Chapter 10

 

 

 

 

 

 "Hi!! Any good news?" Yeji asks cheerfully once she sat at the table with her friends Lia and Chaeryeong, putting her notebook in front of her and her bag in the empty chair next to her.

 

 Lia raises her head off the book she was reading and lowers her glasses a little, as she looks at Yeji with a side smile, while Chaeryeong put her phone on the table and imitated Lia's expression.

 

 

 "What?"  Yeji asks with a puzzled expression.

 

 - "You have all the news." Chaeryeong starts mischievously, brining her head closer as if she is about to speak on a personal topic, Lia nods in agreement.

 

 Yeji remains silent, staring at them blankly, still not understanding. when Lia sees her like that, she rolls her eyes and decides to go straight to the core.

 

 "Your date with Junhui? Last night?!"  Lia tells her in the form of an ironic question.

 

 Yeji's expressions change quickly from puzzled to realization and then it replaced with a wide and mischievous smile.

 

 "Oh.. what can I say.."

 

She starts resting her cheek on the palm of her hand in a dreamy way.

 

 "It was very beautiful.  Throughout the entire date, he was very much of a gentleman and so nice-"

 

 - "Spare us the cheesy details. What happened next?"  Chaeryeong intently cuts her off.

 

 

 "He took me home and before he left, he kissed me on the cheeks."

 

 Yeji answers shyly, covering her face.

 

 Lia and Chaeryeong stay silent, staring at each other and her blankly.

 

 "That's how someone who never dated once in their life looks like," Lia remarks sarcastically.

 

 - "Still new.." Chaeryeong scoffs agreeing.

 

 "Oh.. right!" Yeji suddenly says lifting her hands off her face. "I was about to forget."

 

She gets up and starts lifting up her stuff.

 

 - "What? Where are you going??"  Lia asks her curiously.

 

 "We agreed to meet today at the main entrance before the lecture! See you later!!"  She says as she rushes out of the library.

 

 

 

 .  .  .  .

 

 

 

 Yeji arrives at her destination, after she was striding the way through, looking around and searching through the faces of the students passing by until she glimpses Junhui, standing with his friends, wearing his back bag with a one strap drabed on his shoulder.

 

 

 She smiles eagerly as she takes a deep breath, brushes and throws her hair to the back and walks to him. When she arrives, she pokes his shoulder gently with her index to get his attention and to turn around.

 

 "H- Hello.." She greets him shyly once he does.

 

 - "Hey, hello!" He greets her back with a wide smile, "You really came!"

 

 Yeji was hugging her notebook in her arms, as she keeps bashfully looking at the floor, and at Junhui.

 

 "Of course, this is what we agreed on," Yeji replies, holding back her smile.

 

 Junhui moves his head back a little, remembering their agreement yesterday and then nods to her with understanding.

 

"Uh- yeah.. right." 

 

 Awkward silence reigns between them afterwards as she continues to look at him and smiles as he smiles back at her and turns his eyes around the hall.

 

 "Um, actually.. I've been thinking.."

 

Yeji starts focusing her attention on her notebook trying to suggest another date, and she could hear the increasing noise of the students' chatter around her, but she ignores it.

 

 "About what if we repeat it again.. what do you think?" She says shyly while waiting for his answer, "Junhui?"

 

 When his silence is prolonged and she feels that he is moving in front of her, she looks up to him to find him looking to the other side and his focus is completely there, with his eyes wide open in amazement. At the same time she looks around and sees that he is not the only one who became like that.

 

 All the students, as if bewitched, were looking at one direction and talking and murmuring to each other.

 

 She turns her eyes to the direction they are looking at and to the direction of the main door specifically. She cannot see well because some of them are blocking the view in front of her.  She moves a little further, parting them with her hand, and crosses by, to see what the fuss is about.  

 

She stops in her tracks when she sees the person who caused all this noise.

 

 Of course, and who else?

 

 

 Kim Jisoo.

 

 

 .  .  .  .

 

 

 Jisoo turns off the engine and looks at herself in the front mirror through her CHANEL glasses and climbs down the car.

 

 She stops, standing for moments in front of the main door, takes off her glasses and starts walking inside the building, her heels clicks filling the main hall.

 

 Once she entered, the noise and the whispers of the students increased as they spoke, something that is not new to her, and this time was even more than previous times, most likely because now she is walking and to her right, Jennie holding her arm and behind her walking, Lisa and Chaeyoung.

