A/N: So, for real, this Joon Pyo and Jan Di start with abject hatred of each other...

She infuriated him.

Being all so righteous to the bone and judging him. Ugh, it was disgusting.

The Dry-cleaner was sitting at a nearby desk closest to the window. Her eyes ran through the lines, rereading each sentence ten times, so that, God forbid, the poor commoner made a mistake. She tried, you see. She wanted to succeed. Make the best of her chance in Shinhwa High. Hah! Like, whatever... He could make it so she'd never work anywhere. Yet she sat there checking and re-checking her answers in pencil, so she could render the perfect answer, which could be hung in the gallery of correct answers. There, the smug smile appeared on her face: she was satisfied with her answer and even beamed the smile to Lee Min Ha, who was her tutor. It was revolting. Her smile that dimpled her cheeks.

Joon Pyo, having solved all the math problems and removed the completed questionnaire for the test exam at the edge of the table, sat lounging on a hard school chair, knocking the ballpoint pen around the edge of the table top.

Bang... Bang... Bang...

He saw that it annoyed her. That her eyes blinked after each strike. Squinting, pursing her lips in displeasure. Biting them, chewing them, but remaining silent. Joon Pyo put the pen down and stared at her mouth for another couple of seconds, but then pulled himself together in time and turned away.

And why the hell was he looking at this commoner? After all, she wasn't even worthy of his passing glance (and no, of course, he did not stare at her half of the exam, puh-lease). It's just...

Joon Pyo, pissed at himself, squeezed the pen hard, and it broke in his hand so that one half bounced on the next desk, plopped loudly, rolled over the table to the girl's fingers.

Several students looked at him balefully because of the noise, but immediately turned away, buried in their sheets. Right. No one was stupid enough to challenge him, Goo Joon Pyo of Shinhwa Group.

Joon Pyo, meanwhile, caught the intense gaze of dark brown, but somehow bright, eyes (shut up, it was possible that she was insane and her eyes shone because of the said insanity).

"What are you staring at?" he barely moved lips.

And Geum Jan Di...

Yes, that was her name.

Wonder Girl was another name used often. Disgusting... Teachers favored her, because the school administration told them to make sure the Wonder Girl graduated or this entire PR-campaign would have been in vain... Argh, it irritated him so much...

She was uttterly unremarkable. Nothing worthy of the moniker 'the Wonder Girl.' She was short, with an average figure: thin and with hardly any curves. Boring black hair cut in a page haircut, probably done by her mother. Pale skin and normal lips with a colorless lipgloss shimmering in them (and no, he did not look at her lips at all, what a fucking nonsense).

Geum Jan Di opened her small, pink mouth to answer, but her eyes darted to the clock and panic flashed in her eyes, which made Joon Pyo smile, shaking his head. The girl looked at him again, finally gave him with a frown before diving back into her test work, although Joon Pyo saw perfectly well that she had finished everything a while ago, only a couple of minutes behind him.

Joon Pyo wanted to throw a piece of paper, torn from the edge of the exam sheet, into her head, but suddenly a sharp pain hit him in the chest.

Squirming in his chair, he breathed heavily, rubbing his chest through his shirt, and doubled over. He closed his eyes, grabbed the edge of the table to the whitened knuckles. So hard in fact, it even seemed to him that the wood began to creak and was about to crumble in his hands. He didn't care about the damage to the school property, because, please, he was Goo-freaking-Joon-Pyo and his family owned this whole school, but... He didn't want to attract anyone's attention. Again, he, to put it mildly, did not give a shit about most people. But, this was something he couldn't let people find out. So, he breathed deep, overcoming the pain, pried off his hands from the table and put them on his knees. Trying to stop shivering, he clenched his fists.

'No, not now,' he turned in his thoughts. 'Let it start at home, surrounded by family. But not now, please.'

He noticed some movement with his periferial vision.

Well, of course.

Who else would stick their nose where it didn't belong?

The annoying Dry-cleaner.

She looked at Joon Pyo with her dark-bright eyes and blinked several times in confusion, constantly stealing glances at the teacher. Apparently, she was trying to decide whether to call teacher's attention. She was somewhat alarmed, so she was not afraid of Joon Pyo's murderous gaze, scorching her pale face.

He gloomily watched as her hand fleeted around the desk, intending to rise into the air, but he was ahead and raised his first.

