Mina sat there eating fries silently.

I really was not sure what to say to her. What was wrong with this mentee even?
So, our teachers told us to check-in with our mentees during lunch break but all she had been doing was blankly eat beside me. First she was talkative when we went to the hospital and now she was back to creepy Japanese ghost lady mode.

“Do you sometimes think about the past?”

“Ehh?” I turned to the suddenly deeply philosophical penguin girl.

“Like ever wondered how things would be if you chose to do something else?”

I recalled the day at the Jeju ferry pier at Mapo when Sana asked me out.
What if I took the time to scribble in the book of “Thoughts and Quotes” before I answered her?
Okay, that would have been uncool but what if I took longer to answer?

Also, why did I choose Jinyoung Middle and High School?
What if I went to a career specific school like Big Hit Source Music Academy or Cube Tech High School?
I won’t be worrying about choosing a university major right now, right? Argh…

“I do. All the time these days.”

“But what if the truth could have hurt even more at the time?” Mina continued to ask, now looking at me.

“I guess it would hurt for a while but it will past…” I answered, wondering why neither me or Sana had contacted each other after the argument, “Maybe it will still be better than not knowing and being hurt and confused about it for a longer time…”

Mina nodded, deep in thought.
I traced her gaze to see her looking at Momo, who was acting chummy to the girls she was sitting with again, like the day I asked Jimin if Momo was always that touchy. Jimin then said Momo might be gay or maybe at least bi.

I then turned to Mina, “What’s it about you and Momo again?”

“What is it even?” Mina mused.

“What’s wrong with you these days?”

Jackson looked up from the desk he was napping on to Jungyeon with her arms crossed.

“Don’t you have lunch with Nayeon and Tzuyu?”

“Nayeon said she had to start studying because she could not fail her university entrance exams twice and Tzuyu suddenly got called in to do this modelling thing,” the girl explained, taking the seat next to Jackson.

“So I am only your second hangout choice.”

“Yah, aren’t I hanging out with you now,” Jungyeon responded, giving the boy a slap on the back of his head, “Plus, you haven’t answered me. Aren’t you our year’s social butterfly party animal? Why you so down now?”

Jackson shrugged and got another slap from Jungyeon, “Hey! Tell me. You aren’t the type to bottle up your feels. It’s not your style. Let it out to Jungyeon unnie!”

“Unnie your face, Jungyeon hyung,” Jackson snapped, “And when did you become a therapist?”

“When my sister did it for me and made me feel better about myself,” Jungyeon answered quickly, “Now spill the beans!”

After a long silence and noticing how the classroom was empty besides them, Jackson finally relented.

“I’m done with this whole Jinyoung-Jimin thing!”

“And I’m done with the whole Sungjoon-Sana thing, if it’s still a thing.”

“Eh?”

“What, isn’t it obvious I’m not a fan of Sungjoon dating some cheerleader? Although probably still preferable to dating Nayeon…that girl is either weird or has issues – and this is coming from someone who had gotten friendlier with her,” Jungyeon stated, “But Jinyoung-Jimin…why?”

Jackson grew awfully silent again.

“Don’t tell me…you like her?!”

“YA! WHY WOULD I LIKE THAT WEIRDO!”

“I don’t know,” Jungyeon crossed her legs and did a thinking pose, “You more than the rest of us, you always hung out with her and while you may not notice, you were always there to help when she needed. Didn’t you run off to help her pick a gift this weekend as soon as she called?”

Maybe it was not just Ok seonseng that was reading Jackson’s mind these past weeks.

“I mean wasn’t Youngji basically annoyed with how often you hung with Jimin instead of her that caused issues?”

“How did you even know about this…?” Jackson finally reacted to Jungyeon’s words.

“Experience,” Jungyeon noted, “In a similar position.”

“Who was that even?” Jackson mused.

“You really know nothing but fencing, right?” the girl said narrowing her eyes, “Thought with our conversation’s direction I would have given enough hints…”

“Well…anyways, why did it not work out for you? Besides maybe someone perfect like Jinyoung waltzing in.”

“Are you admitting to liking our Jiminie now?”

“NO! NO!”

“Why did it not work out for me…I guess I lacked confidence,” Jungyeon then recalled some of her conversations with her sister, “And YOU WERE PARTLY TO BLAME TOO!”

The girl gave Jackson a kick in the shins before he could ask why.

Jihyo was going to tell Doyoung she would still dance with Momo and Mina but the boy retracted his duet offer earlier in the day.
This did make things a bit easier but Jihyo wondered if it had anything to do with the movie thing.

Jihyo would be an idiot not to know Doyoung was interested in her.
He was a sweet boy and definitely good-looking…but Jihyo did not know why she really just saw him as a friend.
He said they should watch a movie together and he could better explain his duet offer after and Jihyo decided to give the sweet boy a chance.

Then they bumped into Sungjoon sunbae.

She tried to talk to Doyoung and make him comfortable in the day.
Anyways, he asked her to watch a movie and eat together first.
But as the day progressed with the addition of Sungjoon and Chaeyoung, it just became increasingly hard to.
It was just easier to talk to Sungjoon sunbae when he was clearly the only one who enjoyed the movie and was paying enough attention for her to talk to him about it. It was also easier to talk to Sungjoon sunbae because it was also always easier to talk to him.

She also always wondered why Sungjoon sunbae always popped out whenever she was worried.
Whether it was when she was bullied in freshman year or when she had nobody to have lunch with or when she was unsure about how to start her campaign team.
He would be walking by the hallway, taking initiative or simply sitting nearby. Even when she was freaking out if the Doyoung movie thing would end up being a date before she could decide how she felt about Doyoung, Sungjoon sunbae had to be in the cinema.

What was this even?