Connections. The single most important thing in life for those who strives to reach the top of world’s hierarchy. It was said that, reaching for the top without trying to build networks of connections is like brewing a cup of coffee and hoping it would stay the same temperature forever without the help of external forces. Just impossible.

               With connections, come information. Those who control information, controls the world. It is scary to think that the balance of the world lies upon who held the most advanced information. And it is even scarier how fast information can be exchanged. One moment we are safe, only to find in the next minute that we are approaching World War 3.

               I had spent most of my life building connections, both seen and unseen. By unseen, I mean my connection with people through Miss K. It sounds terrible when I said this, but I do derive pleasure from thinking and manipulating my surrounding and make it part of my weapon arsenal. The helplessness of a person induced the feeling of excitement inside me, for some reason. I felt the excruciatingly addictive highs when able to use my variety of readily weaponized information to solve any client’s issue.

               But I also have to suffer severe withdrawal when I fail.

-Miyawaki Sakura’s secret diary that nobody knows about, 2020

               Miyawaki Sakura is a natural dopamine addict.

               Also, she is a ing weirdo.

               Lee Chaeyeon’s eyes follow the silhouette of a person entering her house and went to her kitchen for some late-night milk, looking sulky.

               “What’s up with you?”, she asks her. “You look pissed, that’s unusual. Aren’t you always high after meeting a client?”

               Sakura took a big gulp of her milk. “!” she says shortly.

               “… Okay…”, Chaeyeon closes her textbook. “What’s going on?”

               “You wouldn’t believe what’s going on!”, breathlessly Sakura walks towards her friend after pouring another glass of milk.

               “Try me,”

               “Guess who’s my new client,”

               “Um… Uh… someone from your class?”

               Sakura glares at the carpet, “Close enough. It’s Kang Hyewon!”

               Chaeyeon slumps her shoulder, “Ahhh… I see where this is going…”

               “ing. Kang. Hye. Won!!! Gahh!!!”, Sakura let out her frustration on a small pillow next to her. “Damn it! Why her???!!!”

               “Well, you can’t blame anyone on that. It is your fault for not checking your client’s identity first…”

               “I check my client’s identity. But that happens only after I accept them as a client first!!!”

               “That is such a major flaw in your modus operandi. How come you didn’t notice this before?”

               “Ugh… because of the anonymity agreement and the nature of the problem itself. If I checked before they sign it, I could be sued! Come on, Lee Chaeyeon! You’re smarter than this…”

               Chaeyeon rolls her eyes softly, “Alright, alright… so what are you gonna do? Drop her?”

               “I’m considering that…”

               “Can I ask why you dislike Hyewon so much?”

               “Not this again, Lee Chaeyeon!”

               Chaeyeon moves closer to her friend, “I mean, you guys are so similar. You two should be good friends or something, it could work!”

               “We are not the same. People love her but people hates me. How many times do I have to say this?”, Sakura sneers.

               “But not everyone hates you. I like you,” Chaeyeon shrugged her shoulder.

               “You are different, Chaeyeon.”

               “Again, give people a chance to get to know you. Just like how you should give Hyewon a chance and get to know her first before judging her…” Chaeyeon smiles softly at her friend, she knows her smile can melts Sakura’s heart and make her do things that she usually refuse to do. For example, participating in the student council election.

               Like a charm, Chaeyeon’s words infused deep into Sakura’s heart. Maybe she should open herself for someone else other than Chaeyeon. Maybe she should get to know Kang Hyewon better. Maybe she can find more happiness in this hell hole.

***

               Sakura closes her room’s curtain and turn off the lights before turning her laptop on. She types something on the search engine. Kang Hyewon. So far, the result from normal search engine shows nothing of importance. Sakura snorts when she saw all the social media presence that her client has. So many pictures posted in a day. So many likes. So many praising comments. Even the faculty admin likes her posts! It ticks Sakura off how well accepted Hyewon is. She slams her laptop closed.

               Sakura takes a deep breath. Slowly, she opens the laptop back. “, , ! Be professional, Sakura. Be professional… I am a pro; I am a pro…”

               She went and printed each of Hyewon’s profiles and posts. Who knows it may contain important information that can be used later. Sakura taps on her Kakao messenger, she clicks on the name ‘No 13’. Number 13 was one of her clients that pretended asking for help back in her second year and tries to sabotage her works. A girl from Computer Science Department, pretty good at finding out stuff. Number 13 sabotaged no one but herself. Because of her failed attempt, she’s now under the mercy of Sakura.

