"Oppa! Oppa!" Seohyun cried as she ran after Yong Hwa back to the manor.

Yong Hwa stopped to fill his lungs with air. He, then, turned around to confront her lying ways. He held her firmly by the shoulders and shook her vigorously.

"Why are you lying to me? Wae?" he demanded.

"Because... I love you, Oppa," Seohyun confessed. "Ever since I laid eyes on you... so much that I had wanted to belong to your circle."

Yong Hwa knew she loved him, or liked him because it was obvious. It just needed her confession for confirmation.

"Ga. You need to go to class," Yong Hwa told her stiffly.

"Op..Oppa..." Seohyun spoke.

"GA!" Yong Hwa ordered in a scream. "I don't want to see your face now... no, I don't know when, but go away!"

"Oppa!" Seohyun cried as she held his hands on her shoulders.

She leaned immediately to give him a kiss when...

"Hyung!" a merry voice called out.

The two looked at the source of voice, Seohyun being irritated, and Yong Hwa very relieved. It was Jung Shin.

"Seohyun-chingu, why in the world are you crying?" asked Jung Shin merrily while being oblivious to the fact that something occurred between the two.

Seohyun hated her day. First, Marcus Cho revealed a secret she had kept for so long, and now, Jung Shin was able to prevent the kiss. She yelped as Jung Shin held her hips and carried her up, hoisting her above the air and twirling her around, just like in old or cheesy romantic movies.

"Ya! Jung Shin-ah, put me down!" Seohyun said in a rush of panic, for she was really scared.

"Seohyun-ah, bogo shipeosseo (I missed you)," Jung Shin said in a smile, while Yong Hwa looked on boredly.

"Ya! Ya...!!!!" Seohyun protested before holding her hand to .

Jung Shin stopped twirling around and brought Seohyun down. The wretched girl was getting dizzy at the corny stunt.

"You forgot that she always get seasick," Yong Hwa said to Jung Shin.

"But we are not at sea, Hyung," Jung Shin pointed out.

Yong Hwa looked at Seohyun in disdain, while she looked at him, begging for forgiveness, and somewhat relieved that he took her side in this ordeal.

"She could not go to school this afternoon," Yong Hwa told Jung Shin. "You better let her sleep here."

And Jung Shin noticed something.

"Hyung! Where did you trip? Did someone box you?" he asked.

"Pfff... take care of the visitor," Yong Hwa said stiffly before going inside the house.

The other two looked at him leave, and Jung Shin told Seohyun to lean on him so he can lead her to Seung Ho's room. Seohyun gagged because the twirling around made her dizzy.

"It's all your fault," she hissed at him.

"Mianhae. Jal mot-haesseo (Sorry, I did wrong)," Jung Shin apologized.

*****

Meanwhile, Yong Hwa dashed to the kitchen, pissed off. Marcus just exploded a bomb to his face, and it was more shocking than knowing that his neighbor actually was the cousin of Seohyun's husband-to-be.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw Shin Hye cooking lunch.

"Shin Hye-ya..." he called out. "How come it's you cooking?"

"Jong Hyun has class, remember? And Hyukkie too," she said in concern, wondering if he had forgotten about Jong Hyun again.

"Ah...mianhae..." he said softly.

Shin Hye noticed the marks of violence on his face, so she dashed to him and looked for other signs of injury.

"Neon gwaenchanha?" she asked him, getting pale with worry.

Yong Hwa eyed her pensively. Marcus said that Shin Hye used to be his, Yong Hwa's, best friend. So, maybe that is true. Otherwise, Shin Hye would not get sick with worry.

Or was that the reason why she cried twice in front of him?

"Yong Hwa-ya, stay in your room, and wait for me there," she ordered him. "I'll finish cooking this because Jung Shin might come around this time."

"He's already here..."

"Jinjja?" Shin Hye asked in happy surprise.

"With Seohyun."

"Eh????" asked Shin Hye.

Why did that have to be here, she thought bitterly. And why is she together with Jung Shin, she asked him. Yong Hwa explained to him what happened, and Shin Hye laughed, not because she thought that Seo deserved it, but because Jung Shin could get so corny at times.

"Just how many old romantic movies has he watched these days, I wonder?" Shin Hye told him with a smile. "He never changed."

"Ara..." he said to her softly.

Shin Hye brought her hand to his lips and gently wiped off the blood clot. Yong Hwa's lips shuddered at the gentle touch that his "bestfriend" was giving him.

"Get to your room, Yong," she said tenderly. "I will follow."

"Ne..." he replied.

As he exited the kitchen, Shin Hye could not help but wonder if something happened at River Han.

*****

Shin Hye entered the room, bringing along the first aid kit. Yong Hwa, who was lying on his bed, got up to meet her.

"Let's go to your bathroom," Shin Hye declared. "Let me wipe those blood off your face."

She placed the kit on his bed and entered the bathroom, with Yong Hwa following behind. They stayed by the sink, and as Shin Hye started to open the tap, she got a soft towel from her pocket and began to rinse it. When the towel was soaked, she turned off the tap and brough the towel to Yong Hwa's face.

However, as she began to gently remove the bloody crusts off his lips, she suddenly felt her face getting warm. She always had felt the butterflies in her stomach whenever Yong Hwa looked at her, and right now, he was staring at her. He was watching the way she moved, the way she cared, and what an awkward moment that was!

"Mianhae..." she whispered.

She just concentrated on her task to avoid getting busted. As always, Yong Hwa was watching her silently, looking at her blushes.

After some moments, she declared that she needed to put some medication on his wounds. She exited the bathroom fast for fear of giving in to the most delicious temptation in front of her. Yong Hwa followed, knowing how awkward the moment was, as he was also feeling the same way.

He did not know her, and Marcus just said that Shin Hye's his bestie. What he was feeling for her right now was... different. Like, if they had a connection, there must be something deeper. And if one has to gauge Yong Hwa's feelings, it was more on... the temptation side.

Both had to fight it, of course. They just had to.

Shin Hye sat on the floor and began to put some medicine on the cotton ball and told Yong Hwa to sit with her. He did as told, and allowed the girl to attend to the wound on his face.

Thanks a lot, Cho Kyuhyun.

Shin Hye could not resist looking at those eyes looking back at her, so she had to concentrate on his wound instead. Her lips were shuddering, and she was really tempted to kiss him. After all, both of them were alone in the room.

"Gwaenchanha?" he whispered to her.

His tender voice startled her, so she was taken aback and shook her head.

"Shin Hye-ya, don't get startled," Yong Hwa assured her. "It makes me think that you like me."

And Shin Hye's face reddened into all shades, but she agitatedly shook her head. But her face turned redder and redder as Yong Hwa held her hand.

His hand was rough and warm, and it caressed hers beautifully. Shin Hye was already confused on what to do, most especially when he looked into her eyes again.

"Yong..." she whispered.

But tears streamed down Yong Hwa's eyes slowly.

"W...wae?" she asked, starting to panic. She thought she had done something wrong.

"Shin Hye-ya..." he started to say. "Can you tell me?"

Shin Hye was confused, wondering what he meant.

"T...tell you what?"

"Shin Hye-ya... are you... my best friend?" he asked, voice breaking, tears spilling down his eyes.

"Yong... Hwa..." she whispered in shock, wondering where he knew her secret. "I... I..."

And tears started to fall from her eyes as well.

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Sorry for the cliffhanger, Chingus. Please stay tuned!

And oh, the scene in the bedroom is not yet connected to the poll, which is still ongoing. Vote now!

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