"—Yongsun."

Their eyes met.

Byul was overwhelmed. She couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't believe that it is her. She is here in front of her in the flesh. It wasn't her imagination. This is reality and yet Byul still feels this is not.

She doesn't know what to feel, what to say, how to even react seeing her the first time after many years. What would she even say to her? Should they put up an act as if they don't know each other? As if they haven't dated each other back in High School for almost two years? Byul hates it. She hates how it makes her remember of those times in the past.

"Byul?" She heard Joohyun's voice call out to her.

"Byul-ah," It was Sunmi and Byul quickly tear away her gaze from her. Sunmi was looking at her with that worried look, but Byul could hardly respond to anything. It was as if she just stopped functioning altogether. Sunmi then turns to the 'Yongsun' girl. She senses something but seemed to be more distracted with how Byul looks right now. "Hey, you okay? You look pale—"

"Unnie, what’s wrong?" That was Seulgi.

God, it was too overwhelming.

Byul tries to avoid everyone's eyes and only mutters, "Sorry, I need to leave. I'm sorry." She left the scene without waiting for Sunmi and doesn't even look back.

"Byul-ah, wait!"

Sunmi was ready to chase her out when Joohyun asks, "Is she okay?"

“I don’t know.” Seeing Byul went out of the club so quickly, Sunmi sighs. "I'm not sure... She's never like that before."

She then looks at Yongsun, expecting her to maybe say something but when the latter avoids her eyes, Sunmi was even more sure that she and Byul used to know each other. Is she her ex or something? – no matter how curious it made her feel, Sunmi still thinks it would be rude to just jump to conclusion, so she decided she will ask Byul first before anything else.

Sunmi sits back down on her seat.

On cue, Seulgi rose up, “I’ll go get her—”

“Seulgi, don’t.” The said girl hesitates. “Just…give her time for now.”

“But what if she’s suddenly not feeling well? She looked pale—”

Sunmi sighs again, Seulgi is quite persistent and the fact Sunmi was still feeling so irked that Yongsun only acts as if her presence didn’t affect Byul, makes her annoyed. Joohyun seems to notice Sunmi’s patience wearing thin when she holds Seulgi down by her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Seul… I’m sure she can manage.” Joohyun said softly.

Sunmi threw her a grateful smile. She was glad Joohyun is sensitive enough to notice her. Unfortunately, no one but Sunmi seemed to notice that Byul’s sudden change of behavior and mood happened the moment she saw Yongsun. What is it that makes Byul reacted like that…?

Meanwhile, Byul was running down the street.

Her heart rate goes up the more she pushes herself to run.

It was getting tired, but she needed to run. She needed to be away. She needed the feeling in her chest to be gone. It stings and it feels like the wound she had back then—the wound she thought already healed with time—was still there. And Byul doesn’t want that. Byul doesn’t want any of that.

So, she keeps running and eventually she reached the Han River.

Her feet can barely hold any more running as she slows down to a stop. She bends down, putting her hand on both her knees, panting hardly as sweats dripping down from her forehead. She was soaking in sweat and she can barely control her breathing. The wound that was originally there subsided only for a moment before Byul can feel it again. She put a hand to her chest, clenching on her shirt as if it would help getting rid of that feeling.

“…!”

But she could never lie.

“It hurts… It ing hurts…”

Byul was still hurting and now even the sight of her can reopen her old painful wound.

Byul can barely recall the look on her face when she saw Byul after so long. Not like Byul even cares, she was too busy controlling her mind, thinking of the perfect reaction but she couldn’t do anything back there. It’s too much for her to handle and too sudden. Byul wasn’t ready.

She thought she was.

She used to imagine a few scenarios of how she and Yongsun will meet again. She imagined it would be totally random, like Byul bumping to someone on the street and that someone turned out to be Yongsun. Or them accidentally meet each other at a café or a mall or any public places. What she had in mind was they would meet in a totally unexpected situation. She imagined it would be natural for her to act normal with her and vice versa. Byul have also thought about the various ways on how she would react when it happens—if it happens. She was sure that she was ready. That if she were to meet Yongsun again, she’ll be okay. She has forgiven Yongsun for leaving her back then, she moved on from her High School love story and that her heart healed with time.

