It had been a month since the accident and Dong Hae and I were back in school. People still gave us looks but they were of empathy because Dong Hae still had his scars from the accident. I cautiously looked out for Dong Hae as he walked and did anything else. He was still healing so he had to be excused from any heavy activity. I placed Eun Hyuk and Ye Sung in charge when I was no longer with him.

  He’d whine and say he wasn’t a baby anymore but Eun Hyuk would just hardly pat him at the back and he’d wince. With that, he stopped complaining and we part ways until school ended.

  I was walking towards English class when my friends – SoRi, Eun Hye, Min Young and Han Byeol – appeared in front of me. Each and every one of their faces held guilt.

  The three pushed SoRi forward so she would speak up first. “Hey . . . Hye Ryung,” SoRi said with a smile and a wave but I ignored her and tried walking past them if it weren’t for Eun Hye grabbing my wrist and pulled me to the side.

  “Look,” Eun Hye started and continued, “We just . . . we wanted to say we were sorry. We’d been mean to you and we didn’t know how much Dong Hae meant to you and how much you meant to him.”

  “It just seemed to have dawned on us that us fighting over this one guy was destroying our friendship.” Min Young added.

  Then SoRi said, “Yeah I mean . . . he loves you, you love him. Happy ever after and there’s no way we have a chance with him I mean . . .” she trailed off and lost me.

  “What she is trying to say is you guys are meant for each other and if it means anything, we’ll back off from Dong Hae. Just . . . let’s be friends again, please?” Han Byeol summarized.

  I studied each and every one of their faces. They seemed sincere. “I appreciate the apology but Dong Hae and I, we’re not a couple.”

  I walked past by them and continued to make way for class but halted when SoRi said, “You broke up with him?”

  “How could you? With his condition like that . . .” Min Young said in astonishment.

  I turned around and said, “Our relationship is a little deeper than that.”

  “How deep are you talking about here?” Han Byeol asked with an eyebrow raised.

  I smiled and answered, “He’s my brother.”

  With that, I left them with their jaws dropped to the floor and to my English class.

  It has never felt good to finally let the burden of a secret be lifted. Now that the word was out, I was no longer bashed. I could live my own life, but of course – as expected – there were the request of numbers and all. I had become popular myself – ugh.

After school, I waited for Dong Hae in front of the school gates and when he saw me he rolled his eyes. “You know you could’ve waited for me at the usual spot.”

  “And have you hit by another car without my knowing, never.” I said and hooked my arm around his.

  As we walked his cell phone started to ring and fishing it out of his pocket, he looked at the caller ID. “It’s mom.”

  When he answered it, his facial expression seemed devil-may-care and then a smile crept up onto his face. When he wished goodbye and slammed his phone shut, he said as he stuffed his phone down his pocket, “Mom’s coming home tonight. Know what I’m thinking?”

  He eyed me that look that said, ‘Time for a surprise’ and I smiled the same one he had on now. “Is it time to go to the Supermarket?” I asked.

  His smile grew wider as he answered, “Exactly.” At that exact moment, he hailed a cab and the both of us got into it, heading towards the Supermarket so we’d get some stuff for our Special Family Dinner tonight.