Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cale Henituse jolts awake when the gym storage room locker door slams open with a bang.

There on the door stood a boy.

Black, messy hair.

Stoic, sweaty face.

Parted peach lips, huffing air.

Disheveled, dusty uniform.

Shaky eyes in the reddish brown hue so similar to his own.

Cale Henituse locked eyes with the boy that suddenly barged into the gym storage room he is currently sleeping in. It was only a second, but it was enough to give the boy a glare that would usually make anyone in their school, even the teachers, cower.

The boy matches his glare with a blank stare and they stayed like that for a heartbeat.

Then there was a shout from somewhere outside and the eye contact ends when the boy looks back muttering a curse, and before Cale could react, dives behind the stack of foam mats Cale had been sleeping in just a few seconds ago.

Soon after a group of boys came running in, stopping in their tracks when they see the occupant of the storage room.

"C-Cale Henituse!?" The boy in the front chokes when he sees him, eyes bulging and stepping back and out the doorframe. The others with him seem to also hesitate from entering. Cale guesses that they could probably see the boy from before but are scared to enter because of him. A group of bullies, most likely.

Cale gives them the same glare that he gave the boy from earlier and the bullies scram, tripping over themselves as they scramble to apologize and run.

With an irritated huff Cale settles back to his makeshift bed to try and get back to sleep.

He can hear the boy shuffling around though, so with a snarl he gave his warning.

"If you make any more noise, I'm going to do worse things to you than those fuckers ever could." 

Wisely, the boy settles down and the gym storage room descends into silence once again. Soon enough the only sound Cale could hear is the boy's rythmic breathing and his own thoughts. The thoughts he could ignore, but he can't tune out the other sound.

Strangely though it wasn't annoying. Somehow soothing even. Before Cale realises it he had closed his eyes and fallen back asleep, only waking up again when the school bell rings to signal the end of the day's classes.

Cale stretches, feeling refreshed and well rested for the first time in weeks. It had been so long since he'd slept this much. It feels nice.

When he gets up he is greeted by the sight of the boy from earlier sitting on the floor by the door, hugging his knees and looking bored.

They lock eyes.

"Why are you still here?"

Cale was so baffled that the boy didn't leave that he forgot to add his signature scowl and annoyed face when he asked his question. 

The boy just shrugs, unbothered.

"You said not to make any noise."

Cale's brow's knit together in confusion, "So you just sat there doing nothing all afternoon?"

"I took a nap."

Cale blinks at the immediate answer and deadpan delivery, then bursts out laughing.

The boy just looks at him unimpressed, dusting his pants as he got up.

"Now that you're awake, I'm leaving." Was all the boy said before giving him a quick thank you bow and casually walking out the door and leaving Cale clutching his stomach in laughter.

Cale does not even know why he finds the boy funny. Maybe because his reaction is so refreshing?

When Cale arrived home later, Ron notes that this was the first time since Cale started high school that the boy arrived from school smiling.

----

Cale Henituse, an infamous delinquent of the prestigious Rowoon Academy, is currently repeating his senior year in high school after an incident last year resulted in him getting suspended for 3 whole months.

Today he is attending classes for the first time since the opening ceremony a week ago. He had been ditching class in favor of sleeping his insomnia away in the various hiding spots he had discovered all over the school.

Currently he is standing in front of the class and giving his nervous classmates a cold stare while the teacher tried to cheerfully get him to introduce himself to his new classmates. When he clicked his tongue, the entire class flinched.

"They know who I am" was the only thing Cale said as he scans the class, recognising a lot of faces from the boring company parties he was forced to attend as part of the Henituse family.

His eyes then settled on a certain black-haired boy sitting by the windows.

Cale recognizes the boy.

The bullied boy who hid in the gym storage room and had the gall to use him as a shield from the bullies, and then went and had a nap.

The funny boy that was not scared of him. 

A scary smile forms on Cale's lips as he saunters over to the boy, standing in front of him and ignoring the teacher trying to tell him that his seat is the empty one near the door.

"Do you like your seat?" Cale asks. The boy looks up at him, not flinching away from his glare. Cale could see his eyes shaking though which is quite entertaining.

So the boy /is/ afraid of him. He must be quite brave then if it doesn't show in his face. Or he's a really good actor. Either way, it's interesting.

Should he terrorize him a bit?

"Yes," the boy anwered, then with only a hint of hesitation, added "seonbae-nim"

"Ho?" Cale can't help the amused laugh escape him. It has been so long since anyone refered to him politely, with everyone too afraid to even come and speak to him. In the corner of his eyes he could see their classmates watch them with bated breathe, probably waiting for Cale to snap or something. Good. His new classmates should stay aftaid. He focuses back to the boy.

Cale tilts his head to the side arrogantly, the movement still elegant somehow, eyes pointedly moving towards the nameplate everyone wears as part of their uniform. Then he speaks again.

"So, your name is Kim Roksu... hmm, too bad then Roksu. Can I call you that?" Cale places his fingers on top of the desk, moving it slowly side to side like he's carressing it, continuing his words without waiting for Roksu to speak, 

"Anyway, Roksu, I want this seat."

Cale's tone as he said that was calm but menacing. He expects Roksu to react, even just a little, but he wordlessly just stood up and collected his things. Cale does not understand why he feels disappointed.

When Roksu was about to head to the empty seat near the door, Cale stops him.

"Stop." Roksu looks back at him, confused, "Your seat is here."

Cale pulls out the chair in front of his chosen seat, ignoring the squeak of the the classmate sitting on it, glaring at the poor guy until he apologises and scrambles away with his things. Cale then turns to the nervous teacher watching and smiles menacingly at her.

"This seating arrangement is fine, right? Teacher-nim? " He asks pointedly, making the teacher jump a bit before nodding quickly and nervously telling him it's fine.

Cale then turns to Roksu, smiling at the the confused expression on his face. He holds a hand out, presenting the now vacant desk.

"Here you go..." Cale drops his smile, "Sit."

Roksu shuffles closer and worldlessly sits down.

Hmm. So unexpectedly obedient. Cale is a bit unsatisfied but lets it go, losing interest. He sits down too and proceeds to ignore everyone, a hand on his chin and looking out the window with a frown.

He shouldn't feel irritated that Roksu didn't have much of a reaction, but somehow he is. 

With the show over the class finally starts, the teacher and his classmates all pretending that nothing happened, probably sighing in relief that Cale did not cause any more disturbance. Not that Cale cares what they think. As long as his reputation remains the same, he doesn't care anymore.

The class proceeds smoothly.

