Walking like dead

"Kri-ri-ring! kri-ri-ring" the alarm clock has woken her up. It is still 5 o' clock in the morning yet she has to wake up early in order to help her mother set their chicken stall before she goes to school.

"Hello! I am Lee So Hee, i am just an ordinary girl with a very big dream. My life is focused in study, home and dancing, well, I really love dancing, i seldom eat because i spent most of my time dancing, whether I have an upcoming competition or just free dancing. As you can see from my features, I look very thin.

With me is my mother (preparing things to go to the stall) who is always there to support me through good and bad times. Uhm, let's not just talk about my father, I haven't seen him not even once from the day I was born and I am not interested in knowing him. Well, if he has just shown his face even once, then I should have given him a chance to explain why there's only me and mom living together and have not have the chance to be called a "happy family" like the ordinary families out there. So never mind."

"Anyways, it is my first day to attend to the most prestigious school in South Korea, the Yong Hwa University. Two more years to go and I will be graduating from college with  Medicine course. But this school is different from the other years, my previous school was the community school which my mother can only afford, this time I was transferred to an expensive school for winning "The most talented and outstanding student of the year" award which was sponsored by the Yong Hwa University, was I cool? I was granted free from tuition fee and miscellaneous so I and mom were not worried at all but we have to strive hard for our everyday living."

"This is me everyday; when i don't have classes  I spend the whole morning helping mom with our small business, in the afternoon I stay at the park to practice dance, and in the evening I have a part time job in a coffee shop.  When I have classes, I only help a little in the stall but I make sure I eat breakfast with mom, in the afternoon after class, I take a small time to practice dance in an old abandoned studio then head to my part time job in the evening. Shopping, vacation and picnic is not in my vocabulary, every minute of me is very precious. I have to persevere in life so mom and I will survive without relying from someone."

On her way to school, wearing her new school uniform which was made of fitted blouse and mini skirt with pair of sneakers, , Lee So Hee was very happy riding her bicycle, she was full of excitement to see her new school, with her new professors and schoolmates. Just as she arrived she parked her bicycle and headed to her department then a crowd of girls who seemed to be students of the said school were in a hurry going towards her direction, they were yelling "Seo Young Don!", some were bringing cellphones and cameras. She was very surprised and was curious of what was going on. Just then, the crowd rushed that made her fall into her knees. "Ouch!" she was hurt and her knees wounded, then a hand suddenly appeared in front of her offering some help, as she raised her head up to see the owner of the hand, her eyes popped wide and she was shocked upon seeing him...

"whoah!" she was very shocked when she saw that the guy who reached out his hand for her was very handsome. She dropped her jaw and was speechless.

"can you get into your feet?" the handsome guy who was so sure that she was not fine assisted her to stand up.

"No. I'm okay. I can stand on my own." she was very shy, who else could not be shy when this handsome guy held on her hip and the other hand ensuring she could stand well.

"oh, I'm so jealous."

"what a pathetic act! ."

"she's flirting him!"

  Different whispers could be heard from near.

"What am I gonna do?" her mind was battling. "I should run... but he's holding my hand so tight." she didn't know what to do.

"Can you please go to your respective rooms. Look! someone is hurt. You should watch carefully your path. Classes will start soon, go to your rooms! " the handsome guy who was known as Seo Young Don, a popular basketball varsity player and at the same time a dance troupe member was displeased of what happened.

"Let us bring her to the clinic." Young Don said to his companion.

"No. You don't have to worry. I swear I'm okay." So Hee shyly said.

"Are you sure? Look! Your knee is bleeding. That should be treated well." So worried about the situation, Young Don insisted.

"I have my own emergency kit. I can do this by my own, and it's almost time, you better..." before she could speak, Young Don insisted "No. Your wound must be treated. I cannot just leave you here like this."

She has nothing to do but to keep silent, with a man who insisted on treating her wound, she became dumb.

