Jihyo was on the bus, her left leg bouncing nervously while sitting and taking a glance at her phone every ten seconds to stare at the time. She hoped it would freeze. She was in a rush if it wasn’t obvious enough from her distress, and she prayed to all existing gods that she would make it to school on time.

 

But with every stop the bus made (like it should), Jihyo grew more annoyed. It was unreasonable yet she couldn’t help it. 

 

Mister, hurry up! I’m gonna be late! She urged the bus driver in her mind.

 

Half a dozen people got on, the same amount got off, and then the bus was back on its course. Jihyo sighed in relief every time the bus resumed moving. 

 

Just a few more stops and she would be at her destination, but she wasn’t the only one trying to get somewhere in the morning. Countless adults were rushing to their morning job and other students like her were on board with the same goal in mind to not have the school gates close on them.

 

She looked out the window, trying to distract herself from the growing anxiety in her tummy. (Or maybe her stomach was queasy because she had rushed out of the house and hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast. Egg toast sounded so good right now...FOCUS). People walking on the streets, vendors selling a quick bite to them on the sidewalk, stores opening for the start of the day, and then numerous cars moving in traffic. 

 

Another stop. Jihyo closed her eyes and hit her head against the window. This was taking forever. And then Jihyo opened her eyes and she paled. There had to be at least fifteen people at this stop. They were pushing their way in and suddenly Jihyo was swarmed from all directions. Personal space was nonexistent.

 

Great. Fantastic. 

 

Now she had strangers invading her space bubble to add to the madness. She felt like screaming.

 

It’s okay. Calm down. Count down from ten. 

 

Jihyo took a deep breath. 

 

Two more stops. Five minutes tops. Just five more minutes of this torture. 

 

She could do it. People kept getting on and off the bus and finally, Jihyo’s stop was next. Several people got ready to get out but when the bus came to a full stop, Jihyo wasn’t expecting the catastrophic drop-off.

 

She got up right away– which was her first mistake because other passengers bumped and shoved past her like she was an obstacle in their way. She felt like that mental marble in pinball until she was able to hold onto a seat and stabilize herself. The girl that had just been sitting here was two strides in front of her and Jihyo wouldn’t have paid such specific attention if not for something she left behind.

 

In the chaotic board-off, the girl had dropped a book and Jihyo instinctively picked it up and carried it off the bus. Like Indiana Jones sliding before the tomb exit closed, Jihyo jumped and squeezed her way through the bus doors and barely made it out. 

 

Now that she was on solid ground and not in a death trap on wheels, she noticed the book was a planner. The cover was nothing special, solid pink color with the title “Diary 2020.” Jihyo turned it over and inspected it without peeking inside. There was no lock or special seal. It was just an agenda to keep oneself organized.

 

Ugh! Jihyo didn’t have time to chase after the owner of this planner right now! She had to get to school! She had textbook duty before the end of self-study and she had accidentally forgotten so she needed to hurry before the librarian showed up. She didn’t want to get in trouble (again).

 

At least the girl that dropped it went to her school. She had been wearing the same uniform as her but Jihyo only saw her from the back, she couldn’t catch her face at all. It‘d be okay, thanks to that she was confident she would be able to return it sometime today.

 

Alright, no more stalling. Jihyo shoved the pink planner into her backpack and ran for it. If the English textbooks in their class weren’t on the return counter before the first bell, she was going to get demerit points and also get assigned cleaning duty after school. Several pedestrians gave her weird looks for her frantic running so early in the morning but she didn’t mind them.

 

Curse her bad memory. This wasn’t the first time she forgot a school task... Last week it had been the attendance check, and the week before that, gym cleanup. Maybe finding this random girl's planner was a sign that she should get herself a planner to keep her life organized. Maybe that way she would stop forgetting things and stop getting herself in these messes.

 

She wasn’t very athletic but right now she felt like a track star. Jihyo imagined the bushes she jumped over were hurdles and she tried to breathe through her nose so she wouldn’t get a side cramp and drop out of the race. (She was delirious already from the lack of food). She clutched onto her backpack tighter and ran faster. Who needed gym class when she ran a marathon in the morning?

