Bomi wiped the sweats rolling down her forehead and gulped a bottle of mineral water. She heaved as she plopped on the wooden floor, staring herself on the mirror. Messy bun, baggy pants and sweaty T-shirt. Truthfully, this wasn’t her. Yoon Bomi was once cared about her appearance more than anything else. But last year, she found it.  She never planned to be involved this deep but right now, dancing is her life.

And this reason also included a certain someone. She remembered clearly how one fine day, she encountered him in this same studio room, admiring his every smooth movements. From that moment onwards, she’d only set her eyes on him. He was down to earth and easy going. He didn’t care whether Bomi wore lip gloss or put no makeup on. And soon, slowly, Bomi felt comfortable being around him.

Well, a little too comfortable maybe since she was completely a different person compared to the few last years. But she could care less about what her peers think of her. Even her friends didn’t hang out with her anymore for she had been, as they had always claimed- obsessed. Of dancing and of him.

“Bomi! You’re early.” He popped at the door and beamed at her direction. Even after a year, that genuine smile never failed to tint her cheek pink. Casually, he walked in and sat next to her, offering pepero sticks. She shook and watched as he gobbled the chocolate dipped sticks hastily.

“Easy there, tiger.” Bomi chuckled as she handed him the bottle. She watched he drank the water, his lips touched the tip of the bottle. She thought, indirect kiss? Swiftly, she shook her head, chasing away the wistful imagination.  “How come you seemed so relax, sunbae?”  

“What? Why?” Dongwoo furrowed his brows, giving her a questioned look before he finally understood the reason of her question, “You mean, the audition? Oh, come on, Bomi! We’re the original members of the dance club, so don’t sweat over such a thing. You’ll be fine.”

“Still, the whole school is going to be there and since we’re the original members, they must have high expectation. I’m nervous, sunbae. What if I messed my steps? Or twisted my feet and fall on my ?” She made a face, even just by imagining those terrible possibilities, she felt like puking. Her stomach was doing a flip and unlike always, it definitely had nothing to do with this guy sitting in front of her, staring.

“You’re kidding right? I mean, seriously?” Dongwoo grinned and stretched his limbs before starting grooving his body as the music echoed in the room. Bomi sat there, in awe. Her eyes were dreamy, her heart was beating fast. She knew, she could feel it to her bones that this feeling was real. She was madly in love with him. Her first love, Jang Dongwoo. She loved him in a way that you could only do the first time around. It’s dizzy and foolish and fierce, it didn’t know any better.

Dongwoo finally finished warming up and sat back next to her, their arms brushed and her cheek warmed. Wiping his sweats, he then told her, “Now, back to what I was saying just now, you don’t need to feel nervous, Bomi. You’re like the best girl dancer I ever known! You’re cool and amazing. Yoon Bomi is amazing. So, just do your thing and you’ll be fine, Bomi.”

He flashed a sweet smile and Bomi couldn’t be more touched by his sincere words. And she believed him. She always would. Dongwoo just knew the right words to say whenever she was down. He was like her Fairy Godmother. Except that he was not. He was more like her knight in a shining amour. “You’re right, sunbae. I’ll rock the audition!”

“That’s my girl.” Dongwoo laughed as Bomi pumped her fist cutely. He reached out to ruffle her hair and that small gesture, it may mean nothing but to Bomi, it meant everything. “By the way, how is it with Yoo Kyung?”

Her face fell and Dongwoo cussed himself for being insensitive, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t ask- “

She shook her head hastily, “No, no, it’s fine. We’re still avoiding each other.” Her voice trailed off and she faced down, feeling a tight clamp on her heart. It hurt. Hell yeah it hurt. How could Bomi forget that horrible day? The day they-

“Bomi.” Dongwoo said softly, cutting off her thoughts. “It’ll get better. Trust me, okay?”

She couldn’t believe that he even had to ask. Of course she would trust him. Smiling, she nodded, “I trust you, sunbae.”

The door suddenly cracked open and Taemin stood there, holding his dance shoes. Taemin was a sophomore, Bomi had only seen him a couple of times during their club practices. Bomi always thought he was a great dancer but not as good as Dongwoo though. No one was.

“Yo!” he saluted them , “So, are guys done? I need to practice my moves.”

“Yeah, we’re done. It’s all yours.” Dongwoo then peered at his watch before saying, “10 more minutes before classes start. How about a quick breakfast, Bomi? My treat.”

“Sure, why not?”

