"Ahhhhhh~ Look at that handsome guy!" Jiyeon cooed and smacked her friend's arm playfully. "So cool~" she continued drooling at her handsome classmate who just entered which earned scoffs from her friend.

"What's so handsome about him? I just don't get it." Her friend crossed her arms and leaned back against her chair.

Jiyeon glared at her and flicked her forehead, "he's handsome what!"

"Gosh. He's just another guy in the class, dear."

Jiyeon ignored her comment and continued drooling at the handsome classmate. "Kim Myungsoo~ so handsome!"

"Tsk tsk. Fallen too deep to be cured." Her friend sighed and did her own stuffs while waiting for the teacher to enter and start the class.

While on the other side of the classroom, Myungsoo shivered when he felt stares at his back.

"Yah. Sungyeol-ah. Is she looking at me again?!" Myungsoo hissed and whispered to his buddy.

Sungyeol did him a favour and looked behind before turning back to him. "Bingo."

"Aish! Why is she always staring at me?!" Myungsoo ruffled his hair harshly and groaned.

Sungyeol laughed and patted his back playfully, "You've got an admirer~"

Myungsoo simply glared at his buddy and elbowed him, "you know I don't like girls like her. Acting to be know-it-all. So proud and arrogant."

Sungyeol shrugged and took out his books, "but I think she's okay! I worked with her before and she's not proud. She's kind. I don't know why you think she's proud."

Myungsoo smirked and glared at the girl behind, "she just gave me those kind of feeling."

Sungyeol was speechless again.

But it's alright since the teacher entered the next moment.

~~~~~

“You should seriously confess someday, if you want to.” Jiyeon was walking down the hallway with her friend, Jieun, towards the locker’s directions. And her friend was nagging, telling her to confess her feelings already.

“I’m not ready at all!” Jiyeon shrieked and held onto Jieun’s arm hardly.

Jieun didn’t mind though.

“Okay fine.” She sighed deeply and placed her arms around Jiyeon’s shoulders, “look at the entrance.”

Jiyeon blinked innocently and looked over towards the entrance. “Why?”

“If the next one to enter is a guy, you will confess. If it’s a girl, you won’t. Okay?”

Jiyeon gasped and shook her head vigorously but no words were coming out from . She’s dumbfounded.

Jieun nodded her head and patted her shoulders encouragingly, “Silence means consent. Good. Now look.”

The speechless Jiyeon could only gulp and prayed. Well, she didn’t even know which one to pray for, boy or girl?!

But fate decided everything.

“Sungyeol-ah, let’s go to the court. Basketball time~” Myungsoo entered the locker’s room and laughed along with his buddy.

Jieun smirked and elbowed her friend lightly, “seems like it’s too much fate huh? It’s your crush, my dear~”

Jiyeon’s jaws dropped literally and well, she just couldn’t believe it. How was that possible?! Technically, Myungsoo just asked her to confess to him.

“I… I…”

“Too late, my dear. Just confess. It’ll be okay.” Jieun patted her cheeks lightly to comfort her and opened her locker the next second.

Jiyeon was still standing at the same position, trying to digest everything in.

“Fine! Tomorrow it is.”

Jieun’s eyes sparkled and she turned over to look at her best friend, “RIGHT CHOICE!”

And they walked off to the next class happily, discussing about how to confess exactly.

~~~~~

Jiyeon walked into her own house and sighed once again.

The smell of alcohol brushed up into her nostrils and she shivered.

Bad timing.

“PARK JIYEON! YOU’RE BACK HUH! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO?! WASH THE CLOTHES AND CLEAN THE FLOOR!”

Her dad screamed and gobbled up his bottle of beer.

“Yes, dad.” Jiyeon mumbled sadly and rushed up into her room at once. She placed her bag on the bed and dashed out to do the house chores even before changing her uniform to some comfortable ones.

Ever since her mom passed away, her dad had always been abusing her and screaming at her to do chores. She didn’t even have the time to study her work.

“This useless kid.” Her dad walked over to her in a drunken manner and kicked her legs. Jiyeon bit onto her lips to hold back the yelp she was about to release and continued her work.

