A/N: hello everyone! Sorry for the really slow update but my winter break just ended ㅠ.ㅠ  and I'll try my best to update ASAP but please understand if I update slower than usual.  thank youuu!

Yerim's POV
The sun shone directly in her eyes which caused the brunette to curse at herself for not closing the blinds at night. Well at least she wasn't late courtesy to her laziness. Yerim trudged into the kitchen while lazily making a bun with her hair and quickly swallowing her toast. Her notifications went off again as her ‘friends’ reminded her about this afternoon’s event. Shopping. 

Yerim thankfully arrived at school on time before the late bell rang. The girl gleefully smiled as she skipped all the way to her first period class. While sitting in her class, the girl began to wonder, why was she ever excused from practice? 
>Flashback<
“Um director-nim, I can't come to any of the practices tomorrow, my friends had planned to take me shopping with them.” Practice was over and Yerim was the only one left in the studio as usual, but she managed to catch ahold of director Kim. 
“Of course Yerim! You shouldn't miss out on those kind of events. You're excused” the director smiled and walked off leaving Yerim stunned. 

That same exact thought kept running through her mind as she tried to focus on her classes but couldn't help it as she began to lose her concentration during calculus. Talk about bad timing!
“Yerim!”her teacher snapped her from her thoughts. 
“Were you paying any attention at all!!?”
“Y-yes ma'am” the brunette stuttered while trying to look confident.
“Well then, can you solve the equation on the board for us?”
Who does this old hag think she is? Everyone knows how to solve these equations. 
Yerim scoffed while writing down each and every step for solving the equation.
“The answer is 17,” she answers confidently this time as she saw a glare come from the teacher’s eyes as she muttered a “well done” towards Yerim before teaching the class again. 

The bell for lunch rang again as Yerim decided to go to her history classroom to stay for extra help. Not. She just didn't want to deal with those es until their shopping event. 

Her classes seemed to fly by unlike all the other days when the clock seemed to slow down only for Yerim to mock her. Why? Whyyyy?! Why is time failing me also?! The girl complained in her thoughts while also managing to pay attention in her class. 

Ugh oh my goddddd. I think I'm gonna die. Yerim complained in her thoughts her last period class while trying to focus on her essay that was due at the end of period. Her phone vibrated in her pencil case that she hid earlier and saw that it was Tao texting her through line. 
[Tao]‘How are you Yerim-ah’
[Yerim]‘I'm good as always. What about you? I heard what happened.’
[Tao]‘It's okay now. There's nothing I can do about it anyway.’
[Yerim]‘It doesn't sound okay.’
[Tao] ‘I'm fine Yerim-ah. I have to go. We’ll talk later~
[Yerim] ‘Stay safe oppa! Promise me you'll tell me everything later!’
She quickly hid her phone back into her pencil case and got back to focusing on her class. 

This was the first time Yerim had dreaded the moment the last bell rang as she forcefully dragged her feet towards her locker. She was having a weird feeling about this day. She was already excused from practice, that was the weird part. The directors never, NEVER excuse a student that easily, especially a talented hardworking one like Yerim. 
“Come on let's go!” Sarah yelled enthusiastically while linking her arms with Yerim's. 
Ugh this . Can't wait for this to be over. 

I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I should've just made an excuse. 
 She was dragged around to various stores, courtesy of Sarah.  She groaned in frustration as she dragged her feet unwillingly, allowing herself to lag behind the group. 
“Come on hurry up Yerim!”
“I'm coming I'm coming. Just give me a sec.”
She sighed as she trudged forward. 
“Why are you always complaining?! God Yerim! It's like you always have a problem with us and you never want to be with us. And you're always whining about everything we do. I bet that you don't even keep any of the photos we took.” 
Sarah spat at Yerim as the girl scoffed back. Their little mini fight was now attracting attention as people started to watch.
“Why?! Do you think money’s everything? Is that why you never want to hang out with us anymore?!”
That was it. She hated it when people talked about her money. That had blown her top. Yerim turned around to open to fire back when,”YERIM-AH!” She knew that voice as her eyes widened as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and a lot more hugs piled on top. Her “friends’” eyes widened. 
“OH MY ING GOD. CHANYEOL!” Yerim yelled as she turned around to be met face to face with the grinning elf-like boy as she welcomed Exo with a group hug. 
“Omfg isn't that Exo?!” Sarah exclaimed to her friends as she pulled them along trying to look for a chance to start a conversation with one of them. But her face fell as she saw each of the members kissing Yerim’s cheek. But nonetheless, being the stubborn spoiled girl Sarah was, she wasn't giving up. Not being able to stand watching Exo and Yerim get any closer she barged in.
“Yerim, why don't you introduce us to your friends?” Sarah told her as she tried to swoon them over to her side by giving each one a ‘dazzling’ smile. 
Ugh I forgot about these es. Yerim thought as she mentally groaned as she started introducing her friends, but when she got to Sarah she was mentally throwing up. Sarah was batting her eyelashes continuously while twirling her hair around her finger.
“Oh right! You're the one that was yelling at our Yerim!” Sehun bluntly stated as Sarah’s eyes bulged out in embarrassment when she heard “our Yerim”. (우리 예림) Murmurs of “ahs” and “ohs” were heard from the group as they recalled the ‘fight’ from earlier. 
“Why were you yelling at our Yerim?” Suho asked. 
“I-I um well the thing is that-”Sarah stuttered as she was cut off. 
“Were you always this bad at talking? Weren't you just using your witty mouth while fighting with our Yerim?” Kai butted in, obviously annoyed by the in front of him. 
Sarah opened to reply when, “Omo isn't that my Exo oppas?”
“Omg yes I think it is!”
“OMGG OPPAAAA!”
“Let's get out of here!” Sushi yelled as the others dragged Yerim away from her ‘friends’ and started running towards the entrance.
“OPPAAA DONT LEAVE ME!”
“OPPA SARANGHAEYO!”
“OPPAAAAAAA!”
The shrieks of girls were relentlessly heard through the large building causing Yerim to groan from the painful shouts. Yerim was suddenly pushed towards the center of the group, being the short girl, she was easily able to hide behind the tall forms of Exo when the camera flashes started going off. 
“Exo can we ask you a question?”
“Isn't that a question already?” D.O grumbled.
“Is it true that Tao is leaving Exo?”
“Why did you come back from Korea?”
“I don't see Lay with you where is he?”
“Why did you decide to come to a mall?”
Relentless questions were thrown at the boys, causing an uproar at the entrance of the mall. Yerim grimaced as she was squished in the middle, huddled by the bodies that were trying to cover her existence.

“ARE YOU GUYS REALLY THAT STUPID TO ‘FORGET’ YOUR POPULARITY?!” Yerim ranted the moment all eight of them were in the car.
“N-no?” Sehun tried to reply without stuttering but her had to admit that he was scared of the 18 year old girl in front of him, even though he was older. She face palmed when none of the other members replied. That's when her phone went off as a FaceTime request popped onto her screen. Before she could even react, Chen lurched above her seat and quickly pressed ‘accept’ before sitting back down.
“Lay hyung!! How's China?!” Chen asked when the boy’s face appeared on the screen.
“LAY OPPA! How are you!! Where are you?!” Yerim started asking questions nonstop till they arrived at their destination. SM.