(Hyosung)

"Teacher, please tell me, where does Jiyeon live? I'm a friend of hers, and I need to tell her something before she leaves on a plane! Please!" I desperately asked. After I read that intriguing note, the more I wanted to see her. I've been asking random teachers everywhere but they don't seem to know.

"Oh Jiyeon? She has a friend? That's great news! I've been wishing that she'd find one. It's saddening to hear that she's transferring though. But it's what both she and her parents decided. I couldn't stop them." Jiyeon's adviser answered. 

"Oh I'm sorry dear. I don't know either. She never tells. She didn't even write it in her student information file." 

There goes my last chance. Who else should I ask? Well there's one person left. Sunhwa.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

With no choice left and with enough desperation, she approaches Sunhwa with Kikwang seated beside her. 

"Sunhwa, I need to talk to you Asap. Kikwang, I'm sorry to interrupt, I need to borrow her." She carried her away with enough force that Sunhwa couldn't escape. Hyosung's pulse was beating faster. That was the bravest thing she's done, as she considers. 

"What do you want? Are you still not over me?" Sunhwa says.

Hyosung got to the point directly. "Where does Jiyeon live? I need to know."

Sunhwa didn't expect that. "What makes you think I know?.....You...are you friends?"

"Tell me where. Weren't you friends before?"

"You don't know me well enough."

"Just tell me! I have no time left. She's leaving for Japan tomorrow, in case you didn't know." As she heard this, Sunhwa's eyes seem like she didn't care, but she did.

Hyosung continued "I don't know how you know each other, it seems that you were really good friends so I assume she tells you what she doesnt tell everybody. I became her friend just today, does it not mean anything to you if I could go to her before she leaves?"

Silence fills them both. Sunhwa got a pen and wrote Jiyeon's address down on a paper.

"Here. Just say you're Jiyeon's friend. Be careful of the dogs and their guards. Jiyeon's family is rich, so don't be reckless." She turned to go back.

"Thanks." Hyosung was relieved to obtain the paper. she added "Hey... I think it would mean a lot more though, if you'd be the one to go there. Think about it." 

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

"Sir! It seems an unknown person went in the school; He was looking for you, they said. He's terribly causing a disturbance in the Science laboratory on the third floor. You must go there quickly!" Himchan told the Guidance Counselor of the HS level. 

"What?? Good Gracious! I must go now. Would you mind staying in the office to look over all this stuff? The other assigned teacher is currently on leave. I don't have time to lock the room. Okay, I must go, thankyou!" the teacher immediately ran out the room.

"With pleasure, sir!" Himchan replied.

Success! Himchan suavely made his way to the student information folders. He opened the cabinet and found way too many folders. This is gonna take very long. Sunhwa is in 2nd year.....I must find the 2nd year...There it is!

After a long treasure hunt, he found the one thing he was looking for- Sunhwa's student information file. "I am going to figure you out, Sunhwa." Himchan smirked. Teacher's gonna be here soon, I should clean this up quickly. 

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

(Hyosung)

A big-assed mansion lies before me. Wide intimidating gates welcomed my brave soul. What Sunhwa wrote down lead me to a famous politician's house. Jiyeon is the congressman's only daughter and I learned the hard way. I am used to this kind of lifestyle but seeing it honestly makes me nostalgic, but in no way do I miss that place filled with horrid monsters. 

I saw that the gate has unexpectedly more guards than what Sunhwa said. At a time like this, Perhaps they wouldn't let in even a student like me. Looks like I have to break in. It should be easy. 

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

A red-alert alarm had sounded off. The whole mansion was startled, it has been a long time since a person had entered and broken through the security of their place. A red-alarm alert would mean a serious problem. It made everyone spun in panic. 

Jiyeon, who was occupied with packing items in her personal bag, went out and saw that the maids were troubled. " A wild monstrous criminal has been torturing all our guards! We're all next! He's been saying Jiyeon's name all the time. We must hide her!"

"Monstrous criminal?" Jiyeon quickly ran to the gates. 

"Hyosung, what are you doing?!" she shouted at the sight of her friend beating up her father's employees. 

Hyosung was relieved. She was caught by one of the guards and she couldn't help but fight them off to defend herself."Jiyeon, you're finally here! Tell these guards to stop coming at me! They won't believe I only came to talk to you. It was only self-defense......"

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

The two stayed in Jiyeon's bedroom. "You have such a big room!" Hyosung shouts in amusement. She was delighted as she was strolling around to every corner of the room. A picture frame caught her eyes. It contained Jiyeon and Sunhwa, reading books together in the mansion's library. They say her friends left her, or rather she betrayed her friends! Hyosung remembered the rumors about Sunhwa. 

Finally her hype calmed down. She sat besides Jiyeon and her packed things. "Who is she to you?"

Jiyeon smiled. "A treasured friend.....one I would never forget."

In frustration, hyosung couldn't help but stand. "BUT why? Did she not betray you? You're alone now, aren't you?!" she paused while she realized her rash actions. 

"Oh....I'm sorry for raising my voice..." 

Jiyeon warmly smiled at her. "It's okay. I understand why you're like this. I can't blame you for hating her. I admit she went too far on you. But I must say, she's doing this for a reason. The same reason why her whole life is full of passion." 

reason? what would it be? Hyosung was curious.