Cale was in the middle of zoning out when a small paper note was handed to him. He looks up just in time to see Roksu returning to look at the front like he didn't just pass a note to him.

He cocks an eyebrow in question, then looks down on the note, eyes glinting as he read the words from the neat script.

[Thank you.]

"Pfft!" Cale couldn't help the snort that came out of him. The classmates nearest him all flinched in their seats at the sound, but he didn't pay them any mind. He's more focused on the note in his hand.

A thank you note. He was being thanked. For what? Did Roksu like his seat so much? Why on earth would he be grateful for something like that? Was he not scared of the infamous Cale Henituse sitting behind him and possibly make his life hell? Everyone else was scared when Cale sits behind them.

Interesting. Cale is intrigued. He never thought he'd get an amusing classmate like this. He feels giddy somehow.

Still though, this is very unusual. Cale doesn't know this Roksu well yet other than the fact that he's being bullied. Maybe passing him the note is a ploy to get closer to him? There had been a lot of people who tried getting closer to him in the past before because he of his status and money. Maybe Roksu is one of those?

Cale scans the room idly, trying to figure out what Roksu is up to. That's when he noticed the surrounding occupants of the seat near the door, the seat that was supposed to his seat. Venion Sten. Neo Tolz. Wave Ailan. Karin Orsena. Cale recognizes them. All nobles with shitty personalities. All different brands of bullies, but bullies nonetheless.

Something in Cale's mind clicked.

He thought of the day before and Roksu's unassuming last name. Since Cale can't remember any noble or rich family with the surname "Kim", then Roksu must be one of the few commoners that Rowoon Academy would sometimes offer a full scholarship for to appear philanthropic. Meaning Roksu is very likely a favorite target of the snobby bullies who think they're so much better than everyone else just because they're born with a silver spoon up their ass.

Cale drums his fingers on his desk, staring at the back of Roksu's head, very amused. So this is what he was up to.

Kim Roksu was not thanking him for the window seat. He thanking him for the protection.

By sitting near Cale, Roksu has effectively deterred any bullies from harrassing him during class.

Cale chuckles. A cold wind blows in from the window, making his hair dance as he then leans forward, saying something in a low voice so only Kim Roksu could hear him.

"So you chose the devil to ward off the annoying gnats, huh?"

With satisfaction Cale watched as the hairs on Roksu's nape stand on end as Roksu shivered. He can't see Roksu's face, but he wished he could. Roksu was resolutely ignoring him, not giving away any indication that he heard. That's fine though, Cale could play along.

Cale leans back, smiling. He was annoyed on having to repeat a year, but it looked like this school year would be more interesting than he thought it would be. 

From the outside perspective, it looked like Cale said something sinister to Roksu before leaning back, satisfied with himself. Roksu shivers again, and they almost pity the commoner who caught the lout's attention. Almost. It better him than them. Everyone ignores Roksu's plight and focuses back to class.

Meanwhile...

Kim Roksu laments not bringing his jacket. The weather is turning cooler than he anticipated, and it's hard to focus when the wind is blowing cold air in.

Vaguely he hears Cale Henituse mumble something behind him, but he couldn't quite hear it as it was said in a very low volume. He shivered again from the cold. He liked sitting by the window, but he is also weak to the cold. He makes a mental note to bring a jacket next time.

Hearing Cale Henituse's voice made Roksu think of him though.

He had heard a lot about Cale Henituse, especially from his seonbae Choi Han who was classmates with him before Cale got suspended and repeated a year. Choi Han often butted heads with the redhead, especially since Choi Han is part of the disciplinary committee.

The first time Roksu met Cale was a few days ago while he trying to hide from a group of bullies. It was hard not to recognise Cale. He was probably the only redhead left in school after Rosalyn graduated. Roksu had seen him before too, at a distance, but don't really know him aside from the rumors.

Roksu's first impression of Cale was... mixed.

Although unintentionally, Cale did protect him from the bullies. He also threatened Roksu to keep quiet, but otherwise left him alone. Roksu also understood why Cale didn't want to be disturbed when he saw the deep eyebags on the redhead's handsome face. Seriously though, how can someone be that handsome?

Cale was kind enough to still let him sit on a window seat too, even when his way of doing it is a bit menacing. Roksu quite liked the window seat because the view is nice to look at when he's bored. It made listening to the boring lectures more bearable. He is grateful.

Soo Hyuk seonbae-nim had told Roksu to always say thank you to people who did him a favor, so Roksu decided to give Cale a thank you note. He is just following what his seondbae-nim taught him. Whether Cale accepts the gratitude or not is up to him. What's important is that Roksu shows his gratitude.

He really liked the window seat.

It was also a bonus to sit near Cale too. Everyone is afraid of the redhead, so no one would bother Roksu in the classroom, at least. The bullying had picked up again now that his seonbaes had graduated. It is very annoying to deal with, but Roksu just need to endure for a year.

Although... Roksu kind of wished Cale sat in front of him. He is one of the most handsome man Roksu has ever met, with the most vibrant red hair he's ever seen, and he wouldn't mind a great view to look at all day.

Oh well.

Kim Roksu focuses back on the class on hand, not knowing the misunderstanding brewing behind him.

Chapter Text

Kim Roksu is a commoner.

When Roksu started high school, he managed to be chosen as a scholar of the prestigious Rowoon Academy and thus was given a chance to start attending said school. 

However, Roksu had no illusions that his high school life would be all fun and merry as the scholarship information pamphlet given to him promised it would be. He knows his place in society and thus he had expected that he will be subjected to bullying merely because of his commoner status and orphan origins.

No, Kim Roksu did not expect his high school life to be easy at all. He merely chose to attend this Rowoon Academy because he deemed it better than staying in the orphanage. He merely went for the promise of a better future, of the prospect of better opportunities once he graduates.

In the first month of Kim Roksu's freshman year in Rowoon Academy, he was bullied so relentlessly that he almost quit school.

However, it was also around this time that he was saved.

Lee Soo Hyuk, a senior and the head of the discipline committee, took Kim Roksu under his wing and gave him an opportunity to get back at his bullies in a stealthy manner that won't affect Roksu's academic records. He was Roksu's saving grace, and the man he respects the most.

In Kim Roksu's freshman year in Rowoon Academy, he met and befriended many good people, and among his circle there was his best friend Choi Jung Soo and his seniors, the strong Choi Han, the smart Rosalyn Breck, and the glib Alver Crossman. Their presence in Kim Roksu's life made that year interesting.

