“You are the one. I want it to be you. I won’t go through the ordeal of not having you…”

Excerpt from ‘Perfect Man’
Original song by Shinhwa / Cover song by BTS

He loves me…

Tanya walked in a trance.  Her feet carried her to the familiar path which would take her to her next class. She passed room after room, made turns to different hallways and encountered countless faces— she even acknowledged a few greetings.  But she could not absorb what was happening in her surroundings.

She could only see his face and hear his tender voice while her masochistic heart commanded her mind to replay their beautiful scene over and over again.  And as it played on, her entire being would revive the emotions she felt. Surprise… happiness… guilt… regret… misery… fear...
 

“Saranghae.”

“What?”

“Saranghae, Park Tanya.”

“Me?”

“I said, ‘Park Tanya’… “

“Oh… that’s me.  I’m Park Tanya. YOU LOVE ME???”

“Yes.”

“Since when?”

“From the start.”

“F-first day, you mean?”

“Not even Day One—I think it’s Minute One.”

She felt the rush.  A sudden boost of ecstasy.  She flew to the sky.

Then they heard a voice call on his name again via overhead speakers and they both knew it was not the appropriate time to elaborate on this newfound treasure called ‘Kim Taehyung’s Love For Park Tanya.’

She could see that he was torn with indecision.  To leave or not to leave.

She helped him decide. “Go—your friend is calling.”

He rubbed his knuckle lightly on her cheek. “May I tell you later how much I adore you?”

She smiled blankly like the winner of a lottery who heard her name declared but was still unable to believe her luck. It just wouldn’t sink in—the enormity of her prize.  Out of all the millions of girls out there that could equal his beauty and stature, why should Park Tanya be chosen to be loved by Kim Taehyung?

Whatever you do, don’t cry—she said to herself.  You know he’d be unable to leave if you cried.  Don’t you drop a stupid tear, Tanya.  “Tell me later, bae.  I want details.”

He nodded… and then he asked one last thing.  “You said sorry. What were you apologizing about?”

Shoot... how was she supposed to confess now???

I’m sorry that I was born!  “It can wait,” her hypocritical self said to the boy who loved her. “We can talk about that later as well…”

Tanya looked at her watch.  Few minutes left before class.  She needed to get a grip. 

She entered the girls’ washroom.  She found it empty.

She removed her backpack and placed it on a dry area beside the sink.  She stared at herself in the mirror.  Her clothes and hair looked tidy enough—but her face hinted of brewing emotional turmoil.  Her eyes were glassy, as if about to spill tears.  She looked so lost and troubled.  She could not be seen like this!  One glance at her and the teacher might just send her back to the clinic again.

Calm down. Keep it together, Tanya.  After school, you will confess and do your best to seek his pardon.  Meantime, you will go to class and CONCENTRATE!

Tanya turned the faucet on and began to splash water on her face.

She heard the door open and close.  Because of the silence in the washroom, she heard a click which sounded like someone had locked the door. 

Tanya snatched a few sheets of paper towel from the dispenser within reach.  She was patting her face dry and hadn’t completely straightened up when her hair was suddenly grabbed from behind.

“I’ve been hunting you down all over school!” a girl’s furious voice screeched. The attacker yanked Tanya’s head away from the sink and then shoved her from behind. “I finally got you cornered…”

After stumbling forward, Tanya quickly faced her assailant and she was shocked to see the infuriated face of… “CHU RIN YEE?!”

Rin Yee sneered like a she-wolf, “I will teach you a valuable lesson today, Park Tanya!”

Not before I teach you yours, Tanya fired back mentally.  You chose the absolute worst timing to mess with the wrong girl!

Her brain flashed DANGER and so it automatically conjured the presence of one young man whose teachings she was programmed to recall at a time like this. 

Binsoon APPEARED in the girl washroom like a hologram that only Tanya could see and hear.