 

– – –

 

She made it (barely) and she collapsed on her desk right as the first bell rang. Carrying twenty textbooks from the class to the library hadn’t been easy and she had to do several trips but she got it done. Everyone was hurrying to their seats and getting out their materials for the first class of the day. Jihyo followed their cue.

 

“Hey, Jihyo,” her seatmate and friend, Jaehee, greeted her. “What’d you get for question seven?” She sat down, getting her workbook to find that specific page the problem was on.

 

Jihyo turned her head and looked at her confused. “What question seven?”

 

The other girl blinked a couple of times as she couldn’t believe Jihyo just asked her that. “From the homework last night.”

 

Jihyo was still lost. “Didn’t we have to do the even problems?” She flipped through her workbook to see all the even problems done.

 

Jaehee looked at her like she was crazy. “The teacher said the odd-number problems were homework and that the even ones were not till next week.”

 

Jihyo flipped through her workbook faster like the end of the world was upon her. 

 

“No. No no no no no,” she muttered to herself. She slammed her hands on her desk and then looked at Jaehee with glossy eyes. “I’m so screwed.”

 

She had no time. There was no way out of this one. And to make matters worse–

 

“Good morning, class,” their teacher walked in. “Turn in your workbooks with the homework from last week.”

 

Jihyo looked into the distance soulless with Jaehee giving her a look of pity. 

 

“I’ll visit you during cleanup duty,” she patted her shoulder. 

 

Somehow Jihyo didn’t feel any better at her poor attempt to comfort her. Maybe she should really get a planner.

 

– – –

 

Jihyo expected things to get better at lunchtime but she had been asking for too much apparently. When she noticed the lunch menu for today, she wanted to cry.

 

“They’re giving pork cutlets?” Jihyo lamented. “I can’t eat pork...”

 

On days they served anything that had pork she usually made her lunch but (like all day long today) she had forgotten. It was an unusual allergy she had, closer to intolerance but still uncomfortable.

 

This was getting ridiculous. She walked out of line and back to class. It was time to return the stupid planner to its owner, which she had grown an unreasonable dislike for without personally knowing her.

 

Jaehee was in the classroom eating her lunch with their friend from another class. Sometimes they preferred to eat here than the noisy cafeteria.

 

“Hey, Jihyo. You’re back early,” Jiyoon, who was a grade above them, noticed.

 

“I can’t eat lunch today. Pork,” Jihyo told them annoyed as she rummaged through her backpack for her wallet and that dumb planner.

 

“Oh, that ,” Jaehee looked down at her food a total of two seconds. “Wanna share some of our lunch?” She offered. 

 

The two girls had packed lunches so they could afford to share. Jiyoon didn’t mind either and pushed her food towards her. 

 

“Here,” Jiyoon shoved a cookie in her hand.

 

Jihyo smiled, her signature dimple showing to their full effect. “Thanks but I’m gonna buy something from the student store. You girls want anything?” She took a bite of the cookie.

 

“Strawberry milk!” Jiyoon was fast to jump into the offer while Jaehee shook her head. “I’m good.”

 

“Alright. I’ll be back,” she left happily munching on the chocolate chip cookie. She was starving.

 

When she finished her treat she took her time to look through the planner, hoping to find who the owner was. It had the owner’s name inside but nothing else. No trace of what grade she was in.

 

“Jo Hyewon,” Jihyo read out loud. 

 

She didn’t know anyone by that name. It didn’t ring a bell. Maybe it was an upperclassman and that’s why she was unfamiliar. She would ask Jaehee and Jiyoon if they knew of this girl when she got back. Whoever this was, Jihyo disliked them already for having their life so neatly planned.

 

– – –

 

Jiyoon and Jaehee knew nothing and Jihyo was still stuck on square one. She could’ve easily returned the planner to the teacher’s office but she had grown attached. She needed to see the owner of the agenda face to face. She wanted to meet her and see if she truly had their life together like the pretty pink agenda made it out to be.

