Bae Joohyun would rather be caught dead in the toilet than be seen speaking to the school’s most disappointing students. Her status did not allow it, absolutely not, but the circumstances were special to say the least. Not only were they special, but riddled with conundrums and scenarios that were worse, really. So, she had no choice but to consult with the school’s favorite misfit.

Seated by the staircase behind the girl’s dorm was Kang Seulgi with a cigarette dangling from her lips, looking down at the comic in her hands with just an indifferent glance rather than a furrowed brow, sitting on her bomber jacket. She was sporting the school uniform with her usual disheveled style and teetering on the edge of breaking the rules, which was precisely the reason why Bae Joohyun felt iffy about interacting with… her kind. Joohyun was sure that there were like four rules of conduct broken at the very moment. She was smoking, she was wearing the uniform however she wanted, she had cigarettes on campus and…

She was just Kang Seulgi, that ought to be breaking the rules.

Standing in the doorway of the emergency exit doors, Joohyun pondered if she really had any other options than to beg Kang Seulgi for help. She could always ask Kim Yerim, Seulgi’s friend, for a quick job and bribe her with something she likes, but then she remembered the unpredictable nature of that typhoon and opted otherwise. She also thought of Park Sooyoung, her cheerleader friend, who had ways and means of getting what she wanted, but then it would mean risking her friend’s neck for it. Hell, she even thought about asking for the teacher’s help, but a nagging in the back of her head made her feel like that would not be optimal.

Considering her diary contained secrets. Secrets that no one should be reading, especially the school’s hoodlums. But then again… out of everyone...

She had no choice but Seulgi.

Seulgi looked behind her, noted Joohyun’s presence with a quick nod and returned to her comic with no more words. 

God.

“Alright, I’ll make this quick,” said Joohyun, closing the backdoor shut and coming down the flight of stairs to meet with Seulgi face to face. “I’ll pay you for this, but keep your trap shut about it.”

Seulgi’s head snapped up at the mention of money, interest piqued and it was showing on her lopsided smile and the devious look in her eyes. Soon the comic flew over the railing of the staircase and Seulgi crossed her arms, leaning back and listening. “You caught my interest. What’s up?”

Joohyun crossed her arms as well. “Jihyo stole my diary and I want it back.”

Seulgi was confused for a second. “Jihyo? Like… Cheerleader Captain Jihyo?”

“Who else would it be?” Joohyun rolled her eyes.

Taking a quick drag from her cigarette, Seulgi scratched her head. “Aren’t you a cheerleader, too?”

“That’s besides the point, Kang,” Joohyun said, taking two long strides forward and snatching the cigarette away from Seulgi. “You’re going to get it or what?”

Seulgi was slightly unamused but made no effort to grab the cigarette back. Instead, she shrugged. “Do you know where it is?”

“In her locker, I’m certain of it.”

A moment of silence. 

“The year just started,” Seulgi chuckled.

“Tell that to her, not to me,” Joohyun tossed the cigarette down on the floor and was met with the troublesome fact that she wasn’t wearing any shoes. The satisfactory stomp was squandered.

Another moment of silence from Seulgi, who was still scratching her head and possibly thinking about it. Ugh, that was one of the things she disliked about Seulgi in general. Not only was this girl an expert pickpocketer, but very persuasive with her words at times. A misfit with all the letters of the word counted. And yet, she was always a little slow to the uptake, a bit naive…

Somehow adorable.

Annoyed, she snapped her fingers. “Wake up, Kang. We don’t have all day.”

Seulgi laughed and stood up, arms akimbo with hands on her hips. “Relax, okay? Time is divine and thinking is good.”

“Yes, but it’s getting dark and cheerleader practice just finished, now is the time.”

“Is it really?” Seulgi questioned, cocking one eyebrow up with a smile that never faded.

Joohyun couldn’t retort to that, no matter how much she wanted to. She had a point.

Seulgi didn’t wait for an answer, instead she walked closer to Joohyun with slow and relaxed steps. “I can’t assure you I’m gonna find your book in one piece--.”

“I don’t care, just find it. That’s all I really need,” Joohyun interrupted, arms still crossed but slowly backing away as Seulgi got closer.

And closer.

Somehow, her heart thumped madly at this.

Soon, Seulgi was too close to her liking, face to face. Was her aim to intimidate?

“What are you--.”

STOMP!

Seulgi put out the fire of her cigarette with her feet, her lips curling into… a smirk? Joohyun couldn’t really read that gesture on her lips, but it felt both mocking and strangely, very strangely, alluring. Her sharp, cat-like eyes didn’t look away from her own and that…

She couldn’t explain it.

“Then we have a deal,” Seulgi said softly, reaching down for the pocket in her skirt and fishing out her zippo lighter and a pack of cigarettes. 

