12; The makeover

The last of the students of Melon High School pulled into the paved parking lot; the security at the gates glancing occasionally at their watches as all sorts of exotic vehicles drove in. Moon Jihye watched the morning ritual with so much boredom she swore she could have purchased an entire store worth of Jimmy Choo’s with it.

‘So you’re trying to tell me—like—pastel green was way before retro?’

She kicked up imaginary dirt with her own pair of designer shoes, and tore her eyes away from the school gates to the three girls surrounding her. They each had their phones in one hand and the other poised gracefully into the air as they spoke, scowling under the sun.

‘Wait. What about cheese yellow?’

‘Oh my Gucci, no. Just imagining it is giving me—like—calories.’

‘I thought you were allergic to those…’

‘Yeah, as much as Zitao is allergic to—like—cooties, hah,’ she paused, staring at the other two who didn’t so as even respond to her comment. ‘Uh, hell~o? Am I talking to—like—brick walls or something? This is the part where you laugh.’

The group of three burst out into girly giggles save for Jihye who after smiling briefly, found her eyes roaming around the parking lot again in search of something... something other than her boyfriend's orange Aventador. Perhaps if her ‘friends’ weren’t so airheaded they’d actually notice her lack of contribution to any of the conversations they ever had, or the fact that instead of looking at her boyfriend – the most charming and wealthiest of boys – on the campus surrounded by admirers, she was seemingly more interested in something else.

‘Um, earth to Jihye?’ the one with the glinting manicured nails whined. ‘Before we decide on the colour of Poochi’s new collar—like—what time is the sleepover again?’

Oh, she was interested in something else alright. More than her obnoxious boyfriend whose eyes were on his car or that stupid broach of his more than anything, she was on the lookout for a student most unlikely. She’d rather be caught dead than found looking for him, but she couldn’t help the gnawing concern within her for the said individual.

Nevertheless, she raised her head, flashing her group of friends a dazzling smile in the process. ‘Oh, write it down if you’re going to keep on forgetting, silly! It’s at 8.’

The three girls surrounding her took a moment to recover from what they’d just witnessed. And combined with the sweet sound of her voice, a handful of passing male students stopped in their tracks and gaped in her direction as if she were a unicorn that manifested out of thin air. However; just as quickly; everything appeared to settle back to normal and the blinding light she practically radiated diminished.

And from beaming enthusiasm any young man would die to witness or any young girl would pay to be a part of, her mood almost instantly took a lurch into the opposite as the conversation of the girl’s poodle and the colour of its designer collar took hold once more. She pulled her attention away from them when the topic of impending nose jobs popped up, and stared back at the gates.

Unknowingly, Jihye chewed on the baby blue painted nail of her thumb. Where is he? A frown laced its way into her kept eyebrows. Is he not coming today…?

As if on cue a bright – almost neon – orange caught her eye. Jihye’s heart leapt up at the sight of it, and following the outstanding hair was a form in complete contrast to the bold colour. His shoulders were slumped and his nose was directed at the ground; a long shadow casting over his features as he darted across the parking lot.

‘Oh my Gucci, it’s—like—that loser from the other day, right? In the cafeteria?’ the one with glinting nails declared more than questioned with a surprised arch of her thin eyebrows.

‘Ew, you’re right.’

‘Is he—like—trying to make a fashion statement or something with that wig?’

As irritating as she found their comments, Jihye ignored them; her heels hitting the ground and a small smile growing at the corners of her lips as she advanced. She reached out a hand; a diamond-crusted bracelet glinting gracefully as it circled her milk white wrist in the process; and walked in his direction with steady strides.

But little did Jihye know, she was being watched from afar.

'So this stuffed blue crane from South Africa, right...'

He had been listening in on his classmate's credit card's online adventures ever since arriving at the school. Six of the regular boys he hung out with crowded the area around his car, followed by a string of girls he couldn't for the life of him ever remember. But somehow, they'd made it a habit of joining his group, albeit lingering like aesthetic décor.

Not that Byun Baekhyun cared, though. All that ever went through his mind during such an hour of the morning was which brand's next season he was going to be clad in the following month. Or that he needed a manicure sooner than he expected. Or what else his father would have to say to him to make him keep the redundant Moon girl company as her boyfriend.

Oh, the dreaded life of Byun Baekhyun. It was no wonder his nails were constantly being ruined! He found himself biting them more often than not ever since he and that boring girl became an item. Well, he knew his father was simply doing his job as a parent to secure him a prestigious partner in life. But how much more of pretending to actually like her was giving him traces of wrinkles, to the young boy's utmost horror.

