"We're dating."

The brunette nearly choked on her lunch when the two words hit her like wicked punches. She stared at her two best friends with wide eyes, gaping at them while food threatened to spill from .

"Heo Youngji, Wang Jackson. You two better not be lying to me," Seulgi said in a serious tone. However, when she saw Youngji blush and Jackson give her the same goofy grin he always gave her, Seulgi widened her eyes. "Are you ing serious. You two are really dating?"

"Yep. I finally asked her out and she finally agreed," Jackson revealed, still keeping the goofy grin on his face.

Seulgi wanted to grab a napkin and wipe off the proud smirk. It annoyed her so much to know that her two only friends got hooked up together. What was Jackson thinking? Was he planning to keep her as the third wheel? She always knew that Jackson had a crush on Youngji and she always knew that Youngji took interest in Jackson, but she never thought that the two would step over the "close friends" line to have the "we're dating" status.

"I still can't believe it. How did you guys decide to date?" Seulgi asked.

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we were studying together—"

"Wait, you guys met behind my back?" Seulgi asked. She looked at Youngji. "Youngji, you never did that before this guy came into our group!"

"Well, he told me that you were with him, so naturally I went," Youngji said.

Seulgi looked at Jackson and glared at him. "How can you treat me like bait?"

"Honestly, it was the only way," Jackson stated, trying to defend himself.

"Okay, so then what happened? You guys were studying and what, did Jackson decide to confess?" Seulgi asked.

"Close," Youngji said, biting her bottom lip. Her whole face was in a brilliant shade of red. "H-He was helping me with my homework, but then the two of us got distracted. We were talking about something else, and he suddenly said, 'You know, it'd be nice if we dated.' At first, I thought he was playing around, but then when I saw his ears turn red—"

"Stop," Seulgi commanded. She rubbed her eyes and kept her frown. "So basically, Jackson indirectly confessed his feelings towards you."

"Yep. That's pretty much what happened," Jackson said, nodding his head. "Do you want more details?"

"I don't need it. I can imagine what happened, and I feel sick," Seulgi muttered.

"I just thought that the first person I had to tell was you. After all, you're the one who brought Jackson into our group," Youngji said, shyly looking at Seulgi.

What Youngji was saying wasn't a complete lie. Seulgi did, in fact, bring Jackson into their little circle during their first year of high school. However, he had previously begged Seulgi to help him get closer to Youngji, who, at that time, wasn't very good with boys. At first she had refused to let him get close to Youngji or to her, but she naturally found Jackson appearing more in the picture that she had liked. She had only brought him into the group as a third party in order for Youngji to warm up to guys so that the two could get themselves a date around the same time.

But here she was, watching the consequence of bringing Jackson into the group for her selfish dreams. Youngji, unexpectedly, now had a boyfriend, and what did Seulgi have?

Absolutely, ing nothing.

"Seulgi, are you against it?" Youngji had a look of guilt written all over her face. "Was this not a good idea?"

Seulgi glanced at Jackson, who seemed desperate for her support. After all, he had been crushing on Youngji for two years. There was no way he would want to give up now, especially since they just started dating.

The brunette sighed and tapped her fingers against the table. She looked at Jackson again, then at Youngji, who anticipated for her answer. With another loud sigh, Seulgi could only force a smile.

"Congratulations, you two," Seulgi said with as much effort as she could. "I hope you two are a happy couple."

/ / / / /

After school, Seulgi found herself at the school's library, doing her homework while she gazed down the window pane. She spotted her two friends walking side by side, laughing and playfully shoving each other and racing to the gate.

They seem a lot happier without me, she concluded. Envy swallowed her little heart as she forced herself to look back at her homework.

She couldn't be too mad at the new couple. There was just no way that she could be mad. The two even offered her to walk after school with them, but out of spite, Seulgi had rejected their offer and lied about meeting someone at the library. She was a bit disappointed to know that their friends took the excuse so easily, but she couldn't blame them again. After all, they didn't know who she was meeting. They just assumed that she had plans. How could she be mad at them if they didn't know what was really going on?

What if they knew that I wasn't meeting anyone? Seulgi wondered. What if they just wanted me to be left out? She groaned in the inside. I knew it. Things are going to change a lot for me.

Nobody liked being the third wheel. If there was someone who enjoyed because the outcast of the group, Seulgi would happily open her ears towards that person and listen to the reasons why loneliness was an enjoyable act.

"…That's the reason why you rejected Hyeri?"

