*

KIM JONGIN

*

Ugh…

Could time possibly go by any slower? I thought as I bounced Minji’s leg, anxiously, while watching the clock on the classroom wall.

I swear the damned thing was taunting me by moving so damn slowly it felt like it was taking an hour just to tick ten minutes.

I wanted out of this class soooooo ing bad! It was actually almost over, too, with only a few minutes of class left before the final bell rang to release us for the day but that didn't matter when time was going by so damn slowly!

It certainly didn't help that Minji's teacher was rambling on and on about…

I suddenly paused in my thoughts and frowned.

Actually, now that I was thinking about it I realized I didn't know what she was talking about. I had stopped paying attention about five minutes into today's lesson.

Regardless, she seemed to be coming to the end of her lecture though. She clapped her hands together to get the class’ attention.

“Alright class, I know the school day is almost over and you're all ready to leave but I need you all to listen to what I have to say because it's regarding what we're going over the next couple weeks until our school break, okay?”

She moved to the center of the classroom as she continued. “So, we started reading chapter ten today but I need you guys to continue reading blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Okay? It's very important that you guys do the reading so we can discuss blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah which will then allow us to get into blah blah blah blah…”

Greeeeeat. Now I had a reading assignment to do that I didn't give a about.

Man, were her lectures boring! She made the class period that was only an hour-long feel like a year. I mean, most teachers were boring in general but this was just...man! It was the kind of boring that could actually be considered torture.

Cruel and unusual punishment are the words, I think.

I couldn't believe Minji actually chose to take this class for her senior year and stuck with it. What was she? A masochist?

I have to say ever since I had startlingly woken up in her body this morning I had been learning a lot about Minji and girls, in general.

Like, why on earth did girls have to carry so much ing in their bags? And I mean like a lot of !

After both Chaerin and Dara had helped me finish getting ready for the school day earlier this morning, and it was time to actually leave, I had gone to grab the school bag I had seen lying on the side of Minji’s bed; however, when I had lifted the thing I was surprised to find that her bag was about as heavy as a sack with two bowling balls in it!

It was for that reason that I had decided to dump out all the stuff she had in it to try and see what was making the bag so damn heavy.

I had been expecting to find something particularly large causing the heavy weight when I had dumped the bag but that's not what I had found. Instead, a ton of crap enough to form a mountain came pouring out of it!

Lotion bottles, make up bags, deodorant, perfume bottles, hair spray, a hair brush, a mirror, tissue packets, baby wipes, a wallet, food, gum, chapsticks, finger nail filer, clippers, mints, hair accessories, just all kinds of crap!

The only things that had been in her bag that were actually required for school was a binder, a couple folders and a pencil case.

As I had skimmed through her things, I couldn’t help but think that it was no wonder the girl’s bag was so damn heavy. She was trying to turn her purse into a suitcase! Just where did she think she was going? To class or on a vacation?

A guy is simple. He carries a phone, a wallet and maybe a pack of gum. But girls…girls try to take their whole damn house with them.

I had settled for the things that were actually necessary for class and put them back in the bag, but left the rest of the junk pile on the floor and let me say it made a world of difference in my shoulders.

Aside from that, I had also learned that I was apparently a terrible excuse for a girl and for however long this whole body-swap thing lasted I knew I was going to be receiving a lot of lip from Minji’s friends.

In order to watch over me, the entire day, both Chaerin and Dara had stuck with me except for during the classes we didn't have together. They had both been particularly worried about how I would behave in Minji's body when in public and whether or not I could pull off acting like a girl.

I think it's safe to say that I was already off to a really bad start.

They both kept pestering me about my mannerisms which apparently were all off not only for Minji but most girls in general.

“Oh my gosh Jongin, chew with your mouth closed!”

“Jongin, don’t belch in public like that.”

“Stop cursing!”

“No biting Minji's fingernails! Minji doesn't bite her nails.”

“Jongin, don’t sit with your legs open when you're wearing a skirt!”

Ugh. And don’t even get me started on the damned skirt. If there was anything I absolutely hated about my current predicament it was the damned uniform skirt I was now forced to wear. More than half of their pestering had to deal with my poor sense of what's appropriate to do and not to do while in the girl's uniform skirt.