-----

“God, those idiots are useless! I gave them one simple thing to do and they couldn’t even do that. It’s all trash!” Chorong yelled, frustrated at her members. She was sitting alone in the Student Body’s room, rechecking the paper works. There were mistakes everywhere and she couldn’t get angrier. Chorong stomped her feet and crumpled the white papers, throwing them in the bin. “I’m surrounded by a bunch of losers!”

“Wow, someone is not in a good mood today.”

She snapped her head and shocked seeing a stranger casually walked in and offered her a cup of coffee. She didn’t take it so he put it on her desk, “It’s good. You should try it.”

Chorong didn’t waste a second when she asked, “What are you?”

“That’s not the right way to talk to people, boss girl.” The guy who was now sitting in front smiled. He looked around her age, just taller. He had small eyes, and that eye smiles could melt any girl right away. But not Chorong. Her heart was as cold as an ice. “The right thing to say is ‘Who are you, dear prince charming?’.”

“What are you?” She repeated, her voice sounded irritated. She hated this kind of talk. She didn’t understand why couldn’t people just be frank and spill everything? She also hated sugar coating because it reminded her of her mother. And she hated to think about her mother. Yes, Park Chorong hated almost everything in her life. Except herself.

The guy chuckled, his eyes formed crescent again, “You’re one tough cookie, boss girl.”

“If you have nothing to say then get the hell out of here. I have works to do.” Chorong flicked her hair to her back and continued cleaning the members’ mess. She waited for him to go but he didn’t. He was still sitting there, his eyes scanning around the room. Closing her eyes, Chorong took a deep breath and put her pen down, “What do you want from me?”

“You’re still sounded harsh, boss girl. You really need to fix that y tone or else people might actually run away. Fix it and I will tell you what I want. Don’t worry, I have all day.”

“What do you mean?”

He said, “I’m new here. And I haven’t met the secretary to take my classes schedule yet. So, for all you know, I’ll be here, sitting in front of you, staring into your sharp eyes –“

“Cut the crap and be straight. What do you want? Spill it out while I’m being polite.” Chorong butted in, fixing her gaze on this utterly handsome boy. 

“You call that being polite, boss girl?”

“In my world, it’s still called polite.” Chorong responded with a flick of exasperation.

“What a strange world you live in, boss girl.” He grinned and his smile faded as he saw the look on her face. “Okay, okay. I get it. Straight to the point. Nice and clean. I’m your new assistant. And thanks for hiring me, boss girl.”

Chorong shot him a dry look but as she saw him blinking back, her eyes widened, “Are you serious? I can’t hire you.”

“Why not?”

“I’m sensitive to losers.” She replied calmly, almost too calm.

He stood up and walked next to her, peeking at her planner, smirking after observing it. He then leaned closer to her until their faces were inches away. Chorong sat there, mortified by his action. She couldn’t move as she felt his warm breath hitting her cheek. Her pink cheek. And Park Chorong had never flustered.

“I can see that you need some help to finish the work, boss girl.” He whispered to her ears, “I’m glad to take the honour.”

Chorong pushed him away and faced him, “Look, I’m not hiring an idiot, not to mention, a ert like you, Mr. ?”

“Nam Woohyun.”

Chorong almost snorted hearing his name, “Right. Nam Woohyun-sshi, I take pride in everything I do and you as well as those peasants out there are not going to let me fall. I rather marry a giant squid than hiring you.”

Woohyun stared at her blankly before curving up his lips. He took a few steps back, his eyes were still on her. As his right hand found the door knob, he said, “We’ll see. Boss. Girl.”

-----

“Sunggyu!”

Hoya gripped the strap of his backpack and headed towards his best friend, grinning widely, “Did you watch last night’s game? Man, Messi was on fire. The way he dribbled pass- “

“No.” Sunggyu replied, there was a hint of annoyance behind his tone of voice as he opened his locker, “Chorong made me escorting her for a dinner last night with some lame rich guys talking about teapots and  ceramics! Geez, they really need to get a life.”

“No, man. You need to get a life. I mean, what are you doing, seriously speaking? You’ve been following your sister’s for years, Sunggyu. And she’s not even your sister.” Hoya grabbed his books and shoved them in his bag. Sunggyu was staring at him, giving a piercing look. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just saying. Well, now that you mention it, do you by any chance, have a new target?”

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow, “How did you know?”

