Shin Hye wiped the sweat from her cheeks as the students and the club patrons applauded her.  Seung Gi stared at her as she was handed an envelope from the DJ, declaring that she was the recipient of first prize.

“How come you didn’t dance like that earlier?” he asked, grimacing when he was handed a brand new rice cooker.

“I wasn’t competing with anyone then,” replied Shin Hye.  She half-expected Min Hyuk to come running up to wrestle the prize from her, but she couldn’t see him anywhere in the sea of faces.

“Where is Min Hyuk?” she shouted in Seung Gi’s ear.  “I can’t see him.”

Seung Gi glanced around and point to a group of people at one of the tables.  “There.  Is that him?”

After shielding her eyes from the lights, she peered across the room to see her brother in a tense stand-off with a strange man.

Next to them was an anxious Komari.  It didn’t look good.

“What on earth...”  She tucked the envelope into the back of her jeans and hurried off the stage.

Would her brother be stupid enough to jeopardise everything by getting jealous?

“Excuse me,” she said to people as she pushed her way through.  “Excuse me.”

The closer to the scene she got, the worse it looked.  It looked like two boys getting angry over a girl, and Min Hyuk couldn’t afford to look like one of those boys.

“She said she didn’t want to dance with you,” she heard Min Hyuk say.  “So leave her alone.”

The strange man chuckled.  “You just don’t want your friend to have any fun because you’re her ugly shadow.”

“She’s not ugly,” argued Komari.  “She’s...uniquely pretty.”

“See?  Ugly.  No one will ever want her and she’ll die an old hag who smells like piss!”

“Stop it!” shouted Komari, already b with tears.

Min Hyuk took one look at her, and lifted a fist to punch to punch the man.  His normally sweet eyes were full of rage.

Shin Hye’s heart sank.  Min Hyuk was showing his feelings for Komari for everyone to see.  She had to get him out of there.

The strange man laughed.  “Uh oh, the ugly girl is going to hit me.  I’m soooo scared.”

“No!”  Shin Hye pushed herself between them and reached out to her brother.

Bam!

Skull-splitting pain started from the left of her temple and ran down the front to her eye.  Shin Hye stumbled back, doubled over so that she was crouching on the floor and she closed her eyes to the pain.  It didn’t help.

“Unni!  I’m so sorry!”

“’s ok,” she squeaked, still waiting for the pain to stop boring into her head like a drill.

“Holy crap!  Ugly girl!  You hit a hot chick!  How dare you!”

There was some scuffling of arms and legs.  Komari squealed.

Shin Hye didn’t know how it happened, but she got clubbed again, this time in the back of the skull by someone’s knee.  The blow made her whole head throb with searing pain.  She fell down on the dirty wooden floor, and then the lights went out...

Inside the club, someone screamed, drawing Yong Hwa out of his thoughts and back onto the steps at the entrance.  He peered into the nearest window and tried using his hands to block the outside reflection.  There were too many people inside and too many lights to see what was going on.

The sound of running footsteps reached his ears, and Yong Hwa stood back into time to see the security guards race inside.

“What the hell is going on now?” he muttered.

Inside, he heard the music stop.  Laser lights stopped flashing and were replaced by fluorescent bulbs that showed everything.  Panicked chattering began as people started filing out of the building.

He was really worried when the students started racing out as if the place was on fire.

“Hey, hey!” he grabbed Juri’s shoulder.  “What’s going on?”

“Komari.  Strange guy. Min Hyuk. Fight.” said the girl in between breaths.  “The police are on their way and some people are running for it, including us.  Coach Lee told us to run to the bus like we’re doing a hundred metre sprint.”

The doors were pushed back wider by some of the patrons, and just as Juri said, some people came walking out, some came running.

“OUT OF MY WAY!” shrieked a commanding voice.

Most of the people near the exit froze on the spot and then stood back to let the authoritative person through.  It took a long time for the figure to emerge from the shadows.  First came her feet, then came the curly tresses and the smoky eyes.

It was Hibari.

The student appeared at the door carrying an unconscious Snow White in her arms.

“Park Shin Hye...I know you can’t hear me, but I, Hibari, have decided to be your hero tonight!” she announced in a voice that carried down the steps.

