"How's your mom doing?" his uncle popped a question, his eyes sifting from a mirror to another as he parallel parked near a flower shop.

"She's fine." Jung-Kook was not to bother with enunciating a summary of her week. It was not that he was not aware of his mother whereabouts or disinterested of her, but his uncle surely was.

"C'mon, 인마, what's with the half-assed answers? That's all I've been receiving for the past hours."

But Jung-Kook's slam of the car door ended the conversation. A sophisticated flower shop in Gang-Nam, neat pavement guiding you towards its entry. Careless of whether his uncle followed him inside, the boy proceeded to walk. His nostrils recognised a pile of stacked fragrances, all so delightful yet when gathered together they were such a sneeze-caller. Welcomed by an ever-smiling worker, he turned to his companion. Unlike Jung-Kook, he answered with a smile.

"Good evening, sir." She struggled to talk while maintaining her approachable mask. "How can I help you?"

Sitting behind him, Jung-Kook once again noticed his uncle's spiteful existence. One like him does not blend well with the colorful set he has joined. He is objectively short, his posture seems to allow his hands to reach his toes comfortably. Not once has his hands left his pockets as he ordered, for his manners are qualified to be on a "wanting" list. Meanwhile his nephew resembled a support pillar, perhaps the lady serving them mistook him for his bodyguard. Truth is, his eyes checked every corner and his body stood stiff and alerted. It was more of a habit rather than a conscious move.

"I'm looking for roses."

"Sure thing, sir. Would you like them with long or short stems?"

"Cut them off. I only want the flower, I hate the stem." he ordered, somewhat dictatorial and assertive, much to the lady's surprise, given the fact that he was all smiles seconds before. "Haha! I hate them torns, you know? I don't want to hurt myself, that's all! Just...cut them and put them in a box."

Jung-Kook was tempted to raise an eyebrow, but refrained himself. It was no longer a reason for shock when he saw his uncle switch personalities in the middle of talking. He is an odd man, with whose darkness he no longer wants to have anything to do, hence his rushed and disinterested behavior.

"Oh! What kind of box have you thought of?"

"Surprise me, miss!" he tried to wash away his strange acts with a suggestive wink. Jung-Kook was unable to catch it, but smelt it from far. It was close to becoming a habit of his, he did notice. The boy was always successful with catching up on habits or tendencies, observant as he was. "Don't stand so stiff," his uncle addressed him once the lady had gone to prepare the request, "you're not at the academy."

"Don't order me," he harshly replied, a quite fearless statement, "you're not at the academy."

He sensed his ego was bruised but since no one has heard it, his uncle was yet to protest. Even more, he had no way of counterattacking his nephew's words other than invoking respect and the age gap. Therefore the subject was dropped.

"Excuse me, miss?" the elder called out and her head peeked from behind a door. "Could we perhaps go have a bite while our order is ready?"

"Undoubtedly!" she then shook off her sleeve to reveal her watch. "It'll be done in about half of an hour."

"Alright, then. Let's go. There's a restaurant just right next to this shop." the elder rushed to open the door for Jung-Kook, a non verbal sign of regret for what seemed to have caused his nephew to be irritated. But he refused. "Come on, why don't you come inside? You're making me look like a fool."

"You go first, I'll have a smoke and I'll follow."

"Fine, then. But please don't smoke outside of the restaurant. It's a high-rated one, and..."

"I won't ruin your unbeatable reputation, don't worry." Jung-Kook assured him as he walked aside towards the parking lot behind the building. There was his perfect spot - he squatted beside the back door and lit up his cigar. Cars were well-arranged, a dim light outlined them so that the cameras could figure out anything strange. The traffic sounds were uniform and never-ending. Chatter occurred here and there as passers-by got closer, but were soon overtaken by the sound of the night life. He picked up some conversations in moments of boredom.