Baekhyun was in the process of once again chewing on his nails at the recollection of his unfavourable predicament when he noticed it.

From the far end of the parking lot, his eyes caught sight of his girlfriend: the tall, blonde and bronze, tanned-skin girl. He was positive she was his type. Everything about her physicality was his ideal. And yet the more he got to know the girl, the more he realized how deceiving her looks were and just how incompatible their personalities turned out to be.

He unconsciously scowled at the thought, watching her as she smiled at her friends and just as quickly the expression disappeared. Which girl ate ice-cream for breakfast? Who wanted to stay home instead of going to the movies on a Saturday night? Who even cared about those four-legged, furry monstrosities called animals? As far as he was concerned, the things were covered in those cooties Tao advertised as being deadly on a daily basis.

The girl was from another planet entirely, alright. She was definitely only popular for her looks. Well, at least we'll make nice-looking children, thanks to me mostly, he thought, however remained scowling.

And that was when he noticed the orange hair. He immediately perked up at the sight of the two and their impending collision, watching intently with growing distaste. What on earth did she find so fascinating about that guy? He'd noticed it ever since day one how the girl often stole glances at him, and always seemed as if she longed to interact with the chap, to Baekhyun's horror. Oh, the absolute horror! Perhaps that was another thing to add to the list of why he lost interest in the girl. If not for his father, he'd never have even pursued her as relentlessly as he did now. And staring at the two from a distance as she seemingly made an advance towards him for reasons beyond the Byun kin, the student cursed under his breath.

'Bac~on,' one of the girls that had been hanging onto his arm whined, pouting at him in a way she perhaps imagined was irresistible.

'What are you staring at? Let's go visit the mall later, or some...'

He shrugged the girl off with a quick whip of his elbow, almost knocking her in the face as he did so in irritation. She stumbled back – clearly surprised – however Baekhyun wasn't in the least bothered by her reaction. Because he was suddenly a man on a mission.

The tallest cocked an eyebrow at him. 'Dude, you OK?'

Tao was next; the boy grumbling in irritation at how quickly everyone's attention shifted from him to the shorter one's retreating back. 'Are you kidding me? It's a freaking leatherback turtle I'm talking about!'

'I'll be right back,' Baekhyun mumbled, stalking off from the group who only watched him curiously, save for an exasperated Tao who only rolled his eyes.

She was close. About an arm's length away from him when her heart hammered from the urgency it required to catch the chap. He was always known for being as slippery as an eel to get a hold of, and she surprised herself at the fact that she was finally able to nab him… in fact, she was surprised she actually took the initiative to approach him at all.

She smiled at the sight of the boy; an all too familiar and yet distant sight. 'T...'

The moment she reached out for him however, she felt something seize her hand. Jihye gasped at the sudden contact and immediately pulled her wrist away in response, however the fingers only tightened painfully around the appendage.

'Let go...!' she cried, frowning at the person responsible as she continued yanking her wrist back. 'Baek, let me go!'

He pulled her behind him, assuming a defensive position in front of her. The orange-haired boy stopped immediately at the sight of the commotion, staring with wide eyes at the dramatic scene. And then at the fact that it was Moon Jihye being manhandled by her own boyfriend.

At first it was surprise. But almost immediately, the feeling was replaced with an inexplicable fury.

'Hey!'

The otherwise quiet student bellowed, stomping in the direction of the two who turned to stare at him wide-eyed. It took a moment for him to register just why they were looking at him so spooked, before realizing what he just did. If perhaps it were anyone else, the issue would have been resolved relatively quietly. However, it wasn't just anyone else. They were the two most popular students in the high school, nevertheless a dating pair. And seeing them together – let alone shouting and creating a ruckus – called for all sorts of unwanted attention.

'D...,' the kid now mumbled nervously, ducking his head from the onlookers. 'D-don't...'

'Geez, carrot,' Baekhyun scoffed, sparing the latter an amused glance as he did so. Jihye watching from behind with a frown and parted lips.

'You surprised me there. I think that's the first time I actually heard you say anything,' he sneered. 'Now scram before you embarrass yourself like the last time, stalker. Let's go, Jihye.'

The orange-haired boy seemingly shrivelled up with the snarky statement. He took a tentative step back before stopping short, realizing the boy still had his hand tightly clasped around the girl's wrist. Seeing her in that much discomfort filled him with all sorts of outbursts, however he knew better than to lash out. More so, he was afraid of standing out. Not in front of so many onlookers, at least.

'Baek...,' she began, wriggling again behind him, visibly flustered by the scene this was slowly causing. She could just feel everyone's eyes on them. 'Cut it out. I'm...'

