You wake up drenched in sweat and you don't even realise when you had fallen asleep.
But even at that, the diary's words repeat themselves in your brain like a cursed ringtone:
> "You'll ruin Hana's life tomorrow. On accident."
Well it's today now and today is that 'tomorrow'.
Sighing, you consider staying at home but then you remember that you're not rich and your mom would definitely drag you to school herself and then make you apologize to every single person that you've ever offended on the way there.
Anyway...
Fast forward to about an hour later; you're back inside West Ridge, walking through the hallways like a ghost.
You hold your backpack's strap tightly, avoid eye contact, avoid people and most especially avoid Hana.
... Which isn't easy, because she's everywhere— typical her---- hovering near lockers, glaring at teachers and even kicking vending machines that eat her money.
You see her from across the hall and immediately duck behind a trash can so quickly that you almost pull a strain in your ankle.
Unfortunately, your ninja 'stealth' lasts only for about twenty seconds.
"Minjun."
You freeze.
That voice---- the tone of that voice has you slowly standing up and turning around like a marionette.
You see Hana standing there with her arms crossed and her eyes narrow at you so hard hard you immediately wonder what it's like to cry so that hard your soul leaves your body.
"What does the diary say today?" she asks flatly.
You blink. "I… it didn't say anything."
Not believing you, she takes a slow, THREATENING step towards you and you let out a nervous smile.
"I mean, it probably said something, but like… nothing weird! Just, you know, normal diary stuff. Lists. Affirmations. 'Don't die today,' that kind of vibe."
But she keeps staring at you and you feel like your organs are melting into a puddle under her gaze.
"It said something about… me. Onl... only me."
She leans closer to you, "You're sure?"
"Super sure!" You say while your voice ends up coming out cracky.
"Totally not about you! At all!"
But her eyes just narrow the more and almost feels your spirit start to leave your body.
However after a moment, she huffs, "Fine."
Then walks away, muttering something under her breath and you sag against the wall breathing in relief.
Later, lunch rolls around, and you sit down beside Jisoo at your usual spot by the window, trying not to look like someone who's about to... well... ruin your friend's life.
... But Jisoo immediately notices it anyway, "You look like a criminal again."
"I'm not a criminal."
"What do you mean? You literally admitted to cheating and called Taehyun 'hot demon boy' in front of thirty people."
You grunt. "Can we please not."
But she eyes you, making you shut up. "So what did the diary say today?"
"It... it... it said I'll ruin Hana's life."
Jisoo pauses drinking her stew and asks, "Like… academically?"
"Does that sound like something the diary would care about?"
"True," she agrees, not picking offence to how you just snapped at her
"Then it's probably social ruin then. Ooooh, we're talking reputation meltdown."
"This isn't funny," you point out and give her a glare.
However Jisoo dismisses your worries with a wave of her hand and sets her plate it stew to the side.
"It's hilarious really but... Do you know what we should do?"
"No."
"Put the diary in her bag."
You blink, now totally confused, "What?"
Jisoo leans in. "Come on, just for a second. She freaked out over a prediction about her; imagine her face when she finds one in her bag."
"No."
"You'll be fine, you've survived worse."
"I literally haven't."
Shaking her head, she shoves a tray of tteokbokki toward you.
"Do it and I'll give you my dessert."
You stare at her, then stare down at your bag and raise your head to glance at Hana who is sitting across the cafeteria alone and is currently stabbing her rice with a fork.
... And you sigh, turning back to Jisoo, "Fine. But only for a second."
"Yessssss."
---------------
Hana's tote bag is hanging open behind her chair while you walk to it with the diary in your hand and sweat dripping from your brows.
You're just THIS close to it when she turns, and then you panic, bumping into her with a loud thump sound and mutter;
"Sorry!" as you fumble and— completely on accident— the diary slips out from your hand and into the open tote.
Turning, she glares at you. "Watch it."
And you back away so quickly that you nearly trip over someone's foot while you go back to your table where Jisoo---- who was watching you---- is waiting and clapping.
"I didn't mean to actually drop it in her bag," you hiss, feeling awkward with her claps but she just shrugs.
"Well, now we wait."
---
By sixth period, you pass groups of students who are whispering, pointing and laughing behind their hands.
You can't really hear what they say but you catch words like:
"Hana?"
"Diary?"
"Taehyun?"
And hearing those words make you feel like fainting.
Hurriedly you find Jisoo just outside the science lab and ask;
"Did something happen?"
"Oh yeah. Something big."
"What. Did. You. Do?!"
"Nothing!! She opened the diary on her own! I didn't tell her to look at page two."
You gape at her. "Pa... page two?"
She shrugs. "Well, you did write 'hot demon boy' in there."
"Wa... wait," you gasp out, rasping, putting two and two together.
"Hana thinks she wrote that?!"
"Yup. She ran here and there and asked if Taehyun had a girlfriend. It's going around now and everyone think she's secretly crushing on him."
"Hana's going to kill me," you whisper, stumbling backwards dejectedly.
Surprisingly Jisoo doesn't make a joke out of it and just keeps quiet.
Then you hear a voice behind you.
"MINJUN!"
Jerking upright with a start, you turn around and see Hana holding the diary with her mouth set into a thin, angry line.
"You wanna explain this?" she says, shoving the open diary into your chest so hard it nearly knocks you back into the wall.
Curiously you take hold of the diary and glance down on the open page and see.
> "Sorry, hot demon boy."
Instantly you feel weird because that line wasn't there before---- at least not in that exact way.
Then you look up and try to laugh. "I can explain—"
"EXPLAIN. NOW."
You open your mouth to say something but then you eyes instinctively go down to the open diary's page and see a new line right underneath the earlier one.
> She'll chase you and you won't outrun her.