CHAPTER ONE;

new beginnings are hard to come by.

The bell tinkled, followed by obnoxious laughter, and Krystal didn’t need to look up to know who had entered the bakery. She met eyes with the boy, who smirked at her, his arm slung around another random girl. She’s a sophomore, Krystal noted duly, a scowl forming on her face. She had never hated someone so much.

It was strange, it definitely was, that a boy like Kim Jongin spent his time taking girls to quiet bakeries instead of sneaking into a club or something. He did it on purpose, visiting the bakery she worked at, specifically at the times she worked. And every week, it was a new, innocent girl, and Krystal couldn’t remember despising anyone as much as she despised him.

“Hey Krys,” he spoke with a lazy slur, and she gave him a cold look. He smiled playfully at her, while the girl tugged on his arm, trying to pull him to look at the delicacies together. Like a real couple.

In a few days’ time, Jongin would’ve erased her from his memory and moved on, and the poor girl would be lucky if her heart was left in pieces rather than crumbles.

“Jongin-ah, come on,” the girl said insistently. “Let’s buy something together.”

Jongin raised an eyebrow, as though he was offended by the mere idea. “Buy something? You’re fat enough as it is, why would you want to buy something?”

She swallowed, but decided to ignore the comment. “Jongin-ah, you were the one who took me here...what’s the point if we don’t buy something?”

He smirked, glancing over at Krystal, and she stiffened.

“Baby, I didn’t take you here to buy something. You know that, right? I took you here to tell you something, and I thought I’d take you someplace nice to say it, because the last time I broke up with someone, she didn’t take kindly to the text message. I’ve got to change it up a little, maybe this way is better?”

She looked at him with wide eyes, and Krystal inhaled sharply, her fingers curling into her palms, nails biting into the skin. She hated Kim Jongin, she really, really did.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re an annoyance,” Jongin said simply. “You talk too much. You expect too much. You’re fat, you’re lazy, you’re not even pretty or smart. What kind of girl are you? Did you really think we’d last? You mean nothing to me. I let you have your fun for a week, but it’s over.”

“J-Jongin-ah...”

“Didn’t you hear me? We’re breaking up. Go away.”

Krystal glanced up, but she knew it was a mistake. The girl had tears running down her face, ruining the light make-up. She was pretty, actually, but Jongin watched apathetically as she ran out of the bakery, struggling to hide her tears. He turned back to Krystal, and her eyes darkened.

“So, Krys--”

“Get out of my bakery.”

He pouted mockingly. “That hurts, Krystal. Don’t you like me at all?”

Krystal tensed, feeling the hatred burn inside of her. “I loathe you,” she hissed. “You know I do. I hate everything about you, now get out.”

Jongin just smiled, playing with the small toy decoration on the table. He set it down, his eyes meeting hers again, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“Till next time.”

Krystal swung her jacket over her shoulders, slipping her arms through. The elation of being in college, of getting a job, of being free - it was no longer there. Screaming and jumping with Sulli over the phone about their acceptance into the ever-prestigious SM University felt like forever ago. Now everything was tiring - too much pressure, too much work, too much of - Kai.

College was meant to be a new start for Krystal. She’d leave behind bad memories and create new ones as though the past hadn’t happened. She had high hopes for college, despite the undeniable upcoming workload. And then she saw him on campus and all of those hopes went down the drain.

“This is one big school,” Sulli commented, tilting her head up to observe the gates of SM University. “Seriously, has it gotten bigger since orientation?” She clutched her map in her hands, holding it to her chest anxiously, her other hand wrapped loosely around the handle of her luggage.

Krystal rolled her eyes, grabbing her friend by the elbow and tugging her into the school. “It hasn’t, so stop staring so much. It’s just a school.”

“It’s SM University, Krys,” Sulli corrected, letting Krystal tug her past the gates, glancing down at her map so Krystal wouldn’t go in the wrong direction. “And the dorms are that way, stupid.”

Sulli grinned when Krystal threw her a look, quickly turning around and heading towards the dorm building. Their room number was A113, since they’d requested to be roommates. The girls were in one building and the boys were in the one next door.

They reached the entrance, and that’s when she heard his voice, mocking and pretentious. “Hey, Krys.”

Krystal stiffened and turned to look at him, her eyes filling with contempt. “Kai.” She spoke his name venomously, and he smirked, amused. Beside her, Sulli stared at the ground, and Krystal stood instinctively closer to her friend, just slightly in front her, as though she was protecting Sulli.

“Now that you’re here, college will be fun,” Kai commented, a cheshire grin spreading across his features. She scoffed, and Sulli tugged on her elbow a little to remind her not to lose her temper.

“You’re right,” Krystal finally said, her tone harsh. “As long as Sulli and I avoid the trash on campus.”

Krystal had so desperately wanted to leave him behind. She never wanted to see his face again, not for as long as she lived. But it seemed like he was bound to follow her forever, no matter how far she fled.

AUTHOR’S NOTES;

krystal-centric for the first chapter! she and sulli are kind of the main characters, basically, so..

but anyway. the only thing you’ve learned so far is

- sulli and krystal share a room

- kai, krystal, and sulli all went to the same high school before attending SMU

- kai is kind of awful i mean dude, y u so hurtful

- krystal hates kai to all extents like wow gurl

         buuuuut why does she hate him? is it as shallow or typical as it seems? ohoho i hope you enjoyed the first chapter! there’s more to come~