How can I protect you if I’m the one attacking you?

Hye Jin didn’t have an answer for that.

‘I thought so.’

‘I thought I told you to stay with her,’ Sehun practically snarled at his best friend, when he realised that Kai was trailing him by a few steps. Since they were already five minutes into a ten minute walk to the nearest train station, he could only imagine how infuriated he was to have hurt Hye Jin that he’d been completely unaware of his surroundings.

He clenched his fist on the strap of his bag, to stop from punching a wall.

‘She said she’ll let you off on abandoning her if you agree that I go with you— just in case anything else happens,’ Kai stopped him from interrupting, ‘and before you say anything, I’ve already called Luhan to stay with her for awhile.’

Oh great, Sehun thought to himself, give that charmer Luhan an opportunity to spend more time with her.

He shook off that thought.

Luhan was a friend. Luhan was doing him a favour. Jealousy shouldn’t be part of this.

‘Thank you,’ was what he ended up saying to Kai.

‘I know you think you’re doing the right thing,’ Kai said with quietly, ‘but aren’t you too big of an idiot?’

Sehun’s eyes darted up, ‘are you picking a fight with me right now? Seriously? I will BITE you!’

Kai didn’t look at all fazed by that empty threat, ‘Even as a kid, you always took more responsibility than you had to. Always so hard on yourself. You need to give yourself a break.’

Sehun didn’t reply and they continued in silence with those words hanging in the air until they made it back to his apartment. It was only two weeks since he went to stay with Hye Jin, but this place looked a lot more empty without all the splashes of purple and really much of the girly clutter and furniture she had.

All what was left were the sterile white walls of a sparsely decorated apartment.

He was inexplicably irritated by all the white. He should probably buy a poster or two – Hye Jin had a poster of her favourite k-pop band that she’d refused to take down – regardless how many teasing complaints he made about having to sleep with four guys looking lustfully down at him.

‘Just go back.’

Sehun turned to find Kai watching him, probably with the uncanny ability to know exactly what he was thinking that came with knowing him from such a young age.

‘I’m not going back,’ he replied flatly, ‘bullying her was one thing – I could control everything and knew that I wouldn’t go too far. But that night... I did everything to her without remembering a single moment of it. That kind of lack of control – it scares me.’

Kai looked like he wanted to say something, but he held back.

Sehun was relieved.

+++

Funnily enough, the only thing that got Hye Jin through the following days was the appearance of the most ridiculous rumours in school. All based on the fact that after just a few weeks of dating her, Sehun decided she wasn’t worth it and dumped her spectacularly.

Some methods ranged from:

• a stand-off on one of the school building’s rooftops where they had a kendo battle without armour causing injuries (a theory very well supported by the visible injuries Hye-Jin still had from the unfortunate incident)
• a ridiculous eye-witness claim that they were hurling deokbokki at each other in Myeongdong; and her personal favourite-
• people swearing that they’d had a dance off in a club in Hongdae, because Hye-Jin refused to break up and Sehun had challenged her for his freedom.

But these moments of humour were short-lived.

She should have been happy. Wasn’t it just a week ago when she was complaining to Boss that she wasn’t a babysitter? And now she’d expertly managed to palm Sehun off to Kai.

Kai would do a good job, and it wouldn’t look suspicious. To top it off, she had her sanctuary back at home with no male facial products or the TV being on at all hours of the night with video games (Luhan pretended to be glued to her in school to appease Sehun, but in reality he respected that she just wanted to be alone).

She was back to being a loner – but while before she was content and even craved it -- suddenly now she didn’t like it.

She missed that idiot.

‘Captain, can I ask you for something?’ she knocked briefly before walking into the captain’s room in the kendo dojo. She stopped short though when she saw not Suho sunbae, but Sehun.

He looked up and for a moment she felt ridiculously happy – until she got a hold of herself and made sure none of that appeared on her face.

‘Oh hi,’ she stated, inadequately.

‘Hi, Suho sunbae isn’t here,’ Sehun stated the obvious, ‘he’s gone for a meeting. Can I help you?’