               Number 13 told Sakura that every girl is good at information collections, especially those they considered as ‘tea’, whatever that means. Sakura didn’t trust her, to her Number 13 was just trying to run away from her. That’s not how connections work. Favours are to be returned. She is making sure Number 13 understands that.

               After sending instructions to Number 13, Sakura continues her own searching using the good old Google. She unknowingly scrolling through every single Instagram posts of Hyewon. Looking at it with disgust and hatred. She stares deeply to each one, analysing who is in the pictures, where the pictures were taken, what they are doing.

               She’s conflicted. She can understand the praises, Hyewon does take beautiful pictures whether it is of herself or the beautiful views, but she can’t shake off her jealousy. One of Hyewon’s followers commented, “Can’t decide which one is prettier, you or the view”. Sakura cringes hard on her own.

               Then she notices, the same account leaves comment in every single one of her posts. Sometimes, even more than once. “Wow, she even has a dedicated fan… amazing…”.

***

               Sakura sighs, she is sitting outside her Industrial Economics professor’s room. Her head is spinning. Sakura spent her entire night stalking her client’s social media. She didn’t go to bed. She can’t sleep even if she wanted to, looking at Kang Hyewon’s picture for too long has caused her image to be etched on Sakura’s brain. Sakura hopes that it wouldn’t last long or else she will suffer sleepless night again.  

               “Miyawaki Sakura…” her professor calls.

               “Professor,”

               “Why are you here?”

               “I… wanted to apologize about yesterday, professor…”

               Her professor snorted. “Right…”

               “I apologize, ma’am. I wasn’t in my right mind. I don’t know what came over me…”

               “Uh huh…”

               Sakura continues, “Please forgive me… and please don’t suspends me from your class… I beg you, ma’am. I’m on my final year, I can’t afford another suspension…”

               “Maybe you should’ve thought of that before lashing out on me… the damage has been done, Miyawaki…”

               “Please, professor. I beg you…”, Sakura pleads. “Give me this one last chance!”

               The professor crosses her arm, “Fine… I will…”

               Sakura can’t believe how easy it was. Now that this problem is solved, she can focus on Kang Hyewon.

               Her professor continues, “But it will depend on how much you wanted this chance…”

               “!” Sakura curses inside her head. She spoke too soon!

               “I’ll allow you to join my class. In return, you’ll have the rest of the semester to produce a complete case study on ‘Membraneless water filtration’. If you failed to submit this case study or even failed to meet my expectation, consider yourself suspended…”

               Sakura’s mouth agape. “The water what now??? What the hell is she even talk about???”, Sakura screams internally. “I… I’m sorry, ma’am, but what?”, she finally asks.

               “You heard me. A complete case study on ‘membraneless water filtration’, and by complete, I mean it must include all your calculations and laboratory results.”

               “But ma’am…”

               “No buts! You may join the class as usual, but don’t bother to come for examinations if you didn’t finish this case study by the end of the term…”

               Sakura is left with no other choice. It is either staying for another term or work her off to finish the paper. “Understood, ma’am…”

               “Good…”

***

               Today is not a good day. Here she is, sitting in Industrial Economics lecture while thinking about her new, absolutely unnecessary assignment. There’s Kang Hyewon, as usual sitting at the front, attentively paying attention to the professor, being all good and nice. Not even once her professor spares her a glance, but it didn’t bother her much. The dislike is mutual.

               When the class ended and Sakura was leaving, she can hear the conversation between Kang Hyewon and her friends.

               “Miss K just agreed to help me…”, Hyewon deep voice echoes the hall. “I wonder what she will do…”

               “Are you sure Miss K can help you with this one? Seems impossible for her to intervene in any way…” one of her friends commented.

               “You’re right… honestly I didn’t expect much from Miss K. I guess we’ll see!” Hyewon and her friends carried their belongings and left.

               Sakura just watches the girls as they go. Hearing them doubting Miss K’s ability to solve problems set fires to her heart. Wait and see, girls. “Huh, but I really don’t have any idea what to do…”, she scratches her right cheek. “I guess they’re kinda right not to have too much expectations…”

               One of Hyewon’s girls clears when Sakura passes by them. “You owe us, and by us, I mean this entire class, an apology!”

