The dance eventually had to come to an end, and everyone went back to their dorms to pack for their homeward bound.

Seulgi happily sang the tune that she and Yunho were dancing to the night before, while packing her suitcase.

“Hey, isn’t that one of the songs from the Boys Over Flowers Soundtrack?” asked Boa.
Seulgi beamed and nodded. “Yeap! It’s my favorite song!”
“Hey, Seulgi, you have a great voice! Where did you learn how to sing like that?” asked Hyojoo.
Seulgi smiled. ”I used to take singing lessons when I was a kid,” she replied. But Hyojoo could see a hint of sadness in her eyes as she talked.

“Well, anyways, we have a lot of packing to do and we’re not gonna make any progress if we keep on talking like this!” Boa said, changing the subject. Apparently, she noticed Seulgi’s mood change, as well.

Seulgi put a smile on her face, happy that she wasn’t pressured to talk about her past.

She continued to sing her favorite song.

“So, what happened to you guys last night?” Hyojoo asked after a long minute of silent packing.

“I think the question is: What happened to you, Han Hyojoo?” said Boa, avoiding Hyojoo’s question.

Hyojoo scoffed. “You know that Donghae oppa and I are a couple and you’ve seen what we’ve done together, so I have nothing to hide! Plus, everybody knows that the most exciting part of a love story is when two people are in the process of falling for each other, and that’s where you two stand. So, spill!! Right now, missy!”

Boa blushed and told them what happened to her and Jaejoong in the snow. After she finished, Seulgi and Hyojoo dropped their jaws.

Then, there came the ear-piercing squeal Boa was waiting for.

“OH MY GOSH!!!” Hyojoo exclaimed. “OH MY FUH-REAKIN’ GOSH!”

Seulgi laughed and beamed. She felt happy for her friend. “So, you guys are like, together now?”

Boa shook her head and smiled, telling them what happened after Jaejoong confessed.

[Flashback]

“But the only girl I love is Kwon Boa.”

Boa felt elated at his words. She chuckled, burying her head into his chest.

“Well, I can’t say I don’t feel the same way.”

Jaejoong pulled away from their hug, looking into her eyes, giving her a hopeful smile. “So, does this mean, we’re a couple?”

Boa gave a sly smile and shook her head. Jaejoong looked at her, confused.

“Huh? But I already told you how I felt, and you just said you feel the same way,” he said.
“But that doesn’t mean that we’re an official couple straight away, doesn’t it?” Boa said back.
Jaejoong looked at her with a serious expression on his face. “Well, I’m asking you now.”

He knelt down on the snow, not caring if his pants would get drenched. “Kwon Boa, will you be my girlfriend?”

Boa smiled, but shook her head. Jaejoong’s face fell. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not an easy girl, Kim Jaejoong. It’s gonna have to take more than a confession in the snow to make me say yes,” she said.
“You mean, I have to like… court you?”
Boa thought for a while. “Yeah, you can say that.”

Jaejoong stood up, his face full of determination. “Okay then! I’ve never done this before, but I’m willing to try anything!”. He pumped his fist in the air and turned to her. “I will make Kwon Boa my girlfriend! You can take my word for it!”

Boa chuckled. “We’ll see about that. Now, let’s go inside, it’s freezing here.”

Jaejoong snapped back from his motivational moment and shrugged his jacket off, giving it to Boa, just like he did in the cinema. “See how good of a boyfriend I can be?”

Boa playfully rolled her eyes and they went back inside the ballroom, laughing.

[End of Flashback]

“WHAT?!?!?!” shrieked Hyojoo when Boa finished telling her story. “You should’ve said yes, woman! YES!!!”

Boa laughed. “I’m not someone who says yes just like that, Hyojoo.”

“And she’s right,” Seulgi spoke up. “A guy tends to value a girl more if she’s harder to get, y’know. Especially in Jaejoong’s case.

“But he was so sweet!” Hyojoo said. She pouted.

“Yeah, and to be honest, I was tempted to say yes from the very start. But what that boy needs to do is to know if I’m worth the wait or not! Plus, playing hard to get is fun…” reasoned Boa.
Hyojoo sighed in defeat. “Fine, fine. I guess you’re right. A playboy like him should know what he values. But don’t leave him hanging for too long! I wanna see BoJoong in action!”

Boa raised her eyebrows. “BoJoong?”
Hyojoo waved her off. “It’s nothing. How about you, Seulgi? You disappeared last night, too.”

