The following morning, you and Su-Hyeok are walking across school grounds together as you ramble away, a habit only in the presence of those you're comfortable with.

You're still wearing his blazer, all because he showed up in an identical one at the front of your house an hour ago, milking it as an excuse to keep it on you. Surprisingly, no one seems to pay it any mind that you were parading around with Su-Hyeok's name tag, as though they expected your attire sooner or later.

Halting mid-sentence, you realize Su-Hyeok hasn't contributed to the conversation in a while. Distracted, you follow his line of sight to the far distance, seeing the school's group of good-for-nothings dragging Cheol-Su and Eun-Ji through a narrow shortcut by the building's exterior.

Su-Hyeok grabs your shoulders and ushers you the other way. "I'll meet up with you in class."

"What? No, I'm coming with you. Don't pretend like I didn't see you eyeing the bullies in anger just now."

He sighs, knowing there's no point in arguing. His defenses are entirely too weak when it comes to you. Determined, you lead the way in trailing behind the group in front with Su-Hyeok behind you, muttering away about how your heart was more than twice your size.

Upon stumbling though the school's unfinished construction site, Su-Hyeok grabs your hand tightly, signaling for you to be quiet, putting a finger to his lips. The area is desolate, signboards and the potential safety hazard a clear warning to others. You guess that excludes the tyrants, who could care less about societal rules. Entirely empty, you and Su-Hyeok distinctly hear the dialogue that ensues inside, voices echoing off the barren foundation.

You two burst in just in time to see Gwi-Nam grabbing Cheol-Su roughly by his chin, squeezing brutally, all because he declined to endure filming a bare-chested Eun-Ji crouched on the floor, not daring to raise her head out of humiliation. Chang-Hoon and Myeong-Hwan sit scattered nearby, watching over like the situation amounted to nothing.

"That's enough! Let him go. Now," Su-Hyeok warns, shooting Gwi-Nam a steely glare.

Gwi-Nam glances at your hands in Su-Hyeok's before looking away, shaking in resentment as he concedes, dropping his clutch on Cheol-Su.

"Fuck you, asshole," Myeong-Hwan curses Su-Hyeok before turning to Gwi-Nam to do the same. "You dumbass. Shit! Is there anything you can do right?"

You rush over to Eun-Ji, dropping Su-Hyeok's hand as you instantaneously cover her, buttoning her shirt up again, boiling in anger at the gang's blatant objectification of her. Trying to comfort her the best you can, you pull her towards your chest as she cries silently, trying to hold back your own tears of frustration.

Myeong-Hwan saunters over to Su-Hyeok with an ugly gait he mistakes as exuding authority. "You used to party with us, so don't try to act all holier-than-thou. Get your ass out of here."

"It's about time for you to grow up," Su-Hyeok gets out through gritted teeth. To Cheol-Su and Eunji, he says, "You guys are free to go now."

Of course, Myeong-Hwan doesn't release them without a warning in advance, "Go ahead—if you dare."

Displeased, Su-Hyeok shoves Gwi-Nam out of the way, telling him to move before grabbing you, Eun-Ji, and Cheol-Su by the arms to leave. "You can't live like this forever, do you understand?"

Your group of four are almost out of the area when Gwi-Nam's voice makes Eun-Ji stop altogether. "You look incredibly sexy in this. Should I send this to your mom? We're friends on Facebook if you didn't know." He smirks.

In the background, Chang-Hoon cackles. "You crazy asshole. What kind of fucker befriends an old lady on social media?"

Seeing Eun-Ji's tears run down her face, you give her arm a light squeeze in support before making a beeline toward Gwi-Nam before Su-Hyeok has time to stop you. You have half a mind to hear Myeong-Hwan's nasty jab at you. "Too bad Su-Hyeok would murder us if you were to replace Eun-Ji..."

"If you wanted trashy content so desperately, I'd suggest pointing the camera at your sorry excuse for a friend first." You gesture toward Myeong-Hwan and Chang-Hoon with your pointer finger, the digit trembling with suppressed disgust. "Is it so hard for you to gain the approval of others that you have to stoop to this level for a mere minute of ingenuine praise?"

Gwi Nam yanks you by the collar of Su-Hyeok's blazer, eyes narrowing in rage even more as he takes in the sight of the red name tag, alerting him to the owner. When you don't back down and look up at him defiantly, realization dawns on his face.

