What was her name again? Hayi pinpoints her gaze on a familiar feminine face walking in her line of vision.

          Hara? No. Was it an English nickname? Irene? Jean?

    She stares for too long that the nameless face recognized her back, already close and waving.

      "Lee Hayi! Oh my gosh, it's been a long time!" The stylish girl leaned forward to greet her with a hug.

          Jisoo. Right.

       "How have you been? You don't know how much I miss doing lunch with you like we always did back in freshman year." She gives a smile that's so sincere, Hayi almost feels ashamed for staring.

          ...Almost. Dazzling people like Jisoo should be used to getting some eye ogling, right?

      "I know. Those were the times where we had less things to worry about." Hayi laughs, then hesitantly calls out. "Jisoo."

          "Yeah?"

        Whew. Least she's sure she got the name right. Hayi only briefly remembers her because of how they always ended up as seatmates for a whole quarter.

        Jisoo was nice (or as far as she can recall), but Hayi never really invested much because she was having difficulty adjusting to Seoul.

   Thus, the mandatory lunches but generic conversations.

        "I know it's been like a few semesters ago, but I can't get over how pretty you are." Hayi grins, really meaning it. She laughs because Jisoo gets flustered. Hayi knows this because the taller girl could only raise her eyebrows (and also she recalls that she never really is used to anyone saying it out loud).

       "Oh, come on! We haven't seen each other since you shifted departments, and that's the first thing you say? You haven't changed at all." Jisoo laughs along, playfully slapping Hayi on the arm.

       If Hayi was back in high school, she would have placed Jisoo along with the other girls who don't see themselves as anything more than they could. A wallflower. She figured the taller girl always needed a little reminding of how she should be a little more confident in herself. And if anything, it looks as if Jisoo finally did.

           "Sure, I haven't, but you have, Jisoo. You look great, really."

           Jisoo just smiles in reply at her words. "Thanks. Oh hey. I listened to the radio station last weekend. I always wanted to say that I'm a fan."

          If this was high school, maybe Hayi and Jisoo would have been real friends. Maybe. But high school was a playground, full of personalities and cliques and awkward self-discoveries.

        "Ah, thanks, but I've only really started three months ago. Just had to do it because I had a lack of extracurricular activity. What are you doing for yours?"

         "Oh. I'm part of the special committee in the student government." Jisoo answers modestly, then with a snap, suggests "Ah that's right! If the Nightly High Time is holding out events around the campus, you can count that I'll help put a good word in for you guys."

        Jackpot. If high school (and/or her business major) has taught Lee Hayi anything, it's to keep the acquaintances with special connections a wee bit closer than normal.

      "Oh, likewise! If you guys need your activities promoted, we can totally help you guys out. Jisoo, thank you." Hayi then carefully takes Jisoo's smartphone to save her contact details after the taller lady retrieved it out of her purse.

         "Actually, I already have one personal request." Jisoo smiled with a hint of mischief once she pressed the 'save number' on her mobile screen, "If you don't mind, that is."

         "Go ahead." Hayi shrugs.

    "...Could you maybe play Primary's Don't Be Shy tonight?"

***

         Lee Hayi enters her last class for the day. She sits on her usual seat on the left of the room (they were all arranged alphabetically) and glanced at the many other faces she never bothered to memorize, much more so with their names.

       It was a minor class after all. Unless a group project was to happen, maybe she would have. But then, social detachment is quite normal in university.

        People here are too busy building themselves up for a future they have no clue of, after all.

       If given the opportunity to choose between life in high school or university, Lee Hayi would choose the latter in a heartbeat. She'd bet anyone would. In high school, it was always best to keep yourself in a group. People found it as an anchor. A sort of identity. She found that tiring, so she learned how to "survive" without having to go through that.

      For Hayi, high school was pretty much some sort of training ground.

       She learned how to read people, to say the right words and occasionally, do the right gestures in conversations. So sure, people liked her in high school. She got along with club members (without having to join their activities), spoke to the labeled 'misfits' and socialized with the kids with shiny cars and pretty hair.

       But they were done in an effort that was just enough. Just enough to have them around, but then just enough to have everyone at an arm's length away.

     That doesn't mean she didn't have any real friends though. There was Jimin after all. She was the real genuine one, in fact she never really changed since kindergarten.

       While Hayi herself grew up to be some calculative and cautious person, Jimin was still so kind and understanding.

      But then of course she stayed in Changwon while Hayi had to move to Seoul.

  "Uuuh...Lee Hayi. Did you receive that online announcement last night?" A neat-looking man clad in a long-sleeved polo stopped short in front of her desk, looking up from what she assumed is the enlisted enrollees of the class.

