The first time she saw him was not at all good.  She was sitting under the tree, enjoying the summer heat and decided to read a book given by a friend on her birthday.  It would be better if she was not surprised by the falling apple.  Indeed, she was surprised because first of all it was not an apple tree she sat underneath.  Second, it was like Sir Isaac Newton was alive in her when all she could do was barely passing her Physics I class.  Third, there was a guy sleeping on the tree branch so peacefully and she was so surprised that she could not control her hand.

                She threw the book and the solid spine of the book hit the temple of who seems to be a good guy.  She straight away figured out that the apple came from his bag.  He fell from the branch, unfortunately adding another injury to his body.  He groaned.

                “What the hell was that for?” he asked.

                She was muted, unable to speak a word for a moment.  She felt guilty obviously, but she could not bring herself to recover from the shock.  The shock, that came from the falling apple, the realization that there was a guy (she was scared if he was a stalker, which was not) above her head and from her action in unintentionally injuring one hell of a handsome guy she had ever met.

                “Err…I’m sorry?” she said finally.  She looked at him, who was rubbing his temple, now bruising and seemed unaware of his own bleeding elbow.

                “That hurts,” he said and he realized he was bleeding both at his temple and elbow.

                “I was surprised you were on the tree.  I mean…your apple fell and I looked up and I saw you and I was panic, you know, you are a guy and I just threw-”

                “Okay!  Okay!  Stop it!  I’ve got enough of this.  Don’t add anymore to my headache,” he said, left hand still holding his head and another hand picking up his bag.  He picked up her book too.

                “I believe this is yours?” he asked, handing back her book.  She looked at him timidly, but there’s no sign that he could be angry with her.  He looked all handsome and perfect and oh so awesome.

                “I-I d-don’t mean to-”

                “It’s okay.  I’m sorry for shocking you though,” he said and he walked away, just like that.

                Why did he apologize?  She gripped the book firmly, thinking of how the hell someone could not get angry when a book was thrown at him and even injured him badly.  Her grip on the book was her unspoken words – describing how hurt she was, to hurt someone who was that good of a man, who she thought could be more than a friend for her.

+++++

                The second time they met was the day after the terrible incident.  He was in his lab coat, his gloved hands holding a syringe and a glass jar.  He locked his gaze on her, the raw, half-dried wound beside his left eye was accusing.  The wound was surrounded by a bluish-purple bruise, also was very accusing.

                “You?” the word that left his mouth sounded surprise, but she was unsure if it was a mere disappointment.

                “I-I-Mr. Yoon hired me as your assistant,” she said.  Deep inside, she wanted to scream because the guy before her was smiling and she wanted him to get angry to clean her guilt away.  She wished that he will overwork her to death and that way she will get her deserved punishment.

                “I’m Son Dongwoon,” he said, tone was friendly and she screamed inside her brain.

                “I know,” she said, handing him the form given by Mr. Yoon to her.  It was stated there that she was employed to be a research assistant for a post-grad student named Son Dongwoon.

                “I mean…What’s your name?” without taking the form, he asked, making himself clearer.  She was embarrassed because of her silliness.

                “Ouh…right.  Carol Jung,” she introduced herself.  He nodded.

                “You can call me Dongwoon.  Is Carol fine for you?” he asked her and she nodded and he resumed his speech, “You will work with me every day on weekdays from one to five.  If you cannot make it on certain days, just email me beforehand, so that I could set my mind on working all by myself.”

                She nodded again.  Dongwoon continued his work right after and Carol did not know what she was supposed to do.  She stood there and just stared at him, first at how he did his work diligently but as the seconds passed, she stared at how handsome he was in his lab coat and working.

                “Staring is rude, you know that?” he broke the silence.

                “Uh, what?”

                “I said, staring is rude, you know that?” he said.  Carol immediately flushed red in her cheeks because she was just caught red-handed.

                “I am sorry,” she gripped the form that she had been holding since just now, creasing it in a very bad way.

                “You said that since yeste