The expectation that freshmen welcoming week is going to be fascinating and exciting, turns out to be quite the opposite for Yoona. It’s probably because she is one of the people involved for the prep a few days back, already familiar with the places and faces of her seniors and the committees. She even knows some secret places to hide or skip classes, to lounge around in peace or eat the delicious ahjumma’s eomuk, forbidden spots which are not really that forbidden as rumored (just some make out spot for lovers not to get caught doing PDA) or some important and famous students she already met, which makes it easier for her to get along with or just to ask for some favours in the future, courtesy of someone’s lifetime advice. The free tour was better than this dull talk by the council’s representative. She wonders what her sunbae is doing right now…

“Aishh!”

Yoona ruffles her own hair, groaning frustratingly at her pitiful attempt of trying not to think too much about the bike-sunbae. She was grateful that Yuri has classes while she has to participate in the freshmen week as a participant. The less time she spent with that annoying sunbae had given her a peace of mind for a while. Except, she starts to wonder a lot of Yuri’s whereabouts or what she’s doing now or has she eaten anything yet or whether she is still being bullied by those clubs to do dirty works for them instead..

She slams her hand to her face, shaking her head furiously to get the name KWON YURI out of her brain or else she’s gonna suffer the same stupidity as that black bean. She looks around in confusion when everyone starts packing their things and standing up.

“What’s going on?”

“Hm?” Her chairmate, a pale girl with wide round eyes named Hara, gave her a smile. “We’re gonna go around the faculties, sightseeing the classes so we won’t get lost later.”

“Oh, right.” Yoona nodded slowly, picking her things up while walking beside the still smiling pale girl, following the flow of students walking in pairs.

“I guess you are a bit tired, huh? You look pretty out of it earlier.”

Yoona lets out a sheepish grin, “I didn’t get a proper sleep last night.”

“Thinking of your babe, huh?” She nudged the bewildered Yoona, baffled with the accusation.

“What?”

“Oh, don’t what me... I know girls like you. You’re like famous and pretty, bet you already have a prince charming waiting for a date later. Oh, how lucky to be you, huh?”

She winked while wiggling her transparent eyebrows scandalously, which just made the innocent doe-eyed girl more horrified.

Yoona lets out a strained laugh, “Uhh..sorry to disappoint your “ideal” opinion of me but I’m not like that.” She smiled as politely as she can, “I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“What? No way!” Hara frowned, disappointment clearly shown on her face. “I heard the talk all around campus. You can’t be bluffing me…”

“I’m really not, sorry.”

Yoona clearly wants to punch whoever spread those kinds of rumors around college. She was never one comfortable for attention, even more so of this inappropriate assumption the students are making. She wants to cringe; she never would have thought college is a place for immaturity like high school was. Another of her expectations turned into wishful thoughts.

“…now we’re going through the sophomore class of the biology major. I expect all of you to behave yourself since the professors are mostly hyenas who like to drag their students to the doom of failure and hopelessness and that might include all of you too if you do not heed my warnings.”

The group facilitator warned them with his boring, monotonous voice as if he is a programmed bot instead of a living human. The after-effects of living as a college student for a few years. Which, Yoona was actually glad for once, seeing as her pair for the tour is already turning her attention to the other groups whispering and laughing at the poor senior. Not wanting to associate herself with those kind of people, Yoona looks around the corridor into the large windows of classes, watching the students learning with her unfazed expression.

Suddenly, lo and behold..!

The bored freshman caught sight of a familiar face in the class she was about to pass through. A familiar black bean is hunching on her seat while diligently scribbling on her mickey mouse notebook, a tongue slightly protruding from her lips as she gives her all in focusing for the lectures being given.

Yoona put a hand on to muffle her giggle from the amusing sight. She knows Kwon Yuri is at least a respectable and responsible student, but not the kind to be diligently jotting down notes with that serious face. Thinking of an idea, Yoona quickly takes out her phone to snap a picture to be added to her secret folder of “in case of emergency: Kwon-annoying-bike-sunbae-Yuri” for keepsake. She grins with her success of taking a perfect shot, admiring how perfect it turns out inside her phone.

However, her admiration towards her sunbae was put to a stop when a shadow looms over her. She quickly shoves her phone inside her pocket at the sight of JGS towering over her figure with his trademark girlish flowerboy smile.

“Oppa! What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, obviously.”

