29th➳

"What?" Joshua asked, his furrowed eyebrows smoothing out. "What do you mean you made a deal with my noona?"

My lips quivered and I didn't want to tell him anything more. I think it'd be better if he heard from his noona himself. So I turned around and with my back facing him, I ran away. I didn't get far since Joshua caught up to me and grabbed onto my wrist, preventing me from running any further. He turned me around and looked into my eyes.

"Kwon Nari." Joshua held me by the shoulders, his eyes fixed on me and only me. "Tell me what you mean by 'you made a deal with my noona'. What's that supposed to mean? What did she do to you this time?"

I shook my head, my eyes shaking with water that threatened to drop. I looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "I can't tell you. You'll maybe know eventually, your sister might even tell you about it, but you shouldn't hear from me. You'll get mad at me."

Joshua shook his head and made sure about one thing. "I won't ever get mad at you. Don't you trust me? You're the last person I'd get mad at, Kwon Nari."

Still, I shook my head and lowered my head even more then I pressed my lips into a thin line to prevent wails to escape my mouth. "No, Jisoo. Not from me. I can't tell you. I don't have the strength to tell you. I'm sorry."

Instead of Joshua getting mad at me like I expected him to, he pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel his body shaking as he held me close, like he would never let me go. Not now. Not ever. But I had to keep in mind that the world hated us together and its doing everything it can to separate us together. I didn't know which to listen to—my heart or the world. 

"I told you... If anything happened, I would help you with it. Why didn't you trust me? Why did you make a deal with my noona? That's like making a deal with Rumplestilskin. Why didn't you ask me for help?" Joshua asked me. 

I buried my face deeper in his clothing, forcing back the sobs but I wasn't doing a very good job. "I was afraid and I didn't want you to keep helping me like this. I'll feel indebted to you."

Joshua lightly smacked the side of my head, whispering in a teasing voice, "You little pabo. I would never let you feel indebted to me. I only hope you felt the same so it wouldn't have led to this. But I'll do everything in my power to help you, Nari. I'll get you out of this mess, somehow."

I sucked the tears in by looking up into the sky, hoping it would help. It did—a little. "Jisoo, I don't know how you'll be able to help me with this." 

Joshua pushed me away but still held me firmly by the shoulders as he gave me a determined look. "Kwon Nari, just know that I'll do anything to give you the happiness you never got in your early childhood." 

Even if my eyes were only coated with tears, I managed to smile and teased him, "What are you filming? A drama? Are you the main character, Hong Jisoo? That's so out of a drama."

"Well, if we were in a drama and I was the main character, you would definitely be my female main lead." Joshua lightly brushed the tip of my nose, which made me flinch in place. I was not expecting that. Joshua laughed and said, "How cute. You flinched."

I punched the side of his shoulder. "I told you not to tease me."

Joshua leaned closer in and pecked my cheeks and with a cheeky grin, he sent a wink and said, "Too late."

"Yah!" I screamed in his face, giving him a sullen face. Words didn't stop screaming from the back of my head. Don't interact with Hong Jisoo. Seems like I was breaking a rule here. 

Joshua noticed me turning all silent once again and asked, "What's wrong now?"

I shook my head and avoided his eyes. "I shouldn't be talking to you."

By a small secret glance, I could tell Joshua was confused about what I was on about. "What's that supposed to mean?"

My head lowered down even more as I bit the corner of my lip. "I'm breaking a rule. Jiae's rule."

Joshua looked at me oddly before carefully repeating what I just said, "Jiae's rule? Since when did you have to follow her rules? Nari, I'm so confused. What on earth is going on?"

I shook my head once again. "I can't tell you. I won't tell you. You can't hear it from me. You can ask Jiae instead. You just can't hear it from me. You'll get mad at me."

"I don't understand what's happening, Kwon Nari." Joshua shook his head, squinting his eyes while he was at it. He didn't sound mad. He just sounded frustrated. Frustrated because I wasn't telling him anything at all and all of a sudden, I was here learning about maid duties and was going to live under the same roof as him. 

I heaved a heavy sigh and told him before I slowly walked away from him, "Just ask your sister, Jisoo. I can't tell you myself. You have to hear it from her. I'm sorry."

