CHAPTER 8
♚ they told me to make him fall in love with - i had to make him laugh ♚
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A fry was unceremoniously flicked to my face.

“When I told you that you liked him, I didn’t mean you should confess to him the day after.”

“Then what were you trying to tell me?” I asked, wiping the spot on my face that had gotten some salt on it.

“That you liked him, that’s it!” Yooyoung said in exasperation.

“… That’s it? Well, what would you expect me to think after realizing my feelings for him? That I’d twiddle my thumbs and do nothing?” I asked with a raised brow.

She frowned. “… Point taken. But you could have twiddled your thumbs for I don’t know… a few days at least, or at least have told us what you were planning to do!”

“… This is Jinah,” Jason said, facing Yooyoung. “If she hates someone, she says it to their face. Why would this be any different? She may have a fail-proof plan for every little thing, but for things like her feelings…” He turned to me this time. “You say things without a second thought.”

“Can’t be perfect all the time,” I said with a shrug.

Jason had that too big and too sweet smile on his face. I suddenly feared for myself. “So, I understand why you’d confess straight away… but why are you telling this to us only now? It’s been a few days since you confessed.”

“Well, we had already planned to meet up today. So I figured, I’d just tell you here…”

“What did you do after you got rejected all the way up till now?” he asked.

I frowned at his question. “Um… nothing?”

“You’re strong, Jinah, I’ll give you that. But you’re also pretty… innocent and naïve at times.” I narrowed my eyes slightly at his insult. “This is the first time you liked a guy, right?”

“Yes! Okay, I know I’m inexperi-“

“And this is also your first rejection, right?” he continued.

My irritation disappeared, realizing what he was getting at. “… Yes.”

“Why didn’t you call us sooner? We wouldn’t have minded,” he said.

“While we may not look as reliable as you… we are,” Yooyoung added. “We have shoulders for you to cry on and everything! How did you manage so long without talking to us?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but then quickly closed it.

They glared at me. “Who did you talk to before us?” Yooyoung asked in an accusing tone.

Psychics! “It was just in passing!” Their glare didn’t not soften. “… Just Aron, okay? It just so happened that he noticed straight away something happened and quickly badgered me about it! I honestly planned on contacting you two first-“

They stood up.

“Wait!” They took hold of their bags. “Come on, you two!” They ignored me. I sighed loudly at their immature behavior. “… Please.”

That made them halt in their tracks. I rolled my eyes at their predictability.

They took their seat again. Yooyoung pointed an accusing finger at me. “Go to him before us one more time-“

“I won’t!”

Jason smiled softly at me. “…We weren’t the ones to comfort you, but you feel alright now – that’s what really matters, right?”

I glanced at him in awe. “You’re good person… unlike this jealous hag over here.”

Yooyoung glared at me, “Haha.” Her eyes softened then. “While I am pissed at Ren for rejecting you-“ Don’t say it so bluntly! “-I’m also quite glad you grew to like him. Don’t get me wrong, Jinah, you’re a pretty okay girl, but your character is so… out there – in a bad way. Finally falling for a guy might be the most normal thing I’ve seen you do.”

“True,” Jason nodded in agreement. “I don’t know if we should beat up or give thanks to Ren.”

“Neither!” I said with a glare. “I have a perfectly normal persona, thank you very much. That and… well, it’s not his fault he doesn’t like me. I know I’m not that likeable.” I laughed. “I probably won’t be able to land a guy in a while, or ever.”

Their shocked faces surprised me even more.

“What are you talking about? Where’s that never ending, overflowing and unneeded confidence of yours?!” Yooyoung asked.

Instead of defending me, Jason nodded in agreement to Yooyoung. “You think you’re perfect and practically omnipotent – you say that everyone secretly worships you!”

“And now some pretty guy comes around and changes your own view of yourself?”

“Are you that dejected that you forgot who you believe you are?”

“Okay! I get it!” I said, raising my hands to get them to stop badgering me. “I know I’m always full of myself and egotistical – so wouldn’t you say him rejecting me would be a good way to humble me? Why are you so angry at that?”

“You don’t have a modest bone in your body. Being humble just isn’t you!” Yooyoung said. “Get your stupid and arrogant self back and get him to like you!”

“While I do like how Ren constantly steps on your pride, you keep on going anyway,” Jason told us. “He always proves you wrong, but you keep trying to be right anyway… What makes this situation any different?”

“Do you want his feelings to change?”

“Of course.”

“So what’s stopping you from getting what you want?”

“I have such aggressive friends.”

“Well you’re no pushover, either.”

“… It’s below your knee.”

“Yes… all the skirts and dresses I own are below the knee. This is no exception,” I told Yooyoung as I began packing away my makeup kit.

“… You’re even wearing stockings.”

“Yes, it’s cold. I don’t want to go bare legged,” I said again in a monotone voice as I put on my black jacket.

“We’ll only be walking a few steps from the car till the gym! You’re not going to get frost bite in one minute!”

I threw her white coat at her. “Let’s go.”

