It seemed as if things were restored back to normal, seeing the way Yuri was behaving around the girls. She had been ever-so-jolly and cheerful; it almost looked like she didn’t even go through the break-up and cheating incident with Jessica. All this was thanks to Yoona’s patience and care for her best friend, honestly – Yuri had been so much stronger and took care of herself; wallowing in self-pity was not even an option when it came to Yoona or Yuri. 

Unfortunately for Jessica, Tiffany had made good her word and didn’t allow them to have an opportunity to be together alone. She felt as if she was having Tiffany-withdrawal-symptoms, if that was even valid; Jessica had never felt so out of place and alone before. Though the girls were not against her or Tiffany as much as they were, Jessica’s heart was still shattered – Yuri might never forgive them, and Tiffany would never allow their feelings to rekindle.

“Stop it, Yul!” Yoona cried out, swatting Yuri’s hands from poking the side of her tummy, “you better stop before I throw all the new Mickey Mouse plushies I bought for you!”

Yuri pouted, nuzzling her nose into Yoona’s neck – Yoona had spent a good amount of money on new plushies for her because Yuri promised to stop exerting so much energy at the gym. Yuri didn’t know why she snapped that day either – she just felt horrible that Jessica and Tiffany couldn’t be together as long as she was not happy with someone else, not forgetting the fact that Yoona was making her heart pound against her ribcage.

Flashback.

Yuri marched out of the dorm with her duffel bag, trying as much as possible to ignore the calls behind her. She might be selfish and all in the eyes of others but it was just a time where she needed to be alone to sort out her mixed feelings. She had so much to worry and think about – not even Yoona could help with this. In fact, Yoona was the one who was messing with her mind unintentionally; maybe getting further away from Yoona was best for them at the moment.

“Damn it!”

That voice was familiar…  too familiar for Yuri not to recognize, in fact.

“What the hell is wrong with this bloody treadmill!”

Okay, Yuri knew who it was.

“Well, well… if it isn’t hot-tempered Jung Soojung.”

Krystal turned around and let out a small squeal of surprise, running to hug the tanned woman who showered her with loads of affection and love back when they were in school together. She hadn't seen Sooyoung or Yuri for the longest time ever and only God knows how much she missed the time they spent together.

“God, you’ve gotten a lot heavier since I last saw you.”

"UNNIE!"

Yuri couldn’t help but burst out in laughter, knowing Krystal’s sensitivity to her weight. She rubbed Krystal’s back and pinched her chubby cheek, successfully wiping her pout away. Krystal gave Yuri a kiss on the cheek and dragged Yuri with her to the treadmill, ignoring the whining coming from her. Since they haven't met in years, Krystal was going to make sure they spent some quality time together.

“How are you and my Unnie?”

“Well…”

The hesitation in Yuri’s voice was starting to scare Krystal just a little; Jessica hadn’t told her anything regarding her relationship with Yuri since a year ago. Yuri had also stopped coming over to the Jungs’ house for meals without reason but Krystal didn’t want to ask Jessica, lest she was branded as nosy.

“We broke up a few weeks ago.”

Krystal nearly fell off the treadmill at that shocking revelation, and she hurried over to Yuri who was still putting on her running shoes. She knew Yuri was probably heart-broken as they spoke and she wanted to slap herself for asking it mindlessly. Sitting beside Yuri, Krystal wrapped an arm around her waist and mumbled a soft apology - she didn't mean to remind her of this. 

Though Yuri didn't say anything and only flashed a smile at the younger Jung; it was clear that being asked about their relationship had affected Yuri more than she would have liked it to. 

Krystal couldn't stay for long, considering that her schedules for the day weren't over just yet. She bid her goodbye after giving Yuri a kiss on the forehead, reminding the tanned one that her shoulder would always be there for Yuri to cry on - no matter where or when. Yuri was thankful, and even more so because Krystal promised she wouldn't question Jessica about anything else. 

Now that Yuri was alone in the gym, she could finally work her feelings off. 

“As if I can forget about everything so easily…” Yuri scoffed at the thought, trying her best to continue running, “how I wish I could just forget about everything and date someone else.”

Just as Yuri mentioned that, images of Yoona immediately floated into her mind – perhaps Yuri meant dating Yoona, not just anyone else. She wanted to forget about her relationship with Jessica but it wasn’t so easy, and it made her wonder how Tiffany could have been okay with sharing Jessica. After observing Jessica and Tiffany for the past few weeks, she suddenly felt as if she had been standing in their way; not Tiffany.

The more Yuri thought about it, the harder she forced herself to move. She increased the incline of the treadmill and made sure to run her frustrations out. 

“YURI!”

“W-What—WOAH!”

Yoona screamed as she watched Yuri fly backwards and off the treadmill, landing on her bum on the floor. She rushed over and supported Yuri onto her feet, “I’m so sorry, Yul. I didn’t mean to give you such a shock…” Yuri bit onto her lower lip and tried to hide the slightest hint of a smile; Yoona’s constant worrying always made her feel warm and fluttery inside.

Yuri let Yoona bring her to the bench where the dumbbells were placed and allowed the younger one to fret over her - meanwhile, she satisfied herself with the sight of Yoona worrying about her just like a girlfriend would. Yoona continued to mumble soft apologies and check on Yuri's ankle, completely oblivious to the mischievious grins being thrown at her. 

“Oh God, I’m