“INFINITE!  INFINITE!  INFINITE!”  Dok Mi cheered with Minah.  Taejoon sulked.  Hye Ri had ignored the group for almost two weeks and sat somewhere else.  “I can’t wait to hear Woohyun’s song!”

   “Yah, if you keep talking about Woohyun I’m going to cry,” Taejoon whined.  Minah laughed and pinched her older brother.  

   “Let Dok Mi be happy!  If she likes Woohyun, she likes him!”  Minah yelled.  The fangirls were too wild for anyone to hear her except Taejoon and Dok Mi. 

   “I don’t like him like that!”  Dok Mi protested.  “He has a nice side, and it’s refreshing!”  

   “Whatever!”  Minah replied.  “OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH HERE THEY COME!”  

   The auditorium filled with screams and chants and Dok Mi loved it.  She saw seven guys standing on stage in a formation.  A guitar riff began and the boys began to dance.  They were all in suits, dancing, singing, and entertaining.  Dok Mi was especially excited because she had gotten to know the boys and was proud of their achievements.  What she really wanted to hear, however, was Woohyun’s song.  

   There were more dance numbers, then Myungsoo performed, then Sunggyu, then Infinite H.  Sungyeol and Sungjong had a joint performance and Dok Mi was a little disturbed by it, in a good way.  When they were closing out the concert, Woohyun stepped to the center of the stage.  

   “I’d like to close us off with a song that I just wrote for a special girl.  If she’s here tonight, I’d really like for her to come on stage,” he said.  He scanned the audience and found Dok Mi’s eyes.  “There you are!  Dok Mi, come up here please!”  

   Dok Mi shook her head, but Minah pushed her down the aisle and the Infinite boys lifted her onto the stage.  She looked at Woohyun with a deer-in-the-headlights look and he laughed.  Two stools were brought on stage and he motioned for her to sit on one.  She did and he sat on the one beside her.  

   “Dok Mi has taught me a few things these last few weeks.  Mostly, she’s made me want to say I’m sorry.  To everyone that I’ve offended or hurt or aggravated, I’m sorry.  This song I’m going to sing is going to sound like a break-up song about a guy who wasn’t good enough for the girl, but I dedicate it to all of those people who believe in ultimate human compassion, just like Dok Mi.”  

   Dok Mi cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously.  Had she been the cause of this transformation of his?  How could it have worked so quickly?  While she pondered, Woohyun fixed his gaze on her eyes and began to sing after a melody was introduced on the piano.  Dok Mi stopped hearing.  Her body became cold and her eyes were frozen open.  Woohyun placed his hand on her knee and she wanted so badly to shove it off, but she was too nervous to do anything.  She watched him look away as he hit some high notes and admired the passion he seemed to be singing with.  He looked back to her, grabbed her limp hand and pushed his fingers through the spaces between hers.  One color popped into her thoughts: red.  She was unsure if she was blushing or flushed.  Then, as the song ended, the curtains began to close.  Before they could close all the way, Woohyun leaned forward and kissed her cheek.  

   Dok Mi fainted.  Woohyun thought she was teasing and shook her around in his arms.  After a few shakes, he could tell she was out.  Without a second thought, he whipped out his cell phone and called the ambulance.  

   “Welcome back,” Dok Mi heard an unfamiliar person greet.  She looked at the person and nodded.

   “Why…  Why am I here?”  Dok Mi asked.  She rolled her head back and tried to catch her breath.

   “You fainted not long ago.  Your mother just arrived and is outside waiting, but only one visitor is allowed in at a time…  And he won’t leave,” the nurse said a bit agitatedly.  Dok Mi sat up and looked around.  She saw Woohyun propped up against the wall, looking as guilty as ever.  

   “Woohyun?”  Dok Mi said weakly.  The nurse left and Woohyun pulled a chair over to her bedside.  Dok Mi tried to remember what happened.  When she did, she looked at him in fright and rolled over.  Her IV’s caught her and she groaned as she returned to lying on her back.  

   “I’m so sorry…  I didn’t know you were afraid of crowds,” Woohyun apologized.  He grabbed the bars on the side of her bed.

   “Woohyun, have you been crying?”  Dok Mi asked.  His eyes were red and puffy.

   “Of course I have!”  He yelled a bit.  She looked at the ceiling because she felt awkward and Woohyun sighed.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to yell.  I didn’t mean to make you faint.”

   “Stop it,” she ordered.  “It wasn’t your fault.  I just…  I don’t have a good history with men and…  You know…  Aish,” she whined.  “I get really nervous around guys.  And I know you’re not interested in me but…  I’m a wimp, and that kiss on the cheek kind of melted me,” she admitted.  He looked up and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.  “See?  It’s not your fault.  I’m just lame,” she teased.  Woohyun grabbed her hand and she looked away quickly and shut her eyes.  “I’m going to faint again, stop.”

   “What on Earth,” he said to himself.  “How do you expect to fall in love?  Isn’t that every girl’s dream?”

