“Do you really think you can take him away from us? We already have rotation days for him!” Hina pushed Sooyeon to the garbage can.

With 5 vs 1, Sooyeon was outnumbered. Hina, Goeun, Lami, Jieun and Herin towered Sooyeon who was on the ground.

“I don’t have anything to do with him. He followed me around. I don’t even like him.”

“This is acting cocky for no reason. Hit her.” Hina said to her clique.

The other four begin to kicked and pulled Sooyeon’s hair.

“You spent hours together at the library and you said you don’t like him? And then, he treated you to all the food at the canteen, you dare to say you don’t like him?” Hina gave Sooyeon a kick as well.

Sooyeon protected her face from being kick as she shouted for help.

“Next time you want to go out with Yul again, think twice.” Goeun said as she pulled Sooyeon’s hair as hard as she could.

“Yah!” the girls turned around to see Yul and his clique running toward them.

The girls ran as fast as they could, leaving Sooyeon by the trash in pain.

“Go and teach them a lesson.” Yul shouted to the boys as he tried to mend Sooyeon but Sooyeon pushed him away.

“Don’t touch me! This is your fault!” Sooyeon shouted angrily.

She tried to stand but to no avail as her legs were in pain. Sooyeon looked at the hand carying her. It was Jaehyun.

“I’ll take her to the clinic.” Jaehyun said to Yul who could only watch Jaehyun carrying Sooyeon away.

//

Jaehyun swiped his card for the treatment fee. Sooyeon’s leg was fractured. There were bruises all over her body. Jaehyun sat beside Sooyeon who was resting at the waiting area.

“They are too much. Do you want to lodge a report?” Jaehyun said as he took Sooyeon’s bag into his hold.

“Yes.” Sooyeon was fuming.

“Okay. I’ll take you to the police station later. Let’s take a rest at my place-“

“No. Just send me to the police station now and then I want to go home.”

“Sooyeon…”

“You must have your fair share of fangirls too. I don’t want any problem.”

“I’m not like Yul.”

“You are no better. You serve him. He’s like your lord.” Sooyeon pulled her bag from Jaehyun.

“My dad work with his dad. That’s why I need to be good to him. His dad is the wealthiest businessman in town. He basically owns half of the building in town and it is rumored that Yul’s dad is running for the mayor election for the next term. Its…”

“It doesn’t concern me.” Sooyeon cut off Jaehyun’s words.

Jaehyun clasped his hands together.

“Fine. We’ll lodge a report then I’ll send you home. And after this, you can pretend like you don’t know us, or don’t know me at all.” Jaehyun’s words made Sooyeon felt a pang of guilt but she ignored the feeling and looked away.

//

“Don’t you know how to fight back? Are you that dense?” Mirae shouted at Sooyeon as Sooyeon was washing the dishes.

“You talk back to me like you are better than me but in reality, I would never let es like them even touch my hair.” Mirae added.

Sooyeon kept silence as she arranged the plates.

“Use that smart brain of yours to beat them. Don’t be stupid and let people trampled you.”

“It was 5 versus 1!” Sooyeon had an outburst.

Mirae reached for the nearest object beside her and threw it to Sooyeon. Sooyeon ouched in pain as the mug hit her forehead. She fell onto her knees, covering her bloody face.

“How dare you yell at me!” Mirae was suddenly riled up.

She punched Sooyeon’s back for a few times. Sooyeon bit her lips so that she won’t be yelping in pain. She could feel as if her back has turned blue from all the beating.

“Ungrateful bastard! Yelling me as if you are better when you let those es hit you while you lie on the ground. Next time it happened again; I will beat you twice what they gave you.” Mirae threw her cigarette to Sooyeon and exited the kitchen.

Sooyeon stayed still on the floor for a couple while before she stood and checked her forehead. She walked upstairs to her room slowly and looked at the mirror. The cut was around 1-2 cm. Sooyeon washed her bloody face and hissed in pain. Done with that, she pulled off her shirt and check her body. She couldn’t see anything yet on her back but the place where the 5 girls hit her has shown pale blue swollen mark. Sooyeon took a deep breath.

She washed herself and went to bed as she couldn’t take the pain anymore. Putting a plaster on her wound, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

//

Sooyeon opened her eyes to see Jaehyun sitting beside her. She wanted to move, she wanted to yell at him but she was too weak.

