Minhyung and Minseok help me up, and Yukhei drags a chair from the kitchen. I sit down and control my breath.

          “Noona, how do you feel?” Minhyung asks worriedly. I lift my head, and Minseok is looking at me, anxious.

          “I’ll go to my room and sleep.” I say slowly. I try to get up but stumble, and Minseok grabs my forearm.

          “I’ll walk you there. Which way?”

          Minhyung guides us to the right wing of our house, and opens my bedroom. Thankfully it’s in a visually acceptable state. Minseok helps me sit on the bed, and Minhyung and Yukhei stay on the doorway.

          “You look like you have a fever.” Minhyung says.

          Minseok looks at me, and reaches out a hand. “Excuse me.” he places his hand for a second on my forehead, and I try not to flinch. It’s warm. “Seems like it. Do you have any meds?”

          “I don’t think so… She rarely gets sick... I’ll go buy something.” Minhyung turns back.

          “I’ll go with you!” Yukhei follows him, and I’m suddenly wide awake. Are they seriously leaving me and Minseok alone here?

          Minseok is still standing beside the bed, his face shows half awkwardness and half worry. He peeks at the empty corridor. “I’ll take some water for you.”

          “You don’t—” he left before I could finish. I fall back to the bed, and cover my face with my right hand. I lift it, and see the back side. There’s a fading white scar with the shape of a thin horizontal line, and I close my eyes. I haven't thought anything about this scar for years, I thought I've forgotten. This is the most uncomfortable thing ever.

          I’m slipping into my bed cover when I hear footsteps outside, and I stop moving. Minseok comes in and puts the glass he brought on the table beside the bed. He takes the chair in front of my vanity, and sits carefully. Five seconds of silence, and I decide to speak first. “You’re a professor?”

          Minseok laughs slowly. “It turns out to be this way. I think I mentioned it yesterday.”

          “Oh—I must have not heard that.”

          “Yeah, I think you were already gone.”

          Well, I was. I didn’t even eat and leave the wedding hall not long after his arrival yesterday.

          “And you’re my brother’s tutor.”

          “Yeah… That somehow happens, too.”

          Silence again. I see Minseok crossing his legs from the corner of my eyes, and he is heard taking a deep breath.

          “Yuna, why can’t you look at me in the eyes?”

2008, Winter

High School

          I look at the table, and apparently my hand hit the bag hanger on the side. A drop of blood falls to the floor, and I freeze. Kim Minseok walks to my side, and I try to hide my hands.

          He looks at my eyes, then my hands. Oh God. Did he see that? Or not? What is he thinking?

          “I—”

          “Go to the school nurse.” he says, lips barely moving.

          “Uh—” I glance at the floor, and two other red drops fell.

          “You’re bleeding! Go! I’ll take care of this.” he whips out a handkerchief and walks to my spot. I stay still for a second, then run outside while covering my hand with the front side of my shirt, trying not to make more blood drip. It’s painful. I hear chatters from the middle stairs direction, and dash to the end to the hall to go to the school nurse in the first floor through the emergency stairs.

          “What happened to you?” the school nurse furrows her brows to see me and my red marked clothes as she takes out the medical equipment.

          “Accident… During PE.” I say under my breath. My training clothes should be supporting the context.

          As the nurse tends to my wound, I sit still without a word facing the other way. I’m scared to look at my injured hand. Blood dries on my tainted left hand, and it feels stiff.

          Kim Minseok caught me. Did he see what I did? Will he tell the others? But I don’t think he’s that type of person. As much as I know, he’s a good student. He’s kind. Everyone likes him. Will he be quiet?

          I’m too busy thinking, and my heart jumps when the sliding door is opened. It drops back when I see Minseok appear. We look at each other without a word, and I try to stay calm. He watches silently as the nurse bandages my hand, and I let my head down.

          The nurse leaves the room to get something, and I’m left with Minseok.

          “Why did you do that?” Minseok asks.

          I have my left hand on top of the bandage, trying to suppress the ache. “Do what?”

          “I saw it. The parka.”

          I blink, and my eyes feel hot. I grab the bloody part of my shirt and clench my teeth. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

          Minseok says nothing. I look away to fight back tears, and Minseok folds his hands on his chest as he leans on the wall. I spot a part of his handkerchief peeking out from his pants pocket.

          “I cleaned the blood. The kids started coming in after I was done.”

          “Thank… you.” it’s so weird to thank someone after they took care of your crime scene.

          “Does it have something to do with what happened in the auditorium?”

          I stare at the floor. Minseok is friends with Jaehyo. Does he know about us? He ever saw us two together twice, I think. Is he going to tell him? I should negotiate.

