The weeks passed, and it was a surprise to me how quickly spring break was upon us. The expected stream of gossip and stares had vanished, and life had returned to normal. The basements of Seoul U  hadn’t held a fight in weeks. Daesung made a point of keeping a low profile after the arrests had led to questions about what exactly had gone on that night, and Jiyong grew irritable waiting for a phone call to summon him to his last fight of the year, the fight that would pay most of his bills for the summer and well into the fall.

 

The snow was still thick on the ground, and on the Friday before break, one last snowball fight broke out on the crystalline lawn. Jiyong and I weaved through the flying ice to the cafeteria, and I held tight to his arm, trying to avoid both the snowballs and falling to the ground.

 

“They’re not going to hit you, Babe. They know better,” Jiyong said, holding his red, cold nose to my cheek.

 

“Their aim isn’t synonymous with their fear of your temper, Ji.”

 

He held me against his side, rubbing my coat sleeve with his hand as he guided me through the chaos. We came to an abrupt halt when a handful of girls screamed past as they were pelted by the merciless aim of the baseball team. Once they cleared the path, Jiyong led me safely to the door.

 

“See? I told you we’d make it,” he said with a smile.

 

His amusement faded when a tightly packed snowball exploded against the door, just between our faces. Jiyong’s glare scanned the lawn, but the sheer numbers of students darting in every direction doused his urge to retaliate.

 

He pulled open the door, watching the melting snow slide down the painted metal to the ground. “Let’s get inside.”

 

“Good idea,” I nodded.

 

He led me by the hand down the buffet line, piling different steaming dishes on one tray. The cashier had given up her predictable baffled expression weeks before, used to our routine.

 

“Dara.” Siwon nodded to me and then winked at Jiyong. “You guys have plans next week?”

 

“We’re staying here. My brothers are coming in,” Jiyong said, distracted as he organized our lunches, dividing the small Styrofoam plates in front of us on the table.

 

“I’m going to kill Kang Seungyoon!” Bom announced, shaking snow out of her hair as she approached.

 

“Direct hit!” Top laughed. Bom shot him a warning glare and his laugh turned into a nervous chuckle. “I mean … what an .”

 

We laughed at his regretful expression as he watched her stomp to the buffet line, following quickly after.

 

“He’s so whipped,” Siwon said with a disgusted look on his face.

 

“Bom’s  a little uptight,” Jiyong explained. “She’s meeting his parents this week.”

 

Siwon  nodded, his eyebrows shooting up. “So they’re …”

 

“There,” I said, nodding with him. “It’s permanent.”

 

“Whoa,” Siwon said. The shock didn’t leave his face as he picked at his food, and I could see the confusion swirl around him. We were all young, and Siwon couldn’t wrap his head around Top’s commitment.

 

“When you have it, Siwon… you’ll get it,” Jiyong said, smiling at me.

 

The room was abuzz with excitement from both the spectacle outside and the quickly approaching last hours before break. As the seats filled, the steady stream of chatter grew to a loud echo, the volume rising as everyone began talking over the noise.

 

By the time Top and Bom returned with their trays, they had made up. She happily sat in the empty seat next to me, prattling on about her impending meet-the-parents moment. They would leave that evening for his parents’ house. It was the perfect excuse for one of Bom’s infamous meltdowns.

 

I watched her pick at her bread as she fretted about what to pack and how much luggage she could take without appearing pretentious, but she seemed to be holding it together.

 

“I told you, baby. They’re gonna love you. Love you like I love you, love you,” Top said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Bom took a breath and the corners of turned up in the way they always did when he made her feel more at ease.

 

Jiyong’s phone shivered, causing it to glide a few inches across the table. He ignored it, regaling Siwon with the story of our first game of poker with his brothers. I glanced at the display, tapping Jiyong on the shoulder when I read the name.

 

“Ji?”

 

Without apology, he turned away from Siwon and gave me his undivided attention. “Yeah, Butterfly?”

 

“You might want to get that.”

 

He looked down at his cell phone and sighed. “Or not.”

 

“It could be important.”

 

He pursed his lips before holding the receiver to his ear. “What’s up, Daesung?” His eyes searched the room as he listened, nodding occasionally. “This is my last fight, Daesung. I’m not sure yet. I won’t go without her and Top’s leaving town. I know … I heard you. Hmmm … that’s not a bad idea, actually.”

 

My eyebrows pulled in, seeing his eyes brighten with whatever idea Daesung had enlightened him with. When Jiyong hung up the phone, I stared at him expectantly.

 

“It’s enough to pay rent for the next eight months. Daesung got Song Mino. He’s trying to go pro.”

 

“I haven’t seen him fight, have you?” Top asked, leaning forward.

 

Jiyong nodded. “Just once in Springfield. He’s good.”

 

“Not good enough,” I said. Jiyong leaned in and kissed my forehead with soft appreciation. “I can stay home, Ji.”

 

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

 

“I don’t want you to get hit like you did last time because you’re worried about me.”

 

“No, babe.”

 

“I’ll wait up for you,” I said, trying to seem happier with the idea than I felt.

 

“I’m going to ask Jo to come. He’s the only one I’d trust so I can concentrate on the fight.”

 

“Thanks a lot, ,” Top grumbled.

 

“Hey, you had your chance,” Jiyong said, only half teasing.

 

Top’s mouth pulled to the side with chagrin. He still felt at fault for the night at Hellerton. He apologized to me daily for weeks, but his guilt finally became manageable enough for him to suffer in silence. Bom and I tried to convince him that he wasn’t to blame, but Jiyong would always hold him accountable.

 

“Top, it wasn’t your fault. You pulled him off of me, remember?” I said, reaching around Bom to pat his arm. I turned to Jiyong, “When is the fight?”

