LOVE:ZERO

Jiyu gathered her hair over one shoulder, smoothing it neatly. Then, as before, she tilted her head and lowered her gaze.

Her long eyelashes, casting crescent shadows under her eyes, fluttered faintly before she clenched her lower lip tightly.

‘What did I do wrong?’

Her emotions felt tangled. She was only following the teacher’s instructions to measure a pulse, yet she felt like a villain who’d committed some unforgivable act.

‘It’s so unfair… but…’

A part of her also wanted to rattle her… If she could shake the ever-calm, ever-composed Jiyu Parker… make those haughty eyebrows droop, fill those cold eyes with glistening tears… it might feel exhilarating. As thrilling as clinching a match point in a tournament final.

A strange, heart-squeezing sensation surged through him.

Hunter frowned, his gaze dropping as he paused.

‘What’s with her neck? Even Daisy’s thighs are probably thicker than that.’

It looked like it might snap if he pushed too hard.

Now that he thought about it, his image of Jiyu had stayed frozen since the day she’d shown up at Hamilton Residence in that frumpy white dress.

Scrawny, frail, and blurry.  He’d seen her so often almost like family that he’d never bothered to look closely.

But today, she felt unfamiliar, like a stranger. Still scrawny, still frail, still blurry…

Yet something about her was different. It irked him that he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

‘Well, Ju Parker is still Ju Parker.’

Hunter snorted lightly, glancing between her nape and the anatomical model. A red circular sticker marked the pulse point on the model’s neck.

Estimating the spot, he cautiously reached out and pressed his finger firmly just above her collarbone.

After three seconds of feeling nothing, he pulled back. A bright red mark lingered despite his light touch. Startled, he shook his wrist to loosen up, then focused all his nerves into his fingertips and tried again.

Hup—

Jiyu, whose shoulders had been trembling slightly, let out a stifle  before hunching her shoulders up to her ears. His hand was now awkwardly flattened between her neck and shoulder.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Flustered, Hunter yanked his hand back.

“It’s too ticklish, Hunter. I’ll find it myself.”

Jiyu’s usually pale cheeks flushed crimson as she avoided his eyes and fumbled with her own neck. Seeing her face this color for the first time made Hunter’s ears burn hot.

‘Damn. What did I even do? People might think I kissed her.’

She pointed her index finger to a spot midway between her neck and collarbone.

“Here.”

Hunter, who’d been clenching his fist, steadied his breath and reached out again. As his finger touched the pulse point, he swallowed dryly. This time, the heartbeat was distinct.

Jiyu shuddered, her shoulders quivering.

“Hold still. It’ll just take a minute.”

“…Okay.”

Hunter glared at his watch as he counted. His throat felt oddly parched, forcing him to keep swallowing. His palm grew sweaty, and the stuffy gym bag around him felt suffocating.

The second the minute ended, he jerked his hand away and ducked his head to scribble notes.

“102. The pulse is stronger than before but a bit irregular.”

“102? Are you sure you measured right?”

This time, Jiyu interrogated him with disbelief.

Hunter tilted his chin up, glaring down at her with an intimidating stare.

“Want me to check again?”

“…”

She immediately lowered her eyes and shook her head.

Hunter quickly found his own pulse point by touch… no ticklishness at all. Mimicking her earlier posture, he tilted his head and slightly leaned forward.

“Here.”

Jiyu dragged her hand up slowly, almost teasingly. Three soft fingers landed precisely on his throbbing carotid artery.

“I’ll count now.”

She whispered faintly. Hunter gave a solemn nod.

But within five seconds, his jaw clenched.

‘It was fine earlier.’

A tingling sensation bloomed where her fingers touched, crawling up his nape. He refused to hunch his shoulders ridiculously like she had.

‘Pride’s a thing.’

Hunter tensed every muscle and held his breath. His face reddened until he finally exhaled sharply. Goosebumps prickled his arms. His hair stood on end, his breathing uneven.

“Hunter, it’s too fast!”

“What?”

He gritted his teeth and snapped his head toward her.

“Slow down… Ugh, no! I lost count. We need to start over.”

Hunter inflated his chest and sighed like his patience had snapped. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Heat flushed his body as if he’d just finished a sprint.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to… your pulse is just too…”

“Damn it, Ju Parker.”

His rough tone made Jiyu flinch and seal her lips. Hunter glared at her with a murderous gaze, his face crimson with anger. She instinctively shrank back.

“…Sorry. I’ll count again.”

Mumbling, she placed her fingers on his neck again, hyper-focused. Hunter’s shoulders stiffened, slightly raised. Sweat pooled at his temples, his Adam’s apple bobbing sharply.

Jiyu, rigid with tension, glued her eyes to the watch, straining not to miss a beat of his frantic pulse.

The second the minute ended, she yanked her hand back like she’d been burned. His skin was feverish, like someone with the flu. She swallowed hard and spoke.

“The count is…”

“Shut up and just write.”

Hunter’s voice cracked slightly.

“Okay.”

Jiyu pressed her lips together and buried her face in the printout.

“Carotid Pulse”

A. Pulse per minute: 128

B. Strength: Very strong

C. Regularity: Extremely irregular

ꕥ

On a rainy Friday afternoon… Jiyu left school after saying goodbye to Chloe.

“See you on Monday, Chloe!”

“Have a good weekend, Olivia!”

After New York’s parched winter, early spring brought frequent rain. Light drizzle had flickered on and off since morning, fogging classroom windows, before thickening into steady showers by afternoon.

Thinking the rain was mild enough to brave without an umbrella, Jiyu walked out… only to stop halfway down the block, squinting at the sky. The droplets hitting her face were colder than expected.

The heavy gray clouds hung so low they felt within reach. This rain won’t stop soon. Walking home like this would drench her.

Wiping her face with her hand, Jiyu pulled an umbrella from her backpack… shoved there that morning by her nagging aunt. She hooked it over her shoulder and splashed down the sidewalk.

Jiyu loved rainy days. She adored sitting by windows during hurricanes, listening to rain swallow the world, and watching spring showers scrub winter’s remnants from the streets.

The crisp scent of Central Park’s mud, grass, and trees seeped over stone walls, reaching Fifth Avenue. Raindrops sneaked under her now-shorter uniform skirt, trailing down her bare legs to dampen her white socks.

Jiyu shivered, tucked the umbrella handle between her neck and shoulder, and buttoned her cardigan. As she resumed walking, a tall boy in an Alton School uniform rushed past, his shoes sloshing.

A familiar scent… like rainy days in Central Park… lingered in his wake.

‘Hunter.’

She gripped the umbrella, tilting it back to clear her view.