(A year ago)

School is never an easy place to live in, not even mention "surviving". Just high school. People always think high school is a small representation, or replica of real life. Yes, they are right. School is a miniature society with 1001 things to talk about, including love, hate, cheating, violence, and survival.

Mimi had never enjoyed going to school. To her, shcool was a more liberal and enlightened version of prison. They crammed us in an enclosed space with some other fellows and a supervisor and told us what to do, that what they told was superior and it would be helpful for real life. Really? If so, why had school never taught students how to protect themselves from assault, or how to gain advantage in any possible way, either in competition or in combat? To her, physical requirements always overwhelmed mental requirements. Who cared if you couldn't even hold your feet to your self? Who cared about your brain while you could barely pass a crowd to get out unscathed?

In this school, it was already hard to get in a bathroom and get out unscathed. You would be wet in the terribly plumbing system, or run out of toilet paper, or encounter a bully. You would get questioned over random things. You would answer with your teeth tapping. You would be grabbed and pulled by the hair if you don't answer properly. You would receive a punch if you dont't answer at all. You would be beaten if you showed disrespect to whoever you encountered with. If you encountered the gossipy gang from D-11 in the boys' bathroom, you would be questioned first. If you encountered Mimi in the girls' bathroom, you would be punched first.

Mimi realized a lot of philosophy and life lessons in the bathroom, though. 

(August)

She hated looking at the newbies entering school. They knew nothing. They were so innocent. They gave in too early so bullying wasn't that much fun as kicking older students. But there was an outstanding one. The name was Jeon Minha, as Mimi heard from the D-11 gang. Minha passed the school like a senior. She talked to upperclassmen. She knew all teachers, and all teachers knew her. She might gain presidency of some organizations in school sooner or later. And she gained attention of many rivals and bullies.

First, her rivals were still concerned of her. Most of them were rivals from her middle school, or just jelous because of her great scores and reputation. But after two weeks of being in the school, she somehow proved her power, and the number of rivals deminished quickly. They either never mentioned her anymore, just accepting her as a popular figure in school, or befriended her. Anyway, who knew how long that friendship, or more accurately, friendliness, would last?

Bullies actually didn't really think she was a good one to pick on, at first. She was a nerd. She was like a precious queen that the "Nerd Organization" totally adored. And teachers were around her all the time. Bullies were smart enough to avoid her and got themselves out of trouble. But them, her fame seemed too irritating for them. Being protected was not a good excuse of being spared.

One day at the end of August, Mimi had to stay after school for detention. She broke the record of the earliest detention of the year, which was made on the first day of September two years earlier. Mimi excused herself, "There is a pretty obvious positive correlation between the summer heat and the posibility of violence." 

She had to clean the sink, the faucets, and the floor of the rinsing area. Bleach and cleaning detergents were given to her. They were the cheap industrial type you could find at wholesale stores. The odious smell and rough packaging said it all. 

She put on gloves and started working, half-heartedly. The smell of bleach was so disgusting and overwhelming. Surely, the school wanted to use positive punishment to prevent students from misbehaving. And also, the sink seemed uncleaned from a number of years, enough for the minerals in tap water to precipitate and stick on the metal. She had to use a key to break and chisel out the whitish stains. As she was rubbing the sink with bleach, a bathroom booth opened and a person walked out. Mimi turned around and was about to shout at the person for staying overly late at school and disturbing her detention. But she controlled her impulse.

It was Jeon Minha who walked out. That person who got the spotlight from everybody. She walked out like a boss, head high and flying hair. But to Mimi, Minha was just a manager walking to a CEO. 

"Yah! Do you know that you're way to late to stay here?" Mimi yelled.

"Oh...uhm...I have a club meeting today." Minha answered with a straight face like nothing happened.

"Can't believe you can just shut the question off in a shrug like that." 

"What do you mean, unnie?" Minha took a step back. So clearly Minha knew who Mimi was.

"YOU are the FIRST one who DARE talk to me like that!" Mimi slammed the brush at the sink and stomped her feet.

"Like...like what?"

"Really, uhhhh, I can't just grab your hair or slap you right now. You should be grateful that my gloves are wet with bleach and I still respect your beauty. Now GET THE HELL OUT!"

Minha immediately left the bathroom. Mimi let out a hard breath and continued on her work.

"Can't understand why they let those kids run around freely."

(October)

It was break time. There was only one more class and then everybody can go home. Why couldn't they make Friday a day-off like Saturday and Sunday? Why did they have a breaktime between 3 afternoon periods? Why did they let the students break out from a prison after 2 periods and then they had to cripple back to that prison again?

There was a hole in the 8th booth of the girls' bathroom. It led outside and was not surveilled by camera. Great! Mimi could escape through that hole.

She secretly gathered her stuff and passed the crowd of student without anybody noticing. The bathroom was fairly empty. As she opens the door of the 8th booth, someone entered. "Damn! Why do you disturb my chance?" Mimi thought.

It was Jeon Minha. 

"Are you...Mihyun unnie?" Minha came toward Mimi, who was trying to hide a snarling frown. 

"Well, you have learned my name over two months, huh." Mimi tried to keep her bossy attitude.

"Are you trying to truant?"

"Yeah. So what?" 

"You know it's not good for you, right?"

"It IS good for me, innocent girl. I need to escape from this humid prison, OK?"

"But why? Your parents pay for you to study here? Why do you deny what you take for granted?"

"Little girl, are you trying to lecture me?"

"I am not. I'm just telling you that some day you will regret what you do today." Minha still looked cool and indifferent to the fact that she was talking to the badass sister of the school.

"Hey girl, did the person who taught you my name teach you anything about me?"