Suddenly being conscious of her surroundings where the other freshies are watching the pair with judging eyes (mostly of Hara’s knowing ones), Yoona hid her face under her long hair. JGS let out a small chuckle, gently pulling the embarrassed girl away from the unwanted attention to an empty corner.

“How was today?”

Yoona wanted to shrug, but thinks it is rather impolite considering she is with the president of the SC. Instead, she puts on the best smile she could muster.

“It’s interesting. I learned a lot from your team.”

She received a wide smile, a slight pride gleaming from his face as he nods away.

“Here.” He shoves a piece of paper towards the confused Yoona. “It’s for the favour I asked you that day.”

Yoona took the paper, reading the names written on it. “What’s this for?”

“Exactly what it is.” JGS smiles with a tilt of his head, acting like it’s somewhat cute. Yoona, however, felt her shoulder sagging with uncertainty and worry. It didn’t go unnoticed by the flower boy.

“Something’s troubling you?”

Yoona is contemplating whether to tell her own opinion of the favor, which of course is the opposite of what the president is planning to do.

“Do we really have to do this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” She shrugs, desperately. “Don’t we have other ways to attract people other than this?”

Yoona emphasized the last word, hoping Geun Seuk would catch her doubt and worry.

“So you’re saying…?” He raised a brow, prompting Yoona to continue her hesitation.

“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do, sunbae.”

“You’re suggesting we back out from this,” She almost let out a sigh of relief as GeunSeuk nods his head with a serious face, as if considering her suggestion. “…and let the students take matters into their hands.”

“What?” His tone was calm, but accusing. Yoona wanted to object but a raise of his finger made her pause.

“You suggest this Yoona.”

“I didn’t say-“

“You clearly mentioned it. You’re gonna pull out from this just because you don’t want to be accounted, in case things happen, and let the students do whatever they want instead.”

He took a step closer, his face intimidating. “This suggestion of yours will make you liable in case if things do seem to favor the worst case scenario. Don’t you think so, Yoona?”

Her mind does the calculations in her head, weighing the pros and cons of the plan. She didn’t want to be blamed for ruining the last night of the freshman party, or worse, getting expelled from college.

“You sure it’s going to be alright?”

GeunSeuk gives her a comforting smile with a hand grabbing her shoulder to give his assurance at the anxious first year.

“Everything will be fine. I’ve got a backup plan in case things do go downwards.”

Yoona is still unsure of the whole ordeal, but Geun Seuk’s face showed there’s nothing to be worried about.

“Trust me, Yoona. You can do this.”

*

She was dismissed early for the day, as per the president’s order. Her eyes scan the list of names written on the paper, never heard of any of them. She decided to get her lunch first before wrecking her brain to look for these people. Just as she passed through the cafeteria’s door, she bumps into a soft tol pole.

“OMO MY BABIES!!”

With her quick reflex, Yoona swiftly caught the flying bread and snacks of the person she accidentally hit from meeting the dirty floor. She breathed out in relief, only to widen her eyes at the stack of food pyramid appearing before her.

“Whoa, what the…”

“Yoona? Is that you?”

“Sooyoung?”

Of course, who else would have a proper meal of a food pyramid than the great shikshin. Instead, the food pyramid consists mostly of towering junks and snacks of sugary treats and grease.

“Is this... your lunch?”

“Yeah! Wanna join me?”

“Umm.. I don’t think-“

“Oh, oh! There’s an empty table there! Hurry Yoona run for it!”

Being pushed by the strong Sooyoung, Yoona reluctantly approach the empty table. Only, there was another person already placing his tray on it.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t see-“

“BACK OFF PEASANT THIS IS MY TABLE!”

“I got here first.”

“IT’S MINE.”

“I don’t see anything showing it’s yours.”

“OH YOU DID NOT…YOU WANT ME TO THAT SEAT FOR YOU? HUH? HUH?!!!” Sooyoung slams her tray of lunch, food scattered all over the table as the boy winced in horror and disgust.

“NOW SCRAM!”

The boy scampered off like a beaten puppy with a sagging tail between his legs. Smiling happily, Sooyoung invites the bewildered Yoona to take a seat.

“Please, do take a seat on my humble dining table.”

She pushes a burger towards Yoona, the girl hesitantly taking the offered food.

“Sharing is caring. Also because you are Yul’s future lover.” Sooyoung mumbled, before taking a big bite of her burger.

“What?” She didn’t catch the last sentence.

“Oh, nothing.” She shrugs innocently while chewing loudly. “So? Aren’t you going to ask me a question?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’re not gonna ask where your Yuri unnie is?”

