he school's bells were ringing, indicating that the school day was about to start. A few students who found themselves late started running senselessly to their respectful classes, dreading detention which would be an absolute future for them if they were found late for class.

Though it didn’t seem to be the case with one particular student.

Despite the ruckus his friends were creating by running all around to their classes for the sake of their lives (or at least their extra time to play after school), the one guy who was coolly sitting on his GP edition motorcycle back at the school’s parking lot didn’t seem to be interested to join. He seemed to have a hell LOT more important things to do and think about rather than attending some stupid classes he’ll never find any use of anyway. It was written all over his handsome face. After all, it would be really, very, and totally weird if THE Choi Jun Hong would ever care about school and classes. Tch, he wouldn’t even be attending one if it wasn’t for his ever-bossy grandfather, who ― by the way ― owned the very school Jun Hong was attending.

Jun Hong yawned, acting as too-cool-for-school as ever. He looked around. No one seemed to be in sight; most probably already in class right now.

“Well, that seems to be my cue,” Jun Hong said to himself as he lazily got up from his motorcycle, slung his backpack over his left shoulder, and started walking casually toward the school building, as if he was trying to show that he was the boss around; even when nobody was really around at the time.

Having the determination to keep an image, Jun Hong had always put on his poker face to everyone: his schoolmates, his teachers, even his grandfather! With an exception of the Jung twins, of course. So when he reached the hallways and met a couple of first year students on the way, he did so as he always did; putting the best cold expression he could as long as possible ― even though truthfully, his heart cried while he stepped his feet through the hallways he used to walk through together with his best friends: Jung Chae and Jung Hee, who weren’t able to walk on his sides and poke fun with him anymore right now.

“Gosh, Jun Hong sunbae is really cool and handsome!” A girl squealed behind Jun Hong, loud enough for him to hear. Jun Hong smirked underestimatingly.

“I know, right! Too bad he was so cold to everyone, except for his best friends, Jung Hee and Jung Chae sunbae,” another answered.

Jun Hong’s heart almost stopped beating along with his steps. No, please, don’t talk about them. please… he begged inwardly. Too bad the hoobaes didn’t seem to be able to hear his heart’s cry.

“I even heard that he liked Jung Hee sunbae, seeing he was so nice only to her and instead was extremely pranky around Jung Chae sunbae…”

Screw it. If Jun Hong didn’t remember who he was and where he was, he might’ve already punched those freaking gossip girls.

“Shhh!!! Have some respect, will you?! Didn’t you hear that Jung Chae sunbae passed away a few days ago?!”

Bless you, first year student.

“Omo, really?!! Oh my goodness, I didn’t know!” The second girl squeaked, realizing her mistake.

A sigh escaped Jun Hong’s lips. Oh yeah, what was he doing standing around listening to some irresponsible first years’ gossips again? Even as useless the classes were, it seemed like attending class and listening to the never-ending lectures the teachers were doing was much more worth of his time compared to standing around in the middle of the hallways like an idiot and listening to some immature blabbers.

Jun Hong shook his head. He really needed to get to class now.

***

“Choi Jun Hong, you are late! Again!!”

Jun Hong scratched his earlobe. He was frustrated and desperate all night long, and as if it wasn’t enough, this teacher chose to greet him by screaming right after he stepped the first step inside the class.

But as bad as it was, it wasn’t the end, of course. Same old, same old… Jun Hong thought.

“Just how on earth can you make the same mistakes over and over again?! How old are you exactly?! Why can’t you manage yourself?! I don’t care what position you have in this school, but next time I’ll really call yo-…”

“I stayed late at the funeral last night.” Jun Hong said tonelessly. He knew his voice was starting to tremble, and his eyes were starting to get hotter, but he tried his best to keep them in.

Good thing for him was that the second he spoke that very simple sentence, his teacher, and practically his whole class went silent.

Of course, they knew perfectly what Jun Hong was talking about.

The female teacher ― who looked like she was in her mid-50s ― was left dumbfounded for a while, along with her students, before waking up into reality a few moments later. She cleared in awkwardness a few times, trying to lure out the time for her to find the right words to say.

“O-oh… alright then. Y-you may be-… may be seated. Uhm… let’s just-… let’s just continue on our lesson, s-shall we?” She stuttered, obviously trying to hide her guilt and embarrassment for directly screaming at the school owner’s grandson plus only heir.

Without saying anything, Jun Hong quickly found the way to his seat. And without anyone’s consent, his sad eyes trailed to the two empty seats in front of him: Jung Chae and Jung Hee’s seat.

“You brats. How can you guys just go off leaving me alone to your freaking asses content?” He whispered inside before finally taking out his books and started copying the notes written on the board up front.

Truth to be told, Jun Hong was trying his absolute best to concentrate on the lesson so that he could somehow… somehow get his mind off the two unpresent occupants of the seats right in front of him.

But he just couldn’t do it.

