“Sorry, can you repeat what you just said?” Jieun asked.

“I want you to be my girlfriend until graduation.” The boy in front of her said.

Jieun tried to read his face, searching for a hint of amusement or something like that, but there was none. She looked around then, trying to find a secret camera or people behind some bush. When she failed to find one, she waited, she was sure in no time somebody would burst in laughter and tell her that it was just a joke, that she was being fooled, that what happened in the hall some moments ago was a prank. She waited, counting down from ten in her mind, but nothing happened.

“Okay, where’s the secret camera?” She asked and Kai looked at her questioningly.

“It must be a prank, right? Because I can’t see any other logical reason.”

“It’s not.” He said. Jieun rubbed her face in exasperation.

“So, we’ve never talked to each other until some minutes ago. Then suddenly you said that Iamyourgirlfriend in front of students back in the hall just after someone confessed her feeling to you, then you dragged me to this empty area that I’ve just found out the existence and youaskedmetobeyourgirlfriend? Like, helloooo? Am I dreaming right now?”

“No, you are not dreaming. It’s real.” He said, tone as flat as ever. Jieun started to really dislike the way he just seems not caring about everything.

“Why?” Why it’s real? Why suddenly you popped up out of nowhere and claimed me as your girlfriend? Why you are so nonchalant?

“It’s a dare.”

“It’s a dare! Of course it’s a dare!” She clapped her hands as if she already got her explanation for everything but then she realized what it really meant and... “what?”

“My friend dared me to date you until graduation.”

Jieun scoffed, “No. Thanks. Bye.” Then she turned away, ready to walk away and forget that she ever knows a boy named Kai but before she could even take her first step, Kai grabbed her hand.

“Let go.” She said. Trying to sound as cold as she could.

“There’s punishment if I fail the dare.”

“And I should care because?”

“Tao told me you are nice.” Kai said. He felt stupid a second after the words left his lips, but he was desperate and didn’t know what to say. He might seem calm but it was just his perfect polished mask and behind the mask was Jongin, a boy who had never asked someone to be his girlfriend before. He looked the expression on Jieun’s face and he knew the girl was not amused at all.

“Tell Tao I’m not that nice.” She said then walked away, this time Kai didn’t hold her back.

Jieun slammed the passenger door and buried her face in her hands. She was too busy pitying herself that she didn’t notice the worried glance that her driver sent from rearview mirror.

“Are you alright, Jieun-ssi?”

Jieun exhaled, then lifted her head and gave Changmin a reassuring smile, “I’m okay, Oppa. Let’s just go home.”

“Okay.”

And the car was driven away from the school. Away from a certain boy that was messing with Jieun’s mind right now.

***

It was 5 p.m. when finally the council meeting ended. Lay was ready to go home but it seemed like he had to delay it for a little while because there was a bunch of girls waiting for him outside the council office.

“Lay sunbae.” One of them took a step closer to him. She looked so solemn that it made Lay wonder if something bad happened.

“Yes?”

“Is it true that Jieun sunbae is Kai sunbae’s girlfriend?” She asked. There was a hint of displeasure when she said Jieun’s name and Lay didn’t fail to notice it but the content of her question was too shocking that little detail was left abandoned.

“Sorry?” Is this some kind of joke?

“Kai sunbae said that Jieun sunbae is his girlfriend. But isn’t that ridiculous? I mean, she has you and we’ve never heard that Kai sunbae is in relationship.”

“That’s-”

“You are in the same class as Kai, right?”

He remembered how Jieun just randomly asked about Kai at break and Lay wondered if what the girl in front of him said was the reason behind it. But that just seemed impossible because as long as he knew, Jieun and Kai never had any encounter with each other before and Jieun wouldn’t keep something as big as a relationship from him, right?

“I don’t know.” Lay said, voice cold, and his expression told the girls that they should end their question here, so they kept silence and Lay walked away with uneasy feeling.

Lay arrived at home and found his mother in the kitchen, preparing dinner for them while humming some happy melodies. She must be so happy to finally meet his father again. It’s really lovely to Lay that until now everyone still can see how much his parents love each other.

“Eomma, I’m home.” He said from behind. His mom turned back and smiled lovingly at him.

“Welcome home, sweetie.” She said after giving him a peck on cheek.

