Why?

Shin Hye went to the school clinic to retrieve her school uniform. 

"Here you go, Shin Hye-ya," the nurse said. "It is good that the weather is warm, and that the clinic has a balcony. I had your clothes dried Spartan style."

"Gamsahamnida," Shin Hye replied as she touched the fiber of the skirt.

"Are you all right now?" the nurse asked.

"A little," the student replied.

"Shin Hye-ya, it is not healthy to be bullied, huh? You can tell the teachers about it," the nurse adviced. "I am not supposed to give advices or suggestions, but I think it is necessary."

"I'll think about it," Shin Hye said.

She began telling the nurse about the upset look that Yong Hwa had given her. She asked the nurse if it would be all right to make him her inspiration even if he had hurt her so.

"That is a masochist's point of view!" the nurse ejaculated as she shook her head. "Can you really manage that? I think you should find positive things that will serve as your inspiration. Like a pet or a sibling, perhaps? Or a good friend. Do you have a good friend in class?"

"Hong Ki. His name is Lee Hong Ki," Shin Hye said. 

"Oh, that kid is bullied too, so I've heard," the nurse said. "But I have often heard that they bullied Hong Ki with words rather than with actions. Is it true?"

"Ne, they do," Shin Hye said. "They only hurt Hong Ki verbally, but they cannot lay a finger on him because they were afraid to get 'infected' with his weirdness."

"Sigh. At least, there is someone who understands you," the nurse said.

"I know."

"Stop making that Yong Hwa guy as your inspiration, huh? Just find other ways," the nurse said.

"Ne...."

Shin Hye got inside the restroom of the clinic and changed into her dry uniform. She had to dry her gym uniform at home in case the stupid jerks would attack her again.

*****

Min Ji ran to her Eonni.

"Eonni, I have heard from the seonbaes that you are wearing gym uniform in Korean literature."

"Ne."

"Tell me what happened?"

Shin Hye told Min Ji what had happened.

"Why did you not tell the Korean teacher?" Min Ji asked when she was on the verge of tears.

"I decided not to--yet," the elder girl said.

Just then, Victoria and the meanies came, and started to verbally attack Shin Hye.

"In your uniform already?" Sulli asked.

"The wet look serves you right!" Luna said.

"You are a love wrecker," Victoria announced.

"And are you not?" Shin Hye shot back at Victoria.

The three meanies looked at her in disgust and in astonishment.

"How dare you!" Victoria yelped.

"You even stole Taecyeon from his girlfriend in second year, did you not?" Shin Hye came back with, smirking.

"Why you!!!"

Victoria stormed off to grab Shin Hye by the hair when something out of nowhere hit Victoria's cheeks. The queenka nursed a painful cheek, and when she turned around, she saw a pair of angry eyes stabbing through her own. The eyes...

Min Ji's eyes.

"You little twerp!"

"How dare you talk like that to my Eonni!" Min Ji shouted. "You are a seonbae only in rank, but you definitely do not deserve my respect!"

The three meanies glared at the hoobae.

"You rude girl!" Luna shouted as she tried to slap Min Ji.

But Min Ji held the seonbae's wrist.

"AYA!!!!!" Luna screamed...

...because Min Ji twisted her arm.

"Let go!" Luna cried.

"You crazy girl!" Victoria screamed at Min Ji as she tried to slap the hoobae.

"Stop it!" Shin Hye shouted as she slapped Victoria first.

Victoria nursed a cheek and glared at her.

"That was for me!" Shin Hye hissed.

Victoria tried to slap her, but Shin Hye held her hand and twisted her arm. Just like the way Min Ji did to Luna.

"AYA!!!!" Victoria screamed.

"Let go!" Luna shouted since Min Ji continued to twist her arm.

"That one," Shin Hye said about her arm-twisting. "Was for my sister!"

Both sisters increased the intensity of the arm twisting that both meanies had to scream in pain. Sulli stepped forward and begged the two sisters to stop.

"So, you are begging me now?" Shin Hye said in sarcasm.

Both sisters released their grips, and looked at the meanies in triumph.

"Lay a hand on my sister, and I will punish you!" Shin Hye said before grabbing her sister away.

The three meanies looked at the two going fast, and Victoria had to admonish Sulli for begging.

