“I need help.” Wendy stared back at the girl, unsure if she was hearing her correctly. The odd statement had come from a tall brunette who was standing behind her. Wendy checked her surroundings quickly. There was no one else in the hallway, so she couldn’t have been mistaken about who the statement was directed at.

Wendy frowned. All the people she’d helped previously were from her classes and they were all bound to secrecy. She even drafted a Non-Disclosure Agreement for them to sign before they transacted with her. However, she had to admit, a contract was just a piece of paper. It couldn’t really stop people from doing what they wanted to do. What she relied on was the knowledge that her customers had more to lose by revealing that they were cheating.

She studied the girl in front of her with an uncertain gaze, wondering which one of her customers told on her. She’d seen her around school, but as far as Wendy knew, the student wasn’t in any of her classes. She made a mental note to suspend services for whoever it was. Wendy was kind but she didn’t appreciate being taken advantage of.

In the seconds of silence that followed, the girl started shifting her weight and glancing to the sides awkwardly. If it was even possible, she looked even more awkward than Wendy felt. Despite her suspicion, she didn't wish to drag the conversation more than it already

“Guidance counsellor’s room is two doors down.” She said calmly.

“Oh no, not that kind of help.” The girl corrected. She pushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze uneasily.

“The other kind,” Wendy stilled just before she shut the locker door. For a moment, she wondered if the girl was here to report her. Technically, it was an open secret that was kept within her class, but she had never seen this girl in any of her classes. “the help that I heard you offer to your classmates.”

Wendy turned to face the girl fully.

Her eyes were drawn to the folded up paper in her hands and a small sense of realisation dawned on her. It made sense now.

“Whose class is it for?” She asked. The other girl blinked a few times, as if she had to process what she said.

“Um, it’s not for a class.” If anything, the student looked even more embarrassed. She shifted the hand holding the folded paper and covered it. “I just need you to proofread and make some edits…And some tips, if you have any.”

“Oh?” Wendy grew curious. She didn’t even know the student’s name, but she was already considering accepting the task. “Let me see it then.”

She reached out to take the letter and the girl instantly shrank back, moving the paper out of her reach. Wendy paused.

If the student needed her help, why was she so embarrassed about it?

Students who asked her for her services were well aware of what they were getting into.

“Ah w-wait, you’re going to help me right?” She stammered. However, she didn’t put up much resistance, so Wendy ended up with the letter in her hand within half a minute.

Wendy frowned at her as she unfolded the letter. “I don’t accept any jobs without knowing the subject and scope of works.”

It was a good practice to keep, she wanted to add, but her attention was drawn to the scrawled signature at the bottom of the page. Kang Seulgi.

She jerked her chin up in surprise.

Kang Seulgi was asking for her help. Despite not knowing her face, Seulgi was a name that most students would recognise. If not for her reputation as a main dancer for the school’s dance troupe, it would be for her equally pristine vocals. For Seulgi to approach her, Wendy’s reputation within the student population must have grown more than she realised. However, Seulgi wasn’t failing any of her classes. Hence, as far as Wendy knew, she didn’t actually need help.

“What? Was it that bad? I used a thesaurus...” The girl whom she assumed was Seulgi, looked startled at her response. The confusion turned to worry as she moved to her side. “Which part did you hate?”

“No, no, calm down, I’ve not read it yet!” Wendy made swiping motions as if they would dispel the taller girl. In situations like this, her height was a real disadvantage. Huffing to herself, she lifted the paper and started reading.

She had barely made it past the first two lines before she exclaimed. This definitely wasn’t a school assignment. This was a-

“You’re Kang Seulgi?”

“Yes? What’s wrong? I can’t have spelt my own name wrong, right? Or hers?” The girl paled as she grabbed the page and scanned through it again before Wendy could respond.

“What?!” Wendy didn’t know if it was prudent to laugh in this situation so she settled for giving her a look that hopefully conveyed her disbelief.

“I’m sorry! I’m just really nervous right now! I’ve- this is my first time doing something like this.” Seulgi tried to hand the note back to her, but Wendy stepped back, placing some distance between them.

“T-this shouldn’t even be done in the first place!” Wendy pushed the note back towards Seulgi, determined despite the other brunette’s resistance. She might help people pass their assignments, but she had her own set of rules and way of doing things.

“Why would you give me your confession letter to-“ She glanced down to check the name. “Bae Irene?”

The name sounded unfamiliar on her tongue and she couldn’t help her curiosity. She was still relatively new to the town, after all. Wendy and her family had moved to the edge of town earlier that spring, so while she had already developed a reputation for being one of the top students in English, she didn't really know many of the students aside from those she worked with.

“Who is that anyway? Is she a student here?”

Seulgi’s face suddenly lit up and Wendy almost regretted her question.

“She’s a year older than us but she took a semester abroad so she’s taking some of our classes.” She explained. Wendy tried to remember if she had seen or heard of an Irene in her classes. Seulgi even used the word “our”, as if they were friends. Kang Seulgi was certainly an interesting person.

“Oh.” Wendy didn’t know how else to respond. The name wasn’t ringing a bell.

