“Jaera, do you like me?”

She felt like his words had inflated, surrounding her from all angles. The world around them was warped; all she could see and feel was his daunting question. How could this be happening to her? The first time she finally admits to some sort of emotion towards someone and she’s confronted like this.

“Answer me.”

His eyes were so dark it felt like they would swallow her up entirely. Her vision blurred. Her heart suffocating her. Forgetting her bag, she rushed to her feet, stumbling out of the restaurant as fast as she could.

Outside, the sky had darkened. Crisp, cold wind hit her face. She ran aimlessly.

What am I doing? I’m making this even worse. I have to go back.

She choked on regrettable tears.

No, I can’t. I can’t face him.

Her legs were weak. was closing up.

She could hear a soft voice calling her name.

The ground was pulled from beneath her feet.

The world spun around her.

A pair of arms were holding her waist.

Then everything went black.

---

Jaera’s skin is warm. She opens her eyes to see the sun peering through the branches of the tree she’s leaning against. Its rays cut through the leaves in wide shafts. She looks down at the book sitting comfortably on her lap and realizes she must’ve fallen asleep reading.

“Aish,” she mutters, shifting uncomfortably in her place.

The book slips slightly, falling open at the first page.

A small smile dances across Jaera’s lips when she reads the message written inside the front cover. It’s faded a bit, like the rest of the book, but she can make it out clearly.

To Jaera, my annoying neighbor.

You’re 8 now, right? Wow... time flies. Not long ago you were a stupid baby. I guess after two years, nothing’s changed.

Anyways, this book was on sale and I don’t know why but the picture on the front reminded me of you. Not in a weird way. Also, I decided to buy it with my own pocket money, so that means you owe me a lot of favors.

Make sure you read it and tell me what it’s about.

I hope your birthday doesn’t too much. Maybe I’ll be kind enough to let you play with my Nintendo. Or not.

From the most awesome guy from across the street, JK.

P.S. I wrote a chart in my room to record all the favors you owe me for this book. Right now, you owe me 27,563,990. Looks like you’ll be spending the rest of your life paying me back...

>:)

She closes the book, laughing quietly. She wonders how many favors she still owes him, or if he even remembers. It’s not like she was planning on going along with it anyways. Still, after five years, she still wonders. She’d ended up reading the book again on each of her birthdays since he gave it to her, this time being her thirteenth birthday. It was like an unintentional tradition she’d fallen into.

The book is important to her in a strange way, reminding her that there’s always something to be thankful for.

She remembers the day she turned eight with mixed emotions and the book serves as the brightest reminder. Her parents hadn’t so much as mentioned anything about her birthday. At school that day, none of her teachers said anything either. She had to keep checking the date to be sure it was actually her birthday.

Her Mom fell asleep early and her Dad worked so late she didn’t even get a chance to see him until the next morning. That evening, she had sat out on her front porch and cried until ached.

It wasn’t so much the fact that nobody gave her presents that day or wished her a Happy Birthday. In her young eyes, it went deeper than that.

She felt like she didn’t exist for the first time in her life.

As if, somehow, the world had forgotten her.

She had no idea what time it was when Jungkook was suddenly walking up the stairs to her house, his hands behind his back and a reluctant look in his eyes.

“Here!” he had shouted in her face, shoving the book on her tear-stained lap.

The cover stood out instantly. A butterfly’s wing colored in vivid purple and black took up most of the space. In silver, the words ‘A Day Without Wings’ lined the spine.

“Why...” she began to say, glancing up at him.

Jungkook’s face was suddenly like stone, his jaw clenching. “Don’t cry on your birthday. It’s stupid.”

Instead of biting back, she just stared at the book in awe. Her heart felt warm. Jungkook watched her carefully as she the picture of the wing with her tiny fingers. She slid her hand across it, peeling back the cover until Jungkook suddenly latched a hand over hers.

Her whole upper body jolted back. She locked eyes with him as his face turned bright red.

“Don’t read it until I go home.”