"If I don't do that, both of you will get sprained," Sulli muttered. "Oh, what to do?"

"Still, you should not beg," Victoria hissed. "As long as we are the bullies, we should not be bullied."

******

Min Ji thanked Shin Hye for saving her. Likewise, Shin Hye thanked her sister for saving her first. They were talking about it while passing by the jetty, but Shin Hye did not realize that Yong Hwa was there alone, watching the sunset.

******

As she got in her room, the stink of mothballs greeted her.

"Ech," she complained as she pinched her nose.

"I placed mothballs in your cabinets," Eomma said. "The house is quite old, and insects are burrowing through our clothes."

"Arasseoyo..."

Min Ji helped Shin Hye transfer her things to the guest room, which was next to her room. She did not choose to stay with Min Ji because her sister's room was quite small for two ladies.

"I can settle here," Shin Hye grinned.

"Eonni, be sure to dry your gym uniform," Min Ji said. "And take some spare uniform for tomorrow."

"Mm."

****

So, after dinner, Shin Hye studied in the new room, and her spot was near the window. It felt so good to be studying by the window because the wind was cool to the cheeks.

"I will have to try what the nurse told me," she thought. "I will not think of Yong Hwa anymore, and just find my inspiration elsewhere."

*****

When Yong Hwa got home, he changed clothes and got down for dinner. After helping his Eomma do the aftercare, he went to his room to study. The first thing he noticed was the dark room from across his window.

"Maybe, they had dinner."

He started to study so that he and Krystal could have something to discuss for tomorrow. Two hours had passed, but the room next door was still dark.

"Did...did she study in the dark?" he asked himself.

His chest tightened, but he did not know why.

"Why am I feeling this way?" he thought. "Krystal and I are together, but why do I keep thinking of Shin Hye?"

Tears started to fall down his eyes as he remembered what had happened that day. Yes, he was still angry at her. He did not pity her when Nichkhun trampled her down on the floor. But his feelings changed when Shin Hye came in late for Korean class with her wet hair and gym clothes. And he was a bit disturbed when she managed to perfect the hard quiz.

He could not forget staring at her, and she stared back at him. He was quite surprised that after she looked away, he was still staring at her.

"She...she was bullied, but she stood up on her own," he thought. "I can't believe she is a fighter."

His chest clenched again.

"Why am I feeling this way if I hate her?" he thought. "Whenever I think of her, I am supposed to get angry. But why do I feel sad?"

He sighed as he grabbed his phone and searched through her number.

"Why...?" he thought.

He stared at her number and sighed.

"I... I cannot call her. She is my enemy now..."

He shook his head and pushed away all his thoughts as he resumed studying.

*****

After two hours, it was time for bed, so he prepared his things for the morrow. As he got on his bed, he saw the next room lit up, and he saw Shin Hye by window.

"H...how come she's there?" he thought.

Shin Hye did not realize that from the guest room, she could still see a glimpse of Yong Hwa's room.

"What... is she doing?"

He went out of bed and out of the room, and he got in his hyung's room, which, by chance, was across the room where Shin Hye was. His hyung was not there because he went to Seoul to study in university. The lonely room still had all the things his hyung had, because the latter still came home during vacation. Yong Hwa did not turn on the lights because the light from the window next door was bright, it illuminated the dark room. He sat on his hyung's bed and scooted next to the window.

"She knows how to play the guitar well..." he thought in admiration.

He curled his knees to his chin and listened closely to the song that she played. All he could hear were her murmurings, and he could not make out the lyrics of the song.

"What is she singing?" he thought. "I can only hear the rhythm of the guitar..." 

He strained his ears but all he could hear was the strumming of the guitar. From the sound of it, the song was a sad one. Thoughts of the sunset this afternoon came to his mind. After he accompanied Krystal to her house, he went to the jetty to watch the sunset. He could have just watched it in peace if there were no memories associated with it. Those memories still reminded him of Shin Hye, and he felt lonely watching the sunset alone.

He could not understand why he still felt lonely despite having Krystal in his life.

Watching the sunset alone was as sad as watching her playing a sad song on the guitar.

"Neomu oeropda. Geurigo, geuge neomu seulpeuda (I am so lonely, and it is so sad)..." he thought as tears streamed down his eyes.

~~~~