Minho and Mr. Jung Jaeyoung checked over the places they were passing through. The school building is notably located at the foot of the hill which makes them difficult to search all over. The two appealed to the guard for help and made a request to allow them to enter the school.

"My daughter is still missing,  if you will allow us to inspect each room then we might get some clue as to where to find her." Mr. Jung told the guard.

"But it's in the policy not to let strangers to get in unless with permission." The guard stick to the policy that was given to him.

"Please Sir, grant our request. If you may put yourself in Mr. Jung's position, I'm sure you'll do everything just to find your child too. And if it's a crime to violate this rule, then I will take full responsibility of it." Minho humbly begged him.

The guard is also a father to his five years old daughter and somehow his conscience convinced him to do it. He guided them to inspect each rooms. The three went to scan over the classrooms from first to third grade. They searched everywhere from administrator office, guidance office, faculty room, library, laboratory, auditory, clinic, canteen, restrooms, and lastly the gym. Minho was scrutinizing the whole area when he discovered a back door leading to the hidden backyard. He walked  towards the yard with the flashlight on, lend by the security guard. While moving around, he saw an abandoned storeroom standing at the midst of tall-grass. He went to the room and slowly opened door, a rat popped off from therein. He went inside and examined the messy room to search for the hint. With the flashlight, he wandered around and found a striped white and blue blouse on the floor besides a backpack. He held the ruptured blouse and found a fresh blood stained on the uniform and was threatened by it.

Mr. Jung who saw Minho's movement to the yard followed him. He appeared in the room and found him there clutching a cloth "Minho?"

"Sir..." Minho showed the torn blouse and backpack to the father, antipating his answer.

Mr. Jung's eyes went big when he recognized the bag. "Krystal!"

Minho could sense Krystal is not faraway, so he ran outside and ranged along tall-grasses that blocking his way. He called her name while searching around the creepy backyard. "Krystal! Krystal! Where are you?" His heartbeats quicken as he could feel something happened to her. He then perceived a thing was moving near the gate wall so he focused the flashlight there and found a meowing cat . That scene almost repelled him when part of his eye caught a black leather shoe from therein. Courageously, Minho went closer to the shoe and braved the odds to brush away all the coverings there. He then found an unconscious Krystal, tortured and half- lying on the grass. Minho's heart sank to see her misery as he could feel all the sufferings she endured. He knelt down to cover her ness with his jacket and carried her to the car. Mr. Jung and the guard helped Minho rushed Krystal inside the vehicle. Minho's hands were shaking while inserting the key to the ignition barrel.

"Minho do you want me to drive instead?" Mr. Jung noticed Minho's dilemma .

"No Sir. I can do this, just hold your daughter."

"Okay." Though Mr. Jung was both angry and extremely upset to what happened to his daughter, yet he chose to stay clam under this circumstance. He placed Krystal's head over his slap while continuously brushing away the blood on her.

Minho drove the car quickly direct to the hospital. When they reached the hospital, Krystal was admitted in E.R. where she have to be observed. Later on, Mrs. Jung, Sica, and Mrs. Lee  came in. Mrs. Jung was shaking and confused about her daughter's condition.

"Where's Krystal? How's she?" She asked her husband anxiously.

"She's still inside the room. We have to wait for the doctor." The husband replied in rather compose manner.

"The culprits should pay for this!" Her soul was crushing, bearing the pain as a mother.

"Calm down Mommy." Jessica put a comforting hand on her mother's shoulder.

They were silently hoping and praying for Krystal's revival and after a while, one of the doctor showed up to meet them. They bowed to each other.

"Doc how's our daughter?" Mr. Jung asked.

"Your daughter received close head injury from two strikes with hard blows. Luckily, It did not break the skull. However, she's still has to undergo testing for us to diagnose if there are blood clots that are formed. We are carefully monitoring the head injury and it's complication within 24 hours or more. Measures must be taken in time, or else brain damage will occur.  Aside from that, she got scalp wounds, bruises, scratches all over body and suffers excess blood loss. We already registred shots to prevent the risk of infection. Right now, she's still undergoing some treatment. Surgery will be recommended after some laboratory examination."

"What's the chance of my daughter's survival?" Mrs. Jung asked him, hopeful for a positive answer.

"I can't fully assure. But base on my experience, there's possibility that she'll survive. We are doing our best and her body is cooperating."

"Thanks to God!" They were all slightly relieved with the information.

"But If she'll recover, we still have to consider the psychological effect. For the meantime, we need blood donors in exchange for the blood that were used for her."

Mr. Jung and Jessica volunteered to donate themselves.

"Doc can I ask more?" Mrs. Kanghye asked him.

"Sure."

"I really need to ask this, was my daughter ?" The question is too important for the mother to know. They were too curious about the findings.

"Fortunately no."

"Thank You." The answer just took a load off in her chest.

"I think the people who beaten her up are same gender with animosities in life. The blows are just not deep compare to male oppressors." The doctor explained. Minho nodded as he thinks the same way when he carried Krystal.

"Yes I think the girls behind these are schoolmates since it happened inside the school." Mr. Jung added.

When the consultation was over, Minho decided to go to have some rest after over straining his body. Mrs. Jung was very thankful to him, she hugged him tightly. "Thank you my son." It was Minho's first time to hear her calling him a son and was bit surprised about it, yet he knows she is just being thankful as always.

"I don't know how will I repay you for helping us." She told him as she hugged the boy.

Minho smiled "Don't worry Mam. It's a pleasure for me." No wonder she is Krystal's mother for they have the same sense of gratitude he thought.

