The whole audience was in a state of noisy confusion. What were once curious gossip whisperers now turned into loud gasps and shocked exclamations. Teachers tried in vain to get their class back to work, and eventually also turned to look at the spectacle. Those girls who were so hopelessly in love with the college’s most popular sweetheart, as well as the guys who looked up to him for his amiability, all kept asking the same question: “What just happened?!!”

Perhaps it wasn’t anybody’s business who asked who out – but this was THE Kim Myungsoo. Forget ‘kingka’ titles teenagers have in high school – Myungsoo was above that! But his reputation of never being seriously attached to any girl went hand-in-hand with his campus fame. So exactly what kind of girl was his girlfriend? Was she THAT pretty? Was she THAT smart? Was she THAT cute and bubbly? And how on earth did this lucky girl manage to get him hooked?!!

Moreover, he presented her to the WHOLE school – did this mean it was serious?!

But alas! By the time viewers quit gossiping and turned to terrorize the pair, the two stealthily dissolved into thin air.

---

Immediately after Myungsoo succeeded in labeling Naeun as his “Girlfriend,” a little voice in the back of his head told him “If you want to live, hide!” Or rather it was the endless amount of swearwords, half of which Myungsoo didn’t even know existed, coming out of Naeun’s pretty mouth that made him abandon his soccer team and sprint for his life.

“MYUNGSOO!”

, , , !

He hoped he’d lose her if he hid in one of the buildings’ hallways, but apparently she had better orientation than he expected. In panic, Myungsoo skidded around a corner and ran into the first empty classroom he saw.

Naeun ran past, and for a second Myungsoo hoped he was safe, but she soon tracked him down. She entered and barricaded the door handle with a nearby mop.

Myungsoo couldn’t think straight, but the one thing he made very sure of was that there was a desk between them at ALL times – for safety’s sake.

“Take it back!” Naeun cried. “Tell them we’re not dating! TELL THEM!”

Myungsoo semi-sat on one of the desks and gasped for air. “Don’t yell woman, I’m tired from running as it is…” he nagged.

“I said, TAKE IT BACK!”

“I won’t…” Myungsoo continued panting, but as soon as she went after him, he swiftly moved to the opposite end. “And of all things, you should thank me for not actually spilling the beans!”

“Being your fake girlfriend is just as bad! What the hell?! Myungsoo, this isn’t funny! This may be a joke to you, but to me it isn’t! People will be staring at me! I don’t want the attention!” Naeun was growing desperate at Myungsoo’s lack of response.

“Are you THAT revolted against the idea of me being your 'boyfriend'?” Myungsoo emphasized the word boyfriend purely for the sake of seeing her face get even more frustrated.

“Well of course I am! Who in their right mind would like you!”

“Many people, actually…JiAh, Minah, Joomi, Joohee…” Myungsoo counted on his fingers.

Then Naeun had it with him, and hurled the first object she could find at him. Myungsoo was too immersed with counting his fanclub members to avoid it, and took the stapler straight in the face.

“Ow!” he grabbed his nose in agony.

“Yeah, hurts like a doesn’t it?!” Naeun spitefully mocked, and tried wiping her own dried blood off her face.

“It actually hurts though! Can’t we sit down and talk this out?” Naeun was about to attack him again before Myungsoo removed his hand and she saw he had a few heavily bleeding scratches. Against her own liking, she felt guilty for hurting this sly wimp.

“Can’t you hear me out first?!” Myungsoo scrambled to his feet as he saw Naeun approaching again. He put his palms together and bowed his head in apology “Okay okay I'm sorry!!–” He prepared for a slap but instead she roughly took him by the wrist, un-barricaded the door and dragged him out.

--

“Stay still.” She ordered and searched the nurse’s cabinets for iodine and band-aids. Myungsoo remained where she left him – awkwardly seated on a stool and confused.

“…What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Naeun threw him a damp towel so he could wipe his face; meanwhile she cleaned hers by the sink.

“I want to think you’re being nice, but that’s so out of your character it’s a little creepy.” Myungsoo sheepishly admitted. Naeun towered over him with the medicine, examining the scratches.

Aish! I hit him worse than I thought…

“You have exactly 1 minute, or until I finish treating you.” The girl proclaimed “Go.”

“Go where?” Myungsoo gazed at her, a little memorized. Sure she probably wanted to stab him in the neck with a pair of scissors, and her stern facial expression remained as static as it ever was, but right now, in her own Naeun-like way, she looked unbelievably adorable fretting over his ‘wounds.’

“You said ‘hear me out’ – I’m listening.”

Myungsoo forced himself to look away and focus on the clock behind her instead.

“Actually, I kinda said it on a whim. I wanted to see you panic. Your reaction when I said it was hilarious though, you should’ve seen it–OW, OW, OW!” While usually she was very careful, now Naeun applied more and more iodine to his open cuts on purpose. Her lips curled into a sadistic smile.

