When the bell for lunch echoed across the school campus, students quickly hurried out of the class to buy lunch or took out their lunch box to eat with their friends. However, Hyeri closed her eyes and put her head down, resting her fists against the temples of her head. Suzy and Naeun were about to ask her if she was okay, but when they realized that Jongin was going to ask her if something was wrong, they decided to leave her for the moment and headed outside.

Jongin gently poked Hyeri's shoulder, but she didn't move. He glanced over at Sehun, who was already gone from his seat. Frowning, he poked Hyeri again, knowing that he had to do this alone.

"Um, Hyeri? I just saw Suzy and Naeun leave the classroom. They looked like they were going to ask you to eat, but I think they decided to leave you alone. I think they went outside to eat," Jongin said.

Hyeri turned her head slightly towards Jongin's direction. She looked at him for a minute before she let out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes again and shook her head.

"Sorry, Jongin. I don't feel like eating. Can you tell them that I won't join them today?" Hyeri asked. "This morning completely drained me."

"Oh. Okay," Jongin said, nodding his head. He got up, but glanced down at him. "Just between you and me, you really didn't put in those chain letters, right?"

Hyeri stiffened. "I didn't."

I thought you were the only one who believed in me, Hyeri thought, slightly hurt.

"I thought so. I couldn't imagine you doing something like that. I mean, sure you're tough and hard to approach, but you're not mean," Jongin commented.

Hyeri glanced to Sehun's seat. "Where did he go?"

"I'm not sure. I looked up to ask him where we want to have lunch, but I haven't seen him," Jongin said. "I'm planning to go to the library, though."

"So you're eating alone?" Hyeri asked.

"I might as well," he said.

She paused, then grabbed her lunch. "Wait. I'll go with you."

"But I thought you weren't hungry."

"I just want some peace and quiet. The library seems like a good choice."

"Oh, okay," Jongin said, nodding his head. He smiled at her. "You know, it's been a while since we ate together. Usually we eat lunch separately and you would join me after we eat."

Hyeri kept quiet for a minute. "Well, I guess I was kind of clingy."

"What's up with you today?" he asked, laughing. The two began to walk towards the library. "You're usually not like this. Where's the proud and boastful Hyeri that I know?"

"You think I'm proud and boastful?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean it in a good way. You're a strong person, Hyeri. I like that about you," he said. He continued to walk, but stopped when he noticed that Hyeri wasn't walking next to him. He turned around with a clueless expression. "Hyeri? You okay?"

Her cheeks were bright red and she refused to look at him. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine! Fine! Perfectly fine!" She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Y-You know what? A-Actually, I'm going to go and eat with Naeun and Suzy."

He tilted his head. "Will you find them? I just know that they went outside—"

"Yeah! Yeah, I can, um, shoot them a text or something."

"Good point. Then I'll see you later in class?"

"Y-Yeah. B-Bye!" 

With that, Hyeri ran off, trying to cool herself down. She was so glad that she was in love with Jongin.

It took a whole group to make her day terrible, but it only took a small comment from Jongin to overshadow the bad memories.

/ / / / /

"That was brilliant. Things actually went right for once," Soojung said, smirking. "The thing you did this morning? Things went so smoothly. I'm impressed, Seulgi. I really am."

The two were at their secret hide out, having lunch. Seulgi had told Taehyun and Seunghwan that she might not be able to join the group for the second half of lunch since she planned to eat and discuss everything with Soojung. The drama that happened in the morning worked out brilliantly, and Seulgi couldn't help but want to stay and hear whatever praises Soojung could say.

"Well, I wouldn't have done this much without your help," Seulgi said, smiling.

"How did you know that putting the letter in Yezy's locker?" Soojung asked.

"Like you said, Minzy and Yezy are my comrades. I thought that if I put the letter in a random person's locker, then it should be someone who trusts me. Conveniently, Yezy and Minzy don't really get along with Hyeri, like you told me," Seulgi explained. "I guess it was a good idea to get Yezy and Minzy on my side since the beginning."

"And by having you and Yezy receive the chain letter, it would make it seem like Hyeri doesn't like Jinri since most people know that Hyeri doesn't have a positive outlook on you two." Soojung nodded her head, amused. "Smart."

