Under normal circumstances, I would have chosen to skip work in order to sleep and rest until I get better. Under the current circumstances, there is no option and I have to stick to working even as my condition worsens. It gets better, then I feel horrible again. After a while, the fever is gone but it comes crawling back into my skin, making me sweat like a pig.

I’m on my way to work while eating a bagel when an angry voice yells out from the darkness, “Ya, are you crazy?” I gape at the voice in fear. My chewed bagel unceremoniously falls out of my mouth. Hanbin steps into the light and I sigh in relief. Terrible thoughts crossed my mind! “Are you really going to work with this fever of yours?”

“Hanbin…” I mutter, tired from his nagging. “It’s nice to know you care—”

At this statement, he immediately backtracks. “Care? What? No,” he huffs proudly. He throws the packet of medicine on me and I barely catch it. “I’m doing this cause we’re in the same situation.”

I try to interpret his sentence. Same situation? What sort of situation are we in again?

“Our parents,” he hints as quietly as possible. Oh, right.

I munch onto my bagel and give him my thanks for the medicine.

I’m about to enter the store when Bobby comes out of the door, asking, “Hanbin, do you want sour cream and onion or BBQ flavoured pringles?” He looks at me and grins slyly. “Hey there hottie.”

He is damn annoying!

I shove him aside to make way but he catches my arm and slides closer to me. He gives me an eye smile that I can’t avoid, so I glare to show my displeasure.

Hanbin sticks his hand between our faces. Bobby lets go.

“Your fever isn’t getting better,” Bobby points out, suddenly serious. “Her body is so warm.” He chuckles.

I get ticked from the mention of my body. Maybe I didn’t make it clear enough but I hate Bobby’s antics for the fact that he seems to be constantly making a move on me. I don’t like that one bit. If you like someone, you should at least attempt to get to know the person before flirting.

It’s obvious to me Bobby thinks it’s a funny game to play, but it’s not one I will participate in.

I have no time in my life for relationships that are less than serious.

Hanbin follows me in and I give him a clear warning, “If Bobby pulls his tricks on me again, I will scream until you leave, you understand?”

Hanbin blocks the door when Bobby tries to reenter the store.

“Just stay outside!” he yells through the cracks. Bobby sighs dejectedly and waits outside.

Jimin watching the whole exchange dryly comments, “You sure have a lot of boyfriends nowadays, Youngmi.”

“I’m not her boyfriend,” Hanbin corrects him.

“You sure don’t act like a normal friend,” Jimin challenges. “What kind of friend sends off another friend to work at 12am? I’d rather sleep.” Jimin packs up, leaving us to ponder about it.

Jimin is right. I would have chosen sleep too.

I glance at Hanbin and he can just laugh in disbelief.

What is he doing here at 12am? That does beg the question.

“Hanbin, why are you here?” I ask him. He pretends to browse the variety of gums available in front of the counter. “Do you want something from me?”

“No!” He looks stricken.

“Then what is it?” I press for his answer.

He squares up and boldly faces me. “You want to know? My mother got hospitalized once when she ignored her fever so she can work. My sister had no one to take care of her while my mother was in the hospital, so it affected me. My sister then caught the fever and got hospitalized too. She’s so young and that IV was inserted into her—” He turns away to hide his face. “I just…I just want you to eat your medicine and get better…”

Ah. He’s taking his chance at redemption by helping me out. He must have felt so helpless back then. Now he feels he can turn things around with me.

I promise him I will eat the medicine and rest well.

He isn’t convinced so I swallow it in front of him and show him that I’ll take it easy for my work today. He appreciates it and leaves with Bobby soon after.

A sense of regret settles in me while I watch their backs disappear from view.

I should probably be nicer to people who help me out, especially to a boy who thinks I’m attractive in this sick condition. When was the last time a boy tried to hit on me? I vaguely remember the middle aged man when I was wearing the yellow dress and instinctively, I cringe.

Hanbin’s kindess should be reciprocated too.

I don’t feel the same way towards Hanbin anymore. It’s as if the butterflies that kept fluttering at just the thought of him before melted as soon as I saw him as a person in the court – not just a face on a screen. I have to admit I like it better when my fantasies are shattered. Life is easier to live with when I’m certain that people’s glamorous lives that we see aren’t as fancy as we’d imagine it to be.

The door pushes open and a pale blond hair poking from underneath a cap makes me jump in surprise.

“Jackson!” I run into his open arms. The impact pushes him backwards harder than he thought it would and he slams onto a wall. “Oh!” I pull back.

He rubs his shoulders where it hurts. “I didn’t expect that…” he says, smiling widely.

Neither did I. What has gotten into me? “I missed you.” It slips from my mouth before I can stop it. I really did miss him.

He raises his eyebrows and embraces me in his arms once more.

“Oh, you’re…” He places a hand on my forehead. “Are you ill?”

Then Jackson does what he is good at – tenderly caring for me and doing my work while I get to rest, albeit guiltily, until my shift is over.

He tells me all about his trip overseas, always never mentioning what he actually does. He only talks about what he sees and experiences but nothing ever work-related.

I wonder if he ever plans to tell me that he is an idol one day…

Then I remember myself. I shouldn’t expect him blabbering about his life when I keep my story locked in a treasure chest. When will I share with him my story?