Blush filled her face, “W-What… Why should I?!”

“Because you look like you’re waiting for her.”

“I AM NOT!”

“Okay, okay… just kidding.” Not. “So, what’re you up to, Miss Im Yoona?”

“Nothing..?” Yoona unwraps her burger, her appetite surging in at the smell of the oily meal.

Sooyoung pointed to her front pocket, “You got something in there.”

Yoona whips her head to the corner of the paper stucking out of her shirt’s pocket, gasping at the incredulity that Sooyoung knows what she’s doing. The shikshin raises her brow, asking Yoona to tell her the plan only with the movement of her cool eyebrow.

“I won’t tell Yuri, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” Seeing the hesitant face, she made a cross with her fries.

“Does that really count?” Yoona eyes the fries making a cross on the table.

“Of course! Everything counts when it comes to me.” She brags.

Yoona took out the paper with list of names, showing them to Sooyoung as the latter reads them with interest.

“Cool names.” She nods, “Isn’t it too early to be thinking about your child’s name?”

“Wha…?! No-“

A loud gasp.

“OMO! Don’t tell me…” She gets closer, her face almost slamming to Yoona’s pretty one to whisper, only the whisper is as loud as her big mouth.

“YOU GOT PREGNANT?”

“NO!”

Eyes turn to them while Yoona smashed her palm towards Sooyoung’s greasy mouth. She lets out a laugh, “Her mom just got pregnant hehe…”

“SHE DID?! I’m.. I am finally having… a- a child?”

Yoona really wanted to face palm, but instead of suffering the pain, she face palm the person in front who already had tears in her eyes at the thought of having a sibling equivalent to having a new kid.

“No! She did not and neither do I, okay?!”

“MHHMFFM!”

“Eew!”

Yoona snatched her hand away after realizing the oil covering Sooyoung’s lips.

“I have an assignment…” She pursed her lips, “I need to meet these people but I don't know any of them and I’m not really sure where to find them.”

“Yo, Yoona…” Sooyoung shakes her head, “Look at me and tell me what you see.”

“Um, you?”

“EXACTLY!” She slams the table, “This is Choi Sooyoung. The only Choi Sooyoung, ya know?”

“Ookay…?”

“I know you and Yul is fated to be together but there’s a reason why I’m bestfriend with that doofus.”

“There is?”

“I did prophesize what your plan is just now, didn’t I?”

“Prophesize is a bit…” Sooyoung gave her a threatening look, “Err, yeah yeah! That’s really amazing actually. How did you know, though?”

“That’s the least of your concern right now, but let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Sooyoung suddenly stand with bags of her lunches before dragging the dumbfounded and bewildered freshman harshly by her arm.

“Business? What business- HEY!”

“By the way, the freshies shouldn’t be having their lunch until about…” She looks at her watch, “RIGHT NOW!”

Just on time, a flock of new faces with excitement enter the cafeteria, crowding over the table of food being prepared especially for them. Yoona knew just then, she was just tricked by the almighty Shikshin of her magnificent fortune telling skill.

*

They went on a visit to the names listed, the tall pole meeting them like they were childhood friends or was in a gang of mobster before. Yoona only watched in amazement at their interactions, only to frown deeply when everyone refused to help her. She even offered to do things that Yuri would do; the dirty work. But she only received an incredulous look from these people and Sooyoung alike before shrugging her off.

“So what should we do now?”

Sooyoung went through the list again, a pencil being bitten in between her lips as she seriously read the list. She crossed out another name, leaving only one much to Yoona’s horror.

“That wasn’t there before.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Sooyoung scoffed as she taps the GOING HOME CLUB a few times. “I wrote them.”

“Oh, so we have that club?”

“Yes, I’m the leader and the only member.” Sooyoung deadpans before groaning loudly. “I’m tired and hungry… can’t we go back now?”

“But, what about those people?”

“I don’t know! You should ask Yul instead of me because I’m too smart for these kind of things!”

Or more like she’s too lazy to even use the brain cells in her skull, Yoona thought. Sighing in defeat, Yoona agreed to go back. Perhaps, meeting with Yuri and asking for her advice is not such a bad idea... or so she thought.

“So they refused?”

Yoona nodded, avoiding the sharp eyes of Jang Geun Seuk as he looked down on her with his arms crossing over his chest. He smirked, before patting Yoona’s head gently.