“Where’s Jieun?” He asked. Trying to smile as convincing as he could because he didn’t want to make his mom worry.

“She’s in her room. Seems like she is asleep. Let her get her rest, the medicine must be making her feel tired all the time.” He said, voice filled with worry.

“I’ll go to check on her then, eomma.”

His mother gave him another peck before confusing back on her cooking, the humming melody was heard again.

Lay opened Jieun’s door slowly, careful not to disturb her sleep. He walked inside and saw that Jieun was indeed sleeping. He wanted to ask her about Kai but he knew better than to wake her up. His curiosity could wait. Silently, he headed back to his own room.

Two hours later Zhang’s family and Jieun were sitting around the dinner table. His mother cooked a lot and the table was filled with delicious looking foods. They ate happily, it was really nice that finally the four of them could eat together again, if only Grandpa Lee was here, then it would be perfect, Jieun thought. But he was busy because he had left the company for three days to watch after Jieun when she was still in hospital, so there were a lot of works that he should catch up.

 During the dinner Lay couldn’t help but observed his best friend’s action. She was acting normal and he didn’t know if that was an act or maybe there was really nothing to be worried about. Maybe what the girls said was just a misunderstanding. He really wanted to ask, but he knew it was not the right time yet, he should wait for a little while. And so he waited until they finished the dinner and his parents headed back to their room and both of the teenagers were sitting together on the white carpet inside Jieun’s room with homework waiting to be worked on.

“Jieun-ah,” He started.

“Hm?” She was already starting to work on question number one.

“Is there something that you keep from me?”

Jieun looked up from her book, now looking at Lay with some creases on her forehead, “What do you mean?”

“Today somebody told me about something strange.”

“About what?”

“That you are in relationship with Kai.”

Lay watched how Jieun’s eyes widened and he knew that there is something that she had not told him. They were silent for some moments, Lay didn’t want to urge his best friend to answer and Jieun was too shocked she didn’t know what to say. She had deluded herself from the moment she left the school that no one would believe and remember what happened in the hall, but it seemed like she was wrong. Of course those fan girls of Kai would remember and even if they didn’t believe what their ideal man said, Jieun should know better than thinking that they would ignore it. And of course they would ask Lay about it because he is the only close friend that they know Jieun has at school.

“I’m not in any relationship with him.” Jieun said firmly and Lay let out the breath that he didn’t know he held.

“Right. Of course you are not.” He felt relieved for some reason.

“But then why did they said Kai told them you are his girlfriend?” He asked again.

“Well, he did.”

“What?”

“He did say that I’m his girlfriend just after a junior confessed to him. Then he pulled me to somewhere and asked me to be his girlfriend.” Jieun decided to tell everything to her best friend. She was going to tell him anyway simply because they don’t keep any secret from each other, she just didn’t know how, so maybe it was fortunate that Lay initiated this conversation.

“He really asked you to be his girlfriend? Why?”

“It’s a dare.”

“Huh?”

“Someone dared him to be in relationship with me until graduation.”

Lay needed some seconds to let the explanation sink in and after it did he couldn’t help the anger that started to build in.

“Did you agree to that?” He asked between gritted teeth.

Jieun realized the sudden tension and put a reassuring hand on top of Lay’s. “Of course not, I’m not that stupid. Not that nice.”

“I don’t want you to talk with him anymore.”

“I don’t have any reason to talk to him anyway. Just forget it, okay? Maybe today was just a strange day.” She smiled and finally Lay smiled back after he heaved a sigh.

“Now, let’s focus back at our homework.” Jieun said and her best friend nodded. They finished their homework some hours later and then climbed into Jieun’s bed to sleep. Both of them felt tired and so it was easy to be drifted apart to the dream land.

***

The lamp on his room was left turned off most of the time, but now the room was bright. Kai was sitting behind his study table, a book was opened but it was left on the same page since minutes ago. Kai was looking at the book but he found it difficult to focus on the meaning of the words and so he just repeatedly reading the same line again and again. Annoyed, he slammed the book closed and rested his head on top of it. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way, but he couldn’t stop the guilt that slowly creeping its way to dominate his mind. He never considered himself as a nice person, people usually describe him as cold, distant, and mysterious. He would always reject the girls that confessed to him coldly. Sure he would say sorry, but he never really means it because he also knew that those girls never really k