   “Yeah, but it can be kind of a nightmare.  So please let go of my hand,” she ordered.  He let go and sat back.

   “You’re absolutely the weirdest girl I know,” he snorted.  “But I hope you feel better.”

   “Thanks,” she replied.  “Can I see my mom now?” 

   “Sure,” Woohyun said.  He put his chair back and walked back over to her.  “Forgive me.”

   “For wh—“ Dok Mi began.  Woohyun bent down and kissed her forehead. 

   “You’re kind of cute when you’re not arguing with me,” he reminded.  A whirlpool of emotions ripped through her and she felt like kicking him, but she stayed in her bed calmly.  She watched as he walked out and couldn’t help but admire his posture, his sleek outfit, his nice hair.  She slapped her face and shook her head.  She wasn’t going to allow herself to think he was attractive.  

   Her mother walked in and was actually much calmer than Woohyun was.  “What happened?”  She asked.  Dok Mi didn’t know what to say, so she fibbed.

   “Stage fright.  I got pulled up in front of a bunch of people tonight and my head began to spin.”

   “That’s not like you,” her mother said, worried.  “You usually do well in front of people.  Remember your dad’s concert?”  

   “I’d rather not,” she mumbled.  Her mother patted her stomach and smiled.

   “Woohyun introduced himself to me.  He’s really cute,” her mother teased.

   “He’s alright,” Dok Mi responded.  “He’s the one that pulled me up on stage.”  

   “Oh, that jerk,” her mother hissed playfully.  They both laughed.  “Let’s get you rested up this weekend, okay?  We don’t want Woohyun to miss you if you’re absent at school.” 

   “Not likely,” Dok Mi stated.  

   “You little !”  Hye Ri yelled as Dok Mi held the door to the school open.  She marched up to her and slapped her across the face.  “Was that your plan all along?  Seduce Woohyun after I make a fool of myself?  Was that why you told me to confess to him?  Was I some stupid platform for you to jump off of and become a Queenka?!”

   “What?”  Dok Mi asked, confused.  Had Hye Ri been thinking that all along?  “I don’t know what you’re saying.”  She rubbed her cheek and Hye Ri grabbed her shoulders to shake her.      

   “Liar.  I’ve known you your entire life, Lee Dok Mi, and I know that you can come up with something that brilliant!”  She screamed.  Just as she was about to slap Dok Mi again, Woohyun grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Dok Mi.  

   “She has the mind, but not the heart,” Woohyun calmly argued.  “Leave her alone, or I’ll get really mad.”

   “You?  You think I can take orders from you?  You insulted me!  And the thing is, you’re an idiot!  You let Dok Mi trick you, and you fell for her stupid innocent act!”

   “I think you’re the one that’s fallen for an act, and it’s the one where you think you’re innocent,” Woohyun sarcastically hissed.  He grabbed Dok Mi’s hand and pulled her inside.  Dok Mi didn’t protest and let him take her to the school nurse.  “She’s okay; I just need to talk to her,” he told the nurse.  The nurse nodded and continued working.  Woohyun examined Dok Mi’s face and gave her a hug.  

   “Woohyun…  I think you were right about Hye Ri,” Dok Mi murmured.  Her eyes began to swell with tears.

   “Don’t think about it and hug me back,” he commanded.  She nodded and hugged him back.  They swayed a little and Woohyun pulled away.  “You know she’s jealous.”  Dok Mi nodded.  “She’s going to be a monster.”  Dok Mi began to cry and Woohyun handed her a tissue.  “Get rid of those tears quickly.  You don’t want her to see that she’s made you weak; we have class with her all day, after all.”  

   Dok Mi nodded and told herself to stop crying.  Eventually, she did, and she sent Woohyun off to class while she grabbed her books.  When she walked in, everyone greeted her with a smile, except Hye Ri and Taejoon.  She ignored them as best as she could and smiled back to everyone who liked her.  She sat down and Woohyun patted her shoulder.  

   “Did I do well?”  Dok Mi whispered over her shoulder.  Woohyun gave her a thumbs up and she grinned.  “Good.”  

   Dok Mi sat at the Infinite lunch table.  She brought Minah over, who still seemed to like her, and the boys got along with her just fine.  Minah had caught Myungsoo’s attention and the two bickered regularly.  Dok Mi and Woohyun were the same as usual.  They would learn from each other and try to better themselves for each other.  Eventually, they concluded that Dok Mi gave too much while Woohyun gave too little.  The Infinite guys agreed and decided that they should spend a whole week together to learn from each other.  Dok Mi agreed to it, as long as Minah could come.  Myungsoo liked that idea and made it official: they would spend a week at the beach on spring break and would wrap up their analysis of each other.  Frankly, the entire school shipped Woohyun with Dok Mi, but they weren’t making any progress because they were still critiquing one another.  The Infinite boys decided they would advance the pair’s feelings for each other.  Woohyun showed signs of affection, but Dok Mi was cold.  She didn’t seem to hold Woohyun with a special regard, just a normal one.