Still in shock and squirming from the fact that his hand was on hers, she nodded furiously.

“Promise?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

Jungkook’s face quickly transitioned from fear to his usual stoic expression as he backed away from her. She thought he was going home so she could read the book, but he eventually sat down at the bottom step.

Jaera smiles remembering how he stayed until it was time for her to sleep. They talked quietly, normally even. They laughed. Jungkook actually made her smile. He made her feel like she was worth somebody’s time.

It was one of the only times that year that she had felt at peace.

Each time she reads the book, that warm feeling comes back just as strong. The story itself still intrigues her, despite her knowing what happens anyways. The butterfly wing still sparks the same excitement as the first time she saw it.

Even after all these years.

Opening the book to where she’d left off, she continues reading, getting completely immersed again. She is almost at the at the end of the chapter when she momentarily gets distracted by a car pulling up across the street.

Dismissing it, she refocuses, until she hears a voice that brings all those memories back in crisp, crystal clear definition.

“Yah! Ugly!”

---

When Jaera opened her eyes, all she could see was white.

The sheets that pressed against the side of her face were clean and smelt like lemon. A large window lit up the room, making her surroundings shine and the back of her eyes prickle.

What was that? A dream… But not quite. It was a memory, picture perfect in every way. It was so clear she felt like she was actually there, back in her thirteen year old self, just before her and Jungkook’s relationship had crumbled completely.

The warmth that filled her chest lingered for a moment until she registered that she wasn’t in her own bed. She blinked slowly, shock replacing the calm that the dream had brought her.

She was in hospital. Her arm stung where an IV had been inserted. There was nobody around, but she could see people rushing past through the window in the door. The walls were a lonely gray and a clock hanging across from her read 07:14.

What the .

She went to sit up, but her body felt weighed down, her limbs too heavy to move. From her restricted position, she couldn’t see any of her belonging and her anxiety rose with each confusing moment. Helpless. Trapped. Alone.

As if someone had sensed her inner panic, the door suddenly opened to reveal a nurse. Her short hair was tucked back behind her ears and she wore a calm smile. Faint wrinkles decorated the corners of her eyes.

“You’re awake.”

Jaera nodded, watching the woman walk over and check on the IV line.

“Miss Lim, I’m Nurse Jung,” she introduced herself. “I’ll be your nurse today. Are you feeling okay?”

“Sorta.” She cleared , feeling like there was dry cement shoved in it. “What happened?”

Nurse Jung looked at her sympathetically. “You fainted.”

“I…”

Suddenly, she remembered the restaurant with Taehyung. She saw herself running.

And then she remembered Jungkook.

Her face drained of color.

“You should feel lucky,” the nurse said absentmindedly as she picked up a clipboard from the side table. “Not many guys would insist on carrying their girlfriend all the way to the hospital for something like this.”

“What?” Jaera exclaimed.

The nurse smiled, eyes glinting with adoration. “Your boyfriend. He’s such a nice boy. You should feel lucky.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend…”

Nurse Jung looked shocked. She frowned. “Oh? I’m sorry, I just assumed… I mean, he was really worried about you.”

Jaera was just as confused.

“Hm.” She peered at her curiously. “Yeah, he was young, around your age I’d say. Dark hair, quite tall.”

Sounds like Jungkook…

“He burst through the front doors last night looking like he witnessed a murder, the poor boy.” Miss Jung chuckled, remembering it. “He didn’t mention a name, just that you wouldn’t wake up. It was quite hard to calm him down, but once we told him it was probably just a lack of sleep or poor diet, he was okay.”

“Wait, he carried me here?” She couldn’t believe it.

“Yup,” she said, filling out a form. “He did stay for quite a while.” The nurse looked over at the chair beside Jaera’s bed with an unreadable expression on her face. “Then he got a phone call and left.”

“Why would he do that?” Jaera said quietly to herself, but the nurse heard her.

“You might not be his girlfriend, but I can tell you’re someone very important to him. The look he had in his eyes…” She tilted her head as if she was in deep thought. “It was more than just concern. It seemed like he was searching for something he’d lost.”