─── 1 YEAR AGO ───

Gwi-Nam grabs your uniform's collar, and notwithstanding the state that he's in, his grip is still strong enough for you to struggle breathing. Not making your fear obvious, you mask it with an even gaze.

"I'll treat your wounds."

His eyes search yours for something unknown to you, and decidedly not finding it, he lets go. You would never know, but he hates pity the most. But you, you were different when he gauged your reaction through your eyes; it's not the usual feeling he expected to see: pity replaced with empathy. No one's shown him any ounce of kindness before, yet here you were, crouched in a dirty alley, lending a helping hand out of the genuine goodness of your heart to a bully unlucky enough to get hurt when their whole existence revolved around hurting others.

You didn't mean to stumble upon him—it just turned out that way. On your way home from clinical and weekly volunteering at the local hospital, you heard labored gasps from the adjacent alleyway. Hoping that your instincts wouldn't fail you as it never has before, you stop short when you see it's Gwi-Nam, all bruised and bloody, looking like he was on the verge of death.

As you approach tentatively, he looks up. You know for a fact that if he was still in a good condition, he'd never for the life of him let anyone see him this weak and helpless.

Throwing caution to the wind whenever you see someone in need of help, you squat down beside him, thanking your luck for having a first-aid kit on hand from earlier. The last thing you expected was for Gwi-Nam to make small talk.

"You would have to be dumb to not know the kind of reputation I have around the neighborhood. How are you going to deal with the repercussions of being associated with such a bad person like myself?" he self-deprecates.

"I think deep down, you're just troubled."

You can feel Gwi-Nam's intense eyes studying your face, but he neither confirms nor refutes your statement. Too focused on providing treatment to his cuts, you don't pay his silence any mind.

"You're not going to ask how I ended up like this?"

"Would you even bother answering?" As reticence follows, you say, "I thought not."

Once finished, and the only other noise between the two of you is the click of your first aid box, you stand up to go without another comment, not waiting on a word of thanks.

You only make it one step away before Gwi-Nam weakly says, "I owe you one."

Not turning around, you reply, "I won't let anyone be indebted to me."

Another step forward and you hear, "You don't get to decide that." Not knowing how to answer, you simply don't, heading on your way as Gwi-Nam calls after you on the third step, "Are you sure you won't regret being here today?"

He gets an answerless answer in the form of your retreating footsteps growing quieter by the second. Definitively undecided on your response, you leave the question hanging in the air.

»»----------««

"That day...I know now what you mean. I regret it," you mince your words, eyes blazing with loathing.

Hurt flashes across his eyes for a split second before it disappears completely, almost as if it had never been there at all.

He lets go of you even before Su-Hyeok gets in between protectively, shielding you behind his back.

You see Gwi-Nam press something on the phone's screen, close to where the delete button would be—perhaps it was just wishful thinking on your end.

Though it takes a while to convince Eun-Ji, who was certain that if she leaves, tomorrow would be even worse, she ultimately exits the abandoned warehouse albeit reluctantly, with you, Su-Hyeok, and Cheol-Su in tow.

If you had cared enough to spare a glance, you would've seen Gwi-Nam getting a good admonishment from Myeong-Hwan, though his eyes are on you, watching as you walk away from him for the second time.

»»----------««

"Exams are soon approaching, so please don't disappoint me," Ms. Park encourages with tough love, indicating for everyone to hand in their phones. Dae-Su and On-Jo give the class a good laugh as one forgot to silence their phone and the other handing in an old phone falsely thinking her most astute teacher would be none the wiser. Stopping suddenly, Ms. Park questions, "Has anyone been in touch with Hyeon-Ju?" Looking around, she's met with blank gazes. "Nobody? None of you tried calling her to check in?"

Joon-Yeong speaks up from the front of the classroom, "We cleaned the science lab together the day prior, but I haven't seen her since then."

"Understood. If anyone hears from her, let me know right away, alright?" Satisfied with the affirmative from every student, Ms. Park begins the day's English lesson, encouraging answers to the translation exercise. Thinking Hee-Su would finally be the one to break the ice, she soon finds out it's only to ask for bathroom privileges. "Okay...who wants to have a crack at it?" Surveying the room, her eyes land on someone downright sidetracked. "Su-Hyeok, what do you think of Nam-Ra's interpretation?"