               Sakura glance at her, “Why?”

               The girl sneers, “Why???! Because of your ing attitude costs us extra assignments!!! If you just acting like a normal ing girl, none of us has to suffer this much!!!”

               Sakura scoffs, dismissing the girl’s claim. Hyewon pat her friend’s back, “Relax, Wonyoung. Just ignore her, talking sense to a nonsensical person won’t work…”

               “Nonsensical???”, Sakura shouted out her frustration in silence. Only God knows how much she wants to drop Hyewon’s case from Miss K’s desk right now. How dare her insulting the very person she is asking help from, not that Hyewon knows that it is Sakura. But still, that disrespect!

               “Hey! I’m your ing senior!!!”

               “Are you? Because you don’t act like one!”, Hyewon counters.

               “I’m not obliged to do anything by ‘your’ standard!”

               “Then so do we… don’t you think you’re kinda hypocrite to have this expectation against us…”

               Sakura just stand still, being dumbfounded while Hyewon and her cliques left. Her stillness was disturbed when her phone suddenly chimes. An email just came. It’s from Number 13, she sent a mini schedule of Kang Hyewon’s predicted future whereabout for a week starting tomorrow. That should be enough for Sakura to tail her and find out incriminating, sensitive but could be helpful kind of information to help Kang Hyewon.

               All this work she does, all for the sake of Kang Hyewon. Sakura can’t help but thinking her decision to help Kang Hyewon is somehow a disrespect towards herself as a mature young woman of calibre given how Kang Hyewon has been treating her.  

ing Kang Hyewon.

***

               Sakura is sitting inside a rental red sedan in front of an entertainment building in Cheongdam-Dong, waiting for Kang Hyewon to come out. She has her own Toyota but using it only diminishing her camouflage since there is not many Toyota users in Korea as a whole.

               According to Number 13’s schedule, Hyewon would go to this building every Thursday to Friday, from 8 until 11 in the morning. If Sakura has to take a guess, she would say that Hyewon is receiving training in there. The question is, as what? Idol? Actress?

               So, Hyewon is already setting her own path against her father’s wish. If so, then why she needs help from Miss K? She seems capable enough to do this on her own.

               Sakura sighs, her hand scrolling fast on her laptop. Now that she’s waiting for Kang Hyewon to come out, she has some free time to do some research on the unfortunate assignment that was given to her. Right now, she can’t even decide which one she dislikes even more, the professor or Kang Hyewon. Both are terrible.

               Time shows 11.15. Sakura’s eyes are tired from staring to her laptop in the dark with only the backlight on. She raises her head when she heard chattering voices coming from the building’s front door. Freaking finally, Kang Hyewon decides to show up. Sakura turns on her engine, waiting patiently for Kang Hyewon to get into her own car or maybe a bus.

               But neither happened. As it turns out, Kang Hyewon walks from the building to wherever she’s going next. She just passes the nearest bus stop and not showing any sign of stopping. Sakura let out grunts and curses, now how the hell is she supposed to tail her?

               Sakura lowers her head in shame. More than a few cars have been honking her for moving too slow and constantly stopping on the side. Thank god Hyewon is using a headphone, if not she would’ve noticed a suspicious red sedan strolling below 2 km/h about 100 meters from her.

               “! I’m going to have a word with Number 13 next! Why the hell she didn’t tell me Kang Hyewon is not using any form of transportation???”, Sakura talks to herself. “Damn it! It’s so hard to find a reliable help these days!”

               A car honks at Sakura, startling her. She let go of Hyewon from her field of view for a moment, and when she looks back, Hyewon’s no longer there.

               “Uh-oh! Where did she go???”, panicked, Sakura press the acceleration pedal. Her eyes looking around for traces of long black ponytail and grey long puffer coat. She caught a glimpse of an alleyway, leading to further west from her. Inaccessible by car. There, Sakura saw her.

               “!”, she curses. She has to make a left turn on the next intersection, to cut through where the alley ended. The red sedan speeds up, quickly passing the previous car that honked at Sakura.

               Sakura found herself in a quiet road. The small shops already closed, leaving only the lights from lamppost and her rental car to illuminate the area. The night is quite chilly, so she turns off the air-conditioner and open her window. She is still determined to find Kang Hyewon, she’s not gonna let her time waiting laid waste. The red sedan moves slowly.