Mr. Jung shook Minho's hand and tapped his back as a sign of appreciation. He did not say much but his actions told him he was very pleased.

Jessica and Mrs. Lee thanked him too, the fact that the whole family appreciated took away the exhaustion from him.

When Minho got into his car, he put his blood-stained jacket that he covered to Krystal besides him and whispered "Hang on Krystal".

It was 5 a.m. when has returned home. Mrs. Choi heard the sound of his car then rose from the bed to look him up.

"Minho what happened? Why you're so late and looking so worn-out?" His mother kept worrying at him throughout the night since his son usually don't do it.

"Good Morning Ma." He greeted her and kissed her on the cheek. "Our team won."

"Congrats. but how come? Did you celebrate it with your teammates?"

"No." He told her.

Mrs. Choi noticed Minho carrying his jacket with red marks on it and she was certained that it was blood.

"Son had you fought someone?"  She asked again, troubled by this matter.

"No Ma. I'll make it short. After the game, I helped Jung's family to search for Krystal who was then missing. We found her in the school and sent her to the hospital."

"What happened to her?"

"She was ganged up."

"Really?!"

"Yes. In Cheonan High School where Eunseo is also working."

"Poor girl. How is she?"

"She's still in E.R. Later I will visit her."

"How about your practice, you have schedule today?"

"I'll try to visit her after the training."

"Okay." Then Mrs.Choi let his son to rest

Minho spent only two hours of sleep, enough for his body to recuperate from tiredness. When he woke up, he called Euseo about Krystal's case in which she bound to help. He was planned to go to practice session but decided to return to Dankook Hospital where Krystal was confined. Minho texted his coach for a favor and luckily he allowed him to take his leave.

The whole family was still there except for Mr. Jung when he had to go back to Cheonan School.

"Hello." He greeted them.

"Ohh have you already slept?" Mrs. Jung was surprised to see his early visitation

Jessica and Mrs. Lee were sleeping while resting their heads on each other.

"Yes Mam. Is there any news about Krystal?"

"She's inside operating room. Wait I'll get coffee for you."

"No Mam, I already drink some before I leave the house. How about Sir?"

"He went to the school to report the incident to the head office."

"I see. I already asked help from my girlfriend who coincidentally in the same school with Krystal."

"What's her job there?"

"She's a Math Teacher. Actually, she already informed me about the sorority and the hazing before. I never thought Krystal will be one of the victims."

"Hazing? I don't understand why it have to happen to my daughter" Mrs. Jung's tears kept dropping again.

Minho's heart melts whenever he sees women crying especially mothers. He never experienced nor ever will see his mother crying in front of him. He then calmed Mrs. Jung with his supporting words and offered his help to resolve this problem.

When Jessica woke up, they decided to leave the hospital to buy some things they needed in recovery room after the surgery. Mrs. Lee was left with Minho. She sat besides him and gave him a cutely decorated gift box.

"What is this?" He was surprised to see the nanny giving him a present.

"Open it." She asked him.

He opened and saw bunch of heart-shaped chocolate cookies nicely arranged.

"Mrs. Lee, it's not my birthday but thank you." He smiled at her and got one piece. "It went stale." The cookie look hard and dry.

"Yes. It was Krystal's gift for you. She forgot to bring it on your dinner date last month." Minho took off the card inside and read: Happy Valentine's Day Minho Oppa! ~ Krystal. He remembered the text Krystal sent to him, wherein she apologized for not giving anything in Valentine's.

"Krystal put her best to make that." Said by the nanny.

Minho was moved by Krystal's effort to give him something special for the Valentine's.

"But how did you get this?" He asked her.

"She actually trashed it, and I just recovered it knowing it has purpose someday."

"Why did she had to throw this? It's so cute! If only I can eat it." Minho told her.

Mrs. Lee knew it was jealousy caused Krystal to trash the gift, that time when she caught Minho kissed Eunseo in front Choi's gate.

"Krystal is a spoiled child. She was the girl who asked everything she wanted. When they moved to abroad, her parents had to work double time, leaving her at school and to me everyday. Her parents just gave and gave anything to cover up the lack of time for her. At first, they were being lenient to her, but when they observed she was growing more self-centered and had frequent tantrum, they restrained her in whatever she enjoys. Krystal  failed to understand her parents especially her father. I can't blame the child too since she is always been neglected during crucial times. As a child, she was demanding for their valuable time but only thing her mother could do is to tolerate her immaturity. Krystal then thinks her father is insensitive man that he does not care about her. She also developed vast jealousy towards her sister since Sica got all the right attention and discipline from their parents. Krystal is sweet child only if they will give her more importance.

"Now I understand." Minho already know the reasons why Krystal behaves that way.

"I don't think she would be able to feel confident enough, unless someone will provide her precious time and that is you." She added..

"What do you mean?" Minho was bit confused at what she said yet he feel what she means.

The nanny looked straight to his eyes and told him "Please don't leave her, just like what you are doing now."

"I don't know. It's just I want to help whenever she has a problem. She's a dongsaeng to me right?"

"But Krystal adores you more than anyone here. I can see through her eyes that she is longing for you." She told him sincerely. "I have ever seen her, smiling so brightly whenever you're around."

Minho turned silent. Those words runs through his head now. The moment he saw Krystal lying lifeless on the ground, he wanted to wash away all the pain from her. Yes, he is trained to be helpful, but somehow he felt her vulnerability relies on his strength and that she could not live without it.

to be continued...