Just like that, I walked past his shoulder until my back faced his back. For a split, short second, I halted in my steps and briefly turned around to see what Joshua was doing. As expected, he was standing there with his hands rolling into ball fists. He was confused and frustrated and I couldn't do anything about that. I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't. I was afraid what he'd say—what he'd do.

Turning back around so I wouldn't end up staying there staring at his back, I walked away. And it felt as if part of me had been destroyed and left shattered. 

Jisoo 

He was confused, he was frustrated, he was hurt and most importantly, he was mad at his sister. 

Jisoo understood that Nari's mother had left some sort of trauma on his sister but that didn't give Jiae the right to simply play around with Nari's life like this. It even ended up like this and Jisoo didn't like it one bit—even if he does get to see Nari often now. 

"Welcome back, Ms. Jiae." 

Jisoo heard the maids downstairs greet his noona and that his noona was back. Once he knew his sister was back, he got up from his bed and quickly walked the long distance from his bed to his door and made it to the grand staircase, where his sister and him would meet. 

At the bottom of the stairs was Jiae, assisted by two maids. Jisoo couldn't wait any longer for her to reach the top of the stairs so he immediately traveled down the stairs, grabbed Jiae's forearm and held onto it tightly and took her to their father's grand office room. It was left unoccupied until their parents return back from a business trip in England two weeks from now. 

"Jisoo," Jiae called him, "what are you doing?"

Jisoo blocked the door so she wouldn't be able to get out and crossed his arms over his chest, a sigh escaping from his mouth as he looked up at her. "Why'd you do it?"

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Jiae simply answered, pulling the coat over her frail body closer. 

"Nari," Jisoo reminded her and he saw the change in her eyes. Gotcha. "You were behind it, weren't you?"

"I seriously don't understand what you're saying," Jiae kept insisting. 

Jisoo grew more frustrated and impatient and ended up yelling at her, "What did she do that was so wrong that you imprisoned her like this?! I don't understand you at all, noona. Leave the innocent people alone!"

"Innocent?" Jiae didn't bother to stop the scoff that escaped her lips. "You call Nari innocent? She's practically a gold digger, Hong Jisoo! Why are you so blind? She's dating you for your money. She expects you to give her everything she doesn't have. She wants you to spoil her and in the end, you might give her all your love and even money and she'd run away after that. And you'd be left heartbroken."

Jisoo shook his head at her, disappointed in his own sister. "Just because that happened to you doesn't mean it'll happen to me. Do you only believe in the evil people in this world, noona? People like Captain Hook?"

"Mwo? Captain Hook?"

"I guess you are." Jisoo didn't give her time to even process the sudden mention of Captain Hook. "Stop messing with her. If you want to do anything to her, you have to get through me first."

"You're not even making sense, Hong Jisoo. What has that girl done with your mind, huh?" Jiae crossed her arms over her chest and gave Jisoo a straight look. "You are most definitely not the brother I love and care for."

Jisoo took a step forward, with a hand deep in his pocket, and stared down at his sister with an icy glare. "That Jisoo has been gone ever since you started messing with Kwon Nari and her family. Why do you keep poking in her business? Why do you manipulate people with money this way, noona? It makes me feel ashamed. That we live as people like this."

"If you don't like it so much, why don't you leave? Go live the same life as Kwon Nari if you care for her that much. Stop leeching off our family and money and just leave," Jiae said with a raised voice. Her pupils even quivered. 

Jisoo looked over to the side for a brief second before their eyes met once again. "Noona, you're really going too far."

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Jisoo repeated, a small smirk forming on his lips. "I'm just helping out someone who needs help. And what are you doing, noona? You're obviously trying to destroy it. We're rich and we can do a lot of things, I know that. But why are we so greedy that we just spend it on ourselves? There are so many people out there that needs money and we have loads of it. Yet, we're using it this way. It's such a horrible way of life, noona."

"Yah, Hong Jisoo."

Jisoo took a step back, his hands still in the pocket of his pants. "Next time noona, think twice before you do something selfish. Arasso?"

Then Jisoo turned around, his back facing her, and walked out of their Dad's office. He shut the door securely and headed back to his room to rest on his bed. He wanted to go check on Nari but figured she needed some time alone to resettle her thoughts. 

"Finally," Jisoo muttered to himself, "she's acting her age. But it isn't good how she has to grow up facing all these complications. Don't worry, Kwon Nari. I'll make sure to protect you from whatever in this world."