By the end of that first year, Kim Roksu became a frequent subject of gossip both praising his academic performance and scowling at his status as a commoner. Many students admired him just as much as many resented him. It was no doubt, however, that Kim Roksu was protected by his more powerful friends. Even when Lee Soo Hyuk graduated, the next 3 years of Roksu's high school life went eventful but relatively peaceful, full of memories that Roksu would cherish for years to come.

On Kim Roksu's senior year in Rowoon Academy, with most of his friends having graduated and Choi Jung Soo gone on another country for a students exchange program, he was once again alone like he was that first year in high school.

Thus, now without the protection of his friends, the bullying of Kim Roksu began again.

"WAAAAAHHHHH ROKSU YOUR FACE!!!" 

Choi Jung Soo's weepy snotty face is pressed close on Roksu's phone screen. Currently Roksu is having a video call with his best friend (although he won't admit the best friend part out loud). It has been a week since senior year started, and Jung Soo had called to check on Roksu.

"Stop crying. You look ugly." Roksu tells Jung Soo, avoiding the topic. A few days ago he got cornered by Venion's minions and he was not able to escape in time. A bruise had formed on his cheek where he was struck. It is healing nicely though, no longer aching as much now.

"I should come baaack" Jung Soo continues to cry through the screen, "The food here sucks anyway. Not enough spices. And I can't let anyone hurt my dongsaeng! I'm gonna beat the punks that hit you to a pulp!"

"Who are you calling dongsaeng?" Roksu complains but is smiling anyway as Jung Soo continue to ramble on what he'll do to Roksu's bullies. He appreciated the concern. If Jung Soo were here, the bullying won't be much of a problem, but there is no use to thinking about what ifs. He will just have to deal with it. 

"By the way, I met Cale Henituse." Roksu says, making Jung Soo stop his ramblings to look shocked at Roksu.

"Cale Henituse!? THE Cale Henituse?"

"Yeah. He repeated this year. He sits behind me."

"WHAT!?"

From the screen Roksu can see how shocked Jung Soo is at this information. This reaction is not really surprising since, as Choi Han's relative, Jung Soo hears first hand how troublesome Cale Henituse was.

"Roksu-ya! Are you sure you are ok? Did Cale Henituse do anything to you?"

"I'm ok." Roksu reassures. He then thought about his interactions with Cale so far, and the only thing that stands out is the chair incident the other day, so he added that.

"He took my chair."

Jung Soo looked aghast, probably imagining something worse. To assuage his fears, Roksu decided to add his assessment on Cale, summed up in a statement he feels encapsulates everything nicely.

"Cale-seonbae seems nice."

From the other side of the world, Jung Soo fears for his best friend's life.

Cale Henituse was sleeping on his desk when he was awoken by the sound of obnoxious voices talking.

Contrary to popular belief, Cale Henituse actually cared about his academics quite a bit and used to never miss a class or failed a grade. He likes knowing things, so he usually is attentive in class even if he looks like he isn't. The only reason he was absent for a week and is sleeping in class now is because he already attended it last year. He thought since he already knows today's lesson anyway, he might as well get some sleep since his insomnia prevented him from sleeping at night.

It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep in, but Cale managed to fall asleep anyway, so being woken up by loud annoying noises pissed him off a lot.

The voices came from the seat in front of him. Since the guy sitting in front of him rarely talks, then the noises is definitely not Roksu. Cale guesses that since he's asleep, some rather foolish bullies took their chance to torment Roksu. A stupid decision. They should've been quieter if they did not want to wake Cale.

In order to achieve a proper scare, Cale pretended to still be asleep and bid his time, listening for a chance to strike.

"Are you really eating that?" Obnoxious voice 1 says. It looks like the taunts are now directed to the food that Roksu is eating. Must be lunch time then. 

"Your food looks disgusting, commoner" Obnoxious voice 2 says. Cale rolled his eyes at that. Are they really bullies? Their taunting game is weak. Is that really the most insulting thing he can say?

"Not even a pig would want this!" Obnoxious voice 3 adds, sniggering. At least this one is a bit creative with his insults. He looks like he's having a lot of fun. Cale decided to scare this one the most.

At obnoxious voice 3's words, there is a chorus of snickering from the bullies. They must find the stupid insult really funny. Is Roksu just letting the insults slide? The thought is somehow making Cale's mood go bad to worse. No. This won't do. He can't wait anymore. Fuck it. He's going to interfere now.

 Cale was about to scream at them to shut the fuck up when he hears Roksu suddenly talk, and Cale had to pause his outrage to listen.

"I guess you should know a thing or two about what pigs eat," Kim Roksu says drily. His delivery was calm and pleasant, but somehow that just made it more insulting. At his words the snickering suddenly stopped.

"What did you just say?" One of the obnoxious voices asks. Probably picked up the insulting tone and didn't like it one bit.

"I mean," Roksu continued conversationaly, "You seem sure pigs won't eat this. You must be well versed on what kinds of food the pigs prefer. Why don't you give this a try? Maybe you'll end up liking it and then you can recommend it to your pig friends?"

Cale can somehow just imagine Roksu lifting up the food and offering it to the bullies with an insultingly innocent face. The thought made him smile. He itched to get up and see for himself, but he also don't want to ruin the moment.

"You!" Having lost his words, that was the only thing obnoxious voice 3 could say.

Maybe Roksu got this and he doesn't need to interfere after all. Cale settles down, letting things be and waiting for the bullies to leave. But then, obnoxious voice 1 started talking.

"What are you getting cocky for, huh? You think you're something because the Choi's took a liking to you? You are nothing but a filthy commoner—!"

BANG!

Cale Henituse slams his hand on the desk so hard that it rattled at the impact. He slowly got up, the screech of his chair moving across the floor loud against the suddenly dead quiet room, glaring at the bullies so viciously that one of them fell down because his knees got weak in fear.

"Fucking noisy pigs" Cale snarls, his tone even but icy, "Yap yap yapping. Are you blind, HUH??"

Cale took a single step forward, and the bullies took several steps back.

"I'm sleeping here, can't you see?"

Cale runs a hand through his hair, another hand on his hips, looking like an annoyed thug. He shakes his head slightly, clicked his tongue, and then levels his gaze at the bullies. Even though there is not much of a height difference, there is no mistaking that Cale is looking down on them.

"Haaaa. So noisy. So inconsiderate. Don't you know that you should stay quiet when people are sleeping? Hm? Why are you so damn noisy?"

"W-we were j-just—" one of the bullies tries to say, but Cale shuts him off with a crack of his knuckles.

"I shut your mouths up permanently."