It was finally the long-awaited Christmas party of the school. Pledis Academy was considered elite – you either get in with brains or with riches, the latter being the most common. While they did celebrate regular school activities, like athletics and school festivals, what separated it was the high-end and formal Christmas party. It was basically just a party with gourmet food, pretty clothes and socializing. The various activities held during it changed year by year. It was held per division, meaning that the elementary and middle school’s Christmas party were separated from our high school one.

I had been attending Pledis Academy since middle school, and not once did I ever join the Christmas party. I had no reason to go. The food was free, but the effort to get dressed and buy an exchange gift weren’t worth it. Last year, Jason was in China and instead of being a good friend, I didn’t accompany Yooyoung, she instead went with her basketball friends.

While I was going because I lost my bet with Aron, I couldn’t help but think that I probably would’ve come anyway. Attending those remedial lessons a few days ago made me realize just how much effort the people behind the scenes put into this event. The entire council plus various club leaders came to school on a much needed break to work and plan for it… And maybe I also want to see Ren in formal attire… That’s probably the main reason.

I tidied my hair up a bit as I checked myself in Yooyoung’s full-length mirror. I had placed my hair in a chiffon bun and had put on some makeup. Seeing as how my only female friend was an athletic nut that didn’t know the different between concealer and foundation, it was me who did the makeup and hair for us both. I straightened out my outfit again and nodded in satisfaction at my appearance.

Yooyoung went beside me and adjusted her own outfit before finally putting on her white coat. “We look good.”

“Of course, we do. I was the one that did our hair and make-up after all.”

“Yeah, yeah…” She stared at my reflection in the mirror. “You don’t look like a total geek now.”

“So I still look partly a geek?!”

“Yes, unless you get rid of those glasses! Don’t you have contacts?”

I pushed up my black-rimmed glasses. “Contacts tire my eyes out, so I never bothered.”

“Can’t you go without them for tonight?”

“I want to see where I’m going,” I answered. “… And I want to see Ren clearly.”

Yooyoung let out an exaggerated gasp. “You’re so honest today!” Before I could retort that I’m always honest, to a fault even, she continued. “You haven’t met with him since your confession, right? Will you be alright if you meet later?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Why do I feel so shy all of a sudden? It’s a very… unsettling feeling,” I muttered, hiding a little behind Yooyoung.

“Because you left on a very good note with him – even if you really didn’t feel all that good. How can you act normal if you are feeling anything but?” she said very, shockingly, wisely. “… I should’ve brought a recorder, to get proof that this side of you actually existed.”

I ignored her last statement and instead focused my gaze on anywhere but the general direction of the student council.

The Christmas party was held in the school’s gym. There were several tables and chairs arranged and a few long tables for food and drinks. The place was decorated in more of a winter, rather than Christmas, theme. There was something akin to snow, like white powder, littering the floor, the table clothes were of a light blue color, the wall and ceiling decorations were various crystalline designs of snowflakes. Beside the stage was a huge Christmas tree, several of the exchange gifts presents scattered under its branches. It was designed with several different Christmas lights and ornaments and atop it was a white star.

The place was beautiful. Walking in felt like I had entered some winter wonderland filled with pretty people in semi-formal attire. The music playing was soft and melodious. The whole atmosphere of the party was majestic and calming.

“Was it this good last year?” I asked Yooyoung as we went towards a table.

“Not by a long shot,” she said, equally impressed. “The council this year sure did a great job. This looks like some rich party for elite people.”

“… It is a rich party for elite people,” I told her.

“We’re kids of rich people, not the actual people themselves,” she reminded me. We took a seat at a round table filled with a few other girls, our classmates that were quite close with Yooyoung. They had immediately begun chatting and I immediately filtered out their conversation, instead I focused on their attire.

One of the girls had obviously gone to a salon to get her hair and make-up done, unless she had stylists for parents. It was considerably easy to discern especially when she was next to her other friend, whose eye shadow on the right eye was a few lighter than on the left and the eyeliner longer by 0.25 centimeters. I was about to comment on the third girl’s fake eyelashes on how some of the glue was showing, but quickly shut my mouth when my gaze focused right behind her.

Ren met my eyes from across the gym. We were several meters apart – why was there no one in the way to block our eye contact?

I quickly stood up. “Bathroom,” I muttered to Yooyoung. She nodded in acknowledgement. Before I could get three steps in, the intercom came to life.

“If I could get everyone’s attention, please! I’d like to greet you all a good evening.”

Everyone glances towards the stage. The principal was holding a microphone in the middle of it, and JR was a few steps back. “Today is Pledis’ High School division’s forty-fifth annual…” The old man went on some speech and I quickly tuned him out. I looked around again to see that everyone’s attention was on the stage. I dared a glance at Ren’s direction.

I froze up when I saw that he was still staring at me.

“To all Pledis students, faculty and friends – welcome to our annual Christmas party!”

With that announcement, there was a wave of applause and JR began speaking about the program. As soon as I saw Ren take a step towards my direction, I quickly my heel and began in the opposite direction

Why was I running away?

