“I knew it. You two-faced B*TCH!”

Nayeon turned to face Jungyeon who was chasing after her on the university campus.
The girl with jet black hair looked calmly into the eyes of the girl who was about to rip her apart.
She must have heard it all.

“Yes, I befriended Sungjoon because he is well-liked and it would help me be well-liked too. So, what?”

“You were using him all along!!”

Nayeon sighed and shook her head, “Life is about interactions between human beings with each other. We all interact through trades and alliances. This is no different.”

“What is this now?” Jungyeon breathed heavily, “Some game to you?”

“Life is a game,” Nayeon said coldly, “One where you either win or lose. The right decisions and right friends means more points to you but mistakes mean losing some. After losing so many points for messing up my college entrance exams, what is wrong with fixing some of that lost image by being friends with Sungjoon?”

“You’re crazy!” Jungyeon cried, “You only care about how others see you, your image, your perfect image! I heard it all just now. You just want to beat your sister. That’s why it’s a game!”

Nayeon felt a stone fall in her chest as Jungyeon reminded her of her conversation with Suji earlier. You should just be yourself, little sister. It’s not about you or me.

Suddenly a smirk crawled on Nayeon’s face as she recalled her observations this school year.
“You are no different Yoo Jungyeon. You also care about how people perceive you."

Jungyeon was about to fight back when Nayeon said, “You like Kim Sungjoon, don’t you?”

The words echoed in Jungyeon’s mind.

“YOO JUNGYEON!”

A 10-year-old Sungjoon ran towards her as she sat on the playground, drawing with sticks on the sand.

“Come on! We got to go on an adventure to save the world!”

Nayeon saw the reaction in Jungyeon’s eyes confirming her suspicions all along and continued, “You like him but you don’t do anything. That is because you care about how people see you.”

“Hyung!”

“Shut up,” Jungyeon grunted as Jackson .
Jimin rolled her eyes. “Just because Jungyeon is boyish doesn’t mean she’s a hyung…”

“Nahhhhh, we all know she’s our best bro! Right, Sungjoon?” Jackson said turning to Sungjoon.

“You also care about how he perceives you.”

“OW!”

“Are you okay?” 10-year-old Sungjoon asked as Jungyeon looked at the scab she just got.

Without another word, Sungjoon squats in front of her.

“Come on!” he said, looking at her intently, “Get on!”

As he piggybacked her home, Jungyeon looked at Sungjoon in a different light.
“Thanks…”

He smiled warmly in return, “No problem because we are…”

“Have you spoken to Joonie yet?”

Jungyeon looked with a puzzled expression at her sister Seungyeon who was helping with the dishes.

Seungyeon looked at her clueless sister and sighed. “So, you still haven’t told him you like him!”

Jungyeon flicked some of the washing detergent at her sister. “STOP. MAKING. THINGS. UP!”

Her sister dodged expertly and giggled. “Only an idiot won’t know. Plus, isn’t your greatest competition gone now?”

“Annyeong. I’m Im Nayeon.”

How could she be coming back? Didn’t she have good grades? I mean even if not she should still pass, right???

“Hey, can I join you guys for lunch?”

WTH she wasn’t even interested in Sungjoon before!?

Nayeon sunbae noted pleasantly, “But now it makes little difference. We are in the same year. You guys can speak banmal to me.”

“Jinja?!” Jimin and Jackson both gasped, looking at each other.

“Yeah why not?” Nayeon sunbae said, flashing a smile at them.

YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO

“You know,” I noted, “Youngjae might be right. Jihyo’s not bad.”

What the hell am I even saying to Sungjoon…

Nayeon looked as Jungyeon struggled for words.

“You used Jihyo to try to get me and Sungjoon apart. You saw me as the BIG BAD and blamed all the reasons why he doesn’t like you back on me. You were so busy victimizing yourself that you were even willing to use another girl’s feelings for your own benefit. You would have used Jihyo or someone else to break up Sungjoon and Sana too if you saw it coming or if those two didn’t mess up their relationship quickly.”

Nayeon let her words sink in, “You are no better than me.”

Jungyeon patted Jihyo on her shoulder as she headed out of the noraebang.

“If you like Sungjoon then go for it.”

“Ehh?”

“I mean he’s part of your campaign now, so it should not be that hard to create some opportunities…”

Jihyo looked at Jungyeon, surprised at her outright support.

 “If you need help for something, ask Sungjoon…he’s the type that can only get closer with people by having done memorable things with together.”

“NO!” Jungyeon finally shouted back, tears streaming down her eyes.

Nayeon looked somewhat surprised that the resident tomboy was tearing up.

“I’m not like you. I didn’t use Jihyo…I’m just not good enough for Sungjoon.”

“Number one in grades in our whole school for this semester – Park Jihyo!”

Jungyeon clapped with the rest of the student body. Damn, Jihyo was good.

“She’s pretty flawless, isn’t she?” Jungyeon remembered Sungjoon commenting, clapping away enthusiastically.

It did not help that Jihyo would often help Sungjoon behind his back without him even noticing.

“Oh, look! I found my umbrella!” Sungjoon commented, picking it up as he headed home.

Jungyeon turned to the girl peeping into the empty classroom, “Ya, if you found it for Sungjoon, why don’t you own up and let him know?”
Jungyeon would definitely do that if it was herself.

“I don’t want him to get frustrated over being forgetful again, like he did last week over his math textbook,” Jihyo commented, “Sungjoon loves to blame himself for things. I don’t want him to do that. Plus, as long as he’s happy, I’m happy.”

As Jungyeon watched the girl before her smile like an idiot and the whole thought process she went through, there was really nothing she could say.

“Well, you are just pathetic then,” Nayeon groaned, “Or victimizing yourself even more. You didn’t even try?!”

“Because there is no point.”

Memories of bringing chocolates on Valentine’s Day to school flooded Jungyeon’s mind.
It was because her sister told her to but she was too worried to give them.
Finally, she decided to and was walking towards the classroom when she noticed Sungjoon sitting there laughing with Jackson and waving her over all friendly to join their conversation.

“Jungyeon’s not just a hyung. We are best friends,” noted Sungjoon as Jackson pestered him in the canteen when they were in 2nd year of high school.

Jungyeon shook her head at Sungjoon and squeezed the small box of chocolates in her hands as she turned away from the classroom.

“It’s time to move on,” Seungyeon advised when she spoke to Jungyeon at the café she was working at.

“Because we are best friends.”