Mina was on her way from work back to her apartment when she unexpectedly ran into Dao and her college friends, Linh and Naomi. It seemed the fit and flirty Dao had been partying non-stop since returning to Vietnam, quickly reconnecting with a bunch of their old university crowd.
Mina, on the other hand, wasn't into parties—unless there was something in it for her. But lately, she'd been a mess. No matter how hard she buried herself in work, she couldn't shake off that conversation with Duyen. So when Dao invited her out, she just shrugged. Maybe blowing off some steam wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.
And that's how she ended up tagging along with Dao, Linh, and Naomi—two daughters of lesser-known conglomerates. Mina wasn't close to them—actually, she barely remembered their names. Back in school, they had hovered around Dao like flies to honey, clinging to her popularity. Still, Mina had always been diplomatic enough that none of them noticed she didn't give a damn about them.
Now, six of them were standing at the gates of Everland amusement park.
Fate? More like a curse.
No way... Is that Duyen?!
Mina's face turned red as she instinctively turned away, but it was already too late—Duyen had seen her.
Duyen froze, equally embarrassed. Dao squinted, eyeing Duyen up and down.
"So you're Duyen... Huh. Just like Mina said. You look... different."
Four years ago, Duyen was a chubby nobody. Now? A full-on knockout. And tall too—what, 175 cm?
Damn it. She's taller than me!?
Before Dao could blurt out something rude, Mina pinched her arm hard. Dao coughed, trying to play it cool.
"Well, yeah, so you're Duyen. I've heard a lot about you. Like—"
Mina shot her a death glare.
"Like... how smart you are! What was your class rank again? Wait, did we even have class ranks?"
Mina winced. She forgot Dao literally paid her way through school. Cheer squad and flirting with basketball boys were more her thing. That, and her platinum-blonde hair that made her stand out like a neon sign.
Duyen gave a polite smile. "Uh, yes? And you are…?"
"What? You know Mina but not me?" Dao pouted, hands on hips. "I was the captain of the cheer squad! Ring a bell? Dao?"
Duyen blinked. "Maybe…?"
Clearly, she had no clue who Dao was. The self-proclaimed hottest girl at Yelsulin U—well, second hottest after Mina.
"Rumors were true. Aside from Mina, you didn't pay attention to anyone, huh?"
"Huh?" Duyen blinked.
Mina kicked Dao's foot—hard—eliciting another yelp of pain.
"I'm so sorry, Duyen. She didn't mean it that way!" Mina said quickly.
"Oh no, it's okay…" Duyen murmured. Honestly? It wasn't wrong. But hearing it said out loud stung a little.
Suddenly, a not-so-subtle throat clear came from beside Duyen.
Shana tightened her grip on Duyen's arm. That scent—undeniably hers. Mina knew immediately.
Of course Shana was here.
Still, Mina didn't even glance her way, acting like she didn't exist. Her eyes were only on Duyen, even though she had to fake how totally calm she was.
Shana, of course, noticed.
"What a coincidence," Shana said through gritted teeth. "Didn't expect to see you here. Almost Sunday, too. You like Everland?"
Actually, it was Mina's first time. She normally couldn't care less about amusement parks. But if Duyen liked it, then Mina wanted to like it too.
Before Duyen could answer, Shana leaned in, pressing her... oversized assets into Duyen's arm.
"We're on a date, actually," Shana added with a sly grin as Duyen turned crimson. "What about you, Miss Kamakiri? Out at a theme park? Didn't you say this kind of place was for lazy people with too much free time? You seem… sweeter than usual~"
It was hard to tell when Mina was mad. Mostly because she was always ready to destroy someone. But this time? The drop in temperature was visible. The way she glared at Shana with that Hannya demon smile—
No one noticed. Not even Duyen, who blinked it off as a passing chill. Mina's always so graceful and composed, she thought. That couldn't have been real... right?
"I'm just her babysitter for the day," Duyen joked, stepping slightly away from Shana's boobs.
"Oh I bet," Mina said sweetly. "Must be tough, looking after 'certain people' who can't even read reports or sign off on paperwork. Oh no offense to our esteemed Madam President here, of course. You know what they say—if the shoe fits…"
Shana twitched.
Are you calling me stupid, bitch?
Both Mina and Shana were smiling like angels while mentally screaming:
This thot. I'll end her.
