I can already hear Mi Rin's obnoxious voice ringing in my head. I swear, she will torture me to death with her incessant rambling later on about her rich boyfriend and her designer wardrobe and her pink maltese. I mean seriously, who has a pink maltese? She should be sued and thrown into a mental alyssum for animal abuse. 

"Lee Ji Eun, called to be with the lord after being publicly humiliated to death." 

I can already see my life flashing past my eyes as i take a step closer to the entrance of the restaurant.

As i get nearer and nearer to the restaurant, I spot a few people already seated at a long rectangle table at a corner. 

Is that Jaehyo i see? 

I squint my eyes a little at the tall-built man in a tux while i push the door open. 

Yep, definitely him. Who else but him believes that wearing hiking boots with a tuxedo is totally fine. It's so normal that it was even wearable to prom. Mmmhm.

"LEE JIJI!" Jaehyo stood up to greet me, his hands wide open.

"Jaejae! How have you been!" I held in a little chuckle at the sight of his boots up close. He should be arrested by the fashion police i tell you. His fashion sense makes Taec look good.

"Good! Have a seat!" He pulled the empty chair next to him out for me. 

"Jieun! Nice to see you again!" I heard another voice call out. A girl with long wavy, red hair smiled and waved enthusiastically. She was donned in a black off shoulder tee and some studded shorts that revealed her long slim legs. 

"Umm.." I paused for a moment before i realized something. I didn't know who she was.

Oh my god. This is so embarrassing. How can i not know who she was? Oh Lee Jieun, this is what you get for not coming to class gatherings, you can't even recognize your classmates now! 

I was going to continue rambling inwardly about my stupidity when i felt Jaehyo nudge me.

"Psst, Haekyung!"

"SHUT..UP.." I blurted out in disbelief before i realized how loud i was. Clasping my hand over my mouth, i shot Jaehyo a bewildered look. Since..when did the quiet, nerdy Haekyung have red hair? 

"Hahaha, i know right!" I heard her chuckle at my reaction as though it was normal for people to not know who she was. But seriously, she looked so different! "I got rid of those thick black glasses and those boring sweatshirts, for this~" She waved her hands in the air and giggled.

She did look rather stunning. 

"And i don't regret a single bit~" She smiled and gave the guy beside her a little squeeze.

The guy beside her.

Oh god. I don't know who that was either…

I deserve to go to hell.

"Oh, don't worry honey, that's Jason, Haekyung's boyfriend." Someone's voice rang from the end of the table. 

"Oh! Annyeonghaseyo, Lee Jieun ibnida!" I offered him a handshake while he gladly obligated.

"Nice to meet you, Jason here." He repiled with a slightly accented English. 

Hehehehhe, Jason.

I couldn't help but grin a little as the name totally reminded me of Woo.

Heehe Jason, it's your turn already, heheheh. K i'm officially crazy.

"Jieun, are you getting old, or have you completely forgotten us?" Another familiar voice spoke.

1. Mental note to self : Start attending more class gatherings.

"Na Eun, Hae In, Hanbyul!" I tried to sound as energetic and delighted as possible.

Han Na Eun, Cho Hae In and Kim Hanbyul- the few equally obnoxious followers of the witch Mi Rin. Speaking of which(witch), where is she? Hmm, maybe her ginormous plastic s suffocated her to death last night, or her pink maltese decided to chew off her face or she got-

"Hi! Sorry i'm late guys, the jam was so bad and Seunghyun wanted to make sure we were safe so.."

-Or she was just late.

Now that she was here, i braced myself for the start of my torture. But somehow,she hasn't seem to notice me yet! I watched meekly as she took a seat at the popular end of the table where they 'saved a seat' for her. Truth be told, no one wanted to sit there either, pfft.

Sometimes i pitied how delusional they were.

"Wow, so many of you are here already," She snorted as she did a head count. What did she think she was, the class monitor? "I wonder wheres.."

Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me.

"Ah! There you are Jieun. What are you..hiding?" She emphasized on the last word.

.

"A-haha-haha, what are you taking about Mi Rin, why would i be?" I chuckled nervously. 

Where is my hole when i need it?

"Oh where is your boyfriend by the way?"

Doomed.

I can see the light. Yep. 21 years of living gone down the drain.

"Oh umm.. well he was busy, so he..umm couldn't make it.. yeah. He is busy." I mumbled.

, Lee Jieun, do you know how ridiculous you sound now? 

"Oh really? What is his profession then?" Han byul continued off. 

I swore i saw her giving Na Eun a high five under the table.

"Um.. he does really important.. stuff."

Oh sweet Jesus, what am i saying. Important stuff? Really? Is that all my brain can come up with?

"MY boyfriend is the most famous financial consultant in the whole of Seoul and Hae In's boyfriend owns 5 villas all over Jeju Island!" Na Eun snorted. 