Class 2-5 all turn their heads to the back, trying—but failing—to suppress their laughter, awaiting what kind of nonsense would spew from Su-Hyeok's mouth this time around. "I agree. She's absolutely correct."

Some giggles slip through before Ms. Park silences them by holding her hand up. "Great," Ms. Park says sarcastically, with an air of teasing. "Now...just what do you agree with again?"

Su-Hyeok doesn't even falter, responding with, "If she could be kind enough to repeat her response so that I can gather my thoughts more coherently...."

The whole class loses it right then and there.

His seat-mate further rubs salt into the wound by whispering between bouts of laughter, "Yah, did you even have any thoughts to begin with?" This earns him a glare, but he was too far gone to care.

Su-Hyeok grimaces, seeing the disappointment on Ms. Park's face mixed with hilarity as she gestures for Nam-Ra to recite her previous statement again. With the amount of times he acts up in the same manner on a regular basis, he's surprised and grateful that she still allows him to step foot into class for lessons.

Nam-Ra rises once more, her chair creaking slightly, though that doesn't wake you up from your nap next to her. Currently, you were turned away from the sunlight slanting through the windows, left elbow flat on the desk surface as a makeshift pillow after having already stuffed Su-Hyeok's blazer in your backpack. The unexpected encounter with the bullies earlier left you mentally worn-out beyond explanation.

"All of us have some sort of prejudice. We all have preconceptions about other people."

"Precisely," Ms. Park compliments. "Thank you, Nam-Ra, for saying that twice." With her emphasis on the word, she fixes her stern gaze on Su-Hyeok, but her next words are the exact opposite, "Bare-Su, please pay more attention to my lesson during class time and less on staring at your girlfriend." She raises her eyebrows teasingly.

Su-Hyeok is quick to correct her, trying to suppress the heat he feels slowly making its way up to his face. "Ms. Park," he says incredulously. "We're not together."

"Eyyy," Dae-Su's booming voice resounds in the classroom. "Now you're just making up lies."

You stir at the loud sound but it's still not enough to make you open your eyes.

"I'm serious, Dae-Su," Su-Hyeok splutters.

"Yet you're not denying having stared at her," Gyeong-Su adds fuel to the fire, giving Dae-Su's awaiting hand a high-five with a resounding smack.

"You guys, cut it out already!" Su-Hyeok says exasperatedly to deaf ears. "Ms. Park, how come Chae-Wol is taking a sound nap in class, but I'm the one being ganged up on?"

"This is the first time it has happened, and she's still ranked third in the class. I can afford to let it slide," Ms. Park crosses her arms and smiles, entertained by Su-Hyeok's defenses.

"Isn't this blatant favoritism?" Su-Hyeok mutters under his breath.

"You also favor her, so you can't be one to talk," his seat-mate teases him for the second time that day.

"You're not even on the baseball team so why are you so hell-bent on hitting home runs with your sassy remarks today, huh?" Su-Hyeok slaps him upside the head.

"Alright, alright, settle down class. I think that's enough punishment for our Bare-Su today." When Ms. Park turns back to the blackboard, she says loud enough for the class to hear, "No worries. We can just ask Chae-Wol for confirmation when she's up." By how much the students were cracking up, it suddenly seems like a free period.

"Seonsaengnim!"

At Su-Hyeok's outburst, you wake up, trying to settle back into reality. Of course, Ms. Park notices your state of rousing. She's not one to miss any little detail.

"Ah, good morning to you, Chae-Wol. So glad you can finally join us." Her words hold no malice at all, but you're still sheepish.

Shyly scratching your head, you voice out, "I apologize for dozing off. Did I miss anything important?" You finally notice all eyes on you. Well, save for Su-Hyeok's. "Guys....? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Well—" Dae-Su begins but is cut off by Ms. Park.

"Please refrain from sleeping again in my class as it's a distraction...to some more than others."

Laughter rings loud and clear again, all directed towards Su-Hyeok as you turn to Nam-Ra for answers in bewilderment.

"Banjang, you're the smartest one here. What's going on?"

