Jaejoong, who seemed to always stay away from everyone and didn’t have any friends at all, was now clinging onto me every school day. He was walking me to and from school everyday so I had no chance to spend time with my foster siblings. Jaejoong was always with me during lunchtime as well therefore I didn’t have any quality time with any of my friends. During class times, which were the only times when Jaejoong would sit in the back of the room, Yunho only smiled meekly at me and Kimmi was too focused on her desk to talk to me. Yoochun was constantly watching over Kimmi to even notice that I felt a little lonely too. As for Changmin, he showed his ignorance clearly. If he saw me in the corridor, he would turn away and walk a different path.

            By the end of the week, I felt saddened by this loneliness that was only filled with Jaejoong. After my birthday, Jaejoong wasn’t too nice. He wasn’t mean either. He was just there; a shadow that followed me and seemed unnoticeable until I found students around me looking my way. In public, Jaejoong acted affectionate as usual, giving kisses on the cheek, the forehead and the lips even. But when it was just the two of us, we would just sit side by side in silence. I felt very awkward when I became aware of our weird relationship.

            But I was more worried about the gap between me and my friends, especially Kimmi. Kimmi was my very first friend when I entered high school. My heart hardened at the thought that now she was actually neglecting me. I sighed at the thought and turned to the board of our classroom only to see the teacher facing us with no markers in his hand. “I have finished with what I was supposed to teach you for today.” He said. “Now you can all leave early for today. It will be lunchtime in about twenty minutes.” He looked to his watch.

            I heard the creak of chair legs against the floor and the rustling of paper as the students packed up and headed towards the door. Kimmi, was already at the door (this was the class that I shared only with Kimmi) and disappeared before I could catch up with her. I sighed again and thought critically of how I was going to spend the precious twenty minutes. One thing was definite, I didn’t want to see Jaejoong. I didn’t even know where he would be at this time. I decided that I needed a place where there was no Jaejoong and where Jaejoong wouldn’t find me so I could have one peaceful lunch break at last.

            Not even bothering to put my books away in my locker, I climbed the stairs up and up until I reached the rooftop. The school corridors and stairways had been empty on my journey up here. It was as if everyone hated reaching the top floor unless it was necessary. I opened the door to the rooftop and was surprised to see a familiar figure sitting on the ground near the roof’s edge.

            Yunho turned my way when the door squeaked open. I hadn’t expected him to be here so I stood there dumbfounded. After some time, Yunho motioned for me to sit beside him, a smile plastered on his face. I approached him and took the empty floor space beside him. Up close, I could see that he had slight eye bags and his hair was messily gelled up in many directions that led away from the forehead. I crumbled at the sight. “Have you been very busy lately?” I asked with a hint of concern.

            “A bit.” Yunho muttered but still managed to keep his grin in place. “The biology camp is moved to the Tuesday because I couldn’t get it booked for Monday.” He explained. “I’m going to have to tell Ms. Oh when we have biology this afternoon so she can tell the whole class.”

            “Do you need any help at all?” I offered. “You look very tired these days.”

            “Can I ask for one thing?” Yunho asked.

            I nodded. “Sure.”

            Yunho looked at me eagerly. “Can you stay here with me from now until the end of lunch?”

            I nodded. I really wanted to do something different and I missed Yunho. Yunho drew closer and bumped my shoulder. I watched him as he looked up at the sky loomed with heavy deep grey clouds. “You know I used to think that I resembled a cloud?” He said without looking at me.

            “How so?” I asked.

            “I heard these teenagers talking to each other when I was young, around 7 years old I was.” He narrated, not once turning his gaze. “They looked like best friends and I knew they were joking but one of them said that the other was a cloud. He said that when clouds disappears, the day is always brighter.”

            “Well I never thought of it that way.” I began. “When I look up at the clouds, I always felt peaceful. No matter what storm they brew up or how gloomy they look, the cloud itself is always calm. It’s a misconception I guess.”

            “Someone said that to me when I was nine years old and I never thought about it ever again.” Yunho exclaimed. “No matter what, everything has its good and bad. If I thought that I was a cloud now, I would believe that even if I was blocking out the sunshine, at the same time I still had the ability to give Earth its water.”

            I smiled at his optimism and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad that someone told you that when you were nine. It made you such a brighter person.”

            Yunho lifted his hand in front of my nose but again hesitated. He dropped his hand again and smiled angelically at me. “You’re so cute.”

            “You’re cute too!”

            “No!” Yunho cried. “Cuteness isn’t for guys.”

            I laughed. “I still think you’re cute.”

            Yunho groaned playfully. “Oh no, Minni thinks I’m cute. I don’t feel manly anymore.”

            I nudged his shoulder with mine. “Maybe I should lend you a dress.” I suggested.

