of an explanation of why he found it necessary to know her name but rather how he found out. Perhaps he was given a list, but now that she thinks of it, that's a felony. Information about her shall not be shared, "the boy shall watch how he acts else I'm going to sue" she thought, giving him a warning look he was unaware of, due to his position.

"What?" Her question came out after he stopped near the staircase, even more that he seemed unlikely to explain himself.

"Give me the box." He requested, with his arms open.

"Why?"

"There's six stories ahead of us. Do you wish to carry that on your own?"

"Dude," she exclaimed at the sudden confession, knowing that by the time they have reached the sixth floor, her lungs would've given up on life, "you guys don't have an elevator?"

"Even if we did, I wouldn't let you take it. But, to answer your question, we certainly don't." Jung-Kook responded with remarkable stability while working his way upstairs. "Elevators are risky."

"How come?" Asked Lisa, hand on abdomen to support her breath. She counted two stories. Four more to come.

"You cannot run from a potential attacker."

"All this training and you cannot possibly beat a potential attacker?"

"I said you cannot run from a potential attacker. I'm just being considerate with our guests."

Time to time, Lisa would wipe the sweat off her palms off her pants, or widen her mouth for a bigger breath in, for it constantly felt that her body requested more air than she could take in. By the fifth floor, her scalp was already moisty and she felt the material of her clothes stick to her skin. Taking a fast look at Jung-Kook, she was perplexed with how, regardless of his apparently more thick clothing, he has not started snuffling yet.

"There it is." His finger pointed to a closed door. "You can make yourself comfortable. The bathroom is inside, however the dorm doors have no lock here."

"Then how are we safer here than at home?" As her box was returned to her, Lisa asked.

"The gates alone are of a higher security than any lock you could have had at home, adding the ever-changing patrols guarding every corner and the bulletproof doors at the entrance, I consider it quite safe, I must say."

His answers felt like a report given to a lieutenant, he always addressed her accordingly and made sure his vocabulary was on point. Except, obviously, when Lisa decided to use irony on him, which would make him break character for a while and join her teasing game. During this dialogue, Lisa was nor the closest to him that she's ever been, given the fact she was physically slammed against his body when they jumped out of the window, but sure she had the most time to analyze Jung-Kook closely.

In a short time she learnt to admire his dedication, from his posture to fulfilling his duty and whatnot. After a closer look, she learnt that his appearance was quite mesmerizing, a young thought born today after their enclosure. His uniform was far from letting Lisa get a complex picture of his appearance but a glimpse of his face was enough to make him fall under the conventionally attractive but arrogant-arse umbrella.

"If you, however, still feel endangered, I'm living next door."

"Aww, that's a sweet invitation, thank..."

"Knock anytime from 6pm to 8pm, I may or may not answer. I will now leave for the general meeting today."

A faint memory of the dean informing them about the meeting to be held at twelve today was reconstructed in her memory. She had forgotten about it, however, after leaving the box on her bed, Jung-Kook's figure had already distanced enough. After a quick scan from left to right which ended with the conclusion that Lisa did not want to be alone there, she retraced his steps in a hurried manner, yet still slowed down by fatigue.

"Wait for me!"

*

First night in her new dorm would have normally given Lisa a headache, the thought of sleeping with her door unlocked after the crime was unbearable. However, exhaustion left no place for scenarios and paranoid thoughts. Never in her life would she have thought she would pass out on such a hard mattress. Unlike Lisa had expected, she woke up without an alarm by six in the morning and by the time she reached the same coffee shop she usually visits, her body felt completely charged.

However, that did not absorb the mental tiredness that piled upon her mind. Perhaps a steady caffeine base would cushion the impact of this event, or so suggested the thought that has brought Lisa there - near the campus coffee shop. She won't have any on an empty stomach regardless, so the damage will be minimal.

"What can I get for you today?"

"An English Breakfast..." she patiently waited for him to tap it on his tablet, "and a black coffee."

"Will be done in a few!" he then announced through an overdone smile.

It was a habit of Lisa and Chae-Young's to visit this place every morning, thus it never occurred to the brunette that her other half would not show up, but given the context she acknowledged it understandingly with a taste of bitterness still. Early in the morning, she made a promise to herself, that she will live through this without fear and as if nothing has ever changed. But besides noticing obvious guards dressed as citizens near their campus, Chae-Young not following their lifetime habits kind of wakes Lisa up from her positive approach towards the situation.

Almost unconsciously she accepted the call that caused her phone to vibrate, and her hand brought it to her ear, expecting her roommate's voice.

"Hello, dear!"

"Hi." She answered, somehow ashamed her figure turned towards the window. In the back, collective chatting occurred, thus her father's words were inaudible almost.

"How have you been?"

"I'm good."