Nari

I yawned and tried to stay awake as Ms. Pyo continued to tell me about my duties from now on but I was having trouble trying to concentrate. Ms. Pyo continuously tapped on my head and asked if we should just postpone the lessons to tomorrow but I told her I would be fine. But I couldn't help it. I kept dozing off. 

Ms. Pyo lightly giggled and I was glad she wasn't the nagging type nor the type who'd tell me off every time I made a mistake or simply doze off this way. She tapped on my head once again with the tip of a pen and asked me, "Are you sure you don't want to go to sleep right now? Your eyes are dropping and closing."

"But I have to..." I covered my mouth and yawned then rubbed my eyes. "...finish the lessons."

Ms. Pyo patted me lightly on the head and told me, "It's fine, Kwon Nari. We can finish it tomorrow. Head to sleep, okay? I heard you have school tomorrow."

"Ah... school..." I whined and laid down on the soft mattress. It felt so comfortable I could fall asleep right at that very moment. "I wish I didn't have to go to school..."

"Well, I'm going back to my room. Have a good night's sleep, Kwon Nari," Ms. Pyo said, getting up from the floor and pushing the door open. Then she lightly closed it after. 

I already got ready for bed before our lessons started so there was no need for me to brush my teeth or wash up. I just pulled the blanket higher up and fell asleep, dreaming of a fantasy world where magic existed. 

♥

The next morning, I forced myself to wake up earlier than Joshua so he wouldn't insist we'd walk to school together. That would cause talk in school and I was too tired these days to actually deal with everything they're saying. 

After showering and getting ready, I slung my bag onto my shoulder and immediately ran to the gates of the mansion and went out. There were barely anyone at this early hour so I took my time strolling down the pathway of the rich neighborhood. Once I finally made my way out of the rich area, I spotted someone not too far away. 

I smiled and ran towards them. "Lee Jihoon!"

Jihoon looked at me and smiled, pressing a finger against his lips. "What did I say about you calling me Jihoon?"

"To me, you'll always be Lee Jihoon and there's no other name that exists for you to me. Unless it's JiJi," I told him, lightly laughing. "What are you doing up early in the morning?"

"Just jogging around," Jihoon answered with his smile. I noticed something about that smile. It looked so hollow, as if all its meaning had completely disappeared and that hurt me. "What about you? Why are you already awake and out at this time?"

I let out a shrug. "Just wanted to be early, I guess?"

"Ey, there's no way Kwon Nari would want to be early." Jihoon then noticed the direction I came from, which made his smile disappear. "Wait, did you just come out from... from the rich alley?"

"Alley?" I scratched the back of my head. "I did but..."

"Did you get pregnant by some rich dude that's why you're living there?!" 

My eyes widened, alarmed. In result, I slapped the side of Jihoon's arm. "Mwo?! Yah, I'm not that careless, Lee Jihoon! Aish!"

Jihoon was chuckling like a rascal. "Of course I believe you. So why are you walking out of the rich neighborhood? There must be a reason."

"There is a reason."

"And what's that reason?" 

I looked down and bit my lower lip. "There is a reason... but I can't tell you what that reason is."

"Kwon Nari." Jihoon frowned and placed his hands on my shoulders. 

I immediately pushed his hands away and gave him a glare. "Yah, Lee Jihoon, I thought you know better than anyone than not to push me and try to get something out of me. I'm holding back because we've gone through the same thing over and over—we're friends, we fight, then we're strangers."

Jihoon wanted to say something but decided not to. 

I continued, "So, please, if you don't want us to become strangers again, don't ask for a reason why I live there, okay?"

Jihoon sighed and nodded, coolly swinging an arm over me and walking me to school. "You don't look so well, Nari. I've never seen you so out of colour and down. You're usually going on about Peter Pan or daydreaming. It's... hard to look at you this way."

I gave him a weak smile but my eyes never left my sneakers. "I know. I'm disappointed in myself too. I don't know if this is me growing up or me changing who I really am. Jihoon-a, I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of growing up."

Jihoon was silent for the first few seconds but he eventually let out a sigh. "Nari, we all have to grow up eventually. Even if we hate it, we have to grow up."

"If growing up means I can be a guardian to my cousins..." My eyes stung with tears as I remembered how they were treated in that slaughterhouse. "...then I will grow up. For them."