Which brings me to my next learned lesson...

Never bend over when wearing a girl’s uniform skirt. I don’t know why these damned things had to be so short. I used to like that the girls’ skirts were short. We guys would sometimes sit in the quad and do what we called “skirt watching” as a pastime activity. Basically, we all liked watching the way the girls’ skirts would sway whenever they walked by or turned, or pretty much any move they made that would cause the skirt ride up.

And sometimes, if you were really lucky, you would even get a peak at a cheek, if you know what I mean...

But now that I was in a girl’s body and had to wear one myself, I had to be mindful of it literally every. second. of the day!

Being in a skirt always had the potential risk of flashing someone. I couldn’t sit with my legs open. I had to be careful of how I moved and turned. I had to be careful of the windy weather which could cause the skirt to fly up. It was just annoying all around.

But the most important thing I had learned: do NOT bend over.

Let me be the first to say, guys are ing hogs. Not pigs. HOGS! Of course, I always knew this. I was one of their kind after all, but this was the first time I had been on the receiving end of their sick behavior.

See, I’d made one tiny mistake today: I’d bent over to take a drink out of the water fountain in a skirt that already barely covered Minji’s cheeks even when standing straight. And of course, just at the moment when I had bent over was when some junior guys in a group came walking past and next thing I know, one of them whistled and cat-called “Hey there, sweet cheeks! Nice !”

After that, him and his friends all cackled like hyenas which just pissed me the off.

I wanted to grab each of them with my bare hands and rip each of their hides a new ! They were so lucky I was a girl because if I had been myself I would’ve tore their little pubescent asses apart! in’ kids. How dare they stare at Minji’s ! Only I was allowed to stare at her !

...

*blushes*

...erm...I mean...nevermind...

I had been so close. So close to going absolute HAM on those idiot juniors but then I remembered what had happened earlier this morning with Kris when I had punched him and the reactions of the girls.

I had to remember that I wasn't “myself.” I was Minji. Well, I was myself, on the inside, but I looked like her. That meant I now had to walk, talk and act like Minji would. So chasing down a group of immature guys and beating the out of them wasn't going to go well. Especially not for Minji's already tarnished reputation all thanks to me...

Regardless, that was the first time in my life I had ever felt so violated. I would NEVER make that mistake again.

I’d managed to get through the school day as Minji with barely any issues other than the water fountain incident. It was virtually easy. All I had to do was show up to class, pretend to be engaged in whatever the teacher was saying and then when the bell rang, I’d leave and go on to the next class to do the same thing all over again. Just typical stuff I always did in class.

But I’d worried all day about Bom being alone with my body the entire school day and the things she might be doing to it in my absence. She had promised she would take good care of it, but I don’t know…I was still worried.

Now that it was the end of the day I was beyond ready to get the hell out so I could see what was going on with my body and see why Bom hadn’t texted any news to us about Minji waking up.

Could it be that Minji really was still knocked out asleep in my body? If that was the case then that couldn't be a good sign...

“So class to keep you all on track with the reading assignments for the next two weeks I made this blah blah blah, blah blah blah...”

Minji's history teacher was still blabbing on when I finally came out of my thoughts. I glanced back up at the clock.

2:30

Damn! Wasn't school supposed to be over now? Why hadn't the bell rang ye-

BRINNNG!

The bell! Finally!

Instantly, I shot out of my seat like it was on fire and immediately made a break for the door so I could get to sweet, sweet freedom. Unfortunately though, before I could get down the hallway the sound of Minji's history teacher’s voice calling her name halted me mid-sprint.

I skirted to a stop and turned around to look at her. She grabbed a sheet of paper from the stack she was holding and waved it in the air.

“Your reading assignment.”

I slumped, reluctantly, marching my way over to the little line that had formed in front of her as students each retrieved the assignment.

Once it was my turn she fixed me with a warning look. “Couldn't wait to get out of class, huh? You know better than running in the hallways, Minji.”

I gave a sheepish smile. “Right. Sorry, Mrs. Shin.”