"Yeah, I'm at dad's restaurant." a girl's voice pierce through the wind that whistled. Jung-Kook searched for the source and there she was, a young lady leaving her car. The phone was caged between her ear and her shoulder as her hands were busy picking up bags. "I took him, yes. He's eight weeks old." she stated, and the boy's eyes looked for a baby. "I'm unsure. The doc suggested I crop his ears and tail, but I haven't done my research yet, I haven't even named him." And there he was, a puppy peeking from behind the car. She failed to notice that the leash slipped from her arms due to her luggage, and so he rushed to the only human in sight.

"Hi, love." Jung-Kook greeted him, but stood frozen to not scare him away. When he finally touched his hand with his nose, the boy gave in and caressed his torso. He was tiny even compared to his hands, for his palm overshadowed the pup's entire body. "Why'd you run?" he asked, sucking in a last puff before throwing away his cigarette, to empty his hands in order to pick him up. "She will get the scare of her life as soon as she notices you are gone, you know?" his hand pointed to the lady still busy on the phone.

"I'll look into it, but I must decide until his next vaccine. If I decide it's better to do it then I must announce the vet as soon as possible." she concluded, finally locking her car. "No, Chae, I won't name him Noah, cut the crap." and when the girl took two steps towards the restaurant, she realized she had forgotten something. "Wait, I forgot him in the car, oh goodness! I'll call you in a few, hang up!"

Still carrying the voluptuous cargo, she returned to the car but the windows revealed an empty backseat. In terror, she dropped the bags and began looking under the chairs and finally, desperately checked the trunk. Meanwhile, Jung-Kook slowly found his way towards her car with the dog in his hand, thinking on how to return the pet without scaring an unobservant and vulnerable lady, half-dug in her trunk in a dark parking lot. So, when close enough, he placed the pet near her neck, and happy to be close to his owner again, the animal licked her skin.

Obviously, that gave her a bigger scare than a normal approach he could have done. Quick to get out of the trunk, the girl hit her head. "Oh godde- Ouch!" her palm slapped against her chest, where her heart knocked against her ribs, as if it wanted to jump out of her and run. "There you are! You gave mommy a heart attack."

"Don't blame him," Jung-Kook suggested in a childish manner, "it was my idea." Even after seeing her dog, her body did not relax, for she felt somewhat endangered. Her torso leaned backwards and her hands did not dare to take him from Jung-Kook's grip, or even try. The boy cracked a joke for that exact reason - to light up the mood but quickly decided against it. Only a creep would do such a thing. He was overjoyed by her reaction but meant no harm, so after letting go of the dog, he gave him a last pet on the head and a "Goodbye, love." and left the whole scenery behind. Few steps ahead, he turned his head partially and added "Don't do it, though."

"I'm sorry?" The brunette's words barely made it out her mouth.

"Don't crop his ears and tail. It's not worth it."

*

"So he just...left?" Chae-Young was so hungry for answers that she ditched her burger on the plate and turned her body entirely towards Lisa, as if her words traveled slower through air and Chae wanted to place her ear directly to Lisa's mouth.

"Well, yes?" the brunette's eyebrow was raised by confusion. "What did you expect? A slow kiss in the dark night?"

"I mean..."

"Chae-Young!"

"Sorry!" The blonde shouted while protectively building a shield out of her food tray.

"You're so lucky I have to go." Lisa lowered her fist.

"Where?"

"I have an appointment with Miss Song Jang-Mi regarding the legal advice team."

"Oh." Chae-Young acknowledged her schedule and moved on onto her food. "Go ahead, enjoy your boring duty."

The Law School campus was huge, regardless of how much Chae-Young would brighten Lisa's day, if the latter wished to reach Teacher Song's office, she would have to leave the coffee shop a quarter earlier. Once you left the corridor and entered the branches, you could no longer tell whether it was day and night outside, for no natural light entered the hallways. The staircase made the girl curse herself for the stylistic choice today - heels that slow her down and a skirt that requires a hand over it if you wish for your derrière to not be on public display.

