It was an intense stare-off, and neither of them were thinking of backing down soon.

Son Naeun was surprisingly standing her ground still, as the tough-looking student before her was practically murdering her with her piercing gaze.

Most of the other students would’ve definitely fled by now, yet she has proven once again to be a bold one. “You heard me the first time, Jung Eunji.”

“And what do you mean by ‘people like us’?”

“Troublemakers, delinquents, thugs… you should know what I mean.”

“Wow, aren’t you a sweet talker.”

“I’m merely stating the truth.”

“ing hell…”

Jung Eunji truly couldn’t believe her ears- nor did she want to.

With an elegant appearance and such a charming voice, she really didn’t expect for the girl to own such a sharp tongue as well.

Even when if she had already experienced her sass, she didn’t think it would escalate to this extent.

Unfortunately, it was no longer a pleasant surprise.

Son Naeun, on the other hand, remained persistent with her act.

She could sense the other female’s growing anger, yet she wasn’t going to budge out of fear.

If it was for Park Chorong’s sake, she was willing to take things to the extreme- which, to her, this seemed to be the case.

“I’m quite certain that Chorong-unnie wouldn’t want her peaceful school days to get affected nor ruined by anyone’s thug-like behaviour, so once again I’ll strongly suggest for you to leave us alone. If you won’t do so after my polite warning, I won’t have a choice but to make you.”

“You’re talking as if we’re some sort of disease.”

“People like you tend to be bad influences, so my phrasing is appropriate still.”

“And what exactly makes us look like a pair of hooligans, huh?”

“Well, your attire already says a lot.”

“Oh I see, so you’re a judgemental b*tch.”

The tension continued to thicken as both of them remained faithful to their sides.

They knew how both their dignities and their friends’ well-being were on the line, hence with such a hefty price, they couldn’t afford to lose that easily.

“You know, I’ve seen the way your friend treats others.” Naeun continued their battle with an attack, “Not only does she have a foul mouth like your own, she can be quite a violent person. For you to accept that sort of behaviour and to become her best friend should clearly prove my previous points.”

“True, we cuss a lot, but we sure ain’t a pair of s that judges a book by its cover.” Eunji defended with a frown, “We also don’t treat our fellow schoolmates like crap for absolutely no good reasons either, though it seems like that’s a unique hobby of yours, Naeun-yang.”

“I do have a good reason, and I’ve explained it already.”

“All you’ve said is how we look like thugs and we’re bad influences.”

“Yes, and that should be enough for you to figure things out by yourself.”

“Cut the crap, Naeun. I don’t have time nor patience for this sh*t.”

The cold-looking female let out a sigh as she realised how they weren’t making any progress.

She crossed her arms before her chest as her gaze softened slightly, catching the other off-guard with her sudden shift in attitude. “It seems like you need me to spoon-feed you the direct meanings, huh… well, let me help you with just that, then.”

All of a sudden, she decreased the distance in between themselves and placed both hands gently onto Jung Eunji’s shoulders, ironically making the girl’s entire body tense up from her random touch; her lips had brushed slightly against Eunji’s ear when she leaned closer towards it, though she managed to dismiss it entirely without showing any reaction. Her mind was far too occupied with constructing her following sentences, anyways.

Eunji, however, became a completely flustered mess and caught herself holding in her breath from their close proximity.

Her hands had automatically clutched onto the girl’s slim waist the moment Naeun’s placed themselves onto her now-slightly-raised shoulder blades, a poor attempt at stopping her from moving any closer. At least the intimacy has successfully distracted her from her anger, and instead she was experiencing an increase in body temperature as well as an acceleration in her pulse.

She shut her eyes tightly when Naeun’s breath tickled against her skin.

She honestly had no idea on what to expect, and it was far too late to surrender now.

With a sharp inhale of her own, she took in the soft voice that whispered:

“I’m trying to make you hate us so you can quit playing Cupid faster, pabo.”

Both the girl’s actions and words had caused Eunji to no longer be in full control of her lips, now becoming a stuttering mess. “W-What?”

At that exact same moment, Naeun’s sharp senses detected the approach of a familiar-looking female in the distance, triggering for her to pull away.

However, right before she did just that, she made sure to inform the rosy-cheeked girl one last thing:

“I want you to save your energy, because Chorong-unnie’s absolutely terrified of your friend and that’s not going to get you guys anywhere, is it?”