Something he’d lost? Jaera sat, trying to process the whole thing.

She tried to imagine Jungkook, sweating and confused, struggling to make it to the hospital with her in his arms. She pictured him right beside her, watching her sleeping figure.

Could that have really been Jungkook?

She remembered the time she’d fallen in the ditch and how he carried her home. It was a completely different story then, though.

She couldn’t tell why, but she felt pressure on her heart.

The nurse suddenly shook her head, laughing awkwardly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything, just forget it. I actually came in here to check if you were awake. You’ve got a visitor if you’re up for it?”

Jaera nodded.

“Okay, I’ll let her in.”

The nurse left clumsily. Jaera was still bound by confusion from their conversation, but it was interrupted when the door opened again. She sighed with relief when she saw her mother’s face. Her skin was sullen and Jaera knew she must be tired.

“Jaera, my baby.”

Her mother’s voice broke the painful silence in the room like ice to a burn. Jaera smiled weakly as she made her way over to the bed. She was holding Jaera’s backpack.

“I came as soon as I could,” her mother told her, sitting down and placing a hand on her stomach. “How do you feel?”

“Tired.” Jaera’s voice felt strained.

Jaehee’s eyes held sympathy. “I’m not surprised. I spoke to the nurse on the way here and she said your blood sugar’s extremely low, which was one of the reasons you fainted.”

She nodded regretfully.

“You haven’t been eating, have you?”

“Not really,” she whispered.

“I had no idea, Jaera. I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged. “It’s not something I’d be shouting from the rooftops either.”

“You were fine yesterday morning, though. You went to school and work. What happened?”

Jaera face blanked, not giving away anything.

“Is it because of work? Or school? Did Mr. Kim do something again?”

“Nah…” Jaera shook her head, avoiding eye contact.

“If it’s Mr. Kim, I can go to the school and talk to him,” she reassured her. “Has he said something about you and Jungkook being expelled?”

An unintentional grimace flickered across Jaera’s face at the mention of Jungkook’s name.

“Oh,” her mother said slowly. “Or is it Jungkook? Did you guys fight?”

Jaera pursed her lips, avoiding eye contact. Why was this so awkward?

Her mom could only stare at the window. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. “You’re not gonna tell me, huh?”

Jaera could hear the disappointment in her voice. She wanted to say something, she wanted to explain what was going on, but she didn’t even know herself. And how could she tell her mother of all people? It was bad enough that she knew she hadn’t been eating for the past week. She hated her mother seeing her in such a weak state.

Jaehee leaned back, watching the city street from through the window. “Did I ever tell you about when your father and I met?”

“No,” Jaera replied, curious about the sudden subject change.

She laughed. “Course I haven’t…”

Jaera propped herself up comfortably in the bed.

“It was when I was in my junior year. Your Dad was a few years above me. At the time, I was obsessed with music. I joined the school choir and a few other music clubs.” She looked at Jaera with a small smile. “I even dreamed of being famous.”

Jaera’s eyes widened. How did she not know this side of her mother?

“Anyways, as you know, your father was in a band with a few of his other senior friends. They sometimes performed at school concerts and events. I never paid much attention to them since their music wasn’t to my taste. Until one day, I saw a poster saying that they were auditioning for a female lead. By that point, they had gotten quite big. They had gigs here and there over town, and locally, they were very popular.”

Jaera nodded, intrigued.

“So, of course, I planned to audituon. I thought, ‘This is it! My big break!’. So I show up to the audition after practicing for days on end in my favorite green dress. I was so confident,” she says, chuckling softly. “But as soon as I stepped into the room and your father laid eyes on me, he told me to leave.”

“What?”

“Yep, he told me to get out without even giving me a chance to sing.”

“Dad rejected you?”

She nodded, still smiling. “He said something about me not ‘fitting the image’ they wanted. Anyways, obviously I was upset. And angry. So a few weeks later, I was invited to a party and your father was there. Being a little… intoxicated, I stormed right up to him, in front of all his friends and punched him right in the nose.”

