I can hear the crickets in the background. I mean, honestly, what do you feel when you are suddenly being question with a question you don’t even know to answer? I mean, of course playing a lead character is every one’s dream and I am no different. Of course I’ll like to play a lead character. But to play with the person you have a crush on for years do seem to make everything look different.

I am staring at Kai with mouth agape. Teacher Im is staring at Kai with wide-eyes. Hyuna smirks silently—that ! And L is glaring at Kai. Honestly, what does he want me to answer? Ugh, I can’t read minds seriously!

“So, Inna? What do you think about playing with me as the leads?”

I haven’t answered when Teacher Im takes the chance. “As I have said, Inna is not beautiful enough to—” She stops when all of us stare at her in surprise.

Kai is the first one to recover. “Then you can ask somebody else to take the lead character.”

“Fine,” Teacher Im says and turns to L in annoyance. “Myungsoo—”

“I’m truly sorry, Mrs. Im. But if the lead female character isn’t Inna you can consider me backing out of this drama as well.” L stands up, staring at Teacher Im coldly.

“Excuse me, Teacher,” Hyuna stands proud as she stares down at Teacher Im. “As you know, I join your ‘drama club’ because of Inna. If not for her I won’t even be considering to meet you the first time to talk about the recruitment.”

I feel touch but it’s weird. I totally understand my bae. But Kai and L? That’s strange. I feel a little bad when I see how lost Teacher Im looks. But she should know not to insult me—consciously or not—in front of Hyuna. Hyuna is very very protective of me.

She looks defeated and she raises both her hands up. “Fine. Inna will play the lead character.”

“Wait!” I shout. “I didn’t say I want to,” I say. That’s true, though. I may have wished to be a princess once, but I have a terrible anxiety that prone to stage fright.

Hyuna looks at me with raised eyebrow. I stand up and pull her. “We’re going to the restroom first.”

When we are inside the female restroom, I let her hand go.

“What’s wrong?” She asks, bewildered with my attitude.

“I don’t want to be the lead!” I hiss.

“Is that because of what Teacher Im says? I can assure you—”

“I have anxiety, Hyun. Do you forget about that?” I cut her off and look right into her eyes.

Her lips part in a resounding silence. “Oh,”

“Yes, oh! So you better tell Teacher Im you’re doing that.” I look at her.

She nods. “Okay.”

We get back to the table and sit down. Hyuna sighs before saying, “I’ll play the lead.”

Teacher Im looks relief and she beams at Hyuna. “I know you’ll be reasonable.”

“But we’re not playing Cinderella.” Hyuna says and I look at her in surprise. Not Cinderella? “If I’m playing the lead, we’re playing my own story. Inna can write it up.”

My mouth opens as I stare at Hyuna in disbelief. This girl…!

“But we don’t have much time to write a new story!”

Hyuna sticks her head up arrogantly. “Then you can ask another person to play the lead.”

I stare at Hyuna for a while before something clicks in my mind. This girl… so much for trying to get away. She’ll play her trump card if she has to. I shake my head as I purse my lips, trying not to laugh.

Teacher Im seems devastated. I feel sorry for her, but Hyuna’s demand just sounds so impossible. Actually, how dare Hyuna to use me as her card? I glare at her but she just flips her wavy hair to the back. My best friend is an .

“Fine then. Do you think you can pull it off Inna?” Teacher Im turns to me and I straighten.

“Pull what off?”

“Writing the story,” Teacher Im impatiently replies.

I inwardly groan. Given my personality, it’s hard to say no.

“If you can’t write it, Hyuna has to be the Cinderella.”

I glance at Hyuna and she’s looking at me.

Ugh. So much for having her as a friend. “Fine.”

“Great. Then Kai…”

“I’m not playing as the lead male.” He cuts off.

Teacher Im stands up in annoyance. “I can already take one rejection. You’ll play as the lead no matter what.” Then she leaves, leaving a pissed off Kai behind.

“So… do you guys want to go out together?” Hyuna asks, wriggling her eyebrows.

The four of us end up standing in front of Lotte World, with jumping Hyuna. She rarely gets excited—rarely shows her excitement is like the better description (she acts cool every now and then)—but when she does things that she really loves; like playing in amusement park, she will go ballistic.

L pays for our tickets; minus Kai. It’s a wonder though why Kai follows us out as well. I assume he will just go home because he doesn’t seem like someone who enjoys going to amusement park.

Anyway, we play a lot of games and the three of them win a lot of them too. While I… big time! I can’t even throw the arrow properly on the small balloons, nor can I throw a ring through the bottle. I am very playing games and I win nothing; but I feel very happy. Spending time with Hyuna and the two boys are really well-spent.

When the clock strikes three, we find a French restaurant to dine. L, being the gentleman he is, pulls a seat for me as Hyuna scoffs, but an apparent smirk is on her face. When our eyes meet, I roll my eyes. She practically says ‘I told you so’.

Kai takes the seat in front of me before L, making the latter to glare angrily at him. I scrunch my face because it feels weird. I don’t want to believe Hyuna’s remark but seeing how the two guys act actually very confusing. When the waiter appears with the menus; all thoughts about liking and stuffs just disappear.