"Of couse. I DO know that you're the boss of this school. You are the lone aggressive wolf. You get in constant detentions. You have very few friends, other than the boy gang in class D-11. That's all what I know." Minha still remained extremely chilled.

"You still know too little, my girl. You know what, you are the FIRST person who I meet in the bathroom and don't get a punch in the stomach first. You are very lucky. You have extremely good luck. Do you know? Why do you deny what you take for granted?"

Mimi didn't intend to repeat what Minha said earlier. She was impressed. Minha made such a bold impressive Mimi could never forget. Minha seemed to have a powerful aura on her head.

"So why don't you punch me in the stomach when I came in here?"

"Because I chose not to."

"Hah." Minha let out a chuckle. It was not the smug, playful chuckle bullies usually let out. It was just a normal chuckle when someone found out something interesting. "You sound much more polite than other bullies I've known in the school."

"Oh really." Mimi also let out a bully-style chuckle and looked away. "Are you done talking? I need to get out before the 3rd period bell rings."

She enters the bathroom and takes out pieces of tiles and revealed a big hole through which she could escape.

"I won't report you about this." Minha said when Mimi threw her backpack through the hole.

Mimi, quite surprised about this news, replied coldly.

"Oh yeah? Thank you very much, Goody Two-Shoes!"

"It doesn't mean that I let you go. You are who you choose to be. You choose to truant, that's your business. I just came here on coincidence. Just pretend that nobody knows about this."

Mimi turned back and stood upright in front of Minha as the bell rang at the same time. "Hey, are you done talking?"

"I don't know."

"If you're trying to convince me to go back using whatever philosophy of yours, then you totally fail."

"What if I can?"

"If you don't go to class, you'll be marked tardy. That's your business. I just happen to be here on coincidence." Mimi threw a cold smirk again.

"What if I don't? I can totally do both of what you just said."

"Well, I can totally make you tardy and still get out on time."

Finishing the sentence, Mimi quickly grabbed Minha's hair and pushed her head to the floor. Still holding Minha's hair, she raised Minha's face and gave her a hard slap. Minha collapsed to the floor with her nose bleeding and a bruise on the forehead. "Is that enough for your purpose?"

At the very moment, a teacher walked in and saw everything.

"Kim Mihyun! Jeon Minha! What are you two doing in here?" She came toward the two. "Fighting? Oh my gosh! Head to the office! Immediately! And what is this?" She noticed the hole in the 8th bathroom. "Vandalism! Oh my gosh! You two are in big trouble! To the office! Immediately!"

Mimi threw a dark look at Minha, whom the teacher was propping up.

"Great. You win, Minha. You win. You beat me. Good job. Let's see who is winning next time."

Minha had done what she challenged Mimi. She made both of them tardy and prevented Mimi from playing truant.

And that was the first time Mimi had ever lost a battle.

Secret #3 told.

(A week later)

Mimi walked into the bathroom during breaktime. Usually, girls would yield the way for her, because nobody wanted to receive a punch in the stomach and slide on the wet floor. They would lower their face and stick their eyes on the floor to avoid making eye contact with Mimi. They would say nothing during the course to avoid because accused of talking behind Mimi's back, by Mimi.

Mimi looked sideways at the girls, threw a deadly glare at a random girl, and continued on her way. Approaching the booth at the end of the bathroom, Mimi was surprised to see that her favourite booth was occupied.

"Yah! Do you know who is in there?" Mimi shouted to the girls.

In response, they all shook their heads crazily.

"Aish! Yah!" Mimi knocked continuously at the door. "You're taking too long. This bathroom is busy enough."

The lock inside was heard to have unlock, and the girl stepped outside. It was Minha. Again.

"Oh! Oh! OH!" Mimi exclaimed. "We get to see Goody Two-Shoes again!"

"Annyeong unnie." Minha greeted, now without a more cautious attitude. "You're back to school now?"

"Yeah! I'm back!" Mimi said loudly. "Back from a one-week suspension from school! Is that what you wanted?"

"No, no! I didn't mean it. I mean, I just trying to..."

"Stop, no more talking!" Mimi cut in. "I know what you're gonna say. You're gonna say that you were trying to convince me to get back to class and show me values of education, right? So, I am here to declare that you have underestimate the values of orders and rules in this school. You think only rules from the school board are in effect? Then who am I that's talking to you, huh?"

Minha was totally silent. 

"So, very coincidently that we have some girls who know rules very well." Mimi continued and pointed at the girls who were waiting and listening to the conversation. "It is time I be the teacher and teach you some values for life!" Mimi shouted and sprang at Minha.

She punched Minha in the stomach. She kicked Minha in the knee, and a small crack sound was heard. She held Minha by the head and slapped her real hard in the face that she collapses. She kicked Minha in the stomach again and shoved her to the wall. She stomped on Minha's back. She kicked Minha's temple. With each action, she added a shout that didn't sound like "teaching"; it sounded like her deep feelings that were hidden because of her image as a bully.

"You will never be safe at school!"

"You will be bullied at some point in your life, and sooner or later, you have to learn to adapt!"

"If you can adapt, you can survive."

"If you cannot, then you'll never make it in real life."

"If something is said to you, listen to it, because people in this school are trying to protect you, little girl!"

"Why do you deny what you take for granted? Why do you want to change this place? I don't need a goody girl to show me what is right in this world. When you live in a world world and you try to be right, you are always the wrong one! If you would just listen to what people have warned you, you wouldn't be so miserable!"

Minha obviously passed out. Mimi obviously knew that. But she still shouted out. For her mind to be clear. For the girls to hear. And for the school to never change the way it was.