"Ya, Cha Eun Jae, let's take a break." Seulgi said tiredly, dropping her head on the table while looking at her friend with puppy eyes.

Eun Jae raised an eyebrow and smiled, never taking her eyes off her textbook. "Come on Seulgi, it's only been an hour since we started. There are five chapters left to read."

"Actually, we've been here for three hours," Hyorin piped in, massaging the back of her neck, "that wall clock isn't working."

Eun Jae gasped and turned her phone over. Her friend was right, it was a little over 11pm now. She didn't notice that most of the students in the library had left. "I'm so sorry! I got carried away. Why didn't you tell me it was so late?"

Seulgi let out a big yawn, stretching her arms wide. "You were so engrossed in your reading, we couldn't stop you" she said, "plus, you are our best chance of passing the midterms since you write the most detailed notes in class, so we wanted you to stay focused."

"I see, you used me," Eun Jae said accusingly, "Well played, Lee Seulgi."

Her friend grinned at sheepishly, "I'll buy you dinner?"

Eun Jae shook her head, "It's too late for me to eat now, plus I'm not hungry."

"How can you say that?" Hyorin said, "you only had half a sandwich for lunch. Come on, at least let's get something to drink before heading home."

Eun Jae sighed, "Fine. I'll come." she said, "I could use some tea to relax."

The trio packed their bags and left the campus library. The air was chilly, but at least it wasn't snowing. Eun Jae pulled her scarf tighter around her neck to keep warm as they walk along the deserted street.

"The midterms are going to kill me." Hyorin declared.

"You say that EVERY midterm week and you always end up fine," Seulgi said, rolling her eyes, "it's me whose dying here. How am I supposed to remember all six hundred muscles and which is connected to which bone?" 

"It's ridiculous, isn't it?" Hyorin agreed, "and this is only our second year, I don't know how I'm going to cope once we start our internship."

"Ohhh I'm getting palpitations just thinking about it." Seulgi said

Eun Jae laughed, linking her arms with her friends, "Hey hey, enough of this negativity, ya? We survived the first year, we will survive this year too. Those six hundred muscles are nothing, we'll recite them everyday if we have to, we'll do it in our sleep!"

"Easy for you to say, Eun Jae" Hyorin grumbled, "you are top of the class."

"And you are a walking anatomy book," Seulgi added

"Not to mention information sticks into your brain without any effort" Hyorin finished, "what we really need is for you to give us some of your brain cells!"

Eun Jae shook her head, her hair bouncing on her shoulders "and I'm your friend, right? Who else is going to benefit from this brain of mine but my two favourite girls? Leave it to me, we will pass the midterms together!"

They all squealed and raised their fists into the air, laughing as they entered a cozy and dimly-lit cafe. Hyorin ordered drinks for the three of them while the other two chose their seats.

"Seriously though," Seulgi said thoughtfully once Hyorin was back, "we need some help. No offense Eun Jae, because you are the most amazing, cleverest, sweetest, brightest star--"

"Just say it, Seulgi."

"--medical student out there, but even Biochemistry is out of your league."

Eun Jae scoffed, "I do all right." she started to say, but Hyorin nodded in agreement, "We need more people in our study group. Someone good in math."

"If we cover all of the subjects and combine our notes together, we are definitely going to pass." Seulgi continued, "more than just barely pass, we are going to dominate that class ranking!"

"It's a good idea," Eun Jae agreed, "but who do you have in mind?"

Hyorin shrugged, "Well there is Kim Daehwi, he is like number 4 in the class and knows his stuff."

Seulgi snorted, "and he's a pompous too. Next."

They all giggled, going over more names from their class. They had a list of three names to try and persuade to join them when their drinks arrived. 

"Sorry for the wait." the server said, "Chamomile tea?"

"It's mine, thank you." Eun Jae replied, smiling at the server. Her eyes widened when she realised who it was, her smile frozen in place.

"Seo Woo Jin?"

Woo Jin looked just as surprised to see them. He recovered quickly, putting the mugs of hot drinks down on their table. "Hey."

"I didn't know you work here." Eun Jae said

"I do some shifts every now and then," he replied, "anyway, enjoy your drinks."
 

They all said thanks and watched him walk away. Once he was out of earshot, Hyorin turned to them, eyes wide, "We need him." 

