She huffed and walked away, careful of her steps to not trip in front of the guy who she was to marry and make a fool out of herself. 

What? Did he think she was that easy of a person?

To just squeal 'oppa' and follow get into his overpriced car just for him to murder her and dump her in some river to feed her to some alligators?

She caught a glimpse of the red luxury car at her left, following her down the path. Hah, he can keep wishing. 

Baek Hyun drove his car close to the sidewalk, a speed barely reaching twenty to keep pace with the dramatic demon Ji Eun is. "Yah," Baek Hyun honked his car. "Stop stomping your foot, you're gonna crack the sidewalk. Just get in the car."

"Tch, as expected, the rude fella," Ji Eun spoke under her breath. "It's okay, my parents taught me not to associate with strangers and just run into their cars," she said, a sickening smile on her face. 

Okay, that's it.

Baek Hyun parked his car and slammed the door with an angry push. He got hold of Ji Eun's arm and dragged her to his car. "I said, get in."

Woolim High had about just as many nosy students as any other average high school would have. The student body was heavily whispering among each other, rumours preparing itself to be swindling around the school's walls, because really, it wasn't surprising that girl-next-door Ji Eun and so-called Prince Charming Baek Hyun were stepping foot, on school grounds, together.  

Wow, how exciting for the school's newspaper. And things only got even more heated when they knew the both were supposedly engaged.

Double score for the school's newspaper!

"Yah," Kai wrapped his arms around Baek Hyun's significantly shorter figure with a grin on his face. "Yah, yah, yah. Hyung, so I’ve heard that you’re engaged to our little sister. You really are something, aren't you," he laughed.

Luhan nudged Ji Eun. "Congratulations, mom. Now I have someone to address as my dad," he screeched with laughter. "Hi, Dad!"

With a disgusted face, Lay slapped Baek Hyun’s head. "Oh come on, you guys are engaged? Engaged you're telling me? That's the last thing on earth I wish to hear."

"Well, do you think I like it?" Ji Eun stated abruptly, already tired of the boys' teasing. It's way too early in the morning for her to put up with a bunch of idiots, and pushed her way to the washroom to clear her mind. 

"What did we do that got her so pissed?" D.O tilted his head in confusion.

"Like hell I know," Baek Hyun overheard a few girls crowding around the lockers for some preschool gossip. "It's the 21st century and there's still such thing as arranged marriage, are they trying to stir up a joke?"

"S'alright," another one giggled to herself. "Roo Mi and her gang are putting up a show for her in the toilet later. It'll be real fun."

Congrats? Ji Eun rolled her eyes while flushing the toilet, wishing she could flush down her sorrows and bad luck together.

What a joke. 

Checking her reflection on her way out, Ji Eun failed to notice the pail of water that was set to splash on her, drenching her clothes into a sticky pile. She stepped out infuriated to find Min Hyuk's fan club giggling at her with a pail in her hands. 

"I'm sorry, my hands must've slipped," Roo Mi said, eyes widening in innocence, but lips formed into a sick smirk.

“You, better stop right there, and apologize to me sincerely, right now,” Ji Eun said coldly, voice leaving no room for a joke. 

Roo Mi scoffed in disbelieve. “You don't deserve to have the right to ask for apologizing when you go around parading with another guy when you've literally broken up with Min Hyuk a few days ago." She walked nearer to Ji Eun, with looks that portrayed the Ice Queen. "What are you, desperately trying to seduce guys for attention?"

Ji Eun stared at the posse snapping away pictures of her drenched figure. "Assa. This is going on SNS."

"What the hell, are you guys doing?" The crowd of girls turned to hear a tight, infuriated voice.

"Baek Hyun-oppa," Roo Mi stammered. "It's not what you think-"

"It's not? Then what the hell is this?" Baek Hyun scoffed. He pulled the drenched Ji Eun forward, internally scrunching his nose at touching the wet fabric. "Get out of here," he said, voice laced with a threat that was enough to send the girls scattering away.

He moved in front of Ji Eun and looked at her feeble attempt of trying to warm herself, hands rubbing at her arms, looking even smaller than usual in her wet clothes. "That won't do," he sighed, taking off his blazer to drape across her tiny shoulders. 

"Why does this happen to me?" Ji Eun asked, voice wobbling. She could feel a tiny spark in her heart, tingling at his kind gesture, but Ji Eun decided she had better things to have her heart burning about.  

She turned around to glare at Baek Hyun, an accusing finger directed in his face. He raised his arms in surrender and frowned when he saw Ji Eun fling his blazer on the washroom floor. Well, that's going to be dirty. "This was all because of you. Stop, putting up a pretense as if you're kind when you're clearly not." 