 

It was the end of her last class and the bell calling for the end of school rung. Numerous students got ready to attend their respective clubs or head to cram school. Jihyo? She had gotten assigned cleaning duty for not doing her homework so she couldn’t go to her club activities for the afternoon...

 

Jaehee felt bad for her. “Want me to stop by the music room and tell them you’re gonna be late?”

 

“Can you tell them I’m not going to make it at all?” Jihyo frowned. “The teacher wrote a lot and I have to erase the board. Then I have to move all the desks and sweep and mop the whole classroom. I also have to clean the windows.” She also wanted to return the planner.

 

Jaehee rubbed her back in sympathy. “Sorry, Ji. I’d help you but with the play coming up I can’t skip a meeting or I’ll get my role taken away.”

 

Jaehee was in the Drama Club. She had gotten the main role for this semester’s play and Jihyo knew how hard she’d wanted to be the protagonist since their middle school days. She wouldn’t force her to stay back just to help her.

 

“It’s all good, don’t worry about it. Text me if they tell you anything.”

 

Jaehee have her an ‘okay’ sign before she left. 

 

Jihyo was in the music club which was on the way to the Drama Club. Thankfully, the Music Club wasn’t as strict as the Drama Club or she would’ve gotten kicked out a long time ago...

 

She clapped to snap herself out of useless thoughts. 

 

Everyone from their class was gone now. Students that needed extra study time had moved to the library, those that had after school activities had gone to their respective clubs, others that had off-campus extracurriculars had left the school, and those that didn’t care and wanted to ditch had disappeared from the perimeters a long time ago.

 

Jihyo wanted to get things done and over with. First was the blackboard. Jihyo gulped as she looked at the arithmetic warily. She had to clean the tall and intimidating lesson of the day. She couldn’t even reach the top of it. She grimaced. This was going to take a while.

 

– – –

 

The music enthusiast quite literally couldn’t feel her arms. Cleaning the windows and the blackboard always left her sore because they were so high up. Jihyo wanted nothing but to take a nap but finally, she would be able to return the planner. She had flipped through the weekly calendar and saw (in ridiculously neat handwriting to top it off) that this “Jo Hyewon” had Dance Club in the gym today and it ended at 6:00.

 

It was currently 5:55 so Jihyo had five minutes to catch her. The first year hurried her pace, faster than a walk but slower than a run. She didn't want to get in trouble for running by a hall monitor.

 

On her way there, she thought about how she didn’t know anyone in the Dance Club. Not even acquaintances. All of her friends had less athletic extracurriculars. Jaehee was in drama, Jiyoon was in art, and she was in the choir.

 

Not at this girl seeming to have her life together AND also being fit. Since Jihyo had looked through her planner for clues, she noticed the girl had a very diligent schedule.

 

6:00 AM - Wake Up, Get Ready

6:30 AM - Eat Breakfast

6:45 AM - Catch the Bus, Read a Book

7:00 AM - Self-Study

8:00 AM - First Class: Chinese

Turn in Homework Go over Dictation Check Comprehension Finish Study Guide

9:05 AM - Second Class: History

Turn in Homework Test Today

10:10 AM - Third Class: Literature

No Homework Continue to work on Essay Check spelling and grammar Verify Sources

11: 15 AM - Self-Study

12:15 PM - Lunch

Today’s Menu: pork cutlet, soybean soup, multi-grain rice, young radish salad, yogurt drink

1:00 PM - Fourth Class: Calculus

Turn in Homework Lecture/Note-taking Complete Workbook Problems

2:05 PM - Fifth Class: Gym

Today’s Warm-Up: Running Laps Game: Dodgeball

3:10 PM - Sixth Class: Biology

Pop Quiz (?) “The Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the Cell”

4:15 PM - Extracurriculars - Dance Club

Gym Practice 

6:00 PM - Dinner

Today’s Menu: veggie stir-fry rice, pork bone stew, seasoned dried pollack, sweet potato, yogurt drink

6:45 PM - Ride Bus, Read a Book

7:00 PM - Dance Academy

9:00 PM - Ride Bus, Go Home

9:15 PM - Self-Study, Finish Homework

11:30 PM - Get Ready for Bed

12:00 AM - Sleep

 

She had even written down the exact lunch and dinner menu for the day. Jihyo was slightly creeped out. How could someone live their life this way? So uptight and no room to deviate from a single path? She was dizzy just reading all of that, let alone actually completing it. It made Jihyo not want to get herself a planner anymore.

