Mina pressed the small phone to her ear, careful not to drop the backpack strap on her shoulder. She didn’t know what possessed her to call Ilhoon on her way to high school in the early morning, but her cute antics seemed to be working on the older man.

“My mom knew about it and now I’m grounded, but another friend’s birthday is coming up and she wants an old album too.” Mina spoke gently, with a tone so desperate one would think she was about to collapse and cry, “My mom is going overseas after next week and I’m planning on coming. You’ll be there, right?”

Mina smiled to herself in satisfaction. If Ilhoon is present next week she’ll have more time to inspect the store and the cameras for her plan. If he’s away, she’ll take her duplicate keys and break in Kodak. She had spent nights working on her scheme to perfection, and nothing mattered more to Mina than perfection, finding the tape and eventually put Jung Ilhoon behind the bars.

“I’ll be here next week.” Ilhoon said with a hasty tone.

“I’m grounded next week.” Mina whined, “What about after that?”

Mina could almost hear the exasperation in his voice when he uttered, “I won’t be in Seoul after next week, or next month. I’m sorry but you have to find another store or something… you can’t keep pestering me over the phone like this.”

Mina pressed her lips into a thin line, suppressing her squeal, until the line went dead. She didn’t care about Ilhoon hanging up on her or that she was five minutes late to school. She only cared about Ilhoon not being in Kodak, and how her miserable plan worked to the heavens. She jumped up and down, childish giggles coming out of . If people had the energy to stroll around her neighborhood at six in the morning, they would’ve thought she was insane.

She only had to bring the duplicate key from Kim Namjoon, a senior who easily believed her lost key story and promised her to make a copy, borrow her mother’s cassette player and look for her old burglar mask. She also had to bring a flashlight, a pocket knife and a bag where she could store the tape.

Mina grinned again, about to take another stop when she felt a forceful tug at her long braid. The pull was so strong her scalp felt like it was about to burst open and she immediately placed her hands on the aching area. She took three or four steps back when the painful tug suddenly stopped.

What will come next? Mina asked herself, heart threatening to break out of her ribcage.

Mina always had a habit of expecting the worst, like a bloody stab in the back or a bullet shooting right through her head. Her hand would move so fast to catch her assailant and hurt them, regardless of how tired she felt. Everything was a fight or die situation for Mina, for she had been harassed many times before, and this was no exception. Gathering what was left of her energy, Mina tried to kick the person behind her only to feel a strong grip on her leg.

“What the hell are you doing?” A familiar voice resonated in Mina’s ears causing her to freeze.

Mina turned to face a passive looking Byun Baekhyun. She noticed he looked much better than yesterday, and she figured he put up his façade once again. Yet apparently, their intimate conversation from last evening didn’t stop him from annoying her.

“What the hell are you doing? You almost tore my head apart you head! What the , Byun?”

Mina was screaming into his face, jabbing her finger at his chest just like every time he angered her. But that wasn’t enough to satisfy her; her hands were on their way to his head, and if it weren’t for Baekhyun’s quick reflex, he’d become bald.

“Instead of yelling at me like that, how about you turn around and see for yourself.” Baekhyun seemed much calmer than her, but the irritated expression on his face was evident.

Mina wasn’t sure if she could trust him or not; God knows if he tries to pull her hair like that again. After seconds of intense glaring, Mina finally decided to turn around and see whatever Baekhyun was talking about.

It took her at least seven seconds to spot the small sinkhole in the road that must’ve been caused by the heavy rainfall from yesterday. She could’ve fallen if Baekhyun didn’t hold her hair. Mina reddened at her obliviousness, shame eating her alive and preventing her from facing Baekhyun.

“You could’ve yelled at me to stop,” She insisted, smoothing her fingers over her braid and then moving them to massage her scalp, “Not kill my scalp, gosh.”

“I still saved you.” Baekhyun taunted, crinkling his button nose. Mina thought he looked like a rabbit but she didn’t voice it out. The boy had a talent in turning everything about her fancying him.

“See? Don’t be quick to judge others.” Baekhyun added as he walked beside her.

Mina didn’t know what to say; she had lived her entire life judging people based on her own beliefs and her sixth sense, so how could she change her way of thinking? Mina would be lying if she said her concrete wall hadn’t budged these past two months. Maybe she was wrong all along. Sehun, who her power had marked as an innocent zero, turned out to be a hypocrite. Seulgi, who marked higher than him, was the sweetest person she’s ever encountered. Last week, she caught Choi Minho cheating during their Mathematics’ exam but she restrained herself from telling on him, especially after she heard him bawling his eyes out because he didn’t study hard enough. But the worst thing of all is that she was spending time with a ten, telling him her deepest secrets and comforting him. What happened to her? How did she change this drastically in less than two months?