The tension was no longer subtle. It was war. Everyone could feel the air being sucked out of the room.
Dao nervously tapped Mina's shoulder, whispering, "Hey, we're already here, right? Let's just… go in and hang out?"
She turned to Shana. "What about you, Miss President?"
Clearly, Dao didn't like her either. Shana kept her arm wrapped tightly around Duyen.
"…Fine."
---
Inside the Everland food court, the place was packed. Their group had reserved a special treat—octopus-shaped chocolate cakes made from high-end imported Italian chocolate. Limited stock. Crazy expensive.
Even with Dao bribing the staff for early access, they were still waiting.
"I can't take this anymore!" Dao groaned, flopping onto the table.
"Have some patience. And manners," Mina sighed—not harshly. She knew Dao well. The girl had the attention span of a fruit fly and an endless appetite. Somehow, she stayed fit. Maybe because she was freakishly athletic. Just… not very smart.
Mina glanced at Duyen, who was awkwardly avoiding her eyes. It stung a little.
Then Duyen looked at Shana.
"You eat really… delicately."
"Huh?"
Duyen watched as Shana daintily tore her bread into tiny pieces like a 19th-century lady.
"…I thought you'd just grab it and go chomp chomp chomp like this—"
Duyen mimed an exaggerated caveman bite, making Shana blush.
"WHAT!? You think that's how I eat!?"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Duyen laughed. Shana playfully smacked her and set the bread down.
"Hmph. I'm not eating anymore. I'm mad."
Honestly, teasing Shana was fun. Duyen was starting to realize maybe she wasn't as bad as people said.
But Mina had been watching the whole thing.
She won't even look at me… But she'll flirt with her? Right in front of me?!
Mina's glare could kill. But she quickly masked it before anyone noticed.
Finally, the chocolate octopus arrived. Except… the face had melted into something nightmare-fuel.
"Ugh, that's nasty. I'll ask them to—"
Before Mina could finish, Dao had already taken a huge spoonful.
"What? You're not eating? More for me."
"…Fine"
Why are we even friends...?
Mina turned to Duyen, who was fumbling around, looking for sauces.
"They probably forgot the seasoning and the soda," Mina offered gently.
Duyen blinked at her smile. "Y-yeah, probably. Too busy, I guess."
Perfect.
Mina stood up and grabbed Duyen's hand.
"There are six of us—we could use some help."
Shana: "Hey! Her hand—!"
Too late. Duyen blushed and followed Mina through the crowd.
Shana was left fuming, chewing her nails.
"You sneaky little—"
Dao laughed, mouth full. "Hah! Lost some points there, huh, Madam Prez?"
"Shut it, you gluttonous blonde!"
Dao nearly choked. "WHO are you calling gluttonous!?"
"Oh, I don't know—maybe the girl who just ate FIVE cakes?"
Dao turned red. "…I was bored, okay?! They took too long!"
"Don't take it out on me just because you're mad at Mina."
Shana clicked her tongue and turned away. The noise made it impossible to hear anything from the condiment bar.
---
Meanwhile, at the quieter sauce station, Duyen was carefully arranging chili packets and soda cups. Mina watched her fingers move with focused grace.
Her hands are so pretty… What the hell is wrong with me...?
She smiled, heart racing.
We look like a couple right now, don't we?
She'd forgotten about everyone else.
Then a familiar voice echoed from the bathroom.
"Did you see that, Naomi? That's the fat pig freak from business class."
Linh's voice carried clearly. Naomi cackled.
"Word is she used to stalk Valko—and Mina too. Freaked her out so bad Mina had to reject her straight up. Did you see how Mina looked at her? Total disgust."
No. That's not true!
Mina wanted to scream, but the words stuck in her throat.
Duyen's eyes darkened.
"She's better looking now, sure. But a freak's still a freak. Trash doesn't turn into treasure."
"If I were Mina, I'd have ghosted her for life."
Linh and Naomi walked past, oblivious to the two girls who had heard everything.
Mina looked up, her eyes shaking. Duyen's face was blank.
"No, that's not—"
"It's fine, Mina. I'm used to it."
Duyen carefully picked up the trays and walked ahead.
But something had changed in her.
Can I even fix this…?
Why had it gone this far?
Mina clenched her fists, holding back tears.