Ji Eun bumped into her brother and his friends outside and tried ignoring their worried glances. "Oh, Oppas."

", what happened to you Ji Eun?" Suho asked worriedly.

"We came here because we saw Baek Hyun rushed in the girl's toilet," Tao looked around for the mentioned.

"We heard noises from inside," Chen explained. "You okay?"

Xiumin fumbled through his bag and handed out his gym towel. "Here, wipe yourself or you'll catch a cold."

"Who did this?" Chan Yeol frowned angrily. "Was it those girls who ran out just now?"

Ji Eun looked at her brother, emotions welling up because all she needed right then was for her brother to comfort her and give her a hug - the one he always gave when she went into his room crying because of a thunder, and the one that made her feel protected from the harshness of the world. Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper, but before she could utter a word, a loud voice boomed down the hallway.

"Alright y'all listen up." Baek Hyun shouted loudly, silencing the hallway for attention. "This girl," he pulled Ji Eun, making her stumble next to him. "Park Ji Eun will be my fiancée starting today. If anyone, anyone, dares to do something stupid to her like today, you wouldn't want to face the consequences for it. Got it?"

Loud groans and whispers were heard throughout the corridor. 

"Nice," Sehun smacked his hands together. "Now let's get back to class everyone. Move it."

"Are you hurt anywhere? Or are you still cold? Do you need my jacket? Are you hungry? Do you want some bread? I can get you some bread." Chan Yeol rapidly interrogated his little sister.

"That's okay," Ji Eun chuckled. "You're starting to nag like mom." She tried making herself comfortable on the bed in the infirmary room and moved to wrap her arms around Chan Yeol. "Oppa." 

"Hmm?" Chan Yeol patted her head softly, kissing her forehead like he always did.

"I don't get it. How do you be friends with Baek Hyun-ssi? He's, such a drama king. How did you even agree to this whole marriage thing?"

Chan Yeol looked at his sister and smiled softly. "Isn't it obvious? Baek Hyun's been my friend ever since we were little. I know he's a little rude sometimes but he has a nice heart underneath all that exterior. He saved your back there, and even if I never agreed for him to be your future husband, someday, mom would still set you up with another guy, and well, for me, I'd rather have my little sister be given away to someone I know, instead of some random ."

"Still," Ji Eun pouted. "I hate him, and nothing will stop me from it." She hated admitting that Baek Hyun might have a kind side, his charms or lame tricks because Ji Eun was an independent woman who's capable of standing up for herself. Well, kind of. 

"Aw,” Chan Yeol chuckled. "You just won't admit that you're thankful, would you? Ji Eun-ah, at times like this, a simple thank you would be a great starting point to fix things up."

"Hyung!" Baek Hyun rushed into the infirmary. "Hyung, you're so dead. Miss Lee's gonna gobble you up for skipping her class."

"Oh, Baek Hyun-ah," Chan Yeol got up from the bed and patted Baek Hyun’s shoulder. "Good thing you're here then, take care of your fiancée, alright?"

Without waiting for a reply, Chan Yeol rushed to his class, bag bumping on his shoulders and feet skidding round' the hallway. "Y-Yah, where are you going? Hyung!" Baek Hyun shouted, but that guy was long gone. He sighed and turned to Ji Eun. "You're fine, right?"

"I'm more than okay," Ji Eun replied, picking the school's magazine nonchalantly. "Don't worry about me and get out."

Ungrateful brat.

"Tch," Baek Hyun scoffed. "Who says I'm worried? I'm not here to see you, alright, I'm just-"

"You're annoying," Ji Eun interrupted, not taking her eyes off the magazine. "I said get out."

"I'm going to, and don't try being all bossy to be just because you're Yeol's sister."

Baek Hyun wondered why he even bothered coming to visit that demon. Tch. As he turned to leave, Ji Eun set down the magazine she was reading moments ago.

"Oh god, that was close," Ji Eun sighed in relieved. "I could be an actress if I wanted, I'm good," she smirked at herself.

It was late in the afternoon when Ji Eun woke up from her slumber, stomach churning from hunger. She sat up to pick her bag up from the foot of her bed, and was about to close the infirmary room's door, she saw a figure hunched on the floor, asleep.

Ji Eun bent down a little, only to find the strong figure of Baek Hyun, his nose twitching a little in his sleep. She didn't notice the small smile that found itself on her face. "I thought I told him to leave," she mumbled to herself. 

She walked softly into the room again, careful to not make any noise, and squatted in front of Baek Hyun. "Thank you, oppa," she smiled.