"Can I come over again next time?" Chenle asked once they were finished, books still scattered around the living room table. 

 "Hmmn sure" Jihyo answered while still looking down on her book. She didn't see the smile that crept up Chenle's face afterward.

 It was another day at school, another hour at P.E class, and another boring time for Jihyo. This time she didn't want to sit still so instead she walked by the edge of the school gym, kicking a ball and handling it with her feet as she walked. She hadn't been feeling well since this morning but she didn't say anything because she never liked the smell of hospital bed. She was wondering that maybe she slept too late last night because she just felt tired. 

 The school gym was particularly more crowded today because the other gym that was usually used by the second graders was under renovation. Half of them were transferred to this gym while the other half were sent to the field with the seniors. It was just a coincidence that the class which Lua and Haechan were in got transferred to this gym. Jihyo didn't even need to take a second look to make sure the pink haired boy bouncing through the gym was undoubtedly the one and only Haechan. It was funny how Haechan's pink hair was the result from his fading red hair but he still looked good in it. 

 Jihyo kept kicking the ball by her feet softly, making it roll slowly to match her walking pace. She huffed and stopped at some point just to take in her surroundings. Her classmates were once again playing dodge ball and she wondered why did they like the game so much. She would rather sit back and sleep than to join such an abusive game play. She saw how the other classes were playing other games such as basketball and even soccer in such minimum space. The big school gym felt a lot smaller now with more people in it. And it felt even smaller when she caught Haechan's gaze. At that Jihyo looked away in a lightning speed making it seemed like she didn't catch his gaze at all because she was just looking past him. She looked down again and started kicking the ball again while walking slowly, fully aware that Haechan's gaze was on her -probably trying to send message through their minds for her to look back at him. She didn't comply.

 "Why is such a beautiful girl like you taking a walk by your own, Miss?" Suddenly there was a  familiar voice and presence walking along with her on her left. Jihyo recognized the voice immediately and she laughed. Chenle had became really playful with her lately, not that she minded. It was odd for her at first but she got used to that sooner than expected.

 "Who are you talking to, Sir? I don't see any beautiful girl around here." Jihyo answered, making a full stop when Chenle took the ball by her feet then put his foot on top of it to make it stop. Jihyo rose her eyebrow in question, not even trying to get her entertaining object back.

 "The girl is right in front of me." Chenle flashed her a dashing smile and Jihyo faked a throwing up motion before they both laughed together. 

 "Cut it off." Jihyo said before she kicked the soccer ball from under his foot to release it then began walking again like before. Chenle followed close beside her.

 "Hey, winter break is near." Chenle suddenly said and Jihyo gave her a disbelief look.

 "Chenle-ya, it's still, like, a few weeks- no, a month before winter break." The girl stated.

 "But I just want to know your plan." Chenle pouted and hugged her left arm loosely. "Can't we spend it together? We haven't really gotten any quality time together. Are we really best friends even, Jihyo-ya?" Chenle said, half sulking already.

 "Sorry I got my schedule packed with sleep already, can't go." Jihyo exclaimed and released her arm from the other's hug. "And it would be really cold I don't think I'd even want to go out." She added with a shrug.

 "I wonder if you ever went out on winter breaks." The boy said with a roll of his eyes.

 "I'm practically cold intolerant, Chenle-ya" Chenle gaped at that. He didn't know that she was cold intolerant. Sure he had seen the girl digging her hands in her pockets or slipping her hands under her thighs when she sat in the class but he never knew that was because she was cold intolerant. "Hey, it's not that bad. I'll hang out with you when it's not as cold." Jihyo said when she noticed her friend was speechless. The boy only hummed and nodded at that, not sure of what to say next.

 They continued their slow walk around the gym, almost finishing a full lap from where Jihyo started. They kept talking and joking with each other until a particular scream of Chenle's name was heard from near them.

 Before either Chenle or Jihyo could respond to the scream, a ball hit the side of Chenle's head hard and it bounced to Jihyo. Without knowing a ball coming her way, Jihyo went to turn her head to see what actually happened. But before she could even turn her head, the soccer ball already hit the back of her head. It wasn't that hard but the impact itself shocked Jihyo and she shut her eyes in reflex. Unlike Chenle, Jihyo didn't make any high pitched scream. She only let out a small 'Ah!' before everything began spinning for her.

 It all happened so fast. Jihyo rose her arms with her eyes closed like a blind girl, her legs starting to lose their balance and Chenle immediately panicked. Jihyo could hear a particular angry shoutings of her old friend, Hyejin who was probably scolding her friend for kicking the ball too hard. Other panicked whispers were heard and Chenle's high pitched shriek didn't help her calm her spinning head. She felt Chenle holding her arms to keep her balanced but at the same time he kept moving out of panic.

