EPISODE NINE

The gasps that rippled through the room were a tangible wave as they witnessed Ga Min's sudden leap from the library window. A collective gasp, followed by a flurry of movement, saw them all sprinting towards the now empty space, their hearts drumming a frantic rhythm against their ribs.

Peering down, they saw Kang Tae Oh sprawled on the ground below, his body still and his eyes closed. Kneeling beside him, his fist clenched and impacting the concrete with a resounding thud, was Ga Min.

"That crazy bastard," Hae Soo breathed out, her voice a hushed mix of shock and disbelief. Beside her, Hee Won stood frozen, her grip on Hae Soo's arm a vise, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

That's how they found themselves seated around the familiar table once more, the library door now locked behind Ga Min as he slumped into his chair. "Conquer Yusung Tech High?" he repeated, his gaze distant. "Conquer by fighting, did he mean?" He echoed the red–head's words, a hint of bemusement in his tone.

The red-head, Lee Jun, another student from their school, had apparently signed up for the Study Group not for the pursuit of knowledge, but for a different kind of conquest. He aimed to "conquer" their school through fighting, seeking to learn the art from the one and only Yoon Ga Min, who was currently the epicenter of attention within their school due to his legendary, unmatched fighting prowess.

"Wouldn't it be weird to think he meant studying?" Lee Ji Woo mused, leaning back in her chair and casually observing the locked door.

"I know," Se Hyeon agreed, nodding in understanding.

"He must be really good at studying. I'm jealous," Hee Won mumbled, a touch of envy in her voice.

"Yoon Ga Min, hear me out for a second," Lee Jun's voice, laced with desperation, echoed through the library door as his fists repeatedly pounded against the wood.

"I'm sorry, but I started the study group to study. Not to help you go up in ranking in fighting," Ga Min stated, turning his head to look at the boy through the closed door.

Hae Soo sat beside Hee Won, her gaze drifting towards the red-head with a detached air. She didn't seem particularly invested in his pleas. It was obvious he would give up eventually.

"Just ignore him. He'll leave sooner or later," Hae Soo sighed, her voice calm.

"Otherwise, I'll study, too—"

Before anyone could fully process his words, Ga Min was already on his feet, his movements swift and decisive. He slid the library door open, his head peeking out, his expression a mixture of curiosity and slight annoyance as he regarded the startled red–head. "Will you really?"

"Huh?" Lee Jun stammered, taken aback by the sudden opening.

"Will you really study?" Ga Min repeated, his eyes fixed on the boy.

Lee Jun swallowed, his initial bravado replaced with a flicker of uncertainty. "Yes. I will. I have to."

Ga Min adjusted his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose with a deliberate gesture. He stared intently into the red–head's eyes for a long moment, as if trying to gauge his sincerity. Then, without a word, he turned and retrieved a thick math book from a nearby shelf, placing it on the table in front of Lee Jun. "We'll visit Ms. Lee at the hospital. Solve all the problems while we're gone."

Lee Jun chuckled, his gaze flitting between the book and Ga Min, a hint of disbelief in his eyes. "Is it a test?"

"Yes," Ga Min confirmed with a curt nod.

With that, the five of them turned and walked away, the library door sliding shut behind them with a soft click. As they walked in a comfortable silence, Hae Soo broke the quiet with a low hiss. "I have a bad feeling about this. I don't think he will stay."

"Tell me about it. He looks like a thug," Ji Woo added, her expression mirroring Hae Soo's unease.

"No. His eyes said otherwise," Ga Min stated simply, his gaze fixed ahead. He continued walking, leaving the others to exchange bewildered glances. His enigmatic pronouncements about people's eyes were a recurring mystery to them. What exactly did he see in those fleeting glances?

