Blonde.

Pure, lusty blonde.

It’s almost ironic in her point of view, bordering comic. Besides, it’s generic.

Who would think one day that the ugly duckling would turn into such a beautiful swan with only took a little cut over here and there? Certainly, not her. The ugly duckling is a tale she could compare herself to. The “pretty blonde girl” is not who she really aimed to become, she doubted she was destined to be her either. That blonde girl in the mirror, staring right back at her with an unwavering confidence, is someone unfamiliar.

Yet, she mused, it’s not something to worth be bothered by. She can’t really complain about the quick glances that she receives whenever she leaves home.

Blonde.

It’s somewhat unexpected she looks so good with such a color. The now blonde girl always thought darker colors would suit her better. Guess it was another thing she should thank him for. After all, wasn’t because of him that she turned into… herself?

[...]

She had prepared herself so much.

Tears continued to fall down even when her brain repeatedly told her there was no use for such a thing. A strange feeling impaled her deeply as a result of all the other feelings the petite girl couldn’t handle. A huge mess was all she was.

She should be relieved.

It was a silent cry from an untouchable part of her heart, something she herself couldn’t understand completely. Why did it hurt so much? She asked her empty mind as her feet led her nowhere.

She was finally free.

As the bewildered girl walked through the school’s corridors, plenty of eyes turned to her, pity in each one of them. She wanted to scream at them, tell them to look away. The same eyes that once smiled at her whenever she went now turned colder by the second. A wild part of her scoffed loudly, it was such a waste to wait anything other than falsity from any of them.

Then… why was she crying so much?

A particular pair of eyes made her mindless wander stop. They stared at each other for a while, that dark sea was all she could focus before her attention was focused on another person. She clenched both fists. Her ears were burning.

The and the , she thought bitterly.

Somewhere deep down, the good girl part of her being just wanted to run away, avoid all the humiliation that was sure to come. However, that part was shut down easily, the other part, a louder and angrier one, wanted revenge.

It pissed her off that only a few minutes after he dumped her, he was already on the arms of that fake . How low was he? The worst part, she brooded quietly, was that they looked good together, much more suitable than she ever could be.

The petite girl forced herself to erase any facial expression. She completely shut down her endless tears as well. It was already awful enough that she got to see her in that state.

“Hyoyeon,”

Her body went completely stiff. The last thing Hyoyeon wanted now was to hear her name coming out of that hateful mouth. Only a word was necessary and her mood took a change of one hundred eighty degrees. The somehow rational part of the girl was already truly annoyed by her own feelings, but now that she was facing the demon, she couldn’t hold back anymore. It didn’t matter what happened, she couldn’t allow herself to stay still when she suffered so much, when she was deceived so easily. She shouldn’t be like that, never.

“There’s no need to cry,” the girl in front of her said, a light tone of concern hiding the mocking she was doing. There was no trace of evilness on her face, but Hyoyeon knew whom she was facing. “You need to move on, that’s the only way.”

Hyoyeon watched, impassive, as the girl looked down at her with a mix of pity and amusement. Her left hand was resting on the shoulders of his now ex-boyfriend, an obvious act of marking her territory.

“But I understand you. If Junho ever dumped me, I’d be sad too.”

“It’s enough,” Junho whispered next to her ear, he sounded somewhat uneasy.

She wouldn’t cry now, she told herself, or freak out. She needed to keep her cool, even if her whole body was trembling to punch that right on her face. It didn’t matter how much mutual hate they had for each other, or that she was always trying to turn her life into a living hell, that was the lowest thing she could ever do. Wasn’t her whole “relationship” with Junho a laughing matter by itself?

Hyoyeon ignored the urge to run away from everything. She had to face this now, to prove to herself that she could face Sooyeon at any moment and still win. She couldn’t keep whining like a loser, she couldn’t keep on pitying herself. Sooyeon played her cards right, Hyoyeon lost the game, it was in the past now. She was better than all that crap.

“Yet… No one can blame him,” the purred disgustingly, her lovely tone made Hyoyeon want to puke. “I was always the only one.”