“It’s fine, I already know things will turn out like this.” Yoona raised her head, seeing the soft smile of the president somewhat alleviate her disappointment of being useless. “You’ve done a good job, Yoona.”

“So, this means we’re going to drop that plan… right?”

“Nope.” He smiled innocently, “The plan will still continue, but I’ll do it my way.”

“Oh, that’s… good.” Yoona tried to hide her worry as she gave him a tight smile. “But you don’t need me anymore, right?”

“No, no. I still need your help, but rest assured. I’m not your Bike-sunbae who likes to get your hands dirty on her behalf.” He shook his head with a frown. “It’s sad that you’re being treated like this by that Kwon.”

Yoona gulps, the words were somewhat true but deep inside she still want to defend her sunbae. She saw how it was mostly Yuri who did everything while the latter will force Yoona to stay at the side or just watch her in action. She was the one who push the sunbae to bring her along and forced herself to be included with the plans.

“It’s… not really like that.”

“Oh, you’re so kind Yoona. People will take advantage of that optimist side of yours sooner or later, you know?”

Yoona keeps silent, not sure why it bothered her too much. “So what can I help you with?”

He paused from pacing back and front, stopping to glower over Yoona with a grin.

"I just need you to listen carefully and follow what I said."

*

It was one night before the freshman week party when Yuri’s phone began vibrating in the pocket of her jeans. She had just ended her messenger shift, already on her way back home to get a nice sleep. Her eyes soften at the name appearing on the screen.

“Im, don’t you know it’s almost 1 in the morning? Can’t you disturb me tomorrow?”

“Sunbae, I need your help.”

From the desperation in her voice, Yuri knows something’s weird is up. “What’s wrong?”

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you this but…”

“Just spill it. What is it?”

“I saw some students breaking into the store room near the open field.”

“What? Hold on, what are you even doing there this late at night?”

“I’ll explain later, sunbae. Just hurry up!”

The call abruptly ends, earning a loud sigh from Yuri. Thank god she’s just halfway from the campus. Yuri quickly pedals her way to the college with her super amazing speed, arriving not more than 5 minutes. She stops by a gate on the back of the field, climbing up the fence enclosing the campus and landing expertly on the grass before running her way to the store room mentioned by Yoona.

She saw the girl crouching behind a bush, tapping her shoulder to inform her presence. Yoona let out a relieved breath from the sight of her sunbae who signals her to stay quiet. They see a person waiting by the entrance while another two is arguing inside in loud whispers.

“I think it’s my fault, sunbae.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was given the key for the store room since we’re using the place to put the equipments for tomorrow’s party. We were assembling everything earlier but I forgot to lock the door, that’s why I come back. Then, I saw them.”

Yoona tilts her head to the store room, Yuri nodding in acknowledgement.

“You sure they’re not the committee members?”

“No, I don’t recognize them. Besides, they would have informed me first.”

Yuri thinks for a minute before standing on her feet, taking out her phone and flashing the lights on them. “Hey! What are you doing over there?”

The intruders were surprised with the voice, but knowing they were already captured, they raised their hands in surrender. But one of them suddenly shout the sunbae’s name in recognition.

“Oh, Yuri! Long time no see, buddy!”

Listening to that familiar voice, her eyes turned into daggers. “Hello, Lee.”

“Aww, what’s with the formality? We’re already on a first name basis, aren’t we?”

“Cut it, Seunghyun. We’re never on good terms. Don’t you remember?”

“Tsk. Still caught up in the past, ey Yuri?” He sneered, but Yuri ignores him.

“Care to tell me what’s your purpose of barging inside the store room in the middle of the night?”

“Oh, we were told by the president to secure the perimeter, in case the students are doing funny business tonight, ya know?” He nudged his friends with a creepy chuckle, “That’s when we saw the door of the store room left opened.”

Yuri stares at him dead straight, doubtful to trust his story.

“Geez, ya don’t have to believe me but we’re just doing our job as requested by Jang. Ya can ask him if you want.” He snorted with a knowing look.

Yoona watched them warily, not sure to believe his words but Yuri steps inside the store room anyway. She followed her sunbae who’s scanning the place for anything unusual.

“Do you notice anything out of place?”

Yoona made another run through of the equipments inside, nothing seems to be wrong. She shakes her head, Yuri nodding in response before walking outside. She examines the room once again, before closing the door and signals for the younger to lock it with the key.

“There! Now that it’s safe and locked inside, we can go back to our patrol duty, ey?” Seungri claps his hand before ushering his friends to ride the car. “See ya later, buddy!”

