Chapter 6

Hyejin was walking to school with Aerin and Jiyoon while talking with them, but they noticed there was something odd about her today.

"Are you alright, Hyejin? Your face looks a bit red." Aerin asked with an indication of worry in her voice.

"Yes, I'm alright. Probably just because it's a bit cold." Hyejin smiled to assure them she's alright.

"Fancy seeing you three here."

They turned around to see Jinho, Sungmin and Hyunwoo walking to school together for the first time.

"Good morning. It's unlikely to see you three together in the morning." Jiyoon greeted as the three of them stops walking for the other three to catch up.

"Good morning. We just came across each other when I brought my siblings to school." Hyunwoo explained as the three of them caught up to the girls.

"Your face looks flushed, Hyejin. Are you alright?" Hyunwoo asked with a slightly worried tone.

"I'm alright. Just the cold." Hyejin beamed at him.

They continue their walk to school while chatting to each other.

While waiting for their teacher in their classroom, Hyunwoo saw Hyejin was napping on her desk which was rare to happen before being waken up by the classmate beside her when the teacher arrived.

"Is she really alright? It's rare for Hyejin to sleep in class." Hyunwoo pondered while staring at Hyejin.

"Alright, class. I have an announcement. It's almost time the final exam for our first semester. Study hard, but not too hard. Take care of yourself as well."

The next day, Hyejin was focused reading some text books and class notes inside her room.

"I want to study with my friends again again, but they might be busy..." Hyejin looked at the window.

Hyejin's thoughts were then cut off short by a someone knocking on the door of her room.

"Noona, I want to go play with Eunjae and Jiseok. Let's go to their house." Junghoo said as he opens the door and entered

"H-Huh? But I'm studying right now and we can't just invite ourselves to their house." Hyejin reminded her little brother.

"But Eunjae and Jiseok also wants to play."

"How'd know? There's no classes today."

"They gave me the telephone number of their house, so I get to talk to them everyday even if we're not at school." Junghoo explained.

"I see... But Hyunwoo's studying at the moment for our exams. We can't disturb him."

"Then the two of you can study together while the three of us can play. We'll be sure to not distract you both."

"I can study with Hyunwoo!" Hyejin finally had one of her wishes answered.

Meanwhile, Hyunwoo was studying in his room and he suddenly heard the doorbell of his house ring.

"Coming." Hyunwoo went to the door and when he opened it, he saw Hyejin and Junghoo, standing in front of him.

"Wha-?!"

"Hello!" Junghoo waved at Hyunwoo who stood there, stupefied.

"O-Oh! Hi! What are you two doing here?"

"Huh? Your siblings haven't told you? Junghoo wanted to come here and play with them. They gave us the address."

"Come in... Sorry, my siblings had to give you both trouble to go here." Hyunwoo apologized, making Hyejin giggle.

"No, it's alright. I wanted to study with you, anyways."

"Junghoo!" Eunjae and Jiseok walked out of their room and ran to Junghoo so they can start playing.

"You look flushed." Hyunwoo noticed Hyejin's red cheeks once again.

"I do? It's a bit cold right now."

"By the way, do you want to go study together?" Hyejin asked, taking out three notebooks from her tote bag.

"Yeah, sure. In fact, I was studying at my room when the two of you arrived. Where do you want to study?"

"Anywhere is fine. Let's study at your room if you want since you were there earlier, but I'm also fine studying here." Hyejin suggested with a smile on her face.

"If you prefer less noise when studying, maybe we can study at my room... If that really is completely fine with you."

"Yes. It's completely fine with me." Hyejin nodded.

"Junghoo, Hyunwoo and I are going to study at his room. If you need me or want to go home, just come to this room."

"Okay!" Junghoo said before he started playing again with Eunjae and Jiseok.

"Your room is so clean~" Hyejin had a satisfied smile on her face when she entered.

"Is it? I only clean my room once every week or so." Hyunwoo blushed while scratching his cheek.

"I only have one chair. You can sit on my bed or sit on that chair in front of the table. Anywhere is fine for me, so the choice is up to you."

"I'll sit on the bed if you really don't mind." Hyejin said as she sat on the side of the bed.

"Oh, of course I don't mind."

"What subject do you want to study, by the way?" Hyunwoo asked while he showed his three books on the table.

"Let's study what you were studying before I arrived."

"I was studying math. There were some lessons I still don't understand..." Hyunwoo nervously laughed as he pointed at the lessons he was struggling with.

"I can teach you with that." Hyejin motioned her hand to call Hyunwoo to get to her.

Hyunwoo moved his chair close to Hyejin and she started teaching him while he listens attentively.

"Let's take this as an example. A cylinder has a diameter of 10mm and length of 40mm. It's density is 0.51 g/mm³. Try to find the mass."

"Okay."

While Hyunwoo was solving the math problem, Hyejin was watching him from the side.

"This. I don't know what to do next on this part." Hyunwoo said with a clueless face and an imaginary question mark on top of his head.

"I'll teach you from this part then since the steps you did earlier were correct." Hyejin offered.

Almost two hours passed and Hyejin gave Hyunwoo a sheet of paper with practice questions she wrote for him to answer.

"I'm done. You can check my answers—" The moment Hyunwoo turned around, he saw Hyejin sitting with her eyes closed on his bed and her head on the headrest.

"Was I... Was I hard to teach...?" Hyunwoo sweatdropped while he scratched his cheek.

"I should let her lie down on my bed with a more comfortable position. I can't let her sleep like that... Haha..."

A few minutes passed, Hyunwoo was sitting on his chair while he reads a book when Hyejin suddenly hugged him from behind.