“What?!” Jaera gasped, feeling the urge to laugh at the thought of a younger version of her Mom being such a savage.

“It was hilarious!” her mother wailed. “If you could’ve seen your dad’s face! He wasn’t expecting it at all, Jaera”

Jaera cracked up, too. It was hard to imagine, but seeing her mother so happy remembering it made her burst into laughter. “Wait, so how did you guys actually end up together then?”

“Well,” she had her hands out in front of her like she was about to spill some tea. “After that, everyone in the entire school was talking about it. Seniors I didn’t even know were asking me what happened. Everyone thought I was this tough fighter chick who beat up guys as a hobby, and nobody would let your father live down getting hit by a girl.”

“Oh my God, Mom…”

“So word was out. Your father and I were the talk of the school. It was like there was a spotlight on the pair of us now. Everyone would be watching us like hawks every time we were in the same room, or they would come up and try to start another fight between us. We were like renowned enemies across the entire student body and people just couldn’t get enough of it.

It was crazy.”

She paused to rub her arm before speaking again. “Then one day, your father marched up to me in front of the entire cafeteria, this… fiery determination in his eyes. I honestly thought he was going to finally give them the bait and start a fight, but he completely flipped the tables and asked me out on a date.”

Jaera’s jaw dropped.

“The school went absolutely wild! It was like witnessing Hitler kissing a puppy, nobody, not even me, was expecting it. After thinking about it, I decided ‘to hell with it’ and said yes. I mean, why not give the school something new to talk about?”

“That’s crazy…”

“Exactly my thoughts. It sort of started out as a joke, just to get the school off our backs, but as time went on, I started to fall for him, Jaera. It was unlike anything I had experienced before…” She took a deep breath. “It was like seeing the sunlight for the first time. All those things that irritated me about him, his cockiness about his music, when he’d thrown me out of the audition, that all became so… meaningless. I saw his cockiness as confidence, backed up by the raw talent he had. I supported his band, even though I hated their music. I felt myself changing for him. That’s what it was. Your father changed me. And I changed him.”

Jaera was staring down at her fingers, feeling like these words were reflected in her own heart.

“And eventually he admitted the real reason he didn’t let me audition – which is still the most stupid reason that exists – was because he thought I was too pretty.” She grinned shyly. “He didn’t see himself being able to work properly with me around.”

Jaera’s heart warmed. “Dad said that? That’s so stupid, though.”

“Exactly!” she chuckled, then looked at Jaera fondly. “I’ve never told you that story before?”

“Never…”

She wore a tight smile. “Actually, I never talk about him much at all.”

There was a long silence. The image of her father entered her mind. It was like a cold shadow had been cast over the pair of them, and Jaera’s heart ached softly.

Her mother’s demeanour deflated as she watched the world outside, painful memories playing back.

“We never talked about your dad enough,” she said after some time, regret evident in her voice. “I think it might have helped you. I just… couldn’t bring myself to.”

Jaera stared at her fingers. It was weird hearing her mom talk so seriously, the tone completely different to a few moments ago.

“It took so long to move on, Jaera.” Her words were laced with pain. “I just wanted to forget it all, but I couldn’t. The only way I could cope was to ignore it and to focus on raising you alone. I kept it inside.”

“I know, Mom.”

Her mother looked at her, tears b the corners of her eyes, and Jaera could suddenly see how aged her mother was. The wrinkles that lined her face were heavy with sadness and strength. Her eyes were tired, as if they had seen and cried way too much.

She had never seen her Mom like that and it hurt. Her Mom was resilient. She was tough. She was Jaera’s role model. Not this.

“Why are you bringing this up, Mom?”

Her mother sighed. “I was hardly there for you, Jae. When you were little, when he was gone, I wasn’t there. I taught you that bottling it all up was fine, that putting on a brave face was enough, but by the time I’d realized what I was doing and how it was affecting you, it was too late.”

