“AGAIN!”

I tried not to groan as I buried my face in the rough draft that I was holding onto. It was already the sixth time that our tyrant of a director made all the actors start over. It was only for script reading, mind you! Since she had put outlines for every scene, most of us – the boys and I, namely – did not really know what to say or which words to use as we proceeded from one scene to the next. Hence, we were left with staccato-like and unnatural flows of conversation, even if we barely got through the first scene. Other actors – who were playing the Evil Queen, the Huntsman and other extras – that were originally from the English Drama Club were far more experienced, and they had no problem delivering impromptu lines for their respective parts. Since the main actors were the ones facing the sticky situation, I could sense their annoyance as they grumbled at each of our mistakes.

As Jong Sukkie stammered over a line yet again, Megan told everyone to take five to clear their heads so they could think of better and more natural lines. I was worried that it would make the club members feel even more irritated at us.

Thankfully, I have Han Na, the Foul Mouth playing the Evil Queen! I turned to her and bit my lips apologetically, “Sorry again…” At times like these, it was great to have at least one comrade that I could turn to help.

She proved to be an angel as she patted my back. “ ‘Sokay! You just need more practice, then it’ll naturally come to you.”

I sighed. “Yah, I’m pretty sure there was nothing natural when I said, ‘I shall now go henceforth and pick more flowers to bring to my humble abode!’ I can’t really figure out the midway between not sounding too classic and sounding too modern.”

She giggled. “Okay, that line is quite unexpected since we weren’t aiming for a Shakespearean play. Maybe you should use simpler words, instead of novel-like ones. Avoid using any lingo and slang words, though. Megan tolerates ad-libs, but too much of the icing will just ruin the wedding cake.”

I felt an eyebrow going up. “Whose wedding cake, yours and Sung Joonie?” I in a sneaky whisper, as I side-glanced at the moping school rock star who was muttering something with Jong Sukkie.

Han Na playfully her lips as she joined me in looking at Sung Joonie. “I don’t mind too much icing on that cake. I’d it all in one sitting.”

I gasped, automatically hitting her on the shoulder. “You did not just say that!” I could feel my cheeks turning pink fast.

She bit her lips guiltily as she shamelessly stared at him still. “I just did~”

I covered my mouth to mask my laugh. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this stuff about him. It feels so weird! I’m getting goose bumps all over!”

She poked me in the knee. “You’re the ONLY girl in school who thinks like that. Everyone else are fans of those gods, but you– How can you hang out with those hot bodies and STILL think of them as your friends?! It’s absurd!” she motioned to the seven boys, who were a safe distance away from us two.

I shrugged. “I dunno. I just don’t.”

She then narrowed her eyes at me. “Unless…”

I nudged her. “What?”

She gasped. “Unless you have someone else that you like!” she said out loud, eyes wide and everything that I could feel a lot of eyes looking our way.

“Quiet, you!” I hissed at her. I turned to everyone else, “Sorry for bothering you.” I was bowing a few times to people around us when I was pulled to a dark corner on stage by Han Na and a few other girls who were obviously the stage crew. Was I shocked? Well, sorta. Pulling me away like that brought a sense of déjà vu, as I recalled my first meeting with all the reps of the boys’ fan girls. Looking over the five or six girls that were currently surrounding me, my best guess was that they had overheard what Han Na accidentally said aloud. They looked glad, but at the same time, they looked excited too. What the hell…?

“So…” Han Na cleared . “Who is it?”

I blinked a couple of times. “Who is what?”

She rolled her eyes at me, but her grin stayed intact. “Who is the lucky guy who’s got your heart, ! He’s gotta be out of this mothering world since he could melt someone strong like you!”

By now, I was used to her pattern of speech, so I was fine with her usage of words that may seem crass, at times. I rubbed my temples as I felt my head start to pound. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have the pleasure of meeting that guy yet, Han Na. If I do, I would’ve at least introduced him to you girls.”

That left the other girls surprised as they reiterated Han Na’s earlier hypothesis.

“That doesn’t make sense!”

“Why are you so immune to those boys?”

“Perhaps… Do you prefer girls?”

“STOP IT! Don’t make your own assumptions!”

“Or is your taste that high?”

“No wonder I feel safe if I see you hang out with those boys!”

Before their chatter could make my headache become worse, I excused myself and whispered to Han Na, “Just tell them I’m heartless or something. I wouldn’t want them to get into trouble with the Tyrant for all the noise we’re making.”

Just like that, Han Na managed to pipe them down. She then told them to disperse as she and I walked back to the center of the stage where we were sitting in a circle for our script-reading.

As Han Na sat next to me, she would poke me in the thighs and start teasing me, still believing in her own theory that the reason I disregarded the seven boys was because I already had someone close to my heart. It was fine, and mildly annoying – though it was nowhere close to the level of annoyance that I felt every time Jae Hyun picked a fight with me in class! – so I just had to bear with it throughout practice.

Right after we managed to finish the first scene – which comprised of introductions for every character up to the point that the Evil Queen sends the Hunstman out with Snow White – I saw Han Na’s hand shot up in the air. She asked Megan, “Is there no Prince for this play?”

I saw Megan’s glasses flash as she grinned. She then looked straight at me. “The Prince will be in the story, alright. However, it all depends on our hero here.”

All eyes were on me. I gulped. “M-Me?”

“Yes,” she then sauntered over and sat next to me. As she continued muttering to me, I knew that all eyes were still on us. “I want to make this remake a lot more different from the usual remakes that you get from television. I w