JI HYO POV:

It has been about a week since I last saw Gary. Ocassionally he would pop into my mind and I can't help smiling to myself about him. He was so cool and I wished I was just about half of him. I forgot to ask for his number as he fell asleep after I played my entire piece so I just left quietly, not wanting to disturb him. 

Walking down the hall after Eun Hye and I split road, I felt so tired as I had stayed up all night listening to my parents nag at me when I fell sick and crumbled to the ground in front of the entire school. It was not like I wanted to fall ill. I could not help it if my body could no longer take the stress and tire. Walking aimlessly just refusing to go home, I walked down hall after hall. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into a room. Startled, I looked around to then be greeted with a familiar environment. Gary's sanctuary. 

"What are you doing? Why did you suddenly grab me in?" I asked, shocked but glad. 

"You look tired," His voice deep with concern and care. 

"How do you know?" I questioned further. 

"You just look tired. The way your walk doesn't seem to have that normal bounce and how you have been walking up and down non stop for the past 15 minutes..." He suddenly look down when I gave him the look like he was a stalker. 

"Ok..." was all I could reply. He suddenly moved towards me, grabbed my books and left them on the coffee table. He sat me down on his sofa. He then walked to the piano and started playing. I didn't know he could play the piano as well. Feeling comfortable slowly as he played the piano, I removed my bag from my back and placed it on the ground. Finally, he was done with the first piece. He looked back at me and gave me the look like he .

"Go on, it is nice..." I told him. I wanted him to go on playing for me. I wanted him to play just for me. I wanted him to... 

Unknowingly, I had fallen asleep. When I woke up, no one was there. He had left some soft music on on his player and placed a note for me. I picked it up and read it. 

"Hope you rested well. I could not play as many pieces as you can so I left it to the soft music to do its job! See you soon!" At the bottom of the piece of post-it was his handphone number. How thoughtful. I opened the fridge up and realised that there was not much drinks left. I went down to the cafeteria to see it closed. That's when I realised that it was already very late. Even the teachers were leaving. I ran back, grabbed my bag and headed home. Upon arriving home, I slammed into my bed and stared at the ceiling. My mind was filled with the music he was playing and the music he left on for me. 

"No homework? Hurry up! This is not the time for you to slack girl! Move it!" My mother ordered me to get up and start on my work. I sat by my table and then I realised. In a hurry, I left my books on the coffee table in his room. Damn, I am going to be so dead if my parents find out that I left my things in school. Buzzz Buzz. My handphone vibrated against my bedside table. I hurried over to see a text.

"Ji Hyo, you left your books in my room. I will pass it to you tomorrow morning at 7. At the very least you can complete some work tomorrow morning:)" A grin spread across my face as I felt better. I told my mother I had no homework and headed to bed immediately. The next morning was a speeding car on a highway. I rushed through my breakfast and headed to school early lying to my parents that I had to meet a teacher. 

When I arrived, it was only 6.45am but Gary was already at the cafeteria waiting for me. I rushed to him and banged the table. 

"Morning!" He said to me cheerfully. 

"Hey. Thanks for helping me out." I said as I scrambled through my books and started on my homework. I sat there in front of me, completing my homework. Finally, I finished and just nice before the first lesson. When I looked up, I realised that Gary was just sitting there. The whole time. 

"You have been waiting for me all this while?" I asked him. 

"Yes. I figured you might need some company. Did your parents scold you very badly last night?" He suddenly asked. 

"Kind of. But my mother bought the story that I had no homework so it wasn't so bad. My brother however got it hard because he skipped a competition last night by falling ill. Despite his illness, my parents made him stand and listen to them nag. How mean..." I told Gary as we got up and headed to our lessons. Walking together felt so familiar yet strange. I have never been so close to a guy as friend or as more than a friend. He reached over and grabbed the books from my hands and held them for me. It was the same lecture as the one we skipped a few days back. As soon as we entered the room, everyone's eyes were on us. Eun Hye then came to me and told me something. 

"Me Song told me that he was going to forgive you. Only if you would play a piano piece for him!" 

"Ok! But what about Gary?" Subconciously my mind wondered to him and was concerned about him.

"Mr Song never said anything. He just said if you want, to meet him at 3pm later after school. Any piece will do!" She then smiled and returned to her seat. I looked at Gary who looked at me, shrugged and walked to our seats. 

Lesson ended more slowly then it ever did. Gary fell asleep as usual. I was tempted to do so too but I didn't want to play pieces for Mr Song everyday so I tried my best to stay awake. At the moment when my eyes closed, the bell rang. I then don't remember what happened already. I only remember waking up on Gary's shoulder. 

"I am so sorry. I must have drifted off to sleep by accident. Lesson has ended why didn't you leave?" I asked him and apologised. 

"You fell asleep on my shoulder and I thought that I should give you some decent rest!" He smiled at me. 