Seulgi froze at her spot. Her eyes widened and she quickly hid her face with her hair by looking down, pretending to write. She could easily recognize Oh Sehun's voice anywhere, and if Sehun was here, then that meant…

"Jongin, come on. I know you're not that into Hyeri, but come on. She's hot," Sehun stated.

Jongin. His name echoed in her mind as her heart paced faster.

Kim Jongin was the most popular guy in the third year. He was extremely good looking and very good with his words, but that wasn't the only charming aspect about him. He was always in the top ten in academics and usually first in sports. The only other guy who came close to him was Oh Sehun, his best friend and nicknamed "Number Two." However, for Seulgi, no one could compare to Jongin—not even his best friend.

"I mean, yeah, she's pretty, but I don't think she's the one," Jongin said.

Seulgi's heart almost melted over his voice. To think I had a crush on him for the past two years. Kang Seulgi, you have amazing taste in guys.

"Hey, at least she's pretty. That's a start," Sehun said. Seulgi glanced up to see Sehun tossing an apple in the air and Jongin browsing through some books. "Seriously, Jongin. You should at least get one girlfriend before you graduate. What's a high school life without love?"

"Shouldn't you be studying for our upcoming math test? I heard that we're getting a pop quiz this week," Jongin said, trying to change the subject.

"Pop quizzes are a breeze," Sehun said. "I'm good at math."

"Well, lucky you." Seulgi watched Sehun snatch away the book in Jongin's hands. Jongin finally looked at him. "What now?"

"I'm serious, Jongin. At least experience how it feels like to date someone. I know tons of girls who would gladly be a candidate," Sehun told him.

"Like who?" Jongin asked, breaking into a soft smile.

I would, Seulgi thought to herself.

"Lee Hyeri, duh? She's the most popular girl in the school and she's the nicest girl. I still don't see why you don't want to go for it," Sehun said.

"I know, but still…" Jongin looked up and noticed Seulgi staring at him. She gasped, turned red, then quickly looked down at her notebook. "I just don't see any reason to date anyone that I'm not interested in."

"Okay, fine. Tell me who you like. Who's your 'ideal girl'?" Sehun asked.

"I don't have anyone I like—"

"Your ideal type. At least tell me your ideal type."

Jongin kept quiet for a few moments. "Someone who's honest and sincere, but strong."

Sehun said and patted his friend's shoulder. "Jongin, I'm sorry but you're never going to meet a girl like that. Those kinds of girls don't exist. You're better off with dating a popular girl."

"Well, you don't have to be so negative about it," Jongin murmured. He glanced up and noticed Seulgi staring at him again. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he looked at Sehun. "Want to go home? I think I'm done with reading today."

"Sure. How about we stop by for a quick snack?" Sehun asked, putting the book in a random place. Jongin paused, then grabbed the book at Sehun put away and placed it in its correct shelf. When Sehun gave him a strange look, Jongin just shrugged his shoulders.

"There's a girl around here who doesn't like it when the books are disorganized," Jongin told him. "I'm just doing her a small favor."

"See? You're considerate! You're the perfect boyfriend material! That's why you should date!" Sehun cried out. Jongin smirked and rolled his eyes, leaving the library with his friend.

Seulgi, who had been listening to their conversation the entire time, finally gasped for air and fanned herself. She straightened her back and looked around, wondering if she was lucky enough to be the only one who managed to hear the top two's conversation. When she saw no one else nearby, she grinned and pumped her fist in the air.

Am I lucky or am I not? she asked herself with a proud smile. "Someone honest and sincere, but strong…" Her eyes widened. "That totally fits me!"

She stopped when she remembered what Sehun had told Jongin: "You're better off with dating a popular girl."

Seulgi looked down at her hands and her notebooks. She was just average, especially her looks. Her heart sank as she realized some truth in Sehun's words. The girl who should be besides Jongin should be at least—or even more—greater than the boy himself. He deserved a popular, beautiful girl. She wasn't sure if Hyeri was the girl, but the girl definitely needed to have the brains and the looks.

"Damn it!" Seulgi cried out, groaning aloud.

She heard a somewhat loud cough behind her. Seulgi turned around, only to notice a small girl with jet-black hair almost glaring at her. Several books and paper were scattered all over her desks.

"You're being too loud," the girl muttered.

"Sorry," Seulgi mumbled, turning back. She glanced behind her shoulders, only to realize that the girl was still glaring at her. Seulgi pressed her lips and stared back. "May I help you?"

