"Are you alright?"  Hyunseung patted Julia's back.

"She should be exaggerating," you say.

Julia moaned.  "She kicked... over my bruise."  She pulled her pant leg up to show a bruised up shin.  "Now there's a bruise on top of a bruise..."  Her lip trembled.

"Time to bring the boys over."  Hyunseung whipped out his phone from his pocket and speed-dialed before putting it to his ear.  A moment passed before he began speaking.

"Incident found.  Pick up at... Quad 3."  He read the sign nearby.  "Dongwoon'll know.  Over."

"You mean you're not the only one here?"  You ask.

Hyunseung put down his phone and hoisted Julia up.  "Yoseob and Dongwoon are here too."

It was almost as if Julia's ears perked up.  "Yoseob?  He's here?  Where?"  She pushed herself away from Hyunseung.

"Choi Yunchi!  Jewia!  Kwaenchana?  Are you hurt?"  Yoseob's distant figure was visible with a Dongwoon beside him.  Within minutes, Yoseob was inspecting Julia's bruise.

"What's this?"

"It's a bruise over a bruise!!" Julia grabbed her ankle and whined.

"This will make you feel better--- Wingardium Leviosa!"  Yoseob dramatically pointed a finger at her bruise.  Julia sniffled. 

Yoseob frowned.  "That was supposed to make you laugh!"

Julia smiled, then held out her arms.  "Help me up."

As Yoseob helped her to her feet, Hyunseung hurried over to you.

"Where's your car?"

You give him a look.  "What about your company car?"

"Doojoon and the other kids have it.  Their working, and we split up.  I'll explain later."

You reluctantly nod.  "It's right out the quad parking lot."

You start walking, but Hyunseung stopped you.

"Need help?"

You shake your head.  "Only my face throbs a bit."

You back was burning, but you didn't want to worry him.  "Let's go."

You gave Dongwoon your keys, and he ran ahead to find your car.  When you got to your car, Hyunseung sat in the drivers' seat.

"Your driving?"  You stare at him incredulously.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to let you drive."  He grasped the wheel uncertainly.

"You have a license?"

Hyunseung continued to look forward.  "Nope.  But I have a vague---"

"Nope, sir, you are not driving!" Julia pushed Hyunseung to the passenger seat with difficulty.  "I'll drive.  I actually passed the drivers' test."

You sit in the back with Dongwoon and Yoseob, albeit somewhat relieved.  You made sure not to rest your back on the seat.

"Is Julia's driving any better than Hyunseung's?"  Dongwoon murmured.

~~

"Julia, can you get me warm damp towels?"  Hyunseung set you down on your bed.

"Yep."  You can hear Julia asking Yoseob to get the towels.

Hyunseung inspected the scratch on your face.  It was hard not to look into his eyes, but you instinctively look away.  He didn't seem to notice.

"It's started to swell."  He skimmed his fingers lightly over the scratch, but it surprisingly didn't hurt.

"Brought the towels."  Julia came in with a bucket full of warm water and towels.

"Thanks."  Hyunseung set it on the floor.

Julia quickly left the room at Yoseob's call for her.

Hyunseung wrung a towel and patted it softly over the wound.  It only stung a little, so you tried not to wince.

"So tell me what's happening."

Hyunseung smiled and patted your scratch all the while.  He began to tell you everything.

All of Beast was worried about you and Julia, but they couldn't go check on you since they had to do a recording.  So they split up..  Hyunseung, Yoseob, and Dongwoon would make up the recording schedule on their day off so they could come.   Dujun dropped them off at the school, they split up, and used their phones to communicate.  Dongwoon saw you talking with Kyungmi after the first class.  Yoseob saw Kyungmi giving Julia her lunch, and also coming up to you while you were eating, along with that one guy.  And of course, Hyunseung saw when it broke out in a fight.  Of course he had to save you.

"Is that enough to satisfy you?  There, you're done.  Should I bandage it?"

"Ani, I don't."

"I'll put one on anyway.  It'll make you look tougher."

"No--what-- no--"

Hyunseung ran out of the room to look for bandaids, and came back with a Hello Kitty bandaid, and stuck it on your scratch.  "There we go!"

You cautiously touched the bandaid.  "It only covered the middle!  The rest of the scratch sticks out."

"It's fine.  The hello kitty adds the touch of toughness to your expression.  Now lie down."  Hyunseung patted the bed.  You resist, and Hyunseung slowly lowers you onto the pillow.  The landing was soft, but the contact itself awakened a blast of pain in your back, and you can't help but let out a gasp of agony.

Hyunseung's smile faltered.  "What?  Does it hurt?"

You grimace.  "It's nothing."

"I saw that look.  Where does it hurt?"

You hesitate.  "... my back."

"Take off your shirt.  You have an undershirt right?  I need to see your back."

"How exactly does that work...?"  But you reluctantly slip off your top, leaving your undershirt.  Hyunseung made you turn around so he could get a better look, and gasped.

"_____.  Why is there so much... blood?"

"What?  There's blood?"

"It leaked through your undershirt.  in several places... I'm getting more towels.  These are soiled---"  Hyunseung grabbed the bucket of towels hastily and ran out of the room.

You slowly pressed a finger to your back.  It came back red.

Hyunseung rushed back in with new towels and sat next to you again.  "How will I do this... hold on to the  front of your top while I pull it up from the back.  I just need to reveal your back, okay?  I... promise."  Hyunseung's face went red when he realized what he was saying, but you nodded, and grabbed a fistful of shirt to hold on to while Hyunseung pulled up the back.  The scratches clung to your shirt, and you bit your lip.