“W-what…?” Joohyun asked as she watched, soon feeling Seulgi’s firm grip on her hand, prying it open and slamming both things onto her palm. “What are you doing?”

“Just keep those for me, I’ll be back in thirty minutes,” Seulgi said immediately, walking away as she picked her patched bomber jacket and slipped it on. With her back facing Joohyun, she figured the pristine cheerleader could see her favorite patch that she’d sewn behind the jacket.

“ it.”

Not too obscene, but just the right amount to get the teachers scowling and giving her a look.

Joohyun rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Loser,” she said, but that loser was going to risk her neck to grab her diary back from her very own captain.

That loser, also, looked quite cool.

Ugh.

Looking down at her hand, she finally realized that she was holding two very ilegal objects on school grounds. A silver zippo lighter with fancy engravings and a beaten pack of cigarettes, very much full. Now it was hers to hide, because no one would believe that she actually spoke to Kang Seulgi and received these. Better yet, for her sake, she couldn’t say anything about it. 

Thirty minutes, right?

“Goddamn you, Kang Seulgi,” mumbled Joohyun, sitting down by the staircase and eyeing that discarded comic.

Not her kind of literature, but better than nothing.

[ ♦ ]

Kang Seulgi had more than just breaking into a locker in mind. In her pockets was a small perfume bottle of the most putrid smelling essence Seulgi had ever had the misfortune to smell. Kim Yerim had bought it for Seulgi as a little prank at the start of this year, and when Seulgi smelled it she couldn’t help but to feel all her stomach wanting to escape from any exit it could find. It was gross, it was too much and it couldn’t just sit in her desk at the dorm with no real purpose. So, she put it in her locker carefully and made sure no one saw it, so that one day she could use it.

Today was such an occasion.

Walking cooly with her hands into her pockets, she walked past a prefect and turned around to see him still staring at her. A friendly wave and a friendly smile, but when he turned around her middle finger couldn’t help but to greet him. Isn’t she such a polite little thing? Well, can’t blame her, she doesn’t like authority.

Swiftly and before the curfew began to take effect, Seulgi slithered into the school building just as some students were walking out like a serpent slipping past the crowd unnoticed. Everyone minded their own business as Seulgi walked with aim and purpose to the endless rows of lockers. All similar, only differentiated by numbers and some customization that some people bothered to do.

She knew the numbers by memory, so she didn’t even bother to look at any of the other ones. Just when she found it, the hallways were empty and lonely, only the sun of the windows accompanying her in this dangerous stealth mission. Twisting the knob with her ears sharp and close to the locker’s lock, Seulgi ceased even her breathing. Soon, it clicked all three times and she could look into the locker to find only textbooks, other accessories and trinkets that she couldn’t care less about. Opening the only notebooks inside there, she found this was indeed the right locker, just that it didn’t have what she needed.

“Damn.”

This meant that she’d have to sneak into the gym and the gym lockers, because it was sure to be there. Still, not all was lost. Seulgi fished out the perfume and put it at the very edge of the locker, closing it strategically.

Locked and loaded, she moved on and no one noticed her. 

Traversing through campus, Seulgi couldn’t help but to wonder why the newest cheerleader, the popular Bae Joohyun, called for her. Out of all people, why would she choose Seulgi to do this? Especially with an object so precious like her diary.

And why were her eyes so nervously travelling everywhere when she walked close?

A wild thought crossed her mind, but she didn’t indulge in it as she walked right past the fountain and walked straight to the gymnasium, ignoring the nasty looks from the jocks. She felt that tantalizing shot of adrenaline; that wave of sensitivity all over her body that was oddly refreshing. However, there was one little possible obstacle.

A very nosy student, a youngin that was very likely to tell on whoever was doing anything that was the slightest bit wrong. People say a snitch, basically, but Seulgi considered this guy a challenge rather than trouble. She walked on with her hands in her pockets, perhaps looking suspicious enough for him to catch on, especially him being at the top of the bleachers while the unofficial dodgeball game was about to start.

She only stopped to greet a friend or two before she slipped down stairs towards the locker rooms. It was only two seconds after she disappeared from his sight that he stood up and made his way down there.

Seulgi’s heart thumped in once she found the locker, her hands slightly jittery and her breath slightly shaky. The idea of getting found out, at least by a student, was exhilarating. The showers were empty and the locker room was as well. This was the moment, but for some reason she could hear every step and chit-chat outside. The first click and she could sense her enemy was meandering around, stealthily ready to go down the flight of stairs and…

CLICK, CLICK!

Unexpectedly, the third click came immediately after the second. Bingo! Hastily but without any sound, Seulgi opened the locker and saw the flashy diary painted in purple with feathery design all over the cover. This was a diary like no other. 

Outside, the malicious blue, hawk-like eyes peered inside the ladies locker room, sharp ears listening for any rustling. The sound of a lock shaking in its spot made him barge into the bathroom, stupidly, only to find nothing in it. He was standing there like a fool.