"If you're going to be loud, can you go someplace else?" the girl asked. "This is my place and it's the most quiet place."

Seulgi frowned. There was no way that she would just move for her. She had all the rights to stay at this library.

"No, I'm afraid that I can't go someplace else," Seulgi snapped. "Why don't you scurry off somewhere else?"

The girl looked at her for a few moments. Then, with a small sigh, she got up from her desk and collected her books. One by one, she began to put the books back exactly where she had found them. Then, the girl gathered her papers and turned to leave. Just before leaving, she gave Seulgi a small look. Before Seulgi could do anything, the girl walked away with her head hung low as if she had decided to forget about their small conversation. 

Seulgi smirked triumphantly before glancing at her desk, where she noticed that the girl left a small notebook. She looked up to inform the girl, but she was already gone. Seulgi glanced at the notebook.

There was something that made Seulgi get up from her table and walk over to the particular desk. Something was telling her to grab the notebook and to open it. Even though Seulgi knew that it was wrong to look through a girl's notebook—private or not—she had a feeling that there was a good reason for her to open it. She quickly justified her reasoning by stating (in her small head) that she would only look inside to see if the girl's name was in it.

Who knows, Seulgi thought, I might find her and apologize to her. I was pretty rude to her, anyway…

She opened the notebook to the first page. There was a big "DON'T LOOK" written in bold, black marker on the page. Seulgi bit her bottom lip, a bit frustrated with the fact that the girl's name was not on the first page.

Onto the second pa—

Seulgi froze and stared down at the detailed works. The second page had names—names that even she was familiar with—and small little details that Seulgi never imagined to know. Each name had a gossip, rumor, or some kind of secret that Seulgi either heard of or didn't. Besides the name, there were numbers scribbled. Some of these numbers were crossed and increased, while other numbers were crossed out and decreased.

The little girl flipped some more pages, amazed with the information book. She stopped when she arrived at a page with Jongin's name. Next to his name, there was an untouched "#1" symbols with arrows pointing at it. She looked at another page and saw Sehun's name with a "#2" symbol written above it.

Is this a ranking system? Seulgi wondered. She paused for a brief moment, then flipped some more pages. She tried to look for her name, but nothing appeared. She frowned, then tried again.

Eventually, she did find her name, but instead of smiling, a solemn expression appeared on her face. Below her name, words such as "unimportant" and "out of the charts" were written as bullet points. She didn't even have a number besides her name. Instead, the letters "BG" were written next to her name. Seulgi scrunched her eyebrows, then flipped to some other pages. There were several other students near the end of the notebook that had the words "BG" next to them. It was only the well-known students who had numbers next to their names.

What is this? she asked herself, her eyes glued to her name. Why am I 'unimportant'? Why am I 'out of the charts'?

In a blink of an eye, the notebook had disappeared from her hands. Seulgi looked up and saw the girl staring at her with wide eyes. There was a mixture of hate and worry in her brown orbs.

"It's not polite to look through other people's stuff," the girl muttered. She turned around to leave, but Seulgi grabbed her arm.

"Hold up!" Seulgi exclaimed. She soon heard a loud "shh" from the librarian, who happened to pass by at that moment. Seulgi bit her bottom lip and apologized. While she looked at the liberian, the girl jerked away from Seulgi's grasp and walked away. Surprised, Seulgi quickly followed the girl until they were out of the library.

The moment they stepped outside, Seulgi swiftly stepped in front of the girl, causing the girl to scowl.

"What?" she asked.

"That notebook—"

"You saw nothing," the girl said. She stepped to the side, but Seulgi did the same. The girl scowled. "What?"

"I want to talk to you about that notebook—"

"Didn't I say that you saw nothing?" the girl repeated.

"But I want to know something about that notebook!" Seulgi said.

"What could you possible want to know?" the girl asked, sighing. 

"Why… Why is my name 'unimportant'?" she asked slowly.

"Seulgi, your name isn't 'unimportant.' It's just that when it comes to the world of popularity, then you're 'unimportant.'"

Seulgi widened her eyes. "You know my name?"

"We're in the same class," the girl said tiredly.

"But I don't know your name."

"Of course you don't. The only names you know are your two best friends and the popular kids' names," the girl said.

"Well, then what's your name?"

"Do I have to tell you?"

"I'd appreciate it if you told me."

"But we won't talk after this. There's no point in you knowing my name," the girl said.