Seulgi bit her lip and blushed madly, remembering what happened the night before.

Boa and Hyojoo saw the change of color on her face and looked at each other excitedly.

“Ooh, she’s blushing! And that means something definitely happened!” said Boa.
“So what are you waiting for?!?!?!?! Spill, woman, SPILL!!!” said Hyojoo, getting impatient.

Seulgi beamed and told them about what happened and the two listened very intently.

“…and then…” Seulgi said, as her story came to an end.
“And then????” her two friends pressed on, coming closer like interrogating policemen.

“He kissed me,” Seulgi finished.

And once again, the familiar ear-piercing squeal could be heard around the room.

“So, does this mean you like him now?” asked Boa excitedly.

Seulgi thought for a while. Then she said, “I don’t really know.”

“WHAT THE-“ Hyojoo began, but Boa cut her off.
“Han Hyojoo, are you high today, or something?” she asked her.
Hyojoo regained her posture and mumbled a soft “Mianhae.”

Seulgi laughed at Hyojoo’s manner and said, “What’s so wrong about not being sure if I like him or not, anyway?”

Hyojoo looked at her as if she didn’t know the answer to 1+1. “Uh… because it’s obvious that he likes you??? He even fuh-reaking kissed you last night! No duh!” she said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“No seriously, Hyojoo, you’re not always like this. Are you sure you’re not high?” said Boa, getting afraid of Hyojoo’s sudden change of behavior. She was usually calm and collected, not crazy-ish and loud.

“Okay, 1.) no, I am not high, thank you very much, and 2.) I just get really jumpy when I listen to a love story! Omo, it’s like BOF all over again!” Hyojoo said.

“Okay, okay, I get your point. Now, let’s get back to Seulgi.” She turned to their friend and said, “Why aren’t you sure if you like him or not?”

Seulgi shrugged. “I dunno. Last night, kissing him just felt so right, and I’m not sure if I could feel the same thing as I did when we were dancing. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.”

“But mark my words, Bae Seulgi. I swear, that boy is crazy about you, I can feel it,” Hyojoo said wisely.

Seulgi just laughed it off and they continued packing.

…

The gang met each other at the cafeteria, for a little holiday meal before their departure for home. It was also a great chance of exchanging gifts.

All around the room, people were hugging and kissing each other, trading gifts and greeting each other a merry Christmas.

Donghae walked over to his girlfriend and gave her a little box. “Merry Christmas, Beautiful!” he greeted her and kissed her on the cheek.

Hyojoo opened the box to see a ring. It was a simple white-gold band and it had “Saranghae” engraved on it. Inside the band, “LDH ♥ HHJ” was engraved.

“Oppa, it’s so beautiful!” Hyojoo gasped and wore the ring. Donghae smiled and showed her his finger. He had and identical one, too, only manlier looking. “I was thinking we should have couple rings, so I had them made.”

“Aww! You’re the best, oppa!” Hyojoo said.
“I know,” Donghae teased.

“Boa!” Jaejoong greeted and presented her a huge bouquet of flowers.

Boa seemed please. “Aww, Jae! That’s so sweet!” she said as she took the flowers from his arms.

Jaejoong beamed. “Wait, I got you something else,” he said, as he rummaged in his bag for her other present. He took out a box and opened it for her.

Boa gasped as she saw the contents of the box.

It was a beautiful bracelet with a pendant in the shape of a heart. It had some kind of pattern on it that looked like vines, with beautiful flowers on it.

“Like it?” Jaejoong asked.
Boa nodded. “Where did you get this?”
Jaejoong smiled. “My mom and dad are famous jewelry designers, and I’m gonna take over the business someday, so I designed it myself.”
“Ooh,” Boa said in understanding. “Well anyways, I love it! Gomawo!” she said and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

Jaejoong beamed and touched the place where Boa’s lips had landed. He looked at her and she blushed, looking down at the floor.

“Mianhae, but I didn’t get you anything,” she apologized.
Jaejoong was still beaming. “Gwenchana… that kiss was enough for me!” he said happily.

Yunho walked over to Seulgi and gave her a box.

“What’s this?” she asked.
Yunho smiled. “Open it and you’ll find out.”

Seulgi did as she was told and opened the box.

Inside was a simple necklace with a pendant shaped like a jigsaw puzzle. It was white and it had a cute, simple design.

