Mihye was not always so quiet. What changed her? A boy.

Han Cheonwon. He was her boyfriend. Was. They - or in Mihye's opinion, she - were greatly in love. Her parents had just started with their bad habits of drinking, smoking and doing drugs. They abused Mihye: hit her, insulted her, bullied her, and the like. Cheonwon had appeared by her side like an angel, offering help when she needed it, offering love when she wanted it. The foolish Mihye believed it, she believed that he truly loved her. He would treat her wounds after they abused her, he would comfort her with sweet nothings when they insulted her, he would hug her when they bullied her. At that time, Mihye thought this was true love - the act of showing affection and not leaving when one was in trouble. She felt secure in his arms, thinking he would be her shield forever. But how naïve she was - alas, she was only 15.

When Mihye escaped from the hellhole every morning to go to school, she skipped and bounced, elated to be able to see her boyfriend again. She anticipated the hugs and kisses from Cheonwon, the simple actions that would make her heart flutter. That very morning, she woke up extra early, even more eager to exit the pitiful excuse of a home. She had endured a beating by her father just the night before, and her face was all bruised up. Her lip was split, her cheek was purple, her eye was black. But she took it, even she did not do anything wrong, because she thought her Cheonwon would kiss the pain away anyway. She pulled on a hoodie - Cheonwon's hoodie, to hide the wounds on her pretty face, he said, and that made Mihye love him more - and ran to school. She knew Cheonwon would be there early, he was always there early for some reason. As she walked through the front doors, she quietly tiptoed her way down the hall, to Cheonwon's locker, where he always was waiting for her. She wanted to surprise him - and voila, surprise - only it was Mihye who was surprised.

There Cheonwon was, kissing and hugging another girl, pressing themselves against his locker. Cheonwon's hands traveled on the girl's body and Mihye stood, rooted to the floor, her heart squeezing painfully from the betrayal. They broke apart for a while and the girl said, "Mm, oppa, what about your girlfriend? The one with the bruises?"

"She never meant anything to me."

Mihye's iron grip on the hoodie loosened with shock. Its zipper made contact with the marble floor and made a soft 'thud'. Both heads turned towards Mihye, but the latter had already her heel and ran off. She did not bother - did not want - to see Cheonwon's reaction.

Of course he did not love her. All that he did were lies. He did mind. He minded that she was not pretty anymore. He minded that she came from a broken family. Or was she just a joke to him?

Tears cascaded down her face as she ran down the streets. Where she was going, she did not know. Whenever she was crying, it was probably because of her parents, and she would always head to Cheonwon's house. But now, what was the point? She found herself in front of her house again, and also made a decision.

Packing everything she had into a backpack, she took all the money she could find. It was not much, seeing as her messed-up parents had spent everything on drugs and alcohol, but it was still money. Her parents were still sleeping, and she fled. She took a train from where she was to Seoul and just walked. She walked and walked and walked. Her tears had dried, and no more were coming out. Now she just looked like a beggar.

Meeting Soljin seemed like a miracle. A miracle from heaven. Soljin picked her up from the streets and helped her get back up on her feet. She got her a place to stay, food, a place in school and a job. Mihye was sure Soljin's parents were not pleased their daughter was helping a complete stranger who looked like a homo, but they did not say anything about it. Soljin was so enthusiastic about it, and soon enough both of them became friends. Soljin got used to Mihye's soft and introvert personality and vice versa. Mihye never got round to telling her what had happened, and Soljin must have realised she was not very keen on bringing the topic up again. It was like they understood each other, without having to say anything.

They became besties, and not long after, Joomi and Chaeeun joined the duo. Joomi and Chaeeun were definitely more cheerful than Soljin, but Mihye adjusted. They were the only ones that Mihye dared to trust; she kept her distance away from everyone else, especially boys.

But then Seungyeon came along. They were in the same class for 10 months now, yet not a word had been exchanged before. Mihye had stereotyped all boys as cheaters after Han Cheonwon, and for that exact reason, she stayed away from that boy who had gained her attention. She did, however, tell Soljin about her feelings.

"Then go confess to him" was her simple reply. Mihye blinked. Truthfully, she was not expecting this answer. Soljin grasped her hands and softly them. "Honey, when I met you, I knew you were crying. And when you slept, you kept crying about some boy. But if you were traumatized by a boy, the best way to overcome it is to be with a boy again."

Mihye thought about it. She really thought about it seriously. But once she tried talking to Seungyeon, she got reminded of the betrayal and she shrunk back. Ignoring him seemed like the best option, until she had properly sorted out her feelings.