Seulgi stared at the notebook. "I don't think this will be the last time we talk."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She looked down at her notebook. "Why are you so interested in this? It's none of your business."

"Can I see that for a second?" Seulgi asked.

"Of course not."

"Please?"

"I said no," the girl said.

"Then at least tell me your name."

The girl heaved a sigh. "I sit behind you, Seulgi. Think harder."

Seulgi frowned and carefully thought about the people who sat around her. Then, she snapped her fingers and pointed her index fingers towards the girl.

"Jung Soojung?" Seulgi guessed.

"Hooray! Now you know my name!" Soojung cheered, but her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Seulgi frowned. "Well, I'm sorry that I temporarily forgot."

"Don't apologize. Continue to forget about my name," Soojung told her. She finally found an opening and continued to walk forward. Seulgi, who realized that she was leaving, scurried over to her.

"That book," Seulgi said, bringing up the topic again. Soojung groaned and rolled her eyes, but Seulgi decided to ignore it. "Why do you have that book?"

"It's for my own amusement," Soojung said.

"Not to make yourself popular?" Seulgi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not. Popularity is a drag. I just write all the school's drama because it interests me," Soojung told her.

Seulgi gaped at her. "How could you think that Popularity is a drag? Popularity is heaven!"

Soojung stopped her tracks. She turned around and stared at Seulgi.

"You really think popularity is that great?" Soojung asked. Seulgi enthusiastically nodded her head. Soojung shook her head and continued to walk. "You're just fantasizing popularity. What you're probably thinking is just an idealized world of popularity. It isn't as glorifying as you think it is."

"Then show me," Seulgi challenged. Soojung stopped her tracks again. She turned around and stared at Seulgi, who looked at her with determined eyes. "Make me popular and show me that it's a 'drag.'"

Soojung frowned, then slowly walked towards Seulgi. "You don't know what you're asking for."

"I know exactly what I'm asking for," Seulgi muttered back. "Make me popular with that notebook of yours."

"This?" Soojung raised the notebook in the air. "This doesn't help at all."

"Of course it will," Seulgi said. She snatched the book away from Soojung's hand, much to her surprise. Seulgi quickly stared to flip through the pages. "This book contains everything. I can probably use these to up to people and climb up the social ladder." She closed the book and tossed it back to Soojung, who nearly failed to catch it. "If I get popular, then I don't need to worry about Youngji and Jackson!" Seulgi flashed the frowning her a wide smile. "I don't think need to worry about loneliness!"

Soojung raised her hand up to her shoulders. "Woah, woah, woah. Popularity isn't going to make you feel any better. Like I said, stop idealizing popularity—"

"But you don't deny that the book would help me reach to fame, right? Besides, don't you think it'll be fun to do this? You know, get an 'unimportant' girl like me to rise to the top? Don't you want to see the popular kids look at me with this dumbfounded expression?" Seulgi pointed at. She made a weird face, trying to convince Soojung to agree. The girl remained quiet, unable to refute Seulgi's question. Seulgi smiled again. "It seems like you're really knowledgeable with these kind of stuff. Make me popular!"

Soojung scowled. "You don't understand, Seulgi."

"I understand perfectly," Seulgi declared. She finally looked at Soojung with puppy eyes. "Please? Won't you help me?" She rubbed her arm. "I just don't want to feel lonely anymore…"

The cold girl shook her head. "No way. I don't want to get involved with this."

"Then can I use your book?"

"Of course not."

"Why don't you want to get involved with this?" Seulgi inquired, getting frustrated.

"It's tiresome. It's a nuisance. It's the most ridiculous idea that I have ever heard. How do you plan to get popular in the span of a year?" Soojung pointed out.

"I'd rather try this out and feel less lonely than stay with my friends who're going to throw me out as a third wheel," Seulgi stated firmly. 

Soojung stared, then shook her head again. "No way. I'm not doing this, especially since you don't even show that you have any interest in actually doing this."

"I do have interest! I want to be popular!" Seulgi declared. 

"Oh yeah?" The black-haired girl let out a smirk. "If you really want to do this, then at least try to blend in with the popular kids."

"How do I do that?" Seulgi asked, dumbfounded. 

"You figure that out," Soojung told her, "and depending on how well you do this, I'll reconsider my decision." She paused, then turned. "Oh, and you only have tomorrow after school. Got it?"

Seulgi scowled and watched Soojung leave her behind. She took a deep breath through her nose, then turned to the opposite direction. As she walked back to the library, she started to map out a plan in her head. While looking out the window, she spotted a familiar face walking out of the school.

