Seulgi woke up with a warm blanket over her shoulders. She opened her eyes and got up from the soft bed. At first, she was confused, wondering where she was. It took her a few minutes, but she remembered how she had cried herself to sleep at Sooyeon's café. When she saw Soojung on the floor of the room, she figured that she was probably at Soojung's house.

Soojung stirred a little. Seulgi felt a sharp pain pierce through her chest when she saw her friend sleeping on the floor with a thin blanket. She couldn't help but remember Jongin's confession, about liking Soojung.

I wonder if Soojung knows, she thought, that Jongin likes her…

Her thoughts were interrupted when Soojung slowly lifted her eyes. She looked up and locked eyes with Seulgi. Then, slowly getting up from the bed, Soojung rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Good morning," Soojung said.

"Good morning," Seulgi said softly.

Soojung gave her a stern look right away. "Do you remember anything that happened last night?"

Seulgi chuckled awkwardly. "Um, a lot of things happened last night."

A lot of things that I don't want to remember.

"Well, you were a pain in the . My sister gave you her special cup of cocoa on the house. It was the expensive one, too. Apparently, you kept crying and you wouldn't explain anything. Sooyeon called me to talk to you, but by the time I arrived at the café, you had cried yourself to sleep," Soojung said bitterly. She glared. "My sister and I had to carry you to her car and drive you here. Do you know how heavy you are?"

Seulgi wasn't in the mood to fight back. She just felt…tired. Everything that happened last night was too overwhelming: Hyeri confessing to Jongin, Jongin confessing that he was crushing on Soojung, Sehun ki—

Seulgi stopped herself. She felt her veins pump in anger. She refused to think of Sehun anymore. She wasn't exactly sure why Sehun kissed her, but she knew that she was angry, and that's all it took for her to shut Sehun out of her head.

Soojung stared at Seulgi, noticing her perplexed expression. She heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, I'm probably being a pain to you, too. You can leave whenever you want. I—"

"I'm sorry," Seulgi said.

Soojung stared at her, slightly taken aback. "About what?"

"About everything," Seulgi continued. "Especially back when we were trying to make up from our previous argument." She made eye contact with her. "I shouldn't have pushed you so much. You have your reasons on why you're keeping everything a secret. I… I should've respected that. I'm sorry."

For the first time, Soojung felt a genuine apology from Seulgi. Soojung grimaced a little, then let out a small sigh.

"No, I'm sorry, too. You were only trying to get to know me better. I was just putting up a wall," Soojung said.

"And I should've let you keep that wall until you felt comfortable breaking it down," Seulgi said.

Soojung stared, then laughed. "Seulgi, did something life-changing happen? I don't know, this isn't like you."

"I just—" Seulgi swallowed. "Myungsoo told me to confess to Jongin because he thought that I had a chance with him. I tried to confess to him yesterday night, but I ended up finding out that he has someone he likes."

Soojung's smile disappeared. She gave her a serious look.

"Who is the person that he likes?" Soojung asked.

It doesn't look like Soojung knows, Seulgi thought. Do I tell her? Should I tell her? Wait, what are her feelings for Jongin? Does she like Jongin?

"It can't be Hyeri," Soojung murmured, frowning. "Maybe one of the popular girls? But they're all turning against Hyeri and she's his close friend. I don't think he'd have a crush on a girl who's back-stabbing Hyeri…"

It's you! Seulgi wanted to shout. He likes you!

"I-I don't know," Seulgi stammered. 

She decided not to tell.

"But you just said that he has someone he likes," Soojung pointed out.

"W-Well, he told me that he likes someone, but he didn't tell me who. A-Actually, I kind of overheard him say that he has someone else he likes. Hyeri confessed to him."

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Did you hear anything else?" Soojung asked.

"No."

Soojung tilted her head. "So did you run away after eavesdropping on them? Is that why you were crying?"

Seulgi scowled. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I really hate Oh Sehun."

Soojung frowned. "Sehun? You met Sehun, too? Did he do anything?"

He ing kissed me, Seulgi thought. "Let's just say that I don't want to deal with him anymore. I'm sick of him."

Soojung figured that Seulgi didn't really like Sehun, but she was surprised to see such a strong reaction from her. She knew that Sehun must've done something awful, but she couldn't figure out what could've happened. She made a mental note to talk to Sehun in order to extract some information about what happened last night.

Seulgi looked at Soojung. "Soojung, I know this is probably terrible of me to ask, but can you please help me with this?"