Yong Hwa gaped and watched speechless as Hibari rescued Shin Hye in slow-motion.

And it was slow-motion.

Hibari had to stop every half a second to take another deep intake of breath.  Anyone could see that Shin Hye was bigger than her.

“Almost.There...” Hibari said between gritted teeth, edging another foot forward.

Yong Hwa rolled his eyes and pushed his way to her side.  “Hibari!  Let me carry her.  You look out of your depth there.”

“Thanks but no thanks Teacher Jung.  This is my moment!  This is the moment that I rescue her and confess everything to her so that we become closer.”

“Confess what?  That you dropped her on the steps because she weighs more than you?”

Hibari’s face reddened as more students came running out with Coach Lee.

“Run!” shouted the sports teacher.  “Everyone run!  We’ll do a head count at the bus.”

Yong Hwa barred Jong Hyun’s way with one arm, nearly decapitating him.  “What happened to Shin Hye?  Do I need to take her to a hospital?”

“Komari. Strange guy. Min Hyuk. Fight,” said Coach Lee in between puffs, repeating what Juri had said.  His eyes glanced at Shin Hye and then back at him.  “Stay away from her until I make a decision about what to do.”

“UNNNNIIIIIII!” wailed Min Hyuk, making everyone jump.  “Why did you get in the way?  Why-why-why?”

She filled her chest with air and then proceeded to throw herself on his sister’s body.

“Agh!  Get.Off.Too.Heavy!” complained Hibari, crumbling under the added weight.

“Sssssh!  Listen.”  Coach Lee glanced to his left.  “The sirens are getting closer.  Hibari, find Seung Gi and-and ask him to help you carry Shin Hye.”

“Ah come on!” protested Yong Hwa. “This is stupid.  Hibari could drop her any second!”

Jong Hyun flushed.  “There’s no time for this now.  Everyone, run-run-run!  Run for your underaged lives!  Teacher Jung, help me get the rest of them to the bus!”

“But we have IDs!” protested one student.

“They’re not police-proof!” snapped Jong Hyun, sounding a bit like Yong Hwa Grizzly.

“Over my dead body am I giving her to Seung Gi!” growled Hibari.

“Giving who?” asked Seung Gi, appearing from amongst the fleeing masses looking unphased by the mayhem and without a hair out of place despite the fact that he was carrying second prize.  It was only when he spotted Shin Hye that his eyes widened.  “Hibari!  Am I seeing things?  Are you carrying Shin Hye?”

Hibari shrugged.  “I’m carrying Shin Hye.  You’re carrying a rice cooker.  Que Sera Sera.”

“Screw Que Sera Sera!  Let me carry her!”  He held the prize out from his body in order to kick it into the sky.

“Nooooooo!” howled Min Hyuk.  “Don’t ditch the rice cooker!  I’ll have it!  You can carry my sister.”

Seung Gi glared at Min Hyuk.  “Ya!  Shouldn’t you be carrying your sister?”

“You can’t expect Shin Hye’s little sister to be able to carry her,” said Hibari.  “She’s all bones and no muscle!”

“Then you don’t know Min Hyuk,” Seung Gi said in a low tone.

Yong Hwa sighed and made a decision.  “To hell with Jong Hyun!”  He hurried forward and lifted Shin Hye from Hibari’s tired arms with ease.  Her eyes didn’t even flutter as he shifted her body to fit against him.  “Come on.  The police are almost here.”

Seung Gi set his jaw.

“B-but you don’t understand!” spluttered Hibari.  “It has to be me!  Teacher Jung!  It has to be me that carries her!”

He stopped, and adjusted Shin Hye so that her head was resting more comfortably in the crook of his arm.  “Then I’ll tell her it was you that carried her back.”

Hibari brightened.  “Right...of course.  That would work too.”

Yong Hwa walked on ahead.  He could feel Seung Gi’s glare boring into his back, and he wasn’t surprised when he soon heard the hurried footsteps behind him.  The student waited until he had reached Yong Hwa’s side before speaking.

“Give her to me, Teacher Jung,” urged Seung Gi, catching up to him.  “I can carry her for you.”