Eun Jae shook her head as she sipped from her mug, "No, we don't."

"Ummm, yes we do?" Seulgi said excitedly, "He is ranked two in our class. With you and him in our study group, we are invincible!"

"And he aced every Biochemistry exam we had so far." Hyorin added. 

"How did you know that?" Eun Jae asked incredulously

Hyorin folded her arms over her chest, "Everyone does. Woo Jin's average has never dropped from the upper 1 percentile of our class. It would be big news when he finally fails one, although I don't see that happening."

"How does he manage working and studying at the same time? Our schedules are so full!" Seulgi said in amazement. 

"Who knows?" Hyorin said, "but I know if he agrees we have a higher chance of ranking up. What do you say, Eun Jae?"

Eun Jae pretended to be too busy sipping her tea to answer. Her eyes followed Woo Jin around the cafe as he puts away the mugs into the cupboard. She could see a textbook lying open by the cashier, notes spread on the countertop beside it. When he turned around, his eyes found hers and she quickly looked at the other side, pretending to admire the cafe's interiors.

"Cha Eun Jae," Seulgi said firmly, "are you just saying no because he is your competition?"

"W-what?" Eun Jae spluttered, "I don't know what you mean."

"You two have been going head to head in everything. Even in our extra-curriculars, you try to outdo each other."

Eun Jae shrugged, "Really? I never noticed." she said, as casually as could manage. 

Hyorin and Seulgi shared a knowing look. Eun Jae sighed, "Besides, there is no chance he will say yes. He's not exactly...sociable."

"We won't know until we try, right?" Seulgi said brightly

"Does this mean you're saying yes?" Hyorin said hopefully, "please Eun Jae. For the sake of my future, please say yes!"

Seulgi put her hands together and bowed her head, "Please!"

Eun Jae laughed and shook her head, "Fine. You win! Ask him and see what he says."

Hyorin let out a squeal and stood up, excited. She cleared and made her way to the counter, where Woo Jin was sat with his head buried on the textbook. 

Eun Jae and Seulgi watched as their friend attempted to talk to Woo Jin. He looked polite enough, nodding at her and listening to what she says. In the end, he said something shortly before turning back to his book. Hyorin turned around and gave a thumbs down to her friends with a pout.

"Damn it." Seulgi said, with a loud sigh, "That's one down."

Eun Jae smiled sympathetically. "What did he say?" she asked Hyorin

"He's busy and don't think he can fit it in his schedule." Hyorin said, defeated, "I was so sure he'd say yes."

"Really? I knew there's a high chance he'll say no. He's always been a lone sheep." Seulgi remarked, finishing her drink, "I guess we better go home."

"Well, we can still try the other names in our list tomorrow." Eun Jae said cheerfully, determied to keep the energy positive.

It seemed to work, and her friends went out of the cafe still in bright spirits. Eun Jae looked back at where Woo Jin was sitting, but his eyes never left his book. 

 

The following day, the girls managed to convince two of their classmates to join their study group. They divided the reading between each other, writing their own notes and combining all of it by the end of the week to review. They also planned study group sessions during the weekend. Eun Jae became quickly engrossed in studying for the midterms, her time divided between her classes and cramming in the library. 

One morning, she was walking across campus with coffee in one hand and her notes in the other. She heard someone call her name and she turned to follow the voice. She saw several booths on the side and in one of them a tall be-spectacled guy was waving cheerfully at her. It was Bae Moon-Jeong.  

"Oh, sunbae! Hi. Hello." Eun Jae said, flustered as she approached him. She tucked her hair shyly behind her ears.

"Hi, how are you?" Moon-Jeong greeted her, smiling, "You seemed very busy."

"Ah yes, it's the midterms soon so..." Eun Jae said, faltering at the end. Her heart was beating so fast she could hardly hear him speak. She tried to focus on the conversation but her eyes were too busy staring at his sparkling eyes and his perfect straight teeth.

"...so what do you say?" he inquired, looking at her expectantly

Eun Jae blinked hard, surprised. "Oh...uh, sorry?"

Moon Jeong just smiled, amused, "Would you be interested in joining the Bone Club?" he repeated patiently, his eyes searching hers hopefully.

