SpartAce I: School Love Affair

Hyung's young love

Music echoes inside the four walls of the music room as Ji Hyo's fingers hovers all over the piano keys, faster, more accurate and graceful than ever before.

The beautiful sound she is making fills her mind with enthusiasm, and ger heart seems to be beating faster as a wide smile crosses her face.

She glances at Gary and sees that he is smiling, too, encouraging her to continue.

She'd never had this much interest in piano before, but now, hearing the music she is producing, something seems to grow inside her.

Something like indescribable interest.

She looks back to the piano keys and caught something in her vision.

She looks up at it again and abruptly stops playing.

Miss Lee An,  her piano mentor, is standing right at the sixe of the stage, just watching her.

"Miss Lee An. ", she greets as she immediately gets up to her feet.

The woman draws closer to her. "I thought you've gotten worser in the days you have not came here. ", she says.

"I'm sorry, maam. ", she says.

"But it seems like the break did something good to you. "

She looks up at her mentor, confused at what she was saying. "Huh? "

"I've never heard you play that good before. "

Her eyes brightened at the compliment, and she looks at Gary, who gives her a thumbs up.

"Is he your friend? ", Miss Lee An asks with a smile.

She nods.

"I thought you never had one, since i never saw you with anyone before. "

She smiles, happy to say that she finally have. "I met some recently. Six of them, actually. "

"No wonder you look a lot brighter. I thought you don't know how to smile."

"Oh. I only didn't because i thought you would be mad. ", she explains.

"I was just serious because you were. "

"Oh. ", she says and chuckles. It is funny to think that they never had been close before just because both of them thought that the other is strict.

"I have to go, Ji Hyo-ah. ", Gary says, standing up from the bench and heading towards the door.

She waves at him, and he responds with the same gesture.

He bows at the mentor before going out of the door.

One lunch time, when Ji Hyo is heading towards the cafeteria, Eun Hye catches up with her.

"Hello, Ji Hyo-ssi. ", she greets with a smile.

"Hello. ", she says coldly, having lost her mood upon thinking that she can not see Jong Han again.

It has been a week since she last saw her.

"You seem snobbish. ", she says as they enter the cafeteria and gets their food in a try.

"I get that a lot. ", she says as she receibes her soup.

"Ji Hyo Noona! Over here! ", Joong Ki calls her to the table that he and the others are occupying.

She heads towards there with Eun Hye, and sits lifelessly next to Gary, who moves closer to Kwang Soo to give her space to sit.

Eun Hye, on the other hand, sits next to Jong Kook.

"What 's wrong? ", Gary asks.

"Nothing. ", she says, since she can not really tell them that she misses someone else's sister.

She just stuff a lot of food on her mouth so the others will not ask question from her.

"Your aunt still giving you a hard time? ", Jong Kook suddenly asks, almost receiving a grudging response from Ji Hyo.

She does not want to talk when she's pissed off, but she holds it in and answers him.

"Not really good, but better than before. ", she says.

"But she's still deciding your schedule like a manager? "

"Yes. ", she answers. She meets his gaze and sees that he actually wants to know when she'll be going to Jong Han.

There is desperation in his eyes, as if Jong Han is really giving him a hard time looking for me.

"You should get out of her clutches again. ", he says.

"It's something i can't escape, Hyung. No matter what happens, she'll still be my aunt. ", she says in a surrendering tone.

"Well, you're right. You can't deny your family, after all. ", he agress and just continues eating.

"But Jong Kook-ah.. ", Jae Suk calls.

"Hmm? "

"You really gotten used to Ji Hyo calling you Hyung, haven't you? You did not even react to it. "

"Ahh. Right. ", Jong Kook says, as if he has just noticed it himself. "I did not even notice it. "

Ji Hyo smiles mischievously.

"Why do you refuse to call me o-op---", he stops himself. "Ahh, it's even getting weird for me recommending that to her. "

"You should, Ji Hyo-ah.. Even Eun Hye calls him oppa. ", Jae Suk says, transferring the attention to the silently eating Eun Hye.

Ji Hyo notices the uncomfortable glance of the ex couple at each other before looking away.

"Ahh.. yes. ", Eun Hye says shyly.

"Hyung, how can you compare Eun Hye-ssi to Ji Hyo Noona?", Kwang Soo asks with a mischievous smile and points Ji Hyo. "She's one of the boys, it's just right to for her to call him hyung. "

"Yah! ", Ji Hyo snaps as the other agree, laughing. She extends her arm to hit Kwang Soo, making Gary lean back to avoid being hit.

"See, hyung? Her hand is as strong as a AAAAAAAH! ", he yells as she pinches his sideburns and pulls it.

"Now i know why you hang out with these guys, Ji Hyo-ssi. ", Eun Hye says, having fun at what she's seeing.

"No, i did not really choose to hang out with them. It's just that they drag me with them everytime they see me.", she says.

"Ehhy.. Admit it, Noona. You've grown comfortable with us. "

She gives Kwang Soo a glare, which makes his smile disappear. "Yah, you wanna die? "

"No. ", he says, suddenly having a lot of interest in his food.

"Oppa. ", Eun Hye says to Jong Kook, who looks at her in surprise.

"Hm? ", he answers as he looks away.

"I had been curious since i got back in town.. you know, the burger shop that we used to go to before. Is it still there? ", she asks.

Jong Kook's gaze suddenly focus on nothing on the table, as if he is seeing something that is only in his mind. But he immediately snaps out of it.

"It got turned into a vegetable shop after the place got sold. ", he answers, not looking at Eun Hye.

"Ahh. Too bad. I used to be so fond of that place. ", she says with a smile.

But, as Ji Hyo looks at Jong Kook, she seems to have read some of his expressions.

She is good at concealing her true emotions herself, and that expression in Jong Kook's face has been seen a lot in hers, so she kind of guessed what hebis feeling at the moment.

She could have never expected to see this in Jong Kook, but right now he seems to be uncomfortable.

These two, despite their young age, must have deeply felt affectionate into each other before that it left an unfading mark in the both of them even until now that they have grown.

And staring at them, Ji Hyo wonders how it could have felt, and why she allowed herself to miss out in experiencing such love when she was younger.