On a rainy morning at school, the smell of wet earth and cool air drifted through the classroom windows. The atmosphere was too pleasant to be spent in boring classes and silent walls, so you couldn't ignore the alluring feeling of freedom. After exchanging excited glances, you and your best friend agreed on a reckless plan, knowing full well it could land you in serious trouble, perhaps even a parental call. But the impetuousness of adolescence made you both laugh instead of considering the consequences.

The plan was simple: sneak through the old side gate that the guard rarely noticed and leave the school together in the rain. And indeed, the plan worked at first. You and your friend ran across the wet earth, the rain pouring down on you with a refreshing coolness, laughing and breathing in the spirit of adventure for the first time.

But the joy was short-lived. As soon as you turned around, you saw the guard running towards you, his voice rising above the rain. You couldn't escape this time; in a single moment, he caught you.

Now you were completely trapped, standing in the cold corridor waiting for your friend and her father to emerge from the principal's office. Every minute felt like an hour, and when they finally came out and you saw your friend's pale face, you knew instantly that something terrible had happened.

You hesitantly entered the room to find the principal holding the phone, trying to call your guardian. You sat down in the chair opposite him, staring at the floor, your clothes soaked from the rain and your hair stuck to your face, embarrassment suffocating you.

After a long wait, the door finally opened, but the person who entered wasn't your father, but Damien, a complete stranger.

Damian approached with confident strides, a smug smile on his face. He sat down next to the principal, listening to his complaints about you. You shrank back in your seat, staring at the floor, not because you'd run away, but because you'd discovered the real reason he was there.

Because you hadn't put your father's number in your file from the beginning. You'd chosen a random number to avoid trouble, and by sheer coincidence, it happened to be Damian's. Now he was sitting there listening to all your problems, every word about you, while you wished you could just disappear.

After the principal finished, he sternly announced that you were suspended from school for two days. You didn't even have the courage to object.

You walked out beside Damian toward his car, each step heavier than the last. You still couldn't comprehend how he'd so easily convinced the principal that he was your older brother, that he was responsible for you. He hadn't given you a chance to argue, and once the principal believed him, you were forced to go with him.

When you finally reached the car, Damien casually reached out to brush your disheveled hair aside in a provocative manner, as if deliberately trying to annoy you. Then, in a low voice dripping with sarcasm, he said:

"And now, you little runaway, because of you I abandoned all my work and came to see the one who made me his guardian, so tell me… what will you pay me in return?"