At the infirmary, Joohyun was busy taking care of the wounds on his boyfriend’s face. Every once Bogum groaned in pain, as if that would make her girlfriend pity his condition more. But it didn’t change the already frowning Joohyun who looks so serious and tentative in doing her work.

“How are you so good at taking care of wounds?” The boyfriend asked, trying to ease the tension a little.

Joohyun only lets out a thin smile. How couldn’t she? Ever since she was a little, she was always be the one to take care of Seulgi’s wounds every time Seulgi fell from playing soccer, or whenever she fought with some of the other boys.

“Seulgi tends to get hurt protecting me. So, I learned how to treat her wounds.” Joohyun answered with tiny voice. Her smile turned gloomy.

Noticing this, the captain stares at Joohyun’s face, he reached Joohyun’s hand on his face, meaning to kiss his girlfriend but Joohyun was quicker with her question. “What happened? Why did you fight with Seulgi this far? Did you…do something that made her upset?” Joohyun knows Seulgi, there’s no way Seulgi would hurt other people as badly as this if it weren’t for that person doing something wrong to Joohyun.

Bogum laughs a little, “Did you think I’m a troublemaker? She started it. She threw the ball, right at my face.”

Joohyun couldn’t believe what she heard.

Seulgi-yah… What really happened…?

Joohyun was so sure that there is really something serious going on with Seulgi that it’s so bad she refused to share even just a glimpse of it to Joohyun. Her mind started drifting away and the captain once again noticing how Joohyun starts spacing out, so he stares at her again and slowly starts to lean in closer. He’s going closer and closer. He was trying to kiss her and Joohyun still hasn’t noticed it.

“Joohyun-ssi! The student council president is looking for you. Also…our homeroom teacher.” Goodness, thanks to whoever just barged in and prevent Joohyun’s first kiss be taken away by this captain. Joohyun quickly got up on her feet and went out to see the teacher and the president. This must be about what just happened, the thing involving Seulgi.

In the teacher’s office, Joohyun was asked if she knew anything about Seulgi that led to the chaos at the basketball court today but because in all honesty, Joohyun doesn’t know much either she only told them what she knows. There’s really only God knows what sparked Seulgi’s anger. But Joohyun wasn’t happy with the overall result because as she recalled, Seulgi was the one who started the fight and she was going to get suspended from school as punishment. Seulgi’s parents have been notified as well and it’s one of the things Joohyun got so worried about. Seulgi’s parents, specifically her father, doesn’t quite have the best method to teach Seulgi whenever she made a problem at school.

What goes through Joohyun’s mind was how to get Seulgi first before school ends. So, the first thing she did after being allowed to excuse herself was to run towards her classroom to get both her belongings and Seulgi’s and then ran away from the school ground. When she was at the classroom, her classmates were so curious in wanting to know what happened to Seulgi and if she has any idea where Seulgi had run off to but Joohyun has no answer to any of those questions and thus ended up trying hard to ignore everyone.

Never Joohyun had ever thought of sneaking her way out of school. She was a student council member. She was a straight-A student. People look up to her. But here she is, trying to sneak her way out just to find her one and only best friend, Seulgi. It was amazing knowing how easy it is to do it. Joohyun pulled out her cellphone as she walks further from the school, trying to reach Seulgi’s number but she cursed when she felt Seulgi’s phone vibrating inside her bag. Right, this is just one of Seulgi’s habits of not bringing her phone most of the time. Now it only makes it harder for Joohyun to find her.

But Seulgi isn’t stupid, she knows Joohyun must look for her but Seulgi still doesn’t want to see Joohyun yet. Seulgi went somewhere else, hidden, it feels like it would be a great idea to run away or may as well just come home to her parents and have herself be beaten up by her father. The pain in her heart hurts more than the injuries on her face. She was like a drunkie in the middle of the city. Seulgi couldn’t go to places like clubs because she doesn’t bring any money on her. ty, indeed. What kind of run-away is this?

In the end, Seulgi only get herself in trouble. She wished to just die than to feel this much pain. She started changing her mind, she wanted Joohyun to regret, wanted Joohyun to say sorry to her, wanted Joohyun to feel guilty of Seulgi. Her heart was wrecked…

She walked pass a group of scoundrel kids, they see the state Seulgi was in and made fun of her. Seulgi was too lazy to pay them any of her attention. But it was only until one of them started being physically violent by shoving Seulgi as that one word slip out again.

“Hah, so weak!”

Seulgi lost it.

She launched herself towards them and started to throw her punches at them. She wasn’t drunk, so she was still able to put up a decent fight but she was outnumbered and eventually she started losing her steps. All of them have beaten her up so bad that Seulgi couldn’t do anything but grunting in pain. She was so close to losing her whole conscious and the last thing she’s seeing was a few people rushing to her. Seulgi couldn’t make out what everyone was saying, maybe her ears were damaged from the beating. And then she felt her body being lifted by someone, a police officer.

“Jesus…” Seulgi heard him said and then everything went black.

