It had already been two weeks and half since they've gone on that "break".  Almost three weeks without talking, barely acknowledging each other, and Moonbyul was starting to get a little impatient. She meant what she had said to Hwasa, that she didn't want to pressure Solar, and was willing to wait. But she wasn't a saint either. She was bound to grow angsty. And after angsty, there was angry. She tried to stay positive and calm, but she couldn't help those negative thoughts once in a while. "Is she making me wait all this time just to cut me loose when she finds better ? Is she testing how long I can manage to stay in the dark like that ? Am I just a safety net to go back to if she doesn't figure out something else ?"

Part of her is saying that she knows Solar better than this, and she should know that the girl isn't like that. She is nice and kind, and wouldn't lead someone on like that. But a bigger part, the one with all her insecurities and self doubt, is telling her that she might she just be a fool with a huge, blinding crush. And gosh does she wishes she could go confront Yongsun about all this, but how can she without sounding accusatory and pressuring, when she told her to take her time in the first place. If all of her concerns are truly nothing, then she'd just pass for an impatient . Why was this so complicated ? The easiest solution to all of this is to just freaking communicate. She knows that. Maybe she's just inventing excuses to delay the inevitable. 

Byul decided to go talk to Solar after class. It had gone long enough. But it wasn't even lunch break and she was restless. She had even manage to tone down the staring, after which Hwasa told her how proud she was, with less scarasm than usual. 

As soon as the lunch bell rang and the teacher left, she and Hwasa stood up from their desk and went to the back of the class with their lunch pack to eat with their other friends. Seulgi, Hoseok and Namjoo had already re arranged the tables for them to seat together. 

"I swear, one more word out of his mouth and I was gone to dreamland" Namjoo was saying,  already full of her lunch, as the other two were seating down "Seriously, how can another human's voice be soo booring ? This should be his super power. His very boring super power"

"And yours should be spitting half of the food you have in your mouth as you talk" Hwasa commented, wiping up her face to prove her point more than actually wiping something off. Namjoo was content with answering her friend by sticking out her tongue. 

That's basically how all their lunch break went. Playful banter, eating, sharing some food, Namjoo eating at the speed of light then begging the others for more food, Hwasa teasing everyone, Seulgi, Hoseok and Byul usually just laughing along or talking about something else. 

“So Byulyi” Hoseok cut off her train of thoughts “Where's your better half ? It's been a while since she hang out with us.”

“Oh, it's true” acknowledge Seulgi “It's been quite some time since we saw Yongsun”
“She's in the same class as us, Seulgi. You see her 5 to 6 days a week” Hwasa retorted.
“I know that” affirmed Seulgi “Just agreed with Hoseok saying I hadn't seen her hang out with with us or Byul in a while. Did something happened ?” she turned her attention to the other girl that had been quite.

“Nope. Nothing at all.” assured Moonbyul “Believe it or not, but she actually has other friends with whom she hangs out with, that's all. Just been busy, I guess.”

Seulgi was about to speak again, probably to insist that something felt off, but the Lord heard Byul's prayer to find a distraction and a loud voice resonnated in the classroom.

“Moon Byul Yi” another girl from her class called out “Some underclassman is looking for you”

Her friends all raised a wondering eyebrow at her, she responded by shrugging her shoulder and standing up “Duty calls I guess.” 

She walked passed the tables to the front door of the class. She did not recognize the underclassman that was standing in front of her, but she was clearly nervous, balancing her weight from one feet to the other, holding something tight in her hand. 

“Hi, you called for me ?” the older girl tried for a soft, reassuring voice to put the girl at ease before she had a nervous break down. It didn't help much as she jumped just a bit at her voice, but she did regain the small amount of composure she had quite fast. 

“Y-yes,  I did. Sorry to bother you.” she stuttered

“No problem. What is it ?” Byul smiled

“I-I just wanted to say...” the younger girl paused and took a long breath, in and out “My name is Seungyeon, I'm a year under you and I've been watching you. Uh, I mean that in a non stalker-ish non-creepy way! Just, noticed you, might be a better phrasing. Anyway, I think you look really cool and nice and pretty and I think I like you, so please, accept this letter, it took quite some time to write it!” she finished by bowing, handing out a slightly creased letter to Moon.

