Jang Wonyoung had always been good at playing the role she was given. It wasn't something she had to force, it came naturally. The perfect campus sweetheart, the untouchable beauty, the graceful cheer captain. Every title she held, every expectation placed upon her, she carried effortlessly.

And with that came rumors. Oh, the rumors.

The most persistent one? That she was dating Park Sunghoon. It was almost funny.

She understood why people believed it. They looked good together. The picture-perfect couple: the adored cheer captain and the golden boy athlete. He had the charm, the looks, and the talent that made people swoon. And Wonyoung? She had the presence, the elegance, the effortless allure that made her seem unattainable.

Of course people assumed they were together. But she never corrected them. It was easier that way. Let them believe what they wanted. Let them see what they wished to see. Because if she denied it, then what? Questions would arise. People would wonder. And eventually, someone would ask the question she wasn't ready to answer: If not Sunghoon, then who?

And that... that was a secret Wonyoung intended to keep. Because in truth, her heart had never once belonged to Park Sunghoon. It had always belonged to you. At first, she didn't even realize it. You had always been there. Her fellow cheerleader, her closest companion, the one who knew her beyond the image she projected.

But then, something shifted. Wonyoung found herself watching you a little too long, seeking out your presence more than before. And when you weren't around, there was this... absence. A quiet ache that she didn't want to name. And then, suddenly, you started avoiding her.

It wasn't obvious to anyone else, but Wonyoung noticed immediately. She always noticed. The way you wouldn't meet her eyes. The way your conversations became short, distant. The way your laugh, the one Wonyoung had grown so used to, seemed to disappear whenever she was near.

And then she overheard it. The reason why. You had a crush on Sunghoon. The realization didn't hurt. If anything, it made Wonyoung smirk. How ironic. You had fallen for the very person Wonyoung had been using as a shield.

But that was fine. If that's what it took to finally break the illusion, then so be it.