The formality hurt her a little bit so she took her time replying. She drank in his sight -- he was in his jersey – having changed out of his kendo uniform – with his hair still wet from the shower. It was hard to imagine that the last time she’d seen his hair in this state was the night of the incident.

‘I uh…’ she cleared , ‘I just wanted to ask him for help with one of my subjects. He usually doesn’t mind…’ she felt the need to explain herself. When Sehun still didn’t reply she felt the need to continue, ‘… he did the same subject in first year and got the top mark.’

‘What subject?’

Hye Jin lifted up the book.

‘I got the top mark for that last year,’ Sehun replied.

‘Oh… uh, I see,’ Damn it, Hye-jin why are you so awkward? You were so calm and cool with this guy before, and then suddenly you see him and you’re acting like one of his mindless fan girls.

What she needed right about now was to go to the shooting range and remind herself that she was a trained killer. For goodness sake, there were bad vampires out for her. She didn’t have time to act like a girl with a crush.

Mentally making plans to get to the shooting range before it closed at 7pm, she began to exit the room.

‘I have time now to help you out if you want...’ that husky voice broke into her thoughts.

Husky? HUSKY?!?! Get out of here Hye-Jin, before you lose all your self-respect.

‘Thanks but I’m okay…’ she said shakily, not sounding at all convincing.

‘No, I insist,’ Sehun reached for her forearm and held her back.

It was so fortunate that today was still chilly and she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt… because she could only imagine that she would’ve turned to ash from the heat that somehow seemed to be emanating from him touching her.

He let go.

‘Oh, okay then. Just for a little while then, if you wouldn't mind.’

This will be fine, Hye Jin tried to convince herself when she waited in the corridor for him to finish off what he was doing before joining her, I probably just have withdrawal symptoms because I saw the guy 24/7 for two weeks.

She really truly hoped it was that.

‘You ready?’

Hye Jin gave a start in surprised, 'Uh, yeah.’

And off they went to the library, and it wasn’t lost on her that it was the place where this all began.

+++

Sehun was glad he still remembered everything from the subject. At least he wasn’t going to look like an idiot in front of Hye Jin.

What he wasn’t glad about was his choice to sit next to her instead of across from her.

He could smell that sweet strawberry shampoo that she used, and it was driving him crazy. He could barely concentrate on what he was doing and luckily she was too engrossed with what she was doing to notice his discomfort.

‘I hate to say it, but you’re good at this,’ she looked up at him grudgingly.

‘Gee thanks, you don’t have to sound so disappointed,’ he shot back.

‘I’m sorry,’ she looked embarrassed, ‘but being competitive with you this whole time – I don’t know how to be anything less. I’m glad we’re sort of friendly now… I think it would’ve killed me to know you got top mark on this subject while I’m barely keeping my head above water.’

Friendly…

They were friendly he realised, and he found that he was happy about it.

He didn’t want to lose it.

‘Listen, Hye-Jin…’ he felt that he had to say something, ‘I’m sorry for just leaving you the other day. I promised I would be with you to keep you safe and I didn’t… but I hope you understand that I had to go.’

Hye Jin paused and he had to across to see if she was even paying attention to him. She eyes were focused on her paper and only at the last second did she look up to meet his gaze.

‘I understand… no one wants to put their loved ones at risk,’ she said sincerely.

Until the words registered.

For the both of them.

They both froze.

‘That’s not what I meant,’ she quickly said, ‘I was just—sometimes my words come out wrong – I’m using the term “loved” loosely and… I just mean friends. You love your friends or feel emotions for them… that kind of “loved”. Yeah I didn’t mean anything by it – Ugh,’ she stopped the verbal diarrhea, ‘anyway, you know what I mean.’

‘Yeah, I do…’ He let the silence pass for a bit, ‘… it means you love me right?’

She smacked him on the side of the head with a book.

And they stared at each other before bursting out laughing. Until the librarian told them off.

A/N: So I'm a horrible updater. Is anyone stil here? I'm soooooo sorry. I want to finish this story. I'm gonna push to the end!!! FINGERS CROSSED!!! xKei