I.

Yuri is all set for her date with Minho. She has done her hair, her makeup, and has picked out the nicest dress in her closet as well as the most beautiful pair of shoes to match it. She anxiously walks out of her room and out of the house to head to the park, which is just a short walk away from her house. With a blue purse in hand, Yuri walks with the grace and elegance of a blooming princess. She has never looked this beautiful. Her cellphone vibrates as Minho has sent her a text message. She pulls out her phone and reads it.

"Yuri, meet me at the park. 8 sharp. Don't be late : ). Love, Minho" reads the message. Yuri smiles and blushes at his sweetness. How could she ever go wrong? She begins to think about Minho and all the nice things he told her today. Then she remembers what Raina told her about Minho being a playboy and treating girls like dolls. Then, it is followed by what Nicole told her, about Minho making out with Nana in the janitor's closet. Negative thoughts begin to cloud her mind, wiping her smile off her face.

"I don't care what she or anyone says. Minho loves me and he asked me out and that's what's important. Why can't they accept the fact that I like Minho. That somebody actually likes Minho. I know he had affairs with women in the past but that's the past and it should be buried. Minho's changed and as far as I'm concerned, he changed in a positive way, not like what the others have been saying. Just don't care. I don't care about them."

Yuri arrives at the park and sits on the bench, patiently waiting for Minho. She sits with her legs crossed and her bag on her lap. To keep herself from feeling bored, she pulls out her iPod and listens to her favorite songs.

[MINHO'S RESIDENCE]

"Yuri? Ha! Gullible girl! Just a few words and a little bit of magic and you can fool her! Whoever told her I liked her? Yuri? Me? Together? Ridiculous! I only want her for something not for her! Who would like a girl like Yuri? Rebellious and hard-headed. I hate girls like that! But she's not as hard as she used to be, now is she? Maybe because I fooled her a bit and she now thinks she's the hottest piece of in school because the most popular guy asked her out. That's why I love new girls! There's always a sweet, innocent surprise waiting for me!" Minho fixes his shirt and his jeans. He takes a necklace with his name in Chinese characters and wears it around his neck. He gets his jacket and wears it before heading out.

"She's a fool to trust me. She can wait at the park all night if she wants to. But me? I've got some girls to tonight!"

Unknown to the school is Minho's reputation outside. Well, his reputation as a playboy in school is pretty notorious but they don't really know what he's like outside. Nobody knows about the real Minho. Not even Raina or Key. Most especially, not Yuri. He gets in his car and drives it to the bar instead of the park where Yuri is waiting. Upon arriving, he parks his car and exits it, smoothening his hair and smarting his jacket. He enters the bar and loud music, y waitresses, drunk men, and a shady atmosphere greet him. He pulls out a cigarette stick from his pocket, lights it up and smokes like he's never smoked before. Minho calls some girls and flirt a little with them before getting dirty. Some of his guy friends show up and high-five with him, as well as the girls he's with. The guy friends sit with him and they all drink, smoke, , and have a great night out.

Minho, however, made the costly mistake of coming to the bar. He didn't know that someone was watching over him.

That someone is me.

Here I am, on a bar stool sipping some Vodka Mudshake when Minho's loud voice echoes throughout the bar, proof that he is indeed having a good time. I'm not drunk but somehow, I recognize the voice that's been yelling "I LOVE TO GIRLS" drunkenly. My eyes are blurry and I'm a bit sleepy, but I try to open my eyes to check who the noisy idiot is. To my surprise, it's Minho. I wasn't expecting him to be here smoking weed, getting drunk, and giving girls STDs. Now I know why Minho's a playboy. He's addicted to girls. To . He has vices. And he's been keeping it from everyone in school. Well, not so secret now, huh Minho? Because I brought my camera and I'm gonna take pictures of you!

I hate Minho. I've hated him since the day he set foot in the school. He's an arrogant son of a who thinks he's on top of the world because he's handsome, rich, talented and a chick magnet. But I think I'm a guy because I'm not attracted to him. Well, I'd rather be a guy than to be attracted to and be fooled by that . I mean, look at what he did! He broke up with Ga In, the hottest girl in school because to him she wasn't hot enough; he's cheating on Raina and if that's not enough, he humiliates and hurts her. And now. Right now. He asked Yuri out on a date and told her to meet him at the park. Well, Yuri's a new girl so what does she know? She's at the park waiting patiently for Minho, whom she thought loved her so. While Minho is here at the bar getting drunk and ed up. If that's not enough for you, he's trying to get his hands on Nana's junk. And if that's still not enough for you, he's about to get undressed now.

Good thing my digital camera is with me. I pull it out and take pictures of them. 20 pictures at least. One girl starts dancing for Minho and since I don't really want to take pictures anymore, I just video it.

Someone's gonna be in big trouble tomorrow.