 

Jihyo reached the gym in time, just as a group of girls walked out. They were all beautiful and very tall. There was a club like this at their school? Rather than a dance club, it seemed like a modeling club...

 

“...and then Soojin asked me to help her with flyers tomorrow but I never signed up to be part of the student council! Like, I’m busy too! Why doesn't she ask you? You spend more time with her than–“

 

“Uh... Excuse me?” Jihyo stopped and called for one of them.

 

Jihyo thought she’d seen her before on the higher levels of the school so she had to be an upperclassman.

 

“Yes?” The said girl turned around, cat-like eyes fully focused on her. 

 

It made Jihyo’s nerves be more on edge. Wait a minute. Jihyo took less than a few seconds to study her. Tall, pretty, an upperclassman (as she suspected), her appearance well-kept and intimidating, and it sounded like she had a lot of things on her plate. Perhaps...?

 

“Are you Jo Hyewon?” Jihyo asked.

 

The girl looked at her funny. “Me? Ha, no. I’m Kim Jimin. But don’t call me that, I go by Monday.”

 

She then craned her head, searching for someone among the group of girls she had been talking to. They had kept walking to give them both some privacy and were still chatting amongst themselves just further down the hall. 

 

So someone from there had to be Jo Hyewon. Jihyo gulped and tried not to fidget in her spot to give away that she was a nervous wreck right now.

 

“Hey, Zoa!”

 

Everyone turned to look at Monday. 

 

“Yeah, what’s up?” 

 

Jihyo couldn’t see who had been the one that replied.

 

“Someone’s looking for you!” 

 

And with no further explanation, Monday left and in her place, another pretty girl– whose height was almost the same– came walking over. Jihyo felt like her  surroundings spun the more the distance between them decreased. Was she walking in slow-motion too or had she lost her mind? And where was that music coming from?

 

 

Oh with what word can I explain you?

 

All the words in the world are probably not enough–

 

 

“How can I help you?” 

 

Pretty and polite. The girl was finally in front of Jihyo, almost a head above hers, and having the most perfect skin she had ever seen for a high schooler.  Was she in a drama sitcom right now? She almost forgot what she came here to do when the girl noticed the pink book in her hands.

 

“My planner!”

 

That effectively snapped Jihyo out of her daydream. 

 

She handed it back to her. “Yeah. You left it on the bus this morning."

 

The taller girl got visibly relieved. Like her life was finally back in her control. With the way everything was creepily well organized, she believed it.

 

“Thank you so much! I looked for it everywhere today and couldn’t find it so I feared for the worst. You're a life-saver," she gushed like Jihyo was some superhero. "What’s your name?”

 

“Zoa!”

 

Hyewon and Jihyo both snapped their heads towards Monday calling.

 

“We’re gonna go first, okay?” She pointed behind her with her thumb. "We'll save you a seat." They were headed to the cafeteria for dinner.

 

“Okay, I'll catch up!” Hyewon waved her team off.

 

Jihyo went back to looking at Hyewon with her heart ringing in her ears. They had nicknames for each other as if they were idols. It was evident the girl was miles cooler than her after interacting with her for less than a minute. Jihyo couldn’t stay here any longer. She felt a bit nauseous.

 

“I just came to return your planner so I’ll go now. Bye!” She didn’t let Hyewon ask anything else and left her in the middle of the hallway by herself.