See… sometimes, her brother was Satan. Sometimes, he’s an angel incarnate.  But there was something that he was all the time. Park Binsoon was a martial arts prodigy. He held a Junior Black Belt title and was a champion in the Taekwondo Young Masters Tournament THREE freaking times in a row!  Binsoon also happened to be a protective dongsaeng would constantly teach his only sister the best fighting stance and most useful defensive techniques.

“Tanya-noona, I won’t always be there to protect you so I’m going to teach you the basics, okay? When someone messes with you—remember this. READY, PARK TANYA!”

Hearing her brother’s instructions, Tanya moved a few steps back. Ready, Binsoon!

“Focus! Eye on the opponent!”

Tanya’s eyes zeroed in on her catty attacker.

“Get into position. Defensive mode on! Gunnun Seogi…”

The Gunnun Seogi is one of the firmest stance in Taekwondo. According to Binsoon, balance is extremely important in a fight.

“Feet apart… full facing!”

Tanya placed her right foot forward and positioned her left foot at the back. With her weight on her back foot and hips turned frontally, she could see any onslaught coming her way and she won’t be easily knocked down.

“Arms in position—double block!”

Tanya clenched her fists tightly. She lowered one forearm down to her hip to protect against strikes from the waist down—and the other outer forearm was raised across her face in anticipation of frontal or side blows to her head.

“BATTLE CRY, PARK TANYA!”

Yes, Binsoon. Tanya yelled her readiness to fight, her voice echoing on the walls of the girls' washroom...

“HAI-YAAAHHH!”

“What are you doing, you freak?” Queen Rin Yee was not impressed nor intimidated. She looked at Tanya as though she were a circus clown. “What’s with the haiyah-haiyah ?” she smirked.

“Tae…kwondo…”

“Will you cut that crap?  , I DON’T HAVE TIME TO PLAY WITH YOU!”

Play? Who’s playing? Tanya awkwardly lowered her arms and placed her feet together.

“Listen to me, you two-faced …” Rin Yee snarled. “I would think that with your high grades, you’d be smart enough not to antagonize me! I warned you not to cross the best friend line, you—”

Rin Yee advanced again and this time, Tanya was ready. She slammed her palms against Rin Yee’s chest with enough force to make the girl back-off a few feet. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on me if your lame spoiled can’t fight with me…” Tanya growled the warning. This is ssssooo not the time to piss me off, you dummy with perfect hair... “Touch me again and I’ll shove your head in the toilet. TRY ME, you stupid brat, I’ve been waiting for so long. So what’s it going to be? TALK OR FIGHT???”

“You have the nerve to say that to me?” Rin Yee’s rosebud lips trembled.  A tint of dark pink tint spread across her petal-smooth skin while her marvelous eyes glistened with tears. Even in rage… Chu Rin Yee’s beauty was poetic.  She removed her phone from her pocket, quickly swiped on it and threw it at Tanya. “There!”

Tanya’s excellent reflexes made her instinctively shift her body sideways as she caught the phone with one hand. She stared at the screen… and GASPED!

“Now, look at that proof—and tell me what I ought to do with you, Park Tanya!”

Tanya stared at the incriminating photo that captured her crime with undeniable clarity.

“Oh, no…” Tanya said in horror. She brought the image closer to her face, as though her vision had been playing cruel tricks. “No…”

“Yes… yes, Tanya! You were caught cheating with my boyfr—HEY!!!” Rin Yee did not expect Tanya to suddenly grab the front of her shirt to yank her forward. “Let go of me!”

“Where did you get this, Rin Yee…?”

“LET GO!”

Tanya was powered by panic and guilt so she had a death grip on Rin Yee’s clothes. “ANSWER ME!” Tanya single-handedly shook Rin Yee’s slim frame while holding the phone near the latter’s face. “WHO SENT THIS, RIN YEE?”

“I don’t know!” Rin Yee retorted. “So many phones must have been passed on with that image—and why are you yelling when you should be apologizing to me?!”

