[Lee Hyejeong]

«See you at campus. You'd better not be late. 진일»

The last thing I want right now is having to go to uni for that stupid study meeting and hearing Jeong Jinil's pointless blabber on why he's struggling to pay his bills and all that shit. Come on, he should consider himself lucky that he gets to live on his own.

What's worse is that people take advantage of every time I cross paths with him to make rumors about the two of us dating. Hey, I don't even consider him a friend, let even a possible crush of mine.

If you think things are bad because of him, then you're wrong. During these study meetings, he always brings his friends with him. I don't like a single one of them. Not only they're stuck-up and arrogant, but also seem to find pleasure in putting people down. The reason? Simple: grades.

I drowned myself in books for three years to enter college. I gave my all to be where I am right now and I'm not going to lose it over that petty brat, his friends and their antics.

'Fuck off, Jeong Jinil!'

***

"You're early, Lee Hyejeong." As if he cares! Jinil is always the first person to put down whoever arrives late or doesn't show up when he says so. I'm not in for his stupid mind games, so he'd better stop.

I give him a snide answer. "I just took thirty minutes to come here instead of the usual forty. For once, I want to start early and finish early, do you agree?"

He snorts. "Do you really have to be so blunt? Like, chill out, please."

"Don't tell me to chill out!" I snap. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of taunting me anymore, so I count until ten, take a deep breath and decide that, from now, I should hold my tongue for a little bit.

"You don't need to be so rude, darling."

My resolution of keeping my cool fades away as soon as I grab his collar, regardless of him thinking I'm being straight rude. "Call me darling once again and you'll end up under a bus, okay?"

"You're a bitch, you know?" What? Is he joking? What the fuck is he thinking of? Does he really believe he can hurt me with his poisonous words?

"Well, I'm glad to be a bitch. At least I can put your fucking ass out of your misery." I hiss, giving him a pointed glare. "You're nothing but a jerk, Jeong Jinil-ssi."

"You're crossing the line, big time." He crosses his arms, not wanting to give in. "So, just stop it, okay?"

I groan. The only option left for me is to accept defeat. This time, he really knew how to play his cards. That said, I bow in sign of apology, mutter an unconvinced "sorry" and follow him to the library.

***

"You don't need to look down. That's just water under the bridge." Why Jinil insists on being so nice at me after my outburst is still a mystery to me. We spent the next three hours buried under our books and never exchanging a single glance, let even a word.

Even on our way back home, we haven't talked to each other. He has taken the initiative only now that we're close to taking our separate paths. Okay, he only lives two floors below me, but, hey, I have to admit that I miss bickering with him; plus, I'd rather have a row with him than with any of my sisters. They can be annoying, especially if they're in a bad mood, and I don't want them to ruin my day once again.

"So, I guess we'll see next time, right?" he says again, but I don't give him an answer straight away. I'm lost in the thought of possibly having to endure yet another of my family's antics over me not spending enough time with them.

Seriously, what I need is just some time for myself. I need to clear my mind and get rid of negativity once for all. I can't do so while juggling between my parents' demands, my sisters' arguments and Jinil's overbearing presence in my thoughts. Sometimes he's even part of my nightmares. I don't know how to take it, to be honest.

"See you soon," I say at last before he disappears downstairs. Now, I'm all alone at the entrance door of my house, ready to face mayhem.

***

Between cold soup, gummy tteokbokki, stale bread and kimchi that could easily pass off as rotten, I'm still shocked at why neither of my parents has considered taking cooking lessons yet. I'm used to eating disgusting and poorly cooked food, for I myself am not that great of a cook either, but perhaps it's time things change.

Maybe not from now, but we can't resort to eating pre-cooked food and ramen six times a week.

I wish I could order some pizza and have a decent meal. This would be asking too much, though, so I pretend I appreciate the below par dinner Mom cooked for us, show off my best smile and take the dishes away to put them in the dishwasher. Quite easy, right? Well, not necessarily when there are six people under a roof and they all love eating sides.

When I'm done tidying the kitchen, I'm about to go to my room, ready to spend the rest of the evening playing Among Us, when Dad stops me. "Hyejeong, let's talk," he says. I guess I have no choice. When he and Mom want to talk, it's usually something serious. Maybe it's something involving work, or anything my sisters did.

"Your mother and I discussed about this matter and we've finally come up with a decision." He pauses for a minute as he realizes that neither of my sisters is paying attention. As they turn to him, he restarts talking. "We're leaving next week, so think of what you should bring with you before packing."

No, we're not moving permanently. We're just supposed to go on holiday together but, honestly, I'm not thrilled at this idea. Every single family trip we had started off strong, only to end up in disaster. Last time, Mom freaked out because she thought she lost her passport, only to find it in Boeun's backpack.

And let's not forget the trip to Everland, which was probably one of the worst days in my life. Not only it was raining, but, as we forgot to bring umbrellas, I was also soaked to the skin. As if things weren't bad enough, I crossed paths with Jeong Jinil and his family, who felt that was a good time to make fun of me. He also made a snide comment about having a girlfriend and me not even being up to par with her. (Side note: they broke up for reasons I don't give a damn about)

Anyway, enough about these bad memories. If I have to endure yet another disaster holiday trip, then I must make the most of the days that are left before departure. Among Us has waited for too long; plus, I could use trying to break some records.

I go into my room, close the door behind me and take a small mirror that's on my desk to check myself. As I see those huge bag underneath my eyes, I gasp but at the same time I drop the mirror on the floor, letting it shatter in pieces.

At first, I just shrug. After all, that mirror was old and already cracked. Nonetheless, I change my mind as soon as I notice that my hands are slowly disappearing, starting from the fingertips. I guess it's time to kiss goodbye to Among Us, at least for now.

What the heck is happening?