[AT THE PARK]

"God! What's taking Minho so long! He told me not to be late but it's been 30 minutes and he's still not here! I've called him 5 times but he's not answering. What the hell is taking him so long?" Yuri starts to cry as she sits humiliated on the bench. Finally, she stands up and walks home, trying to stop the tears from flowing. Yuri always wants to appear like a strong girl who can hold her own but now that she realizes that she's been fooled, she just wants to let that image go and cry her heart out.

That's what she's going to do as soon as she gets home.

Yuri bursts through the door and slams it, locking it angrily. She runs to her room and locks herself in there before throwing herself on the bed and crying. Yuri cries like she's never cried before, pouring out all emotions.

"WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY…" Yuri wails. "HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO ME? I TRUSTED HIM! I THOUGHT I COULD BUT HE LEFT ME HANGING?" Yuri lies on her back and takes a pillow to hug. She let her tears flow freely from her eyes, something that she has not done in a long time. Good thing she's alone at home, otherwise, her parents would come up and interrogate her. Yuri gets her cellphone and re-reads the sweet messages that Minho sent her. She can't help but tear up while reading them. Despite the thought of him fooling her lingering at the back of her mind, she still maintains that Minho loves her.

"I think he just wasn't able to inform me that he couldn't come…" At this point, I'm starting to think that Yuri is pretentious and delusional. Come on, girl! It's clear that Minho's just fooling around with you the way he's fooling around with Raina. First, the kissing thing with Nana. Second, this. Do you think he's really in love with you? You're a tough lady! You're better than that!

[AT THE BAR]

All the pictures are ready. I'm going to show the principal tomorrow. But before that, I have to show Raina and Yuri first.

II.

Hyun Joong and Ji Yeon have not talked in a while, which actually caused me to worry about their relationship. Things are kinda messy at Hyun Joong's place while Ji Yeon is suffering from artist block, just a few weeks before Talent Month. So Ji Yeon is at home, meditating and trying to source out inspiration from the little things around her, to no avail. But let us focus on Hyun Joong. Hyun Joong's problem is really big. His parents are getting a divorce and Hyun Joong's kinda affected. Because of that, Hyun Joong developed depression and the reason I haven't been seeing him lately is I think because he's at home cutting his wrists and trying to commit suicide.

The sad life of an artist. Just when you thought he was perfect.

Ji Yeon doesn't know about this and I don't think she cares to know because she's having problems with her design for the competition. Plus, her family's kinda tight on money so she's gonna have to win this for her dad who's supporting her. But I asked Ji Yeon once if she still loved Hyun Joong and she said yes. So that means, their relationship is still on. Just so happens that they haven't communicated in a while, which kind of makes me feel happy because I have my friend all to myself. At the same time, it makes me sad because the reason they're apart is because Hyun Joong is having a conflict with himself. He just can't deal with his parents' situation and it has put so much pressure on him that he wants to just end it. Actually, his parents are fighting over him but that's just what I know. I don't know the entire story, neither does Ji Yeon.

Ji Yeon and Hyun Joong meet up. Ji Yeon notices that Hyun Joong is looking all different. He has scars on his face, his arms that are showing have scars and cuts on them, too. He looks very different from the Hyun Joong she knew. His face looks stressed and tired and it's as if the world has fallen on him. Like he has the world on his shoulders, he looks so burdened. Ji Yeon has no idea what's happening to him so she, being a concerned and caring girlfriend, asks him immediately.

"What the happened to you? Why are you all scarred? Why do you look differently?" Ji Yeon has so many question but Hyun Joong can't bring himself to answer even one.

"Well, because…I…" Hyun Joong stammers.

"What?" Ji Yeon anxiously anticipates his answer. She hasn't spoken to him in a while and right now, she wants nothing more than to hear from the man she loves.

"I'm not allowed to tell you." Hyun Joong walks away from her but Ji Yeon quickly grabs his hand and pulls him back.

"You have to tell me. I'm willing to help you!" Ji Yeon pleads.

"There's nothing you can do. This is a deep-seated problem I'm dealing with here!" Hyun Joong insists on keeping it secret. Ji Yeon feels betrayed and neglected.

"Does it involve me?" Ji Yeon asks out of the blue.

"No. Why do you want to know anyways? What are you going to do as soon as you find out?"

"Then if it doesn't involve me then why can't you tell me? Why do you have to hide from me?"

"Because there are some things in this world that aren't for you to know. So if I were you, I'd go back to my class and stop pestering my boyfriend about whatever his problem is." Hyun Joong just loses it and walks away from Ji Yeon. Far, far away. Ji Yeon nearly tears up at her boyfriend's secretiveness. She walks away from the spot where they talked and looks for me.

I see Ji Yeon walking swiftly towards me. I turn her way and surprisingly ask her what's wrong.

"What the hell happened to you? Why do you look so troubled and distressed?" I ask like I don't know what happened between her and Hyun Joong or with Hyun Joong at least.

"Hyun Joong has a huge problem. He came to me earlier looking all haggard and he had scars and bruises on his face and his arms and it just scared me to death."