"Eeek—!"

The bullies ran off, scrambling to leave the classroom in a hurry. The few students still in the classroom also turned away and pretended not see anything, trying their best not catch Cale's attention, flinching when Cale kicks a desk in annoyance.

Cale pays them no mind. He is still a bit annoyed that he didn't get to punch anyone, and he doesn't know what to do with his annoyance so he took it out on the desk instead.

What the bully said there at the end really got to him. Those were the kinds of comments people used to say about his brother, and it really gets on his nerves when he hears it.

"What's so wrong about being a commoner? Fucking no good lowlifes. Ugh. So annoying..." Cale mumbles to himself, kicking another desk in annoyance, not knowing that behind him, Roksu heard his words.

'Cale got angry because of that?' Roksu thought, a bit surprised at the discovery.

For Roksu, who had to deal with those kinds of comments all his life, the bully's words were not a big deal at all. In fact, he doesn't care about it. Soo Hyuk seonbae-nim had told him that people who are hung-up on status don't have anything else going for them, so he shouldn't care about what they say.

"Listen, Roksu-ya. People like that, if you strip away their status, they are nothing. They cling to is so much because without it they are just pitiful."

Those were his seonbae's words, all those years ago when Roksu was about to quit school because of the bullying.

"That's why, Roksu-ya, if you find people who look at you as you are, you should cherish them. Believe it or not, there are many people like that."

Of course, Soo Hyuk seonbae-nim also taught him to make sure to hit his bullies in the back twice as hard as they hurt him, but that's beside the point.

The point is, Soo Hyuk seonbae-nim was right. Roksu met and became friends with a lot of wonderful people who doesn't care that he's a commoner.

Roksu looked at the back of Cale Henituse.

Cale just threatened to beat up some classmates for being noisy and now the redhead is currently busy angrily stomping and kicking on some empty desks, causing a ruckus and scaring their other classmates, not caring about consequences.

This kind of behavior was one of the reasons why Cale Henituse and Choi Han often clashed in the past.

It was a common assumption to make that Cale Henituse is a terrible person.

Cale Henituse is the school delinquent. He holds status and power in his hands that few could oppose. He is someone who even the bullies fear.

Out of all the people in this school, Roksu wouldn't have guessed that Cale Henituse is someone who doesn't care about status.

Roksu does not know what he expected when he got acquainted with Cale Henituse, but...

'I guess my initial assessment of him is correct...'

While Roksu was having these thoughts, Cale is starting to calm down, now only feeling mild annoyance instead of anger.

With a cuss word Cale kicks one last desk, snarling at it for good measure, and then he finally turns to go back to his seat, intending to try and sleep again.

As he turned, he inadvertently sees Roksu. The moment their eyes meet Cale pauses, his expression turning from annoyed to surprised to dead serious.

"Oi."

Cale calls, staring intensely at Roksu.

"What happened to your face?"

Roksu blinks at the sudden question, not really understanding why he was suddenly asked that.

"It's a bruise?" Roksu hesitantly answers, unconsciously touching the side of his face and wincing slightly at the pain. Then remembering his manners added, "It's just a bruise, seonbae-nim."

Cale's eyebrow ticked, and he somehow looked annoyed again as he spoke.

"Ha? Just a bruise? Your face looks like a squashed grape. It's all blotchy and purple."

Cale took a step closer.

"It's annoying to look at."

​At that, Roksu got a bit confused. It's just a bruise. He's had worse so it is not a big deal. Why is Cale Henituse looking at him like that?

"Then don't look?"

Silence.

The room went dead silent at Roksu's words. Behind Cale their classmates that didn't leave when Cale was kicking the desks are all looking at Roksu, horrified. They could not see Cale's face, but they assumed, judging by the way Cale is silent and his bad mood so far, that this is not going to turn out good.

"Heh" Cale made a noise, and their classmates flinched.

Cale stepped closer to Roksu, leaning down and tilting Roksu's chin up. Roksu gulped, sitting there frozen in place, staring up at Cale with shaking eyes because the redhead is staring at him so intensely and he's so close that Roksu could count the individual lashes on his eyes.

"Don't look?" Cale says, voice turning louder and more vicious the more he speaks, "Don't look??"

Cale tilts his head a bit to the side, the small movement somehow making Cale look more menacing.

"You dare tell me what to do?"

Roksu wanted to answer that no, he was not telling Cale what to do. He was only suggesting that since Cale doesn't like what he's seeing then he should just look away. It is not Roksu's fault that his face looks uglier because of the bruise after all.

However, Roksu got distracted because he noticed that Cale's eyelashes are rather long and that they're a darker red compared to his hair.

'His lower lashes are long too... how unfair... the eyebags somehow just made him look more handsome...'

Kim Roksu missed his chance at answering.

To everyone else, it looked like Kim Roksu is staring back defiantly at Cale Henistuse.

To Cale, it looked like Roksu is dissociating, maybe even trying to hide the names of the person that hurt him in fear of retaliation.

"Now you don't say anything?"

Cale lets go of Roksu and steps back, running a hand through his hair in and looking down at Roksu, not really knowing what to do with the guy's lack of reaction.

On his seat Roksu just blinks up at Cale, a bit disoriented at the sudden distance between them.

"Haaaa... you really..." Cale sighs, annoyed but also impressed but also frustrated, not quite understanding why he's so pissed off at the thought of that despite being hurt,Roksu is treating it like it is not a big deal.

"It really is just a bruise though?" Roksu lamely defends, once his brain stops hyperfocusing on Cale's absurdly beautiful eyes. He really could not understand. Why is Cale so bothered by the bruise? It's not like Cale hasn't seen a bruise before?

Cale glares even more at him and clicks his tongue.

"Annoying..." the redhead snarls, 

Then without warning Cale just grabbed at Roksu's collar, yanking him out of the seat.

"You're annoying me."

Without further ado, Cale starts dragging Roksu out of the classroom by the collar with a look that has everyone parting out of his way. Startled, Roksu instinctively just grabbed at anything, managing to take his thermos with him before being led away by his pissed off classmate to who knows where.

"Should we tell a teacher?" One classmate wonders out loud as they watch the two go further and further away from the class

"Are you kidding me?" Another classmate pipes up, "Do you want Cale Henituse to target you too?" 

"I kinda feel bad for Kim Roksu..." another classmate says, although they didn't move to help Roksu either.

"Let's just arrange the desks before lunch ends or we'll be in trouble." Another one says, and everyone present agrees, choosing to ignore their Kim Roksu's plight.

