"Noona! ", Joong Ki calls Ji Hyo while she is walking into the school campus. 
She just looks at him and continues walking as he catches up with her.

"Have you had a good night's sleep? ", he asks. "Ah. Right. You're a good sleeper. ", he remembers.

She casts him a look and he just smiles.

"Did you get scolded yesterday by your aunt after we left? ", he asks.

She struggles to keep a straight face as she remembers what happened yesterday.

It is what she hates the most. Yes, she got scolded, but it was her mother who received the most scolding, questioning her why she would send her daughter off with a bunch of guys. 
"Good morning! ", Kwang Soo greets as he catches up with them, making Ji Hyo thankful that she won't have to answer the question anymore.

"Yah! I waited for you at the gate! ", Joong Ki scolds him.

"My mom did not let me leave until i finish my breakfast. ", Kwang Soo says.

"Tss."

Ji Hyo goes ahead, leaving the two by bicker from behind.

But as soon as she enters the building, she meets Gary.

"Oh! Ji Hyo-ah.. ", he greets with a smile.

She forces a smile back, only because his smile is too genuine to ignore.

"She knows that guy?", she starts hearing.

She looks around and sees a few bunch of girls whispering to each other.

She walks away from Gary and goes ahead.

She hastily heads to her classroom with her head straight, ignoring anyone in her path.

One single word from her can cause an issue around the school, that is what she hates about her life.

She sits in her seat. Dong Hoon comes and sits next to her with a smile.

"Shut it. ", she says before he can say anything, and that makes his smile disappear.

"Tss. Short-tempered girl. ", he mutters in his seat.

By lunch, she gets dragged against her will by the trio towards the cafeteria.

The students seems to be surprised to see her there, and she tries to keep a straight face despite the glares and stares.

"I'm gonna kill the three of you. ", she says between clenched teeth.

"Eehy. You do it after you eat, okay? ", Dong Hoon says as he pushes her gently towards the line.

Kwang Soo takes two trays, one for him and one for her.

"What do you like, Noona? ", he asks.

"I think she eats anything but beans.", Joong Ki answers.

"Ahh right. She seems to be a bug eater. "

"Let's just get her everything. ", Joong Ki suggests and places one serve of every food for her tray.

"Yah! How can you guys talk to me as if i'm not here? ", she butts in.

"Put more potatoes. I saw her stuff a lot back in camp. I think she likes it a lot. ", Kwang Soo says. 

"Oh? Okay. ", Joong Ki agrees and puts more mashed potatoes.

"Yah! ", she butts in again but they ignore her.

As they look around for a table, they see Seok Jin and Jae Suk in one.

"Oh? There's space in there. Let's go join the hyungs. ", Kwang Soo suggests.

"Why would we---? "

"Come on, Ji Hyo-ah. ", Dong Hoon says, leading her to Jae Suk and Seok Jin's table.

She clenches her teeth as Dong Hoon pushes her down to a chair across Jae Suk.

She wants to yell at them, then and there. The things she hates the most is being controlled. She's had enough of that from her aunt.

But before she can snap at Dong Hoon, Jong Kook and Gary arrives to join them.

"Yah, why are you guys dolling her up? ", Jong Kook asks, referring to the trios controlling her.

"Ehy. We're just taking care of her. ", Kwang Soo says.

Gary looks around cautiously before he leans in to say something.

"The students are looking at you guys funny. ", he says in a low voice.

Ji Hyo does not even need to look around like the others. She has noticed it ever since she entered the cafeteria.

"Why? Why? Why? ", Dong Hoon mouths.

Ji Hyo just proceeds to eating her food.

"Since when has she started eating in here? ", she overhears a girl from another table ask.

"Duh. The question is.. Since when has she started hanging out with those guys? ", another one says.

"They seem to be an odd bunch. "

Ji Hyo is certain it is about them. And as she looks up at the others, she catches their stares.

"Don't you really have friends that everyone is too shocked to see you with someone? ", Kwang Soo asks.

"And you don't usually eat here? ", Dong Hoon adds.

"Don't mind them. ", Jae Suk says.

Ji Hyo stuffs her food into in frustration.

She is determined to just ignore all of it. Until she overheads one statement.. 
"Do you think she's dating one of them? Who could it be? Gary? Jong Kook?  "

She slammed her fork down the table, startling the boys.

She knows they also heard it, and she looks at them.

Jong Kook is sitting across her, while Gary and Kwang Soo is on either side of her. Is this how narrow people's minds are?

"This is why i told you not to get near me. ", she says to Kwang Soo and the others.

Then she gets up and left with the crowd's stares.

 

 

 

Ji Hyo climbs up to the rooftop the school building after all of their classes, seeking for peace and quiet.

It is still an hour before her piano lessons.

She stares down the field, where some students are playing soccer.

Then she recognizes three of those players.

Jong Kook, Dong Hoon and Kwang Soo.

She watches the three play.