"It was really nice for Seunghwan to remind people that Hyeri was the one who had the chain letter, too. It made her look like she actually did all of this," Seulgi added.

"I told you. Seunghwan knows what to do to make someone look good. For you, who tend to screw up, she's a good person to be best friends with," Soojung explained. "Did Taehyun say anything about Jinri?"

"No, but he did mention how agitated she is," Seulgi reported.

"Anything else?" Soojung asked.

Seulgi remained silent for a moment. She wondered if she should tell Soojung about Sehun's warning. If anything, it seemed like it was important to tell her that Sehun was going to make his move, but she wasn't quite sure if it was something Soojung needed to know. After all, everything else was going fine. Things were going according to plan. She couldn't imagine Sehun doing anything that would stop them.

"No," Seulgi lied. "Nothing else."

"Good. After class, we'll go to my sister's café. We'll hang out there until it's time for us to 'accidentally' encounter Jinri and Taehyun drinking. We'll take a picture of Jinri drinking and show her the picture. We can probably get something out of her, like have her join our circle of friends," Soojung said.

Seulgi nodded. The two ate their lunch quietly for a brief second. Then, Seulgi shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she remembered a specific painful scene that happened moments ago.

"But Jongin was the only one who didn't take my side," Seulgi pointed out. "He believed in Hyeri."

"Did he have to? My point is, majority took your side. Jongin might be the most popular kid in school, but he can take your side later."

"But I want him to be on my side as soon as possible!" Seulgi said anxiously. "I like him. A lot. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Seulgi, I'm going to take a guess and say that you never dated anyone before. Dating Jongin isn't going to be easy," Soojung warned her. "He has a reputation to hold, whether he's aware of it or not. If you want to stand by his side, you got to build a reputation, too, and it has to be a better one than his. You can't have a random girl be next to Jongin. Even his friends are amazing. You're…average and nothing special. At least, not yet. We're getting there, Seulgi. You just need to build yourself and be better."

Seulgi stared at Soojung. "Why does it always seem like you know the popularity system so well?"

Soojung stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"Like, everything is working just like you imagined."

"Well, there are other factors that are getting in the way—"

"But you're so good at everything. You're really observant and you sound like you know what you're doing. It's like you were popular before—"

Soojung pretended to drop her pen on the ground. "Oh, woops! Clumsy me! Hold that conversation, okay?"

"O-Oh. Okay—"

"You know what? I think I have to use the restroom, too," Soojung said, swiping her pen from the ground. She placed it on the table, but grabbed her little notebook. "I'm going to step out for a bit, okay?"

"Oh, sure. Alright, I'll just wait here—"

"You should head back to Taehyun and Seunghwan. They're going to wait for you, right?"

"I told them I wasn't, but—"

"Sorry, Seulgi, but thank you for understanding!" Soojung said quickly. She faked a smile and left Seulgi in the empty classroom.

Seulgi sat still. It was odd how Soojung completely avoided the conversation, but it was impressively effective. She wasn't aware of it until now, but she had completely fallen in Soojung's trail of thoughts. The whole thing felt so natural, but Seulgi was sure that Soojung was pretending to use the restroom.

I wonder why she's like this, Seulgi thought, gathering her items. If she was more extroverted, I'm pretty sure that she'd be super popular.

/ / / / /

The sound of the entrance bells echoed across the café. Sooyeon looked up, eagerly greeting the customer.

"Welcome to BLANC & EC—" She stopped, then scowled. She returned to wiping the tables, ignoring the customer for a brief moment until asking, "Why are you here?"

The man smiled innocently. He combed his rich brown hair to the side and began to walk in small steps. He glanced around the empty café, observing the textures of the wall and the floor. Without a care, he took a seat at a random table close by to the counter.

"What? Can't an old friend come by and get a little coffee?" the man asked, sitting down.

"Do you seriously think that the owner of the café would want to see her little sister's ex-boyfriend?" Sooyeon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Kim Myungsoo, you have issues if you think 'yes' to that question."

Myungsoo chuckled. He his thin lips and checked the menu on the wall.

"Can I get an iced coffee? Give me the smallest size you have," he requested, ignoring Sooyeon's question.

Sooyeon sighed, but went ahead to make his coffee. After a couple of minutes, she returned with a tray and two iced coffee. He raised his eyebrow as she handed him one and sat down across from him to drink the second coffee.

