'Omma! Why didn't you wake me up for school?' IU half grumbled and half cried as she grabbed the alarm clock and looked at the time.

'Oh no! Sorry my darling! I just woke up as well! I haven't gotten used to the idea that we are now in Seoul and your school is not just 5 minutes away anymore!' IU's mother replied half-asleep as she hurried to make breakfast.

IU and her family had moved to Seoul from Daegu during the weekend so that IU could attend the reputable Jung-Nam junior college there. However, nothing seemed to be going right.

IU brushed her teeth and washed her face in minutes but stood stumped in front of the mirror afterwards.

'What should I do with my hair? What clothes should I wear? It's the first day of school and I want to make a good impression but... Damn it.' She flopped down helplessly on her bed as she stared at her almost empty wardrobe.

'Remember you have only 15 minutes left for school, sweetie!' Her mother piped in from the kitchen.

IU frantically pulled on an old grey knitted sweater over her head coupled with a green and red chequered knee length skirt. She brushed out her long hair and began plaiting them into two braids. She looked into the mirror one last time and adjusted her geek spectacles.

She stood back and stared back at the reflection looking back at her, 'I look horrendous, like usual.' She sighed and tucked her sweater into her skirt at an attempt to look better, she looked worse than usual but she couldn't be bothered anymore.

She dashed out of the house and grabbed a toast from the kitchen counter nimbly, and then she was on her way to school.

As she stepped out of her house, she saw the bus turning round the corner, 'Luckily I'm wearing my neon green sneakers today', she exclaimed and sprinted for the bus. 

She caught the bus just in time, and as she flopped down on her seat, she noticed that she was already breathing heavily and perspiring like a pig with her hair in an awful mess. IU tried to smooth her hair and wipe the sweat off her forehead, but it wasn't doing any good. She laid on the seat defeated and whispered to herself, 'It's okay, I'm coming here to study, not to look good anyway.'

As she reached Jung-Nam college, she was amazed at how large the campus was. As she looked around in awe, Taeyang bumped into her and sent her books she was clutching into the air.

'Who the hell is this person who is so blind to knock into me? Darn it, I'm going to make him pay!' She muttered under her breath as she picked up her books angrily and stared at the stranger.

She was fluttered as he offered to help her pick up her books and said an apology. As he looked up, she saw that he was cute, with his cap covering a bit of his eyes and dressed very laid down with a simple hoodie and jeans, and her heart started thumping fast.

She shook off the feeling and stood up quickly and murmured, 'It's okay.' before rushing to her class.

Taeyang looked amused as he saw IU scuttling to leave quickly, and a smile quickly formed on his face unknowingly.

'Young Bae ah! How have you been this summer break? Any juicy things to share with me?' G-dragon instantly threw Taeyang questions as he pulled the chair beside him to sit with GD.

'Damn, I hate the fact that it is over so quickly and we have to come to school again.' Taeyang leaned back and stretched his arms lazily as he replied GD, 'I've broken up with 6 girls this summer break, crazy huh?' 

'Yeah,' GD agreed with him instantly, '6 girls? Then I guess I have won, I've broken up with 8.' GD said with a smirk on his face.

'Woah, 8 girls in one month? Wow, how did you do it bro? You are such a player!' Taeyang laughed as he punched GD in the chest playfully.

'Hey, look who's talking okay? 6 girls isn't any better!' GD replied with a laugh and returned the attack.

'Yeah, I guess we are just plain bad then.' Taeyang replied and laughed along.

Just then, IU walked into the classroom flustered, she scanned the classroom for an empty seat and quickly sat down clumsily.

'Hey look, there's the new girl.' GD nudged Taeyang, 'You know what that means right? Another girl for us to play with.' He continued cheekily.

'Don't keep messing around with girls, the finals are these year, and I really don't want to mess them up. I'm not a genius like you, you know? I need time to study.' Taeyang replied back with a snap. He remembered the girl was the girl he knocked into earlier, and she looked way too nice and innocent, not the type to have a fling with, because once the fling is over, she'll probably haunt you forever.

'Geez, alright you geek! I was just playing around.' GD apologised making fake puppy eyes, 'But you know what? She won't be interested in us anyway.'

This sentence caught Taeyang's attention and he immediately asked, 'Why not?'

'Because she's too much into studying, that's why. She won't bother with stuff like boys and dates. Anyway, she won't be fun to be with either, imagine that when on a date, all she would talk about is her studies and all. Oh my.' GD made an exaggerated disgusted face as he spoke.

Suddenly GD's face brightened, he snapped his fingers as if he thought of something.

'Why don't we have a bet?' He asked Taeyang carrying an evil smirk with him.

'A bet?' Taeyang asked innocently.

'Yes, that geek there, that girl we were talking about, I want you to try to chase her, and in one week's time, she must agree to be your girlfriend. If not, you lose the bet, and I'll win.' GD explained his plan, 'Then after that, if she agrees, you can play with her for a while then dump her, but if she rejects you, you just have to pretend to be heartbroken and say you are sick of girls and don't want to date anymore till the finals are over.'

'So after that, I would not need to have this 'I've dated many girls' nonsense to keep my popularity around here, because I'll be acting as the 'My true love rejected me and I have no plans to be with anyone else' type of guy. Girls would think I'm sincere and not just simply a player to boot.' Taeyang continued as he listened to GD's plan.

'Right! You get things fast, my friend.' GD smiled, he and Taeyang have been friends for years, and they could understand each other easily just like brothers.

'But why does it have to be her?' Taeyang asked. 'There are so many other girls in this school, and they are much prettier too.'

'That part is for our own fun and thrill, it's like a challenge we have to win, because she might not accept you, since she is mainly into studying and not into crushes.' GD answered excitedly, 'Anyway, about the looks, she ain't that bad, she's not exactly pretty, and her fashion sense is a bit... eww. But she seems a little...' GD struggled to find the appropriate word, 'Cute! Yes, that's what she is, ugly but adorable.' He laughed heartily seemingly satisfied with his description.

'I guess you're right.' Taeyang laughed too, affected by GD's contagious laughter, but still feeling a little unsure.

'Okay,' GD rubbed his hands in glee, 'the loser of the bet would need to come to the winner's house to help him do the house hold chores for a month, treat him to a blockbuster movie and a dinner at a high-class restaurant!'

'What? That's tough.' Taeyang sighed.

'Hey, what's with your confidence level bro? Anyway, it's not like it's your first time chasing girls anyway. Just see her as just another piece of our game okay?' GD winked and patted him on the back.

'Yeah, just treat her as another piece of the game, what's so difficult? I get to keep my popularity, concentrate on my studies after that, and get to play with that nerdy girl. It's a win-win solution. And I won't lose the bet anyway, one week to get her to be my girlfriend may be too long even, because I am Taeyang, the most popular guy in school, where every girl would die to have a chance to be with me.' Taeyang silently noted, but even when it was meant to be encouraging, he still felt a sense of doubt in his heart.