15th✯ 

I took a step back out of fear but he continued to stand by the tree, not too far away from me, and stared as if I was prey. I was completely frozen in my spot because I didn't know what else I could have done. I was in panic mode and I just couldn't find an escape. It was as if my mind went numb. 

Finally, his facial expression changed. Now, he was smirking. He took a step forward and didn't care if the rain was raining on him or wetting his clothes. He just continued to stand there. 

My hand was shaking but I did my best to act like I wasn't scared of him, when I really was. I never thought the world was this scary until I began facing all these things. It was scarier to face them alone. 

"Whoever you are, just leave me alone," I said, taking another step back. 

He didn't say a word. He only continued to smirk at me. Any moment and it would seem like he would have dragged me down the street by my hair or his backup jumping behind me. I was thinking of all those worst scenarios. 

"Aerim!" Sanha's voice echoed behind.

For once, I was thankful he popped out of nowhere. I turned around and saw him running towards me and immediately, I embraced him and looked back at where the man in a red scarf was standing, only to find out that he wasn't there anymore. 

"What's wrong, Aerim? You look so pale," Sanha noticed, stroking my cheek gently with his thumb. 

I fell into shock and almost fell onto my knees but Sanha managed to catch me before that happened. My mind felt numb once again and I felt light headed. That was when I realized I started to softly sob in Sanha's arms. 

I could sense Sanha was flustered by me suddenly sobbing out of nowhere but he still did his best to try to comfort me. I felt him pat my head gently and it was comforting. 

"Why are you crying?" he asked in a soft voice. 

I shook my head and buried my face deeper in his white sweater, biting my lower lip to force my wails not to escape from me. I didn't want to cry out loud in public. 

"What happened, Aerim?"

That was just it. I didn't know what just happened, but I was scared. Why do I feel like so many people are after me? What did I do in the first place for them to approach and stalk me that way? To scare me like this? I was only fifteen. I didn't have anything they wanted. So, why?

I always knew people's life could change. I just never knew their lives could change into something worst and scary than they also knew. I think I lied to myself all this while thinking everything was going to stay the same after meeting Astro.

"You won't tell me. That's okay. I don't mind. What I want to know is that if you're going to be okay from now on or not. I want to protect you, I want to help you. Don't you trust me, Aerim?"

I glanced up and met his eyes that were full of nothing but worry then I felt guilty. Because I was being like this, the only thing I continued to give Sanha and Rocky was worry. "I'm so sorry, Sanha."

Sanha's forehead creased. "What are you sorry about?"

My gaze dropped onto the ground once again and I couldn't meet his eyes. "You always worried for me and I never stopped making you worry. I want to tell you things, but I can't find myself bringing it up. I'm scared, Sanha."

Sanha pulled me into a tight hug. "Whatever is scaring you, just remember that I'm here now. That we're here for you. Don't hesitate to call us when you need us because I promise, I will come running to you, even if you're far away."

A blurred memory came crashing into my mind once again. Another little boy with a little girl in the playground, playing around, giggling and laughing even if there was nothing relevantly funny to laugh over. 

Who are those two? Why does my mind keep playing memories of a boy and girl I didn't know of? I was confused, but fear over shone my confusion. 

Sanha slowly let go of me, breaking apart our hug. "I have to go back now. I'm sorry I can't walk you home today. But please get home safely? I'll make it up to you by buying ice cream the next time we meet. I'll text you later, too."

I nodded. I didn't have enough energy to stare into his eyes so I let my gaze drop with my attention on my shoes. 

Sanha caressed the side of my head, giving me a small smile. "See you soon, Aerim-a. Oppa's going now."

I wanted to slap his arm for calling himself oppa when clearly, we were the same age. It was too late, though. He had already ran back inside the entertainment, chuckling playfully. 

Aish, that kid. 

With Sanha gone and the rain stopping by pouring its last drop onto the ground, I set off in my journey back home. The atmosphere was cold since it just rained and it provided me some kind of healing. 

As I continued walking while keeping alert of my surroundings, my tensed body slowly relaxed. There was nothing there and, once again, I only continued to overthink about it. It wasn't my fault. Anything could come out of anywhere. 

And I was right. Because the next thing I knew it, I found myself standing right in front of the dude with the red scarf once again. 

"What is your problem?" I asked in a calm, composed voice. I was hoping I didn't appeared scared of him. That would just be my disadvantage. 

"Well now. I can't believe I'm finally able to talk to Yoon Aerim-sshi," he said with a smirk.

I felt chills travel down my spine. Just hearing him talk— no, just seeing him already told me he was trouble. Big trouble. There was an obvious aura he carried out.

