Ji-Eun's POV

Summer of 10th grade, the morning Love Alarm came out

The streets going to school are crowded and loud.

All I can hear is something about the Love Alarm.

"Did you get the Love Alarm?" A girl asks her friend.

"Of couse!" Her friend replies. They walk off.

"Hey, Ji-Eun!" My two best friends call.

"Hey, guys."

I wave at Seohyun and Yoona.

"Did you get the love alarm?" Yoona asks, excited.

I shake my head.

"She doesn't have a smartphone, remember?" Seohyun nudges Yoona.

"Did you get it?" I ask them.

"Of course! We stayed up until 12 am waiting for it!" Seohyun squeals.

"It really works! People posted pictures of them and their girlfriends and boyfriends trying it!" Yoona shrieks.

"We're being silly. Who would like us? I mean, look at us." Seohyun sighs.

"Are you kidding?" I say, gaping.

Seohyun and Yoona are the prettiest people I know.

I'm not saying this because they're my best friends.

They're really beautiful.

"OW!" Yoona screams as a boy bumps into her.

He was looking up and didn't notice us.

It's Onew and his friends.

The biggest 'losers' at our school.

I personally like them. They're nice.

But Yoona has a short temper.

"Watch where you're going, idiots!"

"Whoa, Yoona, calm down!" Seohyun murmurs.

Yoona storms off in a huff.

Seohyun glances at me, then runs after her.

I apologize quietly and hurry after them.

"Ugh, I hate them so much!" Yoona grumbles.

"They have enough on their plates without you being mean, Yoona." I chide.

"Whatever. I'm not the only one that hates them. They're so weird!"

I tune out as Seohyun tells Yoona off.

Why were they looking up?

Were they looking at the sky?

"Ji-Eun, Miss Kim is calling!" One of my classmates call.

I nod my thanks and hurry out the classroom.

Am I in trouble?

I'm so worried that I don't even put my things down.

I knock on the door.

"You called, Miss Kim?"

"Yes, come in, Ji-Eun."

I sit down on the leather chair.

"How's your aunt's house? Is she nice?" Miss Kim asks.

"Of course! She's so nice, in fact, that I feel sorry towards my cousin!" I smile.

"Oh, good. I just saw you run around the track all lunch. I thought something was stressing you out."

"No, not at all. I just want to increase my stamina." I reassure her.

"I also heard you don't buy school lunches?" She inquires.

"Oh, no! I have my own lunch!" I hold up my paper bag.

"It's even yummier than what they have at school!" I say.

Miss Kim looks unconvinced.

"Let's take a look at that yummy lunch, then."

"What? Why?" I stammer and hide it behind my back.

"Show me the lunch!"

I reluctantly take the paper bag out from behind my back and show it to her.

The bag contains a bottle of milk and two onigiri.

They're both past the expiry date.

"Your aunt gives you this to eat? Ones that she should throw away?" Miss Kim asks, frowning.

"Of course not! I just... really like onigiri!" I mutter.

"It's alright if it's a few days past the expiry date. I've never gotten sick before." I say.

Miss Kim just stares at me.

"Well, the truth is my aunt's convenience store isn't selling that well. I don't want her to cause her any more trouble than feeding me and letting me sleep at her house." I murmur, blushing.

"Don't worry, Miss Kim. I'm fine. Really." I convince  her.

"Then use our refridgerator. Put your food in as soon as you come to school. It's summer, and we don't want you getting sick." Miss Kim finally relents.

"Thank you!" I smile, then hesitate.

"Miss Kim?"

"Hmmm?"

"Um... Will the teachers steal my food? I mean, a lot of them get really hungry, so..."

Miss Kim bursts out laughing.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure they don't touch your food."

I say thank you then skip out.

Miss Kim looks after me.

'Such a naive and pretty girl...' She thinks sadly.

"Miss Jung?" Miss Kim calls out.

"Yes?"

"You know Lee Ji-Eun's cousin?"

"Oh, you mean Bae Suzy?" 

"Yes, Suzy. Did she pay for the school lunches?"

"Yes, she did. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering."

Lunchtime, in the bathroom

A pretty girl looks in the mirror.

She closes her eyes.

She draws a line over her eyes with liquid eyeliner.

"Wow, Suzy. You're really good at this!" Yura beams.

"Thanks."

"I can never do my makeup with liquid eyeliner."

"It works fine if you buy a expensive one." Suzy replies coldly.

"Can I try with yours?" Yura asks cautiously.

Suzy shuts the liquid eyeliner.

"I would let you, but liquid eyeliner only looks good with someone pretty. Sorry."

Lunchtime, in the courtyard

I pant loudly as I run laps.

As I run, all I can hear is things about the Love Alarm.

"Is it this one?"

"Yeah, then you need to register."

"Why isn't mine ringing?"

"Who would like you? Are you hallucinating?"

"Jiyeon's just rang in the cafeteria."

"Showoff."

Then, someone shouts.

"Hey, look!" He points up at the sky.

"Whoa, daebak!"

"Did they do that with a plane?"

"I guess they're advertising!"

I collapse on the floor and look up. I can't stop panting.

The smoke from the plane has made a heart wifi signal.

The icon of the Love Alarm.

I want to look at it more, but I can't.

My heart.

My heart feels like it's about to burst.

Lunchtime, back in the bathroom

"Just say it straight if you don't want me to use it. There's no need to-"

Yura is cut off by Minah screaming.

"Hey, look!"

Everyone crowds around the window.

"Wow! Cool!"

Everyone takes their phones out to take pictures.

"I think this is a good sign. Maybe my alarm will ring!" Hyeri giggles.

"Dream on." Sojin mutters.

"But wouldn't it be nice if someone like Kim Myungsoo rang yours?" Minah squeals.

"I wish." Yura sighs dreamily.

'Oh my god. I just had a mental breakdown.' Suzy thinks.

She looks down at her phone.

'If I just install this, it's game over, isn't it?' She says in her head.

She presses install.

'I mean, guys like pretty girls. How do they think guys will go for ugly girls like them?'

Suzy loses her train of thought as she looks out the window.

'That cloud. The heart wifi cloud.'

Suzy's heart beats a little faster.

'It feels like... like someone's telling me something.'

'When my alarm rings...'

'All the other girls are going to be so jealous!'

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