"God! What the happened to him?" I exclaim, pretending to be innocent.

"I have no idea."

"Try asking him, Ji Yeon."

"I did. I even begged him to tell me. But he just wouldn't. He's keeping it from me." Ji Yeon replies.

"You have to know. He has to let you know. Who knows? You could help him, maybe." I say.

"I don't know. But his situation is honestly scaring me." Ji Yeon starts to cry. I roll my eyes and fix my glasses.

"You go talk to him. I recommend it, Ji Yeon. Go to him and talk to him. Force him out of his shell. Like, what the , Ji? You're in a relationship with someone and you can't even get him to open up?"

"But he-"

"Cause if you won't do it…" I fix my glasses and place my notebook under my arm. "I will." I walk away and try to find Hyun Joong. Ji Yeon chases me and taps my shoulder.

"I will talk to him." she bravely says. "If it's the only way to save his life and his pride, I will talk to him." Ji Yeon walks past me and I widen my eyes in amazement. Never have I seen Ji Yeon this brave and willing. She walks around, looking for Hyun Joong and upon finding him, she taps him on the shoulder again.

"What do you want?" Hyun Joong whips around angrily.

"I want to help you. I can tell something's wrong. You're not telling me something."

"Why do you need to know?" Hyun Joong holds her shoulders and shakes her. "Why?"

"Because I love you. And I can't stand seeing you hurt. I want to know what's going on. Why do you look so stressed. You've been really stressed lately. You've been hurting yourself, I can see. You've become so withdrawn and all this I didn't know of until now. Please Hyun Joong…"

Hyun Joong removes his hands from Ji Yeon's shoulders. He breathes heavily and exhales all his troubles.

"I thought you forgot about me. We haven't talked in a while." Ji Yeon shakes her head.

"No. No I haven't. I haven't forgotten about you and I never will!"

"I thought you didn't love me anymore. You haven't talked to me in a while."

"Things have been really crazy, Hyun Joong. I tried to find time for you but I couldn't. Forgive me, please."

"Come…" Hyun Joong leads her to the bench near the lockers and the drinking fountain. They sit down and worriedly look at each other. Ji Yeon is the more affected one because Hyun Joong has been keeping his troubles secret from her.

"What is wrong. Please…tell me." Ji Yeon begs.

"My parents are getting a divorce. They're separated as of now. And my mother's just inconsolable. She's been crying for days now. Crying, smoking, and drinking. I'm currently living with my mother but I get to visit my dad, too. My dad's just a different story. He's become violent since the divorce. Once I tried to visit him, he beat me up and insulted me, left me stripped off my pride. I went home that day crying and in despair. I know it's rare for guys to cry and I know that guys aren't supposed to cry but I cried like hell. As if that wasn't enough, my mother came up to my room and insulted me, hit me, beat me up. For what? For visiting my father…" Hyun Joong begins to tear up. Ji Yeon takes his hand in her and kisses it.

"Come on, you can make it through this…" Hyun Joong takes a deep breath and shakes his head.

"Do you ever wonder why I'm so quiet?" he throws this question at his girlfriend. Ji Yeon shakes her head and meekly negates.

"No."

"Because my parents have been doing this to me since I was a kid. My parents are both bipolar and it hurts because when they experience episodes or sudden emotional changes, they get really violent and physical and it hurts me. They divorced because of that and now that I'm living with my mother, it doesn't get any worse!"

So that's why Hyun Joong's quiet. He has troubles. Deep-seated troubles.

"God…" Ji Yeon throws herself at him and gives him a comforting embrace. She cries for him and he cries for himself, too.

"That's why I've been hurting myself."

"Don't." Ji Yeon breaks away from the embrace. "You have someone…me." Hyun Joong's face lightens up.

"You'll always be here for me?"

"Do you remember the first time we kissed?" asks Ji Yeon. Hyun Joong nods. "That sealed our deal. That we will always be there for each other when we need each other."

Hyun Joong smiles slightly despite the pain and kisses Ji Yeon.

As for me, I have other things to work on. In the Principal's Office.

III.

Yuri comes to school and upon entering the dance studio, encounters Raina standing at the opposite side of the room.

"What are you doing here? You're not a dance student." Yuri asks.

"I've come to tell you to come with me." Raina says.

"What's this about? Don't you have better things to do than to tag me for some chit chat?"

"It's not chitchat. It's something important. It must be because the Principal's calling for us. So stop being stubborn, take my hand and follow me." Yuri extends her arm and Raina grabs her by the wrist, dragging her out of the dance hall. Yuri pulls away and pushes Raina slightly.

"What the , girl? Where are you taking me and why do you have to grab my wrist? Don't you know I have to practice my dance for Talent Month?"

"Well I have to practice my number, too. But you know what? Something's going on in the Principal's Office. Ga In and Tiffany are there and they're looking for us.

"Ga In? Tiffany? What the? Who the? Please tell me what's going on!" Yuri demands.