"I know you're a fan of my show, so no need to be flattered," I said sarcastically. 

"Show?" he asked in an interested manner. "You're on a show. Interesting. Very interesting."

Why was I even talking to him? If I knew he was trouble, why go through all the trouble and endanger myself by talking to him? Obviously, I wasn't smart enough today to stay away from trouble. 

Not wanting anymore to do with a guy that meant trouble, I walked past him but immediately, he grabbed onto my wrist and I froze. This wasn't a very good sign and I felt like I lost my voice. Dried and probably cracked went my throat. Would I able to scream for help at this rate?

I tried being patient, in case their intention was to scare me. "Excuse me, why are you touching me? Am I dealing with a rapist or something?"

I was trying my best not to piss him off, but if someone pisses me off, the only kind thing I could do was to return the favour. 

The man smirked. "Feisty, aren't you? Very, very feisty. Aren't you even curious about your past?"

That made my mind turn blank for a moment because I wasn't sure what he was implying to. "What past? Did I have some past with you or something?" I scoffed. "Nice try. Look, if all you wanted was an autograph, you could have been direct about it."

He was chuckling. It wasn't those normal chuckles when something was funny. It sounded deeper, more... sinister. "I guess you aren't curious to why you don't remember Yoon Sanha being your cousin."

"What?" 

He smirked like he was winning. Hardly—at least, that's what I thought. "You curious little girl. Don't you ever wonder why some guy named Yoon Sanha entered your life and you don't remember him at all? Why all your other family members know of him but you?"

He made me think about all the dots that never led me to the whole picture. The dots that only continued to delay me from looking at the huge picture. 

I tried acting like I wasn't interested at all, but it was hard when all the things you've been wondering all these times finally have an answer. But the only way to find out about it was through a person who meant trouble. 

I laughed it off. "You sure talk a lot for someone who just wanted an autograph. Is there anymore you want to say before I go?"

He smirked as if he was winning this 'battle' between the both of us. I wasn't sure if he was. "Avoiding the topics, aren't we?"

"Why are you talking so much for just wanting an autograph? Look, as far as I'm concerned, Yoon Sanha is my onscreen boyfriend and off-screen friend. Is that what you wanted? We're friends. F-r-i-e-n-d-s. You must be some really nosy reporter or something," I remarked before I walked off.

"Let's make a deal."

I didn't know why I let his words halt me from walking back home. It just made me look defeated. 

Even if my back was facing him, I knew that he was smirking with a satisfied smile. "I tell you why your past with Sanha can't be remembered and in exchange, you let me talk to your dad."

Appa? Why is Dad suddenly dragged into this conversation? If I were to rewind to earlier events, Dad was talking to this Mr. Yook on Jeonghan's phone, and this Mr. Yook was abusing my oppa somewhere in Seoul—or for the last thing I knew it, some other part of the country. There was a puzzle piece in the middle of this I couldn't find to figure out what the puzzle was trying to show me. 

Shamelessly swiveling around to face the dude with the red scarf, I saw him smirk. To return to that disgusting smirk of his, I smirked back and scoffed. "You're going too far for someone who wanted an autograph, hmm?"

Just like that, I turned around and walked away to leave him. 

✯~✯ ~ ✯

Home was usually noisy with both Jeonghan and I around, but I knew our situation. I couldn't get that dude's words ringing in my head and I couldn't connect all my clues to make them form sentences that will make sense. My only question for this entire thing now was: why my family?

The only thing everything had in common was the fact that my family. Dad, Jeonghan and even Sanha. My forehead wrinkled at all these thoughts again. Why was this involved with my family?

Whatever it had to do with my family, I'm sure it had something to do with the past, Dad's job and Mr. Yook. The missing puzzle piece lied within these three other puzzle pieces.

And what about that dude with the red scarf? If I wasn't wrong, that was the same scarf that made me faint one because of all the car wheels screeching and screams I heard in my head. There must be a better way to connect all these floating islands so they'd all make sense. 

I grabbed my head and shook my head vigorously. "Nothing's making sense, nothing's adding up!"

"What isn't, Aerim-a?" Mom asked, taking a peek on me in the living room. 

Maybe it was a wrong idea to sit in the living room to try to connect the dots I've been given. Mom could easily see me and wonder if I was doing all right. This also must be kept from Mom at all times. 

"Huh? Oh, I just remembered a maths question today and it didn't make sense," I lied, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm going to my room, eomma. I'll come out later."

"Okay. I'll call you for dinner later," Mom said in reply. 