"I hope I'm not paying for two," he commented.

"Too bad. You are," Sooyeon said, sticking her tongue out.

Myungsoo scoffed playfully. "Anyway, when is Soojung getting out of school?"

"Why should that matter to you?" Sooyeon asked, tilting her head.

"I just want to know how she's doing. She cut off all kinds of communication with me."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. The day you two broke up, she came to the café and cried like a baby," Sooyeon said.

Myungsoo bitterly smiled. "Well, it wasn't a nice break up. We just said stuff in the heat of the moment and never apologized for it."

"Were you planning to apologize?"

"No," he said earnestly. "I meant what I said. I think a part of me also meant what I said with the tone I gave her. If I know Soojung, I'm pretty sure she meant her words, too. It's something we'll probably disagree about for a long time."

"Mhm, sure. Well, you two settle that out. It's none of my business," Sooyeon said. She was about to get up until he grabbed her wrist.

"Wait," Myungsoo said. She turned. "You didn't answer my question."

"About what?"

"About when Soojung gets out of school. I'm planning on making a visit," Myungsoo said.

Sooyeon eyed him carefully. "Don't you have school? You go to a university, right?"

"I'm on a little field trip for club," Myungsoo explained. "I'll be here for tonight. I might stay until tomorrow morning, but after that, I'm leaving."

Sooyeon gave him a serious frown. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet Soojung. She's still in high school and I don't think she's over you."

He gave her a bored look. "Sooyeon, she's in her third and final year of high school. She's going to university next year. I'm pretty sure she's going to be fine seeing me. It's not like we still have the same feelings in middle school. I doubt she likes me. Besides, it's been, what? Four or three years since we last saw each other?"

"Believe me, I'm Soojung's sister. I know how she feels, whether she shows it or not."

"I know. I've dated your sister. I know how she is."

"So you're going to see her even though you know that she's not ready to see you?"

"I'm going to see her as a friend. Not as anything else," Myungsoo said. He smirked when he saw her continue to frown. "You're looking at me like I'm going to do something terrible."

"I have a feeling that you are," Sooyeon muttered.

"Relax. I'm just going to have a small talk and maybe have a little fun," Myungsoo said. "High school kids are fun to mess around."

Sooyeon pointed her finger at him in accusation. "See! That! 'Little fun' never means a good thing, Myungsoo, especially if it comes out of your mouth. Half the things that come out of your mouth aren't good things."

"Sure, sure. Anyway, will you let me know which high school she goes to or not?"

"Why don't you just stay at the café? She might appear."

Myungsoo paused, checked the time, then shook his head. "Nah, I can't stay. I'm busy."

"What? I thought you wanted to have 'a little fun' with Soojung."

"Like I said, I'm here for club. I'll be back during winter, though. It's in a few months, but I'll definitely be here. Maybe early next year. I'll try to bring my friends here," Myungsoo said, getting up. He finished the last few sips of his coffee before taking out his wallet. "How much?"

"It's on the house," Sooyeon said. She snorted when Myungsoo gave her a look.

"You could've told me that before I took my wallet out of my pocket," he said, putting it back in.

"Whatever. Just try to not be a bother to my sister, okay? She had it rough with you and didn't see you since then," Sooyeon pointed out.

Myungsoo sighed. "Relax! It's not like I'm going to do anything. I just wanted to see how she is and if she's doing well."

"She's doing perfectly fine."

"I won't accept that kind of answer without seeing her myself," Myungsoo said, laughing. "Anyway, I really need to go. My club and I are going out tonight for a drink. Do you want to come with us?"

"I'm fine," Sooyeon said, shaking her head. "Maybe next time when I'm not working."

"Suit yourself," Myungsoo told her. He waved and left the café without another word.

Sooyeon sighed heavily as she placed the two empty drinks on her tray. She cleaned up the table and walked behind the counter, throwing away the trash. As she continued to clean the place up, she couldn't help but feel worried. She grabbed a mop in hopes of calming her thoughts.

I wonder if I should tell Soojung that her ex-boyfriend stopped by, Sooyeon wondered. She sighed exasperatedly. No, I shouldn't. She just started to make friends. I wouldn't want her to get paranoid over the fact that Myungsoo came over. Besides, he's not going to be here until winter. We have time. We have plenty of time.