Yuri watched as the car zooms past the field, his words still ringing in her ears.

“Who is he?”

“Someone you clearly don’t want to mess with. He’s one of Jang’s patrol team, or lackey, I’d say.”

“Did he do something bad to you?”

Yuri ignores her question, purposely changing the topic. “It’s already late, we should go back.”

Yoona doesn’t want to push her further because she herself is too tired to deal with so many things happening in a day. Don’t make her start with tomorrow’s preparation, she needs to be there before sunrise as a committee. Just as she was about to put the key into her bag, Yuri stops her.

“I’ll keep the key for you.”

“Eh? But what about-“

“I’ll give you tomorrow morning but for tonight, I’ll keep the key.”

Yoona didn’t ask anything and just give her sunbae the key. She hopes tomorrow will run smoothly without any trouble since it’s the last day of the freshman week.

*

The day went exactly as Yoona wanted, and finally it’s time for the party night. She was relieved of her duty as the committee for the night, the president telling her to have fun and mingle with her classmates instead. Yoona wanted to do that, but she can’t help to search for a certain tanned girl who she expects to be there too.

A smile unconsciously appeared on her face at the sight of the black bean standing with an overly decorated living pole by the refreshment table. She never understands Sooyoung’s taste in fashion, because she looks extravagantly shining tonight with the cheap fairy lights found on a DIY store wrapped all over her one piece dress. Wait, why is the fabric familiar?

“Do you really need to steal the cafeteria’s curtain to be your dress for tonight?”

Yoona heard her sunbae groans as she approached the two, while Sooyoung made a sassy remark.

“It shows how much of a beauty I am that even a worn out curtain can be so fabulous looking when put on me.”

Just as she neared them, a female student suddenly fainted. Her partner screamed for help, attracting everyone’s attention as they crowd over them. Yoona and Yuri quickly separate the crowd to make space for the girl to breath while making their way to the troubled couple.

“What happened?” Yuri asked as she crouched down beside the girl.

“I don’t know! She was just drinking the punch when she complains that is feeling funny.”

Yuri examines her neck, before opening . “Does she have any allergies?”

The boy ponders, his eyes widen in recognition. “She did mention a few times that she can’t drink alcohol. I thought she was just having low tolerance to those drinks.”

Another guy took the cup on the ground and smelled it, tasting the remains inside. “Hey! The drinks are spiked!”

The crowd began to buzz as they taste the mocktail on the table, everyone agreeing with him. Yuri asked one of the committee to call an ambulance and bring the fainted girl to a safer place. As the commotion happened, suddenly a voice interrupts them.

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”

The dean of the business department who is the VIP for the night along with the advisor of student council appeared, with Jang leading them to the middle of the crowd. Yoona was about to explain, when one of the students shouted from the back.

“These two spiked the drinks!”

Yuri and Yoona’s eyes widen at having a finger pointed at them. They looked at each other in confusion, only for the student who accused them to come forward.

“What do you mean? You know alcohol is prohibited in campus ground.” Professor Choi asked, his eyes falling on the two bewildered girls.

“They were blocking the refreshment table, especially this annoying Christmas tree here-”

“Yah! I’m innocent!” Sooyoung shouted before dispersing into the crowd despite her brightly glowing dress.

“Like I said, they were standing too long at the table and that’s when I saw these two pour something into the drinks.”

Yoona has her jaws hanging in disbelief at the accusation while Yuri calmly listens, carefully studying the face of this familiar boy. She racks her brain for the countless of faces she met that week, her eyes twitching at the recognition. She turns to another face, patiently waiting for his expected appearance.

Jang steps forward with a scowl on his face, but instead of Yuri, he turns to the dumbfounded freshman. “What is the meaning of this, Im?”

“I-I don’t know! It wasn’t me… I didn’t do anything!”

“Are you sure, Miss Im?” The dean asked, his voice firm. Yoona nods timidly, her eyes already watery from the shocking turn of event.

“With all due respect, sir.” Jang interrupts with a polite bow. “I can guarantee you that Miss Im Yoona is innocent. She’s just in her first year of college, there’s no way she would be involve in this blunder.” He scoffed, “Well, even if she did, Miss Im is nothing more than an innocent accomplice being forced by a senior to do this bad thing.”

He turns to Yuri with a hand pointing to her, “If I might say, this student here would be the main suspect for this kind of unacceptable act, considering her record of misconducts last year.”

