Minjun's guilt and Heo Yeong-hwan's guilt-tripping

The midterm week had been exhausting, so Minjin decided to skip her self-study class once again. She headed straight to Kim Aecha's classroom, where Kim Aecha was waiting outside. As soon as they met, Kim Aecha ran up to her and embraced Minjin warmly. They began chatting about their plans while a girl wearing a heavy makeup and her two friends lingered behind them at a distance. 

When Minjin and Kim Aecha were finally far from the school gate, the girl with the makeup shouted, "Ya! Park Minjin!" 

Minjin and Kim Aecha turned to see three girls coming toward them. 

"What do you want now?" Minjin asked, her tone filled with irritation. 

"I warned you, didn't I? You shouldn't hurt Jeoha!" the girl with makeup responded, her voice thick with anger 

Minjin chuckled sarcastically. "Ya, I don't want to brag, but Minjun-ah and I have a deeper relationship compared to your shallow delusions." 

"Bo?!" the girl with makeup shouted, her face flushing with rage. 

Before Minjin could react, one of the girls threw fresh eggs at her. Kim Aecha quickly sprang into action, grabbing the girl with makeup by the hair. "Ya! How could you do that to Park Minjin?!" 

Minjin attempted to intervene, "Aecha, let go!" But another girl suddenly seized Minjin's hair. "Let go. I know taekwondo!" she said, trying to pull her head back. 

Then, in a fit of anger, Kim Aecha quickly grabbed the hair of the girl who was tugging on Minjin's hair. "Let go of her!"

The girl with the heavy makeup suddenly pulled out Kim Aecha's hair. This made Kim Aecha let go of the other girl until she fully grabbed the head of the girl with heavy makeup. The other girl then suddenly began doing the same with Minjin. She repeatedly pulled Minjin's head while the remaining girl helped her with Minjin. 

Minjin tried to push them away, but she couldn't counterattack because if she used her taekwondo moves, her brother would get mad at her again. She did her best to defend herself by extending her hands to push them off, but they held her head tightly while she felt one of their nails scratching the back of her neck.

As the commotion escalated, Heo Yeong-hwan and his friends were walking nearby when one of them noticed the disturbance. "Ya, Yeong-hwan-ah, isn't that Park Minjin?" 

Heo Yeong-hwan squinted, recognizing the scene. His eyes widened at the sight of Minjin, and he rushed over to intervene. 

"Ya!" Heo Yeong-hwan shouted. He tried to shove the two girls who were hurting Minjin until they forcefully fell to the ground. "Stop!"

His friends also stepped in to pull the heavily made-up girl away from Kim Aecha. "I said, stop it!" Heo Yeong-hwan roared in anger again.

The three girls recoiled at Heo Yeong-hwan's forceful intervention. Their eyes widened in fear as he moved closer to them, causing them to step back. "Do you want to die? How could you hurt Park Minjin?!" he shouted while trying to raise his hand.

Before Heo Yeong-hwan could act, Minjin called out to him, "Yeong-hwan-ah!" 

The girls felt Heo Yeong-hwan's threat as they began to flee. 

Heo Yeong-hwan turned to Minjin. He noticed the scratches on her neck. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" 

"I'm fine," Minjin reassured him as she turned to Kim Aecha. "Aecha-ah, are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm okay," Kim Aecha said, brushing her scratches. 

"Who are they?" one of Heo Yeong-hwan's friends asked. 

"They're the delusional fans of Kang Minjun!" Kim Aecha answered 

"Bo?" Heo Yeong-hwan inquired but swiftly redirected his attention to Minjin. "Let's go. We need to tend to those scratches." He gently took Minjin's arm and led her away.

### 

As morning broke, Heo Yeong-hwan strode down the hallway with heavy steps, his face marked by tension and madness. His backpack was slung over his shoulder. The students scattered in the hallway as Heo Yeong-hwan reached Minjun's classroom door. When Heo Yeong-hwan arrived outside, Minjun was surrounded by his classmates at the center desks.

"Kang Minjun, come outside!" Heo Yeong-hwan shouted. 

