Summer vacation came in a breeze, but to Jieun, everyone seemed busy during the summer. Dasom was on a family trip (with Myungsoo's family, and no one really wanted to think about how well that would go); Junhee decided to work at her uncle's café over the summer and to pick up some art lessons (for whatever reason she had); Eunji was now spending as much time as possible with her new boyfriend (his health was getting far worse), Byunghun was on the basketball club's summer-death field trip (club members only attended this rigorous trip to impress the coach); and Taemin wasn't busy, but he used his extra time with Soojung.

That left Jieun completely alone with absolutely nothing to do, but she didn't mind. After all, she considered herself quite busy. If she left the house, turned to her neighbor's door, and rang on it a couple of times…

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

"Lee Jieun!" the boy who swung open his door screamed. He glared at Jieun, who smiled brightly at him. "Stop ringing on my doorbell! My mom gave you the keys to my house, so there is absolutely no reason for you to annoy me with my doorbell!"

Jieun continued to smile. "Good day, Hyunwoo! Isn't it a lovely day?"

"It's hot and humid outside." He grunted. "I hate summer."

"So do I!" she exclaimed. "We have a lot of things in common, don't we?"

"What do you want?" he asked quickly.

"Help me study!"

"What for?"

"I want to go into the special class with you next semester!" Jieun said honestly. "So help me study for it!"

Hyunwoo grunted. Getting into the special class was tough, and it was harder to stay in that class. Each semester, the people from the special class and the people who want to be in the special class had to take a difficult exam. If they passed, they were either kept in the special class or moved to the special class. If they failed the exam, then they were sent back to the regular classrooms.

For people like Hyunwoo and Taemin, the exam was a breeze. There wasn't much studying going on for people like those two. However, Hyunwoo only studied to get a higher mark than Taemin, and Jieun knew that. She knew that Hyunwoo studied, so she figured that if she wanted to spend some time with him over the summer, then why not study with him?

"I refuse to tutor you," Hyunwoo said bluntly.

Jieun pouted. "Why not?"

"You're not going to pass."

"What makes you say that?"

"Jieun, you hardly attended your classes and you almost failed every test."

"But if I'm with you, I'm sure I'll study better!"

"If you're with me, you'll be distracted."

Jieun scowled. She didn't really like how Hyunwoo was pointing out the obvious. True, she probably was going to be more distracted, but all she wanted to do was spend some time with him.

"Please?" Jieun asked weakly. She was out of options. Now she was going to beg him to teach her.

"Why don't you ask Taemin? He's smarter than me, isn't he?" Hyunwoo pointed out.

"In my eyes, you're the only smart I guy I see," she said dreamily. This seemed to have worked because Hyunwoo smirked and crossed his arms with pride.

"Well, I am smart," he said, praising himself. He looked at Jieun, then stared at the stack of books she brought with her. "You're serious about this, right?"

"Yep!" Jieun exclaimed.

"Fine, I'll teach you a bit," Hyunwoo said. He stepped to the side to let her in. "Oh, but I won't go easy on you."

Jieun's expression brightened. "I wasn't expecting you to."

Hours later, Jieun dropped her head against the table. Her eyes looked dead and her pale complexion looked unhealthy. It seemed as if she was starving for hours, and in a way, she was—she was starving from fun.

"Lee Jieun!" Hyunwoo shouted. He slammed the book against the table, causing Jieun to jerk her head back up. He shot her a glare. "Are you really serious about this?"

"I-I am!" she stuttered.

"Then focus!" he ordered. He pointed at a simple math problem. "You learned this in eight grade. Eight. Grade. Finish it up!"

It was supposed to me staring at him while he studied, Jieun thought, crying in the inside. Instead, I'm being punished for not remembering eight grade math.

"Are you really serious about taking the test, or are you just playing around here because I'm here?" Hyunwoo asked.

"I'm trying really hard, okay?" Jieun defended. "I might not be as smart as you, but I am trying to do my best."

Hyunwoo grunted. "Just finish it up, okay?"

She only groaned and picked up her pencil to finish the problem. As she wrote across the paper, she couldn't help but glance up at what Hyunwoo was doing. A small tint of pink appeared on her cheeks when she saw Hyunwoo focus on his own works.

This is right, she thought, smiling. This is nice.

"Lee Jieun," he called, raising his voice. Jieun jumped out of her seat, startled. "I have a sixth sense that tells me when you're looking at me. Back to work!"

