Valentine’s day wasn’t over yet, and the guys continued to pester her. Despite knowing she already had a boyfriend, Seul Yi was constantly being bombarded with attention the moment they found her all by herself. Everything was just so frustrating, and she wondered why they couldn’t read the annoyance on her face. She wasn’t as happy-go-lucky they thought she was, and was so close to exploding.   But the anger in her immediately subdued when she felt those gentle fingers intertwine themselves around hers like a perfect fit. Her volcanic emotion was replaced by the shy butterflies making somersault in her stomach feeling. She looked at the owner of those fingers holding her.   Myung Soo did not speak and looked more determined than ever to get her away from the crowd. She noticed how hard it was for him to keep up that stern face when he must be wondering whether he was doing the right thing deep inside. He was always the kind of guy who hesitated his upcoming actions. To her, it was sweet.   “Those guys are like hyenas. How can they look for an opportunity when I’m not around?” He was now the one complaining when they had walked out of the school premise after school hours. Myung Soo let go of her hand as soon as nobody was watching.   Seul Yi was less focused on his words and only paid attention to the warmth leaving her hand. There was that sudden hollowness in her heart again. She kept her head low, eyeing her hand by her side.   “Are you okay?” Myung Soo interrupted her thoughts, noting how awfully quiet she was. He wondered why her eyes kept looking at her hand and then to his.   “Hm? Yeah,” Seul Yi lied as she began to walk faster in order to catch up with his pace. She wasn’t usually the slow walker. Most of the time, she’d be the one leaving Myung Soo to trail after her from behind. She couldn’t possibly show him something was wrong, so she quickened her pace, like always.   “Watch out!” Myung Soo suddenly yelled out, grabbing her by the wrist as he exerted some force to pull her towards him.   Seul Yi just realized she had nearly crossed the road when the cars were still speeding by. She didn’t realize the light was still on red.   “Is something bothering you?” He asked, slowly gliding his fingers to once again wrap itself around her smaller ones.   The move made Seul Yi flinch, and she quickly looked around to see if there was anyone familiar watching them for him to start the act. But there was none.   “You should be more careful, especially when I’m not around,” Myung Soo then spoke as he stared out in front of him. His hand still holding hers.   Seul Yi couldn’t help but look at him, realizing how amazing his side profile looked when he was gazing so seriously into the distance. Whether he had always been this handsome or whether it was a newly formulated opinion about him, she could still feel her heart beat faster.   But whatever it was, her gaze now fell on their hands; fingers closely intertwined together as if the other was unwilling to let go. She was unable to stop herself from grinning from ear to ear, and he probably noticed it too. Maybe the small giggles escaping her lips could mask the loud thumping from her heart.   Perhaps, he had known she wanted to hold his hands a little bit longer than usual.     “Thank you for taking me home.” Seul Yi spun around on her heel to properly face him. She flashed him a smile, something she had been doing more and more often by now.   “It’s my duty to do so,” Myung Soo responded with a smile. But the girl’s eyebrows knit into a frown immediately, and he wondered if he had said anything wrong. She was so hard to read sometimes.   “Fine, see you tomorrow.” Her tone suddenly turned cold as she walked through the gates, leaving Myung Soo in even more confusion.   Was it something he said? Was it something he did? He was just doing his duty as a fake boyfriend. Unless she was starting to get annoyed at him for constantly showing up at her house. But she hadn’t said a word of complaint about it. What happened?   “Kim Myung Soo.”   The guy looked up from behind his thick glasses, shivering a little at the voice that he could recognize anywhere. It was a voice he was so fearful of, because it belonged to none other than the guy who continuously tortured him; Lee Hoya.   “It seems you are taking your role very seriously,” Hoya spoke with a smug grin forming across his face. His hands were hidden beneath the pocket of his long purple coloured coat. Mist of air formed below his nostril as he breathed through the cold night.   “W- what role?” Myung Soo asked, growing more terrified with every step Hoya took to approach him. He couldn’t run even if he wanted to. It was a habit. Seeing Hoya reminded him of the time he was chained to a rod, preventing him from escaping, even though there was no rod.   “I know all about your relationship with Kang Seul Yi,” Hoya said, the smirk widening. “It’s fake.”   Myung Soo flinched, gasping a cloudy mist of breath. The look on his face was too honest, and Hoya would’ve known even if he tried to deny now.   “I know you’re just hiding behind her so I won’t approach you again, right?” Hoya was now in front of his favorite toy, and grabbed him by his collar to slightly lift him off the ground. “A man who hides behind a girl does not deserved to be called a man.”   Hoya harshly let go of his collar, and saw Myung Soo’s leg drooping against the ground. Just when the guy was trying to snatch for breath, Hoya took the opportunity to punch him right in the face, knocking off those big nerdy glasses from his nose.   “This is just the start,” Hoya spoke, deliberately stepping on the other’s glasses, shattering it into many pieces. He left feeling satisfied; the feeling of fear felt by others was his feeling of superiority.     Myung Soo was awkwardly looking the other way when Seul Yi saw him the next day. No, she didn’t just see him, she was actually staring at his face from such a small distance she could’ve noticed his skin complexion, if he had any.   “W-what?” he finally asked, grabbing her by the shoulders to keep her at a humane distance.   “You look different,” she commented.   “I showered today,” Myung Soo grinned at her, and she made a face. Did he not shower on a regular basis?   “No, it’s something different.” Seul Yi was sure of it as she kept watching him from his side profile. She observed his sharp jawlines that moved so beautifully the moment he gulped in his saliva, his Adam’s apple moving along in such a hypnotizing motion. His lips were bruised on one side, but still emitted that glowing red color she had always admired about it. Just looking at him made her feel so shy, and yet she couldn’t look away. Something was different.   “Ow!”   Seul Yi gasped when Myung Soo had walked right into a lamppost. She thought these things only happened in comics, but Myung Soo did the unthinkable. “Didn’t you see this large thing in front of you?” She asked in disbelief.   “No,” he whined and massaged his forehead. This was probably gonna leave a bump. “I’m not wearing my glasses.”   “That’s what’s different!” Seul Yi smashed her hands together after finally figuring out the question on her mind. She continued watching him and realized how ridiculously handsome he was. She had always realized, but kept being in denial in case he would make her feel that peculiar but delighted feeling again.   “Yeah, I accidentally broke my glasses last night, and I’m not wearing any contacts,” he made up an excuse.   “Did you fall somewhere? No wonder your lips are bruised,” Seul Yi tapped against her own lips to indicate the mark of his bruise. She was making up the assumptions on her own, and he simply nodded.   “Seems like I need to become your eye for today then,” Seul Yi concluded, hesitating for a second before she grabbed his hand in hers. The shy smile appeared on her face again, but this time she was sure he wouldn’t be able to see it through his blurry vision. She forgot he was still able to notice the color change of her cheeks though.   Myung Soo could only sigh in defeat, remembering what Hoya had told him last night. He was only hiding behind Kang Seul Yi, and it was true.   That day, he successfully managed to grab everyone’s attention at school, mainly from female students and teachers alike. Similar to Seul Yi, they must’ve noticed how attractive he looked without his glasses.   “Hi oppa, my name is Jung Soo Jung.” A girl with long silky black hair spoke as she took a seat besides Myung Soo who was still waiting for his fake girlfriend to be done with her classes.   “A… Ah… Hi..” Myung Soo stuttered, feeling the female being a little too close and touchy to him. He noticed the way her finger were subtly caressing his arm, or the way she sat so closely pressed against him he could feel her skin.   “Are you a new transfer student here?” She asked in a low seductive whisper.   “N- no. I’ve been here since the first year of high school.” Myung Soo cleared his throat and quickly scooped aside to maintain a distance. This didn’t feel right.   “How come I’ve never seen you around?” Soo Jung asked with a fake gasp to show her utmost interest in him.   “Well.. I…” Myung Soo began to scratch the back of his head in confusion, but was quickly interrupted by an unwanted presence.   “You must’ve forgotten him,” Hoya’s voice appeared, followed by his footsteps against the creaking autumn leaves. “You were there watching him when we beat him up for not sharing the test answers with us.”   “He’s that nerd?” Soo Jung whispered loud enough for him to catch.   “The one who is currently dating Kang Seul Yi in order to keep his miserable self safe,” Hoya continued, obviously mocking him for such unmanliness. “If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to live. What are you still doing in this relationship?”   “Yeah, you better break up.” Soo Jung was back to inappropriately crossing his personal space, placing her hand on top of his thigh, and boldly resting her head against his shoulder. “I’m right here waiting for you.”   At that moment, Seul Yi managed to see everything happening right in front of her eyes. Well, maybe not exactly everything, but she was just in time to see that beautiful girl Soo Jung holding her fake boyfriend a little too close. She had unconsciously clenched her hands into a fist and gritted her teeth in annoyance.   “Oh, look who’s here,” Hoya suddenly muttered when he noticed Seul Yi’s presence along with the fire of fury burning around her. “We better go.”   “Alright,” Soo Jung sighed and quickly slipped in a note in Myung Soo’s hand. “You can always call me.”   Myung Soo was too much in a daze to understand what had exactly happened. He looked at the note from a close distance, wondering why a bunch of numbers was scribbled on it.   “From tomorrow onwards, I want you to wear glasses again.” Seul Yi’s demanding voice appeared in front of him, and he looked up at her with squinted eyes.   “Why?”   Because he’s attracting too much attention without his glasses, and she disliked those girls being able to see what only she saw. She had known he was handsome, but purposely kept it to herself. She had known he w