If it was possible, Chaeyoung wanted to burn Lisa into the ground using all the energy she had, but obviously, it would be considered murder and go against her morals. She much preferred the peaceful way out- after all, it meant less energy spent kicking . But she did love kicking . Hmm.

Amidst her inner ramblings, her attention shifted to the person seated a few rows in front, long silky hair cascading down her back. She knew who it was, obviously, but at the same time, she didn’t.

How Tzuyu could change so much, she had no idea, but that didn’t matter now. She had never seen Tzuyu cry as much as she was now, tears slowly dripping from her cheeks as she sobbed quietly, careful not to alert anyone.

Well, Chaeyoung wasn’t like anyone, and she couldn’t break her gaze away from the heartbreaking scene in front of her. If anything, it made her want to cry too- blame the effects of emotional distress.

She knew exactly why she was crying as well- Well, who wouldn’t, if their boyfriend cheated on them with the evil nemesis. It was just like betrayal- an emotion Chaeyoung was all too familiar with.

And seeing one of her childhood friends cry- Well, Chaeyoung couldn’t really describe the desire she was feeling, half to punch Lisa in the face and the other to embrace Tzuyu.

Chaeyoung sunk further into the comfort of her arms, hoping to drown out all these radical thoughts. She didn’t even know why she was feeling so much animosity towards Lisa, who was basically an angel to everyone except Tzuyu. And Tzuyu- heck, she only thought Tzuyu was attractive until now. Now, things were moving too fast, and even her powers couldn’t stop this sudden wave of feelings for a particularly tall female.

Ah, and lesbians aren’t really big in this city. Yet another reason to add to the list of why Chaeyoung shouldn’t let this tiny tiny attraction develop- it only spelt out trouble for both of them.

……….

Usually during breaks, Chaeyoung liked to plug in her good ol’ earphones, sit in some tree located in the school park and do a little doodling. It helped her relax, which was much needed in this highly stressful society.

And besides, she loved drawing. Been at it every day ever since she was young- from the time she learnt the use of paintbrushes to her higher-level art class. She had many good drawings, or so she liked to think- but even the best cannot get too proud.

Regardless of her drawing ability, it would seem she was not going to get any free time whatsoever. Sana was giving her the evil eye, which translated in Sana language was “You and me are going to talk later and if you avoid me I’ll eat you”. Chaeyoung really liked to believe this was simply an empty threat, but with Sana she never really knew.

As soon as the school bell ended, Chaeyoung saw her move with blinding speed towards her table, surprising for someone who was never that athletic.

“Chaeyoung” Sana said as she shifted her chair to face Chaeyoung, “Can we talk?”

“Well do I have a choice?” Chaeyoung asked, already knowing the answer as she shifted her body further into the seat, hoping to find a comfortable spot to rest in as she prepared for the inevitable emotional talk.

“You do, but if you say no our friendship will be on strings.” Sana scoffed, acting hurt as she took out the Japanese biscuits one of her admirers had given her earlier in the hallway. In case Chaeyoung forgot to mention, everyone who didn’t know Sana was gay basically spent 90% of their school life trying to woo her. Unfortunately for them, she was obviously a er for Dahyun, who was suspiciously nowhere to be seen.

“That’s weird, where’s tofu?” Chaeyoung looked around, smelling something fishy. Usually the two were inseparable, even going to the toilet together because of some stupid toilet monster they have to face. Which was bull, because if there was a monster attacking her friends Chaeyoung would have destroyed it already.

“Well, there are 2 things on the agenda today.” Sana looked up with puffy cheeks, brown hazelnut eyes filled with caution and fear- wait, fear? “First is Tzuyu, and the other is concerning Dahyun.”

“She’s not getting bullied, is she?” Chaeyoung slammed the table, feeling the anger inside rise at an alarming rate. If some was hurting one of her best friends-

“Can you chill, Chaeyoung? If we were in trouble, we would definitely tell you.” Sana laid a reassuring hand on Chaeyoung’s, and she sunk back into her seat slowly, head lowered. “Well, at least that’s what I think.”

At this, Chaeyoung glanced upwards only to see rare tears forming in Sana’s eyes, sparkling ever so slightly in the light of the morning sun. “Sana… what’s that supposed to mean?” Chaeyoung was afraid of the answer, but she needed to know- she needed to protect the few people who were so precious to her.