It seems weird, but when foods are in front of me, I can’t just act demure or whatever. Sure I don’t eat messily, but still; Hyuna tells me that I eat deliciously and sometimes it makes her feel like throwing up. (Well it’s not my fault she’s on strict diet)

I order spaghetti carbonara with French fries and green tea ice cream pancake as the dessert; along with a glass of green tea latte. Seems like a weird combination but I love green tea so much. If there’s green tea spaghetti I won’t mind tasting it.

Hyuna shakes her head and order a salad and hot tea for herself. Hmph, if she dares to ask for my food…

Anyway, Kai and L order their own food and there’s a pregnant pause in our table. Obviously we’ve been having fun that we actually don’t feel awkward, but now that we’re sitting in the four-seat table and facing each other; it feels very awkward. It is as if we are friends, but not well acquainted.

I can hear the crickets cricking, but unable to do anything to change the atmosphere. But what is Hyuna if she can’t handle this type of situation?

“Alright gentleman, let’s talk about something.” Hyuna’s eyes glint mischievously as she talks and I feel myself shiver. “About the drama,” She says, “Honestly, I don’t think Inna can do it alone.”

I turn to her in surprise. Oh well, damn you my friend. You’re the one who brought it upon me.

“So I am thinking if one of you can help her write because I, for one, am unavailable for that easy task.” She says in sorry tone, but nothing about her face that I can say she feels sorry. If not, I can feel her playful aura radiating even from ten meters away. Something’s up in her sleeve. “Say, I think L is a great candidate, don’t you think, Inna?” She turns to me innocently, her perfectly drawn eyebrow rose in elegance.

I blanch inwardly, my face straight. I want to hit my own friend so badly right now. She honestly doing something but I don’t know her plan. I just can feel a bad direct hit toward me. And… why is that so hard to answer?

Unconsciously I peek up at Kai, who is sitting right in front of me (omg, is this happening?!) and feel my cheeks subconsciously flush. Hyuna elbows me, totally catching me in the act. But L doesn’t seem to notice as he keeps on smiling charmingly at me, which doesn’t a little bit attract me.

However, Kai on the other hand, just sitting down as he stares at me, already makes my head burst in fireworks, and it’s getting harder to keep the blush to myself.

“Are you hot, Inna?” L asks worriedly, obviously seeing the red tints on my cheeks.

“Um… n-no. I’m fine.” I clear my throat stupidly, scratching the back of my neck as I don’t know what else to do.

“Anyway, Inna, what do you think about me helping you out in writing? I’m a football player, but I think I can write just fine!” He laughs beautifully and I feel somewhat bad.

My inner self unconsciously says that Kai probably can write as fine too. I try so hard not to peek at the said guy, and I am proud of myself for able to do so.

I just smile at L as a response, before the foods we order arrive.

My eyes practically gleam at the treats in front of me, and Hyuna snorts in unladylike way. “You and food…” I hear her mutter but I don’t care anymore. She knows anyway, that no matter what she says, I won’t budge.

As I curl the spaghetti with my fork with one hand, my other hand takes a fry and pops it inside my mouth. Both my hands work together beautifully. When one is done getting food inside my mouth, the other does the next. I don’t notice how messy I am eating until a hand reaches out and wipe my lips after the last bite of my spaghetti.

My eyes widen and I look up, blinking stupidly at Kai, who has one side of his lips curls up in a teasing smile. When I actually realize what just happiness, my face turns red like a tomato.

“YAH!” L shouts furiously, turning to Kai in anger.

Hyuna drops her fork as falls agape and she blinks too, stupidly. A second later I find myself in the toilet with Hyuna, her eyes wide as she closes the restroom door.

One

Two

Three

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” We both shout crazily as we hug. We jump and laugh, obviously gone crazy.

If outsider sees us without knowing the story behind… wow, we must look crazy.

“Oh my GOD, INNA! He freaking…!!” Hyuna is so happy that she practically speechless, and this is Hyuna we are talking about.

“I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW HYUN! This can’t be happening!” I shout in disbelief but bubbles of happiness are bursting inside my heart. “Tell me it wasn’t a freaking dream!”

“It’s not Inna! It’s not a freaking DREAM! He did wipe your lips!! And it’s so hot! Wait until the whole school knows about it!”

That makes me stop jumping. “What?”

“Inna, he wipes your lips! That’s like saying I am interested in you as well!” Hyuna keeps on babbling but I stare at her. She finally stops when she realize I am not following her crazy ‘Kai possibly in love with Inna’ antics. “What’s wrong?”

“What about the whole school knows about it?”

“What about it?”

“I just… thought…”

“Oh, sweetie,” Hyuna shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it okay?”

“No, not that. I mean, Kai doesn’t say about him having feelings with me and he just wipe my lips…” Dreamy sigh escapes my lips as I continue, “But if the whole school knows about that, I’ll just be a laughing stock. He doesn’t say anything about liking me and his fan girls are a bunch of jealous lions, and I don’t want that. I just… if he doesn’t have feelings for me like I have for him, the whole school won’t know about this.”

Hyuna looks defeated. She obviously wants to wave this story to Jang Hana’s face, and can’t wait to do it. But if this story gets out, the fan girls will rise and their jealousy will explode.

I, Choi Inna, don’t want to face that. (Because I’m not Kai’s girlfriend, okay?)