"Oh my gosh. Thank you so much!" I thanked him as I started packing my things. That's when I realised that it was already 2:30pm. I needed to rush to meet Mr Song so I said bye to Gary and ran to the room. However, on my way there, I must be so frantic I got lost. That was when I watched a part of someone's life. 

"We saw you! You purposely did it didn't you?" A boy I regconised as Joo Kim pushed another person I can't see. 

"Don't deny it! No use denying it. We all saw it!" The person who got pushed didn't even say anything but they accused him. Now, they were crowding around him and starting to push him around. They then snatched his bag and poured out the contents. 

"Hey! Don't touch my things!" He shouted back at the boys. That was when I regconised the voice. Gary. Then without another word, a punch came flying towards Gary. I carried my bag properly and went up to Joo Kim who was going to punch him next and pulled his arm back. He was strong but so was I. I learnt Judo because my parents wanted me to and I am thankful for that now. 

"Leave him alone!" I glared into his eyes and warned him sternly. 

"Ji Hyo! He purposely forced your head onto his shoulder. He drugged your water and made you fall asleep. You never sleep in class!" He lowered his arm. I looked at Gary and his lips had cracked and was bleeding. I ignored him and went over to Gary. Together, we started picking up his things and packing his bag. From the corner of my eye, I saw something flash and some swinging down. Next moment, I felt a burning, tinkling and cooling feeling on my shoulder. Left shoulder. I heard something drop. I turned with great pain to see a painknife with blood stained on it on the ground. Gary zipped his bag up and when he looked into my eyes. His eyes shifted to my shoulder. He then stood up and anticipating that he was going to hit Joo Kim, I pulled his leg. He held me up and supported me as we walked away. I looked back once more to see Joo Kim's eyes fill with tears and his hands shaking. 

"We need to go to the hospital now. Can you walk?" He then pulled me forward. I however refused to move. Instead I just whispered to him as I felt my shirt being wet and stained with blood flowing. 

"To... the.... your... sanctuary..." I gripped his arm. 

"I can't. You are already injured badly. How can I just let you be? You may get infection!" He insisted. 

"You know first aid! I saw your bag just now. You had a first aid manual!" I then felt my leg wobble abit. He then sighed and we headed for the "haunted" music room. 

As he sat me down on the sofa, he took out the first aid manual from his bag and a first aid box from under the sofa. 

"It is my first time. I  may not be good at it! Can we just go to the hospital?" He asked me, pleading. 

"Just do it!" I said softly. 

"But..." He but me but before he could continue, I shut him up.

"Shut up and hurry if you don't want me to die and make this place a really haunted music room!" I coughed as pain overwhelmed me.

"It may sting!" He then use some cloth and wipe my blood. Next, came the hardest part. He used an antiseptic wipe and cleaned the wound. I straightened my back from the pain. I forced the tears away from my eyes and beared with the pain. After what felt like forever, he successfully wrapped my wound. I turned around to face him. His face looked at though he was the one hurt.

"Are you okay? You look hurt!" I laughed.

"Sorry. Oh and how did you know?" He suddenly asked, face solemn.

"I got lost because I was in a panic and couldn't find my way. I happen to pass by and decided to help a friend in need!" I smiled to him. 

"You are going to be scarred! How are you as a girl going to get married?" He asked so seriously I couldn't help but burst out laughing. 

"Sure. Then if I can't get married you better marry me because you caused it!" He finally smiled and nodded his head. 

"Why are you studying first aid by the way?" I asked him.

"I cannot afford medical fees if I go to a hospital so I needed to learn it on my own and have my own tools so that it can help reduce my healthcare cost. It is finally in good use!" He smiled. 

"Yes! In good use. Now, as a punishment, please go with me to find Mr Song and tell him I can't play for him!" I got up and picked up my things. 

"Ok. Let's go!" He kept a few things before we left together to find Mr Song. Mr Song was at the staffroom now that it is already 4.30pm. 

"Mr Song! I am sorry. I didn't meet you just now because something cropped up! I will however like to sincerely apologise for both of our ish and bad attitude to you! Sorry!" I then bowed at Mr Song. 

"I am glad that the two of you realised your mistake. On the account of your sincerity and that the two of you seem to be working well together, I will let this go. However, I don't want another time. Go home, it is getting late!" He then hurried us away and we left school. I didn't call my chauffeur as I wanted to get used to the wound. I wonder what I wil explain to my parents when I go home. At the very least Joong Ki knows first aid from a course my parents sent him to. Gary was beside me. He insisted that he sent me home. 

"Thanks again for just now! However, why didn't you tell me instead of blocking it on your own?" He asked me.

"It would be too late!" I smiled and just kept on walking. 

As we walked, I realised, that he was such a dear friend and close friend unknowingly that I would get hurt for. For him. Him.