She moaned in annoyance at first, but then smiled. "That means you're thinking of me, right?"

He looked up at her and shot her a glare. She quickly sealed her lips and worked on her assignment without looking up. After a few minutes, she secretly glanced to see what he was doing. Her eyes slowly widened when she saw his ears turn slightly red. 

She giggled softly and continued to work, while Hyunwoo covered one ear with his free hand as if he knew what she was laughing at.

"Done!" Jieun cheered. She dropped her head against the table and let out a satisfied sigh. "I'm finally done with all these worksheets!"

"You might be done, but you got them all wrong," Hyunwoo commented. "You weren't trying, were you?"

"Nope," she admitted. "These problems were too hard."

"You're not serious about getting into the special class, huh?"

"Not really. I'm always invited, anyway."

Hyunwoo let out a sigh. "I spent hours trying to tutor you for nothing. You're a hopeless case."

Jieun smiled. "Let's forget about such trivial things!"

Hyunwoo sighed again. Then, he looked down at the red marks he had scribbled all over Jieun's notes. When he looked back at her, he rested his cheek against his fist.

"Jieun, you're almost going to graduate soon. Is there anything you want to do in the future?" Hyunwoo asked seriously.

"Marry you," she answered simply. She looked up with a bashful smile. "Didn't I tell you about this?"

"Yes, yes. It was cute back at kindergarten, embarrassing at elementary, and annoying at middle school," he told her. He frowned. "But seriously, think. If marrying me isn't the option, what are you going to do?"

Jieun thought hard on that question. "I don't know. I just want to love you and marry you."

Hyunwoo grimaced. "Come on, Jieun. Be serious. Your mom is always complaining to my mom about you having no future. I can't be there to take care of you all the time."

"It's not like you're going anywhere far," Jieun retorted. She rolled her eyes. "Hyunwoo, it's still high school. Let's have fun!" She smiled. "We didn't go on a date yet, right? We're in high school! Let's date!"

"What if I'm going somewhere far?" he asked her. She stopped smiling. "Then what?"

"I'll… I'll figure out something when it happens—"

"Jieun, what if I want to go to America, huh? I'm already practically fluent in English, and you can hardly speak the language. You wouldn't be able to follow me."

"You're planning to go to America?" Jieun asked, blinking her eyes. "Why? College is Seoul is great!"

"But Jieun…"

She gave him a small look of betrayal. "You were thinking of leaving me?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, he got up from his seat and dropped all the paperworks on the table. He looked out the window, then went over to the kitchen counter to grab his wallet.

"You know what," he said, adding a small sigh at the end. He gave her a small smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Why don't we get ice cream? It'll be a reward for you attempting to study."

Jieun grinned. "So it's a date?"

Before he had the chance to protest, she dashed out of the door, slipping on her sandals and waiting for him at the elevators.

At the closest ice cream parlor, Hyunwoo and Jieun picked their ice cream and went outside for a small walk to the park. The blazing summer heat and the rich humidity of the air made them walk in slow, heavy steps. Studying had exhausted their minds, and the weather only made it worst. Still, they thought that it'd be nice to eat outside for a change of view, so they marched in the shadows of the building.

Before they made it to the park, Hyunwoo gasped and patted his pockets. Jieun, who took immediate notice, turned and already knew what he was looking for.

"Did you lose your wallet?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I think so," he said. He turned. "I thought I dropped something early, but I didn't see anything. Stay here, okay? I'll be right back. I think I know where I dropped it."

She whined. "It's so hot, though!"

"Sorry. Go wait under that tree, okay?" Hyunwoo ordered. "Make sure you don't get into trouble. "

He turned and retraced his steps.

Jieun walked over to the tree, patiently waiting for Hyunwoo as she her ice cream. She listened to the cicadas roar, crying out their summer song. She gently closed her eyes, feeling the moist breeze breathe on her cheeks. As she continued to close her eyes, she heard footsteps approach her and sit on a bench nearby.

"Did you see that guy earlier?" someone from the bench muttered. "He looks stupid looking in the trash bags!"

"I know, right? You think that someone like him would have sense of what day and night is. He's a desperate beggar," another gossiped.

Jieun opened her eyes and turned around. She scrunched her eyebrows, but quietly listened to the conversation.

"But honestly, didn't he kind of look cute?" the girl in the middle asked. Jieun smirked, but her smirk faded when she heard what the girl had to say next: "He looks like an easy type. I can tell that he's the dumb boy who can't do anything."