            “I have to diet and get Minni’s figure first.” Yunho asserted.

            “What?” I gasped. “You’re already skinny.”

            Yunho leaned in with an index finger pointing up. “Not as thin as Minni.” He commented. I could feel his warm breath against my face. “And not as cute either.”

            My cheeks heated at the small distance. Never in the 5 years that I have known Yunho had he been so physically close to me. Yunho became aware of it himself and blushed as well. He quickly backed away. “I’m sorry.” He muttered and laughed nervously. “I hope Jaejoong doesn’t kill me if he finds out.”

            “He won’t kill you, even if he finds out.” I inserted. “He’s not like that.”

            “Well, I’m glad he also isn’t the player type.” Yunho said bashing a fist into his palm. “If he did, I would have beaten him to pulp, even if he has the greater advantage.”

            I grinned at Yunho’s sweet words. “You don’t need to. It’s highly unnecessary.”

            “Jaejoong isn’t a bad person.” Yunho stated. His tone almost hinted some pity in it. “He just tends to hurt others. So I still want you to be careful even if you two are dating.”

            “I know he isn’t a bad person.” I told him, remembering all the good deeds Jaejoong had done for me. He really wasn’t a bad person at all.

            Yunho gave me a genuine smile. “Just always remember that you’ll always have me beside you.”

            I felt my insides melt at such sweet words. It was as if I was unconsciously waiting for someone to say that to me. “I’ll never forget it.”

            Yunho’s smile widened and he sat up from his position and stretched. He must have been sitting here for a while, I assumed. Yunho twisted his body to look beyond the rooftop. I watched him in awe; he really was someone perfect with the looks, the intelligence and the kindness.

            Suddenly I saw his face change to one of horrification. He turned to me uneasily and then dashed towards the exit. I immediately stood up and looked to his previous line of direction. It was at the biology forest that I saw two people at the edge of the forest; Hana and Jaejoong. And the thing that must have astonished Yunho was that Jaejoong had his arms around her snugly, his face pressed deeply into her beautiful wavy locks.

            I sighed and followed after Yunho. As expected, he was with Jaejoong, glaring murderously at him. Hana was right next to Jaejoong trying to decipher why Yunho was here. When she saw me in the distance, I could tell she had a vague idea of the situation.

            I looked to Jaejoong who wore his usual smug expression. “Despite your horrendous attitude, I thought you at least had the decency to remain faithful.” Yunho snarled at him, his back facing me.

            “I’m sorry to disappointment you.” Jaejoong said sarcastically. “But feel free to borrow my girlfriend anytime.”

            If Yunho’s eyes were laserbeams, Jaejoong would have turned to ash by now.

            “It’s not what you think.” Hana explained herself and looked from Yunho to me. Yunho followed her gaze and was startled to find me just a few metres behind him. I walked up to the three of them and saw that Hana’s eyes were glassy. Had she recently cried?

            Jaejoong looked slightly astonished when he realised my presence at last. He took his position next to me wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “You don’t mind that I hugged your sister, do you?” He asked as if he was so confident of my answer.

            “I don’t mind.” I said and he beamed.

            Yunho on the other hand, was appalled. He took one look at me then turned to walk off. Hana stopped him by standing in his way, still determined to explain herself. “I am only his friend.” She announced. “His first real friend in a long time.”

            “And that doesn’t bother you?” He asked her in a whisper that I could just make out.

            Hana shook her head slowly. “When you love someone, being there for them is enough.” She whispered back and squeezed his forearm encouragingly. I didn’t know if I was meant to hear this conversation or not but they were within earshot. When she let go, Yunho gave me one look. I looked back at him without saying a word and eventually he walked off.

            I couldn’t let go of the pained expression he wore just then. Hana seemed to feel that she was intruding and went on her way as well. I looked at Jaejoong, feeling a burning sensation within me. “You didn’t have to do that to him.”

            “Do what?”

            I couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. “I know you’re not stupid to not know when you have hurt someone, Jaejoong.” Yunho was one of my closest friends so if he was in pain, I would definitely feel it too. “You can send me to hell and bring me back and do it all over again if you want to. But don’t hurt my friends and family.”

            “Are you sure it was me who hurt your precious Yunho?” I felt myself jolt at that remark. “Are you so blind that you can’t see his feelings for you?” I had my suspicions but I was never sure. Love like that was on the back of my mind and has been for 8 years already. Jaejoong laughed cynically. “If I wasn’t your boyfriend, I would think that you love him too.” He jerked his head to Yunho who was in the distance.

            My heart clenched at the dark thoughts in my mind. Firstly my best friend was ignoring me. Secondly, I had seen Hana all teary right in front of me and I knew that she rarely cried. Now Yunho was depressed and the people who were to blame were my so-called ‘boyfriend’ and myself.

