Two Years Ago   I walked into the computer lab, my eyes frowning as I looked at Myungsoo. It was very unusual of him to remain after school hours when he didn’t have any baseball practices to attend. I never expected to find him in the computer lab either since he wasn’t exactly the whiz kid type of guy.   “What are you doing?” I asked, peering over his shoulders from behind. My long hair fell over him, and it must’ve tickled him as as he chuckled.   Myungsoo turned to me, tucking my hair behind my ear before he turned back to his computer screen. The move wasn’t intended to be affectionate considering he only wanted to move my hair away, but it managed to fill my heart with overbearing ecstacy.   “I’m trying out something new,” Myungsoo spoke casually as if he hadn’t just melted my heart.   “W-what is it?” I kept my focus on the screen. Oh, I recognized this.   “Photoshop.”   “Isn’t this the program to edit photos and stuff?” I asked, having zero computer skills. Which didn’t matter to me either. Being born with a face as flawless as mine, such filters weren’t needed to beautify me. Those with low self confidence use it to trick the public with an ideal image of themselves. Hiding flaws and showing a beauty that doesn’t exist, wouldn’t that make them a liar?   “Yes. We need to recruit more people for our baseball team, so I thought we could use this to attract more attention,” he explained, clicking with his mouse as he turned the digital artboard into an array of colors.   I squinted my eyes, looking at his current progress with critical eyes. “I don’t remember our baseball field looking this… grand. We certainly don’t have those majestic stadium lights either,” I said, pointing at the screen as I played a game of Spot The Difference with myself.   Myungsoo laughed once more. “That’s the use of Photoshop. It allows me to manipulate an image any way I like.”   “It’d be false advertisement.”   “Hey,” he lifted his hands up in surrender, “Not my fault if people believe in a fake picture.”   “Don’t you know that a picture speaks a thousand words?” I asked, rolling my eyes.   “Well, it’s not like it’s a complete lie. Our stadium could look this cool if we had more budget.”   I laughed at that, and stared at the poster once again. It showed an alternate reality that didn’t exist. It manipulated the truth into a make belief lie.   How far could a lie extend using a fabricated photo? How many people would believe? How severe did it need to be manipulated to convince others it was the truth?   I wonder.   ***   Present   I ran outside the school building, frantically looking at the deserted school ground around me. I was worried the two of them would be nearby. If Myungsoo realized I had lied to him, he might run outside and encounter them. They’d reconcile again and all my efforts would’ve been for nothing.   As my heart continued pounding against my chest, my phone vibrated with a new text message. My hands retrieved it from my clutch immediately, hoping it bore the message I wanted.   From: Jongin   We’re heading to Club A. Table for three?   Club A was the most popular club in our town because it never checked people’s ID except if they looked way too young for entrance. Considering it was prom, I had gone for a mature and elegant look today.   To: Jongin   Be there in ten minutes.   I immediately hauled a taxi considering Myungsoo picked me up from my house earlier. What was Jongin planning? Why was he taking Suzy to a club? It would’ve been better if she was left to rot on the street. Who knows? She might appear in the news as a missing person. That would be ideal.   As soon as I entered the club, I started to understand Jongin’s intention. People were wildly dancing around, a much wilder version than our civilized prom night. The two of them sat at a bar, and an empty chair was reserved for me.   “What is going on?” I asked as I seated myself beside him.   “She was crying the entire time, so I convinced her to get a drink. And now,” Jongin leaned backwards so I could spot Suzy.   I have never seen her like this before. Her entire face was red, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t from crying. She was trying to take another shot, but ended up staring at the small glass as if it were a rare jewel. Then her expression changed into one I hope she would never show again. Because if she did, I was sure all men would fall for her.   The outcast proved to have an ample amount of uality that could seduce men with one glance. Maybe it was her smokey eye makeup, maybe it were her plum red lips, but with her eyes barely squinted and her lips puckered sensually, she became an object of men’s fantasy. I have never seen anyone more beautiful when drunk.   “How many shots did she drink?” I asked.   “Just one shot,” Jongin said, holding one finger up. He scoffed and shook his head. “Apparently, she has very low tolerance.”   It only took one shot to bring out the seductive femme fatale persona. She wasn’t crying, or angry, or annoying. She was everything I tried to be when sober.   “She never even said anything about Myungsoo or what happened today. Just started drinking when I gave her Vodka, and this happened,” Jongin continued explaining.   We both stared at Suzy again who was now talking to the bartender. It seemed they were actually flirting. Without the school’s community and any social statuses, everyone’s value was now determined by looks. And judging on Suzy’s visual, she was in high demand.   “Hey,” Jongin suddenly called out to me, leaning closer to my ear to say something throughout the loud music. “How’d you manage to get them chosen as prom king and queen?”   “It wasn’t me,” I said honestly.   “You are unusually humble,” he remarked, twirling the glass in his hands, trying to mix the drink.   “Though I wished I was the mastermind, this one wasn’t me,” I said again. The bartender appeared and asked me for my order. I politely refused, cause I wasn’t too fond of alcohol. I hated it.   Jongin seemed dumbstruck, surprised someone else had a mindset on par with my wickedness. Thinking back of how society worked, I wasn’t all too surprised at my fellow students for being incredible savage. They may not have a personal grudg