“Argh!” Jun Hong grumbled, messing his already-messy hairdo in frustration. Silently, he glanced at the clock hanging from above the white board.

‘Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.’

The continuous rhythm of the ticking clock went in through Jun Hong’s right ear and went out through his left ear, passing through his messed up mind on the way.

It’s killing him, seriously.

He’s going to go crazy, really.

Jun Hong massaged his temples. “Please, not now…“ he mumbled to himself. Jun Hong didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be too drowned inside his best friends’ memories. At least not now. Not when he was supposed to be normal and keep his poker face image in front of everyone.

The boy let out a sigh before biting his lips. He lowered his head, plastering his forehead to his hands on his desk, trying to hide his reddening face and trembling lips.

No… no… he couldn’t take it anymore

Suddenly, the whole classroom was surprised by the sound of a table being banged by someone.

Well, well, who else would it be aside from Jun Hong?

“CHOI JUN HONG!!!”

See, the teacher seemed to be really mad right now. Sure, after holding back her angers earlier because Jun Hong had a good excuse for coming in late, she sure was only this close to exploding literally out of anger when the boy ― once again ― troubled her class session.

“I’m going.” Jun Hong tonelessly announced, making the whole class gasp; while the teacher up front seemed to have both her eyes almost falling out from their sockets.

Swiftly, he dumped his things inside his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and started making his way out from the classroom.

“Jun Hong! CHOI JUN HONG!!” The pissed teacher screamed angrily. Seriously, this troublemaker… “GET BACK IN HERE OR I’LL REPORT YOU TO MR. CHAIRMAN!!”

At those words, Jun Hong’s steps came to a sudden halt. The teacher behind him slyly smirked in victory.

“You wouldn’t want that, now, would you?” Thinking that she was now holding his ace card, her chin lifted up higher and higher to the point she was directly threatening the boss’s grandson.

But she was wrong. Dead wrong.

Still having his back on the teacher and the whole classroom, nobody really saw Jun Hong smirking sarcastically at the cheap threat his teacher just bombed him with.

“Do as you please.” He said, loud enough for everyone to hear, before once again continuing with his delayed steps, leaving his teacher and his whole class slacking their jaws off to the floor.

***

The weather was beautiful outside: the sun was shining warmly, the sky was pretty much blue, and the wind was blowing ever so calmly. The flowers at the park were blooming everywhere, attracting the attention of passersby to stop for a minute and admire the beautiful art of nature. Inside the park, a few couples were walking together hand-in-hand, igniting jealousy to the people who saw them just because of the happy faces they showed while being in the arms of the people they loved.

Though, not all of them looked that way.

Despite the tensing love atmosphere that was blowing along with the wind, one particular couple didn’t exactly put on much happy expression as the other couples, even when in terms of looks, the couple would score way higher than the others, thanks to their divine looks.

Of course, who would it be aside from Jung Hee and Lu Han?

Earlier, Jung Hee had nodded almost absentmindedly at Lu Han’s offer to take her for a walk to the park, sending Lu Han into his widest smiling state eversince Jung Hee’s accident occurred. Well, poor Lu Han just thought that he finally managed to get through his fiance’s shocked and traumatic mentality, and was simply very delighted that she finally gave a good response to him ― you know, after the completely wordless situations she had put him through during the time she was still in her lifeless and soulless state?

Honestly? Lu Han still wanted to smile some more right now; unfortunately, he had found it to be disrespectable if he would smile about his own joys when his future wife was still very much unable to smile, seemingly having her soul drifting away from her body ― again.

Lu Han sighed; his mouth puffing out a small ball of white air, signaling that it was still very early in spring, yes, and that the scent of winter still haven’t completely lost its touch yet, coloring the fine spring breeze with a tint of frozen air.

He glanced at the figure sitting motionlessly on the wheelchair he was pushing: Jung Hee; as quiet and passive as ever. Lu Han didn’t know why, but somehow, he sensed that something major was going on with her today (not that she didn’t have ‘something major going on’ before, but it was just that he thought today was different), and he was dying to know what it was. It was as if she was thinking about something, and didn’t want to share it with anybody else…

Nonsense. Lu Han shook his thoughts off. She had always shared her burdens with him all this while, hadn’t she? What’s so different that it would result in Jung Hee keeping a secret from him now?

At this point, Lu Han just wanted to laugh at himself. Since when did he become such a pathetic, possessive fiancé to Jung Hee that wouldn’t be able to sleep in peace before digging up her privacy to its last bits? No, he wouldn’t want to be a bad husband-to-be for her, now, wouldn’t he?

“Oh? Jung Hee!!”

Both Lu Han and Jung Hee looked up, finding a quite familiar face in a distance.

Jun Hong.

Still dressed in his school uniform, and his bag over his shoulder. Seemed like he just got off school… or ditched it.

