episode_0023

During physical education class, the class monitor stays in the classroom to prevent theft.

On the day when Sia was the class monitor, she was practicing dance alone in the empty classroom.

“Ah, this is harder than I thought…”

Sia was practicing the trendy twerking dance, bending her knees like a horse stance and bouncing her hips up and down. It was one of the sexy reactions that viewers loved, just skirting the line of being rated 19+.

Although Sia was confident in her moves, she had never really done this type of dance before. She was practicing bouncing her hips to make her moves even sexier whenever she had free time.

Drrrrrr-

Hearing someone entering while practicing, Sia quickly corrected her posture, but it was already too late as she had been caught in the act.

With an awkward expression, she looked at the student who entered the classroom during class.

“Who would come during class… Baek Yeji?!”

Baek Yeji, known more by her nickname “Queen” than her actual name, was in the same class as Sia but they had never spoken before.

Hoping that Yeji would just ignore her and leave, Sia’s wish was shattered.

“Haha, what is that?!”

From Yeji’s perspective, who didn’t usually watch internet broadcasts, Sia’s dance just looked ridiculous, and she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

It wasn’t mocking laughter, but genuine amusement, yet Sia felt embarrassed beyond belief. And for a moment, a terrifying thought crossed her mind.

In this school, stepping on others and humiliating them was considered normal. And people took pride in it.

If Yeji were to order her to dance in a vulgar manner, there was no way to stop it. Dancing and singing were a source of pride for her, and she didn’t want it to be turned into a mockery.

“Ye…Yeji, can we just pretend you didn’t see that? And don’t tell anyone else. I just want to quietly go to school. Okay?”

“Haha…haha.”

Yeji, who was still finding it hard to stop laughing, had a surprisingly innocent smile on her face.

Finally managing to stop laughing, Yeji asked Sia, “What’s your name?”

In the cutthroat world of the entertainment industry, there was no time to introduce oneself or build friendships.

Yeji liked Sia. It had been a long time since she genuinely wanted to be friends with someone for no reason. It was partly because Sia was pretty and charming, but mostly because she had made her genuinely happy.

As they spent the remaining time listening to Sia’s stories, Yeji started cheering her on and gradually began to take care of her.

Even if Sia stayed quiet, there was a high chance she would become a target of jealousy due to her looks. If she got along with Yeji, she wouldn’t be a target for others.

During this time, Sia spent more time with Yeji, Ayeon, and Hyehyun, and naturally blended into Yeji’s group. The cheerful Ayeon and the pleasant Sia got along well with Ayeon and Hyehyun, slowly starting to show her presence.

Before long, other kids were amazed at how beautiful Sia had become.

“Was she always this pretty?”

“I thought she always covered her face with her hair and looked gloomy, but I was wrong.”

“But when did she become friends with Yeji?”

“I don’t know, they seem to get along well. It’s a shame we can’t have fun stepping on that kind of girl.”

“That’s true. She really blossomed.”

Knowing what others thought of her, Sia had no worries thanks to Yeji.

Feeling uncomfortable when Hyehyun distanced herself from the group, Sia was genuinely happy when Hyehyun came back.

No matter the situation, odd numbers always bring instability. Whether eating a meal, going to a cafe, or sitting in a classroom, being an odd number always leaves one person in an awkward position. When Hye-hyun was around, Sia and Hye-yeon formed a pair, but after Hye-hyun distanced herself, Sia naturally felt left out.

“Sia, are you still keeping your internet broadcasts a secret from your parents?”

Hye-hyun wasn’t particularly curious about Sia’s current situation, but she knew her actions might make Yeji and A-yeon uncomfortable, so she deliberately joined the conversation without hesitation.

“Yeah, my parents don’t have a positive view of internet broadcasts. But luckily, Chatter is on an overseas platform, so it’s a relief. Adults don’t really know much about foreign sites. I’m thinking of going full-time after graduation and telling them.”

“Anyway, you’re amazing. Being able to speak so well is enviable. I always think people who speak well are impressive.”

“Oh, stop it… I just practiced a lot during my trainee days.”

Although she felt awkward receiving compliments, there was no one who didn’t like being praised, and Hye-hyun’s praise seemed to lift Sia’s spirits.

A-yeon didn’t like how the conversation revolved around Hye-hyun, so she spoke separately to Yeji.

“Yeji, let’s go out this weekend.”

“Huh? Where to? Of course, I’m up for it.”

“Well, how about just a one-night trip?”

She asked with anticipation for a fun trip with Yeji, but Hye-hyun, who was listening to their conversation, intervened.