Meanwhile, Kim Roksu is wondering what he did to make Cale Henituse look so angry.

'Does Cale really hate looking at bruises so much?' He wonders, 'Why did he grab at my collar though? Where are we going? My uniform is going to be so wrinkled...'

It did not even cross his mind that Cale Henituse might hurt him.

Kim Roksu sits perfectly still in the edge of the bed, not daring to move while Cale Henistuse is in front of him leaning so close to his face.

They were both silent, with Roksu doing his best to keep still while Cale concentrates as he gently and carefully apply the ointment on Roksu's bruise.

'He's so careful...' Roksu thought as he stares ahead, only taking an occasional glance at Cale, 'I can barely feel anything with how careful he is...'

When Cale is done applying the ointment he then took a bandage and placed it over the bruise, inspecting his work before nodding in satisfaction.

"Here," he hands Roksu the rest of the ointment, "Apply this twice a day until the scab on the wound peels off. That way the wound won't scar. It will stop the swelling too."

"Thank you..." Roksu tells Cale as he accepts the ointment, sitting there not knowing what to do now, a little bit confused in what is happening.

Cale just huffs and proceeds to tidy up the med kit, grumbling all the while. Although he could not hear everything the redhead was grumbling about, Roksu did hear a "just a bruise he says" and "broke his fucking skin" and "could not even tell it's serious".

Roksu just observes Cale. He could not understand the redhead's actions. Although Cale was aggressive about it, he did bring Roksu to the school clinic and treated his bruise, even bandaging up his other wounds like the papercuts on his fingers and the scrape from his elbow from when fell while running away from the bullies the other day.

Cale was careful not to hurt Roksu, but he also threatened him with violence if Roksu didn't sit still and be quiet.

It is a very confusing contradiction.

There is no benefit for Cale in doing this, either. Maybe it was pity? Somehow Roksu can't imagine Cale being the type of person to take pity on others.

Maybe Cale really just doesn't like looking at bruises.

Whatever it is, Roksu is grateful. He doesn't like pain, and with the help of the ointment he could already feel it numbing down the throbbing ache on his cheek. It is a relief.

The school bell rings, signaling the students that they only have a few more minutes before afternoon classes starts. At the sound of it, Cale starts to leave the clinic, but Roksu stops him.

"Seonbae-nim!" Roksu calls, and when Cale faced him, proceeded to hand him the thermos he was able to bring with him from the classroom. Cale looked dubiously at it but still took the thermos anyway.

"What's this?"

"Galbi-tang." 

Cale blinks at Roksu, so he elaborated.

"I had it for lunch."

There is a few seconds of silence as Cale tried to figure out why Roksu would give him his leftovers, all the while Roksu just stares at him like what he just said is explanation enough. After a heartbeat, Cale decided to just ask.

"...Why are you giving me this?"

Roksu just tilts his head a bit.

"You haven't eaten anything?"

Because he had been sleeping, Cale had missed most of lunch time. Even if he goes to the cafeteria now, there would not be any time to eat anything before class starts. Cale also does not seem like the type to bring lunch from home either, so Roksu decided to just give him what's left of the soup. It should be enough to stave off hunger a bit, at least.

There is more confused blinking as the two just stare at each other. Finally Cale looks at the thermos in his hand and opens it, peering inside to see less than half of the galbi-tang left inside.

Cale glances at Roksu.

Roksu just stands there looking at him, face stoic and unreadable, waiting.

Cale looks back at the thermos, decides that the galbi-tang looks edible enough, and poured it on the thermos cover that also doubles as a cup, and took his first sip.

A moment, and then...

Cale looks down at the cup of soup in his hands, brows furrowing like he's deep in thought, and then takes another, bigger sip, chewing on the bits of beef from the soup.

Roksu watches as Cale repeats this process a few more times, half-wondering what Cale is thinking about as he eats the soup.

"You're lucky I'm hungry." Cale suddenly says, abruptly returning the thermos back to Roksu.

"Ok?" Roksu recieves the thermos.

"It tastes horrible." Cale adds, then promptly walks away, leaving Roksu just standing there confused.

"You finished it all though?" Roksu says to no one in particular before finally deciding that what goes on inside Cale Henituse's head is none of his concern and he should just go back to the classroom before class starts.

When he returns, he ignores the look his classmates are giving him, opting instead to seat quietly back on his desk. He glances at the desk  behind him and sees Cale already there, hiding his face in his arms, probably to go sleep again.

Kim Roksu sits, looking out the window and touching his bandaged cheek, deep in thought.

It is no longer aching. Whatever was in the ointment is doing wonders to his bruise.

'I should thank him properly...'

Kim Roksu may be confused at Cale Henituse's intentions, but he is also someone who knows how to be grateful.

Rowoon Academy cafeteria, a group of gossiping friends:

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Cale Henituse is targeting that commoner. You know the one that's always hanging around with the Choi's? Kim Roksu?"

"I heard he got beat up yesterday. Came back covered in bandages after Cale Henituse dragged him out at lunch!"

"Poor thing. Cale Henituse must have heard about his connection with Choi Han. Those two were always on each other's throats!"

"Serves him right actually. Just because the Choi's like him does not mean he's equal to nobles now. He's being arrogant."

"I heard he provoked Cale Henituse too."

"I heard Cale Henituse got so angry at him that he broke a lot of desks."

"He has great grades though... and he's kinda cute... do you think we can make him do our assignments?"

"Maybe. But I won't go anywhere near him if I were you. Do you want to end up as another collateral damage?"

"Yeah, I heard about that. Apparently Cale Henituse beat up Venion's lackeys because they messed with Kim Roksu!"

"What!? Why would he do that?"

"Apparently it's because they messed up Kim Roksu's face. And! Listen to this! The reason Cale Henituse got so angry was because he wanted to be the one to bruise Kim Roksu's face and now he can't because Venion beat him to it!"

"No! That's so vicious!"

"I'm just repeating what I heard!"

"Ah, I'm getting goosebumps just imagining Cale Henituse targeting me. So scary!"

"Poor Kim Roksu..."

"Yeah. It's best to just stay away from him for now, just until Cale Henituse gets bored of him."

"Agreed."

Behind the gossiping group, a concerned student starts typing on their phone, sending this information to a seonbae that's currently on the other side of the world.

Chapter Text

Slam!

Cale Henituse slams a hand on Kim Roksu's table, making Roksu look up from the book he is reading.

Roksu squints at Cale, his eyes just peeking out from the book, a bit annoyed at being interrupted from his novel but otherwise curious why the redhead is here.