Jihoon didn't say a word. He only held me closer to him and gave me a warm hug. 

"Thank you," I whispered, my eyelids closing. "Thank you, Jihoon."

"For what?" Jihoon asked back in a soft whisper.

"For the hug. I really needed one."

Jihoon chuckled and nodded in response. 

♥

When I saw Joshua entered the class, my eyes immediately fell onto the table and pretended that I didn't know he was slowly approaching me. I held my breath when he sat down and didn't say good morning. When I risked myself and took a secret glance, I saw his face. He looked like he was so out of everything. I wanted to comfort him but I hesitated. Was the rule still valid even if I'm not in the mansion?

I kept taking secret glances at Joshua and kept debating in my head. Could I talk to him? Was it okay? I wasn't going to get in trouble, right? That was when I realized that I was actually scared of a grown up. My fist lightly—but not too light to not make a sound—hit the table as I realized that I haven't been myself lately. Being childish could change but there was one thing I shouldn't let go of—that I shouldn't change. And that was my bravery and courage to stick up for myself. 

Jiae can do anything to me for all I care but there's something that I shouldn't let her destroy—the courage I have. I don't care if I have to go lengths to get out of this mess I have gotten myself into, I just don't want to deal with it anymore. 

I quickly tapped on the back of Joshua, which made him flinch and wake up. I must have disturbed him while he was in a deep thought. His eyes traveled around the room until they settled on me. "Nari?"

I gave him a smile and asked him, "Did I interrupt an important thought?"

Joshua still had that out-of-everything face but he shook his head. "No, it was nothing important."

I titled my head to the side. "Are you sure? Then why is your face like that?"

Joshua touched his cheek and asked me, "Like what? This is how I look everyday—pure handsomeness."

And the Joshua Hong I know has returned. I cringed and gave him a crinkled face. "Okay, Jisoo. You don't have to say that. I have goosebumps again."

Joshua laughed and his laugh was ringing in my ear like a sweet melody. His eyes turned into crescent moons and it never failed to make my stomach flutter. "I know you missed this side of me."

"Who are the people that called you a gentleman? Clearly, you're just someone who thinks highly of himself."

Joshua leaned in closer. "Aren't you one of them who called me a gentleman?"

I wanted to wipe that grin off his face so badly. I looked to the side and said, "Oh, look, the whiteboard's really clean today."

Joshua leaned back and chuckled. "Changing the subject, I see."

"W-what do you mean? The whiteboard is just sparkling today. I just wanted to point that out," I told him. I can't believe I stuttered. 

Joshua smiled at me and caressed the back of my head. "I wish it were as simple as this."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" I asked him. 

"I wish... I wish our story was only the both of us. You know, like the ones in novels and books. Just a simple story. High schoolers fall in love with each other and they probably last for years or they don't. I wish it were as simple as that. But instead of that, our story is filled with powerful, rich people that don't want us together. It's full of complications and I'm sorry for that."

My smile slowly disappeared from my face. 

"If we could run away together, if I asked you to run away with me, would you?" Joshua asked all of a sudden.

"Jisoo..." 

"Would you?"

"I would but..." My voice broke halfway. I swallowed the stone in my throat and continued, "I would but... my cousins. Who would take care of them? That orphanage isn't doing anything about it and I—" I paused, remembering what I saw them do. "I want to help them, Jisoo."

Joshua sighed. "This isn't the love story I was expecting."

"No love story is perfect," a voice voiced out from behind. When I turned around, I realized Shin Minah was listening to our conversation. She gave me a devil smirk and said, "Or maybe it's just not perfect with Kwon Nari. She's a walking sack of bad luck. I don't understand what you ever saw in her, Hong Jisoo."

Joshua gave her a serious look and told her, "I see things you blind people can't."

I looked over to Joshua, wanting to say, "Hey, I'm supposed to roast her" but decided that it wasn't the time for joking around right now. All I could do right now was smile a victory smile. 

Minah looked at Joshua and stared long and hard. "Maybe you're just blinded by your stupid feelings for this stupid girl. There are better girls, Hong Jisoo. Like me, for example. Why are you wasting time on this piece of thrash?"

"Because she isn't thrash. Why do you think I don't waste time on you? Because then I'd be wasting time on a piece of thrash," Joshua said back to her. "I realized something about the people in this school. They do nothing but talk about someone weaker than them."

