It was lunch break and Lauren and Tayoung decided to eat their bread out in the snowy front grounds of the school on a bench, chatting and feeling closer than they had in months. Tayoung confessed everything that Lauren didn't know about Leo, about her problems, about Yoogeun and how they'd been hanging out lately and how she felt she might have feelings for him. The only thing she kept secret were her scars because she wasn't sure how to tell Lauren that without her freaking out.

She hadn't felt like cutting at all since she'd started hanging out with Yoogeun regularly, though she knew it wasn't just because of him. It was because of how he made her feel, how she'd started thinking—that she was a good person, that she was beautiful, that she was fine as she was, that anything bad others had done to her was not her fault and that hurting her body was a sin. She blushed as she thought about every time he kissed them—two times a day at least—letting her know that he was sorry and that he didn't think her body was warped. She didn't cut partially because she didn't want to disappoint him.

Lauren told her about something no-one knew—her ual encounters and curiosity about Kyungsan and her weird feelings. She even told her about her and Yoogeun's failed attempts at which was obviously uncomfortable for her with her feelings. Though Lauren was somewhat relieved to hear that Yoogeun had at least shown her some attention. Tayoung advised her not to hold back so much—if she wanted to kiss Kyungsan or whatever, just do it. Lauren laughed at that and why she couldn't do that with Yooguen. That had got the shy girl blushing red and stuttering. They both agreed initiating anything or confessing first was just impossible.

Suddenly they heard raised voices. It sounded like a group of angry, yelling boys around a corner. There was a shuffle and it seemed like they started beating somebody up. It was a younger, smaller, prettier boy than them. His nails dug the ground and he groaned as he tried to crawl away. Some of the guys laughed and kicked him, forcing him down to the ground. One guy grabbed the kid's shirt, pulling him up, then another connected his fist to his face, splattering blood on the ground and his clothes and knocking him back to the ground. No one else was around and the girls just stared in shock. It had all happened so fast.

Then something about the boy was oddly familiar to Lauren...the phone that he clutched in his hand, it had a charm that matched hers, like the ones her and Kyungsan had bought last week on a random shopping spree.

“Oh, my gosh, Kyungsan....” she murmured in horror.

Then before she knew what she was doing or what kind of danger she could be walking into, she'd got up and started running, feeling blind with anger and desperation.

“Get off of him now! If you don't stop, I'll kick your asses, I swear! Get the off!”

She was crying, snarling at the guys as she pushed their burly, solid chests with all her might. A few of them stepped back but more from surprise than because she made them. She laid down over a beaten and bloodied, groaning Kyungsan, spreading her chest across him protectively. She glared up at the guys surrounding them on all sides fiercely.

“Don't you dare touch him anymore! You'll have to go through me first.”

They seemed to hesitate. They didn't seem the type of guys that would hurt a girl if they could avoid it but who knew how much they wanted to hurt Kyungsan. Because he was pretty, because he was kind, because he was intelligent, because he was a bit geeky and weird, because so many girls wanted him. Their jealousy and the fact he wasn't friends with them had gotten so out of control he was occasionally cornered and beaten. She knew of it but she'd never seen it, never seen the guys that did it, and he'd never told her what really happened or just how bad the bruises were he'd tried to cover up. After he'd gotten with Karin, for some reason the bruises stopped. Maybe since he was off the market he was seen as less of a threat and girls wanted him less. Maybe he had started trouble again, worse than ever.

Whatever it was, whatever he'd done, he couldn't deserve this and Lauren would protect her friend, the man she loved with all her might. The man I love? It is pretty ridiculous I only admit I like him when I think I might lose him, she thought.

“Go away!” she screamed, clutching his shirt and tears streaming despite her harsh glare at all of them around.

The guys turned and walked away quickly, disappearing inside the school.

“Ugh....” Kyungsan groaned and choked on air, causing him to cough up blood.

“Kyungsan? Oh, my gosh, you're hurt! What do I do?” Lauren panicked as she sat up off him and her eyes scanned his dirty clothes.