Of all the things Hyoyeon could have done until that point, smile blindly for everything thrown at her was not even an option in her book. However, she did it anyways. She kept on swallowing everything as if it were the greatest dessert she could ever have. Love could blind one; she knew it pretty well.

became dry as she saw the couple in front of her share a disgusting kiss. Junho didn’t even seem like he wanted to do it, but Sooyeon always had her ways. She saw some girls swoon at the show as if there was nothing prettier than making out in front of your boyfriend’s ex nonchalantly. She felt like she was dreaming, that whole scenario was just too much to be real.

If she needed any other proof that the “us” she and Junho shared for the briefest moment no longer existed, there it was, right in front of her.

The girl did not know why her heart was trying to figure out a reason for his behavior. It was like excusing a ; there was no excuse for it. The answer was clear: he had just played her, he used her and threw her away, simple as that.

She realized that it did not matter if deep inside she was crying for him, rivers and oceans only for him; it was over now. The time they spent together was more valuable than her life, but she had to let go, it was all over now.

Hyoyeon set her mind straight that moment, just after the lovingly couple in front of her stopped making out, she couldn’t, no, wouldn’t stand being humiliated that much, not anymore.

“See,” Sooyeon started with a sweet smile on her lips, “We are a match made in heaven. You should be happy.”          

Hyoyeon sighed heavily, if that was her game, then two could play it. She concentrated all her will to one last purpose: she would effectively shut Sooyeon down. If Sooyeon wanted so much hear an answer when everyone was around, then, she would have her answer.

“You’re right, I am so happy!” her supposed fake tone ended as a bitter, truthful one. Everyone was caught off guard as the girl let out all of her emotions at once. “I’ve never thought someone could screw up my entire life in only a couple of months! But, hey, you did it. Congratulations, miss!”

The place suddenly fell in an apprehensive silence, everyone wanting to hear what Hyoyeon would finally say. It was no surprise, the girl thought arrogantly, who didn’t want to talk back to Sooyeon? Being the daughter of the biggest shareholder of the school, Sooyeon smoothly established a massive regime of power, one which she was the one commanding and the other obeying. That, a part of Hyoyeon added, could be the chance everyone was waiting for to put some well-deserved truth on the table.

“What?”, Sooyeon gasped with the sudden reply.

Hyoyeon flashed her best sincere smile she could produce at that circumstances, the thrill the was running her body was making her emotions towards Junho calm down a little and now she could completely focus on her main target. It felt so good to finally rebel.

“Yeah. Is your y attitude making you deaf?”

“What?! Listen, you little bit-”

“No.”, Hyoyeon hissed with a deeper tone coming three steps closer to the other girl. “You listen.”

The tension between both girls was almost touchable. Hyoyeon watched proudly Sooyeon open widely just to close it a second latter and her face turned red.

“I’m actually very happy that you guys are together, really. It felt odd for me to be with him when I knew he was just waiting to take my ity away and then run for you. Sadly, Junho was such a fool to think he could have anything with me so I guess that’s why he’s with you now.”, she continued showing her eye smile and giggling a little. “Did you guys right away or waited some days after we started dating? If I know you well then it was right away, right?”

She didn’t even need to fake her smile or laugh by that time, the feeling of letting everything out and see how everyone’s jaw dropped was rather funny. Especially when her target couldn’t speak a thing.

“What are you saying?! You wanna die?!”, Sooyeon growled with a ridiculous high-pitched tone.

She was really mad.

And that was exceptionally good.

“Can’t I speak the truth anymore?”, Hyoyeon pouted petulantly as her fake hurt tone made some chuckle. “It’s not like no one knows you let every guy you blow come in your mouth.”

Plenty of gasps were heard from the crowd as the girls already started to gossip and the boys brag about it, a short conversation behind Hyoyeon made her day.

“Dude, that’s true?”

“Kind of.”

“And she’s good?”

“There’s more biting than .”

Oh, it was more than she could ever want when everyone was shamelessly talking about Sooyeon right in front of her. What could be slightly better than that was his reaction, Junho seemed like a rock while standing next to her, he was expressionless and refused to face anyone.

How wonderful.

“SHUT UP!”, Sooyeon screamed furiously as all eyes went back to her. “My father owns this ty school, and I’ll make sure your lives will turn into heel on earth if you jerks don’t SHUT THE UP!”

And so everyone obediently did. They all knew very well how that girl had the power to do everything she wanted with their school lives and get then to stay quiet. Heck, it was the best damn school in the whole country, who would be crazy enough to at least think about giving up?

Sooyeon smirked and turned to a still smiling Hyoyeon.

