it had been three weeks since the accident when jeongguk was finally ready to be discharged. they were sat in the hospital ward for a final check up. he ruffled his long black hair as hyerim adjusted his shirt. "don't touch me," he spat, moving away from her hands. the feeling of contact with her made him feel unstable.

his eyes softened when he noticed that hyerim's smile faltered. "...sorry," he murmured, turning his head away from hers. she grinned at him, patting his head. "you can't stop me from touching you, anyway, jeongguk," she laughed cheekily, poking him hard at the side of his stomach. her eyes widened at the hardness of his muscles.

jeongguk flinched, shrugging away quickly. he hated being tickled, and she knew that. his healing bones creaked in pain with even the tiniest of movements. jeongguk glared as he grabbed her by the hand and yanked her down to meet his eye level.

"i can't stop you? more like you can't stop me," he purred while rubbing circles on the back of her palm affectionately with his thumb. what he didn't expect was when hyerim intertwined her small fingers with his large ones and gripped them tightly. "you know, i'm so happy you're gonna be discharged! cat hyerim is waiting at home for you!"

jeongguk blinked as he took in her features up close. her porcelain skin shimmered under the white ceiling lights, and her long curled eyelashes battered whenever she blinked. "jeongguk, your face's getting red. do you have a fever?" she mumbled as she untwined their hands and pressed a cold hand to his forehead.

he jumped in surprise, standing up. his injured knees ached, throbbing in agony. "jeongguk, you shouldn't walk yet," hyerim fretted, pushing him gently back onto the hospital bed.

"i've done okay during the physical therapy sessions. so let me do what i want."

he stood up and crawled slowly to the armchair at edge of the room, further away from hyerim. although his knees could have buckled at any step, he just wanted to get away from the dangerous girl who held his beating heart in her hands.

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eunwoo saw hyerim exiting the hospital. she wore a white polo shirt and a flowery skirt that reached beneath her knees. it twirled as she walked out of the hospital entrance.

"eunwoo? what are you doing here?" she smiled, waving her hand like a small child. a half-smile flickered on eunwoo's face as he waved back gently.

her thick, black hair was slightly longer, he noticed; her fringe tickled her in the eyes. he would have brushed it out of her face if she hadn't done it first. he kept his hand to his side, clenched into a white-knuckled fist.

"oh, i came to see my mom."

eunwoo's mother was a nurse in the inpatient ward of this hospital. in fact, she used to work at the psychiatric hospital across the street, where she was the main caretaker of hyerim's deranged mother.

that was where eunwoo had met hyerim for the first time.

he would remember their first encounter like the back of his hand— she was a tear-stricken, ten-year-old girl, who bore a painful smile as she hugged her frail mother. he was only a year older, but he wanted to be there for her at all costs.

"tell mrs cha i said hello!" hyerim beamed,  her bright eyes forming pretty crescents. "also, you should go visit jeongguk! he's being discharged tonight."

eunwoo grimaced at the mention of jeongguk's notorious name. the whole school had heard about the incident. jeon jeongguk got into a car accident saving park hyerim.

that was the announcement made three weeks ago by the principal over the school's p.a system. however, when he confronted hyerim, he could sense she was hiding something, judging by the way she darted her eyes at his questions.

he didn't press further, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. but a question that remained on his mind persistently bugged him with no remorse.

why was jeongguk so deeply entwined in her life?

but the one thing he hated the most about the whole situation was the brewing jealousy that loomed out of the darkness in his heart.