“Aww, so pretty!” she exclaimed

Yunho grinned as he took an identical necklace out of his pocket. Seulgi’s eyes widened, as she saw it. Yunho had the same necklace, but it was black. He took Seulgi’s jigsaw pendant and he connected it to his. They were a perfect match.

Seulgi looked at the necklace, puzzled. “What is this supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Well, ever since our little incident last night, I’ve decided that I wanna start over. Y’know, be proper friends, and actually get along,” Yunho replied.

Seulgi beamed. “I’d love to!” she said, and gave Yunho a friendly hug.

…

The holidays passed by in a flash and so did the gang’s home stay. Boa, Hyojoo, Yunho Jaejoong, and Donghae, all went to different countries for the holidays and Seulgi stayed behind in Korea to celebrate Christmas with her omma and Key.

Before they knew it, the holidays were over and the gang said goodbye to their sophomore year and hello to their junior year.

And apparently, so did Lina.

She spent the holidays just waiting to put her plan in action.

“Yunho deserves this, after all he did to me,” she thought bitterly. “Just you wait, Jung Yunho. Just you wait.

…
Yunho happily whistled as he walked down the halls. Things between him and Seulgi were getting really well. They were friends now, and things couldn’t get any better. Well, at least in his case.

He merrily opened the door to his locker and a note fell out. He naturally, he picked it up and read it.

It said:

“Meet me at that old abandoned warehouse by the school. I’ll be waiting for ya! Oh, and when you get to the front door, be sure to knock three times before you go in!”
-Seulgi.

Yunho beamed and merrily sighed. He looked at the time and set off for the warehouse. He did as he was told when he got to the front door. He knocked three times, but it wasn’t Seulgi who answered. Instead, he was greeted by a big, burly fat guy. And he didn’t look very friendly.

“What the-“ Yunho began, but he was cut off by a huge fist, attacking his face.

He fell to the ground, unconscious. Lina suddenly appeared in the doorway, the burly guy who punched Yunho, beside her.

Lina sneered and bent down to look at Yunho. “Good. Now drag the body inside,” she instructed the burly man.

From across the street, someone who was passing by saw the whole scene.

“Oh my god. I have to go tell Donghae oppa,” thought Hyojoo.

…

“OPPA!!! Open up!” Hyojoo was banging on the guys’ dorm room and was causing a scene outside.

Boa and Seulgi emerged from their dorm room, upon hearing the ruckus that Hyojoo was making.

“Sheesh Hyojoo, talk about obsessed lovers,” Boa joked, as she saw a flushed Hyojoo.

Donghae suddenly burst out of the door, anxiety on his face. “Hyojoo! What happened? I was in the bathroom when I heard you banging on the door, and I came out as fast as I could! What happened?!?! You look flushed!”

Jaejoong also appeared behind him to see what all the commotion was about.

Hyojoo was panting, due to the running she did when she saw the whole scene.
“I…was… walking…outside…the…school gates…” she said in between pants.

Donghae leaned in closer. “Then?”

“Yunho… unconscious…warehouse…” Hyojoo tried to continue.

Seulgi’s head snapped up when she heard Yunho’s name. “What about him?” she asked, her voice filled with urgency.

Hyojoo finally got rid of her pants and relaxed. But her voice was filled with worry as she talked and she was agitated and panicky, so she was talking really fast. “I saw Yunho go to that old abandoned warehouse near the school and he got punched by some fugly burly guy, and now, he’s unconscious, and it’s all Lina’s plan!” she said really fast, and had to take a deep breath after that mouthful.

Seulgi froze. The sadness in her eyes when she was talking about her past came back as she quietly said, “You mean… the warehouse that used to store all those explosive goods?”

Hyojoo turned to her. “Yeah! How did you know that?”
“I used to go there with my appa.”

Donghae looked at her. “So you know the warehouse very well?”
Seulgi nodded.
“Okay, you should come with us, Seulgi! We have to go save Yunho!”

Seulgi stayed frozen. Truth be told, she didn’t wanna go back to that place again.

“Unless, you don’t wanna come with us. I think we’ll manage,” Jaejoong added, seeing the look on Seulgi’s face.

Seulgi deliberated for a while. It was true, she swore to herself that she was never going back to that horrible place again, where such a bad thing happened to her. But she had to do it. For Yunho.

“No, I’ll be fine,” she finally answered. “Let’s go.”