"I don't know either. The Principal just wants us to go to her office." Raina says.

"You're dragging me into something even you don't know? You're insane!"

"I'm not insane. There's something going on and it involves you, me, and Ga In. Apparently, I think I know what this is about." Yuri furrows her brows and tries to remember everything her friends told her. Apparently, I think Yuri's starting to have an idea on what this is about. Or who.

"I think I know what this is about." she says under her breath. The two girls reach the Principal's Office and enter the room.

"Hello. Glad you girls made it. Please, have a seat." Raina and Yuri sit together, avoiding Ga In at all costs.

"You called for us. Why?" asks Yuri.

"Because Ms. Hwang here showed me some pictures. Pictures of Choi Minho doing unimaginable things. Things a good student shouldn't be doing. Now, I want you girls to-"

"Hold on!" Yuri stands up and cuts the Principal. The Principal is taken aback at her straightforward attitude. Even I back up and lean against the wall. Her finger is pointing at the Principal and you can see the really frustrated expression on her face. She takes the pictures that I took and looks at them. She covers and starts to tremble in fear, sadness, and anger. "Minho? What is this about?"

"Very surprised at your blunt attitude, Ms. Kwon. That's pretty rare for a new student. Anyways, Tiffany showed me pictures of Minho drinking, smoking, and having with several girls at a bar. These pictures were taken last night. I called you girls because I noticed that the three of you are the closest to Choi Minho. I want to know, does he ever come drunk or under the influence of some substance?"

"No." Raina. "Not that I know of."

"Last night?" Yuri asks. "But, we were supposed to go out on a date last night. You mean-" Yuri's tears tremble in her eyes. Bravely, she wipes them but when she sees the pictures once more, she lets them freely flow from her eyes before covering her face to weep. Raina looks at her and feels the urge to comfort her, but refuses knowing that she is Minho's other woman.

"Well I can tell you something." Ga In speaks up. "Minho is a real jerk when he's drunk. He's come drunk twice or thrice already and when he's drunk, he trashes the place, he curses at anyone and he s girls out of the blue. He's done that before and I think he's about to do it again."

"Matter of fact." I speak up. "He brought alcoholic drinks here once." I glare at Ga In. "At a party, he and his friends drank and he got so drunk he forced himself onto Nana."

"Nana? Im Jin ah?" asks the Principal.

"Yes."

"Wait. Let's sort this out. Ga In, how are you related to Minho?"

"I'm his ex-girlfriend. Longest he's had. We were together for 2 years until I caught him cheating." she replies.

"Tiffany?"

"No, ma'am! I'm just a witness here!" I say.

"Raina. You are?"

"I'm his girlfriend."

"But you're with Key right?"

"It's a long story. Key and I aren't together…you don't need to know that."

The Principal arches her eyebrow and scans the room. She eyes Yuri whose face is buried in her hands, crying.

"Miss Kwon."

"Yuri, please."

"Yuri. How are you related to Minho?" Yuri removes her hands from her face. She looks at everyone in the room.

"I'm Minho's girlfriend. He said he and Raina were over but he never told me about his other affairs."

"You're dating Minho?" Ga In stands and points at Yuri. "Wait. I know you! You're the girl I bumped into on the first day!"

"Son Ga In? I know you. Minho would tell me about you. He told me about the fights you had when you were together. He told me he and Raina are no longer together." Yuri's watery eyes turn to Raina who in turn is trying really hard to prevent the tears from flowing again.

"He said you weren't together anymore. That's why I went with him!" Raina, for the first time in her life, lashes out at Yuri. I lean even more against the wall with my eyes opening wide.

"You should've known better than to believe Minho, you imbecile! I told you once but you didn't listen to me! I know him better so you shouldn't have gone against it!"

"I'M A NEW STUDENT HERE, RAINA! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I'M A NEW STUDENT HERE! I DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYONE THAT WELL AND SOMEONE ALREADY HAD ME FOOLED!" Yuri breaks down and cries. Raina and Ga In stare at her coldly. I see the look on their eyes and it really makes me feel bad for Yuri. Sensing the cold treatment she is getting from the two girls who refuse to stay on her side, I approach Yuri slowly and sit beside her. I place my arm around her shoulder and embrace her. Ga In and Raina continue to talk to the Principal as well as swear under their breaths.

"She is such a !" Raina whispers angrily. "She didn't even care to verify if Minho was just kidding her! All she did was say yes to him without even knowing his past."

"Well apparently, she didn't care about his past. All she cared about was his so-called 'love'. She is such a fool!" Ga In whispers back.

I comfort Yuri who is crying not really hysterically but is in a bad state right now.

"I am so sorry…I should've listened to my friends. But I didn't. I was so stubborn! I knew something was wrong but I went against my guts!" Yuri whimpers. I embrace her tightly.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. He's the jerk. He's playing around with all of you!"

"I just feel so guilty. I feel bad for not listening to my friends. They warned me but I didn't listen. And now here I am feeling the worst I've felt in years."