 

Jihyo scurried away like a bunny being chased by a predator. She didn’t know what she had been thinking. The girl was the definition of perfect, and with just a glance Jihyo had fallen head over heels. Her previous dislike for her and distaste for her way of living had been forgotten. 

 

How more embarrassing could things get for her? She was sure the girl probably thought of her as plain and a loser. She hoped to never cross paths with “Zoa” again. She’d managed to go the whole year without ever catching a glimpse of her, that’d probably keep on being the case if she continued to go about school like she normally did.

 

– – –

 

That was NOT the case. 

 

The next day at lunch, Jihyo was not in the mood for anything. The whole day so far just seemed so lackluster. Jaehee and Jiyoon noticed her sullen mood but she wouldn’t tell them anything. All three of them were currently in the cafeteria eating together. They wanted to help her.

 

“Hey, Jihyo,” Jiyoon called for her.

 

“Hmm?” She blankly replied, playing with her food rather than eating it.

 

“Do you know the Dance Club?”

 

Jihyo finally looked up, energy having flown back into her. “No, why?”

 

Jiyoon pointed behind her with her chin. “Because three girls from the team are coming over while pointing at you.”

 

Jihyo paled when she turned at saw Hyewon, Monday, and another one of their friends from yesterday, all wearing Dance Club varsity jackets over their uniform shirts. She gripped her tray and was ready to make her escape but they had her surrounded before she could even push her chair back.

 

The scene was almost comical. Three lamp posts towering over tiny her with lunch trays in hand. They were probably here to beat her up for ditching Hyewon yesterday so rudely. They were about to pound some sense into her and make sure she never messed with her agai–

 

“Is it okay if we sit here?” Hyewon asked her all too nicely.

 

Jihyo’s voice was nonexistent. She had fallen in a trance again at the mere sight of Hyewon looking back at her with her pretty doe eyes and a smile that could charm just about anyone.

 

 

Oh with what word can I explain you?

 

All the words in the world are probably not enough–

 

 

Jihyo and Hyewon were now trapped in this weird staring contest and it made the other four girls around them stay frozen. Jaehee took it upon herself to answer and save them all from the awkwardness (and hopefully Jihyo's embarrassment as well). She could send them away in her place.

 

“Of course!”

 

Or not.

 

"Great! Thanks," Hyewon grinned.

 

Jihyo turned back to her friend and sent her a panicked look but Jaehee merely shrugged. She didn't know what Jihyo's deal was but the Dance Club members didn't seem all that bad to be turned away. The three models– err, students took the remaining empty seats gladly. It was a table made for six people so they were at maximum capacity.

 

Hyewon decided to sit next to her and Jihyo tried to look anywhere but at her. The food she left untouched was now looking rather appetizing. She pretended to be busy eating to keep herself together.

 

Why were they sitting here? What did they want?

 

Jihyo could feel her face heating up as Hyewon was still fixated on her.

 

WHY WAS SHE BEING LIKE THIS? LOOK AWAY. 

 

“You left yesterday without telling me your name,” she supported her face with her palm, smiling like she knew something Jihyo didn’t. She was still trying to meet her eyes.

 

So she dragged herself and her friends over just to ask for her name? Something in Jihyo’s stomach began to flutter– NO! She shouldn’t be catching feelings this easily! Just how lame was she if she fell for the bare minimum? If you thought a pretty girl asking for her name, smiling at her, and trying to look her in the eyes was enough for Jihyo to fall then... you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, God's sake, the bar was ON THE FLOOR.

 

Cue Jaehee to chime in again. “She’s Jihyo. I’m Jaehee and this is Jiyoon.”

 

NO. SHUT UP SHUT UP, she tried to tell her with her eyes. Jihyo kicked her under the table, which Jaehee pretended hadn’t affected her but the muffled yelp told Jihyo she got the message. STOP TALKING, she glared. No one noticed.

 

Monday did the dance members the honors. “Monday, Zoa, Sophie,” she motioned accordingly to each person with her hand.

 

“Only you call me Zoa. I let you get away only because of dance practice and having stage names is good for performances, but off dance, it sounds cringy,” Hyewon told her.