“I think Dahyun’s not telling us something” Sana bit her lip, a slight tear rolling down her cheek as she glanced away, “We went out yesterday, and we were buying snacks. When she reached for our favorite chocolate on the shelf, her shirt lifted up and -”

“Sana, it’s okay” Chaeyoung whispered soothingly as Sana let her head sink for a moment, trying to control the waterfall cascading from her cheeks. “Come on, you can tell me. We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

Nodding her head, Sana sniffled and wiped her tears off, fixing Chaeyoung with a determined stare. “There were bruises, dark ugly ones, lining her midriff and standing out against her white milky skin. Ugly and misshapen, like they were caused by brute force against pale skin. Like she had been beaten. And I- And I asked her about it, and she told me she had fallen down, nothing to worry about.”

“I believed her then, but then as we were climbing the stairs her sleeves rode up and I saw them again, Chaeyoung, ugly red scars and wounds extending deeper into her arms. Chaeyoung please, I don’t know what -”

“Shhh…” Rubbing slow circles into her hand, Chaeyoung tried to soothe Sana’s sadness and confusion, knowing just how emotional she was. Heck, she even cried over a squirrel getting eaten.

But this was no squirrel, this was her friend they were talking about. This was Kim Dahyun, the most cheerful person she had ever met. She was Chaeyoung’s very first friend, the class clown who had confidently introduced herself to Chaeyoung with a big bright smile. They did everything together ever since, until she met Sana. Now, they hung out less, but they were still best friends and Chaeyoung would die for them both in a heartbeat. But before she died, she would have to commit murder by finding the s who did this to Dahyun. This was no fall; this was something else- this was abuse.

“Chaeyoung?” Sana’s small voice broke her train of thought and Chaeyoung turned to look at her questioningly. “You’re- you’re making the ground shake. And you’re floating.” At this, Chaeyoung glanced around, only to discover Sana was right, she was so caught up in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed the energy she was releasing- the class was already turned upside down, scorch marks appearing on the tables closest to her. The whiteboard had turned victim too, the Korean word for death appearing in its center with ugly burnt marks.

Cursing quietly at her lack of restraint, Chaeyoung let herself fall back to the ground, concentrating some of her powers on rearranging the chairs and tables and getting rid of the stains left behind by her anger.

“Sana, don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of this- you just stick by her side, okay?” Sitting back down, Chaeyoung shook Sana’s shoulder, hoping to comfort her enough to elicit a response.

Sana glanced up, trusting eyes locking with Chaeyoung’s- burning with rage, anger and hatred. “Chaeyoung, just promise me you won’t get into trouble.”

Chaeyoung knelt beside her, hand clamping even tighter as she gave Sana a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, I’ll be safe.”

Hearing this, Sana smiled happily, spreading warmth throughout Chaeyoung’s body as she wiped her tears away.

“Another thing, Chaeyoung…”

“Yea?”

“Tzuyu. I know you’re thinking about her.” At this sudden accusation, Chaeyoung felt her cheeks heat up, probably at the injustice of this statement (it obviously wasn’t). “What? Her? No way, Sana, you know me, I’m -”

“You’re right,” Sana interrupted, cutting Chaeyoung off. “I know you, and I know your crush. And as your best friend, I’m saying this now. Until she stops being a , until she becomes the old Tzuyu you were so fond off before, you are not getting anywhere near her. Because, now she’s emotionally unstable, and she’s going to find something to latch on to, it dry and leave it for dead. And if that thing is you, there will be no escaping me.”

Hearing Sana’s death threat, Chaeyoung felt a sense of gratefulness stir inside her, pulling on her heart strings. She knew Sana was right anyways- but that wasn’t going to stop her from enjoying the scenery, or comfort her. Not that Sana needed to know.

“I will, don’t you worry. Now finish your meal okay? Class is starting soon, and we don’t want to be caught eating in class.” Chaeyoung gave Sana a little rub on her head, causing Sana to grin cutely before stuffing her hamster-like cheeks with more biscuit.

As the loud sounds of chewing filled the comfortable silence, Chaeyoung glanced towards the window, watching the crowd of students mingle with each other, conversations too soft for Chaeyoung to hear without using her enhanced hearing.  

The people who did this to dahyun were going to die, she was sure of it. But the question still remained- who did it? And why?

Chaeyoung would have to get to the bottom of this, even if it meant stalking her friend in secrecy. And no one was going to save these criminals from the torture they would receive for hurting Dahyun.

No one.