Instead, was surprised by the flushing toilet and the girl coming out of the bathroom stall. The moment she noticed was the moment she let out a dolphin scream that echoed and bounced off the walls. The fight ensued instantly after and she pushed him and hit him out of the bathroom while he tried to explain himself. The more they spoke, the higher volume they reached.

Seulgi, with her pocket full and a cocky smirk, walked out of the bathroom to find the commotion outside grew a little bigger with other students joining in. She slipped by unnoticed and walked away unscathed.

Kang Seulgi does it again.

[ ♦ ]

Bae Joohyun had to admit the comic was pretty interesting, she could understand why Seulgi was reading it. However, she couldn’t understand why Seulgi smokes. The cigarette between her fingers dangled, her face contorted in perpetual disgust at the taste left in (and lungs?). She foolishly tried to smoke indeed, and hadn’t realized just how disgusting it was. How could people do this?

“Ms. Bae Joohyun I will have to arrest you--.”

“NO!” Joohyun said, jumping up and tossing the cigarette away, only to see Seulgi’s huge -eating grin. She sighed, both annoyed and relieved. “Goddamn it, Kang.”

“Is that any way to treat someone who is trying to help you?” Seulgi’s eyebrow was cocked up, her smile still as wicked as ever. “You should be nicer.”

“Screw you,” Joohyun crossed her arms and pouted, her racing heart and hasty breath spoke louder than she did.

Seulgi noticed and even felt bad. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you’d get so scared.”

Deep down inside, Joohyun enjoyed this apology, but she pretended it didn’t matter, handing over the pack and the lighter. “Whatever, Kang.”

“Fine, I’ll take that,” Seulgi said with good humor, reaching over and grabbing her stuff. After all of that excitement, she needed a smoke. “You know, if you wanted to smoke you could’ve asked me one,” she said cooly, placing a cigarette between her lips while Joohyun groaned.

“I can’t believe you like doing that, it tastes horrible.”

“So does alcohol and yam, but people still have it,” Seulgi shrugged.

“Whatever,” that stung Joohyun because she loved yam--. “Did you find my diary?”

Seulgi lit her zippo and looked up. “What diary?”

“Oh, c’mon, Kang--.”

Seulgi laughed and lit her cigarette. Zippo snapped closed and cigarette lit, she reached into her pocket and switched quickly from Zippo to the diary. It was in one piece, safe and sound. “Here it is.”

Then relief washed over Joohyun just for a second before she snatched it out of Seulgi’s hand. “Did you read it?”

Seulgi just stared at her, a soft smirk appearing. “Read what?”

“My diary!” Joohyun said a bit too loudly, shutting herself up after that. People could still come out of the backdoor and see her talking to… well, Seulgi. “Tell me you didn’t read it, Kang.”

“I didn’t,” Seulgi said between laughter, taking a quick drag of the cig and finally grabbing. “You’re pretty uptight, what’s in there that you don’t want me to see?”

Quietness was the answer. Joohyun hugged her diary close to her body; she looked away and frowned. 

Seulgi was not heartless, she understood the message right away. “It’s okay, I didn’t read anything. I’m not too sure of Jihyo, but I didn’t read not one little page,” she shrugged.

Sigh.

Okay, the least she could do was pay the girl. Joohyun reached into her pocket and -- distanced by her arm length (which wasn’t much) -- she handed some money over to Seulgi, who looked confused. “For your troubles.”

Seulgi smiled, placing the cigarette between her lips and grabbed the money. She gave it a look and a quick count, surprised by the sudden generosity. She looked up at Joohyun and couldn’t even reply.

“For your cigarettes or whatever,” Joohyun snarkily said while walking up the stairs. Before she opened the door, however, she made herself clear. “If you ever tell anyone about this, Kang, I will ruin you.”

Seulgi laughed, pocketing the money and walking away with her usual cool shoulder sway and loose arms dangling freely. Joohyun watched, bit her lower lip and walked inside like nothing happened, but her head couldn’t shake off this interaction -- no matter how much she scolded herself for it.

As it turns out, Seulgi found out the answer to her question. Was it by reading her diary? Was it by watching the way she reacted to Seulgi’s every move? Or was it that uncharacteristic generosity? We will never know, but Seulgi sure knew. With a cocky smile turning into a girlish giggle, she scratched the back of her head. Who would’ve known that was the reason? Moreover, who would’ve known that even the stern Joohyun had such a human facet to herself. It was fascinating to remember that even the popular kids in school had mundane, day to day thoughts like her.

Patting the money in her pocket, Seulgi figured she could get a few burgers and lemonade as a reward. She just made a few notes in her head:

One was to treat Bae Joohyun with a little more respect next time and the second was to be near when Jihyo opened her locker first thing in the morning.