As they stepped out of the school entrance, the cool breeze of the late afternoon air caressed their faces, carrying with it the usual sounds of chatter and laughter that filled the school grounds. Se Hyeon and Ga Min were already engaged in a low–toned conversation, their heads close together. Hee Won and Ji Woo were also conversing, their voices a soft murmur. Hae Soo, however, was content to simply listen to the two girls beside her, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

She wasn't used to this. Walking with a group of people. A group of friends. Her friends. It felt... different. In a good way. A warmth spread through her chest, a feeling she hadn't realized she was missing. Making friends wasn't so bad after all. She should have done it sooner.

"Oh?" Ji Woo's exclamation halted their steps, her eyes widening in surprise. Their gazes all followed hers, drawn towards the school gates.

There he was. Han Wool. His hands were shoved casually into his pockets, his lean frame leaning against the iron gates as if he owned the place. His posture was relaxed, almost languid, yet there was an underlying tension in his stillness. His eyes were fixed on the ground, lost in thought, until his gaze flickered up, catching the sight of a group of people standing near the corner of his peripheral vision.

He looked up then, his eyes meeting Hae Soo's. Their gazes locked.

And as always, his eyes softened, just a fraction. But it was enough for her to notice, enough for her to feel the familiar warmth that always resided there when he looked at her, and no one else. Just her.

Hae Soo's breath hitched in her throat. She hadn't seen him all day.

She had been deliberately avoiding him, making sure she didn't cross his path during lunch, ignoring the persistent buzz of her phone. She didn't fully understand why. She wasn't truly angry, not anymore.

She just wasn't ready to have the conversation here, not at school, at least. She needed to talk to him in private.

For a moment, she had expected anger from him, for her ignoring him all day. But here he was, waiting. Looking at her with the same unwavering warmth he always held when he looked at her. Not a single trace of anger in those eyes.

Han Wool didn't move, didn't need to. He simply waited for her to come to him. He knew she would.

And she did, after telling her friends to wait for her.

As she drew closer, Han Wool straightened, pushing himself away from the gate. His posture became more alert, his eyes never leaving hers.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you have gone home by now?" Hae Soo asked, her voice filled with its usual warmth, which sent a wave of relief through Han Wool. He had half–expected her to still be upset with him.

Han Wool nodded, before taking a step closer. "I was. But someone has been ignoring me all day. And that someone is meant to go home with me. But that someone seems to be too busy with her newfound friends to even bother to check her boyfriend's texts."

Hae Soo looked away for a fleeting second, unsure of what to say. It turned out he was a little mad. Just a little. But he was good at hiding it. She, however, was even better at reading him, like an open book. She sighed softly.

Instinctively, she took a step forward, a strong urge to be closer to him, to feel his warmth, pulling her. She wasn't used to ignoring him, to being apart from him for this long, especially when he was standing right in front of her. She couldn't possibly stay away.

"Han Wool," she began, finally meeting his gaze, which had remained fixed on her the entire time. "I'm going to the hospital to see Ms. Lee. You should go home by yourself."

That wasn't what she truly wanted to say. She wanted to tell him she wasn't angry. But she didn't want to have the conversation here. She wanted it to be private. So she chose to postpone it for later.

Han Wool's gaze finally shifted, moving past her to where her friends stood a little distance away. His eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing each of their faces as if committing them to memory.

"You joined the study group," he stated, more of a fact than a question, his voice a little colder than before. His eyes lingered on her friends, who met his gaze with their own narrowed eyes—except for Hee Won, who quickly looked away, seemingly uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "You didn't even bother to tell me."

"I was going to tell you today. I wanted to tell you in person. But guess who ruined the mood after wilting under my mother's stupid threat?" Hae Soo suddenly felt a surge of irritation, not outright anger, but a familiar annoyance as she recalled, once again, how easily he had given in.

His eyes moved back to hers, locking them in contact. Then he shifted, moving closer. And closer, until their bodies were just inches apart.

She didn't move. She didn't want to. What she wanted, quite literally, was this. Him, closer to her. Holding her in his arms, if possible. But she was quite sure he wouldn't do that here, in public.