“You’ve been looking at me strangely,” Jackson says, eyeing me. “Distance really does brings two hearts closer.”

I don’t completely agree with him. I don’t see how being apart with my parents would make us closer than before. It’s different with Jackson though.

----

Shift is over! Jackson and I clean up our mess while waiting for the next person taking over to arrive.

Jackson has to leave earlier though and we part reluctantly. He tells me to take my pills regularly so that I can get better soon. It’s drizzling outside so Jackson lends me his jacket. It hangs loosely around me.

Pulling the hoodie over my head, I’m about to go off in the direction of the bus stop when a firm grip holds on to my wrist.

I spin around, facing the perpetrator. “Hanbin?”

“You’re not going to school today,” he mutters, pulling me in the opposite direction.

“I can’t skip school!” I try to pull away but he is stronger.

“Come on, let’s go to the hospital,” he orders, dragging me stubbornly. Does he really have to go this far just to alleviate the guilt he feels towards his mum?

We’re about to turn a corner when I see a camera flash.

“Hanbin,” I mutter, panicked. He glances around too, apparently noticing the same thing. Together we can hear camera clicks coming from the bushes. “Crap, Hanbin!”

We sprint down an alley and enter a different street. Looking back, nobody follows us.

Hanbin hits his head with his fist while I pant loudly from the sudden sprint.

That must have been paparazzi. They caught us together!

If it spreads to the news sites, it could be detrimental to Hanbin’s career that is just about to start.

“What are we going to do?” I ask him, shocked that we’ve been photographed in broad daylight. Why are the paparazzi following him anyway? They should be trailing Big Bang or 2NE1 for dirt – not measly, undebuted trainees. “Why did you even come here?!”

He becomes more upset after my questioning. “Look, I just wanted to help!”

“I don’t need your help!”

I hit a nerve. “Who in this world can I help then? I can’t help my mum, not my sister and not even you. What is the use of me?!” he yells, angry.

I’m trying to process his words. He seems to strongly associate me with his family. Is it really because of my parents? The fact that they’re in prison which reflects the state of his father?

Is it because I cried so hard the other day at the courthouse that the only image of me he can see is a weak girl craving for warmth?

Did I start all of this?

He obviously feels that he needs to protect me for whatever reason – the most obvious being that I’m his outlet for righting his wrongs with his family. Whatever he couldn’t do, he wants to do it for me.

The thing is, I don’t need his intervention. Now we’re in deep trouble because of it.

“Look, we need to block that photo from coming out,” I say calmly. His eyes dart around nervously. “There must be a way. Let’s steal the camera.”

“He’s probably gone by now.” Why does he sound so grave?

“Let’s check.” Optimistic is the way to go!

“I’d rather not,” he refuses, standing up from his bent position.

“What are we going to do then?”

----

We both stand before Yang CEO, explaining our situation.

I tell him that Hanbin came to bring me to the hospital and the paparazzi caught us holding hands. We share our suspicions that they might warp the incident as a dating scandal.

“Are you sure you’re not dating?” Yang CEO asks again for confirmation.

“No!” we exclaim in unison. We give a brief smile at each other for managing to do that at the same time.

“You see, I’m confused now,” Yang CEO mutters after looking at our exchange. “This is bad news regardless. How could you be so careless?”

Hanbin looks down in remorse.

“I’ll try to find out which press has hands on the photo,” Yang CEO states, picking up his phone. “You guys are dismissed.”

We’re about to walk out when Hanbin suggests that it’s probably time to go to the hospital now.

He’s not still worried about that after what happened?

Yang CEO overhears this and instructs him sternly, “Hanbin, go to the training room. I’ll ask my driver to send Youngmi to the hospital. Youngmi, why don’t you wait here a bit?”

After Hanbin leaves, Yang CEO reverts back to his gentler side. “Are you sick?”

I nod feebly, awaiting for the bomb to drop. Is he going to yell at me now?

I know he’s angry. I think. I can’t tell.

Did he have botox? Why is his face so still?

“I don’t know what’s going on between you two,” he starts.

“There’s nothing between us!” I say, exasperated. It really sounds weird when we tell the story to another party, but honestly, what it sounds like is nothing close to the truth. “He was just trying to help me out.”

“Why?”

Um…

To what extent does Yang CEO know Hanbin? Does he know about his father? Does he know how his mother’s struggles to keep her family afloat?

I remember back in the convenience store when Hanbin told me his stories. Although brief, I learned a lot about him. Those stories sound personal.

Our connection made him open up, but does his CEO know these things?

Am I allowed to divulge them to him?

If I was Hanbin, I wouldn’t want my personal stories shared.

“He’s a kind soul,” I finally argue. “He saw me…um…fainting and helped me out. That’s how we got to know each other.”

Yang CEO taps his fingers on his table, unsatisfied with my answers.

“You can go to the hospital now.” He picks up his phone and motions for me to leave his office.

Da Eun rushes to my side with a cheeky smile. “So…what’s with you and Hanbin in Yang CEO’s office?”

I glance at her, remembering the last time I met her, I was crushing on Hanbin. Now things have changed so dramatically over the past few days and I might be tangled up in a scandal with him and the crush long forgotten.

What am I supposed to do now?