Kim Heechul was the new Queen Bee.

The title felt too heavy on her shoulders but it was the best thing that had ever happened to her during high school. It was the phase where everyone began putting labels and sticking into status quo and falling into an invisible hierarchy which dictated who strikes down who. A year ago, Kim Heechul was invisible—just a face with no name, no friends, no nothing. Of course, when you’re in the lower part of the food chain, you’ve got eaten. Chased. Devored. Her little, fragile heart was kicked, squeezed and pushed down too many times. And that phase was over. She was on top, and it had been a bloody climb but she did it. She was safe and that was the most important.

Her heart was safe.

“Hey, Heenim,” a voice too high and familiar to be ignored welcomed Heechul as she sauntered on her seat.

“Morning, Min,” she chirped, before dropping her bag carefully to her desk.

Lee Sungmin had been her best friend ever since the former acknowledged Heechul as someone who’s special. She was shorter than Heechul, her eyes were always twinkling and was always pouting. She was a sunshine and she was popular, had too many friends, liked and envied but Sungmin had respected Heechul the way nobody did...before.

Heechul didn’t exactly know the reason why Sungmin helped her but Heechul was grateful nonetheless.

The teacher walked in and both of them sat straight and waited patiently. He was old and bald but he was their favorite. Mr. Jung was compassionate and he gave great motivational speeches. After his quick greeting, he signalled someone to come in.

“Well, I got you a new classmate. Say hello to them,” he said, urging the transfer to look at them and speak.

“Uhm.. Wŏ (I), uhm, 초눈 (I am)—,” he started, his words were clearly a mix of Chinese and Korean. Heechul snickered.

“I’m Han Geng. Uhm, they call me Hankyung here...I’m from China. Nice meeting you all,” he said with words which were obviously been practiced before bowing towards the class. Heechul saw how her classmates ogled at the new boy.

“Mr. Han, you may seat in front of Ms. Kim,” the teacher said.

Heechul looked at Hankyung as she raised her hand. The boy was tanned, his brown eyes were focused, his nose was tall and his lips were thin but plump. His hair was black as his gentle eyes, his uniform hugged his toned body gracefully. All in all, he wasn’t bad to look at. She would even say that the new boy’s attractive.

When Hankyung approached his seat, Heechul gave him a small smile. Hankyung returned it with a genuine one and Heechul found herself swooning already.

-

Two weeks later, Hankyung fell into the lower rank of the school’s hierarchy. He was the foreigner one—with no name, no friends, and no nothing.

But that didn’t stop Heechul from approaching him every time she could. He was shy, quiet and Heechul found herself staring at his confused face during classes too many times to count. He wore his heart on his sleeves and he was so real, Heechul thought she was dreaming the whole time. There was bullying of course, but he shrugged them off. Heechul even saw him defend himself without really hurting his attackers. All it took was finesse and graceful moves and waves of his hands. He reminded her of someone she dreamed of being when she was still invisible. He was brave. Fearless. Real.

At first, Heechul hated him for that—hated him for being what she didn’t become. But she could not go on when he was still smiling at her every time she laughed too loud, threw a harsh remark and made fun of everyone. He smiled at her whenever she felt like she was herself.

-

“I saw how you look at the new boy, Heenim,” Sungmin said, her voice teasing. They were sitting at their usual spot at the cafeteria, Sungmin’s boyfriend, Cho Kyuhyun who was too absorbed by his PSP, sat beside her.

“Shut up, Min.” Heechul said quickly as she felt herself blushing.

“Oh my God! Does that mean— I mean, Kim Heechul doesn’t blush—“

Heechul rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Min or I’ll cut your hair when you’re sleeping!” She turned to Kyuhyun. “And you, PSP-boy, stop snickering!”

-

“Let’s be friends,” Heechul said, sticking a hand to Hankyung as the boy crouched down at his reviewers, a pencil in hand and another tucked on his ear for safekeeping.

Hankyung blinked a few times. “Uhm...what?”

“Friends,” Heechul said louder, making sure everyone inside the library could hear her. She glanced to Hankyung and back at her hand, urging him to accept the gesture.

“A-are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Hankyung stared at her before returning the handshake. “Friends.”

The warmth of his hands felt like summer for Heechul.

-

If Heechul thought everything would remain the same, she was wrong. One thing she learned was that the kids never forgotten that she was once a pawn. And therefore, she was a fraud Queen. Making friends with the new boy meant taking off the crown to meet him halfway.

But she was glad she did it anyway.

For a friend.

-

“I told you, it’s Hankyung,” Hankyung said. Heechul cheered silently as she pushed Hankyung into irritation. She liked doing that. Hankyung got this mysterious glint in his eyes every time he’s close to being angry and Heechul found it scary and exhilarating. Or Heechul found it hot, more like.

“Shut up, Chinaman, and why have you been avoiding me?” She asked, her own annoyance brought her back to the topic. Hankyung had been avoiding her all week! She glared at him before she dragged him to their ‘station’ which was the abandoned storage area near their building. She pushed him against the wall before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Explain.”

“I—“ Hankyung stummered, his cheeks was flushed and his eyes were confused as he stared back at Heechul. The tension between the two of them ate away all their frustration.

Heechul asked, her face held up in bravery. “Are you afraid of them? Are you afraid that they would hurt me?”

Hankyung gave a hushed yes. “I can’t do that to you—”

With his answer, Heechul got even more hopeful, her heart was hammering on her chest and her hands were becoming clammy. “Why? Do you like me?”

When Hankyung nodded two seconds later, Heechul tugged him by his tie and kissed him.

-

“And here I thought that I miss this,” Heechul said, her eyes twinkling as she gazed upon Hankyung’s bruised face, the violets were as mighty as the one on her arms.

 “I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said, eyes earnest as Heechul’s stubbornness.

“I don’t regret liking you.”

This time, Hankyung tugged her ribbon tie and kissed her, his hands playing with her braids. “Me too,” he said between breaths.

Being title-less never felt so good.