“I told you, you don’t need to do this,” I grumbled as Gongchan fixed my dark red bow. He brushed off any dust from my black stockings and polished my shoes. He always did this whenever I walked into a building, he would immediately fix my appearance whether it needed to be or not.

“Please let me do this much, for I am here to serve,” Gongchan smiled as he redid my bow. His face was unnaturally close to mine that I had to look up at the ceiling. The top of his hair would tickle my chin slightly.

“Done,” Gongchan looked up to see my slightly red cheeks. His eyes filled with worry. He then touched my forehead and came closer to my face.

“Do you feel ill?” He asked me. I then pushed him away quickly. I patted my chest to make sure my heart beat went down to its normal rate.

“I’m fine!!!” I snapped unintentionally. What was wrong with me? Gongchan looked up to see my blushed face. Something seemed to click in his head.

He got on one knee and bowed to me. “I apologize for getting ahead of myself. I should not have touched Lady Jiwon’s precious skin when I am merely a servant,” Gongchan looked up with a warm smile. It panged me even more to see that he covered his own shock and hurt with that smile.   

“Did you see that?”

“hitting her attendant like that…”

“Well, her family does own massive hospitals and doctors, any damage inflicted can be cured,”

 “Haha, that is very cruel way to put it”

I clenched my fists and walked away.

‘Just why, why can’t I just act normally?!’ I muttered inside my head.

“Ladies, I thank you for your concern for a servant like me, but please refrain from blessing Lady Jiwon with such harsh cruel words. They are unfitting and…I would advise you to stop it,” Gongchan’s sweet voice turned sharp. I turned around to see him bowing to the ladies who had expressions of shock. Gongchan then walked towards me.

“You have British literature first, my lady,” Gongchan gestured towards the right wing of the school. He looked as if nothing was wrong just like always. I gave him a glance, and then walked briskly without even acknowledging him. Gongchan though followed me obediently. When we got to an empty hallway, I turned around to face Gongchan.

“What’s with you? Always, always, always accepting my cruel words and actions. Always defending me when it was my fault. Why don’t you quit already?” I was sick and tired already of this act, of this charade.

“Please forgive my rudeness,” Gongchan said to me. Then, he suddenly pulled me into a dark corner of the hallway. Hidden in the shadows, he tightened his grasp on my hand.

“Lady Jiwon, please do not talk like we are strangers. Don’t act like I mean nothing to you. We have been together for over ten years. I’ve seen the true you. I’ve seen you develop and grow. Only I know you so please let me be by your side,” Gongchan whispered those last words into my ears and gently pushed himself back.

He bowed again. “I do apologize, I should have restrained myself more, but I could not bear seeing you in pain,”

I just stood there in a daze. My heart beat was accelerating rather quickly. When did I feel like this whenever Gongchan touched me?

“It’s fine,” I mumbled out without looking at Gongchan in the eye. However, his eyes twinkled as the corners of his mouth widened. I then gradually smiled. If I could, although I couldn’t help anyone, I would always want to preserve that smile.

*****

“Flip to the next page,” the professor said as she walked around the room. Gongchan reached over gracefully with a good amount of distance to turn the page of my book. I moved my hand away so that he would have an easier time.

“There will be no need, please be comfortable,” Gongchan whispered to me. I unintentionally pouted a little. He spoiled me too much. All the other boys and girls did not complain as their servants as well turned their pages. In Yonsei High, the students would sit at these long, tall tables that were about three meters apart. There would be usually only two of them per room: one for the girls and one for the boys. The servants would stand behind them and turn pages, and attend to other needs. I sat in the very last seat, detached from the rest of the class.

I dozed off slightly as the girl next to me was reading the next paragraph of Romeo and Juliet. I twirled the dark red ribbon around my collar.

“Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name!” one of the girls read on with her high pitched voice.

‘Well he kinda can’t get another name, he was born with it’ I smirked to myself. ‘But it would be nice to free oneself from any responsibility,’ I entertained myself with the thought as Gongchan kept whispering my name.

“Ms. Sung, for the third time, please finish this paragraph!” The professor’s sharp voice rang and brought me to the class room. I saw a lot of students snickering. I narrowed my eyes and scanned the page we were on. Gongchan slyly indicated where I should be. I cleared my throat and starting reciting,

“What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee take all myself,”

‘Jeez what a love confession,’ I thought to myself.

“I take thee at thy word:” a voice answered to me. The professor had not even assigned the next person to do the reading. We all turned our heads to see a new face at the door of the classroom. He wore the male school uniform: white suit with a dark red tie that matched the girl’s bows and polished black shoes. He also had the smell of apples around him.

However, most students were looking at the boy’s face. Those golden locks and chocolate eyes created the most angelic face in the school. It was almost as if he had come out of the book.

As if everyone was thinking, so that’s where you were, Romeo.