SpartAce I: School Love Affair

Shock

Ji Hyo and Jong kOok stand at the rooftop after class, watching the students below slowly get fewer as they go home one by one.

They had been silent ever since they got there, the air between them hanging, as if they know they have something they have to discuss but neither of them has the guts to open up.

Song Ji Hyo is looking anywhere but him.

Only a few minutes later does she feels Jong Kook's hand slide into hers, making her look up at him.

His dark eyes are focused on hers as if these were looking straight into her soul.

"You're not gonna let their opinion affect us, are you? ", he asks with a hint of worry in his voice.

She wants to say yes, she won't. But she hesitates. She has grown up always considering the opinion of others, and what their friends would say really matters to her.

She sighs and tries to push Jong Kook's hand with her thumb. But his gaze looks down into their hands, the glint of pain on it makes her hesitate in what she is trying to do.

She takes a deep breathe and calms herself. She convinces herself that it's still too early to give up just yet. She'll just have to try harder with Jong Kook.

She grips his hand with hers, and she could see Jong Kook's shoulders relaxing a bit with her gesture.

"We'll find a way to tell them before Kwang Soo does. But we have to break it to them slowly."

He nods. "Yeah. Slowly."

She has no idea how they would do that, but they would have to try hard. And she silently hopes that this heavy feeling inside her gut is totally a wrong hunch.

It has been days since they were busted by Kwang Soo, and ever since then, the guy had been dropping hints to the others whenever he is in a safe distance from the two.

Thankfully, the others just thought of him as a senseless guy who talks about anything that pops up in his head.

One afternoon, they were hanging out in the backyard after class hours when Kwang Soo throws them a nasty look.

Jong Kook and Ji Hyo, who are sitting next to each other, exchange looks.

"Hyung! What about we play a game?", he suggests.

"What game, Kwang Soo-ah? ", Jae Seok asks.

"That better be good. ", Gary sighs in boredom.

"Guess the word! My turn first."

"Eeeehy.", Dong hOon and Seok Jin grunted in complain.

"Come on! ", Kwang Soo insists, his eyes glancing towards Ji Hyo and Jong Kook, who were both staring daggers at him.

"Fine. You start.", Jae Seok agreed.

Kwang Soo grins widely and jumps up from his chair. He positions himself in the middle of the group, right next to Jong Kook. Then he starts making gestures, something about 1 word with two syllables. The others had guessed that far before he starts pointing at Jong Kook and Ji Hyo, whose brows furrowed in confusion.

"Tiger! ", Gary guesses.

"What? ", Jong Kook asks, confused with Gary's guess.

"Lion! ", Joong Ki added.

Ji Hyo's crease in the forehead becomes deeper. She can't figure out if she should be releived that the others aren't guessing right or be mad that they're spouting out nonsense amswers.