Yoona whips her head to her sunbae who’s still being calm despite the accusations being thrown at her. She grabs her hand, the latter giving her a convincing smile as she squeeze back, as if telling Yoona that she’s okay.

Professor Choi who was being suspicious with everything, clears his throat to get everyone’s attention on him. “How can you be so sure of that, Jang?”

“Oh, I have solid prove, if that’s what you mean.” Jang takes out his phone and shows the photo of Yuri and Yoona with the store room as the background, the door widely open.

Yoona gasped from the picture. She wants to deny, but she feels the slight pull of the hand she’s holding. She glanced to the girl on her side, catching the subtle shake of the latter’s head. Yuri takes a step forward, her chin and chest tilted high as if she wasn’t at fault at all.

“That doesn’t mean anything.” She said with a clear voice, void of worry like how people expect her to. “Yes, I admit that Yoona and I were at the store room last night. But that doesn’t indicate anything about the spiked drinks.”

The crowd murmurs to themselves, some agreeing to Yuri while others still confused. She can see how tight Jang was clenching his teeth, probably irked with her smartass.

“Then, I’ll show you.” He smirked, “I’ll show you what they were doing last night which result in the drinks being spiked.”

Jang leads them to the store room, telling Yoona who’s holding the key to unlock the door. He walks in, followed by Professor Choi and the Dean. Yuri stood by the entrance with Yoona, her arms crossed. The president approaches a stack of boxes being covered by a black cloth. He pulls the cloth, revealing boxes of vodka which earned loud gasp from everyone.

“See? Solid evidence.”

He proudly presents the boxes to the Dean and Advisor, their faces hardening by the discovery. Jang turns to Yuri, expecting a pale face with cold sweats, except he didn’t. Yuri was calmly watching everything transpire but when she feels his eyes on her, she smirked.

“You seem to be very well versed about all of this, Jang.” Yuri comments with a smile. “But you’re just doing your job as a president. A very bad one, in my opinion.”

“What are you saying? Are you trying to point the finger on me, now?” Jang was gritting his teeth from Yuri’s nonchalant attitude. The girl pushed him aside as she opens a box and takes out a bottle of the said vodka, void of any label. She holds it out to Professor Choi who seemed flabbergasted with the bottle.

“If you may, sir. Do give this bottle of claimed "vodka" a taste first.”

He opens the lid, taking a sniff of the drink. He couldn’t smell anything alcoholic, only a waft of citrusy smell. Taking a swig off the bottle, his eyes widen in shock.

“This is not vodka. It’s sprite.”

“WHAT?!”

Jang snatches the bottle from Professor Choi and takes a gulp. By the expression on his face, it’s clear that the drink wasn’t the vodka he claimed to be. He opens another box, taking out a different bottle in different color.

“Ha! You think you can fool me?” He shows the bottle to everyone. “That one was just a dummy to cover things up. This, is the real one!”

Yuri tilts her head with an amused smile, “Take a sip, then.”

Feeling challenged by the girl, Jang followed her suggestion. After drinking the content, his face fallen in confusion.

“It’s sparkling water.”

This time, Yoona takes the bottle and have a taste. Indeed, it’s just carbonated water. She turns to Yuri, her eyes questioning her sunbae, but she only received a wink and a smile. Her sunbae’s face quickly morphed to indifferent when Jang calls her.

“You! What did you do?”

She merely shrugs, “I told you I did nothing. You should ask your informer instead.”

Jang grits his teeth in anger, his fists turning white as he clenched his hands tightly. Professor Choi pats him on the shoulder to appease the fuming president, before declaring to everyone that the show’s over and to disperse back to the party.

“You have an explanation to do, Mister Jang. I expect your presence at my office this Monday.” The dean affirmed with a frown, shaking his head in disappointment as he leaves the room.

Yuri politely bows to the retreating figures. She exchanged winks with Professor Choi who gives her a hidden thumb up, before leaving with the Dean. Jang followed suit, but he stops in front of Yuri, his eyes blazing with rage.

“I’ll get you back, Kwon. Mark my word.”

Yuri stared back hard, her gaze unfaltering which earned a scoff by the tall guy who walks away with a torn pride. The black bean gives him a salute with a satisfied grin, but her smile falters when a presence appeared by her side.

“I don’t know what you did, sunbae. But thank you.”

“Like I said, I did nothing.” Yuri suppressed a smile at the doubtful look she received.