You’re just stressed, Mina told herself in worry. Nothing’s changed, it’s just stress.

“Kang, you’re staring.” Baekhyun’s voice snapped her out of her daze, and Mina woke up to find out that she was indeed staring at the devilish boy. A stupid grin was splattered across his face, the kind he wears whenever he was about to say something embarrassing, “By the way, when are you going to give me my jacket back? Until my scent fades away and you have nothing to sniff anymore?”

That was enough to make Mina groan, “I’d rather suffocate.”

“Okay, how about this,” Baekhyun’s grin stretched even wider, his bruise long gone, and Mina knew it was going to get worse, “Would you rather smell my perfectly clean jacket or go tagging with me.”

“Go tagging with you and report you to the cops.” Mina answered, mimicking his diva position with her hands placed confidently on her hips, “You didn’t say anything about me participating in the act.”

“Okay then would you rather smell my perfectly clean jacket or participate in the act of tagging with me?” Baekhyun bit his lip, stopping himself from cackling like a maniac at Mina’s face.

“I…I will…I’d rather…” Mina groaned for the second time, “Ugh shut up Byun!”

Mina aimed at Baekhyun’s arm but was surprised when he didn’t react. His eyes were wide in horror as he bore holes through his wristwatch and Mina was soon to follow; school started seven minutes ago.

“Mr. Go is going to kill us.” Baekhyun murmured before sprinting after Mina who already crossed their street’s intersection. Mr. Go was known in Kyungbock for being strict when it came to time, and Mina had the unfortunate look to have him as her Philosophy teacher this year. Everybody was afraid of him, especially when he silently smiled, and Mina only seemed to understand the reason why.

“You’re telling me,” Mr. Go raised a suspicious brow at the two students before him, eyeing Mina’s dirty legs and thighs, “that Miss Kang fell into a sinkhole?” Baekhyun nodded shamelessly, “And you helped her get out?”

Mina decided it was better to promenade around the school with mud leggings than to experience Mr. Go’s wrath. She witnessed the old man yell at Leo, Kyungbock’s most difficult student, until he transformed into the quiet kid he is, and Mina didn’t want to spend the rest of her school years being quiet. Baekhyun would benefit too much from it, and she wouldn’t want that to happen.

Baekhyun nodded again, showing off his arms which were covered with sludge and dirt, “Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Go, I’m really sorry we had to interrupt your class,” Mina added, “But I’m sure you know that rainfall was really heavy last night. We take the same route so you definitely noticed the hole. You’re our respected teacher, and we would never lie to you.”

Mr. Go didn’t look convinced by what they were saying, at all, so it was quite a surprise for Mina and Baekhyun when he sighed and shooed them inside, “You’re allowed into class.”

Baekhyun gave Mina a secret smile before walking to his seat in the far left, while she sat in the front. Students stared at them in shock, but they couldn’t really talk about Kyungbock’s worst rivals walked into Mr. Go’s class, late and covered with dirt from head to toe. However, when the bell rang and it was lunch break time, they spread the talk everywhere.

Mina progressively grew irritated with each and every word coming out of Chanyeol’s mouth, “So Baekhyun isn’t dating Irene? And why are you still covered with dirt, can’t you go and wash it off or something, it’s ticking me off. And wow, you lied to Mr. Go and got away with it? That’s pretty cool. Last time I was late to his class, he forced me to do time-out and I’m seventeen.”

Seulgi placed her palm over Chanyeol’s mouth, causing his words to become muffled, “You’ve been going over this for almost ten minutes now. I beg you, oh my goddess, stop blabbering.”

Chanyeol gave her a weird look, “Goddess?”

Seulgi widened her eyes at her tongue-slip, and turned to Mina with desperate eyes. Mina held her breath, thinking of a way to distract Chanyeol, but the latter already seemed busy with Kim Jongin. The two girls glanced at the middle table, where the popular group sat, ate and laughed. Seulgi gave Mina pleading eyes, tugging at her uniform sleeve, silently screaming at her to do the unthinkable to save her from being known as the school’s evil witch. Not everybody was as understanding as Mina.

As for Mina, she didn’t really have a choice. Following Chanyeol was the best solution for Seulgi, but it was the worst decision Mina could ever make. Sitting with Irene, Sehun and Baekhyun in the same table was nerve-wrecking, and she didn’t want fe