He had a busted lip, a bruised eye, dirt and blood smudged all over, bloody lips and a blood-caked nose, his hand clutched his side. She whimpered and more tears poured out. She touched his face, completely overwhelmed and afraid anything she did would break him. She felt so angry they did this to him and then so scared at how hurt he should be and lost at what to do.

Kyungsan, bless his sweet heart, smiled through his pain and chuckled, groaning at the effect it had on his body slightly. “Hospital might be a good idea.”

“Right, hospital!” she gasped in relief.

She jumped up to go find a nurse or a teacher or something, but Tayoung had already beat her to that and waved to her as she ran into the building.

“Lauren..” He started coughing again.

“Shh, shh. You're hurting,” she comforted softly, grabbing a hold of the hand he reached for her.

His grip was weak but she could tell he was holding tight as he could in attempt to comfort her. Silly Kyungsan, always the same. He was hurt and he was thinking more of her than himself.

“Thanks for coming. Though I didn't really want you to see me like this. You were truly scary, by the way. I didn't think you had it in you. Remind me not to piss you off,” he whispered with a crooked, bloody grin.

Lauren sniffled and smiled despite herself. “Don't make me want to hit you right now, Kyungie.”

“You know, I always loved it when you called me that...There's a lot of things I love about you, that you never know...” his eyes were closing and his voice drifting.

Lauren shook his hand in panic. “You have to stay awake, okay? You can't go to sleep, uh? I don't know what I'd do if you didn't wake up.”

He obediently opened his eyes, looking a bit out of focus like he was fighting sleep. “I was just resting my eyes. Don't worry, I won't leave you. Ever. I'd miss you too much...”

She smiled sadly, bringing his hand up and touching the grimy, weak one to her face. “I'd miss you too. So much. So don't sleep.”

“Alright, I won't. Can you sing for me to keep me awake?”

Lauren nodded and sniffled to clear . As she sang the song they'd been practicing, she still couldn't help but cry a bit. Kyungsan just looked up at her like she was an angel, smiling warmly, his head and lengthy, auburn hair buried in soft, tan dust and dirt, a patch of spindly grass near his ear. Eventually an ambulance came and put him on a stretcher and he was taken away. Tayoung, Yoogeun and her were able to get a ride there and call Kyungsan's parents to tell them all that had happened.

Lauren sat, nervously rocking and shaking her foot on the floor of the waiting room. Tayoung and Yoogeun were next to her. Tayoung was holding Yoogeun's hand secretively to support him while he looked a mix of anxious and pissed. Lauren wondered if those guys would live to see another day after he found out who hurt his friend. All of their parents were there now too, Key was brushing her back gently. Jessica, Kyungsan's umma, was barely holding it together and Onew had a very serious, tightly controlled expression.

“Jinki...” Key said softly, drawing his attention.

The caramel-haired, handsome man spotted the doctor coming towards them down the starkly white, clean, empty hallway and stood up. Jessica clung to him, biting back a sob. Lauren bit her nails but stopped moving so she could listen in carefully.

“Your son is going to be okay. He's not in critical condition anymore. He's had some internal bleeding that we've luckily stopped, two fractured ribs we've patched up, some bruises and stitching. He's been napping and we put him on pain medication. It can't be all of you at once but you can see him for a little while. He'll need to stay here for a few days just so we can keep an eye on him and make sure he's healing alright.”

“Thank you,” both parents said sincerely and bowed to him.

Then they came back to us.

“Who would like to go in first?” Onew asked.

Everybody insisted they go. Lauren of course wanted to jump in but she knew it was more proper to let his parents see him first. She tried to patiently wait her turn, Key watching her and holding her in concern and comfort. Jessica was sobbing when she came out but Onew actually seemed relieved as if Kyungsan's condition wasn't as bad as it seemed. Tayoung, Lauren, and Yoogeun went in together next.

