Today was Valentine’s Day. Girls were going crazy at school, planning how to give chocolates to their crushes and contemplating whether or not they should confess.   “Ugh, I hate that there isn’t any decent guy at our school,” Seulyi whined, slumped over her table during lunch break.   “After Sunggyu transferred, I’ve lost hope in quality men,” Hyunmi agreed, her face propped against her arm. It was no secret that she adored and idolized her brother’s best friend, but she was content on admiring him from afar. She didn’t like him enough to hope for something romantic to blossom.   “You can’t be serious,” Maerin laughed. She fiddled with the small purple wrapper in her hands, making sure it looked good for the nth time. “Seulyi, you just haven’t found the right guy yet. And Hyunmi, you don’t realize that a quality guy has been with you all along.”   “What? Why don’t I get the ‘haven’t found the right guy’ advice too?” Hyunmi protested.   “I literally just said it. Because a quality guy has been with you all along,” Maerin repeated, watching her friend frown in confusion, so she added in a not so secretive whisper. “Nam Woohyun.”   “Oh, that’s true,” Seulyi chimed in.   Hyunmi made a face and groaned, burying her face in her arms. Even if Woohyun was a decent guy, she had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever. And no matter how often her friends tried to pair them up, some things weren’t meant to work out.   Speak of the devil. Woohyun walked in, cradling several gift boxes in his hand of different sizes and various shades of red. He returned to his seat in front of Hyunmi’s, carefully dropping all gifts on his table.   “Wow, you got a lot,” Seulyi remarked.   “Yeah, apparently I have a fanclub, and the members all planned on giving me some chocolates,” Woohyun answered, lowkey bragging. He kept glancing at the girls, waiting for a reaction.   “A fanclub?” Hyunmi was the first to speak, almost snorting. “What do they do in there? Fawn over you all day?”   “Pretty much?”   Hyunmi laughed even harder. “For real?”   “I mean, I didn’t ask for the details, but I’m flattered they wanted to make a fanclub for me,” Woohyun grinned. “Maybe you should join.”   Hyunmi was about to laugh again at the ridiculous suggestion when a brilliant, opportunistic idea crossed her mind. “I could join and make profit from it.”   “Make profit?” Seulyi blinked, confused. “How would you do that?”   “Yeah, imagine,” Hyunmi leaned forward, running her hand through Woohyun’s hair. A move so casual to her that she missed the shock settling in Woohyun’s face or Seulyi and Maerin’s elated ones. “A lock of Woohyun’s hair. Don’t you think his fangirls would buy it?”   “It’d be creepy if they did. It’s like you’re selling me out to some black magic voodoo shizz,” Woohyun said, grabbing her hand to take back his hair strand. As he brushed his fingers over hers to open the palm of her hand—a move so intimate it had onlookers believe they were dating—he found nothing.    “We could also charge for hand holding or a free hug,” Hyunmi continued, too focused on her new business proposal to realize he was still holding on when he could’ve let go. It did not go unnoticed by Maerin and Seulyi’s hawkeyes.   “Hey, I don’t hold hands with just about anyone, you know. Only with those I like,” Woohyun protested, and Maerin was so close to pointing out that he was holding Hyunmi’s hand.   “Anyway,” Seulyi interrupted, tired of seeing their affectionate display that would lead to nowhere. She cleared and turned to Maerin. “Lunch time is almost over. Weren’t you planning on giving chocolate to your crush?”   “Taemin?” Woohyun guessed. He had heard the girls talk too often about their latest crushes to know whom they were referring to. “I think girls were lining up to give chocolates to him. He might have his own fanclub too, so you better be quick.”   “What?” Maerin immediately got up from her seat, holding the purple wrapper close to her chest. “I… I guess I should do it then.”   “Yes, good luck!” Seulyi cheered.   “You can do it.” Hyunmi gave her thumbs up.   Maerin gulped down her saliva, offered them a lopsided smile, and exited the class.   “What about you two?” Woohyun asked, looking at the other two who resumed their slumped up position at their desk. “No chocolate for anyone?”   “No decent guy,” Seulyi mumbled.   “No quality men,” Hyunmi sighed.   “That’s not true,” Woohyun said, looking around the class. “There’s… Kibum?”   “Not my type,” Seulyi brushed the idea away.   “He’s a friend.” Hyunmi shook her head.   “Um… Sungyeol?”   “Too childish,” Seulyi said.   “Too tall,” Hyunmi reasoned.   Woohyun laughed, leaning closer to Hyunmi’s desk to nonchalantly play with her hair. She let him, never bothering to move away, encouraging him to continue. “There’s… me?”   “No way. You’re Hyunmi’s!” Seulyi bellowed a strong protest and pushed herself back in her chair, head facing the ceiling. “I want a cool and handsome guy.”   Hyunmi scoffed, shifting her head a little so her eyes could find Woohyun staring back at her. His fingers continued to twirl her loose hair strands between his fingers. “Since when are you mine?”    “Since a long time ago, I guess,” he shrugged, grinning.    Seulyi looked around her, desperate to vex about this situation with someone. It was another one of those moments that made her want to push the two together and kiss. But the guys were busy comparing how many chocolates they got, and the girls were out visiting other classes to give their chocolates. She had no one to rant to.   Soon, the door opened, and Seulyi hoped Maerin had returned. But instead, it was a girl with long curly brown hair, who didn’t resemble a Korean. Though she wore the exact same uniform they all did—the light grey plaid skirt a bit longer, the striped red tie tied into a ribbon above their black vest—there was a more feminine appeal to her appearance that they all lacked. She looked around the classroom for a while before spotting the one she was looking for.   “Um… Nam Woohyun?” She called, he