When the targeted office was in sight - her pace slowed. Deeper breaths filled her lungs so that she will not sound like a horse after a race when she meets the teacher. One last check to make sure her uniform was neat and well-flowing down her frame, then she proceeded with knocking.

"Enter, please."

"Good morning, miss Song."

"Good morning. Take a seat, please." Lisa obediently walked towards the chair. She made sure her steps were even and straight, then she sat and corrected her posture. "How was yesterday?" but the teacher did not refer to anything else than the activity of the legal advice committee. Lisa requested a meeting as the leader of the team, as she had something bothering her.

"It went well, ma'am."

"You seem unsure." she noticed, for the student's sentences were short, whereas she knew Lisa as someone who gives extended reports. "Is there something?"

"Well, you could say that."

"What is it?"

"It's quite frustrating. The clients, I mean, or however we can name them. They always come in and seek advice but decide against taking action, don't you think?" Lisa's words flew unleashed. Miss Song leaned back, ready to digest her student's struggles. Her lips painted a hint of a smile - an inappropriate reaction to someone's frustration - but she admired Lisa's dedication and sense of observation she gained while consulting.

"What exactly made you realize that?"

"You see, yesterday a lady came in and asked about splitting the marital estate. I suppose she was considering a divorce. She seemed sure about it - she even had her papers with her - poor soul must have researched for a long time. Then after we concluded our consultation, I explained to her the steps and she decided against it!"

"We can't always convince them, you know."

"I do know! But it's unfair! And she is not just someone, she's inherited the C-Town Factory Farm, miss Song! Her husband's eager to take over it and it's simply unfair!"

"So that's why she wants a divorce." Miss Song Jang-Mi nodded understandingly to herself.

"Wanted." Lisa corrected her, eyes rolling annoyed by the unfortunate state of the so-called lady.

"Wanted." The teacher realized. "How frustrated are you?"

"A lot. The most. The greatest amount of frustration one can feel. Entirely, even."

"Then try to persuade her." Song Jang-Mi suggested. "You have her contact information in the database, right?"

"It's got a password, 쌤."

"So that's why you came." The elder amusedly understood the reasoning behind the visit. Laughter took over her, as she left her desk. Her lower back rested against the calorifier, where she stood drowned in deep thoughts for a while. "Lisa."

"Yes, 쌤?"

"Do you know Cho Nam-Joo?"

"The writer?" Lisa undoubtedly heard of her, for when she came in Korea, she's been reading books left and right due to having little acquaintance with the language and obviously having no acquaintances to spend time with.

"You remind me of her character, Kim Ji-Young, a- Yes? Come in!"

"Miss Song? It's time..." the man that interrupted Lisa's meeting was reductant in finishing the sentence, obviously disturbed by her presence.

"I know, I'll come in a few."

"I'll leave then, Miss Song." The brunette politely bowed in respect.

*

Lisa's eyes were so round and welcoming that the whole night life of Seoul could be absorbed into them. That night, however, little was her enjoyment when she observed the outside of her dorm with the help of her window. Wind whistled outside, making her shiver. Her feet were unable to recognize touch anymore for the cold floor made them numb. But deep buried on the couch slept Chae-Young, and she dared not to wake her up. She laid face first, forehead pressed against a hard-cover book.

The brunette figured out it must be uncomfortable, however her roommate is a deep sleeper, meaning she won't wake up due to facial pain, but will later wake up with a red and swollen face. Therefore she considered replacing the book with a pillow. Inside the bedroom, Lisa's phone was charging on the nightstand. She gave little care to that until the phone screen lit up, with no apparent notification. Only after taking it in her own hands did she realize that it was no longer charging.

"What, now? Is the charger damaged again?" she sighed in disbelief. With the intention of searching for Chae-Young's, she rushed to turn on the light, only to realize they won't work as well. "Right, Uni Dorms, here they go. No electricity."

In the lightless room, Lisa's face was framed by her phone's screen's luminosity, as Jennie was dialing her number.

"Li, your TV's working?"

