A few days passed of my new diet, and it wasn't until that following Thursday - exactly a week since Myungsoo had been gone -  at school during Lunch that Dara finally spoke out.

"This is getting out of hand." She suddenly cried, slamming down her chopsticks. "It's been almost a week, Hana. You need to eat!"

"I have been eating." 

"Living off a diet of white rice and kimchi is hardly eating." She sighed. "You've already lost aonnes of weight, why are you carrying this on?"

"I'm just eating healthily." I explained, sipping my water. "Why are you going on at me for just eating healthily? It's not like I'm starving myself."

"No, but you're beginning to look like one of them." She argued, gesturing to the table opposite us.

I looked over to see Krystal and her friends chatting, all of them sipping water like I was and nothing else. I my lips nervously.

"Do you think?" I asked, trying to keep my tone disinterested.

Daras eyes narrowed. "That's it, isn't it? You're trying to look like them!" 

"I'm not doing anything." I snapped, crossing my arms. "I'm just eating healthier."

"You look ill." She sighed. "Your uniform is hanging off you."

I looked down at myself critically and felt my heart lurch. My uniform was really baggy, and though I had cut down on fatty foods and been sticking to healthier foods and only drinking water and coffee, weight had dropped to just 52kg. I just couldn't seem to drop below the big 50.

"It's cos she's so short." JiYong announced, plonking himself down next to Dara suddenly and reaching over to steal a chip off her. "You're like, what, 5.2? You was the right weight as you were for your height."

"Exactly!" Dara grinned at JiYong. 

He paused with a chip halfway to his mouth and the tips of his ears turned pink.

"Gotta go." He muttered, shoving the chip into his mouth and hurrying over to join Kryst l and her friends. 

Dara's smile turned into a scowl.

"For a moment he seems alright, then he does stupid things like that!" She spat bitterly, gesturing to where he had slung his arm around another girl.

I bit the inside of my cheek thoughtfully. I had definitely seen him blush, so what's with his sudden departure?

"Anyway, Myungsoo will be home tonight so hopefully he will talk some sense into you." She sniffed, popping a chip into .

I took a huge mouthful of water and looked away, my chest tightening as JiYongs words ran through my mind. I was short whereas Krystal and her friends were all at least over 5,5. Was that why my weight loss seemed so disproportionate? You'll never look like that. I realised. You're shorter than them... Of course you'll never look like them. I sighed and shook my head. Seriously, why did it have to be JiYong who talked the words of sense? Reaching over I stole a chip from Dara's pack, shoving it into my mouth, eyes closing at the salty taste. As I opened them again, I came face to face with Dara's delighted expression.

"Why the sudden interest in eating?" She asked curiously a little while after when I had pretty much emptied out a vending machine.

"I've lost some weight now, so I'm happy." I shrugged, "I was just worried all my binge eating in Korea was making me fat. Back in America, me and my friends were always out by the lake swimming and riding our bikes. Here... There's no country to run around in." I explained. 

It was half the truth anyway. 

"Seriously, all you need to do is join a club or something if you're worried about that." She smiled. "Why don't you go to some tryouts? Is there any sports your good at?"

"I like swimming... And running."

"Well there you go!" She clapped happily. "I'll come with you to the swimming tryouts tomorrow after school."

"Eh? They're holding tryouts?" 

"They're holding them all this month." She shrugged. "They're hoping to reach the national championships this year, so they're being really meticulous about who they're taking on." 

"I might not get accepted, then." I worried. 

"Maybe not, but there's always the track team. They're always accepting. So try them both and see which you like. You never know, you might make it on the swim team."

"You know what, I will." I agreed, giving her arm a grateful squeeze. "Thanks Dara. And I'm sorry about worrying you so much with my crazy diet"

"No problem. Just remember... You really don't need to lose weight, Hana. You're fine how you are - how you were. Just join a club, then the exercise will help you not gain loads. There's no need to give up eating!" 

"You're right." I agreed, feeling like an absolute idiot. "I honestly don't know what came over me."

We chatted the rest of lunch and I found myself looking across at Krystal once more but this time, I didn't feel the usual stab of jealousy.

Krystal was a healthy weight for her height, but then again, so was I. 

"I'm just nipping to the shop!" I called to my mother that evening after tea.

"What do you need?" She asked, heading towards her room. She was tired after a long shift.

"I've run out of space in my binder. I'm look for another and maybe pick