"You go ahead, I'll treat her wound first. It seems she's shy if there are people around her." Young Don ordered his best friends Min Sik, Do Young, Tenor and Won Shin to leave the two of them "just ensure my attendance for me, I will just be late."

"You sure man?" Tenor, a half spanish half korean student asked him.

"You go now, or else all of us will be late." Young Don insisted.

"You better sure you treat her wounds, maybe you treat something else." Won Shin jokingly said.

"Aish!. Do you want me to treat you?" Young Don irritated and pushed them away.

"Nya, nya, nya. Okay, we'll leave you. Better be sure you won't be late. It's first day of class." Min Sik reminded him. Then they're off.

"Now, let's see. Where is your kit?" Young Don asked.

"The truth is I don't have... " shyly exclaimed and her cheeks blushed.

"Come on, how are we going to treat you.?" Young Don felt like betrayed by a child.

"I told you I am okay, I can just..." before she could finish, Young Don grabbed tightly her hand.

"No, this can't be. Let us go to the clinic. It is important your wound should be treated before something worse happens to you." she could not speak and her heart beats so fast, it was the first time she felt like this, she could not walk by herself because Young Don held her hand as if she was the villain and the guy was the police who caught her and would not let her go. She blushed even more when all eyes are into them. There were lots of students around them, they were headed to the clinic and she could hear another whispers.

"Oh my God"

"Is that Young Don?"

"Who is with him?"

"Is that her girlfriend? ."

"It's the first time I see her."

"I think she's a new student."

"I can't believe what I see."

"They look good together."

"He's so handsome."

When they reached the clinic, Young Don hurriedly opened the door and looked for the attending nurse. "Senior, her knee is not good. Please attend to her." Young Don worriedly asked the nurse.

"Thank you for bringing me here. You may go now. I am okay here. Thank you so much." shy of what happened, So Hee asked him to leave.

"No. I will bring you to your room after you are treated. You cannot walk alone." he insisted.

"No I really am okay. I appreciated so much for your concern but..." before she could finish, Young Don insisted to not leave her.

"Yeah, he's right. Your wound is serious. It is deep. What happened to this.?" the nurse proclaimed.

"She stumbled and fell when the students rushed at her." Young Don explained.

"Now, let me see..." the nurse started to examine her.

"Ow, you have a very fine skin. Do you not go out of your house all day? Your skin is very smooth as if you were a newborn baby. Poor flawless skin. After this, you will have a scar on your knee." the nurse was surprised to see her appearance, who would not be surprised with So Hee's beauty, fine white skin, rosy cheeks, medium height body, with pointed nose and natural pink lips, her lazy eyes makes someone melt when staring at her. Her beauty is extraordinary, she catches everyone's attention wherever she go, she is not a fashionist but a simple pair of clothes would stun her.

After treating her wounds, the nurse headed to Young Don and talked to him privately. The nurse, Ms Choi Yin Sang, was Young Don's senior when he just entered college, she was a graduating student when they became close to each other, he visited the clinic often for physical examination as part of their athlete routine in the varsity and so the two of them were like sister and brother.

"What is this? Is she the one?" Ms Yin Sang confusingly asked.

"What the one?" Young Don being more confused.

"Don't be a fool. Is she the one you're talking about? The...."  before Yin Sang could finish, Young Don interrupted her.

"Noh noh noh. She's just a student who happens to meet an accident because of me so I have to take the responsibility." he explained.

"Are you sure?" Yin Sang cannot believe.

"Say what you want to say, I have nothing to explain." Young Don nagging.

"Excuse me, may I go now?" So Hee suddenly appeared..

"Take this medication every after meal. If you don't take this you will have a fever. Your wound is serious. You come back after three days and we'll remove the stitches. " Yin Sang prescribed a medicine to So Hee and winked at Young Don.

"Aish!" Young Don complained.

"Thank you so much." So Hee started to walk slowly as she felt the pain from her knee but she didn't make it obvious to her companion because she felt too shy to him.