 

Walking with a sass, like they own the place.

 

 Jisoo wearing tight black jeans with a tight white tee and a black leather jacket leaving her black hair down on her shoulders and Jennie her clothes were matching with her except that the tee were a little loose and black in color.

 

As for Lisa, she's wearing a motorbike bomb jacket with a white crop top underneath and a blue boyfriend pants along with army boots. She was walking with her arms loosely drabed around Chaeyoung's neck, which was wearing a desert boyfriend pants and a tight black blouse with a wide open neck.

 

All looking and wearing fancy and expensive. 

 

 Although Jisoo was going straight to the cafeteria, ignoring the students 'glimpses of them, she still can feel the intensity of their glances radiating from them; the boys, as usual, were fascinated, and the girls, as usual, were bitter and envious.  She can hear a little bit of the clamor of their chatter as they talk about them as they pass through them:

 

 

 "It's Kim Jisoo! What a beauty!"

 

 "Isn't the girl next to her the same one who did the dance with her??"

 - "Yeah, she is! What is she doing here? Who is she?"

 

"I might be tripping but why did I just saw her flick her hair like she's in slow motion?"

-"You felt that too?!!"

 

 "I can't believe her audacity? After everything she did last year!" One the girls murmurs bitterly.

 

 "Kim Jisoo accompanies people other than herself??"

 

 "She must have paid them too.."

 

 "Waah! Do you see what I'm seeing?!"

 - "You mean the human Barbie who is behind, or the angel next to that Barbie?"

 

 

 "As if it wasn't enough for Kim Jisoo alone.. now she brought with her three more hot chicks!!"

 

 One of the boys says the last phrase, gaining a slap on his shoulder from his girlfriend, who is beside him as she looks at him in anger.

 

 Yeji on the other hand was trying to talk to Junhui, but he was long time gone and his responses were brief and final, which made her hate Jisoo more than even she did before.

 

 

 

 .  .  .  .

 

 

 Jisoo arrives at the cafeteria, her eyes searching for a suitable place to sit on, hinting at the distance the last person she expected to be here and before she changes her way they had already seen her and they're now walking hurried steps, basically running, on their way to her.

 

 "Jisooo!!" They squeal loudly.

 

 "Oh no."  Jisoo mutters to herself as she stopped and rolled her eyes, making the girls stop, too.

 

Surprised by Jisoo's reaction, Jennie eyes the person that's walking at lightning speed toward Jisoo, until they approach her and embraces her tightly.

 

 "Jisoo! You're here!!"

 

 - "Nayeun.. back off." Jisoo says exasperatedly as she tries to shove her away.

 

 Nayoon lets go of her - not because Jisoo asked her to - and directs her full attention to the lost Jennie behind her, extending her hand to her enthusiastically and welcomes her.

 

"Hi, I'm Nayeon. Jisoo's friend."

 

 -"She is not my friend."  Jisoo quickly corrects deadly as she looks elsewhere.

 

 "Oh, don't mind her," Nayeon quips waving her hand toward Jisoo dismissively, continuing to shake hands with Jennie. "I'm her friend and you?" 

 

She finishes looking at her with anticipation.

 

 "I'm Jennie, glad to know you."

 

 Once Jennie completes her answer, Nayeon drops her hand and heads toward Lisa and Chaeyoung, to greet them too, leaving Jennie dumbfounded with her hand still in the air.

 

 "Well, if you're done, you can leave us now."  Jisoo tells Nayon coolly afterwards, and Jennie nudges her in her waist lightly, disapprovingly.

 

 - "I'm done, but I'm not going anywhere!"  Nayeon says cheerfully with a nonchalant smile, much to Jisoo's liking. Locking arms with Lisa and Chaeyoung, she pulls them towards one of the tables. 

 

 "What are you waiting for? Come and let's have breakfast!"  Nayeon says to Jisoo and Jennie, who still haven't grasped exactly what kind of crack Nayeon is on.

 

Once they are far enough from them, unable to hear their conversation, Jisoo turns to Jennie and follows,

 

 "Okay, go with them now. I'm going to talk to the dean about Lisa and Chaeyoung and I'll be back here afterwards."

 

 "OK."  Jennie says softly, nodding, and waves her temporary goodbye with a small smile, as she heads to the girls' side.