Oh, Seulgi thought. It's Lee Hyeri.

She stopped thinking when she noticed that Hyeri was rubbing her eyes and hanging her head low. The rain slowly came in a drizzle, making it difficult for Seulgi to make out what Hyeri was doing. It didn't take long for the girl to realize what the most popular girl was doing in the rain; she was crying alone and walking in the rain.

Well, of course she'd be crying, Seulgi thought, remembering what Jongin and Sehun were talking about. Nobody likes the feeling of being rejected. Seulgi looked up at the sky, then let out a heavy sigh. See? Even the weather loves the popular people. It suits Hyeri's situation perfectly.

An idea suddenly popped in her head. If she wanted to be popular, then wouldn't the best idea be to directly go to Hyeri and talk to her? It couldn't be too difficult to get close to Hyeri. It just took a little more gut to get up and walk in front of Hyeri to start a conversation.

It's just like making a new friend on the first day of high school! Seulgi thought. She smiled to herself, then started to think about all the topics that the two could talk about. If things worked well, then she wouldn't need Soojung's help… At least, she hoped that things would work well.

/ / / / /

The next morning, Seulgi spotted Soojung in class. Just like Soojung said, she was sitting behind Seulgi's desk. Seulgi took a deep breath, then walked over to her desk. She sat down, looking for Youngji and Jackson, who were not in school yet. Figuring that she was early, she turned around and looked at Soojung, who stared down at her book.

"Good morning, Soojung!" Seulgi greeted her. Soojung remained obvious of her presence. Seulgi frowned, then notice that she was wearing earphones. She quickly took out an earphone, causing Soojung to widen her eyes and finally look up. Seulgi smiled. "Good morning!"

Soojung stared at her. She blinked her eyes a couple of time, as if she had never received a greeting in her life. Seulgi pressed her lips together, anticipating on Soojung to greet her back. 

"Morning," Soojung muttered. She looked around and noticed that a few people had turned their heads towards them. She quickly looked at Seulgi. "Lower your voice. You're attracting attention."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

"What?"

"You said that you would help me if I show that I can get popularity," Seulgi reminded her. "Therefore, please watch me at the cafeteria later at lunch!"

Soojung frowned. "What are you up to—"

"Seulgi!"

The two looked up and noticed that Youngji and Jackson were approaching them. Youngji smiled at the two, but looked at Soojung a bit longer before looking back at Seulgi.

"New friend?" Jackson asked.

"Yep!" Seulgi exclaimed.

Soojung glared at her, but she didn't say anything. She glanced at Jackson, who only looked at Youngji. Seulgi's best friend uncomfortably looked at Soojung, but took a deep breath before she extended her hand out.

"Well, any friend of Seulgi is mine," Youngji said. "Hi, I'm Heo Youngji. This is Wang Jackson."

Soojung looked at her hand, then looked away. She plugged her earphone back into her ear and went back into her own world. Jackson frowned at her and was about to say something until Youngji put her hand out in front of him.

"What? She's being rude," Jackson said.

"No, I'm being rude. We just met. I can't expect her to be my friend all of the sudden. I'll have to earn her trust, aren't I right, Soojung?" Youngji asked, forcing a smile in the awkward situation.

"You knew her name?" Seulgi asked, surprised.

"Of course. I know everyone's name," Youngji said. "I just never got the chance to know them properly." She looked at Seulgi, who continued to stare at her. "You can't be telling me that you didn't know Soojung's name until now!"

Seulgi let out an awkward laugh. "Well, I'm pretty bad with names…"

"Silly Seulgi," Youngji said, giggling. "Oh, right! At lunch, should we eat at Jackson's class?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! I'm not joining you today for lunch," Seulgi informed her.

Youngji blinked her eyes. "You're not?" She looked at Soojung, who continued to ignore her. "Oh, are you eating here with Soojung? Then can the two of us join you?"

"That's not it. I'm going eat with Hyeri and her group of friends," Seulgi revealed.

Jackson widened his eyes. "Hyeri? The Lee Hyeri? She invited you to eat with her group?"

"Not exactly," Seulgi mumbled. "I was thinking that I could just join her. She's nice, isn't she?"

"W-Well, rumors say that she's pretty nice in front of guys," Youngji muttered. She looked at Seulgi in a worried manner. "But what's with all this? Seulgi, are you feeling okay?"