Jiyeon approached the desk where her treasured picture frame is placed. She continued "She never betrayed me. It was all my fault." Hyosung was given an unexpected answer; and the more she wanted to know. "Since you almost told your whole life story to me already, then let me tell you mine." Jiyeon said.

"As a politician's daughter, I was expected to produce great academic performance and good conduct. Although they never verbally showed to me that they expect of such, I myself strived to be perfect in reputation. This was because I knew that society won't listen beyond the media's report." Jiyeon believed that once she fails, they speak out random overestimated thoughts and exaggerated opinions. Therefore when she does anything, she maintains grace and posture. Everyone else saw her as a boring puppet.

"Everyone were kind with me because I never harmed them but they never gave me a special place in their lives. Sunhwa was the one person who did. She hated my family for being rich and believed we were corrupt. Yet she persisted in becoming friends with me. She later told me that she wanted me to see the views of the average person and that she didn't want me, only a child back then, to become like my parents." Opening her scrapbook, she turned the pages one by one, until she reached the last.

"But as a normal human, I made mistakes. Mistakes I am embarrassed to admit. I...fell in deep infatuation. There was this guy, who was also from a political family. I wasn't supposed to meet him, nor was I supposed to even have feelings for him. Sunhwa would warn me not to meet him anymore, but I disobeyed and followed infatuation's orders. There came one day when we met up at a hidden place where no one seemed to reach us. But in the end, I was fooled. He was plotting a scheme to humiliate my entire family by manipulating me, an empty vessel with no ego. Sunhwa learned this the hard way and immediately catched up with me by tracking my phone before the media, that the guy ordered to come, would discover about us. 

Sunhwa suddenly rushed from the windows of the place, and barged in on us. The guy I was meeting with was rudely disturbed. But before anything else, Sunhwa pushed me out the windows, and kissed him before my eyes. When she did, the local news reporters came suddenly and found them both kissing. I hid behind the trees and saw my best friend clean up the mess I made.

Ever since, Sunhwa was reported everywhere that she was a , that she did nasty things to a politician's son to get rich. That guy was scolded by his parents and was sent to another country due to his actions. And Sunhwa never talked to me since then. I didn't know how to approach her. She didn't say that she hates me. She would smile at me when our eyes meet. But she refused to be with me. And I realized why. Because she knew I'd be hated, too, when I'll be seen hanging out with her." she ended her story with tears.

Hyosung clenched her fists. She came running across the wide room to pat her head awkwardly. She didn't know how to comfort a tearful person, but she wanted to. 

Jiyeon continued. "And I hated myself each day. I cried in deep regret. I cried, knowing that regret is the worst feeling in this planet."

Hyosung felt awfully bad. It's out of what she always experiences. Jiyeon and Sunhwa were publicly involved. And it is truly dangerous to deal with media and society. But she knows how hard it is to keep up with expectations. She had the thoughts but she couldn't find the words to say. I'm more embarrassed. Sunhwa knows better what effort a real friend would take, even I couldn't do such. Hyosung thought.

Jiyeon lifted her head from tears "I'm glad you became friends with Sunhwa, but..sad that you met the fake one. I'm also sorry for being rude when we first talked."

Hyosung bowed. "No no, it's okay. I'm glad that you were rude to me, actually. You said you kept grace and posture before. But currently, it seems to me that you're not afraid of the watchful eyes of society anymore. I'm thankful that I met you! I learned a lot about...other people's feelings. I know now that I mustn't be so focused on myself. Thankyou."

Jiyeon hugged her tightly. "...You must go now. It's time for our departure..."

Jiyeon went to see Hyosung off as she exited their mansion. Before they did, she apologized to many of the guards and to the politician themselves. Waving her hands, Hyosung went back to school to resume classes. As Jiyeon entered back to the gates, she heard panting breaths. Jiyeon saw the familiar face she longed to talk to.

"Sunhwa-yah...!" she shouted. Sunhwa who was tired, lifted up her head and saw her old friend. When no words were yet spoken and when only their eyes are locked, they both understand what has been long wanted to be spoken. But Sunhwa started sprinting back to school, regretting her decision to come.

Jiyeon was startled and shouted "Sunhwa.......why must you come...?! Why only now!" Jiyeon cried weakly. "It's gonna be harder for me to go because of you.."

Sunhwa stopped hesitatingly. She faced her old friend again and angrily cried out "Then don't go! Don't leave me when I haven't finished the book you recommended! when I haven't returned the skirt you lent me last time! and when we haven't had a sleep-over yet.... It...hurts.. It really hurts" Sunhwa shouted in reply.

"I'm sorry, I'm just sorry! that's all I want to say..." Jiyeon dropped to her knees.

Sunhwa snapped out of it and realized what she's doing. "Jiyeon, stand up! You're outside your house, everyone else will see you like this. I must go now, it's too dangerous out here."

Before sunhwa could leave, Jiyeon ran to her and grabbed her hands "No! I don't care anymore!" 

"what?" sunhwa was shocked.

"It's okay! it doesn't matter! because you're a friend I treasure so badly! Please, Let's be friends....again."

They hugged each other and cried until time could heal their scars.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Meanwhile......

"I am counting on you. Come back with productive results." a voice from the phone said.

"I won't make any Error." Hakyeon replied.

Im gonna be updating this fic regularly now, it's been so long. I'm sorry been busy again -.- But christmas break is here so yeah my present to you guys :D