Eun Jae blushed and swayed a bit "Uh yeah of course! I'd love to! I love bones." she added, and instantly she felt like dying inside with embarassment.

Moon Jeong didn't seem to notice. He pressed a form eagerly into her hands and for the next fifteen minutes, gave her a lecture about the club and their activities. Eun Jae listened attentively and by the end of it, she felt like it was a good bargain for joining a club she didn't even know existed. 

Eun Jae left the booth with a spring in her step, humming softly as she entered the classroom. THe teacher was already in the front so Eun Jae quickly sat on the nearest available chair. 

"How long has she started?" she whispered to the person next to her.

"Just now." he replied shortly

Eun Jae turned to say thank you and saw that it was Woo Jin. She sighed instead and opened her Biochemistry textbook. 

After a few minutes, Eun Jae bit her lip, remembering what her friends said about Woo Jin's expertise. She decided there was no harm in asking him again. She leaned a bit to her left and whispered, "Hey, can I ask you something."

"We're in class." he replied, not bothering to whisper. 

Eun Jae glared at him, inhaling sharply. "After then?"

"Uh huh."

She decided to let it go, looking back at the front of the class and tried to pay attention to their professor. As soon as the bell rang, she cornered him before he could leave the room and told him about the study group.

He sat at the edge of the table, staring at her with his unreadable eyes for a long moment before saying, "No thanks."

"Please, won't you even consider?" Eun jae said, trying to remain friendly, "we could really use your help since you're very good in Biochem."

Woo Jin smirked and shook his head, "I'm flattered, but the answer is still no."

Eun Jae too a deep breath, "You will be benefitting from it too." she insisted, "I will give you all my notes. Everyone's working hard to put it together. It will help you keep your ranking and save you plenty of time.""

"I don't want them."

"Why are you so stubborn?" she said in exasperation, putting her hands on her waist.

Woo Jin matched her by folding his arms across his chest, "I could ask you the same question. I'm sure I said before that I don't want to be a mmeber of your silly little group. I do just fine by myself, and I'm sure you'd rather work without me anyway. It's not like we're close."

They glared at each other for a long moment, until Woo Jin chuckled under his breath and stood up, preparing to leave. Eun Jae reached out on impulse by putting a hand on his wrist, "Wait." she said, hesitantly.

Woo Jin stared at her hand, and Eun Jae immediately drew it back, forcing herself to speak, "Okay, I admit you don't have to help us. My friends think that you can help them pass the subject, they are beyond worried about their grades and frankly, I wish I could do it alone but I can't do a good job of explaining the theories...so please, for their sake, could you think about it?"

"Even if it's just for an hour, anything you can do will be a huge help." she added, cursing herself for sounding so desperate. 

Woo Jin studied her face, as if he was searching for something in there. Was it just her imagination or he looked extremely uncomfortable? Suddenly, Eun Jae felt bad for putting him on the spot.

She was just about to tell him to forget about it when he answered, "Okay."

"Okay?" she echoed

"Okay," he repeated, pushing past her and leaving the room.

"We're meeting at the library after school tomorrow!" she called after him.

He raised a hand to show that he heard her, and Eun Jae sighed with relief.

 

"Are you sure he's coming?" Seulgi said doubtfully.

"He said he would." Eun Jae insisted with a frown.

Seulgi checked her watch, sighed, and went back to reading her notes.

Eun Jae kept an eye on the library door as she reads, looking up everytime it opens. They stayed their for two more hours, but Woo Jin never came. Finally, it was almost midnight and they were forced to call it a night. Eun Jae was disappointed that he didn't show up, and was apologetic to her study group mates. 

"It wasn't your fault." one of the new members, Jinho, said as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"He's always been unpredictable." Kibum, the other new member, agreed. 

Hyorin shrugged, "Well, we still covered plenty of material today. I think we can just focus on what we have and leave Biochem last, what do you all think?"

They agreed to do as she said and planned several more sessions throughout the next two weeks. The midterms will be held for two weeks after that. 

They met regularly in the library after school and even on their breaktimes. Eun Jae began to divide her lunch hour between eating and writing her notes as fast as she can. Finally, three days later everyone in their group finished writing and were happy to combine their hard work together. 

"Wow, this is a really thick pile!" Eun Jae exclaimed, holding the binder with both hands. "Seriously, I could use this for my workout."