The brunette shrugged her shoulder. "I'm feeling fine. Honestly, it's just lunch. The only reason why we're feeling awkward with this idea is because no one really tried this out. Watch me. Things will be great from here on out."

Youngji forced a small smile. "Seulgi, I'm a bit worried… Do you want me to go with you?"

"Absolutely not," Seulgi said. She looked at Soojung. "I need to do this on my own."

"But Seulgi—"

"Youngji, if you're my best friend, then you know that you're going to stay with Jackson had his classroom and eat lunch," Seulgi told her firmly. 

Youngji wanted to say more, but it was clear that Seulgi was creating some kind of line between them. She wanted to cross the line and tell her that she was out of her mind, but the look Seulgi gave her told her to keep quiet and support her. With a small sigh, Youngji finally gave Seulgi a soft smile.

"Good luck," Youngji whispered.

The bell rang, and Jackson left the two to go to his own classroom. Youngji took her seat next to Seulgi, but glanced at her friend, who was only looking at the front with anticipation. Youngji then looked back, noticing that Soojung was staring at her.

Please take care of Seulgi, were the words that Youngji tried to get across with her eyes.

I'll see what I can do, were the words Soojung conveyed with a shrug.

/ / / / /

At lunch, Seulgi found herself holding her lunch box in her hands. Her eyes skimmed around the busy cafeteria, where several students had taken their seats with their friends. The area was only reserved for the most popular and studious students, so it wasn't a surprise when Seulgi stepped deeper into the room and caught eyes staring at her. She glanced at the corner of her eyes, where she saw Soojung standing near the entrance of the cafeteria.

Watch me, Seulgi thought. She took a deep breath and continued walking until she arrived at Hyeri's table. She was surrounded with several other familiar faces, giggling and talking about boys.

Seulgi stood in front of them, staring at the group. At first, the group ignored her, figuring that she had walked up to the wrong group. However, the moment Hyeri made eye contact with Seulgi, Seulgi quickly snatched this chance to start up a conversation.

"Hi!" she greeted them enthusiastically. The group quieted down and eventually started a ripple effect. The loud chatters died down as everyone turned their head towards Seulgi's direction. Hyeri's friends stared at Seulgi with a frown, then glanced at Hyeri, watching her plan out the next move.

"Um, hi," Hyeri said, flashing her a smile and giving Seulgi a small wave. "Do I… know you?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Seulgi muttered. When she saw Hyeri's dying interest, she quickly said, "but I know you! So, I figured, well, why not talk to you for once?"

"Oh," Hyeri stated simply. She glanced around, noticing that eyes were also on her. "Well, um, hi!"

"Hi!" Seulgi repeated, still keeping on the wide smile. She stood still, staring at Hyeri as if she was expecting a reward.

Hyeri looked around. "So, um, do you need anything from me…?"

"Well, uh, can we, I don't know, eat lunch together?" Seulgi stammered.

The popular girl glanced at her friends. She could see that her friends were shaking their heads, giving expressions of disapproval. However, Hyeri noticed that Jongin's table was staring at her. Hyeri continued to force a fake smile, then motioned the girl next to her to scoot over a bit. The girl—if Seulgi remembered correctly, was Bae Suzy, one of Hyeri's best friends—scowled, but sacrificed the extra spot for Seulgi. Seulgi beamed when Hyeri patted the seat next to her. She swiftly made her way to her seat, dropping her lunchbox on the table while looking at her new group.

I did it. Seulgi screamed in her head. I'm sitting with the popular girls!

"So, what are you guys talking about?" Seulgi asked.

"Nothing important," Hyeri said, awkwardly eating her meal.

"Did you guys watch that one drama last night? You know, where there's two guys who like her, both they're both jerks?" another girl, Son Naeun (Hyeri's other best friend), asked.

"Oh my god! Yes! I love that drama so much!" Choi Jinri, another of Hyeri's friends, chirped up.

Seulgi remained silent, but smiled dumbly at the group as they started to talking about the popular drama. She wasn't fond of watching Korean dramas. It was usually Youngji who informed her about the latest dramas and what the entertainment buzzes were.

"What about you, Hyeri?" the girl sitting across from them asked. "Did you get to watch it?"

"No. I went straight to tutor after school," Hyeri said, groaning. "Ugh. You know how my parents are with that. They expect me to be the 'perfect daughter' and go straight to tutor. Seriously, it's like I have no free time."

"Oh! That's why you left early yesterday!" Naeun exclaimed. The group started to laugh for no reason. Seulgi, who couldn't quite understand the situation, only forced a smile until she remembered something.

