I Fell in Love With My Tomboy Friend’s Avatar

“Our whole school will go under because we can’t pick a promotional model, and it’s all thanks to Eunho Ju. Enrollment numbers will plummet, the school’s reputation will tank, and it’ll be labeled a failing institution. Scholarships will dry up, the president will starve to death, and our alma mater will be forced to close. What a sad way to go out.”

“Yeah, right. Why don’t you just blame me for the end of the world while you’re at it.”

Eunho felt as though his classmates’ dramatics were actively rotting his brain. Every time he ran into them, they’d whine and complain, saying he needed to fix their problems. He wanted to just take a break from classes altogether.

“Let me guess,” he said sardonically. “Global warming’s my fault too, right?”

“You know, there might actually be some truth to that. So many people are boiling mad because of you…”

“Oh, come on! What do you want me to do about it? She said no. It’s Jeongwon’s right to say no if she wants!”

“And exactly how did you try to convince her?”

Eunho fell silent, then muttered, “I told her she should know her place.”

“Are you some kind of Socrates, or what?”

“I meant she should know her worth because she’s great!”

“Jeongwon must be a saint. If it were me, I’d have used every move I know to beat you to a pulp.”

As soon as they heard about Eunho’s so-called persuasion tactics, several of his classmates began to boo him, while others simply lay down on the floor in despair.

“It’s all Eunho’s fault our school’s doomed,” someone jeered. “We’re doomed. You can already hear our admission scores crashing.”

“Then why don’t you try talking to her?” he retorted.

“Do you think we haven’t tried?”

A classmate sprawled on the floor weakly waved a hand and added, “This is what she said, word for word:’You, Eunho fans, pass this along: She’s not interested, so just stop trying.’ ”

“Jeez Jeongwon, that little…” he mumbled

“We’re doomed. Thanks to Eunho, glaciers are melting, and everything’s just going to hell.”

Eunho could feel his tenuous grasp on his sanity slipping—not because of this ridiculous situation or his classmates’ incessant whining. They’d always been hopeless cases anyway.

But seriously, is that idiot Jeongwon incapable of looking in a mirror? Guess not, since she just rolls out of bed and straight to practice without even washing her face first.

Jeongwon’s inferiority complex bugged Eunho to no end. Objectively, Jeongwon was good-looking, even rivaling Hayan. A glance in the mirror should make that obvious. While people might not openly comment about Jeongwon as much as Hayan, it didn’t mean they didn’t see her that way. They just had a harder time approaching her. Yet, Jeongwon felt inferior to Hayan, a deep-seated self-doubt obvious to anyone who looked close enough.

Ugh, why is she so insecure?

Eunho now genuinely wanted to see Jeongwon go to the audition, more out of spite than anything. He was pissed off at the idea that she might miss an opportunity due to her senselessly low self-esteem.

All he could do was hope Jeongwon would come to her senses. Seeing Jeongwon’s pathetic behavior made Eunho so frustrated he felt like he could claim damages.

“Damn it, I’ll just ask her one more time.”

So, pretending to cave to his classmates’ demands, he pulled out his phone and messaged Jeongwon.

***

“Jeongwon!”

From a distance, Eunho came barreling toward Jeongwon. Before he could even get close, Jeongwon immediately turned and sprinted away.

“Jeongwon, you little punk!”

Eunho’s voice echoed far behind her, but Jeongwon paid no attention and kept running. She was a top student in physical performance and definitely knew there was no way she’d lose a race to Eunho. Eunho’s feet began slowing of their own accord as he watched her vault over fences and fly up stairs.

“What the hell? Did our school actually roll out a parkour program or something? Un-freaking-believable.”

Realizing he’d never catch Jeongwon like this, Eunho started on plan B.

“Next time, I’ll trap her somewhere she can’t escape from.”

Eunho’s resolve solidified as he watched Jeongwon’s retreating figure vanish into the distance.

The next day, Jeongwon sat down in class, looking relieved that Eunho hadn’t bothered her yet. After two long hours of lecture, she opened the door, only to find Eunho standing there.

“W—What are you doing here?”

“Jeongwon, we need to talk.”

“And you think I’m going to?”

Jeongwon’s head whipped back and forth in search of another door to escape through. But there wasn’t one. Because it was a large lecture hall with a high rate of attendance, the back doors were permanently sealed to prevent students from sneaking out.

“In this classroom, there’s only one exit,” Eunho said with an evil grin. “This one right here.”

Undeterred, Jeongwon stepped forward and grabbed Eunho by the shoulders.

“Eunho, do you really think you can overpower me?”

Was she going to try to shove him to the floor? Eunho braced himself for impact.

Click.

But instead, it was the sliding classroom door that closed.

“What the…”.

Eunho opened the classroom door again.

“Jeongwon, I just want to talk—”

Click.

The door slid shut again.

A relentless back-and-forth continued, filling the classroom with the click of the door opening and closing.

“Excuse me, but I need to get out too…”

“Are you messing with me?” Eunho yelled. “Jeongwon Yoo, do you want me to break this door?”

Click.

“Excuse me? I’m in here too…”

“Go ahead, Eunho,” Jeongwon shouted back. “Break it down if you really think you can.”

Click.

“You think I won’t?” he roared.

“No, you won’t!” she shot back. “You won’t because you’re weak!”

“Excuse me!”

Completely oblivious to the fact that the professor was still trapped in the classroom with them, the sliding door tug of war raged on.

“You stubborn jerk, just stop it!” Eunho panted. “My wrist is about to fall off!”

“Ha!” Jeongwon crowed. “Then give up! Surrender, Eunho!”

“You give up!”

“No, you!”