Upon hearing him, everyone inside turned their heads toward the door. Some stood in their seats, shifting their gaze between Minjun, who sat at the desk with his classmates, and Heo Yeong-hwan.

"Ya! Kang Minjun! Come outside!" Heo Yeong-hwan shouted again.

Bang Eun-Kyung rose from his desk and exited through the back door. "Ya, Heo Yeong-hwan, don't cause a scene here," he said to him.

"Ya, you are not the person I need," Heo Yeong-hwan replied firmly. 

Minjun then stood up from his seat, but before he could walk away, Mun Sara quickly grabbed his arm. "Minjun-ah, don't," she said, concerned.

Minjun gave a slight smirk. "I'll be fine." He then turned away from her and walked out the door.

Once Minjun left the room, Heo Yeong-hwan quickly grabbed him by the collar, pulled him away from the doorway, and led him to the hallway window 

The sudden commotion caught everyone off guard. Their classmates inside, looking through the doors and windows, gasped in disbelief.

"Ya! Heo Yeong-hwan!" Bang Eun-kyung quickly stepped in as he positioned himself between Heo Yeong-hwan and Minjun.

"I've been patient with you because I respect Minjin-ah. But I've had enough of you. You have no idea what Minjin has had to endure because of your admirers. She's been suffering while you're too focused on yourself," Heo Yeong-hwan said with intense frustration as he held Minjun's collar tightly.

Minjun was surprised and attempted to respond with curiosity, asking, "What do you mean?" 

"Ya! Heo Yeong-hwan!" Mun Sara quickly ran over to them.

"That girl," Heo Yeong-hwan said, pointing to Mun Sara. "She stood by you and confronted Minjin-ah! Yesterday! Those crazy fans of yours attacked Minjin-ah!" 

Minjun's eyes widened in astonishment at the unexpected revelation. He attempted to speak but felt unsure about how to respond. 

From a distance, Minjin's eyes widened at the sight of Heo Yeong-hwan tightly gripping Minjun's collar. She rushed toward them, urgently calling out to Heo Yeong-hwan. She stepped forward and said, "Let go, Yeong-hwan-ah!" 

Heo Yeong-hwan hesitantly let go of Minjun but kept his intense gaze fixed on him. 

Minjun then glanced over at Minjin and saw the scratches on her neck. Minjin took Heo Yeong-hwan by the arm and guided him away from the crowd. 

Mun Sara approached Minjun. "Are you okay, Minjun-ah?" 

Minjun was so focused on Minjin that he didn't respond, his gaze remaining fixed on her as her figure disappeared down the hallway. 

"Ya, the show is over! Return to your classrooms!" Bang Eun-kyung commanded, sending the onlookers away. 

Minjin led Heo Yeong-hwan out of the building. Frustrated, she abruptly kicked him in the leg. "Ow! What's the matter with you?" Heo Yeong-hwan yelled, clutching his leg 

"I told you not to confront Minjun-ah!" Minjin scolded. 

"That Minjun has always been a menace to your life!" Heo Yeong-hwan retorted. 

"Ya, don't worry about me! You should be worried about yourself! There's a reason no one dares to confront Minjun! And I know you know that!" Minjin said.

"So, are you more worried about me?" Heo Yeong-hwan asked, taken aback 

"Of course. If Minjun's father gets involved, you'll be in serious trouble," Minjin said firmly. 

Heo Yeong-hwan sighed, "Araso, Mianhae." 

### 

Minjun sat back at his desk and noticed that his classmates were staring at him while whispering to each other. But when they realized he was watching, they quickly averted their eyes and pretended to discuss something else. Bang Eun-kyung and Mun Sara then approached him with concerned expressions.

"Are you okay, Minjun-ah?" Bang Eun-kyung asked.

Minjun sighed as he attempted to gather himself, organizing his notes and picking up his pen. "I'm fine," he told them.

"Minjun-ah, I think you should talk to Minjin-ah. Try to work things out with her," Bang Eun-kyung suggested, but Mun Sara quickly nudged him and signaled for him to stop.