Jaera frowned, not quite knowing how to process anything.

“I could see that you’d already built up a wall. And I was even worse… I worked so much. It was hard not having your father to provide as well, but I worked so much to distract myself, and by doing that, I was ignoring your feelings.

And I’m so sorry. It’s the only thing I really regret. The fact that we don’t talk properly, that instead of coming to me and asking for help, you stay in your room for days and starve yourself-“

Her mother’s voice cracked and she looked away quickly.

“Don’t… Mom.” Jaera felt her heart sinking and grabbed her Mom’s hand. “But you were there.”

Jaehee sighed, shaking her head. “Not enough, obviously. Look at this. It’s all my fault.”

“Mom, you can’t blame yourself because I was too afraid to face my feelings properly. I…” She tightened the hold on her mother’s hand. “I know we do things a little weirdly, but you’ve always helped me, Mom. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t notice it.”

Jaehee’s face softened.

“I’m always thankful when you give me advice without me having to ask. And I’m sorry…” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry I never asked you how you were when Dad died.”

Her mom shook her head. “You shouldn’t have had to. I’m the parent, I should be putting on a brave face for my daughter no matter what.”

“But still,” Jaera said, her voice shaky. “It was the last time I ever saw you cry. After that, it was like you wanted to forget about it… I was scared anytime that I wanted to talk about him. I should have said something. I should have made sure you were okay.”

“That’s all my fault. Don’t blame yourself for my mistakes. Ever.”

Jaera’s heart dropped. “I don’t blame you, though. For any of it. It made me who I am today.”

Her mother’s eyes lit up, a smile making its way to her face. “And I’m happy for that. I’ve seen you grow into a strong woman. You deal with what’s thrown at you and I’m so, so proud of you.”

Jaera sighed. Why did she feel so defeated then? Maybe that’s why she was so afraid of Jungkook, she thought. She had already let her guard down in front of him so many times, she had begun to open up, and that was scary.

“But it’s always a challenge when you don’t know the battlefield well enough,” Jaehee said knowingly. “You’re my little fighter, you always have been. Ever since you were little, you had this spark inside you. When your father died, instead of extinguishing, I saw that spark ignite.

“You didn’t let his loss keep you down. You fought, and you keep fighting.”

She rubbed Jaera’s arm.

“But maybe now you’ve found the one thing you don’t need to fight.”

There was a brief silence as her mother’s words sank in. She felt weak and beaten, especially every time it came to Jungkook. He always had that ability. Now, she felt like she was losing herself to him. She had hardly eaten or slept for the past week because of him, and now here she was in a hospital bed.

But was the real reason because of Jungkook? Or was she just making herself a victim of her own denial?

“You’re saying I should just let it happen?”

“It already is. I can see it so clearly.” Her eyes were crinkled at the corners as she gently a hand through Jaera’s hair. “The wall you built up when your father passed is coming down and the real you is shining through. You shouldn’t be afraid to show it.”

She leaned down to place a kiss on Jaera’s forehead.

“I think I get it,” Jaera said with a small smile. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Your Dad would be so proud of you.”

“He’d be proud of you, too.”

Her mom stayed for a few more hours until she had to get home to sleep for work. After promising to visit as soon as her shift ended, she left and Jaera was alone with her thoughts again.

The nurses had told her she’d be staying for two more days until she got her strength back up and Jaera was thankful to have the free time to think. The talk with her mother replayed in her mind. She understood what her Mom meant when she said she’d built up a wall.

She felt like she hadn’t been honest enough with herself lately, so she wanted to examine her feelings.

More than anything, she needed to know the answer to Jungkook’s question?

It played over and over again in her mind, as if he was right in front of her, eyes burning into hers.

“Jaera, do you like me?”

***

“You’re where?”

Hyesoon could hear Jaera chuckle on the other end of the line. “I’m in the hospital.”

“Why? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m actually fine.”

Hyesoon sighed. It was lunch time at school and Jaera hadn’t showed up yet again, so naturally she had been worrying all day. “Can I visit you? I have so damn much to tell you.”

