The Gimbap Project

Chapter 28 Declaration

"Hong Hae-in!"

The instant Hae-in collapsed on the field, Hyun Woo's heart nearly stopped as the panic surged through him. Before he knew it, he was pushing his way through the gathering crowd before he dropped to his knees beside her, his hands moving frantically to check her over.

"Gwenchana? Are you in pain? Let me see!" the stream of worry-filled questions bubbled from his lips, his voice an octave higher from panic.

At that moment, nothing else mattered. All he could see was Hae-in wincing in pain, and he didn't like it one bit. His hands worked carefully but urgently, pressing around her ankle to assess the injury.

"Baek Hyun Woo..." Hae-in whispered, and he felt his heart hammer faster.

She sounded almost...alarmed.

"Wae?" He asked as he continued to examine her ankle, oblivious to anything else. "What hurts? Just tell me."

"...the whole school is watching."

Like a deer caught in headlights, Hyun Woo froze, momentarily stunned by her words. Glancing up, he realised they were indeed surrounded by their peers, all eyes trained on them in varying degrees of shock, envy, and contempt.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was the low hum of murmurs rippling through the crowd, whispers that became sharper and louder with every second as their classmates openly talked about them – more specifically, about her.

Instantly, his face darkened drastically.

"Seriously? Are they dating? How did the Ice Queen of Hanil get her hands on Baek Hyun Woo?"

"It's not fair! What's someone like her doing with him?"

"Ugh, please. She's cold as ice, and he's with her? It doesn't make sense! He should be with me!"

"No way! They can't be dating. Who would want to date Hong Hae-in?"

There were one too many snide remarks made towards Hong Hae-in for Hyun Woo's liking and it certainly didn't help that most were fuelled by jealousy.

Seriously, what's wrong with everyone?

How could they be so petty?

Why couldn't they see that he was the one who was undeserving of her?

Every spiteful comment seemed to slice deeper, fuelling Hyun Woo's rising fury. Heat surged behind his eyes as the crowd's words blurred together. The injustice made his blood boil as his heart pounded with the urge to shield Hae-in from it all.

This was his Hae-in they were talking about, and she didn't deserve a single ounce of this hostility.

And he most certainly wasn't going to just stand by and let them tear her down.

Not on his watch.

Rather uncharacteristically, a fierce glint darkened his eyes as a shadow fell over his face. There was a dangerous edge that seemed to harden his features as he leaned closer to Hae-in, his voice coming out low and steely.

"Let them watch," he practically growled.

"Baek Hyun Woo, what are you-?" Hae-in's voice faltered when she caught the intense, protective look in Hyun Woo's eyes.

From where she was on the ground, she could see his jaw clench, with a slight tic pulsing along his jawline.

He looked mad, really mad.