Jieun is blankly looking at what Daehyun does on her knee, compressing her sore knee with wrapped ice cube.  Cold and pain. The pain comes not from her knee but her heart. Staring at Daehyun’s face, his serious expression during the treatment, Jieun is so sure that he didn’t hear those mockeries back then.

“Yo Daehyun!” It is a tenth greeting for him. Jieun counts all of greetings that Daehyun receives when they’re going to infirmary. “Don’t forget our practice this evening, okay?” a lanky boy with unusual tall asked him.

Jieun turns his face from Daehyun’s neck as she recognizes familiar deep voice who asking him. She knows that boy and the others. They are Daehyun’s friends on his basket club.

“Of course, Yeol. But I’ll be late a bit.” Daehyun says but Jieun’s ears catch other voices behind them. “I need to-“ she misses his sentences, and hears the girls’ voices behind instead.

“How gross.”

“She always acts like his girlfriend.” It is a different voice.

“I wonder where she threw those love letters.” Another different voice is heard.

“I’m one hundred percent sure, she never lets him read those.” It is first girl’s voice.

“She looks terrible, doesn’t deserve to be near with Daehyun.” She buries her face deeply on Daehyun’s chest, distressed.

“Aissh.. I can’t stand looking at- “ she can’t hear their voices any longer as Daehyun continues their pace to infirmary.

“Is it still hurt?” Daehyun’s voice helps her leaving those hurtful mockeries.

Jieun shakes her head slowly. “…thanks.” She gets up from the bed, walking casually to the door, not caring anymore about her sore knee.

“Ya ya!” Daehyun rushes towards her, grabbing her arm. “I’ll carry you again.”

“No, Dae.” She wiggles out of Daehyun’s grip. “I’m okay now,” turning to face him. “let me walk by myself.” She walks away from Daehyun, against her will to be carried by Daehyun. She doesn’t want to get more hateful from his fan girls.

Daehyun walks following her even enters her class, allowing himself to sit on her desk. Jieun can feel that there are so many eyes staring toward her direction. She knows clearly, those stares are for Daehyun who is laughing by her classmates’ jokes right now. Daehyun has so many fan girls. She realizes this when she gets requests for delivering love letters to him. She gave all of them to him. She really did. So, hearing those slanders before, she can’t help but feeling hurt. It’s not her fault if Daehyun couldn’t response any of their feelings.

“Daehyun-ah...” Daehyun turns down to her, raising his brows. “don’t you have to go to your own class?” It is rude, she knows it but she can’t stand those stares anymore. She feels uncomfortable, annoyed, hoping that this beloved best friend of hers would stop spreading his charisma in her class.

Yes, Daehyun is her best friend, her beloved best friend. She just loving him as a best friend, not more. It is before she realizes her true feelings toward him, that she loves him more than just as a good friend.