"Wait, you left right after school?" Seulgi asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Hyeri said, nodding her head.

"But I saw you a little after school ended," Seulgi said. "You must've been at school for at least an hour."

There was an awkward silence amongst the group. The girls still smiled, but they looked at Hyeri with confused eyes, unsure of what to take from Seulgi's words. Hyeri let out an uneasy laugh while she finally looked at Seulgi eye-to-eye.

"Excuse me?" Hyeri asked. "But I am so sure that i left school right away after it ended."

"No, you didn't. Did you forget?" Seulgi asked, scrunching her eyebrows.

"Maybe you're mistaking me for someone else. Isn't that the reason you're here in the first place?" she asked.

Am I being attacked? Seulgi wondered. "No, I'm not mistaken. I have perfect vision. I saw you crying—"

"You were crying?" Suzy asked Hyeri, her eyes wide.

Hyeri let out a fake laugh. "What? No! Why would I be crying—"

"Because you got rejected," Seulgi blurted. Hyeri shot her a cruel glare as Naeun looked at her with a deep frown.

"Rejected? Did something happen, Hyeri?" Naeun asked.

"Yeah. She got rejected by Jong—" Seulgi stopped when she heard sniffles at her side. She turned her head, then widened her eyes when she saw that Hyeri was tearing up. "Oh my god, Hyeri! Are you okay—"

"D-Do you hate me?" Hyeri whispered.

"Huh?"

"I don't even know why you're spreading lies about me!" Hyeri exclaimed, looking at Seulgi with watered eyes. Seulgi gasped while Hyeri continued her little rant. "I just met you and now you're trying to sabotage me? Well, go ahead. Ruin my name; dirty it."

"Hyeri, that's not it—"

"However, if my friends have to be worried over these false accusations, then naturally I'm going to start breaking down like this! How could you bring my friends into this mess? Is that why you wanted to sit next to me today? To have me witness my friends go through stress over lies?"

"No, no, I just thought that I saw you cry—"

"Aha! You 'thought' you saw me cry," Hyeri said, wiping away her tears with a napkin. "See? You were lying all this time!" Hyeri turned to her friends. "I went straight to tutor after school. You guys believe me right?" Hyeri looked at Suzy and Naeun. "You two saw me leave early, didn't you?" The girls nodded, then glared at Seulgi. "See? I even have witness. Where's your proof?"

Seulgi remained baffled. She had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that Hyeri had twisted her words to make it seem like she was the victim of a rumor that wasn't even a rumor to begin with. She swear that the girl who cried yesterday was Hyeri. She was sure that Hyeri knew that she had cried yesterday, too.

So why was the girl refuting everything Seulgi was saying?

The girl looked around, and noticed that Soojung was gun. She nervously gulped and listened to the taunting whispers that slipped out of everyone's lips. The stares no longer looked like stares. Instead, they looked like intimidate gazes that drilled through her shrinking soul. She suddenly felt very small in such a large cafeteria. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she bit her bottom lip and looked into Hyeri's unforgiving eyes.

At that very moment, Seulgi felt someone grab her arm. She whirled around and saw Soojung give her a quick scowl. Then, she looked at Hyeri, who glowered at her. Seeing this, Soojung quickly placed a hand over .

"Oh my gosh! Is it the Hyeri that you're sitting next to Seulgi?" Soojung suddenly started.

Seulgi scrunched her eyebrows. "H-Huh?"

"Amazing!" Soojung exclaimed, happily clapping her hands. Then, she frowned and looked closer at Hyeri's expression. "Oh my! Hyeri, are you okay? You look like you're crying!"

"Well, I'm weak when it comes to liars," Hyeri muttered, looking at Seulgi. Seulgi widened her eyes and gaped at her, while Soojung shook her head disapprovingly at Seulgi.

"I'm so sorry for whatever Seulgi did! She really doesn't mean to cause any harms! It's just that Seulgi is a klutz," Soojung said. She giggled and quickly pulled Seulgi up on her feet. "Well, I'll be taking her away! Again, so sorry!" Soojung looked at Seulgi. She gave her a serious look. "You'll apologize, right?"

"But—"

"Apologize," Soojung muttered against her ears.

Seulgi scowled. "I'm so sorry for lying."

"See? Seulgi knows that she was lying. It's just a small prank. Everyone knows that she's this kind of girl. No harm is intended, okay?" Soojung said, asking for confirmation.