Seulgi grinned, "Now comes the hard part of actually reading the whole thing."

"Do you think a week and a half is enough?" Hyorin said worriedly

Kibum shrugged, "It should be fine, we've gone over everything in the notes several times anyway. At this point, we're just repeating it to make sure we retained everything."

"Thank you for your hard work everyone!" Jinho said, grinning

Seulgi sighed, "In the end, Woo Jin never did show up."

Eun Jae frowned thoughtfully, "Actually, I don't remember seeing him in class this week. What about you?"

They all shook their heads. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, maybe he didn't mean to ditch their study group? 
"Does anyone have his contact number?"

Nobody did. Eun Jae tried to ask several other members of their class but no one seemed to know his number or where he lives. 
 

When class was over, Eun Jae decided to visit the cafe he works in. "Excuse me," she said to the girl over the counter.

"Hello! What can I get you?"

"Sorry, I'm not here to order," Eun Jae said politely, "I was wondering if you know a guy named Seo Woo Jin who works here?"

"Ahh yah, the part-timer?"

Eun Jae nodded, "Yes. Would you happen to know if he's coming in today? I'm from his class and he hasn't been in for a while so..."

The girl shook her head, "I heard the manager say he's off sick, so he hasn't been in for five days."

"Oh, really? Would you happen to have his phone number?"

The girl hesitated, "My manager does, but we're not allowed to give personal information of our staff. Sorry."

Eun Jae shook her head, "No no, that's okay. I was only wondering if he's okay since we haven't heard from him at all."

"If he does show up, I'd tell him you were looking for him."

"Oh no, actually...please don't tell him." Eun Jae stammered, "Thanks for your help. Bye!"

 

The following day, Eun Jae spotted Woo Jin by his locker. She hurried down the corridor and tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, where were you?" she demanded

Woo Jin turned to look at her before his eyes rolled up to the ceiling, "What now?" he said, groaning.

She frowned at him, "You've been gone all week, what happened?"

He shrugged and went back to getting his things, "I was sick."

He does look like he's been sick, Eun Jae thought as she observed him. His skin was pale, his voice sounded raspy, and he seemed to be sweating even when its below zero outside.

Eun Jae bit her lip, "Are you sure you're well enough to be here? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Woo Jin sighed out loud and closed his locker, ignoring her. 

Eun Jae suddenly moved in front of him, blocking his way. "Wait, I have something for you."

She quickly opened her bag and took out the heavy binder. She pressed it towards Woo Jin, who stared at in in surprise.

"What's this?"

"The notes," she simply said, "for the midterms?"

She cleared as he continued to stare at the binder in his hands, "I did all of Anatomy, you would find it's colour coded and I even added a legend to make it easier to find the info you need. I made tables for the muscles by area and how they are connected to the bone and their nerve supply. I even drew models at the back as Appendix A, to help you visualize what they look like," she said, pleased with her effort, "I would suggest doing that first since that's the major bulk of the exam and would help you with the other subjects too."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Woo Jin finally asked, sounding amazed.

"Well...because you're part of the group, right?" Eun Jae answered slowly, "besides, you missed so much class hours, you will need all the help you can get. I coloured the ones from this week in green marker, by the way. Maybe you ought to read that first..."

Woo Jin raised his eyebrows, looking at her in disbelief. He pushed the binder back towards her, "I don't want it."

Eun Jae narrowed her eyes "What?"

"What's the catch?"

"There isn't one," Eun Jae retorted, pushing it back towards him, "Why would you refuse it? You're lucky I'm giving you one. Everyone is begging for us to share it with them."

Woo Jin hesitated, "Well," he began, shifting his weight on his feet while looking down, "I wasn't really part of the group. I never showed up."

"Well...yeah, you are right," Eun Jae acknowledged, but still she pressed the binder back into his hands, "you still need this though, so I'm giving it to you. If you still feel bad about not helping us, you have a week left to do something about it."

She smiled at him and was rewarded by a small smile in return. She was so surpised by how much it lit up his entire face, and she suddenly thought he should do it more often. Before she could comment about it, the smile was gone and he was turning away from her.

"Well...thank you for this." he said awkwardly

"Oh, don't mention it," Eun Jae said lightly, then remembering herself she reached back inside her bag and took out a piece of paper. "Oh, here's my number by the way, in case you want to join us."

