Something was wrong.

I can feel it with my nose: the smell of perfume being sprayed on the bodies of females. A lot of females. I could see it with my own eyes: new haircut, hair extensions, and false lashes were set on some girls’ head. I can actually feel something is up and I want to know.

However, I don’t have the time for that and I know I’ll have my answers soon. I’m having a great day, not only Jung Jinyoung missed waking me up this morning, I haven’t seen his shadow nor a tiny bit of him since I arrived at campus. He could’ve decided to miss school today.. typical of him.

Wait. Why do I care if he’s around campus or not?

At lunch time, Hee-rin filled me up with answers.

“Jinyoung is back, and every girl in campus wants to get their hands on him.” Hee-rin said in low tone while looking at the girls in the canteen.

“You’re kidding me..” I said. “I can’t believe these girls are stupid enough to change their looks just because Jinyoung is back.”

No wait. They totally would. Actually, every time a jock announces that he is single every single ty female in campus starts to act like animals in a zoo.

 Talk about the mere mortal named Jung effin’ Jinyoung. His stepbrother is popular, but his popularity is different. Girls like him because of his bad-boy aura and, they dream to be the I-changed-the-badboy girl in campus. Too bad, the devil’s horn is as high as the sky.

“No, I’m not kidding!” Hee-rin said as she starts munching her sandwich, while Yu-ri twirls her newly curled hair.

“Did you curl your hair?” I gaped at Yu-ri. She had never curled her hair before nor did she spend much time making herself look good. Well, she’s naturally good looking, but why does she have to change her looks today. And then.. NO way!

Yu-ri giggled.

“You are not turning into one of those girls!” I said to her in disbelief.

“No, Soo-ji.. this is not for Jinyoung. This is for someone else!”  Yu-ri said as she flipped the pages of her new favorite book.

I know my friends could never like the person I hated the most. I mean it’s normal for your friends to hate those who you hate. However, if she’s liking someone right now I still feel a little guilty because sooner Min-ah will find out and will no doubt do anything to put my friends down with me no matter what happens.

I was always the kind of person who would punch people when I was angered around Jinyoung, but I don’t know why I never go against Min-ah. I don’t if it was because she was my ex-best friend and I can never do the same thing to her or because I just can’t and I’m always the weak one between the two of us.

 “Actually, I’ve heard from the gossip that Jinyoung talked about having a crush on a girl in our school with one of his friends.” Hee-rin continued with her announcement, and the one thing to describe her words, it would be ‘deafening’.

“and so? Is that even a valid reason for these girls to go gaga?” I said almost puking at the thought of seeing Jinyoung ever dating a girl in campus. I do have to admit, he’s matured a lot.

“I really believe that it’s you..” Yu-ri said while staring down at her book.

And all I wanted to do was to snatch her book away from her and knock it on her head to get some sense out of her. She’s trying to be the love guru again, pairing me with Jinyoung and insisting that the guy has liked me ever since. “there’s no way in hell.” Yu-ri’s got some mental problems. Then I turned my attention to Hee-rin who was now wearing her apologetic look at me. “Don’t tell me you too think that Jinyoung likes me?” I said while raising my brows at them.

And she nodded. Oh my god.

Well it seemed like I need to rephrase my judgment about my friends. They don’t have mental problems. They were insufferable and I can’t believe I still stick with them. They know that Jinyoung was an , and I’ve told them everything about my undying hatred towards the boy.

Now they are insisting that the boy likes me.  It was an unwritten rule; I would never, for a single bit like Jinyoung or even Jinyoung like me. Ever.

However, I don’t know where I got the question but, I wanted to take it back the moment the words came out of my mouth. “Who’s this unlucky girl he’s having a crush with anyway?”

My friends looked at me like I’ve grown another head.

As always Hee-rin was the one who answered, “No one knows, she’s a mystery girl. I heard from some girls that the girl had never liked him.” she said with a shrug

I was trying so hard not to growl when I said, “he deserves it! He needs to be taken down. I hope this girl will break his heart.”

I can taste the bitterness in my mouth. My friends were just looking at me trying to, I think, understand my situation. I mean, I have hated him since the first time we met which explains why I act like this towards him. But, my mind is somewhere else right now. Jinyoung must be up to something right now, and whatever it is.. he’s got another prank coming. I’m sure about that.

Since I couldn’t talk to Jinyoung where gossip-hungry people in school could see us, I stalked him.

You heard me right. I stalked him.

I started my stalking during the fifth period, at Mathematics. He wasn’t giving me much attention today, which is good. Our teacher, Mr. Ahn was an old man with a vision that could be categorized as blind and ears that couldn’t hear anything that wasn’t as loud as a thunder. So, I sat behind Jinyoung, not minding all the dirty looks that I got from all the girls in our room.