“Me too,” Jaera replied. “I’ll text you the hospital’s address.”

There was a short silence as Hyesoon heard someone talking to Jaera in the background.

“Oh,” Jaera said. “I gotta go now, Hye. But I’ll see you later on.”

Hyesoon hung up, partly glad and partly anxious. She really did hope Jaera was okay, but she couldn’t help but sense something in her voice during the call. It was as if she needed help.

Oh, well. I’ll visit her right after school.

The bell rang for last period, causing a collective groan across the school. While most were packing away their leftover lunch and bidding goodbye to their friends, Hyesoon was seated alone at the edge of the field. It was how she’d spent her days at school since Jaera hardly came anymore.

Gathering up her books, she placed them back in her bag and stretched. She’d been busy writing up drafts for her story and plans to get more information. There wasn’t much material to use, except for the security tape, the restraining order and their little encounter with Mr. Kwang. The conversation Jaera overhead was useless seeing as they had no proof it happened, so she couldn’t use it in her story. Still, it helped.

Hyesoon felt like she had come to a dead end.

All the trouble of breaking into the security room and going downtown to see Mr. Kwang looked like a giant waste of time now. That voice inside her was convinced this was something big, bigger than all of them. She needed to write this story and be the one to tell the world. She just didn’t know how.

Sometimes she wondered if it was because she lost her necklace.

Ever since it disappeared, things started falling apart around her. She wasn’t much of a believer in superstition and all that jazz, but it was strange that everything suddenly got worse once she lost it.

Still, she knew hard work always brought results, so she just assured herself that if she did her best, it would all be alright.

She wandered over to her locker to grab her science textbook, questions swirling around in her mind. It didn’t come as much of a surprise when she saw Jimin approaching her. Since Jaera stopped showing up to school, he sometimes kept her company. They’d discuss the story and just hang out. It was almost as if they were friends now.

“Hey, Soonie,” Jimin said, a wide smile spread across his face.

She rolled her eyes. “And the lamest nickname award goes to…”

He chuckled, leaning against the locker beside hers. “Eh, I think it’s cute.”

She pretended to be intently searching for something in her locker to hide her reddened face.

“Anyways, I was just wondering if you’ve come up with any plans yet. The boys and I were thinking of maybe visiting Mr. Kwang…”

She stood upright. “But he was useless. I don’t feel comfortable going back there after what I saw.”

“I meant just the boys. We were gonna visit him on our own.”

She raised her eyebrows. The fact that Jimin was willing to find out information for the story and drag his friends along with him suggested that maybe this was just as important to him as it was to her.

“I thought that since we used to be close with him, he’d be more comfortable and quite possibly open up. But, I mean, if you don’t want us to, it’s cool.”

“No! Not at all,” she assured him. “I think it’s an awesome idea. Much better than anything I could come up with.”

“Seriously?” He grinned. “Cool, I’ll let the boys know. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure it goes to plan this time.”

Her face dropped slightly, remembering how they’d messed up last time. She felt completely useless.

“Hey,” Jimin said softly, noticing her expression. “Don’t look so gloomy. We’ll get our story, okay?”

Our story…

His smile radiated through his eyes, reassuring her with ease. She nodded, feeling a bit more encouraged.

“Thanks, Jimin.”

He winked. “Not a problem, Soonie~”

Before she could scoff in disgust at the pet name again, he was already walking off.

At least we have something now. I just hope it won’t be another waste of time.

“Ah, wait Jimin!”

Jimin spun back around. “What is it?”

“Do you know anything about Jaera being in hospital?”

“Hospital?!” His eyes were like saucers. “No. What’s she doing there?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. She seemed fine, but I’m gonna visit her after school just to be sure.”

Jimin nodded, thoughtfully. “Maybe I should let Jungkook know…”

“Jungkook? Why…” Hyesoon frowned with confusion.

Jimin scratched the back of his neck, laughing. “Yeah, you know… He’s been acting pretty out of it lately, I’m wondering if that has anything to do with it.”