Rin Yee’s words washed over Tanya like ice-cold water to her fire.  

“Sorry…” Tanya whispered. “Sorry to disrespect you… sorry…” She removed her hands from Rin Yee.  She moved away slowly until her back was against the wall. She leaned on the cold tiles, feeling weak in the knees. She stared at the photo and her hand fell down. “Kim Taehyung is going see this…” she mumbled. The washroom disappeared and she could see her bae’s face… his smile morphing into a sad reaction. And then anger. “Oh, no… Kim Taehyung will see this and he’ll hate me— he’ll hate me for sure!” She closed her eyes and groaned. “I should have told him when I had the chance.  I’m so stupid!” She banged the back of her head against the wall.  “Why (BANG), why (BANG), whyyyyy (BANG) did I not tell him earlier?” Tanya sensed Rin Yee walking towards her. The phone was taken from her and so with both of her hands free, Tanya covered her face and muttered incoherently. “He’ll hate me. He’ll break up with me… oh, no… no… no, Taehyung…. Please, no… I’m sorry, bae… no….”

Rin Yee heard only bits and pieces of what Tanya was mumbling about—but she got the most important parts and she wanted to verify their meaning. “So does this mean you don’t want to break up with Kim Taehyung? You want Kim Taehyung—and NOT Jin?”

Tanya suddenly removed her hands from her face as a thought occurred to her. She straightened up and stiffened. “Wait! Hold on—what am I still doing here? I should go!  I should tell him…” She stared at the person in front of her without really seeing Rin Yee. “I should tell him before he finds out from other people!  I have to find him…”

She was about rush out of the washroom when Rin Yee grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“PARK TANYA!”

“Ouch!” Tanya nearly toppled over Rin Yee with the strength of the girl’s tug. “WHAT?!”

“Are you after Jin or not? Just answer me!”

“NO!” Tanya answered with absolute finality. “Believe it or not, Rin Yee, I did not expect for that incident to happen and I don’t know what’s up with Jin— but he just wouldn’t leave me alone. Before the first period, he pulled me inside the media room and…”

“What happened in the media room?” Rin Yee… was almost afraid to ask. 

Tanya took a deep breath. She started feeling bad for Rin Yee, too. She was so overwrought with her guilt for having wronged her bae… but she failed to recognize that there’s another person she had gravely hurt. “We kissed,” Tanya spilled out.

“Cheek to cheek…?”

Tanya shook her head. “Lips.”

“Like… like a peck?” Rin Yee pursed her lips to demonstrate… ‘Mwah!’

“No, it’s… it’s a real kiss… w-with tongue.” Tanya wanted to vanish into thin air out of shame.

That did it. Rin Yee started to cry. In rage, she was mesmerizing.  But in tears, Rin Yee was heartbreakingly gorgeous.  Tanya would cry like a farm cow… but Rin Yee here cried like a lovely, dainty, suffering princess in a fairy tale. Tanya felt the urge to give Rin Yee a comforting embrace but if she did, the other girl might freak out—and then an actual fight between them might just happen.

“I am sorry…” Tanya said softly and with all sincerity. After a slight pause, the words spilled out from non-stop like blood from an open wound.  “I cannot apologize to you deeply enough, Rin Yee agassi. I cannot change what happened, but I assure you that it won’t happen again. Please… please believe me.  I DO NOT plan to steal Jin from you. I HAVE A BOYFRIEND—AND I AM TERRIFIED TO LOSE HIM. I can’t stand the thought. I can’t even freaking wrap my head around it, okay?  I am so scared. I know I have hurt you, Rin Yee. That’s why… that’s why later… I promise, you can ask me every question you have. I will answer them all. You may command me to kneel for forgiveness… and I would. Gladly! But right now… miss, please… I beg you… please let me leave and confess to my Taehyung before someone else ruins my chance to make things right.” Tanya took a step forward but Rin Yee blocked her way. “LET ME LEAVE, RIN YEE!”

