Chapter 13: Spy Mode: Activated

I was not a naturally suspicious person.

Sure, I once thought my French teacher was secretly a K-pop idol on sabbatical (he was just really good-looking). And yes, there was that time I reported a "ghost" in our house that turned out to be the Roomba. But still—

I wasn't paranoid.

Except now, I was maybe 70% sure Seo Yoon was trying to destroy my college life one sly smile at a time.

Ever since that night at MT, I couldn't shake off what I heard. She wasn't just throwing shade—she was planting seeds. Little whispers. Harmless at first. But now that I was paying attention… I saw it everywhere.

"Unnie, you didn't hear? Ah Ra left her last group chat because everyone was ignoring her."

"She's always with sunbaes… Do you think she's trying to date up?"

"She said her parents live abroad, but she never answers calls in front of us…"

Always with that same angelic tone. Like she was worried about me.

Yeah, worried my reputation would survive.

So naturally, I did the only logical thing.

I turned into a spy.

"Okay," I whispered, peeking over a campus bench. "Target spotted. She's heading toward the Student Union Building. Pink hoodie. Same lip tint as yesterday."

"You know you're wearing Gucci sunglasses like a private investigator in a romcom, right?" Min Woo said, loudly sipping his iced Americano beside me. "You're not exactly low profile."

"It's called incognito fashion," I replied. "Besides, this hoodie's from Daiso."

"That's the disguise?"

"She'll never suspect I shop there."

He sighed. "I swear, this feels like watching a chaebol version of Spy Kids."

I elbowed him. "Less talking, more surveillance."

Seo Yoon floated across the courtyard, smiling and waving at people as if she hadn't just started three whisper campaigns before breakfast. She stopped to compliment someone's outfit, then linked arms with a junior and leaned in like she was telling a secret.

"She's doing it again," I muttered.

Min Woo raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she's just gossiping."

"Exactly."

He tilted his head. "Wait, are we against gossip now? Because I have receipts—"

"Not the fun kind of gossip! The sneaky kind. The manipulative kind. The 'I'm pretending to be concerned but actually I'm assassinating your reputation in slow motion' kind!"

Min Woo leaned closer, hand on his chin. "Wow. The drama. I feel like I need popcorn."

"You promised to help."

"I did help. I got you bubble tea and binoculars."

"They're toy binoculars."

"They were your idea!"

Fine. He had a point.

We moved to another bench with a better view. I pulled out a small notebook labeled Mission Han Seo Yoon and flipped to a fresh page.

Operation: Expose White Lotus

Status: In Progress

Current suspicion level: 9.3/10

Backup plan: Cry on cue (must practice)

"Okay," I said, glancing around, "next part of the plan—casually join her club."

Min Woo blinked. "What club?"

"Her extracurricular one. The Culture Content Society. Apparently, they drink wine and discuss web dramas. I can infiltrate and observe from within."

"You're going to blend into Seo Yoon's club?"

"I have glasses."

"You also say things like, 'Do ordinary people really eat this?' when you see convenience store kimbap."

I waved him off. "I'll act chill."

He snorted. "You think acting chill means quoting Netflix shows in weird accents."

"Okay, but that's part of my charm."

"That's… debatably true."

Still, he didn't say no.

A few days passed. I began my infiltration slowly.

Sat near Seo Yoon during class? Check.

Pretended to be interested in her club's flyers? Check.

Smiled politely and responded with vague admiration when she posted a selca captioned "Not pretty, just grateful"? Painfully, tragically, check.

I also started noticing more patterns.

Like how she always added little questions when talking about me. "Is Ah Ra unnie okay? She looked stressed today." "Did you notice she skipped lunch? Hope she's not having money problems…"

I was eating a choco pie in the hallway when she said that.

I nearly choked on it in rage.

"She's good," I grumbled to Min Woo the next day. "Like, professionally trained. She should run PR for a villain in a drama."

"She's definitely got the innocent image down," Min Woo mused, scrolling through her social media. "Look at this caption. 'Studying with an angel in my heart.' Who says that? What does it even mean?"

"She means she's better than everyone."

"And she probably is," he added. "At manipulation."

"Okay, rude."

"I meant it respectfully."

We were sitting under a tree near the Economics building, where Seo Yoon's club was supposed to meet. I was still pretending I might join. (Spoiler: I wasn't. They required essays.)

Suddenly, someone stepped into our shaded bubble.

"You've been frowning for ten minutes," Ji Hoon said, holding an iced latte in one hand.

My soul left my body for the second time that week.

"W-what?" I blinked up at him. "Me?"

He looked at me like I was an unsolvable puzzle wrapped in bubble wrap. "You're normally… louder."

"That's offensive."

"But accurate."

I crossed my arms. "I'm just reflecting on life."

"In a crouch?"

"It helps the blood circulate."

Min Woo coughed suspiciously into his drink.

Ji Hoon tilted his head. "You look tired."

"I'm fine!"

He didn't believe me. I could tell by the way he handed me the iced latte without a word.

I stared at it. "Is this… for me?"

"You're pale," he said flatly. "Drink it."

I looked at Min Woo, who wiggled his eyebrows like a cartoon sidekick.

Ji Hoon turned to go, then paused. "If someone's bothering you, you should speak up."

The words were simple.

Casual.

But they lingered like warm tea.

I sipped the latte. It was perfect. Not too sweet. The kind of drink someone picked because they remembered what you liked even if you never said it twice.

Min Woo grinned. "Did your crush just do the 'concerned male lead' move?"

I nearly choked. "It wasn't like that!"

He wiggled his eyebrows again.

Later that evening, I updated my notebook.

Operation: Expose White Lotus

New Allies: 2. (Min Woo: Chaotic Neutral. Ji Hoon: Silent Observer with Good Taste in Coffee.)

Status: Still Watching

Note to self: Practice cool comeback lines in case Seo Yoon confronts me. Current best line: "Your fake concern is faker than my eyelashes."

I closed the notebook and lay on my bed in the hotel suite I now called "home." I wasn't exactly winning this secret war… but I wasn't losing, either.

One thing was certain, though.

If Seo Yoon wanted to play this game—

She'd better be ready for the weirdest, clumsiest, most overly dramatic opponent of her life.