Cale meets his gaze, cocking an eyebrow and smirking when he notices Roksu's annoyance at being interupted from his reading.

"You shouldn't make noise in the library." Roksu says, voice low but clear.

"There's no one else here." Cale says normally, smiling wider when he spots Roksu frown, looking more of a pout from his angle above.

"Jack's here" Roksu replies, volume still low, and they both look over to the library reception desk where Jack, a junior currently doing library duties, sits. Sensing their stares, Jack looks up and gives them a quick smile and small wave before going back to whatever it is he was doing.

Cale hums in acknowledgement, and Roksu took this quick moment to observe him.

The readhead is currently leaning on his hand on the table, his other hand on his waist in a pose that Roksu was sure he had seen models do in magazines. Cale looks the part anyway, with his tousled hair framing his face quite nicely and the school uniform somehow looking haute couture on him despite the entire student population wearing the exact same thing.

It is honestly unfair how good looking Cale Henituse is. 

'It really is the face that makes any fashion look good' Roksu thought, appreciating the fact that he can see such a sight.

One of Roksu's hobbies is looking at and appreciating beautiful things; people included, and Cale by far is one of the most beautiful person he's ever met.

Cale turns back to Roksu, smiling again as their eyes met, dragging a chair back as noisily as possible like he's challenging Roksu to say anything, before sitting down across Roksu and looking smug about it.

Roksu doesn't know what got Cale into such a good mood, but good for him he suppose. The redhead is always grumpy and frowning, always with a scowl on his face. It is honestly nice seeing him all smiles like this.

"I took care of Venion and his minions."

Cale suddenly says, smile wide and and eyes cresents, looking at Roksu with amusement. He then leans in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially, never once breaking eye contact as he adds:

"I beat them all to pulp. Every. Single. One."

There was a moment of silence as Roksu processes the words. Cale was looking at him expectantly, tilting his head slightly, wide eyes and wide grin, like he was waiting for something.

"Uhh..."

Roksu knew that Cale is a delinquent, and that he is really good at fighting. Roksu knew at least that Cale never once beat Choi Han, but he also never lost to anyone else. Is he bragging about how strong he is? He looks so proud of himself. Why is he looking at him like that?

Could it be...? 

"Good job."

Roksu says as sincerely as he can manage.

"You really are very strong, Cale seonbae-nim."

Cale must've wanted to praised.

"You did a good job winning!"

That must be it.

Roksu even smiles, to show that he meant his words. Soo Hyuk seonbae-nim would always praise him and Jung Soo whenever they did a good job on things. He had complained about it once, but his seonbae-nim just laughed at him about it.

"Listen Roksu-ya, everyone likes to be praised. Even if they don't say it. It feels nice to be acknowledged when you do a good job. It's just how it is."

So Cale Henituse must have wanted to be praised. Why else would he tell Roksu about something he regularly does?

Roksu does not like Venion anyway, so he's happy that the bastard got beat up. From the looks of it, Cale does not like Venion either. Why else would he beat him up otherwise? Venion probably started it, too.

'This must be why Cale-seonbae is in a good mood' Roksu smiles at the thought, his mood getting better too.

"Thank you for telling me!"

Roksu thanks Cale. It is thanks to him that he recieved this good news, and because of this that his day also got better.

In front of him Cale looks down, and then abruptly stands up, the chair he's sitting on falling ang clattering loudly as it hit the floor, startling both Roksu and Jack.

"Seonbae-nim?"

Worried, Roksu leans in closer, looking up and trying to see Cale's face. Their eyes met and Cale immediately turns away, a hand over his face. Despite his efforts though, Roksu could clearly see Cale blushing all over, from his face to his ears and even to his neck.

Roksu wisely does not comment on it.

'Cale must be happy being complimented...' 

Roksu mentally pats himself on the back for guessing right, remembering how shy he felt too the first time Soo Hyuk-seonbae praised him. By the looks of it, Cale is really shy right now too.

'Cute...'

"I-I'm leaving!" Cale says, almost shouts, turning away. In his haste he bumps into the next table, knocking another chair over, but he resolutely ignores this and continues to march away.

Roksu stands to see if he's alright. Bumping into the table must have hurt. He was about to call to him, but before he could Cale had already left the library.

Jack, worried, comes over.

"Is everything alright, Roksu-sunbae? Are you hurt?"

Roksu just shakes his head and helped him pick up and arrange the chairs and tables back to place. Roksu was quiet, and whenever Jack looks at him he looks like he is thinking of something deeply.

From Jack's point of view, Cale Henituse was being obnoxious to Roksu who was just reading quietly. They then exhanged a few words that Jack couldn't hear. He did not see their faces when they were talking, but he did see Cale Henituse when he stormed out and he looked like he was red with anger, even knocking over chairs and pushing away tables out of the way.

Jack is a bit worried about his sunbae.

Roksu was actually just thinking about how cute Cale looked being shy like that while also worrying that Cale might be in pain from bumping on the table. From the outside though, his serious expression was misinterpreted as him looking troubled.

"Are you really ok, sunbae?" Jack asks again. 

"I'm really ok. Thanks for helping me with the chairs." Roksu just smiles a bit at him, assuring him that he is fine, though Jack noticed that Roksu kept glancing towards the library entrance.

Jack returns to his post while Roksu resumes his reading. Not long later Roksu leaves, returning the books back properly as usual and waving at him goodbye. He looks ok now, back to his usual self, but Jack is still worried.

Cale Henituse is an infamous man in their school. Even the freshmen knew about him, the delinquent who hospitalized a couple of underclassmen, got suspended for 3 months, and had to repeat a year.

Is he really targeting Kim Roksu like the rumors said?

Should he tell Hannah about this? Jack and his sister owed Roksu a big favor when Roksu helped Hannah out when she got injured. They both look up to their sunbae and if he needed any help, they would immediately be by his side.

Jack thought about his and Hannah's close friend Mary, a cousin of Alver Crossman. He knew Mary and Alver were close, and that Alver was a close friend of Roksu too. Although Alver already graduated, he should still be able to help.

Jack resolves to talk to his sister and Mary about what he witnessed today.

Cale Henituse doesn't know when he started hanging out with Kim Roksu, but these days he finds himself gravitating towards the stoic boy more and more.

At first he was just intrigued that Roksu does not seem to be afraid of him, even having the audacity to use him as a shield. Then he just wanted to see his stupid stoic face crack, but no matter what Cale did he never seemed to be affected by it. Then he got his stupid pretty stoic face hurt and... well...

It ended with Cale eating some soup...