 

 

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

 

 

"Jisoo, are you kidding me?" The dean says disbelievingly, sitting in his chair behind the desk.

 

 - "Have I ever joked with you before?"  Jisoo deadpans calmly, mirroring his facial expressions.

 

 He sighs as he turns his gaze to the  side and then returns it to Jisoo.

 

 "You ask me to allocate a special room to teach two girls middle school education lessons, you know this is University right?"

 

 Jisoo lifts her leg and places it on the other, clamping her hands together and placing them on her thigh.

 

 "I know..and for this reason in particular, I know that this is possible. It's just a room, there are a lot of vacant rooms in this university anyway and also, to whatever level of education, learning is one.'' She completes and holds her palms out in the air and smiles.

 

 "Plus, I already agreed with Miss Chongha, and so.." she adds indifferently, letting her words hanging around knowingly.

 

 He stares at her a little helplessly and silently, and then looks at the void momentarily, as if he is thinking about it.

 

 "Come on!  don't make it complicated." Jisoo says as she gets up, "I know that you already agree and that is why we will finish this matter quickly."

 

She finishes as she takes her bag and looks at him.

 

 Once again he sighs helplessly and then digresses,

 

 "Are you going to attend the meeting today, too? You should, you are one of the shareholders at the end."

 

 - "Yeah yeah..we will meet there."  She answers before she starts walking outside the office.

 

 

 .  .  .  .

 

 

 "Woah! the majority are looking at you." Nayeon says as she puts a strip of French fries in .  She was eating while looking around surprised as the students kept staring at them.

 

 

 "I think this is because we got in with Jisoo." Lisa tracks looking at them too.

 

 She looks back to Nayeon and digresses,

 "So.. what is going on here? Why do the girls look at Jisoo like she killed their dog or something?"

 

 - "You noticed it too?" Chaeyoung exclaims in disbelief, she was eating sneakily from Nayeon's plate.

 

 Jennie was sitting quietly listening to them, and analyzing the situation, holding her arms to her chest.

 

 Nayeon leaves what's in her hand and claps her fingers together to wipe them a little, swallowing the bite, she brings her head closer and answers in a low voice,

 "In fact, I don't know what exactly it is. I just transferred here last year and found them like this. Something about her dating many men and dumbing them to play with their feelings."  

 

She finishes wearing a confused expression.

 

 Jennie adjusts her sitting to the intensity of Nayeon's talk, it was the same thing she heard that day from the two girls at the café.

 

 "How can you be the only one who spoke to us ever since we arrived here?"  Jennie asks as she looks at her suspiciously, and apparently, Jennie's discontent has reached Nayeon because she saw her become serious for the first time since she met her.

 

"Well, when I first got here, I was thinking like them too.." Nayeon begins with a firm, mysterious tone, "How do I say it?  Jisoo was looking and acting exactly as they said."

 

Nayeon says, she can see the anger occupying Jennie's expression and so she digresses quickly,"Well that what it seemed to me at the time. Until that day.. " She trails off with a smirk that attracts their attention.

 

 "What day?"  Chaeyoung asks with great curiosity.

 

 Nayeon sighs, rolls her eyes at herself, takes a short breath, and starts again,

 "This will be embarrassing, but..whatever.. As you know there are many types of students, the most popular being 'the cool kids'" she says making quotes signs with her fingers,"and the least of them are.." She points to herself and to her glasses. "Study freaks and loners. That what they calls anyway."

 

She says and the girls just nods affirmatively with understanding, not really giving a damn about what others thought of Nayeon.

 

"And of course there must be a group that mocks the rest of them and bully them. On that day, I was their target."

 

 She pauses a little and eyes the girls to read their expressions and sees that they were immersed in listening to her story, not caring about what she was saying about herself, something that made her feel comfortable and so she completes with more lighthearted tone,

 

"Most likely it was because I embarrassed the head of their group in a scientific discussion.

 

Anyway.. I was sitting alone eating when I felt a cold liquid being poured on my head and when I looked at it, it became clear that it was a milkshake and at a distance the leader of that group was standing with an exaggerated shock expression on her face and in her hand she was holding the empty glass." 

 

She pauses again as she takes another breath and can see the girls 'anger for her from their facial expressions.