"Hm? Hyejin? Is there something wrong?" Hyunwoo turned around to see Hyejin whose face was sweating and deep red.

"Hyejin, you're sweating and blushing. Are you sick?" Hyunwoo asked as he puts his hand on her forehead.

"Your temperature is high..." Hyunwoo had a very concerned expression on his face as he tries to make Hyejin let go of him.

"You're so small... It's so cute..." Hyejin hugged Hyunwoo even more tighter than earlier while he tried getting rid of her.

"What?" Hyunwoo clearly had a confused and concerned expression on his face as Hyejin also squeezed his cheeks.

"To think I'd see Hyunwoo as a kid..." Hyejin giggled with a satisfied expression on her face.

"... She's having mental confusions... is she?" Hyunwoo tried to get rid of Hyejin's hands on his cheeks.

Suddenly, Hyunwoo's chair started leaning backwards as Hyejin got her face closer to Hyunwoo's.

"H-Hyejin?" Hyunwoo's cheeks blushed deep red.

Hyejin was on the verge of kissing him and Hyunwoo was too stunned to speak nor stop her.

Hyejin later woke up and saw Hyunwoo sitting on his chair who seemed to be thinking of something while looking at the window.

"Hyunwoo, sorry, I fell asleep here." Hyejin apologized as she sat up.

"N-No... It's alright." Hyunwoo said while he avoids eye contact.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Not too long. But you have a fever. I called your big brother already and he's on his way. I'll get you some water you can wait here." Hyunwoo said before walking out of the room.

"Thank you."

While Hyejin's arm was underneath Hyunwoo's pillow and she suddenly felt something slide underneath the pillow before falling down to the floor. She looks at the floor and saw a container full of tablets inside of it.

"Lorazepam? What is this for?" Hyejin read the container label as she picked it up.

Hyunwoo was on his way back to the room with a glass of water, but before he could enter the room, Hyejin had already returned the container underneath his pillow.

"Here." Hyunwoo handed the glass to Hyejin who smiled at him.

"Thank you again." Hyejin smiled.

"Haha, it was nothing. Compared to you, teaching me, I did nothing." Hyunwoo looked away once again.

"Haha, allow me to appreciate every thing you do, Hyunwoo."

The doorbell rang and the two already knew it was Hyejin's older brother, Minjin who was there to pick her and Junghoo up.

"Your older brother is here. Do you need any help to walk?" Hyunwoo asked, sounding concerned.

"No. I can walk."

Hyunwoo went to the door to open it where he saw Minjin, towering above Hyunwoo.

"Nice to see you again, Hyunwoo. Where's Hyejin and Junghoo?"

"I still can't get used to being intimidated by him..." Hyunwoo thought to himself as he started sweating profusely.

"Hyejin's taking a rest at my room while Junghoo's still playing with my siblings at my younger siblings' room. I can go get them, please come in." Hyunwoo stuttered at some parts, but managed to keep his stand.

"No, there's no need to. I'm only here to pick up those two."

"Okay..."

Hyunwoo walked inside the room beside his room and saw his siblings and Junghoo sleeping together.

Hyejin walked out of Hyunwoo's room while carrying her tote bag.

"Where's Junghoo, Hyunwoo?" Hyejin asked while she looks around.

"Oh, he's sleeping here. Your brother is waiting for you both outside." Hyunwoo said and he carefully picks up Junghoo.

The two arrived at the doorstep and Minjin's eyes were fixed at Hyunwoo, making him tremble a bit.

"Thank you, for taking care of my younger siblings, Hyunwoo. The next time Hyejin comes here, I'll make sure she brings food for you three." Minjin pats Hyunwoo's head as he takes Junghoo.

"O-Oh, there's no need to, really. I just did what I'm supposed to do in a situation like this." Hyunwoo awkwardly laughed.

Hyunwoo wanted Minjin's hand off of his head, but Hyunwoo couldn't stop him because he lacked the courage.

After some time talking, they said their goodbyes and the three heads home. Hyejin was on the passenger seat of the car and was in deep thought.

"You seem bothered, Hyejin. Did Hyunwoo dump you or something?"

"N-No! It's nothing like that!"

"What happened then?"

"You studied pharmacy in college, right? What's Lorazepam for?" Hyejin asked, gaining Minjin's full attention.

"Lorazepam's used for panic or anxiety attacks, and sleeping disorders caused by anxiety. What's about it?"

"I found a container of it in Hyunwoo's room... Does that mean he has one of the things you said?"

"He does, I think. If he doesn't, there'd be no reason for him to keep those." Minjin said making Hyejin's eyes widen.

"Either way, take care of him. I can already tell he's someone dear to you."

On the other hand, Hyunwoo just finished cooking dinner for his siblings and went to sleep early.

Hyunwoo was having trouble sleeping, writhing left and right, and making a pained expression on his face while holding his head.

"Damn it..."

Images of a car heading towards Hyunwoo flashes, and he grits his teeth. Before the car could hit Hyunwoo, another car slams into the car that was heading towards him.

The last three people Hyunwoo saw was his mother crashing her car, right in front of the car where two men sat in front. One of the men was someone familiar to him.

Even if the car heading towards Hyunwoo was stopped, something still hit him.

Hyunwoo screams and when he opened his eyes, his hand was extended towards the ceiling, tears were rapidly falling out of his eyes, and he was desperately gasping for air.

Sitting up straight, Hyunwoo looked underneath his pillow and saw the container of lorazepam tablets.

After taking a single tablet and swallowing it without a single drop of water, Hyunwoo's body drops back to his bed and closed his eyes.