“Oppa…I will be back a little late tonight, we have a group study session over at Kyuhyun’s place.” Seohyun mentioned over the phone. “What? At Kyuhyun’s place? Just the two of you?!” Yunho said, hardly hiding his anxiety. “Of course not, oppa, what were you thinking?” Seohyun chuckled. “The usuals will be there, Yoona, Sooyoung, Changmin, Jinwoon and the rest.” She continued.

“Alright, don’t come back too late, if there’s a need, give me a call, I will go fetch you.” Yunho said disappointedly. “It’s alright, oppa, you have a morning lecture tomorrow right, don’t stay up to wait for me. I love you.” Seohyun said. “I love you too, come back early.” Yunho sighed as he ended the call. He knew Seohyun was getting really busy with her exams, and she was spending lesser and lesser time with him. He understood, he was just…bored and a little sensitive. It frustrates him so much that they could not date like a normal couple, since they had to keep their relationship a secret. He told her he would quit his job and get another profession after she graduates, so they could date normally. And Seohyun did not object, because she felt the same too. Compromising, that’s what made their relationship work up till now.

=====

It was 2am in the morning. Yunho fell asleep on the couch. He wanted to make sure Seohyun was home safely, at least that was what he could do since he wasn’t able to spend much time with her. The living room lights lit up to reveal a tired Seohyun with dark eye circles surrounding her beautiful eyes. Yunho immediately woke up and rushed towards the door. “Oppa…why are you still awake? Didn’t I told you not to wait?” Seohyun reprimanded lightly. “I-I just felt like hugging you, can’t really sleep.” Yunho said groggily. Seohyun smiled, even though Yunho was five years older than her, he could act like a little kid at times. No matter how tired she was, Yunho would definitely be her pillar of strength. “Come here…I need a hug too.” Seohyun said, as Yunho tightened his embrace around his girlfriend.

“You’re getting skinnier, please eat properly.” Yunho said as he continued to hug her. “It’s just the stress, oppa, once the exams are over, I will be back to normal.” Seohyun explained. “Even so…it feels like I’m not taking good care of you.” Yunho said apologetically. “You being in my life, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, you know that?” Seohyun said. Yunho grinned sheepishly at her confession. “Alright now, we really need to sleep, oppa…” Seohyun said as she pushed Yunho away lightly. “To compensate for the lack of time spent with you, I will sleep with you on your bed tonight.”

“Okay…w-what?! My bed? But Seo…we…what about our…” Yunho looked at her in shock. “I trust you.” Climbing into bed after showering, Yunho pulled Seohyun closer to him and hugged her to sleep. It was the best night ever.

=====

The exam week came swiftly, as Seohyun decided to stay in Yoona’s hostel, since it would be easier for them to conduct study sessions in school. Yunho could hardly see Seohyun in school since it was the revision week. The only way they could communicate was through the rare phone calls that Seohyun would call to tell him goodnight and that she was fine. Other than that, Yunho did not dare to call her, afraid that he would interrupt her pace of studying.

On the day of Seohyun’s last paper, Yunho waited patiently outside the exam hall as he wanted to see her for a brief while after her exams. He missed her badly, and so do Seohyun. When students started rushing out of the exam hall happily, he tried to spot Seohyun, or any of her close friends. Wondering why it was taking so long, he decided to enter the exam hall, only to see a group of people crowding around an area.

Trying to take a closer look, Yunho heard Yoona’s anxious voice. “Yah Changmin-ah, help me carry Seohyun up.” He then saw Changmin and Kyuhyun pushed through the crowd and a side of the crowd scattered to make way for Changmin. Seohyun was in Changmin’s arms. Her face was pale and she had lost her consciousness.

“What happened!” Yunho rushed over and grabbed hold of Yoona. “Professor Jung, Seohyun fainted when she stood up to collect her bag to leave the exam hall. She was already running a high fever before the last paper. I should have insisted in asking her to share my bed…” Yoona said nervously. Helpless, Yunho could do nothing but to follow Changmin quietly to the clinic.