Rin Yee shook her head. “No.”

Damn it!  The longer she stays here, the more she’s putting her relationship with Kim Taehyung at risk.  Tanya narrowed her eyes at Rin Yee. “I asked you nicely, but Nice won’t do. Fight me then!” She started to remove her blazer.

“Ohmygod, are we back to that?!” Rin Yee stomped her foot. “Will you stop being so gangster?” She inhaled... and forced herself to mellow down. “Don’t confess to Kim Taehyung about the incident.”  

“I have to tell him!” Tanya insisted. “If I don’t, somebody else will tell him and that will spell more trouble for me and Taehyung!”

“You know that if you tell Kim Taehyung, he might break up with you. If you break up, there’s no stopping Jin from pursuing you.  He's already after you even though you have a boyfriend. What more if you're officially single?!  You cannot confess to Kim Taehyung... not yet!” Rin Yee saw that Tanya was about to express wild resistance so she added, “WAIT UNTIL AFTER MY BIRTHDAY PARTY! It’s coming up in a few days. Just wait...”

“What does your party have to do with anything?” Tanya huffed. “I can’t listen to this anymore…” This girl could be wasting her time on purpose so she made her way towards the door.

“You owe me, Park Tanya.”

Those words made Tanya stop dead in her tracks.

“You may not have wanted to hurt me,” Rin Yee continued.  “But you did hurt me… BIG TIME!”

She won’t fight with me but she won’t let me leave— aaaarrrrgghhh! Tanya whirled around and threw her arms in the air with frustration. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, CHU RIN YEE?”

“Listen, all I’m asking you to do is postpone.” Rin Yee walked towards her again. She didn’t yell. She delivered the instruction, plain and simple.  “I just need you to hold off on your confession to Kim Taehyung until after my party.  After the party, Tanya… you can do whatever you want. But just give me a few days.  That’s the only favor I ask for.”

“But he’ll break up with me anyway if he finds out from some other source, Rin Yee.”

“The chances are slimmer than you think.  Kim Taehyung is new to this school.  He hasn't been hanging around with the rest of the students. Maybe no one except you has his contact details,” Rin Yee rationalized. “As for anyone showing the photos to him, let me take care of that.  I'll do the damage control. YOU HELP ME AND I WILL HELP YOU.”

Tanya processed the logic but found a loophole.  “What about Jin? I keep putting up walls but he climbs over them. He won’t take ‘NO’ for an answer.”

A fleeting despair washed over Rin Yee. What do you even see in this girl, Jin?  Why can’t I be enough?  But this was not the time for wallowing. Rin Yee wiped off the dispirited look on her face and answered with convincing certainty, “Jin will NOT make any untoward advances on you. He will keep his distance until after my party.  I have that guarantee from him.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I do,” Rin Yee said. 

That was the arrangement...
 

“What do you want me to do, Rin Yee?” Jin had asked.

“Can you help me convince everyone that we are in a relationship... that I still have boyfriend until my birthday party?  At the very least, spare me some pride by giving me a date on my most important occasion. Can you do that for me, Jin?”

“Of course, Rin Yee," he agreed like a gentleman. "If that’s what you want. Like you said, that's the least I can do...”

“If you promise not to reveal anything to Kim Taehyung until my birthday party this weekend, all is forgiven..." Rin Yee vowed. "I will not harbor hate against you.  Do we have a deal?”  Rin Yee bargained to the best of her ability but she could sense that Tanya remained hesitant to accept her offer.  Therefore, Rin Yee had no choice but to say the word that she hardly ever used. “PLEASE… please do me this favor, Park Tanya.”

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
 

Rin Yee gathered her loyal squad for an emergency meeting.  There were about six girls. Together with Rin Yee, they comprised the most powerful and influential clique in the whole of Dalseong Academy.  Their exclusive group was unt