And she was right. He didn't. He stopped just a few inches away. She could feel the heat radiating from his body even at that small distance.

Han Wool's hand raised, his fingers gently but firmly locking around her arms. It wasn't a harsh grip, just a possessive hold. "Are you still angry?"

She rolled her eyes, a small, almost imperceptible movement. She wasn't. Not truly. It had been a moment of irritation, nothing more. But she also felt a little uneasy. Just a little.

To be honest, after her outburst, she had thought back on her words. Would he really fight for us? she had wondered for a good while.

Sighing softly, she opened her mouth to speak, but Han Wool beat her to it.

"I know you are. And I don't blame you for that. But at least don't ignore me like this, I fucking hate it." His voice sounded almost desperate, a hint of sadness she had never truly heard from him before, leaving Hae Soo momentarily confused.

Did her few hours of ignoring him truly hurt him that deeply?

Her heart clenched. So tight, it was almost painful. She hadn't realized he was actually that hurt. She had been too caught up in her own irritation to consider that he might have been affected by her actions as well.

Han Wool's heart hadn't fared any better. Throughout the entire day, his chest had felt tight, a constriction mirroring the way he clenched his fists when he slammed them into someone's face, or the way his knuckles turned white with the force. So tight, he felt suffocated even on the open rooftop.

He knew he needed to make this right. And so, he had tried to contact her all day. But she wouldn't reply, wouldn't even acknowledge a single one of his texts. During lunch, he had waited for her, her usual spot at their table empty, but she hadn't shown up. And he had started to lose his composure, but he had masked it well.

He had even asked Min Hwan to take a stroll to her classroom and peek in to see if she was there. He wasn't going to force her to meet him. Not that. He would wait. He would be patient, as he always was. But he at least needed to know she was alright.

Min Hwan had returned with his characteristic lazy stride, twirling his gun on his index finger as if it were a harmless toy, the other hand shoved deep into his pockets. A lollipop was stuck between his pink lips, and his bucket hat cast a shadow over his face, but the smirk on his lips was clearly visible.

And that smirk. Han Wool knew. He had some interesting news.

"Your girl's a part of that Study Group," Min Hwan had announced, chuckling as if it were the most amusing thing he'd heard all day. And indeed, it was, at least for him. He clearly remembered Han Wool telling her not to join the Study Group, yet Hae Soo had done so anyway. Min Hwan found that beyond intriguing. "I can't believe she didn't listen to you. What are you gonna do about that?"

Han Wool's gaze had sharpened, his eyes locking directly onto Min Hwan's. "I asked you to check if she was in class."

Min Hwan moved closer, slumping down on a nearby chair. "And you also asked me to check who those girls were."

That's when Han Wool found out. The girls from earlier in the morning were also part of the Study Group. And one of them was Lee Hyun Woo's twin sister, whom he had failed to recognize in the morning despite their striking resemblance.

Hae Soo had joined the study group despite his unspoken reservations. He wasn't entirely surprised, as he hadn't been overly strict in his disapproval. But he hadn't expected her to join the group either.

However, that was the least of his worries right now. Right now, he just needed to make sure she wasn't angry at him. He needed to explain himself, and to do that, he needed to take her somewhere private—his house, perhaps. But she had other plans. Her friends had other plans.

"Jang Hae Soo! We gotta go before the visiting hours end," Ji Woo called out, her voice carrying a note of urgency that pulled Hae Soo back from her thoughts.

Hae Soo, who had been lost in a moment of reflection, blinked and turned her head towards Ji Woo. A small, almost imperceptible nod acknowledged her friend's words before her gaze drifted back to Han Wool. Her lips curved into a slightly apologetic smile, a hint of regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Let's talk later. I really have to go now."