I sat there glaring at the back of his red wine-colored hair head for the full twenty minutes, before the guy beside me tapped my shoulder.

“a note for you” it’s from that “Jinyoung dude.”

The guy must be afraid that talking to me will send him to the pit hole of all the social pariah, he just threw the crumpled paper onto my table, I opened it, and I recognized the ugly hand writing of Jinyoung.

Been thinking of nasty things about me, huh, cheesecake?

I was furious. I can feel my nostrils burning, and if was a cartoon character, I’d be growing horns on my head. I drew my pen from my bag and wrote back my reply.

Yes, Jung, it should be nasty because I’ve been thinking of ways to kill you with my book!!!

And then to make sure that I make my point across his small brain, I drew a knuckle at the end of my message.

I threw the paper back to Jinyoung and it hit him on the head. I guess he already knew I was the one who did it because I heard him chuckle before picking up the paper. He started chuckling again upon reading my message.

I was burning a hole on his head again while he was writing his reply down on the paper, he then turned his head and gave me that smug smile of his. “Watch out, fatty.” and before I knew it he threw the paper back at me and it hit me right on my forehead.

It caused me to throw my head back a little. He threw it with a little force, but because I was unprepared, I ended up as his another source of entertainment. He blew a little air from his mouth trying to hold his laughter.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and turned my attention back to the paper which fell on my lap.

I always knew you dream about me, cheesecake.

And as if his reply wasn’t bad enough, he even drew handcuffs and whips around the words. I was fuming so hard that I didn’t know what to reply. If I write something like, ‘Getting my claws under your skin’, he’d turn the words around to be something dirty, despite the fact that he fully knew that I felt everything I wrote down literally.

Jinyoung then turned his head towards me again. There he was wearing his smirk. He waggled his brows, as if challenging me to answer back the note.

I closed my eyes trying to hold my temper. God, please stop the joke right now.

My shoulders were already too rigid with anger, you see this is me when Jinyoung is around. I was always the underdog in school, the quiet one who people can bully and spit on. But, with Jinyoung.. he’s different, he gets the devil out of me.

I massaged my temple out of frustration. After a while, I got up from my seat and stalked off the room tugging Jinyoung on his armshirt.

I heard some guys gave us muted catcalls and I had to swallow my tongue to prevent myself from eating my new found confidence. Jinyoung was wearing his smirk as he lifted his arms on the air while he let himself get dragged by me, and I swear I wanted to punch the smirk right out of his face.

“You know you look hot when you’re furious.” He said even more widening his smirk.

I can feel the muscles above my eyes twitch in anger. Before I was dragging him with the hem of his armshirt, but now without mercy, I pinched at his arm and he started yelping in pain.

“Ow, ow, ow!” I upturned the pinch in my most inhumanly possible way, “OW! OW! That hurts, Soo-ji!”

“Shut your mouth and follow me!” I hissed and I dragged him with me.

We passed Mr. Ahn and I gave him an apologetic smile before leaving the room, I never cut  a class, and I can’t believe I’m doing this because of Jinyoung.  “Sorry, Mr. Ahn, we’ll be back in a minute.”

I finally released Jinyoung after we reached the locker row. Jinyoung jumped immediately away from me as he rubbed the skin where I’d pinched him. From what I saw the skin turned blue.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re strong for a woman, cheesecake?” he said though in a snarl tone he managed to flash that smirk again.

“Since when did an athlete like you started whining because of a mere pinch?” I snorted back.

His eyes narrowed, “You have a strength of a gorilla, fatty, don’t you know that?”

“What are you up to now, huh?” I cut him off.

I seemed to catch him off guard. For the first time, Jinyoung neither put on his smirk nor his annoying devil-may-care smile. He simple looked shocked with my question. Jinyoung took a second before talking, but there was uncertainty in his tone. “you’re interested in my love life?”

I groaned in frustration, “No, you rat-face. I was just asking you a simple question.”

He raised an eyebrow, but answered anyway, “Does this mean, you started liking me now instead of my loser step-brother?”

“I’m sorry, but no is the answer.” I said quite frankly, I like Sehun and nothing’s gonna change that. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot on the floor as I waited for him to answer.

I was caught off guard when I saw him change his expression, he looked serious now. I’ve never seen him like this before, “I’ve always had my eyes on this someone, cheesecake. Apparently, she’s too blinded. So, I guess I need to work even harder this time to get her.”

His confession made my heart race. And all I can hear was my heart beating inside my chest. He’s not serious right. Not cool. This is not cool. “who?” I asked, my voice was hoarse beyond my liking.

Jinyoung’s expression is now back to the mixture of amusement and curiosity. Damn. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because I’ll punch you if you don’t answer” I spat at him though I can’t really punch him, I just want to coo him to answer.