"But that's the point. You didn't know. You're new here, Yuri. What do you know about the people."

"I actually don't feel like seeing anyone right now. I just want to go home and cry. "

"No." I try to stop her. "Do not. You go and practice for your dance. Talent Month's coming up."

"To hell with Talent Month. I'm the biggest loser in this school and for that, I deserve no praise." Yuri stands up and walks away. Raina and Ga In follow her by eyes. I sit there and look down. Why is this happening?

"I'm going outside." Raina says. She exits the office and goes to one part of the hallway. The quietest part. There she sobs and sobs till her makeup fades and her mascara flows again. Remind Raina to buy waterproof mascara.

Ga In looks at me and the Principal and leaves. I remained seated there with my head down, thinking of what I've done.

I caused too much misery.

[song: "Because of You" by After School]

Raina is in one corner, crying her heart out. She is seated with her knees to her chest and her arms folded on her knees. She thinks of all the memories she had with Minho. All the fun times they shared. All the quarrels they had. All the time they spent. Ruined. By one girl. Who was also fooled by Minho and is crying, too.

"Ajikdo…na geudaereul…ijji mothae." Raina says in her mind. She takes out the pendant that Minho gave her. A heart locket that opens and reveals her picture with Minho. This makes her cry even harder. Then she starts thinking about the hard times they had. When Minho would get drunk and violent and hit her. When Minho would humiliate her in front of her friends and when Minho would just be too controlling. It hurt her so much. But what hurts her more is the fact that Minho had the guts to flirt with Yuri and more women. She now feels bad for Yuri.

"How could he do this to me? He said he loved me but he was just playing? Am I a doll to him? Something that he can just play with? I've been a martyr for too long. Who am I kidding? I knew about his infidelity. I knew he was flirting with other girls and if I'm not mistaken, he has more than 1 other woman. But what did I do? Nothing! I refused to talk to him about it. I preferred to stay calm and keep shut about it. Like it wasn't wrong. I cried so many times. I'm a weak leaf. I'm as light as a feather. I just let someone push me around and do my wrong. I'm a huge fool for that! I loved him with all my heart but what did he do? He womanized like there was no tomorrow! And now here I am, crying in a corner, listening to the raindrops."

Yuri busts inside the dance studio where her crew are practicing. They all look at her but she doesn't look at them back. Instead, she goes to the bathroom inside the studio and locks herself up. That's where she weeps.

"What kind of a monster is he? I can't believe someone like him has the guts to do this to a woman! More so, someone who is new and naïve in this school! He took advantage of me! He used me for his ego! Then he got caught and what? Where is he? They're not even investigating him! Why? Because he's the most popular! Favoritism! Bull! No matter. I must not cry. I am strong. If they're not gonna handle this case properly and if they're just gonna leave it lying down, I'm gonna do something about it." Yuri emerges from the cubicle and leaves the bathroom. The others look at her as she leaves the dance studio and angrily slams the door. She walks swiftly looking from left to right, trying to find Minho.

Coincidentally, Raina thought the same and is now on her heels to look for Minho and confront him. She and Yuri cross paths but Yuri looks at her briefly then heads on to look for Minho.

"Wait! Yuri!" Raina chases after Yuri. Yuri whips around and waits for Raina to get to her.

"What do you want? Haven't you and your boyfriend insulted me enough? Verbally and emotionally?" Yuri asks, her face still wet with tears.

"I want to apologize for being so cold earlier. We have a single problem. Minho."

"If you think that I'm gonna work with you to put Minho to shame, then you better think again because I'm doing this for me!" Yuri walks on. Raina grabs her arm but Yuri removes it from Raina's grasp.

"But…"

"I don't need this…"Yuri says softly. Raina closes her eyes and walks away in shame.

IV.

I'm walking around the campus when someone approaches me, asking me to go to the Counselor's Office. Surprised, I drop my things and head to the said office. In there, I see the Guidance Counselor with a phone to her ear. I look at her confused because if she wants to see me, why is she talking on the phone with someone else.

"Uhm…excuse me. But you called for me?" I say softly while knocking on her desk. The Guidance Counselor removes the phone from her ear and invites me to come to her side.

"It's your mother. And I'm afraid she has some bad news." My eyes widen at the words 'bad news'. I bite my lip and take the phone.

"H-hello? Mom?"

"Tiffany. This is your mother speaking. Seohyun is very, very sick. She is in the hospital right now." I cover my mouth in shock.

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

"Apparently, she became too stressed and preoccupied with her rehearsals that she never ate and seldom slept. I told her to take a break but she refused to and continued to strive in her work."

"I don't understand. She was here a few days ago! How could she be sick?"

"That's because the virus was only starting to spread then. She didn't go to school today because her immune system was really weak and she couldn't even get out of bed. She was really in pain this morning but she still wanted to go. When she vomited blood and fainted, that's when I knew I had to bring her to the hospital. Anyways, you cannot see her as her disease is contagious. She wanted me to give you something on her behalf." I hold on to the cord of the phone. My tears start to well up in my eyes and I feel that the left eye cannot control it anymore. I start to cry.