“Why didn’t you die with your mom?! I would have peace then!” He roared and smashed the bottle against the wall which made Jiyeon flinched in shock.

“GET THE HOUSE CLEAN BY TONIGHT, !” Her dad yelled the last time, kicked her one more time and left the house to enjoy his night-life party with his friends.

Jiyeon sobbed silently the moment the front door closed and it became loud cries soon.

“Omma… He’s right… Why didn’t you bring me with you…?”

~~~~~

Next day came quickly.

It’s another day for her. She woke up to an empty house and sighed in relief. She could prepare properly and left the house in one piece.

It’s also the day to confess!

She wouldn’t know if Myungsoo would like her but she wanted to try at least once, just like what Jieun told her.

“Jieunie!”

Jieun waved and hollered her over. “Prepared for later?”

Jiyeon shyly smiled and nodded her head slightly, “I guess.”

“Good!”

And they entered the school together, going to class together.

~~~~~

“Go on, my dear. You’ll be okay.” It’s finally the end of the day and the two girls were standing outside the gym.

Jiyeon took a deep breath in and looked at the door, “I can do it.”

“Go! I’ll wait for your good news here!” Jieun gave her a light push and she went into the gym.

She looked around for the presence of Myungsoo and finally found him at the steps by the side, with Sungyeol, resting after a round of basketball.

Well, they looked sweaty after all.

Jiyeon took another deep breath and walked closer to him.

She was right behind the pillar near the two guys already but she stopped her steps when she heard her name.

“Seriously, did that arrogant Jiyeon looked at me today?”

*Arrogant? I’m not!* Jiyeon frowned and bit her lips sadly. She took a peek and saw Myungsoo scoffed after saying his speech out loud to his buddy.

Sungyeol shrugged and rolled the ball on his finger, “She looked at you every day, buddy. But seriously, she’s not arrogant at all. You just got to know her better.”

Myungsoo smirked evilly and glared at the air in front of him, “She just gave me that feeling, and I’ve told you right. I don’t have to work with her and I know it. She’s just another -up , pretending to know everything.”

Jiyeon scoffed sadly with tears rolling down her cheeks. *That’s how he sees me? We didn’t even talk once.*

“Did you even talk to her before?” Sungyeol raised a brow and looked at his buddy.

“Nope. She’s looking at me all day long. How do I even approach her? She’s just… Creepy.” Myungsoo shivered and laughed happily with the actions he just did.

Sungyeol shook his head and walked off with the ball, “Whatever, dude. Let’s go.” He walked the opposite way where Jiyeon was standing, thank God.

Myungsoo shrugged and followed suit.

Jiyeon’s weakened legs gave into her and she dropped down onto the floor immediately. “Why…?”

A few minutes later, Jieun rushed in to find her but only find her crying figure on the floor. She rushed to her side and cradled her into her arms, “What happened, my dear!?”

Jiyeon cried even louder and shook her head sadly, “He hates me…”

“Why? It can’t be, oh gosh.” Jieun her back lovingly.

Jiyeon simply shook her head and looked at her best friend, “I don’t have to confess and he already admitted he hates me… He said I’m a -up . He knew I’m looking at him every day and he said it’s… creepy.”

Jieun gasped at what she just heard. She was about to look for that bastard but Jiyeon held her back, “Don’t leave me alone…”

Jieun cried and hugged her tightly, “I won’t. I won’t… I’m here.”

The two best friends cried into each other’s arms that noon.

~~~~~

It’s been a few days since Jiyeon overheard what he said.

And she’s been depressed ever since.

She didn’t take in any food or water. Just a few bites when Jieun forced her to and she stopped.

To add on to her misery, her dad kept abusing her when she got home. She cleaned the whole house but her dad was not happy. He used his fingers to pinch and used his legs to kick her back and upper-arm to make it not visible to others. Nobody knows about her family, even Jieun didn’t know.

Jieun held onto her arms tightly when she saw Jiyeon walking towards the school, to make sure she balanced, and walked her to class together. Well, Jieun could basically feel her whole weight on her. That’s how weak Jiyeon became.

“Listen to class, okay? You feel fine?”

Jiyeon