“Hyunmi, could you help me out?” Mr. Park asked when the bell for their final period went off. He quickly tidied a few papers in his hands and handed it to the girl. “Could you give this to your boyfriend?”   Hyunmi frowned, slowly taking the papers from him. It took her no longer than a second to know whom the teacher was referring to. “He’s not my boyfriend.”   “Oh, really? I thought—” Mr. Park decided to laugh it off before making things more awkward. “Well, anyhow, since Woohyun is sick today and the exams are coming up soon, I’d really appreciate it if you could give these to him.”   Hyunmi nodded, watching Mr. Park stride into the corridor. Her eyes fell on the papers, one which weren’t as elaborate as her own color coded notes. She quickly her heel, heading to Sungyeol’s desk.   “Come visit Woohyun with me.” She slapped a hand on his table, bellowing more of a demand than a friendly invitation.   Sungyeol, who had been in the middle of telling a joke to Myungsoo and Kibum, froze a crooked smile that Miyu would be better off not seeing. “Why?”   “Because Mr. Park wants to give him some lecture notes,” Hyunmi said. “And also because you were the one who pushed Woohyun in the lake, causing him to be absent today.”   “Hey, it wasn’t just me. Sungjong started it,” Sungyeol defended himself. “Besides, I’ve decided to join Glee Club.”   “To be with Miyu?” Myungsoo asked, having acquainted with everyone thanks to their picnic event.   “Yes. I am going to pursue her,” Sungyeol said, pumping his fist.   Hyunmi rolled her eyes and turned to Kibum. “Will you accompany me then?”   “No way, you know how I feel about sick Woohyun,” Kibum spat, sticking his tongue out.   “All the more reason why I shouldn’t be alone with him,” Hyunmi said, starting to fold her hands. “Please?”   “Sorry, I need to take Comme Des and Garcons to the salon today,” Kibum said, his tone too jovial to be truly apologetic.   Hyunmi turned to Myungsoo, but she wasn’t that close to him yet. Besides, it’d feel wrong to invite him without inviting Seulyi, who had gone home early to go shopping with her mom.   “Fine, I’ll do it,” Hyunmi said, carefully putting the papers in her binder to keep it from folding.   “Good. Maybe he’ll actually be your boyfriend by the time he returns to school,” Kibum teased, referring to Mr. Park’s earlier mistake.   Right. She understood her friends and family members mistaking Woohyun as her boyfriend, but how did the school faculty reach to the same conclusion?   ***   Luckily, Woohyun had given her a spare key to his house, because she was welcome anytime, he had said. She never used the key when Woohyun had a girlfriend, but now that he was single, the liberty belonged to the best friend again.   She let herself in, careful not to make too much noise. Woohyun had always been a light sleeper, and the slightest noise would wake him. She opened his bedroom door as quietly as possible, but the slightest creak had him springing up in bed. He rubbed his eyes, squinting at the one who disturbed his sleep, and grinned widely.   “Hyunmi, it’s you!” Woohyun said, holding his arms out for a hug.   She just stared with a half appalled face, not knowing how to cope with this version of Woohyun. The reason why Kibum was scared was simply because a sick Woohyun was extremely clingy.   “How’s your temperature? Did you measure it?” She asked, setting her bag on a nearby chair.   Woohyun shook his head like a little boy, moving his fingers, still waiting for the hug.   This, she had expected. Hyunmi had grabbed a few items from home including a thermometer. She carefully sat at the side of his bed, trying her hardest to ignore him when he wrapped his arms around her and immediately rested his head against her shoulder.   “I need to take your temperature,” she said, getting the thermometer ready.    Woohyun nodded like an obedient child, his eyes big and anticipating the next command. Clearly, she’d have to lay out the instructions step by step. Hopefully he’d have no recollection of this day, or he’d forever about it.   “You need to take off your shirt,” she said, keeping her tone as firm as possible.   “You do it,” Woohyun sang, holding his arms up so that she could easily slide the shirt off of his head. She pulled on one sleeve, needing access to take the temperature from under his arm. She had to remind him not to move until the thermometer beeped.   “Thirty nine degrees,” Hyunmi read, gasping to herself. He really had a bad fever. She quickly placed the back of her hand against his forehead, feeling him burning up. “How do you feel?”   “Much better now that you’re here.”   Hyunmi let a smile slip, caressing the hair away from his sweatsoaked forehead. “Have you eaten yet?”   Woohyun buried his face under the blanket, his eyes continuing to watch her as if he was afraid of being reprimanded. “Not yet.”   “Since this morning?”   He shook his head.   A pang of guilt hit her. She didn’t expect his fever to be this bad. Of course he couldn’t have cooked or called for delivery. How had she not thought of this? He must be starving. He could’ve died.   “It’s okay,” he said, noticing the frown between her brows. He sat up to her eye level and let his warm fingers smoothen out the wrinkles from her worries. “I knew you’d come for me. Now we can eat together.”   Hyunmi was secretly glad she hadn’t decided to visit Maerin’s class and ask for their availability too. Every second was precious to the poor starving Woohyun.   In case of an unforeseen situation, Hyunmi had taken a few ingredients from the kitchen at home—with mom’s permission, of course. Last time she came here, Woohyun’s fridge was completely empty except for some raw eggs.    “Wait here, I’ll make something for you,” she said, but when she turned to leave, Woohyun quickly grabbed the bottom of her blouse. Without saying anything, he drowsily trailed after her like a little duckling. Hyunmi desperately hoped he wouldn’t faint, for she wouldn’t be able to carry him back to bed.   “What are you making?” Woohyun asked, the clinginess starting when he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.   It made her flinch, both body and heart. Though he was sick, half conscious, and acted like a child, being backhugged made her forget all of those things. 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