"With what?"

"The popularity contest."

"The Miss Inki competition?" Soojung did a mental calculation. "Seulgi, that's in like three months. I don't know if we can make it in time. During the time that you had Myungsoo take over, I was planning something. I can't use those plans anymore." She opened her empty palms. "Plus, I don't have my book." She got up from her seat. "Why don't you ask Myungsoo for help? You did say that he was better, remember?"

"I know I said that, but I need you to help me, too!" Seulgi exclaimed. "I don't think Myungsoo understands how this whole popularity thing goes. He told me to try to confess to Jongin, remember? That didn't go well at all."

Soojung frowned. But Myungsoo's really good at this stuff. He must've told Seulgi to make a stupid move for a reason…

"And—I know you're totally against this, but just in case I have a chance—I think it'll be great if you and Myungsoo can work together on this with me for a few days," Seulgi said in a quiet voice.

Soojung widened her eyes. She realized that Myungsoo's goal wasn't to help Seulgi with her popularity fiasco. It was to drag Soojung into it, to force her to talk and communicate with Myungsoo. From the beginning, if she didn't want to get close to Myungsoo, she should've kept Seulgi by her side. However, the moment Seulgi threw her out of her popularity campaign, Myungsoo swiftly took up the opportunity for his own benefit.

Cunning as always, Soojung realized. She began to feel guilty over the fact that Seulgi had to take the emotional damage just so that Myungsoo could get his way.

She let out a heavy sigh. 

"I'm going to talk to Myungsoo privately," Soojung told her. "In the meanwhile, I need you to keep a low profile until school starts."

"Really?" Seulgi widened her eyes. "Y-You're really okay with working with Myungsoo and helping me?"

"I didn't say that," Soojung said. "I just said that I'm going to talk to him. We'll exchange a few words here and there and figure things out then."

She walked out of the room. Her sister was already in the kitchen, making some tea. Sooyeon smiled warmly at her little sister.

"Soojung! Is Seulgi awake yet? Do you know if she's feeling okay?" Sooyeon asked.

"She's fine," Soojung said shortly. She took out her phone. "Unnie, do you know Myungsoo's number?"

Sooyeon blinked. "You want Myungsoo's number? Are you sure you want to input his number into your phone? My cell phone is in my room. You can go ahead and call him from there."

"No. I want to call him personally on my phone," Soojung said. She narrowed her eyes. "I have a lot to discuss with him, whether he likes it or not."

/ / / / /

Myungsoo was delighted when he received a phone call from Soojung for the first time. Not to his surprise, she had asked him to meet him in private at a desert shop thirty minutes away from city. It was kind of like a date, although a date between former lovers.

Myungsoo had arrived ten minute early at the small location. The desert shop had white walls and a tanned oak wooden flooring. The interior gave off a homey vibe, mimicking a village house of some sort. At the end of the room, there was a glass display of cakes and other sweets. Behind the counter, there was a menu of desserts and drinks written in chalk. There were only six tables in the room, accompanied by two or three French Bistro chairs with white cushions. Myungsoo picked out a table closest to the window and furthest from the counter so that the workers would've eavesdrop on their conversation.

The door opened. Myungsoo calmly looked up and grinned when he saw Soojung entering the room. She shook off the snow from her beanie and looked at him. Myungsoo raised his warm cup of coffee.

"Hello, Soojung," Myungsoo said. He checked his watch. "You're early, as usual."

"I see you've already ordered for me," Soojung said, noticing an extra cup of coffee and a pretty slice of white frosted cake.

"It just came out. I didn't want you to stay cold for too long," he said.

Soojung sighed. She took a seat across from him and looked around. There was one person working on their laptop and two women in their thirties chatting enthusiastically about something. 

No one I know is here, Soojung thought. Like I thought.

"Were you thinking that no one you knew is here?" Myungsoo asked. Soojung looked at him in surprise. "I know what you're thinking, Soojung. You might be able to fool others, but you know that you can't fool me."

Soojung straightened her posture. She had to remind herself that she was with an enemy, someone who knew her weakness, someone she couldn't trust. She would have to keep her guard up and make sure that she didn't hit any land mines.

Myungsoo noticed her stern expression and chuckled. She quickly noticed and blushed. Her heart started racing again, much to her annoyance.

"Is school fun?" he suddenly asked her.

"That's none of your business," Soojung said. "Let me get to the real point."

"Oh, alright? I was hoping that we can chat a little more," Myungsoo said.