"It's the electricity, babes. Nothing's working."

"Wait..." and through the silence she heard repetitive clicking, "you're right. Shall we call someone regarding this matter?"

"I'm sure someone already did, though. That's what everyone's doing right now probably."

"Imagine being in the shower and the lights suddenly turn off." Jennie narrated with a lower toned voice. "I would scream my lungs out."

Lisa did not answer, in her unrecognizable bedroom now only Jennie's irregular breaths interrupted the silence. She would hear Ji-Soo explaining the situation to someone, but very faintly, on the other line, and she guessed that her and Jennie were both awake and disturbed by the inconvenience. Perhaps it's an issue they will have to live with until tomorrow, for no one would want to come at midnight to deal with something so insignificant. Lisa almost hears the dean saying that there's no need for electricity at night anyway, for they shall be sleeping.

"Oh, never mind, it's back." Lisa heard from her friend as she also watched the lights turn on, but out of thin air the speakers started screeching, mayhap due to being abandoned for years. They serve as emergency alarms, but nothing really occurred that called for their usage.

"It's probably because of how the electricity is back."

"I suppose." But were they proven wrong when a thin and high sound started to echo in the corridor, a soft whistle that became less and less subtle. "Now what the hell is this?"

"Should I go out to check...?" Lisa's voice was transparent almost but Jennie was quick to catch that up and disagree.

"No, Li, don't open the fucking door. This is strange as hell."

"But..."

"Wait, Na-Yeon is calling. I'm hanging up, don't you dare open that damn door, Lily."

"Fine."

"Promise."

"I promise."

"Li?" Chae-Young, who has just woken up, called out her name. She found her forcing her eyes to open properly, still laid where she left her minutes ago. "What's with that sound?"

"I don't know. It's from the speakers. Should I go and check?"

Her roommate, still half-caught in a deep sleep, needed time to process what occurred, and who dared to wake her. In the mean time, her palm rubbed her forehead, red and numb from her sleeping position.

"No, I don't like this. We're the only ones on this floor, let's just stay inside until it stops."

"But, Chae," Lisa argued, flying her hands left and right, "there's nobody outside. It's just the speakers."

"And what will you do, Li? Rip them off the walls? It's not like you can stop them."

"Wait, shhh!"

Thick silence.

"It stopped." The brunette concluded, yet somehow because of the elongated, high sound, her ears still rang, as if it was stuck in her brain. The tickle inside of her ear was so persistent that she shook her head like a crazy woman.

"Let's go at Jen's and Ji-Soo's room. I don't like this." Chae-Young thought on her feet.

"I thought you were against opening the door. You sure? Boogeyman may be there."

"So funny, Li."

"Fine, take your phone and come on."

Still Lisa's hand was reluctant when stretching towards the door handle. When she was to open it, her fingers almost slipped off the metal because of the anxious sweat she was covered in. And when the door opened, eyes closed and mouths open, the most piercing scream left their mouths.

Lisa struggled to find the door with her hand, so rushed and chaotic, then attempted to push Chae-Young inside. The latter found herself falling on the cold floor, eyes so wide that her forehead was occupied by waves of fear. Then her shock transformed into a terrified cry. The other girl looked lost at the closed door, which she locked twice. Watching Lisa frozen scared her friend even more, but she was unaware that the brunette noticed something she did not - the blood running towards them from under the door.

"Come, let's get inside the bedroom." Lisa grabbed her from under her arms, purposely turning their backs at the entrance.

There, the blonde dropped to the ground, in the farthest corner, hugging her legs to tight that her chin dug in her knees. With trembling hands, Lisa covered her with the only blanket on the bed, then secured the bedroom door with the desk chair. In the same complete darkness, her hands rushed against the floor, searching for her phone, but felt only the fluffy carpet.

"Chae... Chae!" she gently pushed her chin upwards. "Where's your phone?"

"Here." she handed it over, voice so cracked, perhaps because of her burning neck.

"911 what's your emergency?"