Anyway, Cale had just wanted to pay Roksu back for the damn soup. That's why he beat up Venion's group and told Roksu about it. He expected to see Roksu to look surprised, even grateful, maybe even a little bit afraid once he hears the news.

He simply just wanted to see Roksu react.

What Cale did not expect though was to be praised for it.

He also did not expect to see Roksu /smile/.

Cale certainly did not expect to feel happy about it.

Another thing were those damn words.

"Cale-seonbae, don't forget to eat."

Ever since the soup incident, every lunch without fail, Roksu would remind him to eat. Roksu had stopped eating in the classroom, but before he leaves he would makes sure to say that, even leaving a note if Cale is still sleeping in his desk.

Cale used to skip lunch a lot, but now he finds himself making sure to eat just so he could tell Roksu about it. He would then roam around the school to look for wherever Roksu is, and once found he'd say:

"I ate a sandwich for lunch."

And Roksu would go:

"Is it good?" 

And Cale would go:

"Not really. I've had better, but it's filling."

And Roksu would nod and say,

"That's good. It's good that you ate."

And if he had any leftovers Cale would give it to Roksu and leave from whatever place he found Roksu to be in, and later when they meet in the classroom again Roksu would thank him for it and Cale would spend the entire afternoon period staring at Roksu's back.

Then it got to the point where Cale purposefully gets two sets of his lunch specifically so that he would have leftovers to give to Roksu and then wait in anticipation for him to thank him for it and now that Cale thought about it, what the fuck? Why on earth is he doing that??

So Cale stood there, under the sun, wiping the dripping sweat off his chin and trying to rationalise his irrational behavior as he watch Roksu run his lap on the track field.

They are currently in their P.E. class and the coach had them run a lap around the track field under the blazing sun and while running for some reason Cale found himself following this train of thought.

Then he finds himself seeking Roksu again, just passively standing there as Roksu complete his lap on the field, sweating and breathing hard and slumping onto a bench, his P.E. uniform damp and his dark hair sticking to his forehead.

The sight reminded Cale of their first meeting, somewhat. Roksu had been disheveled then too, sweaty and breathing hard from running, peach lips parted as he huffed out air...

Cale frowns, wondering what's up with him today. He's been thinking about Roksu more than usual, not that he thinks about Roksu a lot in the first place. Is he just tired? He wasn't able to get enough sleep at night lately, so maybe he's just a lot more tired than usual?

Their classmates, seeing Cale glaring at Roksu again, starts to distance themselves from the two, whispering nervously with each other and anticipating another incident.

Cale and Roksu didn't notice.

The wind blows, sending chilly air that brought relief to the students out in the field. It also blew past trees and dislodges loose leaves that fell gracefully to the ground, one of which landed on Kim Roksu's head.

'He didn't notice...' Cale finds himself staring on the the leaf on top of Roksu's head. Roksu did not seem to notice, and it looked like the leaf won't be falling off his head anytime soon. It's just there, on his head, a stark yellow on the black of his hair.

Before Cale could really think about it he marched towards where Roksu is, their classmates sitting with Roksu on the bench scattering when they see him approach.

Roksu did not even notice him there at first, too tired from running to be aware of his surroundings. Then he feels something touching his head and he quickly looks up, meeting the gaze of Cale looking down at him.

"There's a leaf on your hair." Cale says blandly, trying to play off how he froze when Roksu suddenly looked up and, eyes shaking at the sight of Roksu flushed from the heat, sweat trickling down his bared neck, peach colored lips ever so slightly parted.

Badump.

For some reason, his heart suddenly quickened, and Cale was so distracted with it that he didn't notice how his hand is still on top of Roksu's head.

Roksu, used to the affectionate noogies his hyungs would give him, was not bothered by the hand on his head. Instead, he just thanked Cale for removing the leaf off his hair.

"Do you need anything else, Cale-seonbae?" Roksu asks when Cale made no indication of moving. He just kept staring at Roksu, face unreadable, but he's blocking the sun so Roksu didn't really mind him standing there, plus he's a nice view to look at, even when sweaty.

Cale blinks, regaining his senses at Roksu's question and, feeling a bit awkward, he just says the first thing that came to his mind.

"Let's eat lunch together."

As he said it Cale regrets it immediately, but he's not one to back down easily so he just decides to own it. Worst case scenario Roksu rejects the offer and nothing would change. Best case scenario he accepts and... they eat lunch together... 

Cale decides not to think about how nice that would be, focusing instead of waiting for an answer.

Now it was Roksu's turn to blink. He did not expect Cale to ask him that, but then he remembered that Cale had started giving the lunch he could not finish to him, and Roksu guessed that Cale must be tired of looking for him just to save bits of food.

"I just don't want to waste food!" was what Cale had said to him the first time it happened, practically shoving the half-eaten lunch to his arms. Roksu had heard that Cale was a picky eater, so he must also have little appetite, and so it made sense that Cale would give food away if he can't finish it.

Cale's lunches were always good too, so Roksu is not complaining. In fact, he never had this good tasting food his whole life. He was always happy whenever Cale finds him for lunch and shares food with him.

If Cale wants to eat with Roksu so he won't have to walk around anymore, then Roksu would gladly comply. Also! That place he preparing to show to Cale is almost ready anyway, so this is actually coinciding great with Roksu's plans.

"Sure!" Roksu says, a bit more cheerfully than usual, smiling his (as his friends would call it) scammer smile at the thought of delicious food and his plans aligning,

"That would be perfect, Cale-seonbae!"

Cale, not knowing about Roksu's thoughts, is once again caught off guard by his smile, taking a single step back as a sort of fight or flight response. Unfortunately, it was also at this moment that he realizes that he still has a hand on top of Roksu's head, and it was only because of years of practicing self control that he didn't snatch his hand back immediately from panic.

As naturally as possible, with all the grace he can muster, Cale lifted his hand off of Roksu's head and wiped his chin with the back of his hand, trying his best to look like he was just casually wiping the sweat off himself, like it was the most natural thing to do after carressing someone's head.

"Well if you agree, see you later at lunch I guess."

Cale looks away a bit, playing it cool, rather glad his voice did not crack.

"Damn this heat," he grumbles, one hand on his hip and another running a hand through his hair too because he does not know what to do with his hands anymore or what to say next, clicking his tongue because he's sweaty and for some reason he's bothered by it now and he's becoming self-conscious about it.

"Here, sunbae," Cale hears Roksu say, and when he looks again there's a water bottle in front of him. Roksu had gotten up to get some water from a cooler nearby and is holding it out for him to take. He is looking at him so seriously, and Cale is then suddenly very aware of how close they suddenly are.

