Joon and Woohyun whispered quietly to each other while throwing quick glances at Junghee once in a while.

“What are we going to do?”

“I am really worried about her.” The two boys looked at Junghee who was soundly sleeping on Joon's bed. She hadn't been herself the past few days since she had started her diet. She was tired and slept a lot and her temper was shorter than usual. Her regular walks alongside Key hadn't done anything to prevent the rumours about them either. Woohyun narrowed his eyes at Junghee and examined her face.

“She has lost some weight already, hasn't she? Her face looks smaller compared to before,” he said in a low voice saturated by worry.

“Of course she has lost weight, she's barely eating anything these days,” Joon said. He chewed anxiously on one of his nails. “Eli is coming back in two weeks, it's going to be a disaster when he finds out...”

“Key is dead meat...” Woohyun muttered. Junghee fluttered her eyes open.

“Meat...?” she said sleepily.

“Err, yeah, I have to go and meet, uh...” Joon desperately looked at Woohyun for help.

“Err, uhm, your coach! You have to go and meet your coach,” Woohyun spat out and Joon nodded enthusiastically, playing along wththe terrible lie.

“Oh...” Junghee rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. She clutched her stomach. “What time is it?”

“Your last lecture starts in about ten minutes.”

“Oh.” Junghee looked around. “Where did I put my bag?” she mumbled, still confused from her nap. Joon stood up already with her bag over his shoulder.

“I'll follow you to class since I also have to be on my way,” he said.

“Iprepared your afternoon fruit,” Woohyun said and reached Junghee her snack. Junghee smiled at them while standing up from the bed.

“You guys are the best, you know that right?”

Joon and Junghee strolled through the corridors alongside each other in silence. Joon sneaked gances at her. He was bursting with things he wanted to say but he just exhaled and scratched the back of his head in frustration.

“What's bothering you?” Junghee asked in a ccalm voice and without looking at him. Joon looked down at his friend and bit his lip, still not saying anything. “Just let it out Joon, it'll make you feel better.”

“Are you sre about this... this diet thing? It's unhealthy! You can't even call it a diet, because you are not eating, you're starving! You're tired all the time, think about your grades!” Joon only made a brief pause to take a breath and start with the next issue. “And is it really necessary to spend that much time with Key? He is just using you. And not only using, but abusing you. And it certainly does nothing but give more fuel to those nasty rumours that are circling campus. Is this love interest of yours really worth it!?” Joon amlost panted after his small outrage. Junghee turned to look at him and the shadow of a smile was playing on her lips.

“Are you done?”

“I have more to say about the matter but I can save it for another time,” Joon stated. Junghee let out a dry laugh.

“You know Joon, I don't like this either. In fact I hate it, I am tired and cranky and I haven't tasted chocolate or french fries in over six days. I want to kill Key for coming up with this stupid idea and I also hate myself for agreeing to do it.”

“So quit!” Joon blurted desperately. Junghee walkedsilent for a moment.

“But...” she began. “Is my lifestyle now really worse than my habits before? I eat less, way less, I eat healthy. My body will get used to it and the exhaustion will eventually go away. Maybe it isn't so bad after all.”

“But the rumours, you won't get used to them, they could even get worse!” Joon was sounding even more desperate. Junghee looked up at him.

“Walking next to you while you're carrying my bag is probably also making it worse,” she said. “No matter what I do now there will be one rumour or the other. I know that already, don't you think I'm adapting well?”
“I, eh...” Joon looked around as if he would be able to see the rumours form and stop them from being spread. Junghee stopped outside the door of her lecture and reached out to take her bag.

“I know you and the others are worried and it really warms my heart to know that you care about me. But this time... you guys can't save me. I have to help myself, and maybe Key is giving me a chance to make it on my own. Thank you.” Junghee flashed a smile at her friend beforeentering the classroom. Joon leaned against the wall and clutched his chest while breatahing uneven breaths. Soohyun turned a corner and found his friend staring at a closed door.

“What's up Joon?” he asked and gave him a strange look. “Are you okay?”

“Junghee,” Joon mumbled. Soohyun leaned closer.

“What?” Soohyun looked into Joon's serious and confused eyes.

“Junghee, she almost made my heart flutter,” Joon whispered.

“Are you sure it's okay that we're here?” Minho mumbled and glanced at Junghee who sat in her chair leaning suspiciously close to her homework. Key flashed him a breezy smile.

“Of course, my friends are her friends,” Key said. “You know how it is with besties.” Minho threw another glance at Junghee.

“Yeah, but her friends aren't my friends...” Minho muttered. Jonghyun and Onew entered the door.

“Annyeong chingus!” Jonghyun yelled loudly to declare his arrival. A short grunt from Junghee made all of them freeze in their steps and snap their heads in her direction, but she just adjusted her position and leaned her head in one hand.

“Is she asleep?” Onew whispered. Minho shrugged and Key made a gesture ti show he didn't know. “Well, it's eaither that orhomework, let's try to be quiet,” Onew said and lay down on Key's bed. Minho and Onew started a quiet chat while Key went to the kitchen to prepare a snack. For a moment there was peace and quiet, but then...

“Wah, look at her skin!” Onew, Minho and Key snapped their heads in the direction of Jonghyun's voice. Key dropped what he was doing and quietly ran towards his hyung.

“Yah, yah, yah!” He screamed in a whisper. “What are you doing!?” Key flailed his arms in panic. Jonghyun pointed to Junghee's face.

“Have you seen her skin!? It has improved so much since you started taking care of her,” Jonghyun said impressed and turned back to inspect Junghee's face some more.

“Of course it has, a healthy diet leads to a healthy skin, OHMYGOD, don't touch her!” Key raised his voice a little bit. Minho didn't dare to watch, Jonghyun didn't have long left to live. Onew was next to Jonghyun in three steps. He squatted down next to his friend, grabbed Jonghyun's arm and yanked it away from Junghee.

“What's wrong with you!? You can't walk around harassing people while they sleep,” he scolded Jonghyun quietly.

“But look at her face, it looks so smooth. I couldn't resist.” Jonghyun tried to squirm his hnd out of his hyung's grip. Onew turned to look at Junghee and he quickly saw how right Jonghyun was. Junghee's face used to have greasy skin full of pimples and now there was only shadows left of that unhealthy skin.

“What are you doing?” Onew's eyes landed on Junghee's. She was looking enquiringly at him and he could hear his friends gasp behind him, but Onew just let go of Jonghyun's hand and let his friend quietly escape while he himself smiled at Junghee.

“I didn't mean to wake you up,” he said in a sweet and low voice. “I was just trying to pick this up after I dropped it.” Onew held up a 500 won coin in front of Junghee's face and she haf to cross her eyes to see it. Onew chuckled a bit and stood up. “You look cute when you sleep by the way.” He turned his back at Junghee and walked back to his friends who gaped at him. Junghee straightened her back and wiped away and potential drool from her face and tried to hide behind her hair. She had never blushed this bad in her entire life. She had wanted to slap Onew's face for being too close but she also wanted him to be even closer. She lightly hit herself in the head.

“Pabo,” she whispered to herself. “He's just any other guy, why are you acting this way?” But she couldn't help it. Her heart was fluttering. To Junghee Onew wasn't just any other guy.