 

"Aah, I still feel angry whenever I remember that! I was alone and she was standing with her group and I could not do anything, especially since she was saying that it was just an accident.

 

 I was very angry and about to cry when I felt the chair behind me moving to then a girl passed by quickly holding a cup in front of her as she stood in front of the girl who threw the a milkshake and poured the cup of coffee on her head and even on her clothes too."

 

This time, her facial expressions change into an evil smile, letting out a sinister laugh.

 

"It was fast, and everyone was in shock, especially that girl, it was a sight! She and her white shirt." She continues snickering.

 

 "Let me guess.. Jisoo was the girl who did that."  Jennie finishes for her and her facial features mask a proud smile, Lisa and Chaeyoung were also mirroring her expression.

 

 "That's my girl."  Lisa's adds, proudly flicking the collar of her jacket.

 

 Nayeon nods, smiling at her antics.

 

 "Right? I just know that she did that for me." She says with enthusiasm and then pauses, turning serious out of a sudden,

 

"Although she says she did it because a little of  the milkshake fell on her clothes but I don't believe her. I mean even if Jisoo did not admit it, we have become friends, haven't we?" She finishes looking at them with anticipation.

 

 The girls exchange looks awkwardly between them and just nods their heads positively.

 

Knowing Jisoo, she might really did that for that reason but she doesn't need to know that.

 

 [Announcement..

 

 Students are requested to attend the conference hall.

 

 Students are requested to attend the conference hall.]

 

 

 After hearing the call from the radio through the installed speakers in the university building. Students start gather their things and get up from their tables and heading out.

 

 "Oh, looks like they're going to announce some news. let's go."  Nayeon says when she sees the puzzled expression on the girls' faces and gets up, the girls following her.

 

 "And what about Jisoo? What if she came here and didn't find us. Should I text her to let her know?" Jennie asks Nayeon as she walks behind her with the rest of the students.

 

 - "Oh, most likely, she heard the call too. so she will come to-"

 

 

 "Well.. well.. look what do we have here?"  

 

Their conversation interrupted by a girl's voice in a sarcastic tone coming from the side.

 

 

The girls stop in their tracks as they turn their heads towards the source of the voice to see a tall brunette with her arms crossed to her chest and two girls standing by her sides, perhaps her friends.  The girl was giving them a mockery look, or rather, she was giving it to Nayeon.

 

 Jennie turns toward Nayeon and finds her tightening her grip around the strap on her side as she looks to the floor. Jennie sighs annoyedly and then looks back at the girl.

 

Nayeon pulls her by her arm and gestures to her, Lisa, and Chaeyoung to continue their way, and when they decide to ignore the unknown girl, her voice stops them again.

 

 "What is it Nayeon? Did you find other people to stick yourself to? Did that psycho finally ditched your ?" She asks her with an absurd tone as she steps forward.

 

 Staying standing in their place made some students gather around them, intrusive and curious as well.

 

 Jennie stops and turns around looking at the girl with extreme annoyance and confusion.

 

 "Sorry, what did you just say?"  Jennie hisses as she moves towards her a little.

 

 - "Aah, apparently you have a hearing problem. I was not talking to you." The girl replies as she directs her gaze at Nayeon.

 

 "Jennie let's go."  Nayeon finally speaks before Jennie could say anything, nodding her head towards the exit and starts walking.

 

 Jennie stares sharply at the girl, then turnes around to go behind Nayeon. When she does, one of the girl's friends who was making fun of them, whispers something in her ear and moves away.

 

 "Really? Those are who the fuss was about earlier? The ones who Jisoo brought with her?"  She says out loud for everyone to hear, making them stop and turn their faces towards her again.

 

 When she sees that she got their attention, she continues,

 "What? Did she buy you too?"

 

 She says and her friends burst out laughing mockingly.

 

"How much did Jisoo pay you to accompany her?" She adds and her friends laugh even more, and some of the students around them joined them.

 

 Students starts gathering more and more around them as the tension fills the place, including Irene and her friends, who have been monitoring the situation from the start, and when she hears that, she decides to interfere as she approaches the girl.

 

 "Krystal, let's not do this."  Irene says holding her arm.

 

 - "Oh Irene, good thing you're here too. Look at them, they look like paid actors with poor acting. Already looking miserable." She says and laughs, then the other students laugh with her. "Can't blame them though, that is the side effects of hanging out with Jisoo."

