Chapter 23: A Hidden Plan

I had already yawned more than three times. Drowsiness attacked mercilessly. All of this was because of Rian’s idea, which made absolutely no sense. Even worse, Dara actually agreed to follow that crazy suggestion. Even though since yesterday she had flatly rejected every proposal from him.

And this morning, when the sky was not even fully bright yet, Dara casually banged on the door of my house like someone possessed.

“Wake up, Frel. If you go back to sleep, I’ll splash you with water,” she threatened from behind the door.

“Can you give me two more minutes?” I muttered irritably as I got up, half-conscious.

“Your two minutes can turn into two hours, Frel. Hurry up and take a shower. We’re leaving together.”

I did not get the chance to argue. A few minutes later, I was already forced to go with her to school.

I yawned widely again, then patted my mouth with my palm. I stretched my neck slightly, glancing toward Dara who was still standing in front of the school gate while waiting for Tomi to arrive.

I let out a long sigh, then folded my arms on the table while staring at the security guard who was happily eating a Holland bread given by Dara.

More precisely, Dara had deliberately fed him so that he would allow us to wait for Tomi here.

Gleg.

Whether he was hungry or simply greedy, he ate the bread messily. Crumbs clung to his mustache.

“Want some, Miss?” the guard asked when he realized I had been watching him for a while.

“No, Sir. I’m already full. Please continue eating,” I replied politely with a courteous smile.

Full from looking at you, I meant.

I glanced at the watch on my wrist. It was still six in the morning, and I had already been in this room for almost half an hour.

“If Tomi doesn’t come in the next five minutes, I’m sleeping here,” I muttered.

Just as my eyes were about to close, Dara’s voice suddenly startled me.

“Frel, hurry and come with me. Tomi’s already here,” she shouted while running toward the parking area.

“Oh my God, that voice of yours,” I complained lazily as I stood up.

So much for my plan to sleep.

After saying goodbye to the security guard and thanking him, like it or not I stepped outside with reluctant strides.

I dragged my feet toward the parking lot, following Dara who had already darted ahead to catch up with Tomi.

The parking area was still quiet. Only Tomi’s car was parked right at the front.

From a distance, Tomi’s expression looked annoyed. He stood with his hands on his hips, facing Dara who was talking at length.

“That’s the whole point, Tom. Just once,” Dara urged.

“That ‘just once’ can turn into a big problem,” Tomi replied sharply.

Not long after, his expression changed to shock. His eyes widened, his mouth gaped open.

“What? Are you crazy, Ra? That makes no sense,” Tomi snapped. His voice was clearly audible even though we were still a few steps away.

“Come on, just go along with it first. Kenn is your cousin, he’ll definitely agree,” Dara insisted. “I’ve thought this through carefully, Tom.”

“Your head is what’s ‘careful,’” Tomi shot back. “This isn’t about whether he’ll agree or not, it’s about what’s going on in your head. Whose idea is this, huh?”

“Who else but Rian,” I replied when I finally stood near them.

Tomi turned to me. “You agree too?”

I shrugged. “I don’t agree, but I also don’t have the energy to stop it.”

When I thought about it, Rian really was outrageous. Having a younger sibling, instead of guiding her properly, he stuffed her head with strange ideas.

After hearing my answer, Tomi rubbed his face roughly. “So you made me come early in the morning just to talk about this, Ra?”

“Come on, Tom. Don’t you feel sorry for your own best friend? I just want to try first. Whether it works or not, that’s something to worry about later.”

“Yes, but not like this. There have to be stages.”

“Who knows, after that incident, Kenn might fall in love with me right away.”

“Nonsense,” Tomi exclaimed as he flicked Dara on the head. “Besides, I know what Kenn is like. He’s not that easily attracted to women.”

At once, Dara’s face looked like that of someone in despair, as if she had lost all hope. Her shoulders slumped, the light in her eyes dimmed. To be honest, I felt sorry for her too.

“Come on, Tom. Just go along with it for now. Dara only wants to try,” I said, stepping in.

Tomi looked at me for a few seconds, then let out another long sigh. “Fine. I’ll help, Ra. But don’t blame me if the result isn’t what you’re hoping for.”

Dara’s face immediately brightened. She nodded eagerly, as if her energy had fully returned.

“Thank you, Tom,” she said sincerely.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Tomi replied. “This might not be a good idea.”

After that, the three of us walked toward the cafeteria to fill our stomachs, which had not had any food since morning.

“I’ll order fried rice,” I said weakly.

“At this hour?” Tomi asked in surprise.

“I need the energy,” I replied briefly.

Dara chuckled softly. “Today is going to be long.”

And for some reason, my intuition told me that this plan would not go as simply as Dara imagined.

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