But now she met her again, for real—not in her imagination or those scenarios she came up with her head. Byul realized she’s far from letting go of the past. Maybe all this time Byul was just covering up what she truly thinks and feels, so she’s able to forget. But now the source of all those past events show up before her eyes, everything seemed to reset back to how it used to be.

Byul doesn’t know what to feel.

Now that Yongsun is actually closer to her. She’s Joohyun’s friend—roommate. A friend of Seulgi’s girlfriend. Joohyun could possibly be someone Yongsun tell her stories to and it makes Byul wonder if Yongsun would share something as big as her past with Byul with her. Probably not, seeing how she introduced Yongsun just fine. Byul feel the urge to scoff at the thought.

Of course, she wouldn’t.

Byul know Yongsun so well.

If she still put up the act of being straight, there’s no way she would tell anyone about her High School love story with Byul. It would’ve made her feel ashamed even, Byul thought. She felt her heart clench at the thought though. She hated how the thought of her still can affect her this much.

Byul laid down on the grass, she shivers when the wind blows and only then she realized she left her coat in the club. She brings her palms over her eyes and cursed under her breath. She felt stupid for storming out of the club and leaving everyone worried and so confused but Byul really had any better idea to do. Seeing her was getting so overwhelming, it was too much for her.

So, what now?

Now that Yongsun is this close… What to do?

No, that’s not what Byul should be thinking right now. She should be thinking about what she would say to her friends. How is she going to explain them the reason she left so abruptly like that? Byul sighs. She should totally apologize to Seulgi and Joohyun. More importantly, she should apologize to Sunmi as well because she did come to the club as Byul’s plus one (though not officially). But after the apology part, Seulgi and Joohyun most likely wanted Byul and Yongsun to meet again—properly for the second time.

And Byul doesn’t know if she should agree if they ask.

Should I find excuses to get away? No, that would totally make it more obvious that Byul and Yongsun has a history together. Moreover, why is Byul trying to get away so badly? Isn’t she supposed to be the one who’s eager to meet Yongsun? Maybe this time they can straight things up properly and be acquaintances or better, be actual friends.

Yes, maybe Byul can try this.

She wasn’t a hundred percent sure, she’s maybe at around sixty or seventy percent sure but it’s still above fifty and that’s enough to ensure her. Besides, between she and Yongsun… Yongsun has to be the one who felt bad for meeting Byul again, not the other way around.

With a last sigh, Byul got up from the cold grass.

She came back to the dorm and was surprised to see Seulgi and Sunmi there.

“Why are you guys here?”

“Yah,” Sunmi rose up from the couch. “We should be the one asking here!”

“True, where have you been, unnie?” Byul notices the worried look on Seulgi’s face and she felt bad for the younger girl. She really didn’t mean to worry anyone but if she were in their place, she would’ve been worried too.

“Han River. I was…” Byul sighs. “I’m sorry, I forgot I need to meet someone so—”

Sunmi narrows her eyes, she clearly didn’t buy this lie.

Seulgi is a different case though. “That sudden? You literally ran out of the club.”

“Yeah, sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.” Byul offers her apologetic smile with a hint of puppy eyes hoping it would make Seulgi let her slide this time.

“It better not happen again because we’re hanging out again tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah we ended up not staying at the club after you left. Turned out Joohyun’s friend also not feeling well out of a sudden, so we called it a night (or evening, really).” Sunmi explained while her eyes didn’t leave Byul. She wanted to get a reaction out of her before asking her exactly what is it between she and that Yongsun girl.

What Sunmi wasn’t entirely a lie though.

Yongsun really said she suddenly not feeling well and that’s why Seulgi and Sunmi are back to the dorm so early. Sunmi found it too obviously suspicious how she suddenly felt unwell only fifteen minutes after Byul left. The woman was dancing just fine earlier and suddenly she wanted to go home and sleep the night away. God, they’re being so obvious it irks Sunmi. And it doesn’t help how she’s the only one noticing this. Seulgi and Joohyun are so oblivious—at least that’s what it looked like in Sunmi’s eyes.

“Is, is she okay, though?”

Oh, now that’s interesting.

Sunmi only shrugs, “Yeah, I think? Joohyun agree