          “Just please… Say nothing about it.” in the end that was all I can say.

          “So it’s because of Jaehyo.”

          I close my eyes. It’s too late to go back. I will forever be remembered as a crazy jealous girl. But I guess it’ll be better to be preserved like that in one person’s mind instead of everyone. Nothing can guarantee that though.

          “I—” Minseok starts, but the nurse comes back to the room. He stands up straight, and steps closer to the door. “I’ll get going first. Talk to you later.”

          He disappears, and I feel like I can breathe. The nurse secures the bandage, and checks it for the last time. “It’s good for now, you can go.”

          I swallow. I walk to the bathroom to wash my hands, and as water runs down my skin I’m thinking how to act calm in the class.

Present

House

          “Yuna, why can’t you look at me in the eyes?”

          I stare at the ceiling even though the lamp irritates my eyes. His words make me want to avoid his sight more.

          “Minseok.”

          “Yeah?”

          “Can you… I don’t mean to be rude—I really feel unwell, I want to rest.”

          “Ah.” he rises to his feet immediately, and pats the sides of his body. “Sure. Talk to you later. Get well soon.”

          He leaves the room, and closes the door gently. Silence fills my room, and it’s been a long time since the last time I feel so helpless like this.

          There’s nothing heard from outside for a few minutes. Soon I can hear Minhyung and Yukhei going back, and not long after Minhyung enters my room with a small paper bag. “Here are the meds.” he starts unpacking the stuff he brought, and I take them from his hands.

          “I’ll take care of this, go out and study again.”

          “Are you sure?” he looks at me doubtfully.

          “I’m good. Go. I have the water already… Minseok brought this.” I add the latter part slowly.

          “I can’t believe he’s your high school friend!”

          “We’ll discuss that later.” I try to say that as sharply as I can.

          Minhyung leaves, and I look at the meds with heavy heart. All I can think is Kim Minseok is inside my house. ‘Talk to you later’, he said? Based on my experience, when he said that, he would really find the chance to talk again soon.

*

          Two days later in the bakery, I use all my might to push the air out from the risen dough on the table with my fist, and Minhyung takes a step back in horror with a large bowl on his embrace. "Noona, what's wrong?"

          "What?" I knead the dough with a straight face. "Nothing."

          "Can’t you just rest at home?" Minhyung says, concerned.

          “I’ve slept all day long yesterday, it was enough.”

          “Still.” Minhyung places the bowl near me. "This is the filling. I'll go to the front to help."

          "Yeah, good. The visitors multiple if you stay there."

          Minhyung shrugs, and he exits the kitchen. I take a deep breath and straighten my back. This is not even lunch and I haven't kneaded that many dough balls, but I feel exhausted already.

          Now when I look at my hand, I’ll get reminded of Kim Minseok. I curl my toes, trying to purify my mind. The warmth from the oven which I’m very familiar with feels stifling today, and I call one of my employees to take over the kitchen.

          I walk to the front, and Minhyung beside the coffee maker just handed a beverage to a customer. Another one of my employees is taking orders as cashier. I take a quick look on the bakery and café, and see people choosing bread, pastries, or enjoying coffee on the small tables. Our place is modest, but always warm. I go to a corner behind the counter, and start going through the orders for next week.

          “When are you going to school?” I ask Minhyung.

          “I’ll be leaving at 1 PM.” he answers. Minhyung is on his first year of university, but I still refuse to believe that he’s become this big. He’ll always be a little boy to me.

          I look at his bag below the shelf, and inhale quietly. “About your professor… My friend. How did he become your tutor?”

          “Actually, it was Yukhei who needs tutoring because of his limited language. His dorm can’t accommodate many activities, so I offered to do it in our house. I can study more that way too.”

          “Oh… How much is he paid?”

          “He’s doing it for free.”

          I furrow my brows. “Very… Generous.”

          “Yeah. He’s very nice, the students love him. Sometimes people can’t tell that he’s our professor. His class is everyone’s favorite.”

          Not that surprising, I think. Minseok had always been that kind of person.

          “I still find it fascinating that you went to the same school as him—oh, Professor?!”

          Minhyung’s sudden astonished tone surprises me, and I freeze on my spot. I’m too afraid to face his direction.

          “Hello!”

          The voice affirms it, and I carefully turn my head. I see Minseok stepping inside wrapped in grey knee-long coat with black turtleneck beneath, hugging a dark brown messenger bag with a wide grin on his face.

          “Prof! What is this? You asked for the address, but I didn’t know you’d come immediately!” Minhyung exclaims.

          “Yeah, I wanted to stop by before going to work.” Minseok says. Our eyes meet, and I awkwardly try to control my face. He smiles to me. “I want to see Yuna.”