The classroom was loud with whispers even before Ji-hoon walked in.
Phones were ready.
Eyes wide.
Mouths half-open with anticipation.
Everyone knew something was coming.
But no one expected this.
Ji-hoon walked straight to Hae-won's desk.
She stood up, confused. "What's going on—"
"Let's end it."
Silence.
Sharp silence.
She blinked. Played along. "What?"
"This," he said, voice emotionless. "Us. I'm done."
The whole class gasped. Phones came out. The school gossip app lit up like wildfire.
> BREAKING: Ji-hoon DUMPS the transfer girl in CLASSROOM 2-C. "She's crying???" "He's such a savage wtf" "Damn. She really lost the richest guy in school." "Back to invisible status for her I guess"
At the back of the room, Ji-hoon's ex—Da-eun—smiled.
Soft. Slow. Snake-like.
She stood up, flicked her hair, and strutted out of the room with a smug chuckle.
AFTER SCHOOL
Hae-won unlocked the door to her apartment.
He was already there, sitting on her couch, eating cookies.
"I hate you," she said, tossing her bag down.
"You said to make it convincing."
"You didn't have to say it like that," she muttered, crawling onto the couch beside him. "It was… kinda scary."
Ji-hoon smirked and kissed her cheek. "Worked though. They bought it."
She sighed, curling into him. "And now they're all talking again."
"They'll get bored."
But he was wrong.
---
THE ATTENTION
Now that she was "single," other guys started showing up.
One left a note in her locker:
"You deserve better than him. Wanna grab a drink after school?"
Another waited for her near the shoe lockers.
"Hey… you look really pretty today. I mean it."
Even some of Ji-hoon's own classmates started hanging around her desk.
She didn't know how to react.
She'd never had attention that wasn't cruel.
Now it was… confusing.
Flattering. But weird.
And Ji-hoon?
He hated every second of it.
But he played along.
For her.
For their secret.
---
THE APP
The gossip app was losing its mind again.
> "Why are so many boys suddenly into her?" "She's glowing since the breakup… what if she dumped HIM?" "Did you see her hair today? That glow-up is serious." "What if Ji-hoon wants her back and she says no??"
10.8K likes.
9,144 comments.
Hae-won was trending. Again.
And somewhere in the shadows—
Da-eun was watching.
Waiting.
Smiling.