The dingy white wallpaper was being torn down, Yi Jung and Ji Hoo working at one end while Ga Eul and Woo Bin worked at the other. Ji Hoo hummed quietly under his breath, blatantly ignoring the radio as his fingers itched to play.

Faking calm was something that came easily to him.

The tension that sparked between Ga Eul and Yi Jung was laughably obvious. Maybe it was Ga Eul's distressed expression as she'd walked up to Jan Di's balcony; maybe it was how Yi Jung was ripping the wallpaper off with unnecessary vigor. But as Ji Hoo watched the two and their stiff, forced smiles, he felt the suspense in the atmosphere stretch and threaten to break.

He looked over his shoulder and nodded imperceptiply to Woo Bin. It was time to get some things straightened out.

"Ga Eul-sshi, do you need help with that wallpaper?" Woo Bin's voice was soft, almost intimate; it had obviously been meant to carry under the loud pop song playing from the radio. Yi Jung stiffened involuntarily and took a deep breath, ears straining to listen.

"Oh." Ga Eul-yang sounded surprised. "Um, no, I think I'm okay. Thank you, Woo Bin sunbae."

With some satisfaction, Yi Jung realized that she hadn't called Woo Bin just 'sunbae'. She seemed to only call him that.

That's pathetic, he thought right afterwards, tone harsh. Shut up and concentrate on Geum Jan Di's house.

Flipping the pocketknife out, he peeled off a corner of the wallpaper and tore it down, the ripping sound sharp and static in the tiny room. Ji Hoo gave him a mildly reproving look, all his words carried in one gaze. Yi Jung refused to look back, stare practically burning a hole through the wall.

Damn that stupid Prince Song.

Ga Eul looked over her shoulder at Yi Jung for a split second as he tore the wallpaper down, the loud noise startling her. She focused back on her own work and realized that there was only one piece of wallpaper left.

"I got it," Woo Bin said, leaning over her to rip it down. She caught a whiff of his cologne - it was like the one that Jae Kyung unni had sniffed the other day while shopping. Unni had said that she liked it, but Ga Eul preferred the one that seemed to reside in Yi Jung sunbae's car -

Oh, now you're just being ridiculous.

"Everyone ready for paint?" Ji Hoo's calm voice steadied her thoughts and she nodded, walking over to the paint cans to open them up. Woo Bin handed her the rough canvas gloves with a smile and she pulled them on, picking up a brush.

"Crap, we forgot the newspaper!" Woo Bin said. "We can't get paint all over the floor..."

Ji Hoo took off his gloves again. "I'll go to the market to buy a few. Are you guys okay with waiting for a while?"

"We're fine, sunbae," Ga Eul said. "Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" Anything to escape being in a room with Yi Jung.

"Actually, Woo Bin-ah, do you want to come? You said you needed to pick up a bottle of wine or something anyway - "

"Right, for the dinner we're going to have after this. Sure."

Ji Hoo sent Ga Eul and Yi Jung a soft smile. "You guys okay with being left alone?"

"Uh, about that - "

"Sunbae, can't you take - "

Both of them stopped in their tracks, eyes meeting involuntarily. Ga Eul lifted her chin, pride outweighing her want to escape. If he wanted to leave her so badly, he could make a fool of himself.

Yi Jung bent his head back down and muttered something that resembled an "Okay."

"Great!" Woo Bin flashed a winning smile. "We'll be right back."

The door slammed shut on their way out and Ga Eul felt her heart start to beat double-time.

They were alone.

Those conniving bastards, thought Yi Jung. They were planning this all along. He glanced furtively at Ga Eul, who sat with her eyes closed against the opposite wall. He shifted uncomfortably in his own little corner, aching to break the silence but not quite daring to.

As it turned out, he didn't have to.

His ringtone blared through the room, the small cell phone also vibrating in his pocket as if trying to be as obnoxious as possible. He wrenched it out and flipped it open, not bothering to check caller ID in his haste.

"Sir... it's your mother. She demands your attention."

Yi Jung's fist tightened involuntarily. "I said not to contact me about her."

"Sir, this is serious. The doctors aren't sure if they can continue to sedate her - "

"Do whatever it takes to keep her calm," he snapped. Pressing the 'end call' button before the man on the other end could continue, he dropped the phone to the ground and tugged on his hair, scowl deepening.

"Sunbae... are you okay?"

Ga Eul's soft voice startled him - he'd forgotten about her for a second. Composing himself, he answered with a cold, "Fine." He kicked himself internally when she shrank back into her corner. He'd already hurt her once because of his mother, and he wasn't about to do it again.

There was a short silence.

"You know, sunbae, it's easier to talk about things that are bothering you." He looked up in surprise to find her gaze averted, but shoulders stiff and chin set. She was nervous, but determined. "It's better than lashing out at other people."

He winced. He deserved that one. She shot a quick look at his face and scooted a little closer, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"It's... my mother." He refused to look at her. "She's in the hospital."

"Is she sick?"

His laugh was more bitter than he had expected, loud and hollow. "In the mind. She's suicidal."

A small gasp escaped her mouth.

Feeling horribly exposed and open, he stood up abruptly. "I'm going out."

Ga Eul grabbed his hand, surprising both of them. "Don't run away."

"I'm not running!"

"Yes, you are!" She stood up. "I don't know why, but you're so afraid of looking bad, of looking weak. You're only human!"

"Listen, just because you know a little about me doesn't mean you can start so psycho-analyze - "

"I want to help."

"Yeah?" So many people had said that to him before, so many faces and names had offered the same thing - it all blurred together. "What if you can't?"

"What if I can?" she countered, voice soft.

He paused, looking over his shoulder. He saw her as a little girl, a curious one. He saw her as a woman, a pained one. He saw her as different.

Shoulders slumping, he sat down.

Ji Hoo didn't know what it was or how it had happened, but when he looked over at the other side of the room, Ga Eul and Yi Jung were painting the window frame and laughing together. Just as he had suspected, time alone to work things out had been the key. Even now, Ga Eul looked over at Yi Jung and gave him a smile, something he returned unhesitatingly.

Ji Hoo wished them the best.

"You know, since we're bored..." Ga Eul trailed off, unsure of whether the group would be up for it. Yi Jung met her gaze, encouraging.

"Wait, you're not asking for a kiss, are you?" Woo Bin asked, catching the look that passed between the two. Yi Jung shoved him to the ground, laughing. "Don't worry, you can do that in front of me."

"Well..." Ga Eul paused. "Would you like to play a game?"

Meh. This chapter kind of sucks.

That's it! Two shot over.

Review?