“Don’t get up. Your mother called the clinic using your medicine packages and the clinic called me. You have been asleep for 22 hours now.” Jaehyun said softly as he explained it to Sooyeon.

“She’s up?” Yul appeared from the door of Sooyeon’s room.

Sooyeon’s forehead crumbled.

“Why…why…are you all here…where’s my mother?” Sooyeon said with a croaky voice.

“She was downstairs but your mother just went to the hospital. She was overdosed with sleeping pills…thank God she took the pills after she called Jaehyun.” Yul said as he nudged Jaehyun to move so he could sit near Sooyeon.

Jaehyun sat at the end of Sooyeon’s mattress. Jaehyun watched Yul helped Sooyeon with some water.

“You guys need to leave.” Sooyeon finally said after some time.

“And let you rot in your sleep? Hell, no.” Yul took out a bowl of porridge from a paper bag he had with him.

“Jaehyun, you should go downstairs.” Yul said without looking at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun nodded and made his way out from Sooyeon’s room.

“I don’t need you here.”

“Come on. This is all my fault. They attacked you because they thought you are my girlfriend. I caused this.”

“Then leave. I don’t need you here.”

“I’ll leave after I make sure you are okay.”

Sooyeon heaved a sigh. Yul stared at Sooyeon. His eyes traced the bruises on Sooyeon’s face.

“This all of sudden. I don’t understand your attachment.” Sooyeon tried to sit up as she felt uncomfortable laying down in front of Yul.

“I don’t understand it as well. The only thing I know is I need to make sure you are okay, healthy or whatever it is. That’s the reason I didn’t go to the field trip. That’s the reason I disturb you all the time.”

“I like Jaehyun. I like him. I feel calm when I am with him. He helped me a lot. He doesn’t annoy me like you do. I don’t like you Yul. I can’t stand you. You and your personality, and everything, your arrogance…the first day I arrive at the school, I already heard about you and I don’t like a bit of it. I don’t like you.” Sooyeon said without a care.

Yul was stunt. He was speechless. Unknown to them, Jaehyun was listeing outside the room. He smiled and was unaware that he was blushing listening to Sooyeon’s words. He thought Sooyeon hated him.

“Even so…I don’t have any intention to have a relationship or such. I just want to focus on my studies.”

Yul scratched his head as he looked down to the floor.

“But I still can be your friend, right?” Yul said out of blue.

Sooyeon sighed.

“I want to be your friend. I heard from the school clerk that you’re-“

“I don’t want to. I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Please. Just go.”

“Sooyeon-“

“Just leave!” Sooyeon shouted and simultaneously, Jaehyun entered the room.

“Yul.” Jaehyun called.

“What? You want me to leave so you can stay here with her? And you, you want him to stay instead, right?” Yul shouted.

“Yul.” Jaehyun pleaded.

“What?!”

“She is sick. This is not the time.” Jaehyun said and Yul heaved a sigh.

“Even so, how can she be so cold?”

“Yul, her mother is in the hospital. She is sick and you really want to yell at her now?” Jaehyun kind of whispered.

“Just leave. Both of you.” Sooyeon chimed in.

“I’m staying. You need someone to look after you. Yul, you can go home. I will update you on her hourly.” Jaehyun coaxed the heated man.

Yul groaned in annoyance and left the room. Jaehyun looked at Sooyeon before he followed Yul to make sure Yul left. Sooyeon held her aching head and lied down again.

//

“You should leave. It’s late.” Sooyeon said to Jaehyun who was reading a book by the door of Sooyeon’s room.

“And leave you all alone here? I don’t think so.”

“Regarding what I said to Yul earlier-“

“I like you too. Since the first time I saw you and then the second time when I passed you the cigarettes, and the next time I took you to the field after you headbutted Yul.”

“…”

“It’s okay to like each other. It doesn’t mean we have to be in a relationship…but what you said to Yul earlier…is too harsh and I am a bit surprised he didn’t run amok like he usually did when things didn’t go his way. Maybe he really does like you.”

“Well, I don’t like him.”

“You will. He has his own charm.” Jaehyun replied with a smile.

Sooyeon chuckled and looked at the ceiling whilst Jaehyun continued reading.

//

Sooyeon heaved a sigh as she saw Yul outside her house. She locked the door and walked to Yul.