Minjun didn't respond as he continued to focus on his notes. Bang Eun-kyung and Mun Sara stood there for a moment, watching Minjun, who they knew was pretending to be okay. When the bell finally rang, they exchanged worried glances before returning to their desks. 

As they left, Minjin quietly walked over to her desk and sat next to Minjun. When he sensed her presence, he froze in his seat and gripped his pen tightly. He let out a silent sigh of exasperation as he realized how serious their fight had become, drawing everyone around them into the situation when, supposedly, it was only their problem.

Throughout the day, he struggled to focus on his exam as he frequently glanced at Minjin. He couldn't help but notice some slight scratches and a bandage beneath her ear. He felt a helpless urge to react from his seat, but he tried to conceal his frustration and guilt from himself. He longed to reach out to her and ask what had happened, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

The last exam for the week was finally done, with no self-study session scheduled. 

Minjun waited for Minjin to leave before leaning forward at his desk, his hands covering his face as he tried to stifle a frustrated groan. He felt that this midterm exam week had been the most exhausting period of his life. It was mentally challenging and emotionally draining. He wondered if he would be able to stay at the top since the ongoing issue with Minjin clouded his mind. He knew that his father would probably be angry, but then he realized that it didn't matter to him anymore. He took deep breaths to calm his nerves, and his eyes were on the verge of overflowing with tears.

Bang Eun-Kyung stood up from his desk and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He turned to look at Minjun, noticing him trying to hide his frustration. Minjun then lowered his hands from his face and began putting his school materials into his backpack.

Minjun stood up from his seat, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and glanced around. He saw that everyone had left the room. He then walked directly to Mun Sara's desk. "Sara-ah, can we talk?" he asked.

"Ah, sure," Mun Sara replied. She stood in her seat, clutching her backpack to her shoulders, and then she turned to Minjun.

"What did you say to Minjin-ah?" Minjun suddenly asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Mun Sara hesitated, "N-nothing." 

"Tell me the truth," Minjun insisted, a slight frown on his forehead.

Noticing Minjun's calm but underlying anger, Mun Sara confessed, "I told her that... you've been feeling sad because of her while she's pretending everything is fine." 

Bang Eun-kyung came up beside Minjun. He was about to say something, but Minjun interrupted him. "Isn't Minjin-ah your friend?" Minjun asked. 

"But you're also my friend! I can't bear that you're hurting inside while pretending to be okay, and I don't like that she's acting as if everything's normal!" Mun Sara's voice echoed in the empty classroom.

Minjun sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. "Who told you to say those things to Minjin-ah?" 

"Minjun-ah, ever since Minjin-ah came into your life, you've been all over the place!" Mun Sara said, her voice cracking 

"I might appear to hate Minjin-ah on the surface, but she's the only person who has pushed me to confront my flaws. While you and others may see me as perfect, Minjin-ah recognizes me for who I truly am," Minjun said, trying to speak gently.

Upon hearing him defend Minjin despite her having hurt him, Mun Sara began to well up with tears. "Despite the pain she has caused you these past few weeks, you are still defending her, Minjun-ah? Aren't you supposed to be smart?" 

Minjun sighed deeply. "Sara-ah, I won't always be smart about everything. I'm not defending Minjin-ah, but this issue was my fault. I'm to blame for why Minjin and I ended up this way."

Mun Sara clenched her fists as she glared at Minjun. "Fine! I didn't expect you to be this stupid, Minjun-ah," she said before walking away from them with a heavy tension in her body.

Minjun sighed in exasperation. "Am I being too harsh?" he asked, glancing at Bang Eun-Kyung.

"Ani, it's important for Sara to understand that you're not the perfect person everyone thinks you are," Bang Eun-kyung said, giving Minjun a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Listen, Minjun-ah, you need to apologize to Minjin-ah. Try to make amends with her. It's not too late. I know it's killing you up inside."

Minjun sighed once more as he attempted to cover his face with his hands to hide his swelling tears. Bang Eun-kyung couldn't help but embrace him briefly while patting his back.