“Rumours are spreading. So, it’s true, huh? What happened with Eunji didn’t affect you?” Hoya stated sarcastically, slammed shut the locker. “You’ve got some guts, Sunggyu.”

“What is that suppose to mean?” Sunggyu sounded offended hearing his words. Hoya was never this sarcastic or judgemental. He believed people have their own reasons for everything they do and Sunggyu really adored that side of him. “You’d never said anything for every girl I ditched before. Why now?”

Shrugging, he pulled out his phone and his brows creased. He then kept the phone back in his pocket and cleared his throat, facing Sunggyu, “Well, first, it’s Jung Eunji. Second, it’s Jung Eunji and third, it’s Jung Eunji.”

“That didn’t make any sense at all. So what if it’s Jung Eunji?”

“Don’t put your brave face on, brother. We’ve been hanging out together ever since kindergarten, Sunggyu. I know you just as much as you know yourself. Or maybe even more. I know you developed some feelings for her when you guys were dating. Are you really gonna let it go just because Chorong told you so?”

Sunggyu retorted at his statement, “I don’t like her, Hoya. If you’re worried about her so much, why don’t you go date her?”

“Don’t say things you didn’t mean, Sunggyu.” Hoya said firmly, his eyes locked on him. “You’re gonna regret it later.”

“I could care less about that.”

“Okay. Don’t come cursing at me if something happen.”

Sunggyu who was fixing his tie halted, his head turned and his face tensed, “What’s gonna happen?”

Hoya let out an amused laugh, “Anything can happen. Why? Jealous, aren’t we?”

Sunggyu finally locked his locker and gestured Hoya to walk with him to their first class. He remained silent, commented nothing on Hoya’s words. Sunggyu is a man of conceit. Even though it was true, he wouldn’t admit it. He had his own solid, strong image to maintain yet in the inside, he was just a normal teenage, seeking for the true meaning of his life.

“Sunggyu, you’re not mad, right? I was just kidding.” Seeing how quiet Sunggyu became, Hoya reluctantly spoke up. Sunggyu managed a small smile and shook his head slightly. “Good because I’m not done yet. So, who’s the lucky new girl?”

“A junior. Hong Yoo Kyung.”

Hoya stopped his steps, almost causing a girl to bump into him. He muttered an apology before facing Sunggyu again, “That girl? The Hong Yoo Kyung? You’re not serious, right?”

“Why? What’s wrong with her?”

“Sungyeol said she’s a nun.” Hoya replied casually. “Well, in his defense, she does act like a nun. That day I ran into her, she was standing in a crowd of boys awkwardly. There’s this one boy accidentally touched her arm and she started shrieking and gave the poor boy a good beating.”

“Maybe she was just uncomfortable.” Sunggyu mumbled, earning a probing look from Hoya. “Look, whatever Sungyeol said to you about her, he lied. He just detests her for rejecting him last year. In front of everybody.”

“Ouch.” Hoya stiffed a laugh. “No girls have ever said no to Lee Sungyeol. Except for your lovely sister. And apparently, the nun Yoo Kyung.”

“Stop calling her nun, Hoya.” Sunggyu sounded rather displeased at his choice of words. “Like I said, she’s not a nun. She’s just taking care of herself from bad things. I’ve done some background check of her. Her mother’s – “

Hoya raised his two hands, his head were shaking vigorously, “Whoa, hold your horses, man. I’m not interested to know about her mother. Or her father. Or their family’s dog. Keep the info to yourself, okay? Let’s get going.”

He walked away, leaving irritated Sunggyu behind. As he paced forward, Hoya turned his head slightly and said in a dawdling manner, “I’m not surprised if the next time I see you, you’ll be wearing black robe with a cross around your neck, the holy book on your hand, chasing away evil spirits.”

It was lucky Hoya ducked just as Sunggyu tossed his bag at him.

-----

“You don’t mind if I take the milkshake?” Eunji asked, her teeth revealed as her hand was holding a box of strawberry milkshake. Naeun nodded briefly and continued shifting looks between every unfamiliar face passed their table and the glass door. “Naeun, you might break your neck if you keep doing that.”

Naeun ignored her and kept searching, “I was looking for Sungyeol oppa. He promised to be here 15 minutes ago.”

Rolling her eyes, Eunji drank the milkshake and wiped the pink foam on her upper lips. Sometimes, she didn’t understand how Naeun and Sungyeol became best friends. They were world apart. Naeun was sweet and thoughtful while Sungyeol was every nasty word she could think of. But she knew she didn’t really have the right to question their friendship when she and Naeun had just become friends during their first year.