I have stabbed them each about a hundred times in my mind now. I want to pull their hair, hammer their faces with their 4 inch stilettos and break their plastic noses so badly. Then i would feed them to Mi Rin's stupid Maltese and lock them all in a cage with hungry alligators. 

"Hmm, Jieun ah, are you sure you have a boyfriend? You don't have to lie to us, don't worry. We'll understand if you're still single. After all, we don't expect much change, right girls?" 

I heard her stupid y clique give a resounding 'yes' while she smirks. I turned to my side and took a deep breath while i felt Jaehyo staring me with concern. 

I want to maul her face now.

Argh, where is that stupid Hee sul? We could have kicked- if she was here. But since i'm alone.. le sigh.

"Yeah, you're right Mi Rin. I don-"

"Hey baby, i'm sorry i'm late, i was busy with work." Before i could finish, i heard a familiar voice ringing at my ear. Looking up, i was greeted by a peck on my cheek.

Junho?

What was he doing here?

And why did he just call me baby and kiss me?!

I looked at him with a puzzled face, my eyes almost bulging out my sockets now. What on Earth is happening?!

"Nice to meet you, i'm Jieun's namja chingu, Lee Junho ibnida." Junho went forward and introduced himself before politely giving each of them a handshake. When he reached Mi Rin, i found her jaws hanging wide open. 

Oh yeah, payback .

And then, i realized what the situation was now. Junho was- AH. I SEE.

Immediately playing along, i grabbed onto Junho's arm.

"Baby, i thought you said you couldn't make it? Look at you, you must have rushed through you work so you could be here right? Your tie isn't even fixed properly." I said sweetly while i tiptoed to adjust Junho's tie. With my arms around his neck, i smiled before pecking him lightly on his cheek while Junho stared at me blankly, his face full of shock.

What, i had to act realistic didn't i?

Mi Rin and her cult looked at the both of us in awe and flummox while i gazed at Junho lovingly, expecting him to play along. He blanked out for a few moments, before i squeezed his hand lightly and darted my eyes towards them. Finally he got the hint.

"Oh yeah. It's alright baby. My princess is more important," he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

The look on their faces - oh where is a camera when you need it!

HAHAHAHAHHA.

Jieun - 1

Mi Rin - 0

Soon, everyone sat down and started ordering food after coming to terms with Junho's presence. As expected, a few girls kept ogling at him throughout and some patrons managed to recognize him as well. Meanwhile, my classmates' fangirl-ish comments and gestures were rather amusing, to say the least. 

Hee Sul almost killed me when she arrived, talking about how i was such a bad friend for hiding the fact that i am 'dating' Lee Junho (well, i didn't tell her we were just playing pretend) and for not introducing him to her earlier. But she calmed down after i told her that i would let her meet 2PM one of these days, considering that i knew them quite well.

Dinner went by relatively quick and painless, thanks to Junho being by my side. If i didn't know any better, i would have thought those es were mute! We were going through our meals rather peacefully, with Mi Rin occasionally trying to embarrass me by bringing up past stories.

"Oh, do you guys remember that one time, the fire alarm rang and Jieun ran into a wall in panic and ended up having a nose bleed? She had to be sent to the nurse for a whole period!"

Junho chuckled, sounding rather amazed while he raised an eyebrow at me. "Hahaha, that's why i love her. She's just so cute, isn't she?" He ruffled my hair lightly before cutting a piece of steak he was eating and feeding it to me.

Jieun - 2

Mi Rin - 0

"Sorry guys, i'm late," A figure said before voluntarily sitting himself down. 

"Taehoon~ I thought you weren't coming anymore!" Mi Rin said triumphantly while darting her gaze at me. She must have had something up her sleeves again. 

"Ah, i was busy with work. We had a last minute video conference and i had to be present." He said before gulping down a glass of water. Loosening his tie with one hand, he called for the waiter with the other. He ordered a cup of cappuccino before turning back to us.

"Woah, everyone's here this year isn't it?" He sounded like some board director or something.

"Neh. Even Jieun came this year!" Haekyung chirped nonchalantly. 

Dang.

"Ah, yeah. It's been quite some time, Jieun." Taehoon chuckled awkwardly as he stared at me. His gaze was burning through my eyes and it seemed to be searching for some kind of…response.

"Neh. It has." I simply said, subconsciously avoiding eye contact with him.

I felt my stomach twist in knots and my heart palpating quicker and quicker again for some weird reasons. My hands were drenched with cold sweat while i gripped onto my napkin. Then i felt Junho grabbing my hand and interlacing his fingers with mine.

I looked at him as he gave me a reassuring smile and lightly squeezed my hand.

Lee Jieun, don't be so weak. You can do this.

