"You want to rent me?" 

"Yeah. You pretend you like me, and we go out just for a few weeks, and that will make me popular." Seulgi explains, pointing the new suede dress hanging neatly at the women's clothes department.

"But just going out with me is not gonna make you popular." Irene shakes her head, clearly she's not going to agree with a crazy girl here. 

The nerd sighs as she says, "Well, I have this five thousand dollars that says it will." She's showing the moneys to Irene.

Irene scoffs as she talks downly to Seulgi, "I think you've mowed too many lawns, loser."

Seulgi sighs, just nodding after hearing that venomously words from Irene. It's a bit sad, really, because you crush just said that to you. Who's not gonna be heartache hearing that?

"You're right." Seulgi continues her words, poking her cheek with her tongue. She then glancing at the cashier who have been packing the new suede dress in a bag. "I believe we have decided against purchasing the outfit." After that, she left the shocked Irene and walking out from the shop. The cashier left a sigh as he unpack the dress from the bag and hanging it back to the display. 

Irene is so desperate as she think whether she need to go with the nerd's offering or not. Irene grab a fistful of her hair with her both hands, frustrated on what to do. "......" she mutters, getting anxious as she look Seulgi is almost far away from her sight. She cursed '!' as she runs to the nerd.

"Wait!"

It is Monday already. Students are going inside the school, and meeting their friends, having a breakfast or dating with their loved ones.

Looking closely at the front school gate, Seulgi is waiting for someone particular, and walking back and forth in front of the gate— Thank God it is the gate for students to walk in, not for the cars and Seulgi will get involved with an accident. Being as clumsy as she is, she has been hitting on people who wanted to get inside the school and Seulgi accidentally hits them. Finally after a quite long time, Seulgi sees the familliar girl walking into the school. 

"Oh! You made it!" Seulgi shouts, making Irene flinched a bit before grabbing Seulgi's wrist. "I was afraid you weren't gonna meet me—" "Mellow out, Seulmi." Irene said, taking Seulgi to the quiet and secluded area, far away from the obviously crowded students at the front gate. 

"I said 8:05, and I'm here, right? Relax, anyway. It's only school." Irene mutters, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, well, this is not my average opening day. I'm about to walk the cool hallway. I usually go the long route through the library." Seulgi states, eyes dreamingly like a puppy's eyes. 

This girl is definitely making me suffer. Irene thought, as she folds her arms, looking sternly at Seulgi. "Would you ease up? I mean, I'm the one who's gonna have to hold a press conference when we're seen together, right?" Seulgi nods, agreeing Irene's words. 

Irene heavily sighs. If this is not because of the deal, I'm totally avoiding this nerd. 

"Okay, now let's get this deal straight one more time. Um, we only pretend to hang, right? Uh, no hand holding— no kissing! And I get my lunch hour off." Irene said, but the last words makes Seulgi frown looking dramatically sad. 

"That's not our deal. I need more return on my investment." Seulgi confronting Irene, begging with her puppy eyes. This makes Irene scoffs.

"There's no way I'm holding your hands in public."

"What? I'm hygenic. I even mowed hundreds of miles for you. Please " Seulgi begs Irene, pursing her lips as she asks for Irene's symphathy.

"Okay, one lunch."

"But there are five days in a school week..."

"All right, Seulmi, two lunches."

"Three lunches. And the pep rally on Friday."

"Four lunches, that's it!" Irene whined, and making Seulgi grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay deal." She offers her hand to Irene shakes hers. "This is our sworn secret for life or longer. You promised" Seulgi continues, looking at the hand Irene just touched. 

"Yeah, yeah, I promised. Anyway, how bad it could be, right? It's only for one week." Irene says softly, feeling that she's getting familliar with Seulgi.

"No, no. It's one month. One. Month." Seulgi corrects Irene's words, and Irene is just nodding nonchalantly.

"Now, if I'm gonna do this for one day, we have to do something about your style." Irene is now looking at Seulgi's wear head to toe. 

It's seriously like nonexistent.

She then takes off Seulgi's glasses, and it makes Seulgi whines but Irene stops her from putting those nerdy glasses back. She mumbles trust me before lending the glasses to Seulgi's hand. She realized that Seulgi has the boyish style; baseball cap, black and white stripes button-up shirt, a navy blue jeans, and a dark green Vans. She then looks at Seulgi's button up shirt. "Un-tuck that, just at the back," Irene commands, pointing at Seulgi's button up shirt. Seulgi did what she was told to, and looking at Irene who was taking something out of her bag. 

A hairspray?

"Okay, now, take off your hat." Irene says, shaking the hairspray can a bit. "You totally looks like you're gonna hide your hair because you have none." Irene said, laughing wickedly.

Seulgi snorts before whines, "I am not."

She then takes off her favourite black baseball hat, and suddenly the winds were blowing from Seulgi's back (dramatic describtive lol)  

And for Irene, the view looks so amazing that she thought this is a dream, not a reality.

She literally gawking at her front view right now. Her heart were longing to feels like what she currently feels right now— 

That strange feeling, that weird feeling like butterflies were fluttering warmly in her stomach, and it feels so warm and comfortable to her. 

She's lost in Seulgi's single lidded eyes, and looking at this close, she finally realized that Seulgi is..... pretty.

"Hello......? Irene?" Seulgi snaps her fingers in front of Irene who is zoning out. It takes a few times before Irene snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?" Irene says, a bit embarrased because she's zoning out. "Oh! Lean a bit to me," ordered Irene, and Seulgi did as she was told to.

Irene then spraying Seulgi's hair, before touching it and styling it a bit. After a few minutes, Irene stops, putting the hairspray back inside her bag. 

I wonder what is in her bag. Does she had an entire saloon and makeup equipments? Popular girls and their reputation. Seulgi thought.

Seulgi points her finger at herself, asking Irene how do she looks. "How do I look...?"

"Great. Now, let's go. Okay Seulmi, we're ready."

"Oh, Irene, one last thing."

"Yeah?"

"My name is Seulgi. Not Seulmi."

"Oh, sorry for that."

Seulgi were following Irene walking through 'the cool hallway', like Seulgi said. Well, it is the hallway that only the cool kids and popular kids would hang usually and it's in front of the student's cafeteria.

Seulgi tried not to tripped when walking and she's almost tripped over nothing. As she walked with Irene in front of her, Seulgi realized that many eyes were looking at them, especially at her.

Not far from them, three famous students were talking about something about their football trophy.

"If we win again this season, put it down there, next to the badminton trophy." Jisoo complains, looking at the trophies and medals displayed on the school's trophy display cupboards. As the couple walks by them, Krystal eyes them before saying, "Hey, guys, look at that." The two other players looks at the couple, shocked a bit when they saw them. "Who's the with ears?" Jennie asks, eyeing Seulgi with a judging look.

"Yeah, man. Is that the wimp Kang kid?" Jisoo asked out of curiousity. 

What are you trying to do, Kang? Krystal thought, as she were eyeing the girl walking behind Irene.

——