"Ji Hyo-ah. "

She almost gasps in surprise on someone who suddenly arrived.

Gary chuckles at her reaction, making her annoyed.

"Yah! ", she snaps heatedly.

Gary leans on the railings next to her. "What are you doing here? ", he asks.

She looks around, making sure that no one can see them.

"No one's around. ", Gary assures her. "Who cares if there is, anyway. ", he adds.

"I care! ", she answers.

"Why? Why do you care so much about what other people say? "

"Because i'm tired of being the topic of interest on most of their free time. "

"Oh, come on! I thought you were too cool to care. ", he says.

"Well, i'm not. ", she admits.

"Ji Hyo-ah, it's time for you to break those walls down and not be afraid of people. ", Gary advices.

She thinks about it. In fact, she had been wanting to do that. She just does not know how to.

It reminds her again of what these guys did for her for the past couple of days.

On the night that she almost got tortured by those girls, they were running around yelling out her name, looking for her.

They even sat for almost two hours listening to her aunt's sweat breaking rants and fake statements.

They stick up with her despite of her bossy attitude.

And she could not figure out why these guys are doing all of those things when it is just so easy to stay away from her.

"Oh! ", Gary says in surprise, cutting her chain of thoughts.

She follows his gaze and sees what is happening.

Kwang Soo and Dong Hoon are running towards Jong Kook, who is now sitting on the grassy ground, holding his knee.

She remembers that he injured his knee on the night that she got dragged out into the woods.

Feeling a bit guilty and responsible, she runs back in and down the stairs.

"Ji Hyo-ah, where are you going?! ", Gary asks as he follows her.

When she descends the last step of the first floor stairs, she stops as she sees Jong Kook limping towards the clinic's direction. Gary stops right next to her, too.

"I'm fine! I'm fine. ", he says as he waves Dong Hoon and Kwang Soo away.

"Are you sure? ", Kwang Soo asks.

"Yes. ", he says and turns his back on them.

"He looks okay to me. ", Gary says as they both stare at Jong Kook's retreating back.

She sighs and just heads towards the opposite direction.

"Where are you going? ", Gary asks as he walk next to her.

"The music room. "

"You got a piano lesson today? "

"Yes. "

"Ahh. "

They walk silently, but Ji Hyo looks at Gary, wondering why he is still following her.

"What? ", he asks.

"Why are you still following me? "

"I'm walking you to the music room. "

"Why? ", she asks.

He pauses as if trying to think of an answer then shrugs. "I don't know. It just seems like the right thing to do. ", he answers.

She looks at him strangely and does not asks further questions.

"Here you go. ", Gary says the moment they reach the Music Room. "Ji Hyo, bye-bye. ", he says with a simple wave of the hand.

She nods and watches him walk back to where they came.

She enters the music room and settles on the bench in front of the piano.

Sge fiddles with some notes and plays a short piece.

But she abruptly stops.

She gets up and hastily gets out of the Music Room.

She enters the clinic and sees that the school doctor isn't around.

Her eyes darts to the beds and sees Jong Kook sitting in one, his legs sprawled over comfortably. 

"Oh, Ji Hyo-ah. What are you doing here? ", he asks.

She freezes in her spot, taken aback by the question. She came in too hurriedly that she forgot to think it is too weird to barge in like this.

"Uhh.. ", she looks around for an excuse, her eyes scanning.

Until she thinks of one.

She holds her fist in front of and starts to cough loudly.

"*cough* *cough* i was supposed to ask for a cough remedy. ", she says.

"Dr. Seuss isn't here though. "

"That's okay. ", she replies as she shrug coldly and draws near Jong Kook. "What happened to you? "

"I just fell while playing soccer."

"Oh, what a whimp. " She grasp Jong Kook's injured knee and grips it.

"Aaaagh! ", he yells and pulls his knee off her hold. "Yah! Why did you do that for? ", he asks.

She steps away, trying to keep a straight face. It seems to be fun teasing him like that. "I was checking if it's now okay. "

"How did you even know which knee is it? ", he asks with a frown as he massages his knee.

"Uh? Uhh.. i just guessed. ", she lies.

"You're really weird, Song Ji Hyo. ", he says, casting her a look.

She shrugs uncaringly.

Suddenly, the door swings open and Gary comes in with a plastic bag.

"Hyung, i only got the ---", he pauses when he sees Ji Hyo. "Ji Hyo-ah. I thought you have piano lessons. ", he says as he paces next to her.

"She came to ask for a cough remedy.", Jong Kook answers for her.

"I did not hear you coughing earlier though? ", Gary asks.

"I was. What are you doing here? ",she asks, looking down at the plastic bag in Gary's hand.

"He came here right after he walked you to the Music Room. I asked to buy me food.", Jong Kook informs.

Her eyes widens as she looks at Jong Kook. There is a mischievous look in his eyes as he looks at her, and she realizes why.

He knows that.. I know?

Right then and there, she wants to run away or be swallowed whole by a crack right under her feet.