“Ah…” Hyesoon said, catching on slowly.

“I haven’t seen him all day, come to think of it.”

“Oh?” She nodded. “Maybe he knows more about it than we do. I’ll forward you the address to give him in case he wants to see her.”

“Thanks.”

Jimin grinned and waved goodbye once again. Hyesoon was still soaking in the whole situation on her way to her last class.

Was that the reason Jaera had been missing school so much?

There was always so much Jaera wouldn’t tell her. Reading her mind was as difficult as finding leads for this investigation. Her best friend was a closed book when it came to feelings, but Hye felt like she’d picked up a few tricks over their years of being friends.

I just need to talk to her and I’ll know for sure what’s going on.

She was so engulfed in figuring out what Jaera could be feeling when she was suddenly thrown back off her feet by someone who was rushing out of a classroom.

Hyesoon stumbled, catching herself before she could fall. The sound of boxes clashing with the floor rang out. She looked down to see Miss Yang, the science teacher Jimin knew, on the ground rubbing her side.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Miss,” Hyesoon exclaimed, kneeling down to help her up.

Miss Yang, having gotten over the initial shock, laughed. “No, it’s definitely my fault for opting to wear these stupid heels to work today.”

She leaned down to pick up the things she’d dropped. A stack of boxes filled with resources and other teaching equipment. Hyesoon bent down to help, even though she was late to class.

“I’ve already fallen over twice today,” Miss Yang said, chuckling. “I guess that’s why they have a dress code.”

“Or maybe the janitors need to tone down the wax.”

Miss Yang laughed even harder, stuffing a few papers between a folder and back into their respective box. Hyesoon gathered the papers that had flown a little farther and brought them back to her.

“Are these ones going in any specific place?” she asked, examining the color-coded files.

“Umm…” Miss Yang peered at the papers in her hands. “Textbook receipts, they can go in this box, thanks.”

She opened it up, placing the papers carefully inside when her eye caught something laying amongst the other things.

It shone. Hyesoon almost screamed.

“How did you get this?!”

She dug into the box, lifting the necklace out to see it closer. It was definitely hers. A key pendant hanging from a silver chain.

“Why? Do you know who it belongs to?” Miss Yang asked, her face written with confusion.

“It’s mine! I’ve been looking for this everywhere!”

“Oh…” She grabbed the rest of her things from Hyesoon, who was still entranced over the necklace. “We were going to put a lost and found notice out for it, but I never got the time.”

Hyesoon jumped excitedly. “I can’t believe this! Now everything will be fine.”

“I’m glad you got it back.” Miss Yang’s mood had slightly altered, but Hyesoon couldn’t tell. “Thanks for your help, I’ll see you around.”

Her heels clicked rapidly against the floor as she hurried off, a hundred and one questions in her mind.

I have to tell Mr. Kim immediately.

***

A/N: GOD DAMN FINALLY! This was supposed to be uploaded weeks ago, but I had to edit it and then I got caught up because of G-Dragon's Motte World Tour... It was crazy!!! I'll write a blog post later about what happened, because you guys will not believe it. It was like a real-life fanfiction! ALSO, I have another blog post which I wrote especially for you all, just to explain my constant absences and what's going on with the story. If you want to read it all, it's here.

AND ALSO ALSO, ARE YOU GUYS SURVIVING THIS 'LOVE YOURSELF' ISH, COZ I AM NOT. NOPE. I frickin died when I watched the highlight reel, like ARE U KIDDING ME BIGHIT?!!!? STRAIGHT AFTER THE LAST EP OF BON VOYAGE EVEN, as if I wasn't already emo enough watching Tae reading Jimin's letter they drop that on me, THE AUDACITY Y'ALL. I d k how I'm gonna deal with this series... (also, I was JUNGSHOOOOOOK to see girls in it. It was so weird after like two years of no girls in their videos, I was like WTFFFFFF. HIGHKEY AF lowkey jealous, but I'm ready to find out what happens next.)