“You’re not fooling me, sunbae.”

“Well,” Yuri shrugs with an amused grin, “I might have done a tiiiiny little thing…”

As soon as Sooyoung said about booze, a thought crossed her head. Of course, what would a party be without alcohol involved? Well, not this party, that’s for sure due to the strict ethical code of the college on alcohol prohibition in the campus perimeter. There were countless of cases where the students caught will be put on a disciplinary act in which they will be barred from taking examination and need to repeat the whole year, or worse, getting expelled.

Yuri knows a few ways to smuggle the drinks, and one of them is by using those with powers to do the dirty work. Someone like the gullible Yuri back in the past. But that’s another story to be told.

Already having experience about these kind of things, Yuri rushes to meet the one and only person she trusted in the student council. She barged inside the office and made a beeline to a table separated with a paper folding screen.

“Park Sun Young!”

The owner of the name who is hunched on the table checking on a messy paper work of the baseball club merely move her eyeballs upwards to see the newcomer. Her eyes rolled from the presence of the tanned girl.

“Yah, how many times do I have to tell you… It’s Park Hyomin. Hyomin!” She slaps the table with each syllable of her name. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you loathe this room.”

“I do, but this is an emergency.”

Hyomin pulls her thick-rimmed glasses down, as if she can see through Yuri’s desperation like that. “Why does trouble always comes along with you?”

Yuri shrugs, “I guess you can say it’s my middle name.”

“Kwon Trouble Yuri.” Hyomin snorted, “It really suits you.”

She puts down her pen and folds her arms neatly over each other on the table, her back straightening. “What do you need?”

“Have you heard of anything from Jang?”

The secretary pushed her spectacles upwards with an eye roll, “Can you be a little specific? There are a lot of things I heard from Jang, including his rants about the out of stock organic hair gel he uses.”

Yuri raised a brow from the useless information, but the laser eyes she received broke her trance. “It’s about the freshmen week, or more specifically, the last day party.”

Hyomin put a finger over her nose, thinking of the reports and instructions she had gone through for that specific week. “There’s nothing out of sort.”

“Oh, wow. You’re actually being useless for once in your life.”

The girl glares back, “I still have that yoga video from our first year where your stomach hair stuck-“

“Yah!” Yuri quickly clamps , “I told you to delete that!”

She pushes Yuri’s hand away, a smirk playing on her lips. “Aww, it’s our precious memory. I want to save it as a keepsake of our friendship.”

The tanned girl crossed her arms with a scowl, “More like a keepsake to blackmail me.”

Laughter escaped Hyomin’s mouth, “Do I have to remind you of that picture where you sleep with your tongue out because I still keep it in this drawer.”

“God, you’re insufferable.” Yuri groaned loudly, “I can’t believe I wasted my time with you.”

Yuri was about to turn away and leave, but Hyomin stopped her when she remembered something.

“Hold it right there, Yuri.” She paused, her back facing Hyomin. “I don’t know if this could help, but Jang told me to give the key of the storage room by the open field to the new kid.”

Yuri twisted her body around, her eyebrows knitting together. “Which new kid?”

Hyomin quirks an eyebrow, knowing well from Yuri’s reaction that she hits a bullseye. She cradles her chin with her palm, an amused grin etched on her face.

“You know I don’t do things for free, Yuri.”

Yuri sighed deeply, taking her phone out and searching the gallery for a selca of her cousin. “I haven’t contacted that byun for almost a year so this is the only one I’ve got.”

A notification pings from Hyomin’s phone, a satisfied, creepy grin slowly forming on her face.

“She’s that popular first year representative, also the one Jang seems to take so much interest with.” The secretary rolled her eyes in clear disgust. “Oh, and since it’s an A graded selca, I’ll give this to you just in case.”

“Thanks.” Yuri accepted the small paper, but her mind is still confused on this new kid. “But who exactly are we talking about here?”

She merely shrugs, pointing at the organization chart on the board with faces of every committee members attached. “That pretty kid, Im Yoona.”

“Oh, so that night you actually knew he had given me the key?”

“Of course.”

“But why?”

“The answer would be what happened that night. Remember that Seungri guy we met? I bet he was acting as a bait for you to call me for help and when we check the storage room, he seize the opportunity to take our picture together.”

Yoona nodded, having one thing cleared for her. “But what about the vodka?”

“What about it?”

“I mean, why would he frame us like that if there’s no alcohol in the first place? That’s just plain stupid.”