She sighed. “I have to say if I didn't already know of your situation I would be hurt by the fact that this is the first time you've showed any amount of enthusiasm during my class these last few weeks and yet it’s only because it’s time to leave it.”

I stared at her confused. “Uh...my situation?” I repeated. What was she talking about?

“You know, having been removed as co-president,” she said, speaking lowly like she didn’t want the other few students in line behind me to hear. “I know you've been going through a tough time since that happened and I assumed that’s why you haven't been performing your best lately and why you're grades have been slipping. I just want you to know that me and your other teachers as well as the guidance counselor are here if you need to talk, okay?”

I stood frozen for a moment. So Minji had been having a hard time, too? And I had never even gone to check up on her after the whole trial but just resorted to moping about in the student council office trying to avoid everybody and everything while she faced backlash…

Damn. I was a terrible person. Once we got this whole body-switch figured out I was gonna have to make it up to her somehow.

“Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Shin,” I said. “I'll work hard on the reading assignment.”

And I meant that even though I still thought the class was dull as . But textbook history generally is. Still, the least I could do to help Minji out was keep her grades up while I was in her body since she wasn't awake to do the work herself.

Ms. Shin smiled at me as I turned to leave again only this time I kept an even pace to keep from getting yelled at for running in the halls but once I got to the doors that lead to the outside world I bolted like a track star.

I needed to get back to the dorm to see what the heck was going on with my body and if Bom had any news about if anything happened while we were all away.

So I ran like the wind, making what was usually a ten minute walking commute, a five minute one. I even ran past the elevators and made it up three flights of stairs despite the fact that the elevators actually would've been quicker, but hey, I was on a roll.

Once I finally got to Minji and Bom's room I started banging on the door. “Bom, open up. It's me, Jongin!”

“Alright, alright! I'm coming!” I heard her call from the other side of the door.

A second later and the door flew open to reveal Minji’s petite, brown-haired roommate, but I immediately pushed past her to get inside the room; however, I stopped short once I caught sight of my body.

“You put my body in Minji's bed?” I asked staring blankly at it.

My body was currently nestled and tucked away under the covers of Minji’s bed, looking peaceful and undisturbed. Still, I had to admit that I felt slightly flustered at the fact that my body was put in the same place that Minji’s own body usually slept every night.

Just the thought led me to think of what it would be like if we were both in her bed at the same time. Which then led me to think up a series of unreasonably naughty images…

Which then caused my heart rate to speed up. Which was then followed by an unexpected jolt of ual excitement in my...er, crotch area...

Oh my gosh! I nearly jumped as jolt after jolt went straight to Minji's core as the ual images filled my head.

Holy freedom fries! Is this what girls felt when they were ?!

I bit down on my lip to keep from laughing. Add this to the list of things I had learned on the first day of me being a girl or at least being in a girl’s body.

I furiously shook my head to literally shake the naughty images out of my head otherwise I was going to have a nosebleed right there in the center of the room. My actions must have disturbed Bom because she looked at me sideways but she chose to ignore it.

“Oh, well yeah,” she said now as she came up to stand beside me. “I thought if Minji was gonna wake up in your body she should at least be comfortable.”

“So she's just been sleeping like this all day?” I asked walking up closer to it, inspecting. From the looks of it my body still seemed to be okay. I looked back up to Bom. “Is that why you didn't message us any of us?”

“Chaerin said to message you guys only if something actually happened,” she replied, walking up to the other side of the bed, across from me. “I didn't want to keep bothering you guys only to tell you that nothing was happening.” I nodded, understanding, but looked back up when I heard her sigh. She was staring down at my body, frettingly. “Truth be told, Jongin. I know you think Minji is in your body because you're in hers but after having been watching your body all day long, I'm not so sure she's in it.”

I cringed at her reveal. “What makes you say that?”

Bom’s lips puckered as she continued to stare at my body, deep in thought.

“Well,” she began. “If she was in your body sleeping as you said, shouldn't she like...I don't know, snore, or roll over, or make some kind of movement? You know, something to show that someone is actually in there?”

I thought about what she was saying as I stared down at my unmoving body, quiet and undisturbed. I couldn’t help but think she was absolutely right. There should have been some sign of life, but I looked, dare I say it, comatose.

