Chapter 1

book version

It was really late at night and Kim Ji-Hoon was just finishing up his Kendo training. In an attempt to make it home quickler, he decided to take the short cut through the park, figuring that nothing could go wrong... boy was he proven wrong...

While walking, Kim Ji-Hoon collides into a middle school child running in the opposite direction that he was going. The crash barely phases Kim Ji-Hoon but the child falls down in a daze. Kim Ji-Hoon feels the irritation boiling his blood, "D****t brat, watch where the hell you are going!"

Obviously scared already, the child shoots right up and shakes his head, "I'm sorry!!"

Kim Ji-Hoon scoffs, "Why are you out so late anyway? And what the hell are you running from?"

"I was getting beat up by some older guys and then this girl came and told me to run... I think she is talking to them now..." The child explains.

As if to prove the child was telling the truth, Kim Ji-Hoon suddenly hears the commotion from somewhere: a girl yelling out and a few guys yelling as well... he face palms, "D****t... a girl trying to be Superwoman... where are you running from?" he asks.

The child points in the direction of the park gazebo.

Kim Ji-Hoon nods and waves the boy off, "Get out of here... and never come out this late..."

 

The middle school child quickly runs off, and Ji-Hoon makes his way to the gazebo, cursing at his luck. When he gets there, he takes in the fight: Glass and... wine was scattered all over the place. There were four guys all together. The girl was on the ground... totally defeated, but still putting up a good fight... Ji-Hoon notices her disadvantages include her being semi-drunk and wearing a dress... a very... familiar dress... Kim Ji-Hoon realizes it instantly, the girl was none other than Saku Hana!

Kim Ji-Hoon quickly jumps into teh fight, knocking two guys out of the way. They rolled off and Ji-Hoon uses the element of surprise to aim a hard kick to another guy's stomach... he ends up falling and rolling away to get to safety. Ji-Hoon is a little disappointed that the last guy was smart enough to move away from the oncoming attack... but takes this time to close the distance between him and Saku.

He notices how she is almost completely out of it, from both the wine and the beating... infuriated, Kim Ji-Hoon threatens the four high schoolers, "Honestly guys, don’t you have any dignity.... and for the ladies. Oh and by the way, I'll castrate you sick fuckers if you try to do this again!!!"

He couldn't believe that he lost his temper like that, since he would always be quite calm in situations like this even... cause it would usually piss his opponent off... that was his way of fighting... but not tonight apparently... "To hell with trying to act sophisticated!!" He couldn't act all cool and calm in every situation...

Unbelievably stupid, the four guys hold their ground against Kim Ji-Hoon, "Stay out of this if you aren't supposed to be involved!"

"Are you related to her? Or, are you maybe, her boyfriend?"

"Probably just some punk trying to be brave or save the day to get the girl! But that'll fail terribly!"

The fourth however, stays quiet... he knows something... Finally he whispers to the others

"You guys... I don't think we should fight him... I think he might be a lot more trouble than we think..."

The three other guys stare at him and growl together, "You wuss! Go run home if you aren't ready to fight for real!"

Kim Ji-Hoon laughs as the last one runs away from the growing situation, "He was right, you know... maybe you three should go and run to your mommies as well." He taunts, going back to the way he normally fights, "You really should know who you fight... I mean, I already know that the three of you are wanna be gangsters who only have enough balls to pick a fight with a girl who they know they can wail on and then take to their house... and don't have the guts to face her boyfriend-er- savior... They know that they can't fight for jack and they always pick on people who they know can't fight them back... real punks and a disgrace to the public..."

That did it... all three came at Kim Ji-Hoon, clumsily fighting out of rage. Kim Ji-Hoon easily takes them on, knowing that because they were pissed, they wouldn't fight using their brains, but their anger. He drops all three of them with a measly kick here and a slightly aimed punch there. As the three flee from any more damage, Kim Ji-Hoon yells after them, "Wimpy A*s Punks!!!"

"There I go losing my cool again..."

Kim Ji-Hoon sighs... He is finally able to direct his attention to the unconscious Saku Hana.

Kim Ji-Hoon runs over to Saku and examines her body: Her face was a mess with a swollen eye, busted lip, a cut to one cheek, and a worrisome bruise was forming on her other cheekbone. Her arms went through hell, as it looked, with all the scratches and cuts... her legs weren't so bad, but her ankle looked swelled. The dress was in tatters... falling off of her basically. Kim Ji-Hoon shook his head at the sight. A light shower came down and it soon turned into a downpour. Gently, Kim Ji-Hoon picked up Saku Hana and began to walk towards his house. Luckily, he glanced into the gazebo and noticed her suitcase and other belongings stacked in a corner. Kim Ji-Hoon eyes Saku's belongings, "Why is she... staying here? What about her house?"

