Jaeeun began complaining that I was becoming obsessed with weight loss when I began power walking home later that night. It very well could’ve been the reason I was suddenly running away, but I had just spotted someone I had no desire to see and I immediately decided I wanted to go home. Plus, a little jogging never hurt anybody.

After telling her I was just too excited to go to Hongdae and that was why I was running when I came out of school, she finally accepted that as a fair excuse and took me for food. That was where her first comment about my weight came: her telling me that I was looking more shapely lately. I only scowled and gobbled at my Hibachi chicken.

I felt tons better after I had eaten and suddenly had the energy that I needed to follow my deranged sister around Hongdae. She insisted on going in several clothing stores and I began to ask why we didn’t just go to Garosugil instead, where more shops were. She told me to shut up and keep walking.

Before long, the sun was going down and Jaeeun didn’t seem anywhere near done shopping. I started to look for places to sit every few feet, getting nagged for being lazy. I didn’t care that she was loudly proclaiming me to be a lazy bum as I longingly eyed a baby stroller, wishing I was little enough to be pushed around in one. My feet ached; my side was extra sore from Oh Sehun’s shove that day before and just purely walking around.

“Yah, Choi Eunhui, come on!” Jaeeun insisted, coming out of a Victoria’s Secret store.

I groaned and stood up from the fire hydrant I had been sitting on. The security guard had been eyeing me up for my choice of resting place.

“Can I at least get some food?” I whined, dragging my feet.

Huffing, she turned around and shoved a few bills into my hand, telling me to go ahead while she went into some other store. I thanked her before running off to a nearby food stand. After getting my food, I sat down at the provided table and chair and happily ate at the warm food. A few kids around my age stared at me from a few tables over and I slowly set down my chopsticks, realizing I probably looked like a pig.

In all honesty, I had been even more aware of what I ate and how much I ate ever since staying at my grandma’s. I had come to notice I usually skipped dinner when I came home from school and sometimes snacked later at night. My lunches at school, that I recalled usually consisted of a full meal with some kind of fruit, now were usually only a half a sandwich and milk. Part of my brain said I had no appetite, but I wondered if that was the same part of brain that listened to the insults. Specifically Sehun’s “move, fattie” from the day before.

In the end, I finished all of my food and told myself not to be such a pig all the time as I grabbed my trash and threw it in the bin. Turning to leave, I caught sight of someone in a nearby alley.

My face drained of all its blood and I turned sharply, praying he hadn’t seen me. If he spotted me now and caused a scene, there was no playing it off to Jaeeun if she were to see.

Having stupidly forgotten where Jaeeun had said she was going, I opted for the nearest jewelry store and went from there. It was almost twenty minutes before I found her in a coffee shop, calmly sipping on a Vanilla something-or-other.

“Can we go home?” I asked right away, refusing to sit down. It wasn’t really like I could with all her shopping bags crowding the chairs, anyway.

Nodding, she stood and began gathering her bags. I mentally screamed at her to hurry. I mean, really, how unlucky could I get to avoid everything at school and then come across this one guy in the middle of Hongdae? Life was hitting a new level of unfairness and I didn’t think it was planning to stop any time soon.

Starting down the street, I took the lead in full speed.

“Jaeeun, come on!” I groaned. She was lagging behind, toying with all her shopping bags. We were almost to the bus stop: I could see it in the distance.

She grumbled at me under her breath before she dropped a small bag from Victoria’s Secret and almost tripped over it, which caused her to drop even more bags. I turned back and stared at her, arms crossed, waiting for her to pick them up instead of helping. I watched her fiddle with all her bags and before I could do anything, someone was offering help.

“Choi Jaeeun?” he called her nam