She placed the paper on top of the binder before he could refuse, along with a packet of paracetamol, "and the medicine is in case you need it later. I hope to see you there."

Before he could reply, Eun Jae grinned at him and walked away, congratulating herself for getting the last line this time around. 

"Aigo, my brain feels like its been squeezed like a sponge."Hyorin said with a groan.

"You're doing well, Hyorin" Eun Jae said cheerfully, going over the equations her friend completed, "see? just two mistakes this time around."

"Check you out, Miss Kim Hyorin!" Seulgi jumped in, "you are a studying machine."

"I know what you two are doing," Hyorin said with a huff, "and I don't want you both to stop."

"Yes ma'am!" they said, grinning

"Seriously, some of these Biochem formulas don't make sense," Kibum muttered, "I mean look at this one, how do you even begin to solve this equation?"

"Just add this bottom line to the top and then combine equation A with B." Jinho said automatically

"How did you get equation B, though?" Kibum asked 

Jinho pushed his glasses up and smiled sheepishly, "I can't remember. Hold on."

Hyorin watched the two boys debate about how to solve the problem, shaking her head, "We're doomed." she announced

Eun Jae, refusing to give up, pulled the textbook closer to her, "Let's look at it one more time. How do we find the number of hydrogens needed for this reaction?"

"First, you need to understand the formula." a voice from the end of their table chimed in.

They all looked up. Seo Woo Jin stood there, awkwardly holding his bag and the binder Eun Jae gave him earlier. He avoided eye contact with everyone, clearing his throat loudly and putting his things down on the chair nearest him.

"Converting bio-compounds is simple once you understand the process. I brought my notes with me...if you care to have a look." he said to no one in particular.

Eun Jae exchanged stunned looks with her friends, who were as wide-eyed like her. Kibum and Jinho recovered first, and they shouted out with glee as they descended upon Woo Jin like hawks.

"All these formulas don't make sense though, how did you use it to derive the answer?" Jinho asked him, looking up from the notes.

Woo Jin took a pencil out and a piece of paper, "Well...maybe we start with the basics first."

They all gathered eagerly around him. Eun Jae found herself directly across the table from Woo Jin, and she smiled inwardly as they gave him their full attention, his previous absence already forgotten.

 

Three weeks later, the dreaded midterms were finally over. The Superior Six, as Kibum called their study group, stood together by the bulletin board, waiting for the results of their exams to be posted. Eun Jae rubbed her hands together in anticipation as their professor moved away. The whole class pushed forward excitedly, searching for their name.

Suddenly, the hall was full of loud cheers, frustrated outbursts, and shouts of joy. Everyone seemed to be in various stages of crying. 

"We made it!!!" Kibum shouted from the front of the board, looking back at their group

Hyorin gasped and squealed, hugging Eun Jae and Seulgi tightly, "We did it!"

Jinho and Kibum crowded the girls and the five of them formed a huge group hug, grabbing Woo Jin at the last minute but he refused to budge.

Woo Jin checked his watch, "I better get to work."

"See you, man," Kibum said, grinning, "We're still on tomorrow?"

Woo Jin nodded, "Sure. See you."

Eun Jae pushed forward to read the scores, letting out a long sigh of relief as she saw her name beside the score of 94% near the top of the list.

Seulgi squeezed her arm, "A 94%? That's your highest score so far! That's amazing, Eun Jae! I'm so proud!"

Everyone started buzzing around her and congratulated her. Eun Jae smiled shyly and said thank you, while deep inside she felt like she could fly. Her eyes went back to the list and noticed one name above hers.
 

Seo Woo Jin - 96%
Chae Eun Jae - 94%

Eun Jae gasped and turned to find Woo Jin in the crowd. She saw just in time as he disappeared out of the door. She deflated a bit, just as her phone buzzed in her hand. She opened the message and read.

"Better luck next time, Cha Eun Jae."

Eun Jae pressed her lips together in annoyance and typed a reply back. "You wouldn't have made it without my help. You owe me."

The reply came a few minutes later, "You begged me to join, in case you forgot. Anyway, I had fun."

He had fun? Eun Jae shook her head at the mystery that is Seo Woo Jin.