“You heard Hibari.  The girl wants credit, and she deserves it for finding Shin Hye and carrying her out of the club by herself.  You’ll have to wait for another chance to impress her.”

“That’s a complete lie!”

Yong Hwa said nothing.

“Okay maybe it’s a bit true, but I’m also worried about you.”

“Don’t be.  I’m fine.”

“The aftermath from Shin Hye’s hug can’t have been easy.  The girls will be watching you closely from now on.”

“No.  They watch Shin Hye closely.  Girls always turn on each other.  Look.  I know you’re annoyed at her for hugging me, but you’ve no reason to be.  Just...forgive her.  You have to protect her more than what you’re doing.  I won’t always be around.”

They’d reached the bus and Yong Hwa was about to climb the steps when Seung Gi swung to block his path.

“Seongsaengnim.  With all due respect, what are you doing?” he enunciated.

Yong Hwa didn’t know what to say, so he bought time by adjusting Shin Hye in his arms.  He knew exactly what he was doing.  He was in love with a girl he wasn’t allowed to be in love with, and he was pissing off a lot of people because of it.  Chances were he’d be handing in his resignation by the morning, and he wanted to spend all of his time with her before he left.

Behind Seung Gi, Jong Hyun appeared in the exit of the bus, took in the scene and frowned.

“Seung Gi.  Get on.  Stop blocking the entrance.”

The boy kept his eyes on Yong Hwa.  “Certainly, Coach.”

“The rest of you give me your fake IDs.  I want them all back by the time we arrive at the school.  Who will take Shin Hye’s out?”

“I will!” volunteered Hibari, appearing next to Yong Hwa like a ghost.  She gave the unconscious Shin Hye a wink.

Jong Hyun and Seung Gi gave her an odd look.

On the trip back, the students were too excited from their adventure to notice the weird looks going on between their teachers and Seung Gi.  Hibari’s attention was only for Shin Hye, so her usually sharp eyes were completely devoted to the sleeping girl in her lap.

When the bus pulled in to let Seung Gi off at Seoul High, he shook his head at Jong Hyun.

“Continue on, Mr Bus Driver.  I’m not leaving Shin Hye’s side until she wakes up.”

“Awwwwww,” cooed the girls.  Hibari, Yong Hwa and Min Hyuk stuck out their tongues in disgust.

“He’s right,” said Kanna.  “I want to stay by Shin Hye’s side too.  She won first prize for St Blossoms!”

“So true!” announced Juri.  “I’m staying in Shin Hye’s room until she gets better.”

“Let’s all stay in Shin Hye’s room tonight until she gets better!” suggested Komari.  “I know that I owe her.”

“We can research the internet on how to look after her,” suggested Erika.

“YOSH!” cheered the girls.

“Teacher Jung, you’ll help us to get her better, right?” piped up Min Hyuk.

Yong Hwa rubbed his face to avoid looking at Jong Hyun and Seung Gi.  He suspected that Shin Hye would only suffer from some confusion and dizziness when she woke up, but leaving her alone in that condition was dangerous.  “I have to.  If you all end up killing her, then it’s on me.”

The students cheered happily.

The first thing that Shin Hye became aware of when she came to, was how thirsty she was.  was dry and sore, and at that moment she craved water more than air.

“Mmm.”  She made a noise in the hopes that someone would help her get it.

Nothing happened.

Shin Hye rubbed her eyes and tried to remember how to sit up.  Her muscles reacted, lifting her up into the air, and she smiled in satisfaction when she felt the bed was at a right angle from her back.

“Hello?”  She looked around and tried to focus on the variations of dark and light around her.  The ground looked like a field of boulders - uneven and bumpy.

“Hel-lo!” she called out again.  “Min Hyuk?  Teacher Jung?  Hibari?”

One of the boulders made a loud snoring noise.  She looked more closely at it and realised that it had hands and feet.

It was a body.

Before she could scream, Shin Hye slapped both hands over for the sake of survival.  To her horror, all the boulders suddenly transformed before her eyes and grew hands and feet.  She was surrounded by a sea of bodies.  It wouldn’t do to wake them.

As if in a nightmare, Shin Hye tried to look for a way to escape and found only one.

