Why are you lying?

Chang Seol doesn't say anything when Lim Dabin steps into the office.

A purple shirt-dress with a brown leather jacket hangs on her slim figure. Wearing black stockings with five-inch-high heels, Lim Dabin always manages to look humble with no makeup on her face. She glances at Chang Seol before turning her gaze toward the professor. Looking like she has no idea what is going on, Lim Dabin asks, "Professor, did something happen?"

Did something happen? Is that all she can say? Chang Seol grips her bag tightly, resisting the urge to slam her bag on the girl's head. Why has she been trying to be her friend when she was going to do this to her?

"Lim Dabin." Professor Nam begins with a solemn voice. "Did Chang Seol give her assignments to you?"

Lim Dabin blinks her big eyes. "Professor, she didn't give them to me. I kept telling her to submit it on time but she always ignored me. You can ask other classmates if you don't believe me."

"Why are you lying?" Chang Seol shouts at her. "I gave them to you right on time."

"Chang Seol!" Lim Dabin's eyes well up. She sniffles as she continues, "Why are you making me look like an irresponsible person? We are from the same high school. Why would I do this to a person I have known for such a long time?"

"I also want to know why." Chang Seol grimaces to her. "We are from the same city and high school. Why would you do this to me?"

Professor Nam touches her forehead, feeling a headache coming. Her voice is low but commanding. "Girls, be quiet."

Chang Seol becomes quiet. She turns toward Professor Nam. "Professor, I submitted my assignments. You have to believe me. I can solve those questions right now. I might have fallen asleep in your lectures a few times, but I always studied hard at home."

"Oh, you are smart enough to study it yourself?" Professor Nam sneers at her. "You don't need me as your lecturer then."

She squeezes her eyes shut, realizing her mistake. "Professor, what I mean is--"

At the same time, Lim Dabin covers her face and starts crying loudly. "I am not lying, Professor. She didn't submit her assignments. Why would I do that to a classmate? I was also trying to befriend her but she kept ignoring me. In fact, she is always avoiding her classmates. Though we are in the same team, she rarely meets for group meetups."

"What team?" Chang Seol blinks her eyes. She hasn't heard about any teams. "When did I join yours?"

When Professor Nam hears Chang Seol's words, she shakes her head at disbelief.

Lim Dabin eyes her. "Chang Seol, why do you keep lying? Professor told us to form a team for a group project. We are supposed to submit it by the end of this semester. Didn't you ask me to take you in my team that day before you left the class in a hurry? After that day, I kept trying to talk to you but you would always ignore me. I am sure that you don't even know what we are working on."

Did Professor Nam talk about the group project when she fell asleep accidentally during the class? But she had never begged Lim Dabin to join her team. Chang Seol peers at Professor Nam who is glowering at her. "Professor, I am sorry… I think that I was asleep when you told us about the group projects. But I didn't join Lim Dabin's team. I would not join it even if she's my only option."

"You are so smart that you sleep during my lectures." Professor Nam gives her a cold smile. "When you are awake, you are always absent-minded. You don't submit your assignments and you even dare to blame your classmate for your mistakes. You say that you won't join Lim Dabin's team even if she's your last option, Chang Seol. Fine then! From this day on, you are not in her team anymore. It means that you will get a zero in your group project."

Chang Seol's heart becomes still. She shouldn't have said that.

"The group project holds 30% marks." Professor Nam chuckles darkly. "60% is your semester-end theory exams. Assignments and attendance make 10% of the total grade. Chang Seol, you don't have 30% since you failed to make a team on time and you haven't submitted assignments. As for the rest of the assignments, you aren't doing well. Do you think that you will even get D Minus in my course?"

She needs D Minus to pass the course. Chang Seol's lips tremble. It's impossible to get 100% marks in theory exams unless she's a genius. She knows her limit. "Professor, I am sorry. I will do better from now on. Please give me one more chance."

"I gave you several already." Professor Nam looks at Lim Dabin. "Lim Dabin, can you manage the project without a team member who hasn't done any contributions so far?"

"Professor." Lim Dabin glances at Chang Seol sympathetically. "I think that Seol understands her mistakes. If she says that she will work hard, I don't mind if she is in my team."

"Did she understand?" Professor Nam gives a side-long look to Chang Seol. "You are kind and sensible but you shouldn't try to help students who only know how to pretend. She hasn't apologized to you for defaming you, Lim Dabin."

Chang Seol has been listening to everything with a heavy heart. It seems impossible to save herself in this situation. Professor Nam doesn't believe her and there's no doubt that she won't pass this course. Maybe coming to this city was a mistake. Meeting Mister was another mistake. Falling for him was her third mistake. Doing something that doesn't make her happy is her fourth mistake.

She may have made several mistakes but she doesn't want to apologize for mistakes that she didn't make. In the past, she might have given in to people easily. She won't do it anymore.

Chang Seol raises her head and eyes Lim Dabin. "Professor, please fail me."

"Chang Seol." Lim Dabin widens her eyes. "Don't say things like that."

"It's my mistake for not being attentive during your lectures, Professor." Chang Seol smiles at Professor Nam. "That's why I didn't know about the group project. I would rather retake this course next semester than become her team's member. After all, how can I work with someone I don't trust at all?"

After saying those words, Chang Seol storms out of the office. She keeps walking fast until she reaches the university ground. Feeling the snow crushing under her shoes, she slows down in her track.

"A lot of people do things that they don't like." She puts her hands in her pocket. "But nobody told me that it would be this hard."