"Let us go before we arrive late in our classes."  Young Don said to So Hee.

"No, i can take it from here. You can leave me, maybe your class has started now."  So Hee insisted.

"There you go again. I can't leave you in this situation. I must bring you to your classroom. To which room are you heading?" Young Don asked

"My class now is Chemistry, it is headed this way (pointing to the right) you can leave me now." she lied to him. She didn't even know where the classroom was.

"Look! You are lying! I am in Chemistry class too. And the building is here (pointing at the building in front of them) it is in the fourth floor. You have nothing to do but hear what I say." Young Don exclaimed.

She was speechless and was even more shy because he caught her telling lie. She cannot look at him.

"I can walk by my own, you don't have to hold me." said shyly.

But when she stepped forward, she fell to the ground.

"See!. You are lying again. Come on. I will not let you go." Young Don angrily said.

"I WILL NOT LET YOU GO!

I WILL NOT LET YOU GO!"

These words kept on repeating in her head. She can't believe that in her first day of school, she would be able to meet this very attractive guy who was also warm-hearted. She felt like she was dreaming. Both their hands were holding together and they were facing each other but she kept her head down, she does not want him to see her blushing face, Young Don was walking backwards guiding her not to fall. She was so scared to hear another whispers from behind their back. She was thinking she was a newcomer yet rumors are already spreading. She was very very shy.

"What is this? I can't believe this. All eyes on me. What must I do.?" She thought to herself.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom...

"Park Min Sik!" Ms Han called

"Present Ma'am" Minsik announced his attendance.

"Seo Young Don.." Ms Han called

"He will be late Ma'am. He has to run an errand." Do Young explained.

"Run an errand ha? It's the first day of class and Mr Seo is late. Of his 13 years in this school, this is the firt time I heard he is late. How important could this matter be?.. Well, let's move to the next. Yee Tenor," Ms Han, a school pioneer faculty, by the age of 57,  can' t believe the absence of Young Don for she knew almost the entire school life of him.

"Present Ma'am." Tenor announced his attendance.

"Okay, for the girls, Ahn Je Hya.." continuing the roll call...

"Present Ma'am." a student reported her attendance.

"Lee So Hee..."

"Lee So Hee?.."

Nobody answered...

Looking at the students' record... "Oh, she is a new student and she is absent from her class on her first day of school? Of what kind of family does she hold to be doing like this..." Ms Han was disappointed of not having a perfect class attendance.

Few minutes later, after calling the attendance and before she could start her discussion, Young Don and So Hee came.

"Oh I see, so you must be So Hee, my dear." shocked of what she saw.

"Yes Ma'am. I apologize for coming..." before she could explain, Young Don interrupted and rather explain on her behalf.

"Ms Han, please excuse us for being tardy today, an emergency came for us two that we were not able to come to class on time." Young Don explained.

"And what's this errand that Mr Choi Do Young is talking about that ended up you two holding hands with each other?" Ms Han being curious.

So Hee was so shocked upon hearing the teacher, she suddenly let go of his hands and almost fell down, good that she was able to hold on the door knob.

"You see Ms Han, Ms (didn't know her name and asked her whispering," So Hee, Lee So Hee" she answered) Ms Lee So Hee out there met an accident because of me, I have to bring her to the clinic to get treated before we come to class." Young Don explained.

" Very Well Mr Seo, for now, I will accept your explanation since Mr Choi informed me beforehand and I look forward that this won't happen ever again. This is not just for the two of you but for the whole class. Understand? " Ms Han lessoned the class.

"Understand Ms Han" the class responded in chorus.

"Now, you go to your respective seats." Ms Han addressed to the two late comers.

"Thank you Ms Han." the two responded.

Both headed inside the classroom, they looked for vacant seats, they kept on looking until... There were only two vacant seats at the back of the room and So Hee's eyes were wide open.

"Oh no!... Not this..."

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