I got up from the couch and sluggishly walked to my room, feeling my head weigh more than a ton. I just wanted to sleep for all my life at this moment. I didn't want to deal with all these confusing thoughts. 

I lied down on my bed, closing my eyes for a moment. My mind relaxed, but not entirely. It still hurt. Like those times you did your maths homework and after you're done with it, you have that aftermath of a headache because of doing maths. 

I tried massaging my head to relax my brain but it only strained it more. I felt lost. I felt helpless. I felt useless. 

What if these things never end? What if this continued for one, two or three more years? I definitely didn't want more of this brain straining time. 

Just as I was about to run to the entertainment to talk to Sanha, Mom entered the room with a rather grim look that would net its way to my brain and stress it out even more. 

Slowly, I sat back down on my bed. "Eomma? Is... something wrong?"

Mom sat down on the bed as well and held onto my hands. Then she pulled out her phone and showed me the screen of it. 

I glanced into her eyes before my eyes dropped onto the phone to read what she had to show me. 

Astro's Yoon Sanha and high school Seoul girl goes on a show and pretend to be a couple! 

This week's episode, Astro's maknae, Yoon Sanha, will attempt to be funny for Yoon Aerim. 

Below the article, a picture of Sanha and I were attached. It wouldn't take a complete genius to figure out who that girl was. They got a really clear—high resolution and all—picture of me.

"E-eomma! I can explain what this is!" I stammered, glancing up from the phone and Mom repeatedly. 

Mom only shook her head in reply, which wasn't a very good sign. "No, Aerim. I don't need an explanation. Instead, I want you to promise me something."

I gulped. "W-what is it, eomma?"

"Don't ever meet Yoon Sanha ever again."

~Author's Notes~

I'm updating a 15-year-old authornim~ Authornim's still the same age as Aerim, but probably not for long, kekeke~

Anyway, it seems like you Kimichies have all tagged me in the same tag—13 Facts About Me!

Tagged by black_spade_15, @_itsmerie_(I don't know why I can't tag her) and @just_an_1004 (I don't know why I can't tag her either)

1) I'm apparently halfway to 30 

2) I now have see through bangs hoho~

3) I "officially" told my friends I'm married Hoshi and Wonwoo (sorry fam) 

4) I'm falling for Hyeri from Girls Day 

5) I really really really love Dahyun and I think I'm falling for Jihyo this comeback 

6) V is just so hot with his hair in "Fire" 

7) GOT7ing is lifeu

8) SEVENTEEN is slaying me all the way this comeback and authornim Carat is proud for all their wins <333

9) My friends say with these bangs, I slightly look like Jihyo from Twice 

10) One of my guy friends (if you were one of my First and Only book readers, he's known as my five year long crush [yesh, i got over him and we're just friends now] ) is jealous of me loving my oppas more than my friends ke~

11) I'm listening to BTS's Young Forever album as I write this 

12) I'm really hungry these days and my friends ask why I keep eating/why I'm always hungry 

13) I crave a lot of food these days and make my friends hungry because of it 

And this is my fav tag of all! Tagged by taeasy  :) (thanks gurl)

WHO IN SVT IS YOUR... 

boyfriend / best friend / crush / guy next door / older brother / younger brother / classmate / boss / ex-boyfriend / tutor / dance partner / secret admirer / husband 

boyfriend: this was hard to pick, but I pick Hoshi <333

best friend: i think seokmin and i would be great friends? idk for sure, lmao

crush: i'd have a crush on woozi but i'm afraid he might crush me oops

guy next door: mingyu because he can make me food heh 

older brother: who doesn't see sungcheol as oppa material? 

younger brother: i'd want minghao as my little brother, i don't know why 

classmate: seungkwan would be the one always cracking me up 

boss: joshua would be a kind boss 

ex-boyfriend: i'm going with jun because he used to be such a huge bias wrecker and now minghao took the spotlight, i swear china line —

tutor: i think hansol would teach me how to rap 

dance partner: i really want dino for this, i imagined him in a tuxedo and everything, oh mai gat 

secret admirer: i want jeonghan, like imagine all the things he'd do if he liked me kyaaa~

husband: i saved the best for last and that's the person i absolutely am in love with this comeback, every comeback, 24/7/365 and that's jeon wonwoo <333

Thank you taeasy for tagging me and making me do this fun and amazing tag! You da bomb! *omjicheok!* 

Anyway guys, I have my second term assessments coming right up so I'll see you guys hopefully soon and after those torturous days. And hopefully, I'll be studying my textbooks and not the pupils of SEVENTEEN's eyes 

Love you, my wonderful Kimichies! 

xoxo

Byun Sang Kyung