“Oh, Yeji has plans with me this weekend!”

“What??”

The surprised reaction came from Yeji. Of course, she had never made such plans.

“You forgot again? Yeji, you always do that, don’t you?”

Yeji smiled sheepishly and looked directly at Hye-hyun, understanding her intentions.

“Oh… right. Sorry, A-yeon. I forgot I had plans with Hye-hyun. Let’s go on a trip another time.”

She tried to smile and apologize to A-yeon, but A-yeon, who was already in a bad mood, didn’t even respond with a smile.

To outsiders, it seemed like a simple issue of conflicting schedules between friends, but Hye-hyun, who knew their relationship well, couldn’t help but find the situation amusing.

“What’s your game? When did I ever make plans with you!”

During break time, Yeji called Hye-hyun to the rooftop and questioned her. Normally, she would have apologized meekly under pressure, but now she didn’t have to.

“Oh? You still don’t get it? If I say I have plans, then I do. As a maid, you should know how to read the room, right? The others were starting to think weirdly earlier, you know?”

“Fine…”

She grumbled, but there was nothing Yeji could do.

“You get it? If you don’t like it…”

She didn’t need to finish her sentence, but Hye-hyun could easily predict what Yeji would say. As long as she responded appropriately, she could handle this situation without any trouble.

It was just annoying to have to cater to Hye-hyun’s whims.

“Got it, I get it.”

With a resigned expression, Yeji gave her answer, and Hye-hyun once again got under her skin.

“Oh, by the way, your eyes look a bit swollen. Did you cry a lot? Hehehe.”

“Shut up!!”

Feeling the need to assert herself after being exposed, Yeji felt she had to speak strongly. Fortunately, Hye-hyun hadn’t touched on Yeji’s habit of speaking yet.

“If you cry over something like that, what will happen to you, Your Highness~?”

As if she didn’t want to be around her anymore, Yeji didn’t respond and turned to leave the rooftop. As she was about to go down, Hye-hyun casually remarked,

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

“…??”

Yeji turned back with a displeased expression, and Hye-hyun approached her, whispering something in her ear.

“…….”

Hearing Hye-hyun’s words, Yeji was left speechless, her face filled with anger and confusion.

Enjoying Yeji’s gaze, Hyehyun met her eyes and took a step back towards the rooftop door. Winking at Yeji one last time, she descended the stairs ahead of her.

Hyehyun’s pretty face may have shown a cute expression of aegyo, but to Yeji, it was nothing short of a challenge.

Weekend

Yeji was waiting for Hyehyun at the entrance of a bustling area full of lingerie stores.

The current time was 3 p.m., already an hour past the agreed meeting time.

Sitting on a bench, watching people pass by, a man approached Yeji.

“Excuse me, I’ve been watching you for a while. If you’re here alone, would you like to have a cup of coffee?”

How many times has this happened? Once it hit double digits, she stopped counting.

“No, I’m here with someone.”

She muttered a curse under her breath as she watched the man walk away with his head down. The target of her frustration wasn’t the man who had just tried to flirt with her, but Hyehyun.

“Why the hell isn’t she here yet? I told her not to be late past 2 o’clock.”

After sending just one text saying she was running a bit late, Hyehyun hadn’t answered any calls, texts, or messages.

Even being this late for an appointment was a way of asserting her dominance over Yeji.

Hyehyun was calculating and ignoring Yeji over trivial matters. Yeji might have been angry and annoyed at first, but eventually, she would accept it as a matter of course.

“Have you been waiting long?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

Feeling her patience wearing thin, Hyehyun reflexively stood up and looked at Yeji.

Was it because she had waited too long? Strangely, along with irritation, a sense of relief washed over her.

“Why are you so late?”

Despite her inner turmoil, her outward words were quite ordinary.

“Oh, you know~ And besides, it’s common for the less attractive ones to arrive first and wait, right?”

There’s a subtle aspect to female friendships. If both are pretty, they establish an equal relationship. But if one is significantly more attractive, even though outwardly it may seem equal, internally they feel different emotions.

The prettier one feels a sense of superiority. They believe they can act rudely towards the other person from a position of power. On the other hand, the less attractive one feels a boost in self-esteem just by being around their friend, feeling as if they’ve become prettier. So, no matter how they are treated, it’s hard for them to leave their friend’s side.

Hyehyun was trying to force a second type of relationship onto Yeji. While Yeji was usually in the superior position, without realizing it, she was slowly getting used to being in the inferior position.

“But Yeji, you… didn’t keep your end of the deal, did you?”