“But nothing’s happened,” she continued to explain. “You're body has been completely still in this one position all day long. Not a single movement. In fact, you're body is dead weight.”

Suddenly, she grabbed my body’s arm and lifted it high into the air. “See? Watch this.” She held it high then released it and it...

Flop-p-p!

That was the sound of the arm hitting the bed so hard it bounced. Bom shook her head. “I don’t understand. Minji's a light sleeper. Doing something like that would've woken her up but no matter what I've tried I get no reaction.”

She then lifted the arm again and shook it this time, and tugged on it a little trying to get a reaction but there was nothing.

“In fact, I'm not even sure she's breathing,” she added, leaning her head down to my face and, hovering, listening for a breath. I waited as she listened, but seeming to get nothing, she stood up straight again and shook her head. “Absolutely nothing...”

And in that moment, I swore my heart stopped beating. It can't be!

Immediately, I repeated the same movements I just watched Bom do, hovering over my own body, listening for a breath but as I did so for a few moments of silence I realized she was right. There was no sign of breathing or chest movement or anything.

It was as if my body was…

No!

“What are you guys doing?”

I flinched at the sound of another voice in the room now. Turning around, I watched Chaerin, Kris and Dara all enter through the door.

“Oh, hey guys,” Bom greeted, rather morosely, probably due to the situation we were currently in.

Chaerin nudged her head towards my body showing she was referring to Minji. “Anything?”

Bom shook her head. “No. In fact, I was just telling Jongin about my observations on his body.”

“Observations?” Dara repeated, with a snarky tone. “And just what did you observe, Dr. Bom?”

Crossing her arms and bringing a finger up to her chin in thought, Bom replied, “Well, based off of my observations...I really don't think Minji is in Jongin’s body.”

“What?!” Chaerin squawked, demandingly. “Why-what makes you say that?”

“Well, it’s just that…” Bom then proceeded to tell them everything she had just told me a couple minutes ago about why she didn't think Minji was actually in my body. Everyone listened carefully until she finished. Bom finally concluded, “I just think if she's supposed to be in Jongin's body then there should be some sign of life but there hasn't been any at all.”

When she finished the room stayed silent. Nobody moved a muscle, letting the truth of her words sink in. Then suddenly, Chaerin broke the silence when she strided across the room to come over to my body in Mjnji’s bed and leaned down.

It seemed she was trying to listen for breathing just like Bom and I were trying to do just a minute ago. When she got nothing, she placed two of her fingers on the side of my body's neck and waited. I realized she was searching for a pulse which was a smart thing to do in this case, but I panicked on the inside when her expression went from determined to worry.

“What's wrong?” I asked even though I already had a clue.

Chaerin didn't immediately reply, but moved her fingers around my neck some more, searching. Seeming to get nothing, she grabbed for my wrist instead, and again, used her fingers to feel for a pulse.

“Uh oh,” she said looking seriously worried now. “I don't feel a pulse.”

“Are you sure?” Kris asked coming closer to inspect for himself.

Chaerin moved out of the way as he took her place. “I don't know but it doesn't take a medical degree to feel for a pulse and I don't feel one.”

Kris felt around on my body’s neck too, but he ended up with the same result we all did. “This is bad. This is really bad.”

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. “Wait, if my body doesn't have a pulse then…*gulp* doesn't that mean-”

“No!” Chaerin refuted, vehemently before I could even get the thought out. “Don’t say that! Don’t even think that way. She’s gotta be in there. I mean, if you’re in her body then where else could she be? Unless…”

She paused, staring into space as a new thought seemed to come to her before continuing. “Unless something went wrong or backfired when the person who tried to make you two switch bodies did whatever it is they did to make it happen.”

With the way she was looking at the moment, Chaerin seemed to really be beating herself in the skull with trying to figure out what had caused this to happen. I knew she must have really been worried about Minji which I definitely couldn’t blame her and I hated that I couldn’t offer some sort of explanation for this having happened despite being the one who was actually in the room with Minji just last night.