"Okay!" Jaehyo clasped his hands together as though he was about to make a formal speech.  

"Who wants…. DESSERT?~" Jaehyo, sensing that the atmosphere was rather tense, tried to lift up the mood. "I want…oooh! Chocolate lava cake! Sul-ah, what do you want?" He passed the menu to Hee Sul, who began solemnly deciding. 

"Ew, carbs." I heard Na Eun snort while Hanbyul nodded. I couldn't help but rolled my eyes.

"Baby, what do you want to eat?" Haekyung nudged Jason, pointing to the menu.

"Anything's fine baby. You're sweet enough for me already." Jason cooed before pecking Haekyung on the cheek.

"Brrrr, so greasy!" I laughed while curling my fingers and toes. 

"Ji, you jelly?" Haekyung wriggled her eyebrows at me while i stuck out my tongue at her.

'Jagi-ah, what do you wanna eat?" Junho peered at me over the tall menu.

"I don't know. I'm quite full~" I patted my tummy and pouted. Oh god, was i using aegyo now?

 Snap out of it, Lee Jieun! 

Bzz bzz

I felt my phone buzz in my bag. While i dug through my bag in search for my phone, i saw Junho looking at me curiously. After i read the message, i immediately excused myself. 

"Where are you going?" Junho held onto my wrist as i stood up to leave.

"Don't worry, i'll be back real quick kay?" I forced a small smile out before leaving.

---

There she was again, acting all weird. 

I watched as Jieun tighten her grip on her cellphone while she read her message. Her body was so tensed up and i could tell that her expression had totally fallen. Something wasn't right. Then a few seconds later, she got up and told me she was going out for awhile.

"Where are you going?" I held onto her wrist before she could go. 

Her arms were shaking.

"Don't worry, i'll be back real quick kay?" She gave me a very forced smiled before she exited the restaurant. My gaze trailed her as i saw her walk into the alley beside the restaurant.

What was she doing there? It was dark and dangerous and definitely not a place where she should be.

"I'm gonna go get a pack of ciggs, do you guys need anything?" Tae hoon said after taking a glance towards the door.

We all shook our heads before he nodded and went out as well.

Something was definitely wrong. 

After fidgeting in my seat for 10 mins, i couldn't take it anymore. Jieun was right, her classmates were pretty much a bunch of idiots, besides Jaehyo, Haekyung and Hee Sul. Jaehyo tried making me feel less awkward by engaging in small talks with me but i just couldn't help but feel.. weird, especially with the constant staring and whispering of the ' clan', as Jieun would have put it.

Finally, i too, excused myself.

Once i got out of my seat, i literally sprinted towards the alley. My footsteps came to an immediate halt however, when i heard Jieun's voice.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" 

I hit behind the pillar where i could have a full view of her.

She was standing against the wall with a tall-built guy towering over her. Her fist were clenched but it didn't seem like the person was a stranger.

"Eunie ah, i'm sorry for before. Just give me another chance?" The other figure spoke calmly.

Tae hoon.

I could here Jieun sobbing now, despite her having a hand over to muffle her cries. I watched as she slowly slid down the wall and finally, sat on the floor in despair. At that moment, i felt a deep, sharp pain in my chest. My brain was fogging up and i felt my whole body tense up. Blood course through my veins with adrenaline while i gritted my teeth.

Why was she crying?

"Jieun-" Before that bastard could touch her, my clenched fist reached his face.

I picked Jieun off the ground and held onto her hand, literally almost dragging her out of the alley. I heard Tae hoon curse behind me as he got up, and before i knew it, i felt him throw a punch at me. I didn't bother retaliating. All i wanted to do was to get Jieun to somewhere safe, and to stop her from bawling her eyes out.

"Jieun, wait!" He grabbed onto my shoulder, trying to stop me. 

"Let go." I muttered coarsely, shrugging his hands off me.

"Jie-" He ignored me and started at Jieun. His eyes seemed to be pleading with Jieun, knowing that Jieun had a really soft heart. Jieun closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously. Her voice was muffled and i could only make out a few words like "go" and "please" from her string of words before i felt his grip losen on me. 

Before i could react again, Jieun started running. I sprinted after her and managed to catch up with her in a matter of minutes. 

Thank god her choice of footwear today were heels.

"Jieun, what's wrong?" i sounded almost exasperated now. 

She said nothing, but just burried her face into my chest and started sobbing again. My arms eveloped her as i gently pat her back to calm her down.  Her tears were flowing like a waterfall and in a matter of minutes, my shirt was soaked. 

Not that i minded.

I felt her arms wrap around my waist and my heart beat faster. 

Was she hugging me?

I held her limp body closer to mine as i felt her knees go weak. This girl, she was just crying herself silly.

But yet for some reason, it made my heart ache...