"W-what did she want to give me?"

"It's a letter. And her CD Entry for Talent Month. She said that she doesn't have very long to live and she could probably die any minute now so she wants this CD to be played as her entry. And she wants you to receive her trophy should she win."

"Oh My God, mom!" I break down on the phone.

"Hush now, Tiffany. I will give it to you when you get home, okay?"

"Okay."

"Please pray for Seohyun. She really wants to live but I'm afraid it's not possible."

"Mom…mom, do not talk like that! Seohyun will live! Seohyun will live! She has a lot of potential in her! God loves her, mom! She will live!"

The line goes dead. I put the phone down and dash out of the Counselor's Office. I run out with my hands covering my face, crying like hell. I go to the bathroom and lock myself in.

"I AM IN DEEP REGRET! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! SEOHYUN IS IN THE HOSPITAL SUFFERING FROM TUBERCULOSIS! I REGRET THOSE WORDS I SAID ABOUT HER! I REGRET WANTING TO PUT HER TO SHAME BECAUSE SHE AND SEUNGHYUN WERE VERY CLOSE! I REGRET WANTING TO HUMILIATE HER! AND MOST OF ALL…I REGRET FEELING JEALOUS OF HER!" My brain is screaming at me as I weep loudly. I have a reason to.

I regret everything I said and thought about her. I shouldn't have let my brain run that way. I was very immature to actually start some competition with my own sister for a guy. I distanced myself from her and now she's gonna die! I stay in the cubicle for quite some time, telling all those who come that the person who is occupying the first cubicle is suffering from severe diarrhea.

Diarrhea of the heart.

V.

[song: "Go Away" by 2NE1]

Yuri finds Minho flirting with a bunch of girls in the Acting Department room. She knocks on the door but Minho ignores her. She knocks harder the second time but Minho ignores her once more. Figuring that the door isn't locked, she busts in and points a finger at Minho with an angry expression on her face.

"You! You are the BIGGEST to ever grace the face of this planet!" Yuri says out loud. The other girls look at her shocked and stare at Minho.

"Woah. If this is about what happened last time, I'm really sorry. I wasn't able to make it because of some family problem!"

"Family problem my , you dickhead!" Yuri screams at the top of her lungs. She takes the pictures out of her jacket pocket and shows it to him.

"What are these?" Yuri angrily throws the pictures at Minho and the other girls.

"Those are pictures of you ing around with other women, drunk and stoned! What does that say about you?"

"These are from the past!" Minho tries to explain. He moves closer to Yuri and places and arm around her shoulder. Yuri pushes his arm and him away. The other girls gasp and shriek at the pictures and at Yuri's toughness.

"Past? PAST? These were taken last night! We were supposed to have our date but what did you do? Huh? WHAT THE DID YOU DO? WHERE THE WERE YOU?" Minho is left silenced. Yuri smirks and nods her head. "That's right? You're a ! You think girls are so easy to fool that's why you go around playing."

"Shut up!" Minho yells at her and points. "You don't know anything! You're new here!"

"Well that's the point! You took advantage of a new girl! You thought she was easy to trick because she doesn't know anything about the place. Well, you had me at first. But I think you failed to realize that this new girl is not like the other new girls that you've met! This new girl actually has a brain! Something you don't have!" Minho walks up to Yuri and grabs her hair. The other girls shriek in fright and leave the acting department.

"You've just made the biggest mistake in your life by humiliating me in front of those girls. You're gonna pay for this." Minho tightens his grip on Yuri's hair. Yuri struggles to break free from him but Minho is just too strong. He pushes Yuri down to the floor.

"Did you know that you're the first girl to actually come up to me so aggressively? Huh?" Minho kicks her side, making her wail in pain. "And did you know that you're the first girl to insult me in front of a crowd?" Minho grabs her hair and makes her stand. Yuri fights back by pushing Minho and slapping him. She slapped so hard that Minho's tooth falls off. Bleeding in the mouth now, Minho is thrice as aggressive.

"AND YOU ARE THE FIRST TO KNOCK MY TOOTH OUT!" Minho smacks her right cheek and sends her back on the floor. He continues to assault her by hitting her and pulling her hair.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" Minho is not satisfied as the beast in him has been unleashed. He takes his clothes off and tries to Yuri. "HELP ME PLEASE!" Yuri screams for help. Minho continues to batter her until she nears unconsciousness.

Just then, while Minho is getting busy with Yuri, someone smacks him from behind.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU !" screams the voice from behind. Yuri looks up and is greeted with a surprise.

Raina has come to her aid.

Minho stands up and buttons his shirt. He looks at Raina who is looking back at him viciously.

"What are you doing here, Oh Hye Rin? Didn't I tell you to disappear?"