"Mr. Lee, may I step out? I finished the test," Joon Pyo's voice sounded calm and cold, as if unbearable pain did not tear his chest, turning his heart out.

Having washed in the toilet room, he slid to the floor, biting his lip so as not to howl in pain. He felt his temperature rise, and his body was shaking. And that was just the beginning. Tomorrow the pain might swell with double the strength. He knew it. He heard about it.

Carding his fingers in dark curly hair, Joon Pyo sat like that until the end of the exam and the recess in an attempt to alleviate the pain. After a while it subsided and he felt much better.

Another day closer to the X-day...

Throwing a backpack on his shoulder, Joon Pyo pulled back a chair and followed his friend who was waiting for him at the exit from the office.

Today, classes and extra activities were completed, so all students with a clear conscience could leave the school and go to numerous tutors, or for a walk with friends, or shop, or home, where they may or may not find their families. Of course, some might be dragged into their family businesses, depending on their skill of evading the dreaded responsibility.

After another joke from Woo Bin, Joon Pyo was already laughing out loud, bent over in obvious humor. His temples throbbed, puling in a dull pain, but he tried not to pay attention to it, listening to his friend with enthusiasm and trying to forget the headache.

"Wait," he said through laughter, clutching his stomach. "I can't laugh any more or I'll just burst. Fuck..."

Song Woo Bin straightened his back, hands in his trouser pockets. While Joon Pyo was almost rolling on the floor, he managed to wink at Miranda, who was passing by, and with his hand he mimed a phone call, which made her smile wide, flush, and nod easily, while covering her face with hair. A self-satisfied smile lit up Woo Bin's face and from the end of the corridor girlish squeals and not too quiet whispers of the Plastic Trio erupted, gossiping about the F4 and Woo Bin's 'killer cheekbones.'

Because that was the true state of things in this school. Goo Joon Pyo, Song Woo Bin, Yoon Ji Hoo and So Yi Jong were the main hotties of Shinhwa High, and, as the saying went, all the guys wanted to be them and all the girls wanted to be with them. Girls hung on every word from the F4 and the school chats were full of threads on the F4 hotness. The ultimate goal was to become a permanent girl for one of them, but even without that title, just an ounce of attention from one of them was the dream come true for most girls.

"Okay, let's go," Woo Bin playfully shoved Joon Pyo and then suddenly froze.

When Joon Pyo straightened up, slowly exhaling to calm himself down, Woo Bin touched his arm again, gently this time. He looked anxiously, raising his eyebrows in the obvious question.

Joon Pyo wanted to tell him to stop it already, but he kept himself in place, motionless in his tracks, because he knew perfectly well that his friend understood everything. Understood without words. So, Joon Pyo just shook his head, letting his friend know that he was fine. And in general, he really was. There wasn't much any of them could do, but to wait it out. He was not ready for the detailed report.

They silently continued on their way until silence was interrupted by Woo Bin's in his quiet voice.

"Are you sure that you do not need to see a doctor?"

"Sure."

Woo Bin clenched his jaw disapprovingly, gritting his teeth. He sincerely worried about his friend: they had grown up side by side since childhood and were accustomed to taking care of each other, sharing all thoughts and secret desires.

"If it's all the same to you, maybe you should go and see a doc-"

Joon Pyo just shook his head.

"Imagine the expression on the nurse's face when a thermometer burst in my hand if I just touch it," Joon Pyo chuckled bitterly, throwing the second strap of the backpack on his shoulder, then futilely straightened his fringe.

Woo Bin just nodded knowingly, biting his lower lip.

"But if it gets worse for you..."

Joon Pyo interrupted him, elbowing him, after which he patted his friend on the shoulder soothingly, all without slowing down.

They were approaching the main doors and Joon Pyo noticed a small figure of the Dry-cleaner on the opposite side. A small sort of smile appeared on his face, more like a grin. Wonderful.

She walked alone (as always) with books in one hand (apparently, all of them did not fit in her bag) and a paper cup with some kind of liquid in the other. The cup was definitely full, because Geum Jan Di moved very slowly, holding the drink on her outstretched hand away from her precious book. Joon Pyo couldn't not take advantage of this. Even despite the fact that he felt kind of awful right now, insulting and annoying the commoner was his duty. Otherwise, the day was considered to be wasted.