            “And besides,” Jaejoong continued. “The only way to make someone suffer is to target the ones they love.” Great. Now Jaejoong is threatening to intentionally harm everyone I cared for. I felt disgusted on the spot. It was as if there was something stuck in my throat. How could someone who had the heart to save me, crush me at the same time? My eyes welled up before me and the only thing I could think of was to get away from this monster.

            I intended to dash off and hide from the perpetrator. I took a few quick steps away but was pulled harshly back towards him. His hand held my wrist tightly and I struggled to release myself. “Let go of me.” I sobbed. My eyes blurred as the tears found their way out. “Let go.” Feeling completely hopeless now, I sank to the cold earthy floor and hid my drenched face with my free arm. I cried silently on the damp grass. The tear flow was horribly fast. I really wanted to stop and hide my weaknesses from Jaejoong but he still had his hand on me. “Why must you bring everyone I love into this? They have done nothing wrong.” I stuttered between sobs.

            Jaejoong spoke but my question remained unanswered. “I wondered when you would cry,” was what he said. “And you cry because of this.”

            I removed my arm and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. I don’t know if I was glaring or not but I really wanted to show the anger inside of me. “Are you happy now that you have seen me cry?”

            Jaejoong lifted his available hand and wiped away the streams on my cheeks. His face still wore the malicious grin. “Very.”

            I knew what his response would be just by looking at his expression. “Good.” I said sarcastically, trying to sound strong. Truthfully, I wanted to look away from him but something inside me told me to keep my eyes on him. He leaned in and locked his lips onto mine. I sat there motionless. Even when I was drenched in my own sorrow, he still manages to kiss me. Involuntarily, a tear trickled down my cheek, leaving a warm pathway. My tears, I believed at that instant, showed more compassion than Jaejoong’s heart did.

                        I sat in the last class replaying Jaejoong’s threat over and over again. Inside me, was a conversation between me and myself. You have to do something Minji. What do I do? Just think; I know you can think of something. I’m thinking.

            “Minni!”

            I looked up at a furious Ms. Oh. “Sorry?” I tilted my head downwards.

            Ms. Oh softened when I apologized and gestured to the board. “Can you explain to the class what I have drawn on the board?”

            I examined the figure and knew what it was straight away. “It’s the human heart.” I said.

            “Can you explain to me what this vessel does?” She pointed to thick tube drawn in blue.

            “That’s the vena cava. It’s the largest vein in the human body.” I explained trying to recover a similar image in the text that I had read last week. “It brings deoxygenated blood to the heart.”

            “Funny. You seemed so out of it today but you are still able to explain everything in explicit detail.” Ms. Oh said. “I haven’t even mentioned deoxygenated and oxygenated blood in this lesson yet.”

            I smiled meekly.

            “Another question for you Minni.” The teacher added and I could feel all eyes were on me. “Does the heart cause the emotions we feel?” Ms. Oh suddenly smiled with excitement. “For example, the love between you and Jaejoong.”

            I reddened. I didn’t think that even the teachers were aware of the situation between Jaejoong and I. “Biologically, it doesn’t.” I answered. “The heart that we speak of that causes us to feel love and hate is something intangible.”

            The teacher’s smile widened. “Very well phrased.” She admitted. Then she turned to Yunho who was still sitting next to me. “I believe you had something you wanted to say.” Yunho nodded and stood up from his seat.

            I zoned out a little, still trying to figure out what to do. I still felt frightened of Jaejoong’s words. Unconsciously, I looked to Yunho who seemed a little nervous, standing in front of the class. “The truth is,” He stuttered. An idea brightened in my head. The truth. I should tell them the truth. Sure they would tell me off for being so selfless again but Jaejoong did save my life countless of times; my friends would understand.

            I turned to Kimmi behind me. In the distance, Jaejoong was eyeing me suspiciously but I tried to ignore him. The whole world didn’t have to know our real relationship but at the very least, my friends and family should. I didn’t know why I didn’t tell them it in the first place. I called to her but my voice was muted by the deafening sound of the school bell.

            Kimmi looked up from her desk and at last recognized me facing her way. Her astonished face vanished as quickly as it had come and then she grabbed her books and scooted out of class before I could tell her anything at all. I looked around the room in desperation and saw my only hope was Yunho. He was speaking to the teacher while everyone else scattered out.

            I gathered my books and stood a good distance behind Yunho as he talked to the teacher so that I didn’t pry into their conversation. Ms. Oh spotted me and cleared . “I think we’ll leave it here for today.” She insisted. “I think Minni has something she wants to say to you.”

            Yunho turned his head to see me then nodded a reply at the teacher. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” The teacher walked out and Yunho looked at me sheepishly.

            “I just wanted to tell you the truth.” I began. I heaved in a heavy sigh feeling a little traitorous for some unknown reason. “What’s between Jaejoong and I isn’t real.” I admitted.

