9 No One Speaks To Me Like That

Later that evening Hae Jae-Woo changed upstairs relieved that the day was over. His loose clothes floated about him as he dropped onto the bed and stared at the white ceiling. Moments later, Jeremy appeared at the top of the steps. He paused and frowned as his eyes scanned over Hae Jae-Woo.

"I wouldn't wear that if I was you," Jeremy whispered pointed to Hae Jae-Woo's white shirt.

"Why not?" Hae Jae-Woo sat up and gave a puzzled look.

"It's white," Jeremy muttered, but the statement didn't seem to phase Hae Jae-Woo, so Jeremy continued. "Cass and Jiho want revenge on you and knowing them, you'll end up drenched by morning. That top is white and somewhat thin. If it gets wet..." a blush touched his cheeks.

Hae Jae-Woo crossed his arms over his torso. "I'll change," he whispered. Jeremy stood up and sat on the top step. "I'll stay here and make sure no one comes up," he whispered before looking away and staring at the wall.

"Thanks, Jeremy," Hae Jae-Woo replied. Jeremy waited as he heard drawers open and shut. He looked down at his hands. He never thought he'd be protecting a girl from being discovered. It had his nerves jumping inside him. Was it always going to be this way? Was he going to have to guard her every time she changed? His cheeks inflamed. He shook his head, unnoticed by Hae Jae-Woo.

"I'm finished, Jeremy," Hae Jae-Woo muttered. When Jeremy stood and turned around, Hae Jae-Woo sat on the bed in a black shirt and gray pants.

"That'll work." Jeremy gave a comforting smile before going to his bed and collapsing.

Hae Mina forced her body to relax bit by bit. The day had been long and exhausting. Her energy waxed thin, yet her mind raced with the events. Meeting Chang Minsu, knocking out Kyung Jiho, dousing Cass, befriending Jeremy, and then the visit at the Maid's Diner. All of it raced in her mind in a jumble of incoherence. Her thoughts soon evened out and centered on her worry for Hae Jae-Woo. How was he? Was he sleeping well in the hospital? Was he doing what the nurses told him to? Was his head still aching? Was he still throwing up? Hae Mina soon drowned in her questions and sunk into oblivion as sleep pulled her under.

Below, Cass and Jiho stared at the ceiling, neither finding sleep and both plotting. The bed to the right of Jiho held Duskin in its warm embrace. The bed to Jiho's left held Cass from sleep.

"Jiho, are you awake?" Cass asked.

"Yeah," Kyung Jiho muttered.

Cass sat up in response to Kyung Jiho then leaned against the wall.

"I can't handle it. I have to do something to get back at him. He soaked me with water."

"So what? He knocked me out with a single hit, and I can't just tell him he's kicked out because Dae-Jung would kill me--as would every fan we have."

"Yeah, I know. Dae-Jung is scarier than the millions of mobs that'd be after us; although, I wouldn't want to be at the end of either one's wrath," Cass laughed in a hushed voice.

"So, what are we going to do?" Kyung Jiho asked changing the topic back to the original issue. Their eyes traveled across the room, seeing nothing as they plotted. Then Kyung Jiho sat up straight with a grin. "I have an idea." He then leaned over and whispered his plan to Cass, whose grin grew with every second that passed.

"That's perfect. Let's get to work."

Early, the next morning, Jeremy stretched out on his bed till his feet touched the base of the bed, and his finger collided with the headboard. A smile stretched across his face. He'd had the most wonderful, yet awkward dream. He stared at the ceiling then looked over at Jae-Woo's sleeping form. Odd he'd dream about her last night. He thought back to the dream and recalled that she had pulled her hair up and was wearing a long red sequin dress. They were at some type of function involving dancing. She had taken a turn with each member of Nightide. Then the end of the dream washed afresh. Why on Earth had he just watched as she kissed Jiho? Why didn't he stop her?

He shook his head and stood up. Well, dreams were just dreams, so he grabbed a change of clothes and hurried down the stairs. He pulled the bathroom door open and before he could take a step, a pail of iced water soaked him. He released a surprised yell and stumbled away from the door.

Kyung Jiho and Cass jerked from their beds then grimaced. Jeremy stood shivering and drenched by the bathroom door.

"Sorry, Jeremy," Cass muttered. Hae Jae-Woo leaped over the railing and his feet hit the floor.

"What happened?" he asked looking at Jeremy's white soaked clothes.

"I think this was meant for you," Jeremy replied, his teeth chattering.

Hae Jae-Woo's gaze locked with Kyung Jiho's. Kyung Jiho stood still for a moment before he took a step back. Hae Jae-Woo inched closer but was interrupted by Duskin leaping from the bed.

"We are so late!" He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his pale and lean chest. The other boys, realizing it was nearly nine, followed his example in a rush. Hae Jae-Woo turned and dashed up the staircase as fast as he could. Once at the top, Hae Mina covered her burning cheeks with her hands. She resisted the urge to squeak with embarrassment.

Aside from Hae Jae-Woo, she had never seen a man shirtless, but in a matter of seconds, she had not only seen one young man shirtless but four. She shook off the feeling that heated her cheeks and ears and began to change into her uniform. She managed to get her pants and undershirt on before she looked over to see Jeremy arrive on the top step. She gasped and his eyes jerked up. His eyes widened before he took a step back, stumbled, then tumbled down the stairs. Hae Mina jerked on her shirt before she hurried down the steps.

"You okay, Jeremy?" She asked, her voice a little higher than normal. The others looked at Jeremy with concern.