'Hanging with this guy? Are you kidding me? Is there something wrong with your eyes, Jihye?'

Jihye looked up in surprise at the condescending question, staring at her boyfriend in utter disbelief. 'Excuse me?'

Baekhyun laughed bitterly, before moving his free hand to his chest. He grazed the surface of the diamond-crusted broach pinned to the of his blazer and glared at the student behind him.

'I'm so sick of this. For crying out loud, he's complete trash! I mean—if you're going to go out with me, can you at least not even look at things like this? Like...,' he paused, sparing an irritated glance at the sun before staring at his broach again.

'Do you want me to break up with you? Seriously?'

The boy had no idea how on earth the situation escalated to such lengths. He stared in shock at what just unfolded in front of him, however that quickly transformed into an entirely new form of anger. How could he even speak to her like that? He knew – from personal experience – what an unpleasant person Byun Baekhyun was, but seeing how ruthlessly he treated his own girlfriend shone an entirely new light on the boy. The latter felt his hands ball into defiant fists at that.

'Don't talk to...'

However, Jihye’s level voice stopped him short. 'So that's what this is about? You're jealous?'

If he wasn't mistaken, he was certain he saw an amused smile form on the girl's lips at these questions for a brief moment. She looked up, staring Baekhyun directly in the eyes with a sense of determination so fierce, one would imagine she was faced with a gruelling challenge. In fact, Baekhyun himself had no idea Jihye was even capable of such confidence. It was – what he would never admit – actually intimidating. So much so, he reared his head back and his grip on her wrist loosened as if he just felt intense heat radiate from it.

'You want to break up?'

The sound of the school bell suddenly interrupted the dramatic scene ahead, and quickly caught everyone else’s attention who groaned drearily and began collecting their things. However just as everyone prepared to leave the parking lot in their respective cliques, the sound of an engine roared to life from behind, stopping almost every single student in their paths. Heads from every direction whipped around at the sight of the unfamiliar revving, when a cobalt blue Ferrari took the bend smoothly into a popular parking space for the wealthiest of students. All students stared with wide eyes and cocked eyebrows curiously; whispers floating about of a new student or perhaps one of the regulars having drastically changed their taste in cars.

‘Whoa…,’ a member from Byun Baekhyun’s group in the distance; who all came to a standstill at the car’s appearance; gasped.

Tao spoke next; his mouth falling open dramatically at the glinting, oceanic surface of the expensive car. ‘That’s seriously daebak…’

Contrary to the amazed expressions on his friends faces however, Byun Baekhyun huffed; a hand unconsciously cradling the diamond broach pinned to his pocket again. Whatever went on moments ago between he, Jihye, and the Kim kid was suddenly replaced with curious stares and gaping mouths.

‘Huh,’ he scoffed; a pang of envy briefly pricking him in the side as he attempted to show disinterest in the spectacle.  ‘Probably Kris. Impressive, I’ll admit, but my…’

As if on cue to prove the boy’s words wrong, both doors of the Ferrari swung open effortlessly at the hinges, and from the right of the car, a pair of milk white, slender legs appeared. The boys who once stared at Moon Jihye in bewilderment were suddenly breathless; the entire male population gaping at the unfamiliar girl that emerged draped in a neither too loose, nor too fitting school shirt. The waistband of the red skirt that once reached her shins was now pulled up to her belly, exposing just a tantalizing portion of her knees down which was an unusual but delectable sight in comparison to most girls that didn’t mind a little extra undergarments peeking out too.

‘Who…,’ Byun Baekhyun breathed, letting go of the girl’s wrist as he seemingly lost his balance in the process at the sight.

‘Is that?’ Jihye continued in awe. The spectacle that took place between them now a completely fizzled out topic at the appearance of the mystery student.

Little did they know though, the entire school was bursting at the seams with the very same question. Every one of the male students – those who were already in the classrooms now pouring out into the parking lot again – was entranced by the woman who flipped back her rosewood hair that radiated rich mahogany in the sun; her round, sugar plum lips parting and black eyes fluttering beneath spider leg eyelashes.

Despite the handsome amount of attention she rounded though, the new student’s eyes remained cold and calculating. The dark orbs she stared back at with piercing every onlooker intensely, and with every male student she shared brief eye contact with as she strutted sveltely towards the entrance, a dramatic series of gasps were issued.

But then she stopped dead in her tracks; her head cocking to the side and a curtain of silken hair falling in layers behind her.

‘What’s taking you so long…?’ she asked; her voice level and controlled. ‘Van Choi.’

Almost immediately all attention shifted from the mysterious woman’s glowi