Living With Stray Kids?

Chapter 10: RAMEN

I looked up at Hyunjin, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I haven't, but I've always wanted to." He smiled, reaching out for my hand, "Shall we?". He nodded towards a store on the other side of the road, but I couldn't read what it said.

Eh, it doesn't matter anyways, it's a karaoke room, obviously

I beamed, taking his hand and following him across the crosswalk. Shortly after, we made it, standing in front of the shop and ready to go inside. Only then was I able to read the sign, confusion slowly spreading across my features. "Hyunjin, this is an automobile shop..." I said slowly.

He nodded and gave me a wink. "At least on the outside it is," he said mysteriously. I hesitated but decided to trust him and walked into the shop.

"Oh Hyunjin! Back so soon? I thought you would come with Jeongin again," smiled the person who seemed like the owner. He glanced over at me. "Is she...?" Hyunjin quickly interrupted, "No! No, no, she's my younger cousin. I wanted to show her the karaoke room for idols. She won't tell anyone, I promise," he reassured the man.

I sheepishly smiled at him and followed Hyunjin down a flight of stairs at the back of the shop. The patterning on the walls reminded me of a garden, brightly colored wallpaper with a white trim. I noticed a pleasant smell infiltrating my nose. "What's that smell?" I asked Hyunjin.

He grinned, "Only the best ramyun around this side of Seoul." My stomach growled, realizing that because the brownie disaster happened, I hadn't eaten since lunch.

He noticed this, a smile creeping up on his mouth. "Don't you worry, I won't let you starve."

We walked down the hallway that the stairs led to, both sides littered with doors to karaoke rooms. I thought we would stop at one of them, but Hyunjin just kept on walking. My confusion turned into relief very soon, though, as we reached the place to order and pick up food and drinks. After ordering 2 bowls of ramen, 2 bottles of soda, and a couple of cream strawberry sandwiches, we made our way to the room.

Entering, Hyunjin motioned towards my phone. "Give it to me, I'll add everyone's contacts so you're always able to contact us." I handed my phone over, taking a seat as I watched him plug the phone into his powerbank and quickly type in everyone's names.

Handing my phone back to me, he took a sip of his soda before continuing, "You're probably confused as to how Jisung knew someone saw you, right?"

I nodded vigorously, trying to get him to continue through bites of my sandwich.

"She's a fansite. She's been trying to find out where we live for almost 3 years now," he sighed

"She suspects that we live in our building and had some of her minions move into our building to try to confirm. I guess they saw you saying bye to Minho, Jisung told me they posted about seeing a girl with a man who might be one of our members."

He looked over at me, clearly frustrated with the situation. "It's not your fault, it's about damn time that these sasaengs stop invading our privacy. We're lucky Jisung was checking their posts at that time." He paused, carefully considering his words before continuing. "I'm sorry for what happened. Is she the reason for...?"

He reached over and gently held the side of my head, checking for bleeding. I smiled in pain, pulling his hand away and slowly nodding. "I'm alright, but she's definitely scary," I responded.

Hyunjin's POV:

Areum was really strong, I didn't expect her to handle the situation so well. Our sasaengs really don't handle unknown people that well.

Cmon Hyunjin, you gotta comfort her a bit

I glanced over at her, scarfing down the ramen like it was her last meal. It was kinda cute, but I decided to interrupt. "Areum!" I called out. She looked up at me immediately, startled by the sudden noise.

"C'mere." She put down her food and slid over to where I was on the couch. I wrapped my arm around her back and used my other hand to hold her head against the crook between my neck and shoulder. Holding her closely, I sighed as I felt her relax in my arms, resting all her weight on my body. "You did well, you don't have to be strong anymore." I whispered gently.

Poor girl, she must be exhausted

"Hyunjin, can I ask you something?" she asked. Just then, I felt a buzz in my pocket. Moving the hand that was holding her bead, I replied, "Sure, anything," as I reached to grab my phone. Still holding Areum close to me, I checked my phone at the same time she spoke.

"Is it okay for me to live with you guys? I think I'm putting you all in a dangerous position."

Apartment Services: Please note, your front lock has been broken. We are sending emergency services to your home.

All the strength in my body left me. My heart started pounding, and my head was spinning.

Felix and Chan! Oh my God. OH MY GOD.

I let go of her body, and shakily got to my feet.

"Areum, get up. We gotta go."