She groaned in frustration. “This doesn’t make any sense. We had just spoken to you guys the night before and you were both fine, in your own bodies, right? Then all of a sudden you wake up the next morning and your in her body…”

She turned to Kris. “Kris, didn't you say there were a bunch of people who hated Jongin enough to do something like this to him?”

His lips pressed together as he frowned, thinking about it. “Well, yeah…” His eyes then came up to land on me and his expression changed from pensive to annoyed. “Oh, don't look at me like that, Kai. You know more than any of us that you've pissed off enough people in the past and made more than enough enemies that someone out there would want to put a hex or a curse on you just to get revenge.”

“A hex or a curse?” I repeated the words in disbelief. It sounded crazy! “You think someone is out there putting curses on me?!”

“Well yeah. I’ve never heard of any legitimate scientific ways to make someone switch bodies,” he said. “So it’s gotta be something...you know...occult.” He said the word lowly like he was uncomfortable with the topic. “And think about it. Would you do this to someone you liked or someone you hated that you wanted to get back at?”

I did think about it and I guess it made sense even though it still sounded crazy. But who would do something like this?

“So I assume it's gotta be someone who hates you, who wants to get back at you, who also has access to things of the... supernatural,” Kris finished.

I snapped my tongue and crossed my arms in defiance as a new thought came to me. “Okay, but why do you assume it’s only me the person wants to get revenge on? What about Minji? You don't think someone who hates her might want to get back at her for something she did?”

Okay, so even as the words came out of my mouth I had to admit that the thought of someone seriously hating Minji to the point of putting curses on her was highly unlikely, so therefore, even I didn’t fully believe what I was saying, but I had to at least try and convince myself that maybe I wasn’t that horrible of a person. But apparently, everyone else in the room felt the same way I did.

“Someone who hates Minji?” Kris repeated in thought. “Okay, now let's all just brainstorm here for a second and think.” He looked at the girls. “Who seriously hates Minji?”

*Crickets*

The room was silent. All the girls had confused looks on their faces as they thought about an answer to Kris’ question but none of them could come up with one.

Kris finally nodded as he looked back at me with a smug grin. “Exactly.”

I rolled my eyes.

“We need to make a list,” Chaerin said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder to open. She pulled out a notebook and pen. “We need a list of all the people who hate Jongin enough to do something like this to him.”

“But if they were just trying to attack Jongin shouldn't it have just affected him alone?” Bom asked as she grabbed for the notebook and pen Chaerin was now handing over to her. “I mean, Minji was affected by it too. He's in her body afterall.”

Chaerin shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe they meant to curse only him but somehow it affected Minji too since she was in the same room with him. I don't know anything about this supernatural, hexing stuff?”

“Maybe it was someone who had the same kind of idea we did,” Dara suddenly piped up causing all eyes to land on her. She was thinking out loud since she wasn’t looking at anyone in particular. “We locked them in a room together to force them sort out their issues. Maybe whoever did this was trying to accomplish the same thing. Force them to sort out their issues by making them switch bodies and be in each other’s shoes.”

“Oh, Dara! You know that actually makes sense,” Chaerin marveled at her friend’s theory. She turned to me. “What if someone did do this to both of you on purpose? To make you switch bodies?”

“But who would be crazy enough, or angry enough to do something like that?” I wondered aloud.

“Jongup could've done it,” Kris blurted.

“Moon Jongup?” I snorted. “No ing way!”

Suddenly, the sound of a tongue snapping stole my attention away and when I saw it was Bom shooting heated laser eyes at me I already knew she was going to scold me for cursing while inside her best friend’s body. But before she could say anything I put my hands up in defense, mouthed “sorry” and she relented.

“Well, why not?” Kris persisted now. “He's literally hated your guts ever since the dance battle back in ninth grade.”

True. Back during freshman year when our school was all-boys we’d had a dance club that held a big dance showcase at the end of every school year. Although I wasn’t apart of the club (my father would never allow it since he thought dance was a waste of time) everyone on campus could participate. Jongup, who actually was apart of the club, and his friend Zelo were known as the best dancers on campus, especially for freshman, but that year, on a dare, Sehun and I had participated in the showcase, too. It was kind of a hobby of ours that we did only in our spare time, but even without any training, I had to admit; I had moves. And so did Sehun.