Minah looked away but I saw her roll her eyes. I squinted my eyes at her and slammed my fist on her table, startling her. "Yah, someone's talking to you. Do you think it's nice to look away and roll your eyes, huh?! Yah, this is why you don't have a boyfriend. You're so disrespectful, you think you're on top of everyone and on top of all of that, you're all beauty but no brains."

Minah looked back at me and shouted back, "And what about you? It's not like you're smart too."

"You're right, I'm not. But at least I don't go around the school trying to desperately find myself a boyfriend," I told her. 

Joshua suddenly threw an arm over me and grinned. "Because you already have me, right?"

I cringed and gave him a warning look. "Not the right timing, Hong Jisoo."

Minah scoffed. "Are you trying to rub it in my face that you two are dating and make it more obvious that I'm single? I can't believe it."

I clacked my tongue and faced her once again. "That's why you should stop with all your little talk. Think of this as some kind of karma, Shin Minah."

Minah rolled her eyes once again and I wanted to tell her off but decided she wasn't worth it so I turned back to the front and saw the teacher enter the class. I tried my best to concentrate on my work all throughout the day, but a thought kept bothering me and I bet Joshua was just in the same situation. 

♥

Jisoo 

Late at night while Nari was elsewhere in the mansion—he would go and find her but he didn't want her to get in trouble because of him—Jisoo was in his room studying with his earpieces plugged deeply in his ears and raised to the highest volume. Which explained why he couldn't hear his noona's continuous calling for him. 

"Yah, Hong Jisoo!" Jiae screamed at the top of her lungs, standing right behind him but Jisoo didn't realize it. He was too busy studying to notice his surroundings. Jiae got mad and pulled one of his earpieces out of his ear. 

Jisoo looked up from his book and noticed his sister. "Oh, noona. What do you need?"

"Did you not hear me calling for you?" Jiae asked him. 

"You were calling for me? Oh, mian. I couldn't hear you. I had the music on the loudest volume. I couldn't help it. Eric Nam's voice is beautiful," Jisoo told her, smiling like there was nothing wrong.

Jiae wanted to scold him but there were far more important things to discuss of right now. "Come down. There are guests."

Jisoo removed the other earpiece from his ear and asked his noona, "Guests?"

Jiae didn't say anything else but that and left his room. Triggering the curious Jisoo, he got up from his swivel chair and followed after her. Since his clothing was alright for guests to see, he didn't bother to change. Though he did fix his messy hair. 

At the end of the stairs, he spotted Nari following Ms. Pyo around. They made a brief eye contact and because Jiae was nearby, Nari picked up the pace and went into a different room. Jisoo sighed and stuffed his hands into his dark coloured shorts and continued walking down the stairs. 

Jiae entered the living room and Jisoo quickly followed right after but he didn't expect to see a familiar face sitting down on one of the couches provided. 

"Jisoo, meet Mr. In Baekho. He's dad's best friend and one of the largest shareholder to Dad's company. Say hello," Jiae told him. 

"Oh, hello," Jisoo said, bowing to show his respect. But his eyes never left this one girl that was sitting there as if she was dragged here against her own will. "Is she your daughter?"

"Why, yes!" Baekho chuckled happily. "Do you know her? She goes to your school."

"Yes, I know her." Jisoo's eyes squinted at her. "Hello there, In Gain."

~Author's Notes~

Sorry it's been another long time but at least it's a long chapter, right? :D This would have been posted earlier if dramas didn't come to distract me >.< Also, editing is so tiring and it takes forever, aigoo~

Guys, I bought SEVENTEEN's Love&Letter repackage album, I'm crying tears of joy :") This is my first album and I'm glad it's a SEVENTEEN album, hehe~

We just hit the middle of the book, guys! This is ending soon, maybe ten more chapters or so, I don't know. I don't plan out my chapters at all. I just write and go with the flow. The only thing I plan is ideas heh. 

Oh, and thank you so much for all the votes you've given My Peter Pan Story! We hit 1K votes, guys! Thank you so so so much for that ❤ I love you guys so much that I can't properly thank you. Thank you for always supporting and reading my stories. You guys are the reason why I want to improve and succeed :) 

That's it for this chapter, then! Until the next one! :) 

xoxo

Byun Sang Kyung