Kim Ji-Hoon suddenly recalls his conversation with Saku in the hospital with Saku coldly replying to his question with... "If I lose, then this drama queen won't have a house to return to..."

Kim Ji-Hoon thinks back, "Did she lose the tennis tournament?"

Kim Ji-Hoon slightly panics when Saku suddenly starts to move around in his grip, trying to get down, "Put... me down... you jackasses!! I'll get you... so badly... if..."

"Saku, its Kim Ji-Hoon... you're okay... stop wiggling!!" He tries to calm Saku's attacks, dodging smacks and fists and kicks.

In the end, Saku was holding onto Kim Ji-Hoon by his neck and leaning her head against his chest. Kim Ji-Hoon breathed in deeply, "Aish... such trouble... I'll just come back and get her things..." he adds looking back at Saku's luggage in the gazebo.

 

Back at his house, Kim Ji-Hoon leaves Saku Hana on his sofa with a blanket. It didn't take him too long to run back out into the pouring rain to retrieve Saku's belongings... but when he came back, he was completely drenched. So, before taking full care of Saku, Ji-Hoon took care of himself, showering and putting on dry clothes.

Kim Ji-Hoon takes Saku's things into his room debating whether to look through her things to find her clothes, "She should wear her own things, she'll be more comfortable... but then again... I'd be invading her privacy. She might not like that... so what should I do? My clothes? Wait... she's totally unconscious... so... d****t... I'll have to dress her... ugh... she'll probably kill me when she wakes up..."

Deciding that it would be alittle safer to use his clothing, Kim Ji-Hoon goes into one of his drawers and pulls out a long, button up, white t-shirt, "I have to check her wounds anyway so..." In the bathroom, he grabs a first aid kit.

Leaving both the clothes and kit in is room, he goes to retrieve Saku. In the living room, Kim Ji-Hoon stops and stares at Saku for a brief minute: Saku has thrown the blanket off and curled herself into a ball, pulling her knees up to her chest and shivering...

"She's strong... pretty too... but causes so much trouble! Whether it be fainting in the middle of the night or getting into a fight and almost getting raped... Does she know what danger is anyway?!"

With a shake of his head, Ji-Hoon gets to work. Lifting her up gently, Kim Ji-Hoon takes Saku into his room. Setting her on the bed, Kim Ji-Hoon, gets to work on her wounds, disinfecting them... Saku irritably whacked his hand away a few times so Kim Ji-Hoon fought with her for a few minutes before she finally gave up and let him continue to take care of her, "Damn... you're an angry drunk aren't you?" he groans.

Saku replies groggily, "I'm not that drunk..." Followed by a hiccup.

"Whatever you say drunkie..." Ji-Hoon chuckles.

After Ji-Hoon took care of Saku's arms and face, he got to changing her out of her wet, and tattered, clothes. It took a little while, but, Kim Ji-Hoon was able to get Saku to change for herself... unfortunately, she blacked out again... before buttoning the shirt up.

Ji-Hoon growled, "Aw, d****t..."

Kim Ji-Hoon positioned Saku comfortably on the bed and started to button up the shirt, his head turned in the opposite direction, "The crap I do..."

FInally done, Ji-Hoon stood up and prepared to walk away, only to feel Saku's cold hand grab onto his. A shiver went up is arm and down his spine at the sudden touch. He thought of yanking his hand away, but... he couldn't find it in himself to do so, preferring to kneel down next to the bed, allowing Saku to hold his hand. Her eyes slightly opened and Kim Ji-Hoon found himself staring intently into them as she softly asked, "Can you just stay... until I fall asleep...?"

With a sligt nod, Ji-Hoon pulls the blankets over Saku and patiently waits... when sleep doesn't seem to want to grace Saku with it's presence, Ji-Hoon begins to hum to her, a lulliby that he, himself wrote. The sudden thought occurs to him, "Why am I like this? I've never done this before... do I feel sorry for her? Is this an act of sympathy? Wait, she slapped me before and caused trouble for me... why do I feel sympathetic to such a troublemaker?! Then again... she really goes through a lot... and look at her... how can I not..."

Kim Ji-Hoon shakes his head... he can't believe how he is acting and thinking... when he looks at Saku and sees that her eyes were just closing, he pulls his hand out of her grip leaves the room quickly. Sitting in the living room, Kim Ji-Hoon thinks about what is going on in his normally peaceful and organized head, "Why am I acting like this? I'm supposed to be the cold heartless guy who doesn't consider girls or cares about them... I would have done this for any other girl... I wouldn't leave them in the rain... but why am I so nervous? AISH!!"