"I've had enough of your nonsense, you !" Raina strongly says. "You've been abusive for too long. It's time someone teaches you a lesson."

"What lesson, Raina? Tell me? How to weakly smack your boyfriend? Huh?" Minho inches closer to her.

"No…"

"Then what?"

"How to beat an without even trying!" Minho is annoyed with her wit and raises his hand to smack her. He puts it down after getting a better idea. Raina glints her eyes and raises an eyebrow. Minho reaches for something in his pocket and pulls it out.

A small knife.

Raina's eyes widen with fear. She tries to escape but Minho blocks the door.

"This thing is going to kill you! And with that down and out, no one will know what happened to you!" Minho pushes Raina and watches her as she struggles on the floor. He takes the knife out and plays with it in his hand. Raina struggles to get out as Minho nears her.

He thought wrong. Yuri gets up and lunges at him, pushes him away from Raina. Minho turns to her and raises his hand to stab her. Yuri, a swift thinker, kicks him in the nuts. Minho drops to his knees and wails on the floor, rolling around. Yuri rushes to Raina's aid and helps her up.

"Are you hurt?" asks Yuri not taking her gaze off Minho.

"No." Raina says. "But there's a slight sensation in my knee. I think it'll pass."

"Well good." Yuri says. "Let's get out of here."

Yuri and Raina walk out of the room together. They go to the bench near the lockers and sit there to talk.

"I'm really sorry for, you know, disregarding your feelings for Minho." Yuri apologizes without looking at Raina. For some reason, she's too shy to look at Raina for fear that Raina might stare back coldly.

"Well, you're new here, what do you know? Falling for Minho wasn't your fault. But you should've regarded my feelings for him and you should've respected my presence or my position as his girlfriend then. I remember when we crossed paths. You and Minho were very sweet and you spoke to me rudely. You shouldn't have. I was only looking after my boyfriend." Raina explains calmly this time.

"I've never been in love. Almost but never fully got there. I've been had." Yuri replies sadly.

"I kind of envy you, Yuri." Raina admits.

"Really?" Yuri asks.

"Yeah. You're so carefree and you love your life. I can never live my life like that. I'm a martyr, you see. I tend to feel for other people and I feel as though my mission in life is their happiness. I follow and conform to what should be rather than stand out and hold my own. I'm pretty docile, if you might say. And quite honestly…" Raina pauses for a while and puts her chin between her thumb and pointer.

"Yes."

"I admire you."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"After all the we've been through?"

"Most especially after all the we've been through! You proved yourself as a strong woman. You were fooled but you got back up and fought back. If I were you, I wouldn't and couldn't do that. I mean, you know what I went through with Minho. I never went against him. I always did what he wanted me to do. Even though I knew that he was cheating on me, on us, with Nana, I maintained that he was still my boyfriend and that he still loved me."

"But you saved me! How is it possible that-" Raina grabs Yuri's hand which shocks her.

"Because I couldn't stand seeing someone so promising die in the hands of someone who's so heartless. I did it for you not for him. I admire you, Yuri. I never hated you. I hated what you did but I loved you as a person. I loved you all along."

"Oh My God…" Yuri stammers. "Raina, I'm so sorry for all the…God!"

"You don't have to be sorry. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. Mission accomplished." Yuri smiles at Raina and Raina smiles back. Raina smiles like she's never smiled before. The brightest she's smiled since the day Minho made her his girl. But this smile is way brighter than that, of course. The two embrace and exchange vows of newfound friendship.

"From this day forth, I recognize you, Raina Oh as my friend."

"From this day forth, I recognize you, Kwon Yuri as my friend."

The two hug once more.

"Say, I have a proposal for Talent Month." Yuri says.

"What's that?"

"Why don't we do a mashed up performance?"

"How?"

"You and your girls can sing while me and my crew will dance."

"That's great! But that's for the merge competition. There's still the individual talents competition."

"Then go for it! I think you're a good singer though I haven't heard you sing yet."

"I'm not going for the individual talents."

"Why not?"

"I'm out of the competition. I got disqualified, remember?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Yuri stands up and leads Raina to the bulletin board. She scans the names and points at Raina's which is the 3rd name signed. Raina covers in shock and joy.

"Oh My! But how?"

"I talked to the Principal and the Talent Heads about this. I really convinced them to take you back because I said you were a good singer. Their hearts softened and they permitted me to sign you up again. And there's your name. You're the 3rd to perform on Talent Month!" Raina embraces Yuri again.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! God! How can I ever repay you, Yuri?"

"No need. Friendship doesn't come with a price, you know!" Yuri and Raina embrace once more.

"Say, uhm. I got some fierce competition going on. With Ga In and all so if you don't mind, I need to go practice."

"I have some competition, too! See you around!"

"See you, too!" The two part ways but before either girl could get any further, they go back and hug each other.

VI.

I rush all the way home with my backpack hanging loose on my right shoulder. I bust through the door and though hyperventilating, call for my mom. My mom comes rushing and embraces me with tearful eyes.