“And you, don’t think this little show will be forgotten. My father himself will hunt you down.”

Hyoyeon flashed an over the top ‘sad’ smile that slowly turned into cheeky one.

“Really? The same father that you only see twice a month? Or is it the father that never took care of you because he was too worried about money? Maybe you’re talking about the father that you know nothing about. He’s better than the father that actually lost 35,86% of the school’s stocks because his little y girl can’t handle one day without a party and is no longer the heir of anything.”

It was scientifically proven that one should never mess with a girl one knew nothing about. Maybe that one girl a lot of secrets to share with everyone else. Maybe that one girl was just a huge bomb waiting to explode.

“How did you know that?”, Sooyeon mumbled weakly.

Hyoyeon made her way to be only a centimeter apart from the girl.

“I know a lot of things.”, she whispered enjoying watching suffer even more. “But did you know that blackmail your own teachers is illegal? And I guess having with them is unethical.”

“Are you threatening me now? How dare you?!”

“Tsk tsk. I’m only stating facts, what you or any of these students will do with them is out of my league.”

A strong slap was enough to shut any person who wasn’t paying full attention to the conversation happening between the two girls. Hyoyeon smirked as she felt her whole cheek burn with a single touch, but it still couldn’t replace the overwhelming sensation of revenge.

The girl stepped away a little, enough for everyone to see her red cheek.

“Why so mad, Soo? Pregnant girls can’t overdo.”

And that was the last card, the one that would do the most damage into that poor pregnant girl life. It wasn’t exactly a surprise when Hyoyeon found it out, she knew Sooyeon had a very active ual life, yet she couldn’t help but feel the smallest feeling of shock.

Hyoyeon shrug as her work there was all done. She left a dumbfounded girl and a motionless boy in the process, but who cared? Not her in any way possible, because she still had the scars of what the had done to her pretty alive in her heart.

So she walked away without a second glance to the poor couple now surrounded by people and questions. Her confident smile was enough for everyone to stay out of her way as she continued to walk without a direction in mind. She wouldn’t come back to class, that’s for sure.

As everyone disappeared from her sight, she could finally break that fake confident smile into a small one until only a hurt expression commanded her entire face. The rush of feelings was no longer there to fill the huge amount of sadness he left behind. It wasn’t like she could just say to forget and move on, because it didn’t work like that. That sadness would be there for a while and she could do nothing but accept it.

That was like Junho came back with full power.

She couldn’t get him off her head or heart, it was stronger than her own will to not think about the subject. She didn’t want to remember him. The broken-hearted girl was scared that she would find out deeper feelings for him while her mind would search for an answer to please her. Hyoyeon didn’t want to remember the way his eyes always made her fell better even when he dumped her for another. She didn’t want the old memories of both of them together, because it was a lie from bottom to top and she knew it all along.

It was never meant to be.

But it still hurt. It didn’t matter if she knew it was fake, that he never really liked her and, beyond it all, it was a stupid bet to make her sleep with him. If he looked at her right now and asked for a second change without a single ‘sorry’, she would still come back to him.

Yet he didn’t ask.

And the ‘us’ she long aimed for never really existed.

And would never exist.

[...]

Lee Junho.

Hyoyeon looks through the window in a lapse of mind. She travels through time, wondering about all those years ago, when she was so naïve and thought that he could love her. The now blonde girl smiled sadly at her reflection, watching her beautiful face do the same thing. It was a mess, she tells herself, but it was quite fun.

Five years without seeing him is not long enough for her, and she suspects that, even if it were a century, it would still feel like a brief moment. He is a bittersweet memory, will probably stay like that for the rest of her life.

Blonde.

However, even after so long, she can still recall very well that he preferred the blonde ones. A twist, dark side of her took over her mind. What would be his reaction if he saw me now? She mused with an uncharacteristic smirk. Is he still with Sooyeon?

Hyoyeon forced herself to erase those thoughts. She wouldn’t give in to that side of herself, no, she is a strong woman now. She needs no man in her life. A femme fatale, she dares to say.

Deep inside, however, she still wanted him. She knew it, but she couldn’t give in. She is now a different person and Lee Junho would have to stay in the past.

A quick smirk was flashed by the reflection in the mirror, eyes lost in the endless amount of ideas and a fierce expression slowly making its way into her face. Blonde was a wise choice.