Together, we choreographed a smooth little number to one of my top favorite performer’s songs, Michael Jackson's “Smooth Criminal,” and performed it at the end of the year showcase. Meanwhile, Jongup and Zelo had done a tribute to old school hip-hop.

If it hadn't been for us Jongup and his friend Zelo definitely would've won but it was Sehun and I who ended up taking the winning trophy. I hadn't been expecting it to piss Jongup off as much as it had but he swore that the only reason I had won was because I was the headmaster's son and that's why everyone voted for me.

In return, this just pissed me off as well since I had hated the fact that he demeaned my skills by saying that it was all thanks to my father who had absolutely nothing to do with my dancing. After that some not so nice jokes were exchanged between him and I about each other's mothers and the next thing I knew we were rolling all over the stage trying to beat the out the other.

Needless to say, he's hated me ever since.

For me it was all “water under the bridge” but even to this day Jongup still gave me the evil eye whenever we crossed paths so I knew he was definitely one who could hold a grudge.

Suddenly, the sound of Kris chuckling drew me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to see him shaking his head now.

“And let's not forget that it was just last month that you had ruined his chance to kiss Minji when you had stormed up on that podium during Yoona's kissing booth and got in that big fight with him.”

I grinned, sheepishly, at the memory.

Oh right. I had forgotten all about that incident. I had absolutely flipped when Yoona had called another guy to take my place to kiss Minji and it had turned out to be Jongup.

I hadn't meant to get into a fight with him. But there was no way in hell I was going to sit back and watch her kiss another guy after all I had done just to get her ticket.

Damn. The more I thought about what Kris was saying the more it made sense that Jongup could've been a suspect. Maybe he was the one who had done this to me.

After listening to Kris’ reasoning, Chaerin seemed to believe it, too. She looked over to Bom. “Write that Jongup boy's name down.”

But Kris wasn’t finished as he continued to give out possible suspects. “Or, how about those two freshman kids you bully around all the time making them do all your dirty work that you never pay. They snitched on us to the girls, too about our prank on them so clearly they can't be very loyal to you. Maybe they did it.”

I shook my head. “No, they wouldn't do it.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kris asked.

Because my father had practically paid off Chansung and Dongwoo to forget about the pranks and everything else they had learned about the seniors since the start of the school year, I thought.

Back when we were making the trial against Minji, in order to cover all our tracks, he had made sure to send the two freshman I had repeatedly used to do my dirty work far away from campus. This way, when we went through with the trial, Minji wouldn’t be able to use them as witnesses.

The boys ended up getting a week-long, all-expense paid vacation to Lotte World during the week we held the trial and as long as they continued to keep their mouths shut, they wouldn’t receive anymore bullying from me or any of the senior guys. So basically, they were on our side because they were bribed to be. But I couldn't admit that to Kris or the girls, especially not now.

After the trial I had spent the better half of the last few weeks depressed, alone and just hating life in general, and according to Minji’s teacher, apparently so had she, so even though they had tricked us I was grateful that Minji and I had friends that wanted to help us out when they saw how miserable we both were. Even after all that had happened they were still willing to help out.

And, it’s not like the five of us were the best of friends or anything, but somehow through this predicament we had managed to form some kind of bond. I worried they would go right back to hating me if they found out just what part my family had in getting Minji removed from her position as president.

Things were looking up as far as the relationship between the girls and I goes. No need to ruin it by bringing up stuff that should stay buried.

“I just know,” I dodged the question, refusing to give anything away. “And I did pay them back, eventually. They wouldn't do this.”

“Well what about the girls?” Dara asked now. “All the senior girls hate Jongin not only because he lead the prank the boys pulled on us but because he's the sole reason Minji is no longer our female president.”

Bom nodded as she chimed in. “Yeah, in fact, remember when Yoona and her friends had wanted to pull another revenge prank on the guys but Minji told them not to because she wanted to call a truce with Jongin to end all the fighting between us girls and the guys?”

I frowned upon hearing that. Minji had told them that? Well, now I feel really ty for all that I’d done.