Nam-Ra spares a glance at you with a slight smirk, an expression you've never seen on her before despite how much she's warmed up to you as her seat-mate and friend, though she's hesitant to admit to the latter. "Oh, it's nothing," Nam-Ra says dismissively, but lightly. "Ms. Park was just teaching Su-Hyeok about preconceptions."

"I digress. Let's get back on track with the course material."

Before Ms. Park could move forward any further in the lecture, a battered Hyeon-Ju staggers into the room, the slide of the wooden door announcing her presence. Collective gasps mill around the room as Ms. Park surges forward to catch her when she stumbles, crashing to the ground soon thereafter.

You shoot up from your seat, squeezing through fellow classmates to reach the front. There's no way to put it lightly. If you had to describe Hyeon-Ju's appearance in one word, it would be roadkill. Her hair and clothes were all disheveled, her voice raspy, and her body extremely slack. What's more disturbing is her uttering about Mr. Lee Byeong-Chan having held her hostage at some point in the science lab's closet. Reaching over, you place the fingertips of your index and third fingers on the inside of her wrist, applying just enough pressure to take Hyeon-Ju's radial pulse while the other students look on from above.

"Ms. Park," you say shakily, checking her other wrist for confirmation. "This...shouldn't be normal for a human heartbeat." Ms. Park looks over at you, holding herself together from panicking. "Typically, it's 60 to 100 beats per minute but Hyeon-Ju's hardly approaches 30."

You drown out the whispers in the back, getting an unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Hurriedly, Su-Hyeok squats down by your side, offering to piggyback Hyeon-Ju to the infirmary, Ms. Park allowing you to accompany without any qualms. On-Jo and I-Sak also volunteer and you all file out, running past other classes in session, drawing the attention of anyone looking out the room's windows.

Hyeon-Ju squirms oddly on Su-Hyeok's back, bending her head at abnormal angles near his neck as I-Sak and On-Jo try to steady her. You're wondering if there's a better way to transfer her, seeing as how her being jostled probably isn't much benefit to her condition.

Arriving at the infirmary, the nurse apologizes to Hee-Su before prioritizing tending to Hyeon-Ju, seeing the frantic expression on your faces. You watch as Hee-Su slinks out the door, almost hobbling, but Hyeon-Ju's thrashing pulls you back to the situation at hand.

Every vital that the nurse takes ultimately falls outside of normal ranges, worrying both her and you, making you unable to shake off the unmistakable ominous feeling of dread. "If her tympanic temperature is only 29.1° C, won't she soon go into hypothermic shock?" you ask, surprising the nurse with your knowledge.

She nods quickly, directing you foremost before the others to assist her in gathering supplies, Hyeon-Ju alternating between complaining about feeling too hot and vowing to kill everyone in her wake. Ms. Park hastily dials 119 while you instruct Su-Hyeok, On-Jo, and I-Sak to support you in holding Hyeon-Ju down with the sheets by each grabbing a corner.

This was not how you imagined the room to be used, a stark contrast to when you and Su-Hyeok cleaned it yesterday afternoon.

On-Jo looks over to see the nurse picking the right needle gauge for injection. "Is that going to go in Hyeon-Ju's neck?"

"No, unless you want to kill her," you reply, struggling more than before to pin down the sheet securely. Your eyebrows scrunch together, not knowing what can cause this kind of a reaction. "Injections don't go in the jugular vein with it being so close to the carotid artery. In other words, it's the riskiest place where the major blood vessel transports blood to the brain. The arm, by far, is a better choice. Veins in the antecubital fossa, especially the median cubital vein at the cubital fossa, is more often than not selected for venipuncture; larger area and greater visibility."

On-Jo looks at you speechless with amazement, while Su-Hyeok beams proudly.

I-Sak follows up with, "Didn't Mr. Lee already inject her with something? Why are we adding another?"

"Physical restraint isn't enough, as you can see. Even with four of us, we're combining the entirety of our strengths to hold her down." Tilting your head toward Hyeon-Ju, whose eyes have glossed over, you belatedly wonder if the nurse performed a pupillary response check for proper eye dilation. "We need to coax her out of this altered state as what we're doing now is ineffective. The nurse is taking it a step further by using chemical restraint to sedate her. I'm guessing it's going to be benzodiazepine."

"Can I switch brains with you for just a day?" I-Sak asks, in awe.

You all make room as the nurse moves in with the injection. Before you can react quick