The door.

With shaky hands, she climbed off the bed and began to walk a strange maze of gaps between the bodies.  At one point her bare feet touched something wet, and her brain instantly jumped to the conclusion that it was blood.

“Calm down Shin Hye,” she whispered to herself.  “If it was blood then it would be warm, not cold.”

She held her breath for strength and continued navigation the maze of tiny gaps.  She noticed that the backs of the bodies rose and fell, like moths breaking out of their cocoons.

Yeuch!

When she made it to the door, she braced herself for that moment.  The moment where the monsters woke up and snatched her before she could escape.

The door handle squeaked as she turned it, but nothing happened.  She tiptoed into the hallway.  Still nothing happened.  She pulled the door closed with a click, and the monsters let her get away.

“Shin Hye?”

She swung around and saw two brown eyes peering at her in the darkness.  Her feet lost her balance but she took a swing at the monster before falling down to the ground on her behind.

The brown eyes turned fearful.  The creature stepped closer to her and put a wet cloth he’d been holding to her head.

“Shin Hye.  Do you know where you are?”

Her eyes rested on the figure as he dabbed at her head.  “Water.  Teacher Jung...”

“Ssssh.”  He lifted a cup to .  “You’ll wake the others.”

Shin Hye drank quietly, letting his fingers guide the cup.

“Everyone that went out tonight was worried about you, so they’re all sleeping in your room.”

She let out a long sigh of relief.  She was in the Hibari dorm, safe and sound.  “So that’s what they were.  I-I called for you, but you weren’t there.”

“You were talking in your sleep.  I thought it was a sign that you might be waking up soon, so I went to get some stuff.”

“Ah.”  She rubbed her head, and remembered that it hurt there.  “Min Hyuk and Hibari are like me.  They sleep like the dead.  No wonder they didn’t answer.”

“Seung Gi is in there too.”  Yong Hwa lowered the cup and patted her head with the cloth.  “He’s not a heavy sleeper so I was relying on him.  Didn’t you call for him?”

Shin Hye said nothing.

“Come on.”  He held out his hands.  “Get up off the floor.  I’ll give you some paracetamol and then you can go back to sleep.”

She shook her head.  “Not in that room.”

“I can’t take you to the nurse,” he said apologetically.  “Coach Lee risked a lot to come tonight.  If you feel really bad then I’ll have to take you to the hospital.”

“No!”  Shin Hye said more firmly.  There were too many secrets if they went there and she couldn’t handle them at that moment.  “Just...somewhere else.”

“Okay...”  He pushed the cup and cloth against the wall.  “Min Hyuk’s bed?”

“No.”  Shin Hye grimaced.  “H-She’s hairy.  Her bed is always full of hair.”

“Then...”  He hesitated.  “There’s a clean spare bed in my room.  If you’re okay with it.”

“Great.”  Shin Hye sighed in relief.  If she had been less unwell then she might have been more reserved, but she was just glad for a quiet place near him.  “C-Can you help me up?”

He held out his hands again, and she lifted herself off the ground without too much difficulty.  Teacher Jung let her hands go, but she grasped one back and held it close to her side as they wandered down the hall.

As they passed through the mess hall, Shin Hye paused when she heard music coming in from one of the windows.  Someone in the school was playing guitar.

“Who is it?” she asked.

Yong Hwa let out a long breath.  “It’s Coach Lee.  His plucking was never very good.”

“Why is he...”  Her mind raced through the recent events of the evening, and something clicked into place.  Shin Hye let go of his hand and headed for the main door.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“He’s deciding whether to report you or not, isn’t he?”  She looked around the hall for shoes.  “I have to tell him that I’m the one that...  Not you.  You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Come on, Shin Hye.  Do you really think convincing him of my innocence in the early hours of the morning is going to help any?  You know it’ll just freak him out more.”

“But we can’t just let him brood.”

“Shin Hye.  I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not the one that needs protecting here.  You are.  He’s only thinking about what’s best for you.”

“What are you talking about?”  Shin Hye searched his eyes for understanding.  “I’m the one that keeps reaching out to you even though I know I can’t.  I’m the idiot and you’re the one that’s getting in trouble for it.”