…

Seulgi, Jaejoong and Donghae wasted no time in arriving at the warehouse and were there shortly. Boa and Hyojoo stayed behind, despite their protests. Donghae and Jaejoong went inside immediately, but Seulgi just stood on the spot, all her memories of the warehouse, suddenly coming back. That incident that still haunted her to this day.

“Are you okay?” Donghae asked, noticing that she wasn’t following them. “If you don’t wanna go in, it’s alright, y’know.”

Seulgi regained her senses. She shook her head, clutching the puzzle necklace she was wearing round her neck. “No. Yunho’s in there. I’m going in.”

And with that, she entered the building, her head filled with determination.
The three were frantically looking for their friend as soon as they went in. And it wasn’t an easy job. The warehouse was huge.

“This place is so big! How are we ever gonna find him?!” Jaejoong said exasperatedly.

Suddenly, they heard a tortured scream from somewhere at the higher floors.

“Yunho!” Seulgi gasped.

“Does that answer your question, Sherlock?” Donghae said, turning to Jaejoong.

Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “Let’s just go find him.”

Meanwhile, Yunho was at the top floor, tied to a chair. Lina was standing in front of him, with a lot of hitmen by her side.

“So, oppa… how do you feel about dumping me now?” Lina asked harshly.
Yunho chuckled, even though he was in a lot of pain. “I don’t regret it! I’m happy that I ended things between us!”

Lina gave him a dangerous glare and turned to the burly man, who seemed to have the strongest fist. “Give him another one.”

Burly guy obeyed and landed Yunho another punch in the face. This time, Yunho spit out some blood.

“You really thought I was gonna stand by and just watch you ruin me?!?!?!” Lina half-shrieked. “I came back for you, Jung Yunho!”

“Well, I didn’t take you back, b*tch. Just get over it, already!” Yunho replied, still trying to bear the pain.

Lina snapped her fingers and Burly Guy punched him again, this time, in the stomach.

Yunho, whose arms were still tied, toppled over, taking the chair he was tied to with him.

Lina walked over to him, and kicked him harshly, for her own pleasure.

He let out another tortured scream.

“It’s because of that b*tch, isn’t it? Seulgi? Is she the reason you wont get back together with me?!?!?!”

Yunho looked up and still managed to give her a glare. “Don’t you dare drag Seulgi into this mess.”

Lina scoffed loudly. “Well, what does she have that I don’t? Huh?! I have money, I have looks, I have everything! What did that do to deserve you!”

“Well, she’s certainly not like you!” Yunho shot back weakly.

Lina was outraged she snapped her fingers twice and all the hitmen moved closer to Yunho, beating him up repeatedly.
Lina laughed maniacally. “So, who do you love now, Yunnie?!?!” Lina shrieked menacingly. “Is it gonna be me, or Seulgi?!?!”

But Yunho couldn’t answer. The beating was so intense, and the pain was unbearable. But he wanted to show Lina that he wasn’t about to back down. Gathering all the strength he had left, not caring about the numerous pairs of hands and legs hurting every inch of his body, he yelled.

“SEULGI!!!”

…

Seulgi, Jaejoong and Donghae climbed another floor, in search of their friend. Just as they were about finished looking and when they were about to move up another level, some huge mean-looking men came from all corners, of the room, surrounding them. It was like a scene from an action movie.

“Sh*t,” Jaejoong cursed.
“Trust Lina to think of back up hitmen,” Donghae said under his breath.

They turned to Seulgi. “Go find Yunho. We’ll ward these guys off.”

Seulgi nodded and went up another floor. It was the top floor. The one where that incident she hated so much happened.

She looked around frantically, searching each and every room for Yunho. Suddenly, she heard a menacing laugh from another room.

“Lina!” she gasped. She followed the horrible sound of her laugh and it led her to a familiar looking door, which led to the room that she hated so much.

But she couldn’t open it. She knew that if she burst in the door, at that moment, she would be hurt, too and he couldn’t afford that, especially not with Yunho watching her, and attempting to protect her.

Yunho’s scream could be heard again, and she looked up and down at the door, looking for that familiar crack that she peeped into all those years ago. She looked into the crack and found Yunho, getting beaten up.

She suddenly remembered the last time she saw someone get hurt like that.

“Appa! Appa!” Seulgi could hear her own little voice as a kid ring in her ears. Trying to control her shaking hands, she dialed Jaejoong’s number, talking as softly as she could, so that Lina couldn’t hear her. She told them to come up to the top floor, and to hurry, for fear of Yunho’s well-being.