"What's going on? How's Seohyun? Where is she? Is she here?" I have so many questions that cannot be answered. My mother refuses to look at me and stares at the floor. "Mom! What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Tiffany." My mother lets all her sadness out by crying. She holds my shoulder and shakes me.

"What. I don't understand. How is Seohyun?" I ask anxiously but somehow I already have an idea about what's going on.

"Your sister…." Mom takes a deep breath. "Has passed away." Though I had an idea, it still shocks me. My things fall and I want to fall on the floor as well. My knees go weak and so do my arms and the other jointed parts of my body. My mother cries and walks away from me, leaving me alone and dazed in the living room. She goes to the kitchen and pours herself a glass of Asti. I just stare at her with eyes full of tears.

"Seohyun. Dead. It can't be. It just can't be! Talent Month's nearing and she still has her piece to play and her song to sing…"

Finally, I break down.

My cellphone rings and I reach for my bag to get it. It's Ji Yeon.

"Hello?"

"Tiffany! I have some horrible news!"

"Spill it because I have even more horrible news. I'm here at home, crying on the living room floor."

"Why?"

"Seohyun is dead."

"Oh . Your sister? But-"

"I know."

"What did she die of?"

"Tuberculosis. She worked herself out too much. Bout you? What's your bad news?"

"Hyun Joong died."

Moment of silence.

"WHAT THE ? ANOTHER ONE?"

"Exactly!"

"Oh ! What? How? Why?"

"He and his dad went drug tripping and alcohol binging. They drove home and the dad was so drunk and high he crashed into something and it killed them both."

"But what about his Talent Month entry?"

"He painted it and wanted me to give it on his behalf."

The pain doubles. I feel my heart getting squashed by emotions of guilt and sadness. I cry even harder to the point that I have reached the highest level of incoherency.

"Are you still there? You're all breathy and stuff."

"Ji Yeon. Are you crying right now?"

"I am."

"But it's like you're not."

"Tears are gently flowing from my eyes, Tiffany. I loved Hyun Joong for just a short while and now he's gone. But it's okay. No need to be hysterical. It's better for him to have a good afterlife in heaven than to live hell on Earth."

"But that's not the case with Seohyun. Seohyun is a good sister! She's everything you could ask for!"

"I'm really sorry for her loss, Tiffany." I cry even harder and my heartaches just won't leave me. I hung up and walk meekly to my room and lock myself. I'm not only feeling sadness. I'm feeling guilt and shame. How could I be so indifferent. I never even got the chance to hug her and wish her luck. I wasted all my time feeling jealous of her and plotting. All for a boy. A stupid, useless boy!

I sit on my bed and see a CD as well as a letter. I get the CD and play it. The sad melody of the intro shakes my heart.

[song: "T.T.L." by T-ara and Supernova]

The song is familiar. It's the song that she and Seung Hyun were practicing the other day. The heartbreaking melody sends goosebumps all over my body and down my spine. I cry even harder.

Then suddenly, I remember the letter. I reach for it and unfold it. I scan it first and see that it's pretty long. I then read it word by word. It reads:

Dear Tiffany,

Hello! It's me, your sister Seohyun. I'm sorry for bothering you with this letter. I just want to let you know how I feel inside towards you. Lately I've noticed that you've been acting coldly towards me for some reason I don't know. I want you to know that this makes me feel very sad. Is it because of Seung hyun? Is it because of my status at school? Or is it because I get more attention than you? I am not bragging. Those are simply facts. I know what and how others see me and they see me differently from how they see you. But just so you know, I don't care what other people say. What's important to me is that we have a healthy relationship as sisters. If you're jealous, don't be. Because I'm younger than you and I look up to you as my role model. You may not be as pretty or as popular as the other girls but it doesn't matter. Those don't account for a person's influence. To me you're a noble person and someone worthy of all the praise in the world.

Another thing, if you're angry because I get more attention despite being adopted, it's time for me to let you know a little secret…

There's no need to feel jealous. We're equal…because you're adopted, too. I heard mom and dad talking about it one night and I just couldn't believe that they wanted to keep it a secret from you. But I'm and always will be your best friend, so let this letter open your heart, mind, and soul.

I love you so much, sister.

Love,

Seo Joo Hyun.

The letter reduces me to tears and wails and weeps. The last part shocks me because I didn't know that I was adopted. It actually makes me hate my parents because they kept it from me for so long and for so long I believed that I was really their kid and that Seohyun was the adopted one because they were very vocal about Seohyun's being adopted. I have been put in a bad mood. I flip the paper and see some scribbles on the back part.

P.S.

If you're wondering why Mom and Dad kept it from you, it's because they love you more than they love me. You're their favorite child. Not me. And for so long I strived for their attention. But now I see that it's not worth it. You deserve all their love. You deserve more than me. I love you, Tiffany.

I bury myself in the sheets and cry till I fall asleep.