Lu Han had recognized this guy being with Jung Chae and also his Jung Hee during the few times he had picked her up off school. Also, he had recognized the boy to be the very same boy that stayed late with Jung Hee and her family last night at the funeral. For instant, Lu Han had recognized the boy to be the infamous Choi Jun Hong, the so-called childhood friend of both Jung Hee and Jung Chae.

Slowly but sure, Lu Han trailed the boy’s steps as he half-ran toward their direction. Oh, no… toward Jung Hee’s direction.

“Jung Hee…” Jun Hong’s voice trailed off as he realized the presence of the certain male being who was standing behind her. His seemingly worried face started to wear off, blown away by the wind. “Oh, hello, Lu Han hyungnim…”

Lu Han gulped at the sight of this boy ― what was his name again? ― Choi Jun Hong, who greeted and bowed at him only after he recognized that he was behind Jung Hee this whole time, just now. Truthfully, right now Lu Han was trying as hard as possible to gulp down all the jealousies that seemed to have just struck him just now at the sight of Jun Hong behavior toward his fiancé.

“He just… didn’t know me that well… yeah. Maybe he was just worried about Jung Hee…” Lu Han tried to convince himself.

But of course, he did it for nothing.

“You’re… Jun Hong, Choi Jun Hong, am I right?” Lu Han asked, trying to divert his jealous mind to something else. Jun Hong nodded. “It’s nice to meet you here,” Lu Han smiled at him.

No, of course it couldn’t be a sincere smile, but seeing the way Jun Hong also forced his smile somehow, a bit of Lu Han’s guilt faded away.

Just then, Jung Hee ― who hasn’t been saying a word ― tugged on Jun Hong’s clothing, garnering the attention of both the good looking boys she was with.

“Did you ditch school?” She asked Jun Hong using her sign language. Lu Han knew what her language meant after learning it for awhile, and it seemed like Jun Hong have also been used to the language, proved by the fact that he answered it straight away.

“Yeah, I did,” he answered, earning a light hit from the now-pouting Jung Hee. “Class isn’t fun!” He reasoned, earning another hit.

Lu Han could only watch the two’s close interactions. He believed that both Jun Hong and Jung Hee only considered each other as close childhood friends, but he just couldn’t dismiss the thought that there was always a possibility that one of them might like the other in a manor more intimate than 'just friends'. So again and again, Lu Han tried hard to swallow his jealousies away, reasoning that he has got to start believing in Jung Hee and also being friendly with her friends.

But his manly instinct wouldn’t let him do so

Seriously, it’s starting to get onto his right mind

If this continues, Lu Han swore it would cost him his sanity

And in the end, he finally decided that he wasn’t ready to trust Jung Hee alone with her ever-close male best friend. After all, there was a reason why male lovers are called ‘boy-friend’, right?

Lu Han pressed his lips into a thin line.

***

“Jung Hee-yah,” Lu Han called his fiance’s name. Jun Hong instantly put both his hands into his pocket, signaling that he was giving Lu Han some room to talk to Jung Hee whereas he would not disturb.

But Jung Hee didn’t flinch.

Strangely.

Jun Hong knitted his eyebrows together.

“Jung Hee-yah,” Lu Han called her name once more, but to no avail. Jung Hee seemed to still have her mind lost and wandering off somewhere at the moment. This had made Jun Hong’s curiosity grew.

What is up with Jung Hee today?

“Jung Hee-yah!” He called her for the third time. Fortunately, she answered this time.

Jung Hee turned her head to Lu Han’s direction; her eyes seemed to be full of confusion or whatnots. It’s almost if… she wasn’t herself at the moment.

Jun Hong wondered why.

“Do you want some ice cream over there?” The older male asked lovingly.

Jun Hong was sure as hell that Lu Han expected an instant answer from her, but instead, Jung Hee blinked a few times first, as if considering the idea, before finally nodding; almost invisibly. Hence, Lu Han seemed to be satisfied only with Jung Hee accepting his offer.

“Then, we’ll be going first, Jun Hong-sshi,”

Jun Hong could only force a smile as he returned Lu Han’s parting smile; while deep in his heart, Jun Hong knew something was not quite right with Jung Hee’s behavior today.

And he wanted to know why ― No… he needed to know why.

As Jun Hong trailed the couple as they drifted away from him, suddenly his phone rang.

Without even tearing his gaze off Jung Hee and Lu Han, Jun Hong answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Is this Mr. Choi Jun Hong?” The voice asked. Feeling like he didn’t know the seemingly middle-aged man who owned the voice he just talked to, Jun Hong took the phone off his ear for a second to check the caller’s ID.

An unknown number. Great.

“Yes, that would be me. Who is this?”

“Ah, yes. Sorry for the inconvenience. I am Detective Cha from the police bureau, and I called for you regarding the accident that happened to Miss Jung Hee and Jung Chae ― your schoolmates, I believe,”

The phone almost slipped off Jun Hong’s grip.

“Sir, we will need you to come to the office,”