Gyu Won looked around and saw Shin, and he saw Joon Hee hugging Bo Woon. Shin thought it must be serious, so he led his friends away from Catharsis, away from the crowd and away from Soo Myung, who was reprimanding Sa Rang and Hee Joo.

"What happened?" Shin asked.

Gyu Won looked at him, then at their two friends.

"We could not play without Joon Hee, but I guess I have to tell the guys we'll be doing acoustic tonight," he said.

He sent a message to Guitarist Guy and told him that he and Bassist Guy take the stage tonight, and have Bassist Guy sing for him to have exposure. He also added that something had come up, and it was urgent. Good thing, Bassist Guy answered with a smiley in his message. He had been wanting to sing live. After a few minutes, Shin heard the sound of the guitar, and he heard Bassist Guy's voice over the mike. The people were howling for joy, for they did not expect the bassist to have a cool and soothing voice.

Joon Hee rocked Bo Woon in his arms, like a mother rocking a baby to sleep. Bo Woon soon stopped crying and began to doze off.

"Please tell me the truth," Gyu Won pleaded.

Bo Woon opened her eyes and looked at her friend. She began narrating the same story she shared Joon Hee.

"So, the house where we always go when we visit you...is just your Appa's house?" Gyu Won asked.

Bo Woon nodded. Gyu Won knew that Bo Woon had a stepmother and two stepbrothers, and that she had money problems, but Gyu Won did not know that her friend's money problems were complicated than they seem to be. She had always thought that Bo Woon's biological mother was residing in the province, and had no idea that the eomeoni was just in Seoul. No wonder, there were times when Bo Woon avoided going to certain places. Gyu Won realized that going to those places might mean that her friend will get 95% to 100% chances of meeting the violent woman.

"Are you hungry?" Gyu Won asked her friend.

The poor girl nodded her head.

"I ate before I went here," Bo Woon weakly said.

Gyu Won sat beside her friend and the other girl's hair.

"Sorry for getting angry at you," Gyu Won told her. "I should have asked you calmly."

"Mianhae," Bo Woon sobbed. 

"I understand," Gyu Won said. "Your situation is not easy."

Shin sat next to the drummer and asked her why she insisted on staying by her Eomma's side.

"I love my eomma. Whatever happens, she is still my eomma," Bo Woon reasoned out.

Joon Hee began to shed his tears.

"But what if she will attempt to kill you?" Joon Hee asked. "I might not be able to save you anymore...."

Bo Woon felt the tears falling down from Joon Hee's eyes to her cheeks.

"Thanks for your concern guys, but I am not willing to go," Bo Woon insisted.

Gyu Won looked at her friend helplessly. They could do nothing because the victim was not willing to be helped. They sat there being solemn while the club was getting all hyped up.

*****************

Monday, and almost time for lunch.

Gyu Won pulled her legs to her chest.

"Ugh.... I hate it..." she thought as she grimaced in pain.

Her seatmate asked her. "Gwaenchanha?"

Gyu Won shook her head.

"Menstrual cramps makes me wanna faint," Gyu Won whispered helplessly.

The teacher, who was having his lecture, noted the minor incident at the back.

"What is going on there?" he asked.

The seatmate shook her head and said nothing was wrong, but the teacher noticed that Gyu Won was pale.

"Lee Gyu Won, you don't look good," he remarked.

He instructed the seatmate to take Gyu Won to the school clinic. Both girls exited the class.

**********

"Mianhae," the seatmate said to her.

"Gwaenchanha..." Gyu Won replied.

Just then, they passed by the rest of the Windflower girls, who were heading to the practice room.

"Gyu Won-ah!" Gayageum Girl exclaimed.

They went to her, and saw their friend splinting her abdomen.

"You don't look good," Bo Woon said in concern.

Gyu Won looked at her friend, and saw that the erhu player looked fine as if nothing had happened the other night. Flute Girl thanked the seatmate for the concern, and told her that they will bring Gyu Won to the clinic. The seatmate thanked them and went her way.

*****

Inside the clinic, the school nurse gave some pain relievers for Gyu Won to take, and a warm compress to be placed on the patient's lower abdomen.

"You should rest, all right?" the nurse told her.

Gyu Won nodded. "Gamsahamnida, kanhosanim (Miss Nurse)."

When the nurse went back to her table, the three friends crowded by the bedside.

"I really hate girly cramps," Gayageum Girl complained. "Mine would make me suffer for two days."

"Geurae? It used to be one day for you, right?" Bo Woon asked her.

"Ne, but as I grew older, the frequency increased," Gayageum Girl replied.

"I hope it is possible to remove our girly cramps through an operation," Flute Girl said. "But if our system is incomplete, I feel like I am not a girl at all."

"I think we have to feel the pain to feel whole," Gayageum Girl sighed.

The conversation was a wake-up call for Bo Woon. Her life was like the menstrual cramps. She had to feel pain to feel being complete together with her mother. But then, she realized that although the red tide and the girly cramps were inevitable, being battered was one path that can be escaped. She also remembered Joon Hee's words last night. Yes, why was she running away from people who care for her? She decided that she had to move out and stay with her abeoji.

She had enough of it.

"I have to act now," she said absentmindedly.

Gayageum Girl and Flute Girl looked at her.

"What did you say?" they asked.

Bo Woon grinned widely and said that she said she had to act and practice hard. Her other friends could only smile back. Only Gyu Won knew what was going on.

Finally, the three friends went out of the infirmary and went to lunch. Bo Woon still witheld the information from their other friends.