 

 At that, Lisa and Chaeyoung strides towards her angrily, but Jennie stops them quickly.

 

 "Not worthy. let's just go."  Jennie says calmly glaring at Krystal.  Then she turns and makes Lisa and Chaeyoung walk forward reluctantly.

 

 "Just like her, like that snake.." Krystal adds indifferently.

 

 "Probably.." Her friend, Tiffany, who's next to her starts, "Jisoo brought them to teach them How To Be A ! College edition."

 

The students break in a loud laugh, some of them even howling and wooing at her comment.

 

 This time  Jennie is the one who stops and turns back around as she walks towards Krystal and her friends, looking at them with great outrage. Ignoring Lisa and Chaeyoung who tried to stop her.

 

 "Looks like you have extensive knowledge of that book." Jennie spats, making her cocky expression quickly disappear before she adds with great disgust,

 "Although I don't think we will need it, you two will do."  

 

she says, referring to them, making their expressions scatter, looking blankly with their jaws dropped. One of them even gasped sharply.

 

 

 "Hey! how dare you?" Krystal says as she tries to push Jennie, but before she succeeds, she finds her hand stopping in the mid-air by Chaeyoung.

 

 "Try to raise your hand at her again and you will find it somewhere else."  Chaeyoung hisses before she lets go of her hand forcefully.

 

 "Chaeyoung! Jennie!"

 

 A familiar husky voice, that's now even more deep, cuts in and attracts their attention. They turn to see Jisoo standing behind them looking at them with shock lined with anger when her eyes lie on Krystal.

 

 Jisoo saunters toward them until she's near them and pulls Jennie and Chaeyoung back gently, leaving them behind as she comes straight up in Krystal's face.

 

 "Krystal, what do you want this time?" Jisoo says as she glares at her with much disdain.

 

 Krystal adjusts her posture as she takes a vanity look towards her friends and then turns her attention back to Jisoo.

 

 "Oh, it's nothing.." she starts with a sarcastic tone, wearing a faux innocent expression. "I was just wondering how much money should be paid to make someone accompany someone like you. I mean, do they come with a discount?"

 

-"Krystal, if I were you, I won't push my luck too much." Jisoo says calmly, her tone filled with distaste. 

 

She gauges her expression carefully before she adds, "I'll say it only once; Stay. Away. From them."

 

Krystal steps forward, her eyes challenging.

"Or what? What will you do? Throw me off the top floor like that one student?"

 

Jisoo purses her lips momentarily, a little taken aback by her remark and aware of the girls presence, before she turns her heads towards them as her expression softenes and sees them looking at her with questioning expressions.

 

-"Just few broken bones, nothing too serious."

 

Jisoo assures them sheepishly with lighthearted tone, and nonchalantly, like she's taking about the simplest accedent and they nod immediately like they understood what she's talking about or what's going on. They didn't.

 

"But this time I'll make sure it's not just a few."

Jisoo digresses as she turns back to glare at Krystal, her tune suddenly changing to a sharp one, her face hardening back.

 

"Are you threatening me, Kim Jisoo?" Krystal counters back, matching her tone.

 

 Jisoo keeps staring at her a little silently, then smiles at the corner of knowingly and carelessly.

 

 "Krystal.. did you want the attention this bad?" Jisoo says, making a sad expression. "Woah, poor thing, the fact that you will never get it." 

 

She steps forward and brings her head closer so her lips are near Krystal's ear, "Just like how you will never get him."

 

 Jisoo finishes her words, whispering her last phrase, and gives her the same mocking chuckle, making Krystal face fall drastically.

 

She knows Krystal has a thing for Jin Young, an old infatuation, she also knows that that's the main reason why she keeps getting under her skin constantly.

 

 Jisoo backs away from her and turns around, gesturing to the girls to move, and before she gets any further, the phrase from the other girl stops her.

 

 "No wonder. You're just as they were calling you.. A monster."

 

 She finishes with anger and poisonous tone, making Jisoo stand still in her place.

 

Her shocked expression mask the great panic that crept up inside of her.

 

——————————-

To be continued 

—————————-

 

 

A/N: for the upcoming chapters, I highly recommend you to reread chapter 12 from book 1 (Jisoo's past part only), so you can understand more and to refresh your memory. 

 

Also since the original chapters are very long, I'll be splitting them into two.

 

Thank you.