SpartAce I: School Love Affair

Deceived

Ji Hyo climbs up to the rooftop the school building after all of their classes, seeking for peace and quiet.

It is still an hour before her piano lessons.

She stares down the field, where some students are playing soccer.

Then she recognizes three of those players.

Jong Kook, Dong Hoon and Kwang Soo.

She watches the three play.

"Ji Hyo-ah. "

She almost gasps in surprise on someone who suddenly arrived.

Gary chuckles at her reaction, making her annoyed.

"Yah! ", she snaps heatedly.

Gary leans on the railings next to her. "What are you doing here? ", he asks.

She looks around, making sure that no one can see them.

"No one's around. ", Gary assures her. "Who cares if there is, anyway. ", he adds.

"I care! ", she answers.

"Why? Why do you care so much about what other people say? "

"Because i'm tired of being the topic of interest on most of their free time. "

"Oh, come on! I thought you were too cool to care. ", he says.

"Well, i'm not. ", she admits.

"Ji Hyo-ah, it's time for you to break those walls down and not be afraid of people. ", Gary advices.

She pauses, considering Gary's words.

In fact, she had been wanting to do that. She just does not know how to.

It reminds her again of what these guys did for her for the past couple of days.

On the night that she almost got bullied by those girls, they were running around yelling out her name, looking for her.

She had never heard someone yell her name those many times, that desperately.

They even sat for almost two hours listening to her aunt's sweat-breaking rants and fake statements.

They stick up with her despite of her bossy attitude.

And she could not figure out why these guys are doing all of those things when it is just so easy to stay away from her.

"Oh! ", Gary says in surprise, cutting her chain of thoughts.

She follows his gaze and sees what is happening.

Kwang Soo and Dong Hoon are running towards Jong Kook, who is now sitting on the grassy ground, holding his knee.

She remembers that he injured his knee on the night that she got dragged out into the woods.

Feeling a bit guilty and responsible, she runs back in and down the stairs.

"Ji Hyo-ah, where are you going?! ", Gary asks as he follows her.

When she descends the last step of the first floor stairs, she stops as she sees Jong Kook limping towards the clinic's direction. Gary stops right next to her, too.

"I'm fine! I'm fine. ", he says as he waves Dong Hoon and Kwang Soo away.

"Are you sure? ", Kwang Soo asks.

"Yes. ", he says and turns his back on them.

"He looks okay to me. ", Gary says as they both stare at Jong Kook's retreating back.

She sighs and just heads towards the opposite direction.

"Where are you going? ", Gary asks as he walk next to her.

"The music room. "

"You got piano lesson today? "

"Yes. "

"Ahh. "

They walk silently, but Ji Hyo looks at Gary, wondering why he is still following her.

"What? ", he asks.

"Why are you still following me? "

"I'm walking you to the music room. "

"Why? ", she asks.

He pauses as if trying to think of an answer then shrugs. "I don't know. It just seems like the right thing to do. ", he answers.

She looks at him strangely and does not asks further questions.

"Here you go. ", Gary says the moment they reach the Music Room. "Ji Hyo, bye-bye. ", he says with a simple wave of the hand.

She nods and watches him walk back to where they came.

She enters the music room and settles on the bench in front of the piano.

Sge fiddles with some notes and plays a short piece.

But she abruptly stops.

She gets up and hastily gets out of the Music Room.

She enters the clinic and sees that the school doctor isn't around.

Her eyes darts to the beds and sees Jong Kook sitting in one, his legs sprawled over comfortably.

"Oh, Ji Hyo-ah. What are you doing here? ", he asks.

She freezes in her spot, taken aback by the question. She came in too hurriedly that she forgot to think it is too weird to barge in like this.

"Uhh.. ", she looks around for an excuse, her eyes scanning.

Until she thinks of one.

She holds her fist in front of her mouth and starts to cough loudly.

"*cough* *cough* i was supposed to ask for a cough remedy. ", she says.

"Dr. Seuss isn't here though. "

"That's okay. ", she replies as she shrug coldly and draws near Jong Kook. "What happened to you? "

"I just fell while playing soccer."

"Oh, what a whimp. " She grasp Jong Kook's injured knee and grips it.

"Aaaagh! ", he yells and pulls his knee off her hold. "Yah! Why did you do that for? ", he asks.

She steps away, trying to keep a straight face. It seems to be fun teasing him like that. "I was checking if it's now okay. "

"How did you even know which knee is it? ", he asks with a frown as he massages his knee.

"Uh? Uhh.. i just guessed. ", she lies.

"You're really weird, Song Ji Hyo. ", he says, casting her a look.

She shrugs uncaringly.

Suddenly, the door swings open and Gary comes in with a plastic bag.

"Hyung, i only got the ---", he pauses when he sees Ji Hyo. "Ji Hyo-ah. I thought you have piano lessons. ", he says as he paces next to her.

"She came to ask for a cough remedy.", Jong Kook answers for her.

"I did not hear you coughing earlier though? ", Gary asks.

"I was. What are you doing here? ",she asks, looking down at the plastic bag in Gary's hand.

"He came here right after he walked you to the Music Room. I asked him to buy me food.", Jong Kook informs.

Her eyes widens as she looks at Jong Kook. There is a mischievous look in his eyes as he looks at her, and she realizes why.

He knows that.. I know?

Right then and there, she wants to run away or be swallowed whole by a crack right under her feet.