[Oh Lira]

I gloat as I look at the notifications on my phone. No-one wants to have to do with Park Saeyi, that stinky loser, anymore. She has stepped on the wrong feet and is now facing the consequences of her foolish actions. The hard way, of course. She won't be able to clean the stains on her reputation.

I, on the other hand, feel like I can turn on a new leaf. I can restart after being done wrong all this time. I can prove others I'm an asset and am actually a mature and reliable person. Not like that idiot. I should stop talking about her, anyway. She's a complete nobody now.

***

I scroll through my Instagram feed to see contents I find interesting. To my shock, no-one seems to talk about my previous exposé. What's going on? Have that little shit's family threatened lawsuits here and there? They know she's guilty. Why do they keep defending her?

I close the app as soon as I realize the other contents on my timeline are boring. All stuff I've already seen multiple times. I need something fresh. I need new tea. I need new shit to talk about. Gossip is what makes me thrive. There's a reason why half of Duckyoung High is afraid of me.

At the moment, I'm not alone at the bar. I'm with Won Jinhee and Song Jiyeon, two of my most loyal followers. They sip their juice like it's the last thing they do on Earth. I, on the other hand, prefer taking my time. I mean, gulping the drink in a couple of sips doesn't look classy.

Jinhee asks me with a devilish grin, "Now that Park Saeyi is basically an outcast, what do you plan to do next? Give Han Sara the finishing blow?" She bursts into raucous laughter as she utters the latest question. Her idea has potential; however, hitting Sara is quite a predictable move.

"Sara? Hmm... That's interesting. But how about that new guy, Jeong something? I forgot his name, honestly." Both Jinhee and Jiyeon cackle at my answer. They couldn't care less about him. Honestly, I don't either. I don't trust him. I think I've already seen him somewhere, but I'm not sure.

Jiyeon turns serious for a moment. "Byeonghee. His name is Byeonghee. I mean, he's not that bad." Is she joking? What does she find attractive about him? Oh, my God! If there's anything that keeps Jiyeon from being sound, that's boys. Yes. She can literally drool if she finds anyone cute. Pathetic.

I shriek. "Jiyeon! Focus! We're not here to discuss if New Guy's hot or whatever!"

She insists on her position. "Byeonghee. His name is Byeonghee. Stop calling him New Guy. I get you don't like him. Fine."

"I don't give a fuck. You have no chance with him. To be fair, he's far from being a good guy." My rebuttal doesn't sit well with Jiyeon, who throws a pointed glare at me. I respond by making my gaze more intense than hers. She cowers, which means I've won.

She and Jinhee, rather than admit defeat, push forward on the plan to attack Sara. In particular, the latter says, "We have to be strategic. If we jump the gun straight away on New Guy—oops, sorry, Byeonghee, or Jiyeon will take offense—everyone will have an excuse to send us in front of the Committee."

She refers to the school's committee against school violence, the one that will handle specific cases of bullying. Saeyi's case has been forwarded there, which is good news. However, that's not enough. I need her out of my hair. Anyone who's still close to her is also an obstacle. They'll be out of the way sooner than they think.

"Exactly. What matters the most, anyway, is that the plan is working."

"What do you mean with that?" asks Jiyeon, who doesn't seem to be as collaborative as Jinhee. "Didn't you simply share insider information?"

I snap at Jiyeon. "Oh, how stupid you are! This is what everyone thinks, and it's part of the plan. Actually, it's me who created the evidence. Saeyi is dead. I won. Period." I realize I've just raised my voice, but don't take it well when those two idiots try to tell me to keep it down.

"Who cares? Everybody has to know the truth. I'm far better than her, and if this isn't okay for you, then you can go with her and line up with her picking fruit somewhere for a fucking living!" I'm livid. The fact that Jiyeon above all tries to sow doubt in me is outrageous. She's not as loyal as I thought she'd be.

Despite that, she and Jinhee nod and say together, "No, no, your plan is brilliant, Lira, don't worry." I grin at them as they finally realize it's better for them to be on my side than against me.

For some reason, however, I feel observed, as if someone's spying on me. I order Jinhee to check through tables if no-one has paid attention to our conversation, but it looks like everyone was busy with their own stuff.

My gut feeling is hardly ever wrong. What's going on? I'm sure Jinhee hasn't checked properly, so I insist. However, she protests. "The other customers are annoyed right now. The owners can kick us out if we keep this shit up."

"I. Don't. Care. Go and check who's spying on us, or I'll do it myself. And, by the way, you're paying for everyone." Jinhee is on the verge of tears as she realizes she doesn't have enough cash to pay. Not my business. If she had done what I told her, she wouldn't be in this situation.

A reluctant Jinhee drags herself around tables to see if anyone's eavesdropping. All she earns, however, is pointed glares from every corner. I don't move to protect her—I'll let her take the lashings. This is what she gets for daring to defy my orders.

Meanwhile, Jiyeon goes through her phone in a way I'd define suspicious if I didn't know her at all. "What are you doing?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Just scrolling through X. There's someone who doesn't believe your exposé. I'm warning you." She must be kidding. I haven't made a single mistake in this process so far—Saeyi has lost everything, from her followers to her endorsement, to her family and friends. She's an outcast, while I'm on the rise.

I snatch Jiyeon's phone from her hands and frantically read all the posts related to the topic. Unfortunately for me, she's right. There's one post that questions my intentions. 'How about letting her defend herself properly? How about letting actual authorities go through a formal investigation to solve this case? No, a shitstorm is much more profitable. Shame on you!'

I find out the author of this biased tweet is none other than... Han Sara. Jinhee wasn't completely wrong. She's more dangerous than New Guy at this point. She thinks she can successfully hide her true nature as a loser, but she's wrong.

I'll expose her, too. She'll face even more backlash than Saeyi. She won't be able to defend herself because she's even less popular than that wannabe influencer rat. Sara will lock herself at home for the rest of her days when I show everyone who she actually is.