 

“Yeah, I’m not going by Sophie either,” their other friend crossed her arms.

 

Ah. So the nicknames were just for practice time, Jihyo pretended like she wasn’t interested in their conversation. Sometimes for language classes, they chose different names too. Like having an alternate English name for English class. 

 

“Aw come on!” Monday cried. “You’re both lame.”

 

Her two friends ignored her. 

 

“I’m Hyewon.”

 

“And I’m Soeun.”

 

They both introduced themselves to the table. Jaehee and Jiyoon gave them friendly smiles and Jihyo bowed her head slightly in response, still trying to avoid too much eye contact. Hyewon was still eyeing her with curiosity (could she stop doing that already? Her heart was not going to last much longer).

 

“Well, I still want to be addressed as Monday.”

 

“Out of all days you could’ve picked... No one even likes that day,” Soeun said the second part under her breath.

 

But Monday still heard her. “What’d you say?!”

 

“Hey,” Soeun changed topics abruptly, not only because she wanted to avoid Monday’s wrath but also because she noticed something about one of Jihyo’s friends, “We’re in the same class,” she pointed at Jiyoon.

 

Jiyoon blinked. “Oh, you’re right,” she realized.

 

Jaehee laughed. “What? You two share a classroom and you don’t know each other?” She looked back and forth as she was sitting between them. 

 

Soeun shrugged. “I'm always leaving during breaks and she leaves at lunch.”

 

"They're not 'breaks.' It's supposed to be self-study," Monday scolded her.

 

"Potato, Tomato." Soeun said way too confidently for someone being wrong.

 

"That's not–" Monday didn't even know where to start, "You know what, I'm not even gonna try." She just gave up.

 

Jiyoon seemed embarrassed for not recognizing her sooner. This always happened to her because she always hung out with Jihyo and Jaehee. Normally, students were friends with the people in their class but Jiyoon was an exception since she came to them to have lunch together. They had been friends from middle school so it was hard to get separated.

 

“It’s okay, I'll study next year," Soeun replied to her and then looked at Jiyoon again. "It’s nice to formally meet you,” she extended her hand for Jiyoon to shake. A bit of a joke but also a great way to break the ice.

 

Jiyoon wasn’t going to leave her hanging. She returned the handshake and Soeun let out a friendly smile. Soeun then changed topics and looked at Hyewon and Monday to talk about their dance choreography. Something about a move in their routine that didn’t look good, in her opinion.

 

While they were busy with that, the remaining three girls wondered how these girls had come over like nothing and decided to make themselves so comfortable. They were chatting like they were all used to sitting together. Jaehee and Jiyoon didn’t mind much but Jihyo? She was trying to find a way out. Maybe if she pretended she was done eating she could slip away unnoticed–

 

“Hey, Kim Jimin!”

 

Jihyo stopped moving and Monday flinched from the high volume her name was shouted at from across the room. All six girls turned around to see a girl walking (more like stomping) over, also with a lunch tray and steam coming out from her ears. She ignored the fact that their table was full and easily pulled a chair from behind her to sit at the head of the table, on the corner Monday was sitting at.

 

“Can you please not call me by my government name–“

 

“You were supposed to help me with the flyers today!” She complained at her, completely ignoring Monday’s words. "Hi, Ssong! Hi Hyewon," she greeted belatedly.

 

"Hey." "Hi, Jinnie!"

 

Going back to the matter at hand, Monday crossed her arms. “In this economy? I never said I was going to help you, you hallucinated.”

 

“You’re the secretary! You have to!” She slammed her hands on the surface of the table.

 

“I never signed up for the student council! YOU were the one that wrote my name! Isn’t that a violation of student rights somewhere in the rule book?”

 

The older girl was about to give Monday a piece of her mind when she belatedly noticed everyone at the table. “Oh, there’s three girls I don’t know here.” 

 

Jihyo, Jaehee, and Jiyoon all looked like deer caught on headlights. There was so much going on in so little time. The new girl looked really upset and she also seemed like she could bite their head off with one wrong move. They were too frightened to speak.