"Well, I don't—"

"You're in your last year of high school, right? What are you planning to do after you graduate?"

Soojung realized that she wasn't going to be able to control the flow of the conversation. Myungsoo kept avoiding the topic so naturally, it was hard for her to bring him back on topic. She let out an exasperated sigh, much to his amusement.

"I'm planning to go to college," Soojung replied shortly.

"Really? Where?"

"Not where you're going."

"Aw, I'm a little disappointed," Myungsoo said, pouting.

Soojung glared. "You're lying."

"Not entirely," he replied.

"Anyway, back to the point—"

"Take a bite of your cake," Myungsoo urged. 

"You—"

"Do you want me to feed you?" Myungsoo asked. He grabbed her fork, broke off a piece, and fed her the cake. Soojung's cheeks turned completely red as she reluctantly took a bite of the sweet treat. Myungsoo, who was resting his chin with his free hand, smiled warmly.

Soojung's heart skipped another beat.

"How is it?" he asked her.

"I-It's good," Soojung managed to utter out.

"Right? I looked at the cake and I was like, 'Oh, Soojung would like this.' I picked it out thinking about you," he said. Even though his words were awfully sweet, Soojung knew that he was just playing around.

"What do you want?" Soojung finally asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Soojung rolled her fingers into a fist. "I know you want something from me. I know that you're a better schemer compared to me when it comes to obtaining popularity. I know that you told Seulgi to confess to Jongin so that you can get to me."

Myungsoo sighed. "You really want to ruin the mood now? Just when it was getting good?"

"I know you don't love me."

"What if I do?" he asked.

Soojung's palms felt sweaty, but she ignored it. "But I know that you don't."

Myungsoo didn't say anything. He leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath before letting out a deep sigh. Then, he looked at his ex-girlfriend with a small smirk on his face.

There it is, Soojung realized. There's the Myungsoo I know.

"Yeah, I told Seulgi to confess to Jongin. She really is quite stupid, you know? She's blind as a bat," Myungsoo said. "Just a few sweet words and she'll instantly take your side. She's very naive."

"Why did you tell her to do that?" Soojung asked. "What are your intentions?"

"Hey, I'm helping you. Think about it. If I didn't tell Seulgi to confess to Jongin, then there would be no making-up between you two. You two were fighting and now Seulgi came running back, crying for help again because I 'screwed up' a little bit. Shouldn't you thank me instead?"

"Well, you've created a bigger mess for me to clean up," Soojung pointed out.

"It was a small mess. It can be solved easily," Myungsoo said. He leaned closer. "Tell me, what are your next plans? Let's see if your thoughts match with mine."

Soojung gripped the edge of the table tightly. He was testing her, making sure that she knew what she was doing. With her trembling hands, she took a deep breath and locked eyes with him.

"Since Seulgi got rejected, the best thing to do would be to calm down for a few days. Under normal conditions, this should take a few months, but because we only have three months until the Miss Inki Contest, Seulgi would need to get a boyfriend as a rebound. During that phase, we would have to try to get Jongin to notice her a bit, to make her seem more desirable. Then, she would break up with the boyfriend and after a few more weeks, she would try to get hooked up with Jongin. Ideally, by the time she's ready to confess again, Jongin will consider her and date her," Soojung explained. She noticed a wider smile on Myungsoo's face.

"That's not bad," Myungsoo said. "So how are you going to get her a boyfriend?"

"The boy should be someone that captures Jongin's attention, but not his friend. Although that's hard for Jongin's case because he's literally friends with everybody," Soojung murmured, pondering on Seulgi's potential boyfriend.

"What about me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Soojung wasn't sure how to answer him. She could only think of a lame answer:

"Because you're not a high school student anymore."

"But we're only two years apart," he pointed out.

"That's not going to look good on her reputation."

"Why not? Think about it: Seulgi faces rejection and is heartbroken. She temporarily falls in love with a college student who's using her. Worried about her safety, Jongin, who's her friend, keeps a close eye on her, making sure that nothing bad happens to her." Myungsoo turned to her. "That would work, wouldn't it?" He tilted his head. "Or is it because of a personal reason that's keeping you from agreeing with me?"

Soojung narrowed her eyes. "No, I don't have feelings for you."

"Your face says otherwise," he teased. He sipped his drink. "Like I said, Soojung, you can fool everyone, but you can't fool me."

Soojung clenched her jaws. "I hate you!"

"You adore me." 