"You're a bit red. You should get out of the sun before you overheat." Roksu tells him, and although he remains stoic Cale could tell that he's a bit worried.

There is another badump, and Cale snatches the water bottle out Roksu's hand.

"I'm fine." Cale grumbles, a reflexive scowl appearing on his face. He turns away, pausing a bit and feeling a bit bad for defaulting to his trash ways, added a bit more gently,

"Thanks... for the. water."

Cale usually never thanks anyone, but Roksu always thanking him for things must have rubbed on some manners into him somehow.

Then he walks off, not waiting for a reply. His heart has been thumping like crazy again for some reason, must be the heat, and he grumbles how annoying it is as he looks for a shady place to take cover in.

Meanwhile, Roksu sits back down the bench, unconsciously touching the top of his head where the warm weight is suddenly gone, a bit confused on why it bothers him that it's no longer there.

A group of gossiping friends:

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Apparently Cale Henituse pulled at that commoner's hair during class!"

"What!? And the teacher didn't stop him!?"

"I heard it was during P.E. and Cale Henituse did it while the teacher was not looking! And he made that commoner fetch him some water too!"

"So vicious!"

"It must have really hurt too! My friend from that class said she saw Kim Roksu holding his head after, trying not to cry!"

"Oh no! Poor thing!"

"Right? I saw that him earlier too, getting lunch using Cale Henituse's cafeteria card. That delinquent is definitely using that Kim Roksu as an errand boy now."

"That's horrible!"

"Poor Kim Roksu. He must be having such a horrible time!"

Kim Roksu is having a great time.

It is lunch time, and he and Cale are currently in a hidden corner of the rooftop gardens eating lunch, their food a mix of cafeteria food and the lunch Roksu brought with him which they shared with each other.

At first Roksu had been a bit embarrassed with his food, just a simple kimchi fried rice that he cooked from last night’s leftovers and some gyeran-guk. Compared to Cale’s steak with a side of salad Roksu couldn’t identify but looked so delicious, cut tropical fruits with syrup, and a selection of desserts, his own lunch just looks plain and bland.

But Cale had shared his own lunch without hesitation and even asked to have some of Roksu’s lunch too, and not even complaining about the taste and quality even when Roksu told him it was homemade. He just ate the food without a fuss, even glancing at him every once in a while to make sure he is eating too.

‘Cale-seonbae is so considerate.’

Cale really is a very considerate person. The more Roksu spends time with Cale, the more he is convinced that Cale is a kind and considerate person and that the rumors about him are extremely exaggerated. He is not even as vicious as everyone say he is, especially when compared to even more vicious people Roksu knows in his life.

In summary, Cale is simply just a good person.

“Try this too.” Cale says, handing him some kind of pastry from the selection of desserts. Roksu recieves it gratefully and eats it rather happily, and it taste so good, making Roksu close his eyes at how good it is in appreciation on how heavenly the taste was.

The corners of Cale's lips twitch, trying not to smile, but Roksu doesn't notice.

Really, how can anyone say that Cale is anything but a good person? In Roksu's opinion, anyone who shares food as good as these can't be anything but a good person.

"You really like sweets, huh?" Cale says, looking at Roksu with amusement in his eyes. Roksu just nods, his mouth still full of the dessert. 

"Cale-seonbae likes sweets too."

"I do. I hate sour and bitter things."

"Like lemons."

"Yes! Ugh, I hate lemons! Everyone likes them, but I really don't!"

"Lemons are evil."

"Roksu! I'm so glad we agree!"

The two finished the desserts in peace, talking about random things. Roksu was a bit surprised to discover that they had a lot of similarities, like how they both like sweets, both liked to read, and how they both like non-strenous activities to relax.

"I thought Cale-seonbae's hobby is beating up bullies?"

"Want me to beat you up too?"

"Waah. I'm so scared."

"Oi. You punk."

"So scary."

Eventually the lunch period ends, and the two head back to their classroom together. The way there is a bit far, and they walk there in silence, but after a while Cale suddenly stopped walking. Roksu looks back at him wondering why he suddenly stopped.

"Roksu..."

Cale has both hands on his pocket, expression unreadable, posture stiff like he's ready to fight or run at a moment's notice. He is looking at Roksu seriously, and Roksu waits for him to speak. There is a few beats of silence, but eventually Cale asks him a question.

"We're friends, right?"

Roksu blinks at him.

"Why are you asking about something obvious?"

They've been friends for a while now, right? They just ate lunch together, of course they're friends. Ever since Cale brought him to the infirmary, in Roksu's mind they've become friends then.

Cale's eyes widen a fraction at his answer, then he smirks, the tenseness on his shouldiers melting away as he jogs back to Roksu's side.

"I'm just checking, in case you forgot." Cale jokes, playing it off like he wasn't really worried about it at all.

"I have a very good memory, you know. I would not forget." Roksu's deadpans, and Cale chuckles, putting a hand over his mouth and not removing it even until after they arrive to the classroom.

Roksu pretends not to notice that Cale is hiding a smile.

In a dorm room, a phone dings.

Roksu reaches for his phone and reads the message, smiling at the words he read.

"Seonbae, that thing you asked for. It's ready!"

That was the message he recieved from his hoobae, Mary.

Mary is a younger cousin of Alver and is currently a 3rd year and the current head and only member of the Osteology Club. She is a good friend of Roksu's, and after classes Roksu would sometimes help her with club activities if she asks. 

Roksu had asked her for a favor, and it looked like that place is ready to be used now.

He sends a quick thank you reply to Mary, and then checks over the progress of his plans, smiling even more when the pieces he set up are falling into place. It looks like he'd be able to implement his "hit the bullies in the back" plan soon.

Even though the bullies are currently staying away from him thanks to Cale's presence, Roksu is still holding a grudge from all the bullying he experienced since the start of the year.

Roksu will not let them get away with it without a fight.

Ding! Another message arrives, this time from Jung Soo.

Roksu ignores this one for now. He's still a bit mad at Jung Soo for telling him to stay away from Cale. Even though Roksu had assured him many times that Cale made it so that the other bullies don't bother him anymore, Jung Soo was still worried and continued to nag at Roksu.

So, Roksu decides to ignore Jung Soo for now.

That is why Roksu missed a crucial message from his best friend when he read the chat log the next morning.

Drowned in a sea of messages trying to get Roksu's attention were the words:

"I'm coming back there to save you!!!"

And,

"I'm bringing everyone with me!"