After hanging up, she heard another tortured scream. Only this one sounded slightly different.

“SEULGI!!!”

Seconds after, Jaejoong and Donghae appeared behind her and she stopped blocking the door, giving them way.

“Go hide in the corner!” Donghae instructed, before he went in.

Seulgi did as she was told. A while later, she could hear sounds of fists colliding with other parts of bodies, and curses were flying everywhere.

Sooner, she saw Lina and her hitmen running from the room and out of the building.

After she made sure she was safe, Seulgi emerged from her hiding place and ran into the room where Yunho was.

“YUNHO!!!” she screamed, running to him. Jaejoong and Donghae had taken the liberty to untie the ropes that were tying him. She knelt on the floor beside him, the two other guys watching in the background.

“Yah! Jung Yunho! Stay with me!” Seulgi desperately said, shaking him lightly. Tears were falling from her face and she was all panicky.

Yunho’s eyes were still open, but everything was becoming blurry. He looked at Seulgi, who was shaking him, her face blotched with tears. And then, total darkness surrounded him as he closed his eyes.

“JUNG YUNHO!!!” he heard Seulgi cry as he slipped into unconsciousness.

…

[Yunho’s POV]

It hurts.

Everywhere.

Every part of me hurts.

Why is it so dark?

Are my eyes closed?

The last thing I saw was Seulgi’s face.

She was crying. And crying out my name.

Oh no.

Where’s Seulgi? Is she okay?

“Seulgi!” I screamed, as I opened my eyes and bolted up in bed. I shouldn’t have done that because as soon as I did, my whole body ached and I had to lie back down.

“Calm down, Yunho, she just went out to get a drink. She’s fine,” Donghae reassured me.
“Yeah, just chillax. It’s all over now,” Jae added.

I looked around. I was in the school clinic. Funny. I thought I would’ve woken up in a hospital. I was shirtless, too. Only then did I see the bruises that Lina’s thugs inflicted on me earlier.

“Boa and Hyojoo visited you earlier, but you were still unconscious,” Donghae stated. “Look. They even brought you flowers,” he said, pointing to a huge bouquet on the nightstand.

I smiled at the thought. Then I remembered why I was in the clinic in the first place.

“What happened while I was out?”
“Well, Lina and her thugs got away,” Jaejoong stated.
“But I don’t think they’ll be back any time soon,” Donghae added.

My blood boiled at the sound of Lina’s name. But it was a good thing that she was most probably gone for good. A guy can only handle so much drama in his life.

Suddenly, Seulgi walked in, holding a bag of medicine in her arms.

“You guys can rest now. I’ll take this shift if you’re tired,” she said.

The two guys gave her thankful looks and left the clinic.

Seulgi pulled a chair and sat beside my bed. “How are you feeling?” she asked me.

I tried to sit up, but my body ached again. I let out a sharp moan.

“So that means no, huh?” Seulgi said, helping me sit up.
I laughed and looked into her eyes.

“You don’t know how worried I was about you,” Seulgi said.
“Really?” I said cheekily, leaning closer. Oops.

I my teeth as the pain surged right through me.

“Don’t do that!” Seulgi chided. She grabbed a basin of hot water and a wet towel from the nightstand and started dabbing my bruises.

I tried to pull my arm away, to show her I was fine, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Hold still,” she commanded.

I did as she was told and kept silent.

I felt all tingly inside as her cool hand touched my bear skin. And I could feel myself blush, but luckily, I had my bruises to shield it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking depressed.
“About what?”
“You got hurt because of me.”

She was just dabbing away with the wet towel. Once she was done with my arms, she dabbed my back, then my face.

As she dabbed the bruises on my face, her eyes seemed to bore into mine. We stayed like that in comfortable silence for a few seconds.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she spoke up.

I smiled widely. Another big mistake, because the bruises on my face started to ache again, and I inhaled sharply.

“I told you not to do that!” Seulgi yelled, and slapped my arm.

IT HURT LIKE HELL.

“AAAARRRGGHHH!!” I screamed in pain.
Seulgi’s eyes widened when she realized what she just did.

“Omo! Yunho, are you okay?!?!? Mianhae!!” she apologized over and over again.

“Gwenchana,” I said and laughed, even though it hurt. At that, she laughed, too.

But even if I was in a lot of pain, the most important thing was that she was smiling. And it was because I made her.

[End of POV]

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