"It was really funny!" exclaimed Minah. She then let out a giggle, "Yura got really angry when he stepped all over her sand drawing, so she pushed him and—"

I slightly held up my hand at my best friend for a pause, "One second Minah." Turning towards the direction of a familiar brunette male, I called out his name, and then waved my hand to catch his attention.

And as soon as Insoo saw me waving, he instantly weaved his way towards us through the crowd of students. "Hey guys, what's up?" he said with a grin.

"Um, I was just wondering, but where's Gunwoo oppa today?" I asked, not being able to contain my curiosity any longer.

I had baked him some chocolate-chip cookies, to thank him for helping me with my studies. But overall, it was odd to not see him in the morning like how I usually would. Oppa was hardly absent, so it made me slightly worry...I wonder if he's okay?

"Gunwoo?" repeated Insoo. He then clicked his fingers, "Ah, he's sick!"

What?!

I blinked at him for a bit, "S-Sick...?"

"Is he alright?" asked Minah, with a concerned frown.

Insoo made a face, "Sick as a dog. He sounded terrible when I spoke to him on the phone yesterday."

Oh, do you hear that? It's the sound of my heart crumbling into a thousand pieces...ah, this can't be! My prince is unwell?! He must have over-worked himself, for being too flawless! The thought of him coughing and sneezing alone in a corner somewhere hurts my heart...especially if that corner's all dark and cold.

"Me and everyone else were thinking of paying him a visit after school," said Insoo. "Do you guys wanna come?"

"Of course we will!" I quickly blabbed.

Insoo chuckled at my fast response. "Great! See you guys after school then."

As soon as he left, I turned back over to my smiling friend. "M-Minah...he's s-sick..." I whimpered.

She shook her head good-naturedly at me. "Oh Hyeri, he'll be fiiiine!" she reassured, with a lazy wave of her hand.

"B-B-But—!" 

"What, you think he'll somehow develop a tumor or something?"

As a response, I ended up letting out a horrified squeal, and the devastating thought had caused me to lean onto the closest wall for some support. "T-That means I'll never get to confess my feelings to him, and have him return them back to me!" I yelped.

Chortling, Minah then looped her arm around my own, and proceeded to pull me away. "You're so silly," she commented. "Because we all know that the magic of your aura being there to nurse him will make him all better in the end, right?"

———————————————

As soon as the bell rang, I quickly grabbed my books, and then dashed out of the classroom.

"Hyeri-ah, wait up!" called Minah in the distance, "What's the hurry?!"

"Gunwoo's the hurry, that's what!" I yelled back.

Minah, being the athlete that she was, soon managed to catch up to me. "It's not like he's going to go anywhere!" she reasoned, with pout.

My eyes widen for a bit, and then I frowned. "Oh great, what if he does end up going somewhere?!" Not wanting to stall behind any longer, I grabbed onto Minah's arm, and dragged her along with me. "Come on Minah, chop-chop, move those legs!"

I heard her groan, but despite that, she still ran with me.

———————————————

Once we reached the front door to Gunwoo's house, the two of us caught back our breaths, just before ringing the doorbell. The door eventually opened up to reveal a very tired-looking Gunwoo, and I felt my chest tighten at his unwell complexion. He had messy bed-hair, and was dressed in what looked like his pajamas. Half of me found it really adorable, but the other half of me wanted to cry, because of how sick he looked.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" questioned the ill male, with a soft smile.

I bit my trembling lip, and swallowed down the painful lump in my throat. Oh my goodness, Insoo wasn't kidding; he looks terrible! I wonder what he has? A cold? The flu? Or both, combined with a fever?! Ah, why are you out of bed, when you should be inside resting?! Oh wait, I guess that was my fault for ringing the doorbell...

"Insoo told us that you weren't feeling well, so we thought we'd come by to see how you are," started Minah.

Oh thank God she's here, because I think I've just temporarily lost my voice.

"He and the others should be over here soon, so yeah." My best friend frowned, "You should really go back inside and lie down."

I frantically nodded, agreeing to her advice. "Yes!" I exclaimed, and then quickly ushered Gunwoo back into his home, "Y-You shouldn't be up and about, it will tire you out even more."

"Oh no, I'm fine—"

"No you're not!" I quickly said, while pulling him towards the couch.

"Hyeri-ah, really, I'm—"

I instantly put up my index finger, "Shh!"

Gunwoo blinked, "But—"

"Please lie down," I pleaded, with a little whimper.

The expression on Gunwoo’s face soon softens, and he did what I had asked. As Minah closed the front door, I puffed up his pillow, and made sure that the blanket around him was comfortable. I then reached out and placed my hand on his forehead to feel his temperature, and winced.

He's too hot!

...In so many ways.

I guess that unexpected gesture surprised him, as his eyes enlarged a little. From the corner of the room, I could see Minah watching us, and when we made eye contact, she gave me a thumbs up, along with a wink. My face instantly flushed a shade of pink at what she was trying to say, and it was worst when I looked back to see Gunwoo staring at me. I cleared my throat and shuffled around in my spot a little, suddenly asking him why the house seemed so empty, as an attempt to take my mind off of the blush. He said that his parents were still at work, and that they would be coming home late today. The thought of him being by himself and sick, made me sigh.

"Uh, hey guys, I'm just going to quickly use the bathroom, so..." Minah began to tip toe away.

"Yeah, go for it,” said Gunwoo, “it's the second door upstairs."

Just as the aegyo-filled girl disappeared around the corner, she made sure to wriggle her eyebrows at me. I bit down my lip to suppress the grin threatening to form on my face, and mouthed a quick 'thank you' to her.

Yes, alone time with prince charming!