       "Yes, I did, sir." Once he gestured to start class though, Hayi had to stop him short and ask, "Was my essay received, sir?". She couldn't help it. She did spend a week proofreading the whole thing.

    Prof. Park answered the hopeful girl before walking back to his own desk. "Ah. Your analysis on the operations was fine, but there's always room for more research."

     Lee Hayi gave a small smile at his advice, saying a polite "thank you".

       Yes. University was such a breath of fresh air. If this was freshman year, she would have been bothered by the lack of praise. That was back when she was grade conscious. But once she moved to Seoul, she set her eyes on other ambitions. It was liberating to just be someone other than that "likeable smart girl" or Park Jimin's best friend. To just be.

         To only allow other people at an arm's length.

       By the end of class, she checked her phone to find ten different messages from Lee Suhyun.

     Ah. She's the exception. Hayi couldn't really do anything to keep her away.

***

          "You know what? It's not fair. You have a bigger than me." The disgruntled brunette says once she steps into the audio room. She places her coffee mug somewhere far from the chaos.

       Because he was doing it again. Twerking. Hayi scoffs.

       "What------? I can't hear you over Nicki Minaj's rap bars." Seunghoon starts clapping in time to the beat, his hips still keeping at it.

           "Yeah. I can't take it anymore. You need to stop."

       "There is only one way, Ms. Lee Hayi." Seunghoon pauses mid-dab.

       "I accept your challenge, you gigantic weirdo." She flexes her neck, already knowing what was to come next.

           "Dance-off. Right here. Right now."

           She gives him her answer by pulling up her sleeves, then without a warning, she starts body rolling in time for Beyoncé's hook.

         She knows she wouldn't really stop Seunghoon. They both knew that working in a stuffy room with nothing but good music does things to you. Especially on a Friday night like this.

    God. She sort of misses clubbing with Jimin and Hanbin.

        "---Hah. Cute."

      And this was how Prof. Lee and some lanky stranger found the pair.

     ...Pop and locking, facing each other and with their jaws jutted out in mock determination.

        "Oh come on, Prof. Lee. Show us some of those Daniel moves." Seunghoon fearlessly started grinding the air at their adviser's direction. Hayi bit her lip and cringed at the sight.

           Prof. Lee could only give Seunghoon a smack on the back of his head.

            The lanky stranger hid a laugh behind the palm of his hand.

             "Okay, kids. I'm just here to drop off our new writer. This is Nam Taehyun. A journalism student." Prof. Lee gestured to the tall young man beside him, who gave a polite bow.

             "Nam. This troublemaker is Lee Seunghoon----"

          Seunghoon moved to give him a friendly grin and firm handshake, "Looking forward to working with you."

            "-----and this is our little princess, Lee Hayi. But don't let her fool you. She's got a nasty mouth of a sailor." Prof. Lee earned a scowl from the girl.

           "And dance moves of a twelve year-old." Seunghoon added.

         "Okay. I think he gets it." Hayi smiled bitterly, if there were any indication that she was embarrassed, it would be her reddening ears (a fact Hanbin and Jimin would never fail to tease about).

         "Nice to meet you, Nam Taehyun." She reaches for his offered hand, not really looking at him in the eye thanks to the unmerciful snickers behind her.

          The first thing she noticed was that his hands were soft. Like baby skin soft.

            When she let go, he looked at her in surprise.

            "Excuse me?"

           "Oh. I said that out loud." She stated. No use taking it back now. "Your hands are soft. For a guy, I mean."

            She gives herself a mental facepalm.

            It was his turn to be flustered. "Erm... Thanks."

          This isn't the first time went on ahead of her thoughts. So she's learned to make it work for her.

      "Don't mention it." She winks playfully at the bewildered newcomer.

           "Hey. Don't wear him out. He's still your senior." Prof. Lee chuckles, giving Nam a pat on the shoulder. "...If these two do anything beyond their usual stupid, give me a call, okay?"

        "Wait. How would I know that?" He raises his eyebrows, his gaze looking from a shrugging Seunghoon to Hayi, who only shook her head in reply.

            Hayi finds his troubled expressions amusing. In fact it's always fun teasing other people when it's not about her.

             "Well. Good luck." And with that, Prof. Lee exited the studio, leaving the three behind to their own devices.

            And a sudden awkward silence.

        "Oh hey! You'll be the only one with a different last name.", Seunghoon states a bit too enthusiastically.

          Hayi facepalms.

          This was going to be another long Friday night.

Yes. Nam Taehyun makes an appearance. Guess who comes next. 

Also, you can tell I love Lee Hi centric stories.