On the other hand, Joohyun was still looking for Seulgi. She went to all the places Seulgi could possibly end up at but still couldn’t find her. She didn’t stop looking until the sun was down and next thing she knew, it was already night time. By the minute, Joohyun’s worries only get worse and when the clock hits exactly at eight p.m, Joohyun’s phone rang. It was the student council president. Joohyun wondered if it was about her sneaking out of school today but when she answered the phone, the first thing the president told her was to stay calm. Joohyun still couldn’t get rid of the deep frown on her face though she did try to stay as calm as possible.

The president told her that Seulgi is currently at the hospital. That she was found being beaten out by a group of scoundrel boys. And in that moment, Joohyun went weak on her knees. Not to mention the part where the president told her that Seulgi is in a pretty bad condition. So, before she collapses, she quickly brings her two feet and head to the hospital where Seulgi was admitted. She was scared. God, she was so scared of losing Seulgi. At the thought of it, Joohyun started crying whilst panicking.

There was a slight relief knowing Joohyun got there first, Seulgi’s parents may already be on their way though but sadly, Seulgi was still lying unconscious inside the room. There are two police officers standing just outside the door, preventing Joohyun from stepping inside that room.

“I’m sorry, but are you her family? I need to ask a few questions first.”

“I, I’m her best friend… Just please let me in first.” She pleaded.

Joohyun refuse to waste more time by answering to his questions, it would take too much time. She couldn’t afford having Seulgi’s parents arriving and limiting more of her time to see Seulgi.

“I have to see her… Please…”

One of the two officers signaled the other to let Joohyun in. Maybe he feels sorry seeing how messy Joohyun looks right now. She was pleading while unable to hold her tears, she was sweating so much and her hair was tousled to every direction. Joohyun was a mess. At first glance, you would really think Joohyun was there when Seulgi was being beaten out by those kids and that she must have ran before they start targeting her. But no, Joohyun wasn’t there and she had no idea how Seulgi became like this.

The moment she stepped inside the room and sees her best friend lying there, Joohyun couldn’t hold herself up anymore when her knees gave up on her. She couldn’t stand looking at Seulgi in this condition and Joohyun tries her best to not choke on her own cries, putting one of her palms to cover , afraid that she would make too much noise and wake Seulgi. But will it be much to wake her up? Seulgi doesn’t look like she was going to wake up any time soon and Joohyun cries harder at the thought. But she had to see her closer no matter how unbearable it seems.

Joohyun crawled up to the side of Seulgi’s bed, staring at Seulgi better.

“Seulgi… Why did it become like this…?” She sobbed, couldn’t stop herself from crying at her best friend’s unconscious state. Seulgi was bruised all over. Never would have Joohyun imagined of seeing her best friend like this. It had to be one of Joohyun’s worst nightmares. She puts a little courage when she took one of Seulgi’s limp hands. Suddenly, all the guilt is taking over Joohyun’s mind.

Of course, Seulgi hides so many things from her. But Joohyun was stupid. So stupid to not realize even just a tiny bit of change in Seulgi. Joohyun wanted to say so many things to Seulgi though she’s not awake, but she couldn’t when there’s already a commotion just outside the door. Joohyun recognizes some of those voices and there’s no doubt it’s Seulgi’s parents.

Joohyun doesn’t have the heart to let Seulgi’s parents, more likely her father, to see Seulgi now. It feels like Joohyun would rather take Seulgi away from there…but how could she. Seulgi was still silent in her unconsciousness. Her wounds looked clearer, her head was bandaged, her hand, even around her chest. Her face was battered. This is clearly looking way worse than her boyfriend’s condition. And Joohyun was sure Seulgi’s parents won’t like it at all.

Joohyun was startled when the door was opened, the two parents entered the room. Seulgi’s father looks so upset, while her mother looks very concerned. Joohyun rose up from where she’s kneeling and stand a few feet away from the bed.

“What happened, Joohyun?” The father asked.

He knows. He really knows that Seulgi only get in a fight whenever it comes to Joohyun…and now everything went this far…

“That’s enough, hold your anger. Seulgi is resting…” Seulgi’s mother said while holding back her tears, caressing her daughter’s head gently. “Joohyun-ah, you can go home now. We’ll take care of Seulgi.”

Joohyun clenches her fists, she doesn’t want to leave Seulgi again, doesn’t want Seulgi to leave again.

“I’ll give you a call when she’s awake.” She insisted, while Seulgi’s father still looks very upset.

Her mother, on the other hand, loves to spoil Seulgi.

“…I… I want to stay here…” Joohyun said, slightly trembling in fear. Her head hung low, eyes looking at the unmoving ground. She knows somehow that Seulgi’s father must have put the blame on Joohyun but he was still sane enough to not show his hatred or anger towards her. But above her fear of Seulgi’s father, Joohyun still prefers to be there for Seulgi.

“…I want to be the first person she sees when she’s awake.” She finished.

Joohyun rose her head to dare herself and look at the two parents in the eyes.

Seulgi’s mother understands, maybe because she’s a mother and they’re both females that it was easier for Seulgi’s mother to understand the whole situation. “Alright, it’s okay if you want to stay. It looks like…there’s an unfinished business, hm?” Joohyun can only nod weakly.

Seulgi’s father? He already left the room because clearly, he wanted to talk with his daughter, not her friend.

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