 

Soeun read their body language so she took it upon her this time. “Jihyo, Jaehee, and Jiyoon,” she introduced with a big smile. 

 

“Triple J. Cute,” she chuckled.

 

See? Soojin was not scary, how could they think that? She was super nice and cute and sweet and pretty and she could keep going but word limit, and Soeun agreed with her on anything and everything. She was always on her side.

 

Jihyo, Jaehee, and Jiyoon kept staring silently at the newcomer. They were intimidated by the strong first impression. They’d never met this girl AT ALL but she did seem familiar. Just who was she?

 

“I’m Lee Soojin. Student council president, leader of the Student Affairs Association, public education reform activist, and member and founder of the school’s very first Social Issues Research Club.”

 

Soeun was the only one that clapped.

 

Monday rolled her eyes, mostly at Soojin. "I made the Dance Club last year and I'm captain this year and you don't hear me telling everyone about it every breathing second," She intercepted her bragging. She needed to or they‘d never hear the end of it.

 

Jiyoon bent down to stay out of sight. "You have a captain position for your club? Shouldn't there just be a president and maybe a vice-president?" She whispered at Hyewon who was right across from her.

 

Hyewon humored her and got closer. "She is the president but said captain sounds cooler. And if you look to the other end of the table, Soeun is our irresponsible vice-president," the dancer answered her in the same hushed tone.

 

"Oh yeah? And who was the one that used the stamp of approval on your request form to allow the Dance Club to happen, hm?" Soojin pointed at herself smugly. "Yours truly."

 

Monday rolled her eyes. "Your ego is truly astronomical, you know that? Where do you hide it all? The insoles you put in your shoes to boost yout height?”

 

Soojin felt that blow in her chest but she forced herself to kept going. “And you know how school starts at eight and not seven anymore? That was me as well. You’re welcome," she clenched her fists.

 

“They cut our lunchtime because of that. I wouldn’t feel so high and mighty about it if I were you,” Monday countered again. 

 

Soojin’s smile was wiped off her face. She hated being wrong and would never admit to such ridiculous claims. "School starting later is obviously the best choice, what are you on?" She would abide by it until her last dying breath.

 

"You want me to make a school survey? Something new students were looking forward to for choosing us was our longer lunch time compared to other schools but now we're just the same as everyone else. You know I'm right, give it up Lee Soojin."

 

"Tell me what other school starts at eight, huh? In your dreams Kim Jimin."

 

Soojin's gaze was so strong it was as if she was shooting rays at the offending dancer, but Monday didn't come short with the clear daggers coming from her eyes and being thrown back at the bossy school president. If looks could kill... The intensity of the staring contest between them was absolutely lethal.

 

“Are they always like this?” Jaehee whispered to Hyewon this time.

 

She nodded in confirmation. Soeun– being the one that knew them the longest– had stopped trying to get them to stop fighting. It was better for her mental and physical well-being if she just let them be. It was basically in their DNA to argue with each other.

 

Monday and Soojin glared at them before having a second round to their verbal fight.

 

The five girls got chills and looked away. They went back to eating and getting to know each other since there was nothing they could do about the feud.

 

Jaehee, Soeun, and Jiyoon got to it right away. Chatting like they were all longtime friends and laughing with each other. Hyewon and Jihyo however, Jihyo was still bothered. Mainly because looking at Hyewon would make that dumb song start playing again.

 

She made her replies curt and if Hyewon tried to get her to participate in the conversation, she’d shut her down. Jihyo felt bad but she was doing this for her own sake! Feeling like you were on the verge of a heart attack couldn’t possibly be healthy! Just a glance at Hyewon’s eyes and Jihyo felt her heart rate spiking. Would Hyewon be able to hear it? God, she hoped not... Someone, please save her.

 

– – –

 

Jihyo survived (only by a miracle) and she thought that would be a one-time occurrence, but ever since that day, the other four girls took it upon them to eating together with