Choi Irene woke up with a sense of dread hanging over her.
She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, determined to look her absolute best.
She spent extra time on her makeup, carefully applying each product with the precision of a seasoned artist.
Her skin glowed with a radiant sheen, and her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. She wanted to look beautiful and alluring, to turn heads and make a lasting impression on everyone she encountered.
She dressed in her school uniform, taking extra care to ensure that it fit perfectly and accentuated her petite frame. Her medium black hair fell in gentle waves around her small face, making her look like a K-pop idol come to life. She checked her reflection in the mirror one final time, and force a smile.
As she entered the school gates, she heard a chorus of boys yelling out her name. "Irene ssi pretty!" they cried, and "Nuna you are beautiful!" She felt a smile spread across her face, and she waved at them, enjoying the attention and adoration.
She felt a sense of satisfaction and validation, knowing that her efforts to look her best had paid off.
Despite her reservations about the true intentions of her peers, in that moment, she felt like she was on top of the world.
She reveled in the attention, soaking up every bit of it, and enjoying the feeling of being admired and respected.
For Choi Irene, this was what she had been striving for - to be loved and adored, to be the center of attention. And for the moment, she had achieved it, basking in the warm glow of her peers' admiration.
As she went about her day, she couldn't help but feel a sense of detachment from the people around her.
They seemed to love her, but only because of the image she projected, not because of who she truly was. It was a hollow victory, one that left her feeling even more isolated and alone than before.
Despite her misgivings, Irene continued to play the game, knowing that it was the only way to survive in the cutthroat world she inhabited.
She tried to be as sweet and nice as possible, even though she knew that it was all a facade, a carefully crafted performance that hid the truth of who she really was. It was a burden that she carried with her every day, one that threatened to consume her and leave her with nothing but emptiness and despair.
Irene's greatest desire was to be the center of attention, to have people love and admire her above all others. she craved the adoration and affection of those around her, and the idea of anyone else being the object of someone's affection left her feeling jealous and insecure.
It was a toxic mindset that consumed her, and she would go to great lengths to ensure that she was the only one receiving the love and admiration she so desperately craved.
She was possessive and selfish, unwilling to share the spotlight with anyone else, and would often manipulate those around her to ensure that she remained the center of attention.
As Irene took her seat, a boy walked in, capturing everyone's attention as he made his way to the empty seat beside her. She smiled at him, but he disregarded her and proceeded to put on his earphones, lie down, and doze off. Meanwhile, the other boys in the class smiled shyly at her.
She returned their smiles but chose to ignore the boy beside her and focused on her studies instead, no longer caring about him.
As Irene and her friends sat down to lunch in the bustling cafeteria, she couldn't help but overhear their conversation about a boy named Sang-wook.
Intrigued, Irene felt a sense of obligation to inquire about this mysterious young man, even though she didn't particularly care.
"So who is this Sang-wook that you guys keep talking about?" she asked, her tone feigning interest.
One of her friends turned to her, a knowing smile on her lips. "Oh, he's just this really cool guy in our grade. You know, the type that everyone likes," she replied.
Upon returning to the class, Choi Irene announced that the teacher would be late before taking her seat, whereupon she noticed that the boy was still dozing off and chose to once again disregard his presence.
While engrossed in her studies, she sensed an uneasy feeling of being observed, prompting her to glance over and catch sight of the boy staring at her wrist adorned with red lines and cuts; nevertheless, she composed herself, placed her hand in her lap, and proceeded to concentrate on the teacher's lecture, choosing to disregard the boy's unsettling gaze.
As the school day drew to a close, Choi Irene was making her way out of the building when she was accosted by a young male who had a head of lustrous black hair and a friendly countenance that was reflected in the gentle curve of his lips. "my name is Sang Wook. "
Sang Wook took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to confess his feelings to Choi Irene. "I know we've only just met, but I feel a strong connection to you," he said. "I would like to get to know you better and see where this goes."
she politely declined his offer. "I appreciate your honesty, but I'm not interested in dating at the moment," she said, leaving Sang Wook with a heavy heart as he watched her walk away.
In Irene's classroom, someone sat perched by the window, their gaze fixed on Choi Irene's retreating figure.
As the individual smoked, the tendrils of smoke rose in the air, illuminated by the sunset that filtered in through the glass.
From their vantage point, the watcher studied her intently, their eyes never leaving her form as she walked away.
After Irene returned to her house, she went straight to her room.
There, she opened a notebook where she keeps track of the people who have expressed their liking towards her. She wrote down the name "Sang Wook" and put "123rd" beside it.
feeling pleased with the new boy who had expressed his liking for her.
The notebook had a comprehensive list of names of people who have expressed their affection towards her.
Irene was pleased with this addition to her list.
Rewrite Irene's phone rings and she sees her sister's name she didn't pick up but a message was sent to her she read saying" why you still alive no one likes you " Choi Irene break down and throws her phone on the wall and breaks her makeup items and slam her mirror with her hand yelling" everyone loves me " over and over again in a long sentence
Irene's phone rang, and when she looked at the caller ID, she saw her sister's name. However, she didn't answer the call.
Instead, a message came through that read, "why are you still alive, no one likes you." Reading those hurtful words caused Irene to feel a wave of emotion, and she couldn't hold back her tears.
She grabbed her phone and threw it against the wall, shattering it into pieces. The impact was so strong that it caused some of her makeup items to fall and break as well.
In a fit of anger and frustration, she slammed her hand into the mirror, leaving a crack on the surface.
With tears streaming down her face, she yelled, "everyone loves me!" over and over again as if to convince herself of the opposite of what the message had said.
The pain of being told that no one likes her was too much for Irene to bear. She felt alone and unsupported, and the message had hit her hard.