It was a brisk cold day for April. The sky was thinly greyed out as if it were intending to manifest a bad omen upon me. Looking up the grey canvas reproachfully, I recalled the weather forecaster on TV reporting a fairly sunny day. I would had appreciated anything that could be taken as a good sign.

Nonetheless, the ship had sailed when I slammed the entry sheet on the counter at the event center a few days ago. I tapped my cheeks and shook my head. Usually, those small signs were enough to falter me however, not today. I took a deep breath and pressed my lips into a line in strong determination. It was the day. The day I become the princess' knight(?) and keep her safe from those low life fleas!

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“Whoa, unnie, did you put extra shade on those bags under your eyes? You look like ". Yena didn't bother with presantries, jumping right into the point when we met up by the tournemt venue. I tore my eyes from the papers in my hands and blinked in response. "Well, good morning to you too. I just needed to run all the possible analysis and simulations for today's match all night. It's fine though, sleep is overrated anyway". My voice sounded horse from the lack of sleep and too much caffein consumed throughout the night. My mind was still cramming the information for the event. A disbelief flashed over Yena’s face. “Analysis? It’s a Rock Paper Scissors competition. It’s the luck you need to use and not your brain!”. “Tsk, and you call yourself a gamer? Listen, a true gamer would know every game is meticulously constructed with its rules and underlying tactics. Without knowing all the aspects, you will not conquer any game”. My empty confidence seemed to have a decent effect on Yena. She shuffled closer. I smirked, happy with the outcome. At least one person fell for it. With slightly puffed chest, I led my particularly dry eyes over to the venue.

The main entrance of our university was led by the wide pavement and it run straight to the main building. The tournament venue was established right middle of the Campus lawn. A sturdy looking rectangle stage stood there with flowery decorations. Rows of long benches were spreading out in a fan-shape, providing a sufficient seating area. The event title was displayed on the huge display on the stage. A white clothed square table was placed on the right side of the stage and three modern chairs on the other side. Could those chairs for Minju and the other two girls? I imagined her feminine figure sitting in one of them and looking at me. My heart swelled. My eyes drifted further to find staff working on the lighting and sound systems. A cold, stromg wind blew and everyone visibly ducked their heads to prevent their body heats. With the grumpy sky on the background, the supposed to be warm spring campus and the flamboyant stage looked monotone. My face dropped slightly.

I shook my head, refusing to let those trifle things getting to me. I patted my face again to shake off the unwelcoming feeling and ended up getting a light dizzy. Maybe I should had slept properly. I was massaging the bridge of my nose when Yena slid into my view. “What’s your strategy for the first match then?”. I could sense her bubbling curiosity though she was trying to act cool. It was kind of funny and oh so Yena. A sense of normalcity calmed me down. I shot her a grin. “Just watch and learn”.

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“Damn unnie! I can’t believe you beat Kwangbae, Nako, all the whats-his-names and made it to Final!” Yena threw herself at me, almost knocking me down in the process as I descended the stage. She was a ball of goofiness and it was infectious, I smiled proudly. “A piece of cake, really”. “I gotta take back all my words. You sure know how to play the game!”. “Yea, the key is to do a good prep. That separates the winners and the losers”. 

“Oh yeah? How intriguing, I’d love to know more about this preparation you are taking about”. Hyewon emerged from the back stage and gave me a predatory smirk. A cold sweat run down on my back. “W-well yeah. Anyway, I need to go do the prep for the final battle. I’m gonna-“Wait, what’s going on?”. Yena was idiot but not dumb. She sensed Hyewon's change of demeanor. Her eyes travelled over to Hyewon and back to me, considering who should grill further. Her nose even twitched to sniff the air like a hound dog.

“She’s been bribing everyone”

Hyewon stated nonchalantly. I jumped in panic and rushed to cover her unfiltered mouth before she could add anything else. “Shhhhh! You can't say those things out loud. And I told you it’s not a bribe, I made deals!”. Yena cried out. “Holy , no unnie! Did you seriously sabotage the school event?!”. Her expression ahagast with horror. “Okay okay! I’ll tell you. Just keep it down!” I whisper-yelled back desperately. The pure admiration presented earlier on Yena's face was completely gone, replaced by a hard scoff. I threw eye-daggers at Hyewon who was grinning ear to ear like the Cheshire cat. This girl was kind-hearted but she would never pass up an opportunity to annoy us. A natural sadist, again like a cat, I shot another dagger at her. “Well, you know that there is no ultimate method to win Rock Paper Scissors so I studied all the participants last night”. “All of them?!". I fished out my mobile and flashed a few socials I had been. “Duh, some of them are total , I tell you".

“Says the total stalker”

“You’ll end up behind the bars someday”

The voices of Hyewon and Yena made a great harmony if not for the sass in them. Yena continued. “How did you bribe them?”. Feeling suddenly tired, I shrugged. “Like us, most of them are struggling with their assignments right. I just offered to help. I have now 5 new assignments to submit by the end of month”. Yena choked, her lips quivering. “5 assignments!". “And for the rest was something material”. The glutton beamed, flashing her shiny teeth in victory. “Yep, I'm getting 5 free meals!”. “A-and Nako?". “Twice’s concert tickets for two”. Yena paled and her mouth hit the ground. “Unnie! That’s almost impossible mission and even if you did manage, their tickets are super expensive!” I tried to shrug it off with nonchalance but failed miserably. Yena was right, my bank balance would hit minus. I swore to increase my part time shift. Sympathy palpable, she put her hand on my shoulder. “Unnie, listen. This unrequited love will kill you someday”. “A hard working ”. I feigned nonchalance, failed again. "... let's focus on the next match. It's gonna be tough if…" A loud roer erupted and a cheerful MC's voice came through the festival speakers.

The winner is, the angel voice Chaewon!  We’ll be right back for the final game after a short break, stay tuned!

“So it is her after all.". I crosse my arms in contemplation. I was really hoping to face the other. Chaewon was a tougher cookier to crack. The two girls sensed my agitation, sobering. “What are you ging to offer?”. “...I have a few cards in my sleeve. I need to go talk to her before it gets too late”. With that, I left them in my wake.

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After the brief intermission, Chaewon and I found ourselves standing on the stage. The audience were buzzing with excitement and my legs shifted restless.