She didn’t know what to make of the other girl’s enthusiasm. Other than a few select people whom she interacted with often enough to be considered friendly, her circle of friends since coming to town was relatively limited.

“We’re in the same dance troupe.” The other girl added, albeit unhelpfully. She looked like she could continue for an hour, but Wendy quickly cut her off.

“Okay.” Seulgi wasn’t being a bother, but Wendy really couldn’t listen to much more of this. Not when she still had work, hers and her other people’s, to do when she got home. People who were actually aware of what they were paying her for. “Still, I can’t help you with this.”

“What? Why?” The other girl deliberately stepped into her path and gave her a pleading look which a lot of people might have fallen for. Wendy just rolled her eyes. “Is it the money? I can pay you!”

“It’s not about the money.” Wendy hissed under her breath.

“Why then? I’m not good with expressing myself in words, and there’s not many people who would help me without judgment.” Seulgi looked confused and sad, and Wendy, couldn’t bear to leave the conversation like that. This girl really didn’t get it, so she had no choice but to spell it out, despite her discomfort.

“This is your letter. Don’t you want your crush to like you for you? If someone else writes your confession on your behalf, then it’s not authentic anymore.”

She made a move to leave before Seulgi added. “I can pay more for authentic!”

“Sorry, but I can’t help you.” Wendy sighed and shook her head in exasperation. “I hope you can find someone else who will.”

This time, Seulgi didn’t stop her from moving past her. She tried not to focus on her schoolmate’s disappointed expression, lest her eagerness to help others be her downfall again. Wendy felt like she could breathe a little easier when she couldn’t hear any footsteps coming after her.

~~

She had successfully avoided thinking about Seulgi’s request the entire night. She was even prepared to forget that Kang Seulgi herself had asked her to help with her confession. It was something that she wouldn’t have expected would happen. That is, until she literally stumbled into the girl of Seulgi’s dreams the next day.

Someone like Kang Seulgi, bright, somewhat clumsy, but always genuine; Wendy had expected her crush to be of similar stature and character. However, despite Seulgi’s warm personality, her dream girl turned out to be a lot colder than she had expected.

The girl that ran into her wore a deep scowl that marred her delicate features. She hadn’t even noticed her until their bodies collided. Wendy had turned around, expecting an apology. After all, she had been taking her things from her locker and minding her own business.

For a moment, Wendy was stunned at the intensity of her gaze. She couldn’t look away, nor could she form any words.

It was only in the silence that she realised that the usual buzz of conversation around her had paused. It was as though everyone was waiting with baited breath for a fight to break out.

“Irene-unnie!” She heard the echo of someone’s voice across the hallway.

A set of heels clicking against the polished floor broke the silence between them, as well as whatever spell Wendy had been temporarily put under. The realisation that the girl was actually the Irene mentioned in Seulgi’s letter hit Wendy at the same time she realised that she had seen this girl in class. Specifically, her English module, where the bulk of her clients came from.

The girl hardly spoke in class, as Wendy recalled. She only spoke when called upon or taking attendance. They had group discussions in class but due to the seating arrangements, Wendy was always at the opposite end of the classroom. She had never interacted with the other girl, which was probably why Wendy didn’t think of her when Seulgi mentioned her name.

Just then, a tall brunette wearing a skirt that looked too short to be compliant with school standards strode up to them. She had a gait and an air about her that exuded a level of self-confidence that Wendy could only envy. Despite Irene’s frosty demeanour, the brunette towered over her, making her look slightly less intimidating. The obvious height difference between the two almost made Wendy smile despite the situation. It must have shown on her face because she caught the slight narrowing of Irene’s eyes and instantly bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

“Unnie, did you get what you wanted from your locker?” The girl asked. She didn't acknowledge Wendy’s presence, not that she was expecting anything.

“As you can see, I got held up.” Irene said shortly. The sentence wasn’t directed at her but it felt like she had just received a reprimand from the older girl. She was taken aback by the venom in her tone. The sharpness of her glare induced Wendy into forming a frown of her own. She had not interacted with Irene directly before this moment, so her nasty attitude was completely uncalled for.

Before Wendy could process what was happening, the other girl stepped around her. There was a rush of air that was cold against her side. The way the other girl moved aside as if Wendy had a contagious disease. There was an almost inaudible scoff that escaped her lips and Wendy felt the insult in her bones.

The way the other girl brushed past her made her feel she had been reduced to an inconvenience. A blip in an otherwise perfect existence.

Wendy wasn't someone who picked fights or held grudges against other people, but she didn't like the feeling of being looked down upon. It was that burning feeling of indignation that was fuelling her thoughts as she finally stomped out of school campus. It would have burned through her, had she not spotted Seulgi lingering near the school gates.

She had half a mind to outright tell Seulgi that her crush was a stuck up bit- horrible person. However, those types of confrontations didn’t turn out well, at least from her experience. If Seulgi couldn’t see for herself that her crush wasn’t worth her effort, she would help put things in perspective.

“Kang Seulgi-ssi!” She called out as she approached the taller girl. The other girl jerked slightly, before turning to face her.