"How far do you think you can use him for?" the first guy asked. "I dare you to ask him out."

"Ew! No way! You're gross! I just said that he's dumb. It's not like I want to date someone who's equal to a garbage."

Jieun's blood boy. She angrily tapped her foot against the ground and crossed her arms.

Stay still, she told herself. Hyunwoo told you to stay still. You must absolutely not get involved with this. You must not—

"Besides, people like him are pathetic. He's trash. You guys know that, right? If anything, he—"

The girl let out a shriek when she felt something cold and creamy on her hair. She got up with wide eyes and slapped away the cone. The boys besides her got up and turned around, only to see Jieun who had dumped ice cream on the girl's hair.

The female hitched her breath and glared at Jieun. "You little—"

"Brat? Trash? What? What are you trying to call me? Go on," Jieun taunted. She gritted her teeth. "As much as you have the freedom to say what you want, I don't appreciate you bad-mouthing Hyunwoo."

"Geez," the boy whispered. "The guy has a wack-o girlfriend—"

"You know, I might not be his girlfriend, but I do love him," she declared boldly. She glared at all three of them. "Say all the bad things you want about me, okay? I don't care. If you talk about Hyunwoo like that, though, then that's a different story."

"She's a freaking maniac!" the girl shouted. She tried to jump on her, except the boys wouldn't let her. "Let go of me! Let me get her!"

"Okay, fine! Hit me!" Jieun yelled. Hearing this, the boys let go and allowed the girls to get in a cat fight.

As the girls fought, Hyunwoo trotted along. He didn't want to keep Jieun waiting, and he knew that she always got into some crazy situations. However, when he appeared and spotted Jieun being clawed, his eyes widened in shock. When he saw blood leaking from a cut on her cheek, he quickly rushed over to them and pulled the girls apart.

"Stop it!" Hyunwoo shouted, particularly at Jieun. "Let go!"

After a bit more of tugging and yelling, the girls finally released their grips from each other. Hyunwoo swiftly pulled out a tissue from his pocket and handed it over to the girl with ice cream all over. Jieun dropped her jaws, horrified at Hyunwoo's kindness towards the girl who badmouthing behind his back.

"I'm so sorry," Hyunwoo said in a rushed voice. He bowed multiple times. "I'm so sorry for her behavior. I'm so sorry."

"You should be," the girl said, crossing her arm. "You have a crazy person with you. You shouldn't let her go like that!"

Hyunwoo raised his eyebrows, but his voice remained calm. "Yes, I understand. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize, Hyunwoo! They should be apologizing to you!" Jieun told him. "Apologize for badmouthing him!"

"We're complete strangers. I hardly know this guy. Besides…" She gave Jieun a sly look. "I don't remember badmouthing about a stranger. Do you guys remember me talking about him?"

The two boys shook their heads innocently, much to Jieun's dismay.

"I remember talking about the weather," one boy said.

"We were also talking about the environment," the second boy added.

Jieun dropped her jaws. "Oh my gosh. Hyunwoo, you can't believe—"

"I'm sorry for bothering you all. I'm really sorry," Hyunwoo said, interrupted Jieun. Her heart broke at the sight of him apologizing for absolutely nothing. "Would you like to come to my house and take a shower? There's ice cream all over you. Should I pay for the clothes?"

The girl let out a fake sigh. "Well, I don't think you'll be able to pay for the clothes. Enough, I was going to throw them out anyway. I'll just clean myself up at a nearby sauna or at the gym. My house is close, too."

"You should be lucky. She's only letting you go because she knows that you're a good person," the second boy told him.

"Yes, yes. Thank you so much. Again, I'm so sorry," Hyunwoo apologized. 

Jieun clenched her teeth. "But Hyunwoo, you shouldn't—"

"Ah, but I would like a sincere apology from her," the girl remarked, pointing at Jieun.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not—"

"Lee Jieun!" Hyunwoo snapped. He brought her closer to the strangers. "Apologize!"

Jieun scowled. "But I did nothing wr—"

"Apologize!" he repeated.

With a small grunt, Jieun slowly bowed. "I'm so sorry for dumping ice cream on your hair."

The girl smirked victoriously. "There, there. You're forgiven."

After chatting for a bit more, the girl left with her two friends. Hyunwoo and Jieun watched the three fade away in the distance. Then, Hyunwoo turned around to Jieun and placed his hands on his hip. He was about to scold her until he noticed her bitter expression. It was a look he was familiar with, and guilt instantly stabbed is heart.