Han Wool watched her, his heart sinking with each passing second. The weight on his chest grew heavier, a suffocating pressure that made it difficult to breathe. He wanted to hold her back, to keep her close, but the words seemed to get caught in his throat. Just as he was about to speak, Hae Soo took a step closer, her hand gently reaching up to his cheek. Before he could react, she leaned in, her lips brushing against his in a fleeting, almost ethereal kiss on his cheek. It was a gesture so light, so quick, that it barely registered as a touch.

But Han Wool was faster than she anticipated. His instincts, honed by years of being on alert, kicked in. His hand shot out, his fingers closing around her arm just as she began to move away. She halted, her body turning back towards him in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Don't go anywhere else from the hospital," he said, his voice firm yet laced with concern. He held her gaze, his eyes searching hers for understanding. "Head straight home, and text me when you get there. Okay?"

Hae Soo hesitated, her mind briefly flashing back to her earlier decision. She had intended to come back to school, to see if the Lee Jun guy was truly serious about studying. She wanted to assess his sincerity, to gauge if Ga Min's efforts to help him were worthwhile.

But Han Wool didn't need to know that. It would only cause unnecessary worry. So, she offered him a small, reassuring smile, a practiced facade that hid her true intentions. "Okay," she agreed, her voice soft. She gently pulled her arm free from his grasp, the warmth of his touch still lingering on her skin.

With a final, lingering look at him, she turned and slipped away, her figure moving with a graceful ease. Han Wool watched her retreat, his gaze following her until she disappeared around a corner, swallowed by the bustling crowd outside of the school gates. He let out a long, heavy sigh, the tension in his shoulders finally easing slightly. He took a step back, then turned and walked towards the car, his footsteps echoing softly on the concrete.

He spotted his car parked a short distance away, the driver already waiting patiently. He got into the back seat, the cool leather a stark contrast to the warmth of Hae Soo's touch he still felt. He could only pray that this time, his girlfriend would listen to him and go straight home. He couldn't risk hurting her. Ever.

It was two hours later, and the five of them finally emerged from the hospital gates, their voices a low murmur as they walked side by side, still engrossed in their conversation. Hae Soo, though still reserved, was now contributing more frequently, her words short but steadily increasing in frequency-a clear sign of her growing comfort within the group. After all, this easy camaraderie was a novel experience for her.

"Guys, let's get some tteokbokki before we head back." Hee Won suggested, her eyes lighting up as she spotted a nearby street food stall. The aroma of something delicious wafted through the air, and her stomach rumbled in agreement with her sudden craving. They were all feeling the pangs of hunger.

And so, they found themselves gathered before the stall, where the vibrant red sauce of the tteokbokki simmered invitingly in a large, shallow pan. The cylindrical rice cakes, glistening with a coating of spicy gochujang, bobbed gently in the bubbling liquid, interspersed with pieces of fish cake and green onions. The steam rising from the pot carried a tantalizing aroma that made their mouths water in anticipation.

After securing their individual servings of the spicy rice cakes, they continued their walk back towards the school, the warm, slightly chewy tteokbokki a comforting presence in their stomachs.

"I'm telling you, he'll be gone when we get there." Ji Woo muttered, a note of certainty in her voice as they approached the school gates. Hae Soo nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed ahead.

"I hope he doesn't, though. We really need the last member. And I even got him a brain supplement, wouldn't it go to waste if he left?" Hee Won lamented, holding up a small bottle with a hopeful expression. She had genuinely put thought into getting something for the red–haired boy, her thoughtfulness evident in her slightly drooping shoulders.

It didn't take long for them to reach the library, the familiar, almost deserted hallways leading them towards their destination. With a collective push, Ga Min slid open the library door, only to be met by a wave of darkness, the only illumination filtering in from the moon outside. He reached for the light switch, and the sudden illumination revealed an empty room. As expected, Lee Jun was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" Hee Won asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.

"What?" Ji Woo echoed, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"See? I said he won't be here." Se Hyeon stated matter–of–factly, stepping fully into the library, followed closely by the three girls.

Ga Min turned to face them, his expression a picture of childlike