"I'm sorry, _____.   But I have to clean this, or it'll get infected.  It'll sting."

And for another painful 20 minutes, Hyunseung dabbed at the blood with a warm towels.

You heard Hyunseung set the towel back into the bucket.  "I brought that gauge wrap thing to cover the scratches.  There won't ever be enough bandages to cover this up."

"How much space does it take up?"  You attempt to look over your shoulder.

"About half your back.  Just wait, I'm putting on ointment."  Afew more silent minutes follow up with Hyunseung's sigh of relief.

"Ah- done!  Now lie down.  It shouldn't hurt much."

You slowy lowered yourself, and only a dull throbbing followed.  You sighed, and looked out the window..  Hyunseung did the same.

"It's pretty dull front, isn't it?" You mention your front yard.  "Just dirt and stuff."

"Yeah."  Hyunseung admitted.

"I keep telling myself that I'll plant something out there, but, you know.."

"Yep."  Then suddenly, Hyunseung's eyes lit up, the same way it did when you had ice cream nine years ago.  "You think if we--"

Hyunseung's phone rang, and he paused to answer it.

"Yeoboseyo?  Ah, yeah.  It happened like we predicted.  We're at _____'s house now.  Huh?  Sure I'll text you the address.  Bye-- oh wait.  On your way, stop by that one store to get flowers.  No, not the bouquet.  Like, planting flowers.  And get fertilizer too, 'kay? Gomawo, bye."

He ended the call and noticed your confused face.  He smiled.  "How about we help you plant some flowers?  Dujun's on his way here, and he's getting some too.  Oh yeah, I have to text him your address."

He texted Doojoon really quickly before looking up and giving you a thumbs up.  He's on his way.  I'll let the others know."

He ran out of the room excitedly and soon you heard squeals and Yoseob's loud yapping.

For about five minutes you just sat on your bed, your head propped up with pillows.  As you heard everyone else's excitement, you imagined how they would spend the rest of the sunny afternoon planting colorful flowers, digging and patting down the soil.  Julia squealing in disgust from the fertilizer--- and you would be sitting on this bed.   Sleeping.

You stared intensely at the wall, and focused your anger on that tiny spot in the wall.  You pursed your lips.

"Ah, I can't stand this anymore."  You yell at the wall and threw your blankets off.  The pain withdrew as you pulled your back off the mattress.  You stomped down the stairs, getting your irritated face ready.  It would take a lot to convince Hyunseung to let you help.

Everyone was crowding around the front window, and Hyunseung was pointing out specific places through the winder pane. 

"It'd be nice to place the leafy plants near the wall, and the more colorful flowers in the middle, where it's more visible--"  The others would nod every now and then.  Yoseob scratched his chin once.

You mustered up your voice.  "Yah."

Everyone's heads whipped around, and Hyunseung's eyes widened.

"_____, you should be--"

"I don't want to.  I want to help."

"But your back... it's better if you sleep--"

"It hurts more when my back touches the mattress."

Hyunseung began to speak, but stopped himself.  He sighed.

"Fine.  But you stop if it starts to hurt.  You hear me?"

You smiled and clapped your hands. "Thank you oppa!"

Julia tapped Hyunseung's shoulder.  "I'll get the shovels and stuff."  She grabbed Yoseob's arm. "Come on Seobie!  They're in the back."

Julia and Yoseob went out in the backyard to get the equipment, and a little later, the doorbell rang.  It ends up, Doojoon went a little overboard on the flowers.  The car looked like a flower bed.

Hyunseng smiled as he set a pot of camellias on the ground.  "We'll be here a while planting these."

Doojoon stuck a shovel into the dry dirt once the plants and fertilizer was all piled on the driveway.

"Okay team.  A surprise B2ST Almighty has appeared before our eyes.  Mission "Plant all these plant before sundown," is now underway.  Beast..."

"HWAITING!" Everyone finished and lifted shovels into the air.

And for the next few hours, everyone worked away in the yard.  The neighbors across the street peeked out their doors to watch these eight young people had at work.

You toiled the soil and mixed in the smelly fertilizer (aka. cow poop) and you carefully transferred the flowers to the soil.  Hyunseung wanted to group them by color, so the leafy plants clung to the walls, and the red, yellow, and white flowers were in the middle of the yard, and were closest to the sidewalk.  The darker colored flowers were planted near the leafy green plants.

You and Hyunseung sat on the bench under the window as the other members swept up the remaining dirt lying around.  Julia was inside the house to calm herself down from the smell of cow poop.

"I've never seen such a pretty yard before."  Hyunseung smiled and wiped the stray dirt drom his shoes.

"Nah, I bet you've seen better."  You wave the comment aside.

"I'm serious.  You know why it's the prettiest?  It was planted with Beast's love."  He stood up to finger the petals of a nearby tulip.

You smiled nervously and swung your legs back and forth.  "Oppa?"

He paused, as if getting used to 'oppa'.  "Yeah?"

"Thank you, for helping me today.  I was really lucky you came."

You watched Hyunseung as he softly lifted his fingers from the white petals, and his mouth parted slightly.  His hair swayed as he turned his head and looked at you with his cat-like eyes.  His eyes lingered on you, and you realized you had never paid so much attention to his looks before.

His parted lips curled into a soft smile.  "I'm happy I was there too."