"I'm fine. I just slipped," he laughed as he stood up. He straightened his pants then grinned at the others, "We should get to class."

The others gave him a concerned look but made their way out of the room. Jeremy looked back and mouthed, "Sorry," before leaving. Hae Mina sighed.

Even if Jeremy promised to be her protector, she was sure that avoiding similar occurrences would be difficult. She rested her hand on the door, ready to leave, but paused as her phone vibrated.

"Hello?" She asked, masking her voice as Hae Jae-Woo.

"Jae-Woo?" Kyong Konu's voice questioned.

"Yeah?" Hae Jae-Woo asked.

"How was your first day?" Kyong Konu's voice was soft and kind, but the sound made her blood boiled. This man did not have an ounce of kindness in his soul.

"I'm in the band and I am doing what you asked. What else do you need to know?" Hae Mina asked.

"Brat, remember what I said. If anything happens…"

"I know!" Hae Mina snapped at him before she flipped her phone shut, then tossed it on one of the beds. After a short glare at the object, she turned and marched from the room. That man could destroy her life, it was true, but she was not the type of person submit to another's will.

Hours later, Hae Jae-Woo stood in the recording studio attempting to learn the music the only way he knew how to, but Kyung Jiho disliked the method. "Why won't you hold the guitar correctly and actually play? Or have you forgotten that?"

"I know how to play!" Hae Jae-Woo growled placing the guitar on the stand. "If you would just let me learn the song, I'll hold the guitar correctly. I need to hear it once all the way through before I play it. I've told you this three times already!"

"We're not getting anywhere," Dusk muttered. He sat on a stool in the back of the room. Dusk it turned out was actually Duskin's stage name.

"Dusk, I know. But you know I can't play with someone who is an underachiever," Kyung Jiho complained.

"Underachiever? I'm not even playing yet. How can I be an underachiever?" Hae Jae-Woo demanded.

"The fact you are not even attempting to play is what makes you an underachiever. If you actually cared, you would try to play."

"Stop arguing, you two," Rhee Min-Jun instructed with a sigh.

"Yeah, Jiho, give him a break. It's not his fault we only have two weeks till the concert," Jeremy input.

Kyung Jiho fumed but backed off. "Whatever, let's try again." The young men began to play the song. Again, Hae Jae-Woo didn't come in when he was supposed to; however, Dusk played the part instead. Kyung Jiho, his eyes closed, didn't notice who was playing.

Hae Jae-Woo looked back at Dusk and mouthed, "Thanks." Dusk only nodded as he jumped into his part. Hae Jae-Woo's part continued. He looked around and found Rhee Min-Jun had grabbed a guitar and began to play the part. Hae Jae-Woo had not realized until now that Rhee Min-Jun even knew how to play the guitar. So far, he had only used a violin. Rhee Min-Jun then switched to his violin as Yang Dae-Su joined in and played another guitar. Hae Jae-Woo continued to listen to the music and could hear exactly when his part shifted to Yang Dae-Su's part.

Kyung Jiho stopped. "Finally! Okay, let's try that again. I heard some pauses that don't belong, but it sounded great. You could do better. You used to at least."

"Fine," Hae Jae-Woo spat. Kyung Jiho started the music and Hae Jae-Woo lifted the guitar. He faced Dusk and shook his head. Dusk didn't play, but Hae Jae-Woo did. He turned around and watched every note on the page. The song continued and sped up. This time the pauses were less often, though a few existed. When the song slowed, Hae Jae-Woo continued just as he should. Dusk joined, followed by Rhee Min-Jun and then Yang Dae-Su. Meanwhile, Jeremy in the back continued to play his part on the drums, but a smile stretched across his face and it took all of his control to not laugh since he knew this Hae Jae-Woo had only heard this song today and yet she could still play it as well as the real Hae Jae-Woo.

When the song ended Kyung Jiho spoke. "Thank you. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Before Hae Jae-Woo could reply, Dusk interrupted with, "Ready for the next song?"

"Let's go." Kyung Jiho began the next song. After three measures, Hae Jae-Woo's part arrived, but once more he did not play. Kyung Jiho stopped and glared at Hae Jae-Woo. "You have to come in on time!" he began.

"I wasn't playing, Jiho," Hae Jae-Woo growled.

Dusk released a frustrated sigh, stood up, and marched from the room. Kyung Jiho didn't pay attention, but Hae Jae-Woo noticed Dusk laid on the couch and closed his eyes.

"Why weren't you playing?" Kyung Jiho demanded.

"We had this discussion not even six minutes ago. I do better if I hear the part first."

"You didn't hear it a minute ago."

"Actually, I did. They," Hae Jae-Woo pointed to the group, "played for me. So close your eyes," Jae-Woo pointed his finger at Jiho's face, "and let me hear my part; or shut your arrogant mouth and let me figure out my music sheet."

"You little brat! I don't care if you lost your memory; no one speaks to me like that!" He raised his hand to strike Hae Jae-Woo who stood ready to take the strike, however, Rhee Min-Jun caught Kyung Jiho's wrist.

With a cold glare, he stated, "Jiho, stop. Jae-Woo can knock you out in a second, and Dae-Jung will kill you if either one of you ends up in the hospital before the concert." Kyung Jiho and Hae Jae-Woo's eyes remained locked for several moments before Kyung Jiho finally jerked free and backed away. Hae Jae-Woo spun around and stormed from the room.

"Great, Jiho. If he quits because of you…" Jeremy began but Hae Jae-Woo did not hear the rest of the conversation as he continued on his way.