“Guys, fine, I’ll give up!” the professor pleaded. “Just open the door for me…”

After a prolonged standoff, Eunho finally reached through the gap in the door and grabbed Jeongwon’s wrist. Jeongwon frowned as she looked at Eunho through the narrow opening

“Why the hell are you doing this?” Eunho growled.

“Yes, I’d like to know that too,” Jeongwon retorted. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Fine, because you’re pretty!” Eunho yelled.

Silence fell over the classroom. Behind a speechless Jeongwon, the trapped professor’s jaw dropped. Momentarily forgetting his need to leave, the professor simply watched Eunho and Jeongwo, as if they were actors in a drama. Jeongwon yanked her hand away from Eunho.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Did you make a bet? How much are they paying you to get me to go, huh?”

“It’s not a bet, okay? No bet! The others just think you’re pretty and want you as the school model—”

“Like I’d believe that—”

“Yes, damn it! I said it! I did! I said you’re pretty, and I wanted you to do the school modeling! That’s why I came to get you!”

Eunho finally flung open the sliding door with a wordless shout. The door clattered loudly, finally breaking under their abuse.

Jeongwon blinked rapidly, staring at the broken door that now lay tilted toward Eunho.

“What… What are you even saying…? Are you seriously on something? Just how badly do you want to mess with me?”

“Does this look like a joke?” he asked, enraged. “Do you really think I’d break school property and trap a professor here just for a prank?”

“Wait, you knew that I was trapped here this whole time?”

Eunho ignored the professor and kept yelling.

“Should I just announce it to the whole campus? Will you believe me then? Everyone, listen up! Jeongwon Yoo is the top of the department in looks, not just in skill! Jeongwon Yoo is incredibly good-look—”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Jeongwon slapped a hand over Eunho’s mouth. Eunho grabbed her hand and pulled Jeongwon out of the classroom.

“Seriously, shut up, please…” she begged, face flushed red. “I’ll believe you, I said I’ll believe you!”

***

Jeongwon looked down at Eunho’s hand, which was now gripping her wrist and pulling her along.

Why did I suddenly agree to this?

If she wanted to shake free, she could have done it a hundred times by now. To Jeongwon, Eunho was like a mere plank of wood. She could snap him in half the moment the order was given, but she didn’t bother to. She wasn’t even asking if it was true or questioning it again, she was just letting herself be dragged away.

I said I’d believe him, but I don’t really trust him at all. Surely this is just a lie.

Jeongwon glanced at Eunho’s back for any sign of sincerity. She looked hard at the back of his head aqnd his shoulders. No matter how much she stared, no answers came.

Even if he said it, it’s probably because the others told him to.

Jeongwon was determined not to get her hopes up. She tried to imagine every possible scenario she could think of. Even after coming up with over a dozen different scenarios, one bright, sparkling possibility kept tormenting her.

If they told him to bring me, there must be a reason. I mean, they need a model, so there’s no way he’d bring someone unattractive… Do they really think I’m really pretty? Honestly?

In Jeongwon’s heart, that hope kept trying to surface. She felt almost pity for herself—for all the days she’d worried her peers thought her to be a fool. Maybe, all this time, it was just her paranoia. Her friends had always complimented her and said nice things, yet Jeongwon hadn’t been able to fully thank them because of her distrust.

So perhaps, in reality, the things she’d tried so hard to avoid were just in her head. Everyone actually saw her in a good light. Even Eunho, for that matter.

But… Eunho thinking that too? That doesn’t make sense. Could it be true? Did Eunho really recommend me?

Just as she was losing herself in these spiraling thoughts, Eunho seemed to have reached their destination and opened a door. It was the club room that Eunho frequented for magazine interviews.

Eunho’s classmates and the school magazine team cheered as they greeted Jeongwon.

“Jeongwon! You really came! Thank goodness; we’re so short on people right now… We were praying you’d come… Could we just take a few photos real quick? I think you’ll be a perfect fit.

The magazine team excitedly dragged Jeongwon to the center, and everyone around her started showering her with compliments. Jeongwon couldn’t help it—no matter how hard she tried to pull her elated heart back down, it wasn’t easy.

“No way…”

“It’s true. The moment we started talking about a school model, Eunho immediately suggested you, and we were all like, wow, how did we not think of that?”

Was it true? Did Eunho actually recommend her?

Jeongwon’s lips almost curved up into a small smile. She couldn’t believe it. So all of this wasn’t a scheme to make a fool of her; it was real.

They genuinely thought she was pretty, enough to be a promotional model, and wanted her for the role. And it was Eunho who directly recommended her. Jeongwon pressed her lips down with the back of her hand.

“Here, Jeongwon! You just need to wear this.”

Jeongwon willingly accepted the outfit. It was a shirt and pants, all tucked in a shopping bag. She was familiar with the school model uniform since she had an upperclassman who was a model for the school.

Which meant she knew this wasn’t a women’s uniform, but a men’s.

“…Did you mean to give me this one?”

“Huh? Hold on.”

One of the team members took back the shopping bag and checked inside.

“Yeah, it’s right. Pants and a shirt.”

Jeongwon took the shopping bag back. Suddenly, a crushing feeling washed over her from her toes up. Was she getting tricked again? Had she foolishly walked into another setup, smiling like an idiot? Jeongwon gripped the handles of the shopping bag tightly.

“Um… Excuse me…”

“Oh, no way! Is Jeongwon Yoo really here?”

A classmate entered the room, exclaiming in surprise and laughing gleefully, a finger leveled at Jeongwon.

“Since Jeongwon is here, Hayan must be coming too, right? Eunho actually pulled through.”

Jeongwon gripped the shopping bag tightly, crumpling it without a care. Ignoring the mangled bag, she looked back at Eunho, who was sitting on the sofa.

“What is this supposed to mean?” she asked him coldly.