Had not all the advice I received be to win over the guy? How was I going to get him to like me if I was escaping like some coward? This wasn’t like me at all!… Well, falling for a guy and actually confessing isn’t like me either, but…

Despite my misgivings on my actions, my feet didn’t stop.

I want to see him in his attire. I don’t want to see him. I want to talk to him. I don’t want to meet him. I want to be with him. I don’t want be near him.

Since when did I become so fickle?! Was this how girls thought when they like a guy who didn’t like them back?

It was so nerving how indecisive and faltering and so unlike me I was acting.

I quickly stopped, trying to control myself. I turned around, but was only met with a few people mingling around, no sign of the blonde secretary.

…

… Wait.

The people in this area… I couldn’t see them clearly. They were blurry and just a blob of various colors. I glanced towards the stage and was only able to make a general outline of the stage. Everything was blurry.

I went to adjust my glasses, but my hand met the skin of my face rather than the plastic of my frames.

Where were my glasses?

Had someone removed them when I was too busy with my thoughts? There’s no plausible way that they’d just fall off my face. Yooyoung or Jason were probably playing a trick on me-

“You look a lot different without glasses.” I quickly turned around, but was just met with a blurry image of a person in black and white with yellow hair. Though I couldn’t see his face clearly, I knew his voice well. Ren had taken my glasses. “I finally get to see you work on your appearance – no glasses complete the look! You look incredibly unlike you today… I mean, pretty, of course!” he teased with a grin.

I quickly reached towards his hand to get my glasses, but he used one arm to hold me back and the other to put my frames further out of reach. “Are you saying looking pretty is unlike me?”

“I was only implying it!” he said with a laugh.

“Give those back!”

“Eh? Why? You look a lot cuter without them.”

His compliment couldn’t override my annoyance. “Because I want to see you clearly! Who cares if I look cuter if I can’t even see you properly?” I answered.

He paused at my words, and using his momentary shock, I quickly leaned even more towards him and took hold of my glasses. I quickly put them back on its proper place. With my vision restored, I smirked at him… only to have that die on my lips when I realized how close we were.

Our chests were touching, and with my heels, meeting his eyes was incredibly easy. Our faces were only inches apart – I could feel his breath on my cheeks. I, on the other hand, had stopped breathing entirely.

Only a second passed by and yet it felt incredibly long – having someone else’s face inches away from your own does that. I quickly took several steps back and tried to regain my calm composure.

He tilted his head and asked, “Why were you running away?”

He wasn’t affected at all by our close proximity seconds ago.

Why was it always only me?!

“Bathroom,” I smoothly lied. “So, if you’ll excuse me…” As I passed by him, he took hold of my hand. I raised an eyebrow in question... and tried my best not to notice our hand contact. “What?”

Ren smiled at me.

“You look beautiful.”

I could feel my heart suddenly beat faster.

I pried my hand from his grasp and crossed my arms, huffing slightly. “Of course, I do.” I smirked at him. “You look as gorgeous as always, too,” I complimented back.

He was just saying his opinion… He wasn’t flirting with me. I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

… So why do I feel so happy?

“Ren!” Baekho called out. He ran over to us, panting, but then quickly focused his gaze on me. “Jinah! Wow… you look stunning tonight!”

I smiled. “I always am.” He laughed. “Anyway, see you around,” I dismissed myself with a small wave to leave the two student council members behind.

Once in the safe haven of the girls’ bathroom I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I went towards the sink and looked at myself in the mirror.

The shades of my eyeshadow were perfectly equal, my eyeliner was of the exact same length on both eyes, my lipstick went remarkably well with my dress, and my hair was done meticulously and flawless.

I had worked on my appearance, more so then I would have usually bothered. It wasn’t because everyone was going to look beautiful today. It wasn’t because I was afraid of looking too plain against other girls.

I just wanted to show a different side of me to Ren… and it had worked.

 “You look beautiful.”

A huge smile broke out across my face, not afraid to show my blatant happiness and pride. He had rejected me a few days ago. I had cried because of him.

But with just one sentence, all of that washed out of my mind and was replaced with pure joy. It sounded so pathetic to know my feelings were so changeable, but I didn’t mind in the slightest.

If this was how it felt to be complimented by someone you like, it felt absolutely wonderful.

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END CHAPTER 9
♚ but everytime he laughs - i'm the one who falls in love ♚

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PREVIEW

Chapter 9

He had planned on giving me a present all along.
He had made it especially for me.
“… You do know that I like you, right? So you doing this… makes me hope.”
“Whether you like me or not, I would’ve given it to you anyway,

“Stop saying you’re sorry… It’s fine. You’re doing nothing wrong. You’re just unaffected by all this – it doesn’t matter to you, so much that you can even joke about it. That’s fine…”

“I’m going to make you fall for me! You may not like me now, but you most definitely will!”

A/N:

Did I just give you a filler chapter after a longer wait than usual? Yes, yes I did~ :D

More action in the next chapter, and it'll come much sooner! Don't forget to comment and subscribe~