“Hey pretty lady.” Sungyeol suddenly cooed to Naeun as he walked towards them. After a thought, he added, “and the average girl. I mean, really average. Average face and more average body. No curves. No S-line. Definitely not the girlfriend materials since she just got dumped. Hah!”

Eunji flung the empty milkshake box at him and hissed, “You are mean. The meanest of the meanest. The ugliest of the ugliest.”

“Speak human language, Eunji.” Sungyeol rubbed his temple where it had been hit. He sat facing Naeun and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m late. Practice got dragged.”

“The reek of your sweaty body is burning my nostrils. Don’t you clean yourself up after running around like monkeys?” Eunji covered her nose and made a disgusted face. Naeun chortle her fries, gaining a disapproved look from Sungyeol.

“She’s right, oppa. But, don’t worry. I’m accustomed to your smell.”

Sungyeol smugly said, “See? What can I say? Girls love my beastly smell. They think it’s hot.”

“Wow, they must be either idiots or desperate. Why don’t you go around, following anyone who wears skirt?”

Sungyeol threw her a nasty look, “Why don’t you go around and find a boyfriend instead of hoping for your ex who didn’t even like you?”

“Oppa!”  Naeun snapped, her eyes widened while Eunji’s face froze at the thought. Her heart felt a pang and the embarrassment started to kick in. She knew well of what Sungyeol was talking about. She also knew half of the school heard of it. The looks they gave every time she walked at the hallway killed her. Even so, she held her nose high and ignored them.

Jung Eunji is tough. And she was just the victim. Of the almighty Park Chorong.

“This is the final straw, oppa! You’ve been mocking her since school started and I can’t take it anymore. That’s it. We’re leaving.” Naeun got up on her feet and took Eunji’s trembling hand.

 Instantly, Sungyeol pulled Naeun’s arm, “Naeun, wait! Don’t go! Okay, okay! I’m sorry! I won’t say it again. It just slipped of my tongue.”

Naeun looked at Eunji hesitantly but she just sat back and poked her sweet potato. Calming down, Naeun did the same and said grimly, “Never ever ever ever ever mention about the S-word again. Dead serious, oppa.”

“Fine.” He groaned. “I won’t, okay?”

The three of them sat there awkwardly, not doing how to carry on talking heedlessly. Sungyeol took an effort to change the subject, clearing his throat and uttered, “So, how was your day, Naeun?”

“Good. I mean, fantastic. Do you even need to ask?” Naeun chirped brightly while Sungyeol rolled his eyes.

“Right. How can I forget? It’s the Myungsoo after all.” A waiter came and served Sungyeol his chocolate mousse Naeun ordered. He ate a scoop of it. “Just because you have three classes with him, doesn’t mean he will notice you, Naeunnie. That guy is so ignorant.”

Slowly, Eunji butted in, “You’re just jealous that he has more fans than you, Sungyeol.”

“Ha ha. Now you can talk, huh?” Sungyeol spat, the smeared chocolate at the edge of his lips. “Please. Like I care about that walking stick. He probably got kicked out from his band for an attitude problem. And Naeun, you don’t even have a decent conversation with him though you guys spend three hours sitting in the same room. If it was me, by the third hour, her clothes are possibly gone.”

The two girls made a vomiting sound, Naeun covered her ears and Eunji whacked him with her fork, “You’re sick, Lee Sungyeol. Frigging sick.”

“You guys are still kids. You know nothing about adult activities.”

“Oppa, stop. It’s disgusting. We don’t need a lesson to wreck our pure life.” Naeun stated.

“Yeah, Sungyeol. The point is Naeun will have every opportunity to start a decent conversation with the world known guitarist. Mind that, Sungyeol. You’re just the province hero. And it’s only been a week.” Eunji pointed out considerately, feeling a love squeeze from her side. Naeun flashed a winning smirk at Sungyeol.

“Looks like you’re losing tone, oppa.”

“Am not! I bet my whole life saving that will never happen. And for crap’s sake, Eunji! It’s oppa. I’m the sunbae here. At least respect that.”

“When the sunbae has earn my respect, then I will call him oppa, Sung. Yeol. Llie.” Eunji scorned, quoting the work sunbae in air and grinned widely. Beside, Naeun was laughing at him who now looked down, stuffed a spoonful mousse in his mouth, red faced. 

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