The sunbae lets out a chortle as she shakes her head, “Actually, the vodka was there.”

“Wait, what?” Yoona gasped in surprise, “But you showed them that they’re not vodka. I even tasted them.”

“I didn’t say it’s there, I said it was there.”

Yuri almost forgot about the small paper Hyomin gave her as she racks her brain about Jang’s intention with Yoona. She unfolds it, revealing a list of names and the club they belong. She scrunched her forehead in confusion, not getting the relation of the list and the party.

Her eyes fell on a familiar name, and that’s when she connected the dots.

“Of course! Why didn’t I see it before?” Yuri slaps the paper with her forefingers. Not wanting to waste more time, she hurried to search the highlighted name on the paper, already acquainted with him. Only that this guy is a pig-head who doesn’t care about anything but his business of booze smuggling.

“Come on, Yang. You owe me that one time I saved you from getting caught by Jang.”

At the mention of that name, Yoseob seethes in hatred. “Why is that guy still here?”

“You know why. He’s a manipulator of his own words, that’s why you fell for his trick.”

He slams the wall of the already broken tiles, crashing sound filled the long abandoned washroom Yoseob claimed as his office. Others thought the place is haunted, only for it to be filled with all sorts of liquors, spirits, and all things intoxicating. He does his transactions in the darkness of the broken toilet, and only a certain chosen few knows of his office.

“If it wasn’t because of Jang, I wouldn’t be operating in this forsaken place.”

“But you need the money, I know.” Yuri sighs deeply, “Look, I’m giving you a heads up about this girl. It’s your choice to agree to work with her or not, but I’m begging you to refuse. For your own sake, Yang.”

Yuri put a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugs off harshly with a scowl. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The girl gave him a grateful smile, “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Make sure you stay true to your words, Yul.”

That evening, she got a message from Sooyoung saying everyone refused to help Yoona, including the sinister booze dealer Yang Yoseob. She smirked from the news, on her way to make another arrangement with her fellow classmate.

“Yuri, my man!” Her classmate made an attempt to hug her, only to be met with a palm on his face.

“I’m a girl, mind you” Yuri blankly said, before getting right into business. “So? Was I right or not? Tell me I am, Lee.”

“Eyy, you’re a magician or something?” He cackles to himself, Yuri shaking her head with a smile. The guy who thinks he’s handsome than his gang puts up his phone, showing a long text from someone she’s expecting. “If I knew better, I’ll think that you’re the one planning everything.”

“Well, maybe I am.” She shrugs, “I’m planning to turn him over. It’s about time for Jang to taste the karma for everything he did in the past.”

“Yeah right, man. I’ve had enough of that flower boy. He thinks he’s so handsome, he can order me around like a dog?”

“But you did follow him like a dog.” Yuri imitates a dog barking to provoke him, earning a roll of his eyes. “I’m just waiting for the right time to bite him back, ya know?”

“Right, right. It’s a surprise that you actually make good use of your brain for once.”

“Are you kidding me? After what he did to you, I ain’t staying back in the shadow and wait for more of his shenanigans. He’s evil, I tell ya.”

“And you’re the devil turned good.” Yuri laughs mockingly, earning a shove from her classmate. “So, what are ya planning?”

Yuri smirks, a hand hanging on Seungri’s neck as she pulls him closer. “We’re doing exactly what he wants you to do, but with a little twist.”

“Ohhh boy!” He rubs his hands eagerly, “I’m already loving this.”

Yoona scrunched her forehead in confusion, “So you’re saying, that Seungri guy was your accomplice all along?”

“Yep.” The black bean tilts her head with a smile, “We followed Jang’s plan of framing the both of us, but what he didn’t know was that Seungri and his gang had already exchanged the liquors with-“

“Sprite and sparkling water!” Yoona interjects with wide eyes.

“Bingo!” Yuri snaps her fingers with a proud grin. “A nice trick, huh?”

“Are you kidding? That was mindblown! I mean, how can you think of everything in such a short notice?”

She shrugs indifferently, “It’s all about experience and having a genius brain.” She points to her head with a smug, earning a playful shove from the younger.

“You’re still an .”

“A cute , mind you.”

Yoona fakes a gag, her bike sunbae cackling loudly with her nasal laugh.

“So, you still haven’t told me what exactly happened between you and the president.”

“I’ll tell you later, I promise.” She looks forward avoiding Yoona’s curious eyes, her gaze hardening. “It’s not the right time yet.”