 

“Next week sometime,” he shrugged. “I want you there. I need you there.”

 

I smiled, resting my chin on his shoulder. “Then I’ll be there.”

 

Jiyong walked me to class, his grip tensing a few times when my feet slipped on the ice. “You should be more careful,” he teased.

 

“I’m doing it on purpose. You’re such a er.”

 

“If you want my arms around you, all you have to do is ask,” he said, pulling me into his chest.

 

We were oblivious to the students passing and the snowballs flying overhead as he pressed his lips against mine. My feet left the ground and he continued to kiss me, carrying me with ease across campus. When he finally set me on my feet in front of the door of my classroom, he shook his head.

 

“When we make our schedules for next semester, it would be more convenient if we had more classes together.”

 

“I’ll work on that,” I said, giving him one last kiss before making my way to my seat.

 

I looked up, and Jiyong gave me one last smile before making his way to his class in the next building. The students around me were as used to our shameless displays of affection as his class was used to him being a few minutes late.

 

I was surprised that the time ticked by so quickly. I turned in my last test of the day and made my way to Morgan Hall. Sohee sat in her usual spot on her bed as I rifled through my drawers for a few needed items.

 

“You going out of town?” Sohee asked.

 

“No, I just needed a few things. I’m headed over to the Science building to pick up Jiyong, and then I’ll be at the apartment all week.”

 

“I figured,” she said, keeping her eyes on the pages of her book.

 

“Have a good break, Sohee.”

 

“Mmmhmm.”

 

The campus was nearly empty, with only a few stragglers left. When I turned the corner, I saw Jiyong standing outside, finishing a cigarette. He wore a knit cap over his shaved head and one hand was shoved in the pocket of his worn dark-brown leather jacket. Smoke drifted from his nostrils as he looked down to the ground, deep in thought. It wasn’t until I was just a few feet from him that I noticed how distracted he was.

 

“What’s on your mind, baby?” I asked. He didn’t look up. “Jiyong?”

 

His lashes fluttered when my voice registered and the troubled expression was replaced with a contrived smile. “Hey, Butterfly.”

 

“Everything okay?”

 

“It is now,” he said, pulling me against him.

 

“Okay. What’s up?” I said. With a raised eyebrow and a frown, I made a show of my skepticism.

 

“Just have a lot on my mind,” he sighed. When I waited expectantly, he continued. “This week, the fight, you being there …”

 

“I told you I would stay home.”

 

“I need you there, Butterfly,” he said, flicking his cigarette to the ground. He watched it disappear into a deep footprint in the snow and then cupped his hand around mine, pulling me toward the parking lot.

 

“Have you talked to Jo?” I asked.

 

He shook his head. “I’m waiting for him to call me back.”

 

Bom rolled down the window and poked her head out of Top’s Charger. “Hurry up! It’s freaking freezing!”

 

Jiyong smiled and picked up the pace, opening the door for me to slide in. Top and Bom repeated the same conversation they’d had since she learned she would be meeting his parents while I watched Jiyong stare out of the window. Just as we pulled into the parking lot of the apartment, Jiyong’s phone rang.

 

“What the , Jo?” he answered. “I called you four hours ago. It’s not like you’re productive at work or anything. Whatever. Listen, I need a favor. I’ve got a fight next week. I need you to go. I don’t know when it is, but when I call you, I need you there within an hour. Can you do that for me? Can you do it or not, douchebag? Because I need you to keep an eye on Butterfly. Some put his hands on her last time and … yeah.” His voice lowered to a frightening tone. “I took care of it. So if I call …? Thanks, Jo.”

 

Jiyong clicked his phone shut and leaned his head against the back of the seat.

 

“Relieved?” Top asked, watching Jiyong in the rearview mirror.

 

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it without him there.”

 

“I told you,” I began.

 

“Butterfly, how many times do I have to say it?” he frowned.

 

I shook my head at his impatient tone. “I don’t understand it, though. You didn’t need me there before.”

 

His fingers lightly grazed my cheek. “I didn’t know you before. When you’re not there, I can’t concentrate. I’m wondering where you are, what you’re doing … if you’re there and I can see you, I can focus. I know it’s crazy, but that’s how it is.”

 

“And crazy is exactly the way I like it,” I said, leaning up to kiss his lips.

 

“Obviously,” Bom muttered under breath.

 

--

 

In the shadows of Keaton Hall, Jiyong held me tight against his side. The steam from my breath entangled with his in the cold night air, and I could hear the low conversations of those filtering in a side door a few feet away, oblivious to our presence.

 

Keaton was the oldest building at Seoul U, and although the Circle had been held there before, I was uneasy about the venue. Daesung expected a full house, and Keaton wasn’t the most spacious of basements on campus. Beams formed a grid along the aging brick walls, just one sign of the renovations taking place inside.

 

“This is one of the worst ideas Daesung has had yet,” Jiyong grumbled.

 

“It’s too late to change it, now,” I said, looking up at the scaffolds.

 

Jiyong’s cell phone lit up and he popped it open. His face was tinged with blue against the display, and I could finally see the two worry lines between his eyebrows I already knew were there. He clicked buttons and then snapped the phone shut, gripping me tighter.

 

“You seem nervous tonight,” I whispered.

 

“I’ll feel better when Jo gets his punk here.”

 

“I’m here, you whiny little girl,” Jo said in a hushed voice. I could barely see his outline in the darkness, but his smile gleamed in the moonlight.

 

“How ya been, sis?” he said. He hugged me with one arm, and then playfully shoved Jiyong with the other.

 

“I’m good, Jo.”

 

Jiyong immediately relaxed, and then he led me by the hand to the back of the building.