               Suddenly, Sakura heard a faint noise. She gasps when she saw Kang Hyewon is being dragged by a man! The man is wearing a cap and a pitta mask, Sakura couldn’t get a sense who he might be.

               Hyewon with is being shut with a large hand can only do struggling movement in attempt to escape. But her strength was nothing in comparison to a large, adult male. The man slams Hyewon onto the wall, with a force so strong it left Hyewon on her knees. He them grabs on Hyewon’s hair and slaps her with all his might. When Hyewon tries to speak, he slaps her again and again until the little body of hers withered.

               “Tonight, you are mine, Hyewon-ah!!!”, his gruff voice shivers in anticipation. He leans closer to Hyewon’s head, sniffing her hair. “Finally… after all this time…”

               Hyewon can feel her consciousness fading away. She felt a hot fluid at the back of her head, probably blood. Her head is throbbing, from the slamming and the slapping. Is this the end of her? She just lying still as the man dragging her weakened body.

               The man halts his steps when his eyes is shined with a strong car headlight. He covers his eyesight with his arm. Whoever that is in the car apparently knew what he was doing, the owner keeps on honking. Then, he heard a voice.

               “HEY, YOU SACK OF !!! WHAT THE FUCCCKKK!!! LEAVE HERRRR!!!”

               He quickly jolted, leaving behind his prey as fast as he can. The car owner throw something that seems like a brick incidentally laying around there but wasn’t strong enough to reach him.

               “Holy … holy …”, Sakura steps back towards Hyewon shivering, but not from the coldness. It was fear. This is the first time she ever felt this. Slowly, she approaches the body laying on the asphalt in front of her. Sakura kneeled beside Hyewon, she slid away the hair that covers Hyewon’s sight. She wanted to see if Hyewon is still conscious. She still is, barely. “Hey! Hey can you hear me???”

               Sakura’s voice ringing inside Hyewon’s ears. Hyewon wanted to give out a response but she’s just too weak to do so. Instead, she mumbles, “Uh…”

               “Holy … holy … holy …”, Sakura keeps on chanting. She is now throwing all her might to lift Kang Hyewon but to no avail. She is so embarrassingly weak. In the end, Kang Hyewon have to push herself, combining her draining strength together with Sakura to get to the passenger’s seat. When Hyewon is safely laying on the back, Sakura quickly went to the driver’s seat. She felt something sticky on her hand, she smells it, “Hoooly shiittt! It’s blood! She’s bleeding! ! ! !”

               Hyewon is silent. Not even her breathing can be heard. That makes Sakura panicked even more. If Kang Hyewon is to die inside a rental car driven by the very person who hates her the most, it would look very suspicious. She could be thrown into an unwanted murder investigation.

***

               Hyewon eyes flutter as she regains her consciousness. Her head still hurts, like, a lot. She looks around, seems like she is in a hospital. Hyewon eyes stops moving when it met the very person who is standing straight in front of her. The girl is crossing her arm, looking rather displeased. “Um…”, Hyewon tries to speak.

               “I see you’re awake…”, Sakura cuts her off. “Don’t worry, you’re fine. You’ve been out only for like half an hour… not bad…”

               “Uh… Wh… why…yo…u…he…re”, Hyewon’s voice is raspy and stumbling.

               “Uh… why am I here? I just saved your ! How about a ‘thank you, senpai’???”

               Hyewon stays silent, but she diverts her gaze somewhere else.

               Sakura’s eyes become bigger in disbelief. Even after what she had done, this disrespectful head still chose to be rude and not to thank her! “Ugh! The nurse has called your friend. They’ll be here soon.” Sakura peek on her watch, “About time I go…” Sakura turns around and left, leaving the slurry Hyewon alone. Sakura can’t stand her, not even when she’s looking sick and bandaged.

***

               “Unbelievable! Un-bloody-lievable!!! I was ing right about her! And Chaeyeon thought we could get along???! What a joke!!!”, Sakura is sitting in her rental car, she is becoming even more frustrated when the keys just don’t want to fit itself in. “Damn it, just get in already!!!”

               The engine starts. Sakura suddenly come to a thought, “Huh… Miss K’s identity are fine, isn’t it? I’m not compromised, am I??? I hope Kang Hyewon doesn’t start to ask me questions later…”

               Sakura shifts her gear, “Nahhh… Kang Hyewon’s not that smart… I’m fine…”