SpartAce I: School Love Affair

Scars and Bruises

Ji Hyo has just entered the school early in the morning with a happy heart.

For the first time in a while, her aunt did not come to their house to drive her to school, and she loves the feeling of freedom.

"Your walk is too bouncy for someone who has been slapped three times yesterday. ", someone suddenly says next to her, making her flinch.

It is Jong kook, walking right next to her.

"Yah! How can you sneak up on a person like that?! "

"I did not sneak up on you. And why are you yelling at me? ", he asks.

"I am not! ", she denies.

"Yes, you are! "

"I told you, i'm not! "

"Ye---"

"Yah. Why are you two shouting so early in the morning? ", Jae Suk says as he joins them.

"Oppa. ", Ji Hyo greets.

"She's yelling at me. ", Jong Kook tells Jae Suk.

"I told you, i'm not! "

Jong Kook points at her as he looks at Jae Suk. "Hear that? She's yelling at me! "

"No----! "

"That's enough, both of you. ", Jae Suk says.

Jong Kook gives her a piercing look, and she simply rolls her eyes uncaringly as Jae Suk goes ahead of them.

Then she spots another bruise just under his left eye.

"Did you get hit again? ", Ji Hyo asks.

He turns away to conceal his bruise. "No, i did not. "

"Yah, Kim Jong Kook. Where have you been getting all those bruises? ", she asks.

"Nowhere. ", he says and walks fast.

But she tries to catch up. "Is someone bullying you? ", she asks as she tries to take a look at his face. "Can somebody even bully you? ", she adds as he turns away from her.

"Stop it. ", he says as he keeps turning his face away from her direction, but she keeps following him. "Yah! "

"It looks bad. ", she says.

"You look bad! "

She stops, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"No one has ever told me that. ", she says.

"Glad to be the first. ", he says as he looks at her through the corner of his eyes.

"Your vision must have been affected when you got hit in that eye. ", she says.

"It's crystal clear. ", he insists.

"Then maybe you just have a bad taste for girls. ", she concludes and walks ahead of him.

"What did you say? ", he asks after her, but she does not stop to answer. "Yah! "

She pretends like she did not hear anything.

"That girl, seriously. ", she can hear him mutters to himself.

"Noona. ", Joong kI calls as he catches up to her.

"Yes? "

"What did you do to Jong Kook hyung? He looks annoyed. ", he asks, glancing back at his hyung.

"Nothing. ", she says, his brows furrowing.

Kwang Soo is walking next to Joong Ki, being unusually silent.