 "She has a freaking vertigo! Seonsaeng-nim!" Chenle shouted as other students started crowding around her, some girls tried holding her up and asked if she was fine but none of them dared to do anything else. "Where is ssaem??" Chenle once again asked for the teacher but their teachers had previously left the gym for an urgent meeting and it was no use on calling them.

 "Move! Move out! Move!!" The crowd was parted forcefully by a boy who hurried his way to the center. He approached Jihyo and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly as he asked with a hushed tone, "you okay?". He only got a weak whine in return and that was it. He told the other girls to move and hooked his arms under Jihyo's knees and back, curled his hands into fists to avoid touching her too much for Jihyo's comfort and swept her up in his arms. He got an alarmed look from Chenle but he didn't put her down, not when Jihyo was already clutching on her head, still not opening her eyes. "I'm taking her to the medical room. Inform this to the teacher, please." He said before walking to the door, the crowd parting a way for him to pass immediately.

 Once he was out of the door, he walked quickly to the medical room. Quick but not too fast to cause the girl in his arms any discomfort. "How are you feeling, Jihyo-ya? I'm sorry I have to carry you like this, feel free to hit me when you feel better later." He said softly, keeping his voice low so it won't cause her more headache.

 Jihyo was never one to faint easily. During the whole 16 years of her life, she had never fainted even once before. She didn't know why but at times like this she just hoped she could easily faint because bearing with the dizziness in her head is hard. It felt like the world was spinning around even when she closed her eyes. It was worse when she opened her eyes though, so she kept them closed. She bit her lower lip and concentrated on her breathing, clutching weakly on the boy's shirt.

 Once they arrived at the medical room, the boy laid Jihyo down on the bed and took off her shoes, putting them beside the table. "Can you speak? Don't worry, I'm here, I'm here." He said reassuringly as he carefully lifted her head and slipped off the hair tie to release some pressure from it. "I'll get you some water, wait." He shuffled around the room and took a bottle of water from the table, always prepared by the nurse who was currently out.

 "Sit for a bit." He said, helping the weak girl to sit and drink the water. "Better? Can you look at me?" He asked while observing her face. Sweats were visible on her forehead and the slight crease above her eyebrows told him she was still dizzy. "It's okay, I got you." He whispered softly, trying to calm her down. She was breathing heavily while trying her best to open her eyes but failed as waves of dizziness hit her. She refused to go to the hospital though, when the boy asked her.

 Suddenly the door swung open and a panicked Chenle rushed inside. "I got her meds." He informed, coming to Jihyo and immediately tore the package of the meds open then gave it to the girl who forcefully opened her left eye to take it and drank it immediately. She closed her eyes back after she gulped down her medicine. She sighed and laid back on the bed with some help. A blanket was put over her and she snuggled under it, trying hard to fall asleep to pass the dizziness in her head.

 "Did you tell the teacher?" A hushed voice asked.

 "No, but Hyejin did. Her friend was the one who kicked the ball but no one caught it so, yeah.. it happened." Chenle said as he slumped on the other bed. He eyed the elder hesitantly before finally asking the question that had been bugging him since the senior helped Jihyo earlier in the gym, "Uhm, sunbaenim, why are you doing this though? I mean, taking care of her and all."

 "Yeah? What do you mean by why am I doing this? She needed help, Chenle-ya." He answered as he looked over the girl who had pulled the blanket over her neck and right under her chin. He sounded genuinely worried and Chenle only pressed his lips together to a thin line then nodded silently. When he got no response in return, he sighed and stood up to go out of the room. "I'm trusting you to take care of her. I think you know her condition better." 

 "Uh, thankyou for your help.." Chenle said just before the red-now pink- haired boy opened the door to leave. He got a smile in return before the older left the room, the door clicking softly after him. Chenle turned his attention back to the sleeping girl i front of her. He sighed and rubbed his head, also sore from the ball's hit. He laid down on the bed next to Jihyo's bed.

 Suddenly there was a knock on the door and the door creaked open. A head peeked in and Chenle sat up on the bed. "Oh, Hyejin-ah." 

 "Hey, Chenle-ya." Hyejin smiled sheepishly and stepped in the room. She showed the boy a pack of ice in her hand and handed it to him. "For your head. Sorry about the incident, my friend is stupid." She said with a sigh. She saw Chenle taking the ice pack and pressing it lightly to the side of his head. He was glad that someone actually remembered that he also got hit by the ball and cared about his well being.
 
 "That's fine, thankyou for the ice." Chenle grinned with a small hint of pain v