Seul moved within a pack of girls. These were her “friends”. She used the term somewhat lightly. Some she was close to but others were just superfluous and tended to talk more with other girls within their group. But nonetheless, they always moved in a pack. This morning was no exception. The large clique of girls chatted away endlessly as they made their way into the building. 
Seul didn’t partake, still recalling the events of the previous evening. It was the first time in years that she was able to handle herself around blood. And of all people, it had to be Jiyong who hadn’t freaked her out. Of all people, it had to be Jiyong that Seunghyun brought into their home.

“Seul!”

She was startled by the sound of one of her friend’s voices. “Oh, what? I’m sorry.”

“Geez, you’re really out of it this morning. We’re going to go get hot chocolate after school. Are you in?”

“Sure,” she answered though she probably didn’t have the time. Seul was always busy.

She checked the time before sighing: time to make the rounds. She headed out in the hallway as usual and tried to clear them of lingering students. The majority of them parted when they saw her coming. When she switched into “class president Seul” mode, she was not the person to mess with.

“Yah!” the same group of kids that are usually loitering the halls at this time are congregating near the door, “What are you guys doing not getting class?”

When they saw her, they immediately started with the whistling and the catcalls. She hated them the most. They were such pigs. “Hey, prez, what are you going to do if I don’t get to class? Will you punish me?”

Her eyes lit with anger and their jokes suddenly stopped. “Say that one more time. I’ll put you in a cardboard box and burry you underneath the tree in the courtyard.”

“It was a joke!”

“Sheesh, we’re going.”

She smiled, pleased that she was able to get rid of them without having to use actual force this time. It was strange, though. It seemed almost too easy today. She realized that the hardest part of her morning, Kwon Jiyong, wasn’t here. This struck her as odd but she cast it aside. He was probably recovering from his fight or something.

She turned to head to class but was nearly scared to death when she came face to face with him.

“Good morning,” he said in English, clearly ignoring the fact that he’d just nearly given her a heart attack.

“Don’t do that!” she rubbed her chest to try and calm herself down, “Why are you so quiet today? Usually you’re the main one causing trouble.”

He doesn’t answer her. Instead he stares at her long and hard, taking her in as if she’s a fascinating piece of art. She feels uncomfortable under his gaze, feeling as though he’s staring right through her.

“It’s strange,” he says after some time.

“What is?”

“Seeing you here now,” he says nodding as if to affirm this, “After last night I can’t look at you the same way.”

“Go to class Jiyong,” she says dismissively.

“My arm is getting better thanks to you by the way,” he says ignoring her comment.

He lifts his hand and she suddenly remembers the feeling of him holding hers the other night. She nearly reaches out for his hand. Is that why I was alright around the blood? Because of Jiyong?

She realizes that he was just going to pull up his sleeve to show her the bandaged arm. “See?” he says with a smile, “It’s getting better.”

She feels flustered all of a sudden. “J-Just get to class before I kick your my self!”

And with that, she shoves her hands in her jacket pockets and heads in the opposite direction feeling strange for several reasons.