The sparks between them are growing hotter and brighter. Will a fire be ignited or will the flame die before it even starts?

Minho stopped the bike in front of a small house which is situated in a rather impoverished neighborhood.

“This is where I live,” he said as the two of them got off the motorbike.

Krystal looked around her, not saying anything.

“I kind of thought that since you seemed curious about me, I’ll give you a glimpse of the world I live in.”

She didn’t answer.

“But if you don’t want to be here, let alone enter that house, I’ll take you back to school,” he said, suddenly worried.

“No. I’m coming with you inside your house,” certain thoughts ran through her head. So one rumor was right. He came from a poor family. In usual circumstances, this would disgust her. But in this case she wanted to see more…to know more.

He led her inside the house. Krystal let her gaze wander around. The place looked shabby. It was the first time she entered that kind of house.

“Umma, I’m home,” he called out.

Krystal heard a faint coughing in the next room. Minho slid the door open, revealing a middle-aged woman who sat on the covers spread on the floor. She looked thin and sick.

“Umma, I want to introduce to you my friend. Umma, this is Krystal Jung. Krystal-ssi, my mother,” Minho introduced the two of them.

The woman turned and looked at them sharply. Then her lips twitched in what appeared like a mocking smile. “Are you his girlfriend? How unlucky you are. Take my advice, leave him and find someone else. If you don’t, he will be the one to leave you someday. He is very much like his father.”

Krystal’s mouth hung open, astonished by her words. Minho’s mother hates him? She looked at Minho. His face was devoid with any emotion.

“We’re leaving now, umma,” he bowed to his mother. Krystal bowed to the woman, too.

But Minho’s mother was already staring outside through the window, ignoring them.

 “W-what’s wrong with your mother?” Krystal asked once they were outside the house.

“She’s sick. She has lung cancer. Every time her condition worsens, I’m the one who takes care of her. In order to do that, I have to be absent from school,” he said matter-of-factly, as if he was discussing about the weather.

Krystal felt something tug at her heart. “You’re a good son, oppa. But why does she act like she hates you?”

“She does. She hates me ever since I was born. I was a constant reminder of the man who left her,” he looked up at the sky, trying to prevent the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

“It was actually my halmeoni who raised me, but she died when I was fifteen. Since then, it’s just me and Umma,” he continued.

Krystal said nothing, but just placed her hand on Minho’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

“I wanted to hate her, too, but I just can’t. No matter how many times I tried to get close to her and she rejects me, I couldn’t hate her.”

She rubbed his back. “She’s still your mother.”

He nodded. Then he blinked and smiled. “Enough of this drama. Come on, I’ll take you back to school…I mean, we’ll go back to that alley and we’ll go back to school separately.”

Krystal nodded absent-mindedly. She had a lot of things going on in her head. She couldn’t believe that this is how the tough, arrogant Choi Minho lives. He has a good heart. And she felt ashamed that all her life she had it easy, but she would still whine over the tiniest problems.

She looked up at Minho’s handsome face. She is now seeing him in a different light and somehow, it made whatever she felt for him stronger and more profound.

…………………………………………………………

“Krystal-ssi.”

Krystal stopped walking and turned around, seeing Professor Horvejkul running along the hallway, trying to catch up with her.

He was panting when he reached her side. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Krystal stared from his face and down to his right hand. It held a bouquet of red roses. Professor Horvejkul handed the bouquet to her. “Will you give this to Coach Song?”

Krystal smiled and took the bouquet. “You know what, Professor, I think it’s a better idea if you give this to her yourself.”

The professor’s face turned red. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and gulped. “I’m afraid, Krystal-ssi.”

“What? Oh, come on, Professor, she doesn’t bite. She’s just a little uptight sometimes, but she’s okay.”

Nickhun Horvejkul shook his head. “I’m afraid she would reject me. She actually