"I've heard about what happened. Is everything alright there? Did you move in back with your mom and that man?"

"I'm sorry," Lisa began feeling disgusted by his apparently caring side, for she knew her warm tone was just a sugar-coated lie, "I believe that's none of your concern. I already said I'm fine. And don't call my father <that man>."

"Lisa, don't be like that. I am your father."

"I am afraid not."

Regardless of blood bond, the one that was driven by worry at her dorm at midnight was not the one that claimed to be her father right now, but rather a man who found his love for Lisa and her mother later. And she has never had trouble with calling him her father ever since.

Meanwhile, her biological father comes and goes, usually when something huge occurs - and by nature it has to be negative, almost as if he developed a liking towards adding misery to her life. Like when something falls, and when you bend down to pick it up, something else falls and hits your head, just because.

"Your mother already approved of this call, you can at least make it worth it. I ditched a lot of stuff to talk to you."

"You should have done that when it mattered."

"Miss..." the waiter announced with reluctance, "here's your order."

One thing Lisa adored to do when her biological father called was not to hang up on him, but simply place her phone down and let him talk until he realizes no one's listening and he hangs up by himself. And so she did right now - phone face down on the table and let's enjoy the meal accordingly!

"Thank you! It looks delicious!"

*

"Because I already went out with you this week." Jung-Kook explained through the phone, the rings embracing his fingers clicking against the screen as his boots stumped against the pavement. "Moreover, I'm a lot more occupied lately."

"At least pick my daughter up from kindergarten."

The boy already cooked a spicy commentary on how bad of a dad his uncle was, but decided against it. He felt, however, frustrated with how he could neglect his own child, feeling that filled his gut entirely when he checked the time that read a quarter past nine. Afterall, Ni-na should be protected from her father's careless behavior, or so tried Jung-Kook to convince himself as he sneaked past the other on-duty guards until he got lost through the crowd of the night life. It was by far not his first time doing this, so no adrenaline swam in his blood.

The daycare Ni-na is signed up for is at a six minutes run away from his dormitory, thus he skipped over stretching and went straight into jogging towards the destination, and only allowed himself to rest when the building was in sight. Because of the prestige of the area, security cameras are lessened near the daycare, he noticed, along with a short guy walking parallel with him on the other side of the road. After a subjective analysis of his physique, Jung-Kook concluded that he was no threat and gave little care to his being.

However, it gave the boy a sense of reassurance that Ni-na was not the only one that remained at daycare until, well, night, considering the man that kept the door open for him with a smile must also be there to pick up a child.

"Your shoelaces."

"Excuse me?" Jung-Kook asked, taking a glance at his shoes, and noticed his right shoe's laces were untied, hanging left and right as he walked.

"They're untied. Be careful!" the elder stranger suggested with a warm smile. The boy quickly transformed his frown into a generic smile and thanked him with a bow before bending down to solve the issue. Seconds later, his knuckles gently knocked onto the wooden door of the main playground area, and he entered without waiting for further notice.

Inside, he was welcomed by two kind ladies. One's back faced him, as Ni-na's chin rested on her shoulder. The other was Lisa, surprisingly enough. At the sound of the door clicking, the blonde turned to face him. Her name was unknown to him, but Chae-Young recognized him from Lisa's descriptions. Jung-Kook's lips parted to speak but were glued together by Lisa, who signaled for him to sit in silence. Confused but obedient, he occupied a place on the sofa as the brunette disappeared in another room.

"Let's go." she commanded with a whisper as she handed Jung-Kook Ni-na's luggage. "Did you...run here?" she then questioned, having noticed his state - his hair holding onto a wet look, and shirt moderately reaching away from his waist. His breaths were still irregular.

"As you can see, Miss Lawyer." he saw her roll her eyes as she passed by him out of the door. Chase-Young discreetly passed Ni-na to Lisa's arms, then locked the door behind them. To the blonde's actions, Jung-Kook's mind gave birth to a question.

"Did the other guy already leave?"

"Your imaginary friend?" Li-sa mockingly asked, as she patted Ni-na's head to ensure a deep sleep.

"The other guy that just walked in before me." he then explained.

"Here, Chae, unlock my car, I'll drive them home first." Li-sa guided her then abruptly turned to the boy. "The man before you left about four hours ago, I'm afraid."

"But somebody just walked in like...right now? He even kept the door open for me."

"Jung-Kook." she stopped his blabbering with her index finger, then assumed with a windy voice. "The crime made you too paranoid, perhaps."

"Lisa." he proceeded to circle her wrist with his hand, then slowly push it down as he spoke. "Are you implying I've gone mad?"

"Undoubtedly." Lisa, struggling to support Ni-na's body with a single arm, freed her other from Jung-Kook's grip and the latter accepted the move, regardless the girl regretted destroying their connection as soon as she witnessed him slyly pinch the keys from Chae-Young's jacket's pocket and go back inside.