“You’re not an idiot.  You’re.A.Student!” he spelled out for her.  “How can you keep forgetting that one important thing?  You have the right to protection from me.”

Shin Hye stuck out her lower jaw.  “Well I hate being a student!  I feel like I have no rights at all.  Everyone thinks that they have to protect me.”

“Welcome to adolescence,” he retorted with a faint smile.

With great effort, she bit back the urge to spill the truth about her age.  She couldn’t betray Min Hyuk even if she was frustrated.

“Now.”  He shifted his weight to the other foot.  “Do you want me to carry you to bed, or can you walk by yourself?  That choice you can have.”

Shin Hye folded her arms across her chest.  “Carry me, Teacher Jung.  If you dare.”

Alone in the confines of his office, Jong Hyun put down his guitar and tapped his fingers on the desk.  He had already made his decision.  It was the right one, but he didn’t like it one bit.

There had to be another way besides having Yong Hwa hand in his resignation and Shin Hye going in for counselling.  There just had to be.

“Aiiiiiiish!”  He swung around in his chair and began rifling through his pockets for the IDs.  One by one he dropped them on the desk until his pockets were empty.  He rifled through the laminated prints until he found Shin Hye’s.

“I know this is not your fault you little troublemaker,” he said to the photograph.  “If I could make you stay close to him I would.  You’re the exit to the little hell that he’s made for himself.”

He held the fake ID into the starlight from the window.

“The problem is this.  You’re a student.  He’s a teacher.  The rule book says that he’s got to go.”

The plastic flickered under the light.  Jong Hyun placed it against the glass and leaned on the sill for more brooding.  From his window, he could see part of the Hibari dorm.  It was bathed in darkness.

“I’ve never found it so hard to be the referee.”

He squeezed his tired eyes shut and then opened them again.  “Yosh!  Don’t give up Jong Hyun.  You just need to watch the replay to make a decision.”

He snatched Shin Hye’s card up and went back to the desk.

“Most of the students were in the competition at the time.”  He pushed the ID cards to other side of the desk.  “Now...I need a Teacher Jung.  Ah!”  He pulled his cup of black tea over.  “Here he is.  Now...Yong Hwa and Shin Hye were sitting together at the bar.  What were they saying...”

“Look at this thing in my hand, Teacher Jung,” squeaked Shin Hye’s ID.

“Sure.  I’ll just hold your hand too while I’m at it,” said the black coffee.

“Teacher Jung, I just reacted to you holding my hand because I have a mammoth crush on you.”

“Shin Hye, I’m giving my feelings away for everyone to see because I’m an idiot.”

“Teacher Jung.  I think you fell for me from that day you fell head over heels in your chair.”

Jong Hyun sighed and looked at the pair of them.  “That sounds about right.  Shin Hye, I’m sorry but I’ll have to send him away.”

The ID glinted.

He stopped moving it around when something in the corner of the plastic caught his eye.  It looked like some sort of watermark.

“But...”  He picked up another ID and compared the two.  “That’s not possible.”

His eyes widened as he inspected Shin Hye’s ID closer.  “No way.  It's not fake.”

He stared at the black coffee again.  “No freaking way is she twenty-two.  Because if she’s twenty-two then...”

His hands went to grasp his tufts of his hair, making his eyes look even bigger.  “Holy son of a philandering father.  She’s twenty-two!”

Shin Hye said nothing as he carried her into his room.  She was so embarrassed.  What he was doing was utter humiliation.  She was just glad that no one was there to see it.

When she’d challenged him in the main hall, she had thought she’d won.  There was no way that he’d want to manhandle her.  It just wasn’t his style.

So it had been a shock when he’d pushed her down onto one of the dining chairs and carried it into his room with her seated on top.  He didn’t even have to touch her once.

When the chair was set down next to the spare bed, Shin Hye folded her arms and glared at him.  “That was stupid.”

He set his jaw.  “Bed.”  He flung back the covers and pointed at the mattress.

Shin Hye eyed his rolled-up sleeves.  “Did you hurt yourself doing that?”

“What do you care?”

She reached out to touch his hand, but he swatted it away.  “Bed!” he ordered, turning his head away from her.