"Come on," he said in a low voice. "We're going home."

Jieun looked up in surprise. "But the park is just—"

"Home," Hyunwoo repeated.

She sulked. Damn it! Curse you, stupid girl! You ruined the romance!

The two turned and began to walk in the direction they came from. As they walked, they kept quiet and didn't dare to speak. It was odd, especially since Jieun was the one who did all the talking. Hyunwoo wasn't used to having a silent conversation with Jieun like this.

He glanced over his shoulder. He noticed that the scratch on her cheek was still bleeding. He reached down his pocket for a tissue, but found none available. Grimacing, he continued to lead her back home, disappointed that he didn't have anything for her to wipe the blood.

When they arrived in front of their apartment doors, the two found themselves stepping in front of their own doors. Just as Hyunwoo was about to enter his home, Jieun stopped him.

"Hyunwoo," she called him softly. "You know I did that because I love you, right?"

Something clicked inside Hyunwoo when she said those last words. He looked over and stared at the scratch on her cheek. 

If she didn't love him, she wouldn't get hurt anymore, right?

"I don't care," he snapped.

She slowly tried walking towards him. "Aw, come on, Hyunwoo! Don't be like that! Do you think that I really would dump ice cream on people who don't talk bad about you?"

"Jieun, how do you know if they were talking about me?" he asked her. "They could've been talking about someone else."

"I have a sixth sense that tells me where you are. You were looking near some garbage bag, right?" Jieun asked. She shyly looked down at her feet. "Hyunwoo, I—"

"Can we please stop this?" Hyunwoo asked dryly.

Jieun looked up with a curious look. "Hm?"

"Can you stop pretending that you like me so much? Honestly, we're in high school now. Aren't you a bit sick of it?" he questioned her. "I mean, you've had a few crushes on me in kindergarten and elementary school, but in middle school, you act like you've been my fangirl. Don't you think we should stop this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, smiling faintly. "We hardly even started—"

"Jieun, please. I'm tired of this," he said.

"You don't mean it," she said. "You're not looking at him. You never look at me properly."

Hyunwoo didn't say anything else. Instead, he let out a frustrated groan and slammed his fist against the door. She took a step back.

"Jieun, please!" he begged desperately. "We're in our second year already. We have futures to think about. Third year isn't going to get any easier." He still didn't look at her in the eyes. "Can you please stop dreaming?"

Jieun wasn't smiling anymore. She was giving him a mixture of fear and confusion: fear because she was afraid that he didn't think she was being honest, and confusion because she didn't know what had gotten into him.

"A-Ah… You must be in those moody days, huh? You know what, it's okay! We'll talk tomorrow. We can—"

"I hate you."

She froze and paled. She looked up at him with utter disbelief. This time, he was looking at her. Except his eyes were watery, but she wasn't sure what to take from that. 

"I hate you, Jieun," he declared. His voice quivered, but she was still unable to identify if he was telling the truth or not. "I hated you, I hate you, and I will hate you."

Jieun felt her heart race, and it wasn't because she was in love. No, this time it was as if horror had knocked into her heart. Her dreams slowly shattered at his words. Her knees buckled, and all of the sudden she felt weak. She had always heard that Hyunwoo wasn't interested in her or thought that she was annoying, but she had never heard him say that he hated her.

She didn't like it.

"C-Come on, Hyunwoo," Jieun said softly. Her voice croaked. "You can't mean that. You…"

"Is that not enough?" he asked.

"W-Well… It's more than enough," she answered dejectedly. Sorrow filled her heart. 

Was this how it felt to be rejected, or was this how it felt to be hated by a lover?

"So you can leave me alone now, right?" he inquired. He opened the door. "Goodbye, Jieun." Before he entered, he took a step back. "Oh, and you don't need to make my meals anymore. We're trying to grow up, anyway. If I'm going to America, I need to know how to make my own food."

With that, he walked into his house.

Jieun blinked her eyes. What on earth had happened? Why were things turning like this? Did she miss something and did something wrong by accident?

She was able to knock on Hyunwoo's door until she recalled the recent memory of him telling her that he hated her. His words echoed in her mind, causing her hands to tremble before they touched his door.

Slowly taking baby steps, she went back to her own house, and closed the door behind her. She rushed straight to her room and locked the door. Before she knew it, she was already breaking down in tears and reached over to write in the journal with tear drops staining the page.