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The next morning, he met her on the road and walked her to school.

“How’d it go with the girls?” he asked.

“Your idea didn’t work.  I gave everyone a group project.  And paired opposing girls together.  They all spent the entire day glaring at me.  And bickering.  It was worse than before.”

He nodded.  “Well, of course, it was.  It was the first day.  They haven’t learned to rely on each other yet.”

“I’m not sure they ever will.”

She was in an awful mood.  Trying to shake a disturbing dream that she’d had last night.  In which Soo Ho had finally shown his true colors.  And made a move on her.  Shoving her up against a wall.  Right before he’d kissed her.  In that weird dream, though she’d objected to his roughhousing, she’d privately enjoyed the kiss that followed it.  It had stirred up all sorts of odd feelings.  And made her long for impossible things.

She’d awoken restless today.  She was still unsettled.  And his beguiling, midnight eyes kept seeking out her face.  Distracting her.  And making her nervous.

She had really been hoping that he wouldn’t be present this morning.  But he’d been waiting for her.  Now she’d have to endure his company all the way to school.  She sought some way to distract him from pursuing anything too personal with her.

She gazed up at the clear blue sky.

“It’s so beautiful,” she murmured.

He glanced curiously at her.  “What is?” 

He was completely confused.  This girl switched gears faster than he could.  Cold, one instant.  Warm, the next.  He couldn’t follow her.  Or figure her out.

Her eyes still firmly planted in the heavens, she responded, “The morning sky.  I really love it.”  Then she instantly composed a poem.

“Skies of blue

Lend a clue

To the call

Of fair fall.

“Tender days,

Gentle rays

On my face,

Sun’s embrace.”

He blinked.  “Did you just make that up?”

She nodded.  Still not meeting his gaze.

He raised his eyebrows.  This clever girl constantly surprised him.

“It’s beautiful.”  His easy grin revealed itself.

But she ignored it.  She wasn’t about to allow that handsome face to tug at her heart.  She wasn’t even sure why she was allowing him to escort her today.  Or why she’d permitted him to strike up several conversations with her.  Men still made her uncomfortable….

Especially this one.

“Jung Sook?” he whispered.

She continued to stare at her bright cerulean sky as a smile curved her lips.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“Too many girls have already looked at you.  You need a girl to ignore you,” she responded sharply.  Then her voice softened, “It’s good for you.  It’s not a good thing for a man to lord it over a girl.”

His eyes sharpened on her face.  “Lord it over?” he rumbled smoothly as his brow wrinkled while he tried to decipher her strange words.  “What makes you think that I want to lord it over you?  I just want to see your pretty eyes.”

“Don’t,” she warned in a sudden dark tone.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t try to flirt with me.  We both know that my eyes aren’t pretty.”

She was pulling away from him again. 

He frowned at her.  “That’s just not true.”

Angry, she did glance his way then.  “I know you.  I know all about you.  How you would kiss any girl who was willing.  I’m sure you paid them all extravagant compliments.  Whether you meant them or not.” 

She continued harshly, “Let’s just get one thing straight right now.  I am never going to kiss you.  So you can stop lying to me!  There is absolutely no need for you to make things up in my presence.  In fact, I don’t like you when you do!” 

She quickened her pace.  And walked down the road without a backward glance.

He sped up, following her.  “Jung Sook, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean—”

She spun around.  “Yes.  You did.  I get it.  You play games.  That’s who you are.  You don’t care about any of those girls’ hearts.  You didn’t care if you kissed one and got her interested in you and then kissed her best friend an hour later.  You didn’t wait around to see the damage you’d inflicted. 

“But I did.  I got to see it all firsthand.  I’m the one who handed my handkerchief to a heartbroken girl outside of my classroom door and silently stood with her while she composed herself so she could face her peers without tears pouring down her cheeks.  I’m the one who had to break up more than one fight over you.  I’m still breaking up those fights.”

His eyebrows bounced up.  “Those girls fought over me?  The ones we were discussing yesterday?”  Shock and pride warred with each other in his voice.

“It’s nothing to be proud of!” she ground out as she glared at him.  “I will never – not as long as I live – understand the cruelty of men.  You all just want what you can take, don’t you?  Without one thought for the women whom you’re hurting!”

She swung her body away from him again and trudged down the road.  Towards her school.  Where she would spend the whole day.  Without him.  Battling to gain the attention of those silly girls.  Who had broken their hearts over this careless creature.

Why had she ever decided to stop and visit with him?  Why hadn’t she sent him on his way today?  With a flea in his ear?

She didn’t even like him.  And his superior height still set her back up.  She knew he must be strong.  He trained with the other hwarang.  Should he ever decide to use his strength against her, it wouldn’t be pretty.  She winced at that thought. 

He seemed like a gentle enough boy, but she was still uneasy.  What hid underneath his mostly easygoing manner?  Would he turn violent now that she had yelled at him?

Like he had in her dream?

Spurred on by that concern, she sped up and nearly ran to the school.  She hurried inside and slammed the door in his face.  Without a word of goodbye.

––

Soo Ho puckered his brow as he stared in consternation at the door that had nearly separated his nose from his face.  Had he really devastated a number of girls? 

He had never given a thought to their feelings.  It was true. 

He had wanted one thing from them.  And he hadn’t been shy about going after it. 

It had never occurred to him that he might have made even one of them cry any real tears.  Like…he’d broken their hearts?

He thought of his silly sister.  And how she’d wept the day that she’d realized that Ban Ryu had ignored her in passing.  Soo Ho had been furious with the man that day.  Ready to challenge him to a swordfight.  Even though Ban Ryu was clearly the more skilled fencer. 

Still, watching his sister cry had broken Soo Ho’s tender heart.  It was one thing for him to tease her mercilessly.  It was another thing to watch her undying passion for the man go unrequited.  He didn’t want any other men playing with her affections. 

His sister was a sweetheart, and she clearly doted on Ban Ryu.  And the man had heartlessly turned away from her for a season.  A season that she hadn’t been able to understand.  And watching her agony play out across her expressive countenance had hurt Soo Ho.  More than he would have thought possible.

Much like the pain which he’d just seen on his new friend’s face had pierced his consciousness like a sharp arrow bent upon ripping him apart.

Which was why he couldn’t let this day pass without rectifying this situation.  Somehow, he had hurt the girl for whom he was beginning to feel some affection.  He had to make things right.  So tonight, he would follow Jung Sook home.  From a safe distance.  Giving her ample time to cool off.  But he wasn’t about to let the sun set before he’d confronted her.