“hhhhmm” instead of answering, he started rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger.

“Who, Jung?” I demanded.

He grinned this time, his teeth white and gleaming, “Are you hoping that it’s you Soo-ji?”

When I realized it, Jinyoung was already leaning on the locker crying in pain. His hands were cupped around his now bloodied nose and he groaned and groaned and groaned,

“oh my god!” I reached for him, and tried to remove his hands that were covering his nose, I wanted to know how much damage I’ve caused, “I didn’t mean to..” he was always the one who’d cause me to bleed or brake my bones, but right now he’s in pain because I had punched him. Literally.

“I always knew you’d wanted to put your hands on me, but I can’t believe you’d punch me. I was just joking, cheesecake! A joke!” he was now knocking against the locker trying to ease the pain.

“I’m sorry okay..” I lifted my hand contemplating if I should put it on his face, but then I withdrew it. “Maybe you should stop joking around me.”

“now, I’m starting to wonder why’d you’d let Min-ah walk all over you..” he said when he had finally removed his hand from his face, I saw river of blood trailing down his nostril.

I couldn’t answer.

“lucky for you though, I’m a forgiving person towards hot girls.” He said although his nose was bloody and he was crying like a baby just five seconds ago he was able to regain his stance and joke around. “now, nurse my nose.” He demanded. No, he sounded like he was giving me an order.

“I’m sorry, what?” I pretended that I didn’t hear him.

“nurse my noise.” He repeated. He was grinning at me and continued his speech, “you punched me, remember? Now, I’m bleeding and I want you to nurse me until bleeding stops. Then, I’ll forgive you and maybe let you know who the mystery girl is.”

“You’re not serious.” I raised my brows at him, I am now ready to give him another punch.

He tilted his chin higher, “I, literally bloody, am.”

We stood frozen for a moment. Part of me wanted to pull out my handkerchief that I had on my pocket, but something somehow held me in. Maybe it was the challenging and anticipating look that Jinyoung was giving me. Maybe it was the idea of nursing him, which means I would be close to him without involving violence.

Then this is the first time, I or him would touch me without the intention of hurting each other.

I didn’t know which of these things were made me do it, but before I knew it he was smiling at me with his triumphant smile as I was rubbing his blood off his nose.

“Yuck.” I said as my bare hand touched a bit of skin on his face.

Now, I really want to lock myself up in my room for the rest of my life, because soon enough students started scramming the hallway as the bell rings. Let’s get things straight, I am not an attention seeker, but Jung Jinyoung’s plaque is spreading fast in my life. Students who had seen me damping a handkerchief on Jinyoung’s bloody face started mute talking to each other.

Now, everyone thinks that this is my way of getting my hands on Jinyoung, the resident bad boy, before other girls in campus do. Oh hell no! Speaking of the resident bad boy… he was smiling his evilness-filled smile.

Which made me realize the reason why he wanted me to nurse him, because, it’s almost time and that if I fall for his charm and start to nurse him, soon students will come out of their homeroom and everyone would see us.

Before things get worse, I smacked the handkerchief on his face with my palm, “Nurse yourself.” And with that whirled my way back to Mr. Ahn’s class ignoring all the cooing of the students who’d seen us.

+

I don’t know why my mom had let Jinyoung in our house after school when he followed me home. It’s been two weeks since he came back, and gladly I’m still alive. And the devil even told my mom about my unladylike action towards him when I punched him. Which convinced my mom that she should let Jinyoung in. Now, Jinyoung was sitting beside me in the kitchen.

“Are you not gonna eat?” he asked while eyeing at my untouched food.

I gladly pushed my food towards him. “You can have it.”

“Seriously, cheesecake. I don’t even see you eat during lunch.” He said while wearing, believe it or not, a concerned expression. “you don’t eat in school even though you want everyone to think that you do, whenever I eat with your family you take a bit or two and then leave thinking your parents didn’t notice. We’ve been back from school for two hours and you still haven’t eaten, Am I the only one seeing the problem here?”

He’s been sitting with me and my friends during lunch with his friend, Shinwoo. People in cafeteria had stopped throwing their unwanted food at us when Jinyoung threatened a soccer player who pretended tripping which resulted to him throwing his food on my face. I know that that soccer player intentionally did that to impress Min-ah who was also in the cafeteria that day.

But, Jinyoung saw that and he basically threatened to ruin the guy’s reputation as a jock because of what he did. The next day, the boy was seen - running on the field. Jinyoung is now part of the archery team, he didn’t even have to audition, he was invited, talk about the perks of being good at anything.

