critical beauty - hongseok

one ● jaehwa

From the very start, I was doomed to get stuck with Hongseok. Our moms thought it was an excellent idea to introduce us when we were little, for some reason. We even grew up next to each other, him in apartment 116, me in apartment 117. Then, when we were finally old enough to go to school, we got placed next to each other by some cruel twist of fate.   

Hongseok was always the charmer, and he knew it. All the girls in class (besides me, of course) fell for him, including my best friend Eunjung. 

She never really got over that time in 7th grade when he winked at her (even though that was five years ago), so when we walked into Math together and she saw Hongseok standing right next to the door, she freaked out.

"Oh my god Jaehwa he's standing right there," she said all in one breath, very conspicuously. "What should we do?"

"Maybe you should try having a normal conversation with him, for once." I replied.

Eunjung made a face at me.

"Hey, Jaehwa, can I talk to you?" Hongseok interrupted.

"It seems you already are, so go ahead." I deadpanned.

Hongseok flashed me that girl-smiting grin of his. I wasn't having it. "I was just wondering if you would-" I knew what was coming next. I'd seen this happen to many other girls. He would say those eight words, and the next thing you knew, you had fallen under his spell.

I wasn't going to let him do it.

"No, thank you." I saw his face fall. For a second I felt bad, but then I remembered he's been doing this to me everyday since the first year of middle school.

"Oh..." He pouted. "I'll get you next time."

I smiled sweetly at him. "You can try." I walked to my seat in the dead middle of the classroom next to Changgu and behind Hyunggu (who liked to be called Kino). 

Eunjung punched my shoulder. "Ya!" She scolded quietly. "Other girls would kill for a chance like that!"

I rolled my eyes. I loved Eunjung, but sometimes she got on my nerves.

"Did he try that stuff again?" Changgu asked. Changgu was my other best friend, and he was much better at giving advice.

"You know it." I replied.

Changgu scoffed. "How typical. He gets life handed to him on a silver platter."

"And girls." I added jokingly. 

Changgu laughed. "So... do you want to hear some classified information about..." He nodded to the general area around Kino.

I blushed. Changgu was the only one who knew that I was secretly in love with Kino. I couldn't tell Eunjung, because she would definitely tell me that Hongseok was the better option. "What?"

"Kino's cousin's friend's friend told me that Kino has a crush on a girl with short dark hair."

My hopes fell. "That's it? She could be anyone!"

"A-ha. But she could also be you!" Changgu said to cheer me up.

I smiled and shook my head. In my dreams.