She shot her from her seat, feeling hot. She couldn't tell if she felt embarrassed or angry. She just couldn't stand his 'I-know-it-all' attitude, even though he was completely right. Myungsoo coldly rolled his eyes upwards, sipping his tea casually. Soojung looked to the side, noticing that people were staring at her for getting up so suddenly. She blushed again and slowly sat down, causing Myungsoo to chuckle softly.

"I'm glad we're getting this out of the way," Myungsoo said. "So, do I get the role of Seulgi's boyfriend?"

"Temporary boyfriend," she said in a cold voice.

"I know. I can't stay long, anyway," Myungsoo said. "I just want to have a little fun before I go."

"When do you leave?" she asked him.

"Two weeks after you start school," he told her.

She widened her eyes. "Two weeks? Only two weeks?"

"Don't worry, I can guaranteed that I'll get Jongin to have a different opinion about Seulgi by the time I leave," Myungsoo said, raising his right hand as if he was making an oath. "I promise."

Soojung didn't really need to worry, but she did. She didn't doubt Myungsoo's skills, but she was more concerned about how Seulgi would react and what she would do.

"Seulgi is… unique. She's not your average person," Soojung warned him.

"Oh, I'm completely aware of that and I intend to use that as my advantage," Myungsoo said. He extended out his hand. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Soojung." Soojung didn't want to shake it. "I see you're not the kind of person who wants to shake hands. Fine by me. I can go with a verbal agreement."

"Fine," Soojung finally muttered.

Myungsoo smiled. "Perfect. We'll be in touch more, I suppose?"

"You have my number," she murmured.

"Well, since we'll be planning this together, then I want to clear some stuff with you," Myungsoo said. "What's the situation at her school? Tell me about her friends."

"Currently, her best friend is Song Seunghwan, who used to be part of Hyeri's clique. Seunghwan is only Seulgi's friend because she sees potential in her winning the Miss Inki contest. Seulgi is also friends with Nam Taehyun, who's associated with the rumor that whoever he hangs out with will end up in Hyeri's group. She's also friends with Heo Youngji, but they haven't been talking much."

"So what about Son Naeun and Choi Jinri?"

"Those two used to be in Hyeri's clique, too. Jinri is secretly Taehyun's drinking buddy."

"How many people are in Hyeri's clique? She's the most popular girl in school, right?" Myungsoo asked.

"Yes. There used to be five, including Hyeri herself. Seunghwan was the first to leave and sided with Seulgi. Naeun and Jinri left later and formed a group together. Currently, Hyeri's clique only has Bae Suzy. Suzy is going to be tough because she's been friends with Hyeri since forever," Soojung said, sighing.

"And what about Sehun and Jongin?" Myungsoo inquired.

"Sehun is aware of what's going on. He just doesn't know what the plan is, but he manages to sabotage my plans sometimes. He's best friends with Jongin, who's the most popular guy in school. Seulgi had a crush on him and wants him to be her boyfriend," Soojung explained.

"And what about you?"

"Huh?" Soojung stared at him, taken aback.

"What's your role in all this?"

"I'm the girl in the shadow."

"Really?"

"Yes?"

"Is there anything else that you think is important that you should share with me?"

Soojung scoffed. "I don't think I would want to share anything with you. I'm already doing this reluctantly. I have no choice but to use you because you're the perfect fit for the temporary boyfriend job."

Soojung looked away and calmly drank her coffee. Through the mirror, she could see a faint reflection of Myungsoo staring at her. She nervously eyed him, noticing see change of expression. He had a playful smirk on his face, a look that made Soojung feel like she had to brace herself for his next words.

“Okay, then let me ask you something,” he said. “How long did you know that Jongin had a crush on you?”

Soojung closed her eyes. "I don’t know what you’re talking about—"

“Your journal says otherwise.”

He took out Soojung's journal from his jacket. Soojung opened her eyes and remained silent, staring at his wide smirk, knowing that he had completely thrown her off guard. He flipped to Jongin's page and began to read out loud.

"'Kim Jongin: The most popular boy in school. Very rich. Childhood friends with Lee Hyeri and Oh Sehun.' Blah, blah, blah, blah and 'Special Note: Developed a crush on me in high school…'" Myungsoo grinned and saw Soojung's face darken. His face was full of satisfaction, pleased to see such a trouble look on her face. He couldn't help but a little:

"Oh my, oh my. You're in quite a sticky situation, aren't you, Jung Soojung?"