Since he started sitting with us, people had stopped bullying. And I felt like a queen, because people start scattering like the red sea when I walk past them. I was fine with him being around me, but I still feel uncomfortable, especially when my friends start acting like stuck robots.

I had to admit, I was impressed with the amount of attention he’s paying to me,. It was flattering and creepy at the same time, “you’ve missed three years of my life, Jinyoung.” I said rolling my eyes at him, “I don’t eat like a pig, like the last time you were here.”

“eating like a pig or not, you’re still fatty Soo-ji..” he started slicing my steak and pushed the slice meat as if feeding me like a baby, “Now, eat or I’ll force feed you.”

“I’m not hungry.” I said, but my stomach made the ugly sound which drew a smile on Jinyoung’s -face.

“I know you too well, cheesecake. You never say no to a good food.” He said raising his brows while still holding the fork with meat in front of me.

And because the fatty in me was screaming to open my mouth and eat the mouth-watering food in front of me, I opened my mouth and ate the meat Jinyoung was offering me.

“Now, cheesecake.” He said while slicing some more meat from my steak. “Do you have plans this weekend?”

I was star-strucked with his question. He’s not asking me out now, isn’t he? “I might go to starbucks with my friends and have a group study..” I said before mentally smacking my head because I just gave Jinyoung an idea where he could find me and ruin my day this coming weekend.

“On Saturday night?” he raised his brow and I shrugged. “I’m going to a party that the jocks in school had been planning for my welcome home party. And you’re coming with me, fatty.”

I stare at him trying to comprehend what it is that he’s trying to imply. “Incase, you haven’t noticed.. I’m a social pariah. People are going to make fun of me and my friends when they see us there.”

“how can you not see that a lot of guys in our school are actually trying to get your attention, cheesecake?” then he flicked his finger on my forehead, “You’re still as dumb, good thing you became hot and you could always marry rich.”

I narrow my eyes at him, me? Guys in school trying to get my attention? Excuse me, but the last thing a person in school would want to do with me is to pull a prank, or at least bully me. “I’m not going to that party with you anyway.”

He chuckles and shakes his head, “So naïve, Soo-ji.. do you really have a choice? Have you really not learned anything for spending time with my fine self these years?”

I shook my head ferociously, “No, no, and no!”

“You really have no choice, cheesecake.”

“I’m telling you.. I should really not.” I started mumbling something under my breath which made Jinyoung worry for a little.

“What are you saying? Stop talking to yourself like a crazy old lady..” He said while narrowing his brows.

“I and my friends are banned from parties. If Min-ah sees us, we’re done.. her royal ness is going to kick me again in the .” I said in one breath while Jinyoung was trying to help me calm down as I started hyperventilating at the thought of being embarrassed by Min-ah in a crowd of people again.

Jinyoung’s face soon changed in something I can classify as anger and I noticed him holding the fork tighter until his palm turned white, “How long has she been doing this?” he said in a restrained fury, and I was taken aback by his reaction.

Shouldn’t he be happy that in his absence someone’s been thoughtful in leading the whole school in making my life miserable?

“it doesn’t matter.” I say trying to calm him down, I’m afraid that if he’s start acting ballistic my mom would come down from her room and start giving us the parent-child talk about school-bullying and stuff. I’ve had enough of those to be honest.

Jinyoung was staring at me, and I wish the ground would split open and swallow me whole. He’s searching for answers and I’m not sure if I should tell him. “How long?” he repeats and this time he makes it clear that I should provide him an answer.

I slump in my seat and avoid looking at him. what’s he going to do if he finds out that my life is actually worse than it was when he was here? Would he pity me? Would he feel guilty for bullying me all the time before he left for Seoul? For some reason I don’t want him to feel sorry for me.

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter.” I say aware that he was reading my every action. "I'm handling her bullying pretty well."

“Oh you do?” he says mockingly, “Because you could punch me on the face, but would let the stomp all-over you with her giant feet.”

“Please stop acting like you care.. and mind your own business, Jung.” I said trying to sound annoyed at him. I was trying to find for my witty comebacks, but I think they always have vacations when Jinyoung is around.

“You are my business, cheesecake.” He said then winks at me. “but, this doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten what this conversation is about.” He said seriously, but then his face breaks into the most gorgeous pf smiles as he says, “I’m taking you and your friends to that party, and I’m going to teach you to have fun..”

At that moment I just want to slap his smirk off his -face to shut him up. There's no way in hell that I'm going to that party.. or do I really have a choice? I guess, I'll just wish for my death to come before the day of that said party arrives.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

A/N:

I just love writing this story! 

I was acutally going to make this chap a little longer, however, I thought I might just add the next scenes on the next chap!

Thank you for reading!

Comments are welcome and appreciated by the author! Tell me what you think about the story :)

love lots <3

*photo not mine