“Oh~ Your face looks hilarious right now, want me to grab a mirror so you can see it?” Myungsoo made a face, but he didn’t stop her from treating him altogether.

“Let me finish, you dumb woman!” Myungsoo continued, “I realized that while we’re still in this ‘relationship’ I need you to do me a favor.”

Naeun raised an eyebrow “And why on earth would I do you a favor?”

Myungsoo gave a cheeky smile “Because otherwise I’ll really tell–”

“–then that’s an order, not a favor–” Naeun, again, put too much iodine and Myungsoo, again, yelped in pain.

“–and, if you do it, I’ll happily tell everybody we’re not a couple~”

This seemed to have a great effect on Naeun because she gave Myungsoo a good, long evaluating glare.

“Think about it – unless I’m the one to tell them, the school won’t believe we’re not dating. And no, I’m not trying to trick you – you have my word as a gentleman!”

“Gentleman my-…” she mumbled and stuck two band aid on his nose. “…What’s the favor?”

“Now we’re talking!” Myungsoo grinned from ear to ear. “Do you remember Sungjong?”

“Your other friend? Yeah, I do, what of it?” Naeun pushed his hair out of the way to see if she missed a spot.

Although her hands were cold, Myungsoo felt strangely calm having them pressed so gently to his forehead.

“You’re always so critical!” he exclaimed, but he didn’t bother opening his eyes – her touch felt too peaceful. “But yes, that’s him. He won’t leave me alone because a certain someone ruined his relationship with ‘the love of his life’ or whatever people call it…”

“You mean Kim Namjoo? She’s better off without that manipulative jerk.”

“He’s a good guy at heart though. Believe it or not, but he never dated much, and Namjoo was the first girl he’s dated for so long. I think he’s just scared out of his wits of losing her, and at the same time he’s scared she’ll hate him.” Myungsoo grinned, “He’s a hopeless nutcase in love!”

“Well if he’s as you say he is, why doesn’t he just go out and settle things with her?” Naeun’s reply was dry but not without a hint of empathy.

“That’s the thing – he’s too focused on blaming everything on you to man up and face her.”

Naeun rolled her eyes. “And what do you suppose I can do about it?”

“Well…that stupid little revenge plot I got busted for…I was thinking, what if we pretended to go along with it?”

“Excuse me?” Naeun drew back a little in surprise and almost took her hand off of his forehead, but Myungsoo caught her wrist.

Naeun felt an urge to pull away, to snap back at him, – but the incredible intensity in his pitch black eyes held her frozen dumb.

There was something utterly serious in the way he looked at her right now. As always, he was smiling.

“Basically, you will pretend to be head-over-heels for me, and I will pretend I’m fooling you so I can pretend to dump you afterwards. But in reality, we’ll be fooling Sungjong so he thinks he’s getting his revenge and solving his problems with Namjoo. And while we’re at it, we might as well help them sort things out and maybe even get them back together…”

There was a pause in which Naeun tried evaluating the ratio of brilliancy and insanity in Myungsoo’s plan – but his light, seemingly insignificant, touch on the wrist made it hard to think.

“…Well aren’t you a caring friend…” she finally managed to proclaim.

Myungsoo laughed, finally releasing her wrist. “Nah, I’m just tired of his constant ing!~”

---

“So will you do it?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No, no not really~”

“Then I guess it’s a deal, if you keep your word…”

Naeun waved goodbye and walked off ahead of him in the direction of her next class.

Myungsoo felt he couldn’t stop grinning, so much that his facial muscles were beginning to hurt. Was he supposed to be this happy? He was just helping a childhood friend…Maybe he really did care about Sungjong more than he realized?

Myungsoo whipped out his phone and quickly texted

“I’ll see you later, my fake sweetheart!~ <3 <3 <3”

before he saw Naeun’s figure disappear. He saw her stop, check her phone, read the message in utter disgust, and finally yell out

“How the hell do you know my number?!!” Myungsoo was sent on the floor in hysterical laughter.

This was going to be fun.

---

“Yes Sir…Of course Sir…No Sir…the target is oblivious Sir…I understand Sir…Not without Your orders Sir…I will report soon Sir…Thank you Sir...Goodbye Si–” short beeps came from the other line briskly hanging up, and for some time Jongin kept the phone at is ear. But eventually he too hung up, and once again he felt alone.

Naeun.

What a strange person she was.

At first she shouts herself hoarse on someone she apparently hates, and then she readily treats his wounds. And now, as Jongin leisurely observed her walk home alone, she had her standard poker face as if nothing ever happened.

Strange how people change.

Though in a way, she was still the same.

The same Naeun.

Jongin kicked a pebble off the roof and zipped his bulletproof vest further up.

It’s cold.