Chae-Young's face adopted a distressed look, to which Lisa shook her head to tell her that Jung-Kook is mainly at fault and the blonde should not worry for not stopping him. Silently, both awaited for something to take place so that the unmoved picture painted with thick unease could be left behind. Jung-Kook avoided making much noise or turning on the lights, thus his position was unknown to the duo waiting outside. It never occurred to him that he was at disadvantage by being foreign with the building.

It started to trouble the boy, what could be the reason for entering a daycare kindergarten after the closing hours? It's not a place you could rob, so could he be searching for someone? Perhaps for the two girls, it could be the criminal...or a pervert...or it's a loan shark who came for Ni-na as a result of his uncle's unlawful life. On a brighter side, it could be a janitor, for Jung-Kook never asked if the kindergarten has any. And he could only hope for the latter as he dug deeper into the darkness that emulsified in the room.

A door slammed against the wall - he was unsure which but faced the source of the sound blindly. After an unforeseen click, the lights turned on, and storming in was Lisa - her straight hair waving like the ocean at shore as she stomped against the wooden floor. Jung-Kook fought the urge to stop her, for he sensed she was not aimlessly searching but walked with an intent and perhaps a culprit in mind. Instead, he vigilantly followed her like a shadow. Her aggressive steps gave no quarter for the toys on the ground, nor for the flesh of a middle aged man that she found on all fours in the dining room. To her barbaric act, he raised his hand up and hesitated to touch it, afraid of causing more damage.

"What are you doing here?" he dared to question her presence. His instinct of approaching Lisa with anger faded after noticing Jung-Kook towering above her from behind, thus he was left in a puddle of pain and shame.

"What are you doing here?!" Lisa's voice reached unmeasurable heights. "Do you want me to call the police?"

"Do so if you wish! Put me in jail, 'cause you're soon gonna get me outta there, right, miss Lawyer?'

"You..." she fell into a squat to meet his eyes, her upper lip pulled up by disgust, "are a disgrace. Get out or I'll make sure you cannot outlive your sentence."

"You won't, come on now..." the man eerily shortened the distance between them. "Look, I brought you flowers. I just want to make up." he reached for something inside his bag.

"Enough." Jung-Kook abandoned his former position and aimed for the man on the floor, who soon enough caught on the boy's intentions and hurried towards the door.

"Don't hang up on me next time." he warned with his index finger waving in the air, sloppily walking backwards until he could no longer be seen. Lisa took a moment to sigh and proceeded towards the exit herself.

"Why was your father inside?" Chae-Young interrupted her lullaby when the man ran past, which, beyond the shadow of a doubt, woke Ni-na up from her spontaneous nap.

"Let's go." she ordered with a croaky voice, a feeling of sand glued to the inside of her neck warned her that a cry of frustration might escape her mouth without further notice. Thus she avoided confrontation by nesting in the driver's seat and adopting a concentrated look.

Chae-Young occupied the back seat, hidden from Lisa's eyes. The blonde sensed her friend's delicate temper has been meddled with, and she recognized that fault belongs to her as well - for revealing the identity of the man in front of Jung-Kook. She put apologies on hold, and submitted to the silent atmosphere that ruled inside the car. The boy sat on the passenger's seat, hence the duty to brush off the awkwardness fell on him.

He acknowledged she has taken a few wrong lefts and rights but refrain himself from supplementary comments, instead began searching for a topic. Chae-Young, who noticed the matter as well, knew Lisa drove aimlessly in order to feel like she had reached far away from the place her frustrations first occurred. By the time they will have reached the destination, her anger will have been gone.

"Where do we drop off the baby?" Lisa demanded with a hint of calmness and peace, as her eyes melted when she saw Ni-na nap on Chae-Young's shoulder in the mirror.

"Near Ewha University."

"Want me to drop you off first, Chae?"

"No," she whispered cautiously, "I'll come with you."

"Fine, then buckle up because it is going to be a long drive."

"I have a question." the boy mockingly raised his hand.

"Yes, Jung-Kook?" Lisa side-eyed him as he stated his request but soon returned to looking at the road.

"Can I turn on the radio?"

"No, Jung-Kook."

"Ok." His hand reached for the radio regardless. Quick and quiet, he smashed all the buttons until it began to work.

"...and today's news is headlined by the mysterious appearance of a corpse in a students' dormitory last night. After proper investigations, the authorities have finally revealed the identity of the body. The police department spokesperson declared that it belongs to thirty-five years old Song Jang-Mi, a lecturer working at that University! What a plot twist! Could it perhaps be a crime out of revenge? Or a cover-up for something worse? The authorities are yet to confirm..."

"Miss Song?" Chae-Young muttered through her trembling lips.