            Yunho’s eyes widened to the size of golf balls. He seemed to look at me up and down to see whether I was bluffing or not. “Kissing him on a daily basis doesn’t prove otherwise.” He managed to say, finding it completely compelling that I was spitting out what seemed like nonsense out of my mouth.

            Out of all people, I thought that Yunho would actually believe what I told him. But did he? I was beginning to regret my decision already but I couldn’t take it back. I had to finish with what I had started. I held in the fear of Yunho’s disbelief and continued. “You’ve seen me kiss Jaejoong? Are you sure of it?” My voice was trembling slightly. “We’re dating yes, but that doesn’t mean that we love each other. At the very least, I know that I am only his girlfriend because I owe him my life.” I told him truthfully.

            “What do you mean?” Yunho’s tone showed curiosity.

            “Jaejoong has helped me several times. He even saved my life.” I said. “I owe him a lot.”

            Yunho’s lip thinned and I could tell he was thinking about what I had just said. “So you don’t love him?”

            “No.” I replied immediately. “He is merely a friend whom I am very grateful towards.”

            “So he’s forcing you into this?!”

            “No, I’m happy to do this for him. For all he has done for me, being his fake girlfriend is a very small payment.” I pursed my lips together then mouthed my thoughts ever so softly. “Even if he hates me.”

            I looked up at Yunho and knew that he had heard my final words. He tried to smile but it seemed sorrowful. “Did he tell you that he hates you?”

            I nodded a response.

            “Actions speak louder than words.” Yunho worded and I realised that he had just quoted Jaejoong’s words from last week. “Don’t listen to what he says. Watch what he does to you. I think that you’ll discover that Jaejoong doesn’t actually hate you but he might actually like you.” I brightened at the thought. “He did save your life after all.” Yunho concluded.

            I felt better already. “I hope you’re right Yunho.” I beamed at him. “I don’t like the idea of being hated.” Yunho pinched my nose and feeling the familiarity, my smile widened ecstatically.

            “You’re so cute.” Yunho chuckled and it sounded so real. I felt like Yunho and I were officially on good terms again. Out of nowhere a tear escaped my eye. Yunho brushed a thumb over my cheek eliminating the tear. “Hey,” He crooned. “Why are you crying?”

            “You’re back.” I croaked and cleared my throat and chortled with happiness. “I’ve missed you.”

            Yunho pulled me into a tight hug. “I never left.” His voice was audible for he had nestled his chin on my shoulder. “And I will never leave you, ever.”

            I smiled at the thought for a moment and then felt myself being yanked away from his grasps. I looked from the tight grip on my wrist to the angry expression Jaejoong wore on his face. “It hasn’t been a week yet and you’re already cheating on me?” He sneered.

            “There’s no need to speak in such a harsh tone.” Yunho said simply. “I already know the truth.”

            “Are you sure you know the truth?”

            “The truth that the both of you don’t love each other, yes.”

            “But,” Jaejoong rebutted. “There’s also the truth that she is still my girlfriend.” He reeled me in towards him and wrapped his arms around my whole body, sticking my forearms to my sides securely. “So I still have the authority to pull her away from another guy who tries to steal her from me.” Jaejoong leaned over my shoulder and pressed his lips on my cheek.

            “Jaejoong.” I turned my head to him and looked at him disapprovingly. “You didn’t have to do that. Yunho knows everything already.”

            Jaejoong shook his head, wearing a smug grin. “But you don’t know that I get jealous easily.” My eyes widened and my heart raced at his words. “Now how should I punish you?”

            I turned away nervously to observe a Yunho who was looking anywhere but at us. Jaejoong’s breath was prickling the side of my neck and his arms wrapped tighter around me. My insides squirmed at what he was going to do next. At last, I caught Yunho’s eyes on me; his expression transformed to one of concern. “Jaejoong.” His voice was stern. “Stop it.”

            “Or what?”

            “Or I’ll tell your father about this.”

            I felt a slight twitch coming from Jaejoong. I heard him take in a breath sharply and then he let me go.

            Yunho smiled a little, I guess to comfort me. “Minni, do you mind leaving us for a moment?” He asked politely. “I would like to have a word with Jaejoong.”

            “Yes you should wait outside.” Jaejoong imitated his tone and gave me an angelic smile. Feeling slightly shocked, I slowly turned around and made my way out of the classroom. Just as I swiveled around, I felt a sudden jolt of pain on my behind. I looked to Yunho who just glared at Jaejoong. Jaejoong’s angelic smile was still present on his face as he lifted an eyebrow. “I almost forgot to give you your punishment.” He sighed.

            I couldn’t believe that he just whacked me on the . I quickly scurried out of the classroom, just in case Jaejoong tried something unexpected again.