Once the door opened, Lauren forced herself not to gasp at the sight. Kyungsan actually looked much better than he did lying on the school grounds all bloodied earlier, but it was scary seeing him for the first time in the hospital bed—with all those tubes, with the creepy gown and all those bandages and angry marks. It made her think he was about to die and that freaked her out. He smiled at them as casual as ever and waved lightly, making the white tubes attached to his forearm jiggle slightly.

“Hi, guys. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you,” he said in a voice that was surprisingly strong.

It seemed like he wasn't as hurt as she'd thought, not anything that wouldn't heal within a few months anyway.

“Hi,” Tayoung murmured.

“Always joking,” Yoogeun scoffed with a relieved smile.

Kyungsan's grin and gaze turned softer as he turned to Lauren. Lauren, however, couldn't seem to speak or even smile for him. He seemed concerned and then turned to look back at the other two.

“Sorry, guys. Do you think you could leave us alone for a second?” he asked.

“Sure,” Yoogeun said with a mischievous, knowing grin, then he grabbed Tayoung's hand and led her out of the room.

Kyungsan grinned brightly at her like nothing had happened, like he hadn't suffered anything horrible, been taken in an ambulance, wasn't all bandaged bruised and hooked up to tubes in a place where people died. He gestured her to come closer.

“Hey, you. Come over here and sit a minute.”

Lauren shuffled over, dragging her feet, and sat quietly down in the chair, staring at the light blue, frumpled blanket around his hips. Kyungsan reached over and touched a finger to her chin, tipping it up. Despite the busted, scabbed lip and his stitches at the corner of his mouth, his smile was so charming and breath-taking. She just looked at him, mesmerized and blinking big, stunned eyes.

“Why do I feel like you're the one who should be in this bed rather than me? You lose your tongue or something?” he teased.

“No...” she said simply, looking away from his eyes shyly.

“Are you mad? I was only joking...” he turned his head so their eyes met again and they looked warm and concerned. “Is something wrong?”

“Not really...” she murmured.

Only that I feel like I've been through hell and back today and I don't know what to do with all these feelings when I'm in front of you, she thought.

“You don't have to feel uncomfortable around me, Lauren. I never wanted that. Whatever is in your mind you can say. Of course, if you feel better not telling me, I will let it be,” he promised gently, brushing a thumb along her chin.

Her skin tingled where he touched her. She wanted to pull his hand against her cheek, to feel more of him. But she didn't because she wasn't sure she should. It wouldn't be right to let him know and then she could accidentally hurt him. She realized today Kyungsan was a lot more fragile than he looked. She could lose him any day, if that was their fate. That gave her the courage she needed—she didn't want to lose a chance to tell him.

“I...I l-like...”

She paused hopelessly. This was as far as her courage could take her.

“Like...what? Oranges? Sweets? Pasta?” Kyungsan hinted.

Lauren blushed bright red and let out a shaky breath, inhaling and gathering courage again. “You.”

“I what?” he looked confused but there was a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Lauren got frustrated and burst out, “I like you! I.like.you! Okay?”

Kyungsan stayed frozen for awhile. She didn't even dare to look at him. She just glared in irritation at the bed sheets, imagining it was him healthy so she could strangle him for humiliating her like this. Then he started laughing. He thinks it's funny, a big joke. I knew he didn't see me that way. I was kidding myself...She started tearing up. Kyungsan held her cheek in his hand and pulled her forward, stopping his laughter. She looked up at him in blurry confusion.

“I know,” he smiled sweetly and then pecked her.

It felt like fireworks. There was something absolutely special about this kiss, now that she knew what she felt for him and knowing he was still alive. She never wanted it to end. She held his wrist and pushed into his lips when he was about to pull away so it would last longer. He grinned but kissed her obediently a few more times, slow and tender and warm. He pulled back and they stared at each other with smiles and flushed faces, Lauren full of nervous energy.

She felt so happy though she wasn't really sure why. 'I know' didn't mean he accepted her feelings and it wasn't an answer back. What did he feel? Before she'd had a chance to ask or he had a chance to speak up, the