Joon Pyo slowed down his pace to reach the door at the same time as the Dry-cleaner. Woo Bin caught onto his plan and snorted, wishing good luck, and then caught another girl by the elbow, whispering something in her ear. Joon Pyo was no longer listening to him, because his brown eyes were riveted on the Dry-cleaner, the disheveled girl, he began to bully not long ago. Ever since she talked back at him and shoved ice-cream into his face. Not just talk back, mind you, she read him the whole fucking lecture on the classes of society and the rules of human c0-habitation, where the strong should not abuse the weak, and the rich didn't get to command the poor, and extremely rich didn't become so without the whole of society, and so on and so forth. She proved the point about free will and friendship by standing up for her unfortunate friend. Of course, the joke was on her because Oh Min Ji quickly ditched Geum Jan Di, when the latter got the red card... So from that day on, the Dry-cleaner was the target of Joon Pyo's ire and her life turned into hell. All Joon Pyo had to do was point a finger and all of the school turned on the commoner. Of course, they couldn't have another scandal with bullying, so nothing was too physical... Still, he was surprised how long she was lasting... It was entertaining. To him, at least...

Jan Di didn't seem to notice him, watching the swirling liquid in the cup. She slowly backed into the door, pushing it open and holding the cup very carefully, when when suddenly ... bam!

The curly-haired idiot squeezed suddenly through the door, catching her by the elbow. Some the contents of the paper cup was spilled on her clothes: jacket, blouse, tie - and, most terribly, on the book, borrowed from the library. They acquired a brown color, so the girl began to wipe them hard with the sleeve of her jacket. She didn't worry about the uniform, because it could be dry-cleaned, and there wouldn't be a trace of stains, but the same couldn't be done with the book. Her eyes got misty as if a watery veil appeared before her eyes, filling them to the brim. Jan Di almost cried in resentment, but held back treacherous tears. This idiot was just waiting for her to cry and run away. Never! She'd never give him the satisfaction.

"You…" she hissed.

"I? What?" Joon Pyo said sickly sweet, having managed to walk a few steps away from her. That was it, he was just annoying her!

He straightened his back and straightened his shoulders, hulking over her, as if indicating where the girl truly was in life: below him. But Jan Di just snorted, her chin raised.

"I'll show you!" the girl snapped, carefully hugging the book, although it rather sounded plaintive because of the high voice.

"Show me what, Geum Jan Di? Are you sure you have anything worthy to be shown to me?" he singled out her name, spitting it out like a foul word. She shivered and swallowed hard at the hatred in his eyes.

They looked at each other for a few minutes and some of the exiting students stopped, watching a strange couple at the door. Everybody got used to their squabbles long ago and often laughed, taking pictures and putting them into a general chat with tags like "Commoner Geum Jan Di flashed her panties when she fell on the floor." Never mind that she was tripped and shoved by the obnoxious leader of F4 and the short skirt of the ridiculous uniform flew up. And that was just one of his favorite tricks. There was also grabbing her book-bag and throwing it in the dumpster and then commenting that the Dry-cleaner was so poor, she was dumpster-diving for scraps of food. And on and on...

Now Jan Di looked like an enraged beast, looking menacingly at her classmate, her chest heaving heavily. But Joon Pyo looked more than calm, and by his mocking expression one could say that he even liked her reactions.

"It seems the Wonder Girl has nothing wonderful to say or show?" he raised a brow in mocking surprise.

Oh, how he annoyed her! Such a brazen and arrogant asshole!

She took two slow steps that did not go unnoticed by the idiot in charge of the bully squad.

"Damn you, Goo Joon Pyo!" she shouted in a heartfelt voice and, rising on the tip-toes, she hit the obstinate boy on the forehead with her heavy and stained book.

...

There was a collectively held breath all around them.

...

Jan Di blinked in dawning horror.

...

Joon Pyo stared, his eyes flashing in a strange glow.

...

Somewhere on the left, Song Woo Bin was laughing: he always knew how to support a friend.

A/N: Ta-da, new story about Joon-Di. Anyone interested in reading more? It's a bit of the tropey mish-mash: we have love-hate relationship, some contrived supernatural imperative of keeping the couple together and the dreaded high school setting. Any guesses what's going on with Joon Pyo?