“Oh right. Yoona was really mad,” Chaerin said, rubbing her chin in thought. “I could definitely see her and her friends doing something like this to get back at Jongin especially after everything that's happened since then.” She snapped her fingers and pointed to Bom. “Put all their names down.”

Bom did as told while Chaerin clasped her hands together. “Okay, who else hates Jongin?”

At this, Kris sighed, exaggeratedly. “Man, who doesn’t hate Kai? Everybody on campus hates Kai! At this point, we're gonna have to put the entire senior class on the list.”

Rolling my eyes, I flipped him the middle finger which just earned me one of his infamous glares, cold enough to freeze over the pits of fiery hell.

“You know, he’s kinda right,” Chaerin agreed, looking over at me. “Jongin, why do you have to piss off so many people? I mean, I know you finally admitted to being in love with my best friend but you can’t tell me you did all of those things in the past just so you could get her attention, can you?”

I gulped. Oh no. Why did they have to keep bringing up questions that would make me have to tell the truth about my parents? I couldn’t tell her their part in making me do all that I had done. Damnit, how was I going to get out of this one?

“Uh…” I hesitated as I ransacked my brain for an answer.

“You know,” Bom suddenly chimed in again, this time saving me by taking the attention away. “I can't help but to think that there is one outlier that we all may want to consider…”

“Outlier?” Chaerin repeated, frowning. “What outlier? Who's that?”

“Well,” Bom paused before answering. “Minji.”

She said it like it was the most simple thing in the world.

“Huh?” I said, shocked. “Minji? You think Minji could've done this?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” she said, bashfully. Everyone in the room was looking at her like she was insane so I’m sure she knew she had to explain quickly. “Just think about it. Someone who hates Jongin. Someone who hates him enough to the point that they would be willing to put a hex or a curse on him. Minji has hated all the senior guys ever since the prank and she's hated Jongin even more since the trial he made against her. After all the things he's done to her since the beginning of the school year she has more reason than anyone else out there to want to put a curse on him.”

“But Minji? Dabbling in things like dark magic to put hexes and curses on Kai?” Kris said while looking deep in thought. Then he suddenly started to laugh. “I'm sorry but I just can't see her doing that.”

I couldn’t either. It did seem a little absurd to think that Minji, who was a total goody-goody, was capable of dabbling with things of the occult that would cause this switch to happen.

“Yeah, I really can't see her doing something like that either,” Chaerin said, shaking her head at the theory.

Bom shrugged. “Yeah, I guess…”

“Well, with the list at least we have a start,” Chaerin figured. “But Kris is right. Jongin, you've pissed off a lot of our peers thanks to you being just a terrible president over all. We may actually have to interview the entire senior class. But we’ll decide that after we talk to those on the list.”

I crossed my arms, not too happy that she had just called me a “terrible president” even though it was true. Neither was I happy with the fact that we might have to go through the entire senior class just to find out who did this to Minji and me.

“Where do we start?” Kris asked Chaerin.

“I think we should split up,” she replied. “Kris, you and Jongin can talk to Jongup and his friends and see if you can find anything out and Dara and I will talk to Yoona and her friends. Then, we'll all meet back up tonight.” She then turned to Bom.

“Bom, you stay with Jongin’s body and message us if anything happens. We still don't know why Minji hasn’t woken up yet or what’s going on with Jongin’s body and if you're right about what you said earlier about her not actually being in there then we’re in big trouble.”

I nodded. Even more than figuring out who did this, Minji waking up was the main concern. But then, if we did figure out who had caused this mess, then they could tell us how to fix it and how to wake her up. I just knew we didn't have much time to figure this whole thing out.

Everyone agreed to Chaerin’s plan before splitting up: I with Kris, Chaerin with Dara and Bom staying back with my body.

But before I left with Kris, I took one last look at my body lying dormant in Minji's bed and said a silent prayer for her sake.

We all had to figure this out before it was too late.

*

Hey guys!

There's a part 2 to this chapter, but it's not finished yet. I just really wanted to get this up already.

Hopefully I can have it finished by next week. 

Also, I thank all of you that continue to read, rate, comment or subscribe. 

See ya all soon in part 2!

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