Hyeri looked at Soojung for a bit longer, then back at Seulgi. Once again, she flashed them a smile as if the whole crying accident didn't happen.

"I totally understand!" Hyeri stated. "Just make sure you don't spread anything weird again, okay?"

"Understood!" Soojung said. She turned away, then rolled her eyes before puling Seulgi out the door with her lunch. 

When the two were out of the cafeteria, they looked back to see if the situation resumed to its usual ways. After believing that everyone was back to normal, Soojung heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh my god," Soojung muttered. "That was a tough spot to get out of."

"I wasn't lying," Seulgi said, referring to her conversation earlier with the popular girls.

"It doesn't matter!" Soojung exclaimed, glaring at her. "What were you thinking?"

"What?"

"Didn't you catch the signs? There were multiple ways these girls told you to stay away. How could you have missed them?"

"Really? They told me those things?"

"Also, why would you bring out the fact that Hyeri got rejected?" Soojung cried out.

"But it was true—"

"Like I said, it doesn't matter!" Soojung shouted. "Hyeri has an image where she's the queen of the school. The idea of her getting rejected would crush her popularity." Soojung her lips and crossed her arms. "Were you trying to ruin her life or be her friend?"

"Well, I wanted to be her friend until she started blaming me for 'lying,'" Seulgi mumbled. She frowned, then looked at Soojung. "How did she do that?"

"Do what?"

"Twist my words so that it looked good for her?"

"If you want to be popular, you need to know those types of skills. For the most part, it comes out naturally," Soojung said. She sighed. "God, you're so helpless."

Seulgi looked at Soojung with hurt eyes. "I'm sorry…"

Soojung paused. Then, she glanced at Seulgi one last time before looking back at Hyeri.

"Are you sure you want to be popular?" Soojung pointed at Hyeri's table. "Especially after that incident?"

Seulgi pondered on her question for a few minutes. She looked at Hyeri, who continued smiling and laughing as if the whole situation had never happened. She watched Hyeri, who was surrounded by several girls who admired her and desired to be her close friend. A pang of envy stabbed through her heart. Seulgi clenched her fist, then nodded her head at Soojung.

"Yes," Seulgi said with full confidence, "I still want to be popular."

I don't want to be alone, she thought.

Soojung kept quiet, then slowly nodded her head. "Okay, fine. I'll help you. Meet me in front of the school gates an hour after school."

"Why not right after school?"

"Because there's hardly anyone an hour after school. It's the best time for us to be talking about something like this," Soojung pointed out. She turned around and left Seulgi alone to anticipate her future.

/ / / / /

The sky was dyed in a beautiful blend of orange and pink. Clouds started drifting across the lazy sky, turning from pink to a haunting purple shade. As promised, Seulgi found herself waiting at the school gates at six o'clock in the evening. She glanced side by side, looking for the familiar face to appear any time soon.

"Boo."

Seulgi slightly jumped and whirled around, only to see Soojung standing behind her.

"W-When did you get there?" Seulgi asked, surprised. She looked at the building behind her. "You were still at school?"

"I had classroom duties," Soojung shortly explained. She took out a piece of paper. "Sign this."

Seulgi took the paper and looked at it. "What's this?"

"A contract."

"We need to do this, too?"

"Read it."

Seulgi did as she was told. It was basically a piece of paper that listed three circumstances that she had to obey at all cost: One, obey everything that Soojung said; Two, report everything to Soojung; and three, do not drag Soojung into any unnecessary mess.

"Do I get to make rules, too?" Seulgi asked, taking a pen from Soojung's hand.

"No. If you don't agree with any of these situation, then the deal's off."

Seulgi frowned. "Can I think about this?"

"Sometimes, decisions have to be made in a short amount of time. It's either now or never," Soojung said.

Seulgi looked at the paper. She looked at Soojung, who started to cross her arms and tap her foot against the floor. With a deep breath, Seulgi signed the contract and handed the paper over to her. Soojung smirked in satisfaction and took the paper and pen.

"I'll give you a copy of this contract tomorrow," Soojung promised. She extended her hand out. "I'm looking forward to this, Kang Seulgi."

Seulgi stared at her hand, then slowly reached out for it with a broad smile. "I'm looking forward with working with you, too, Jung Soojung."

Author's Note: Damn this is a long chapter, and probably the longest chapter that I've ever written. My future chapters won't be this long. It'll probably be half of what this chapter contains. I only wrote this chapter long like this because I wanted to get everything out in the first chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Thank you for reading!