“Why didn’t you just carry me?” she argued.  “Would it have been so bad?  I wouldn’t have eaten you.”

“Be thankful I wasn’t Seung Gi.  That punk probably would have just taken you up on the offer.”

Angry tears welled up in her eyes.  “He wouldn’t if you were there.  He listens to you.”

His arms stiffened, and his brown eyes flew to hers.  His expression hinted at something rebellious, but he didn’t make a move until the heat had died down from his eyes.  “Chances are that I won’t be there next time, so you’ll have to be kinder to him.  He’s clever, but he’s still young.”

“Hmph!”  Shin Hye climbed into bed and tossed the covers back over her to cover the tears.  He was a bad man.  Such a bad man.  Making her jealous when he’d looked at Komari instead of her; asking if it was just a crush when it was obvious that it was much worse than that; pretending he had no feelings for her too when he wore her clip.

She wiped her tears away and stared blankly up at the covers.  She knew that her thoughts were childish, and she knew why he pushed her onto Seung Gi.  Lies.  There were too many lies around them for him to do anything else.

She was just experiencing the sinking feeling of hopelessness, when a strange pattern of music came through Yong Hwa’s window.

It was Coach Lee on his guitar again.

Curious, Shin Hye lowered the covers and listened to the song.  It sounded all mixed up.

Yong Hwa was leaning on the window sill with his back to her.  The music had his full attention.

“W-what is he playing now?” she mumbled.

When he didn't answer, she padded in her bare feet to stand next to him.  After few seconds, he wiped at his eyes and looked at her.

“It’s a new song.  He’s writing something different,” he said in a weak tone.

Shin Hye sighed.  “What is the mood?  Is it good?  Bad?"

“It’s confused,” he answered.  “He’s not sure what it means.”

“Then...he’s still deciding.”

“Could be.”  He winced.  “Aiiish!  His plucking is still terrible.”

They listened in silence.  Jong Hyun played the same tune over and over again.  Each time it sounded different.  When he played a particularly dark and gloomy version of the song, Shin Hye glanced at Yong Hwa’s face.  It was pale and tired.

“I’m sorry for making things so hard for you,” she whispered.

He avoided looking at her, but his two front teeth appeared.  "I keep thanking you over and over, but you never hear me.  Be sorry about that."

The pair didn’t end up going to sleep.  Shin Hye was too unwell and Yong Hwa was wondering whether this would be the last time he’d see her.  When the sun came up, he wondered if Jong Hyun would come down and order Shin Hye to bed in case she came for training.

On a whim, he got up out of the chair taken from the mess hall and went to pick some clothes out of the cupboard.  When he came back from the bathroom, changed, Shin Hye watched from the spare bed as he splashed water on his face.  It didn’t feel strange at all to have her there.  In fact, it felt far too comfortable.

“Are you going to see if he’s at the obstacle course?” she asked, tilting her head so that some of her hair tumbled over the edge of the mattress.

“Mm.”  Yong Hwa looked at her through the mirror.  “Don’t even think about it.”

“What?”

“Getting out of bed.”

“Too late,” she said cheerfully, throwing the covers off herself.  “Have you got some shoes that I can borrow?”

“Oh yeah sure, I always keep a private stash of girls’ shoes in my bedroom.”

“Tch.”  She leaned over the edge of the bed and looked under it.  “Then I’ll wear some of your scuffs.”

“And if I said you’re not well enough to go, you’d say...”

“Do I look okay enough to go outside?” she asked, walking up to him and glancing at herself in the mirror.  What she saw made her stick her tongue out at her reflection, and he hid a smile.

“Want my comb?” he asked.

She blushed, and shook her head.  “Sorry.  With me in your room, you must feel like you have nothing private left.”

I’m already used to it, he thought, wanting to kiss her on the top of her head.  “Come on.  Wear one of the blankets.”

“Why?”

He cleared his throat.  “Because you’re still wearing what you wore last night.”

Shin Hye blinked and stared down at her clothes.  With a gasp she touched her .

“Aisssssh.”  She cringed.  “I’ve been dressed like this all night?  Why didn’t you tell me?!”

He just smiled back.