She sputtered at such a speed, Byul thought she could've been a rapper in a previous life. After her initial surprise, the grey haired girl took the letter the underclassman -Seungyeon- was offering to her.

“Well then, I'll have to read it very carefully since you put that much effort into it.” She tried to lay off te greasyness as she answered sincerely, offering a gratefull smile as the girl slowly stoop up straight “Thank you for taking the time, Seungyeon.”

After a few seconds of staring  in awe, she bowed again in front of her sunbae “Thank you for your time, sorry for disturbing your lunch!” Seungyeon said, her voice a bit higher, more happy and relieved than nervous. She bowed one last time before almost running off, pratically skipping.

Moonbyul looked at her go with a fond, maybe a bit sad, smile, Guess it's been a while since I had a crush making me feel like skipping like that. She sighed once, then turned around, closing the door behind her, and made her way back to her friends, trying to ignore the staring of the other people in the class. And of one person in particular. 

As she sat back down at her seat, ready to continue eating, she was interrupted once again.

“Did that really happen ?”  Namjoo said, a bit too loudly “Did the great school girl crush Moonstar really just accept a love letter from someone ? An underclassman at that ?” 

“You say that like I never did so before” Moonbyul looked unimpressed, but a bit uncomfortable that her friend had gather some unwanted attention from the rest of the class with her loud voice. She isn't really surprised though. It is Namjoo.

“Pretty sure the last one you accepted was like, 4 months ago !” Namjoo countered “We even thought that the rumor saying you had gotten yourself a secret girlfriend was true.” 

Byul's shoulders tensed and her eyes widened slightly. She had not heard any rumors like that about her. Since when were the people here so perceptive ? Were the rumors just about a mystery girl, or were they about Yongsun too ? Moonyul made a real physical effort not to glance at Solar sitting behind her. Apparently her silence while she panicked was answer enough for Namjoo

"Oh my god, the rumors were true ?" she exclaimed "Moon Byul Yi ! You were dating and you didn't tell us ?" she glanced at their three other friends' faces. Seulgi and Hoseok both looked suprised, maybe a bit amused ? Only Hwasa didn't seem caught off gard by the revelation, when even other classmates were already whispering behind them. "Wait a second" continued Namjoo "Hwasa did you know about this ?"

Hwasa looked at Moonbyul for a second then shrugged her shoulder "Yeah, for a while"

Namjoo's mouth hanged open, no sound coming from it, Hwasa looked proud of herself, Seulgi and Hoseok now just looked more curious and Moonbyul could only dropped her head in her hand. My God, how long can a lunch break be ? Where's the damn bell when you need it ?

“I can't believe you didn't tell us but you told Hwasa !” Namjoo's voice was going higher and louder. She was never one for discretion, it almost made Byul laugh until “Hey Solar! Did you know about this ?”

Oh my god, this idiot. Moon stiffened. Sure, why not involve the whole class now, they already heard everything. She lifted her head and took a cautious look behind her to jauge Solar's reaction. The other girl was already looking right at her. Byul straightened her posture and waited for her answer. Almost challenging her with her stare to say something.

Yongsun actually thought about talking to Moonbyul during the lunch break. A quick talk, just to set the record straight. Maybe fix the situation a bit. But as soon as the bell rang, she saw the grey haired girl and her bestfriend stood up and go to back of the class to join their usual group. Before all of this, she might have thouht about joining them, it wasn't uncommon for her to switch lunch buddies. Plus, they were always a fun group to hang out with, sometimes a bit too loud, just the right fit for Solar. She sighed, Guess that'll be for another time then. She sat with her other, usual group. They were deep in a conversation about something their teacher did that day and Solar tried to participate, if only by laughing here and there. But her mind was clearly not in it. She was a bit distracted by the loud table at the back of the class.

And it only got louder after Byuly returned from her confession at the door. Since she saw the girl accept the love letter, her eyes had not left her back. Namjoo was making quite a scene interrogating Moonbyul, making other watch curiously or laugh at her usual antics. The people in her class were really noisy when it came to the love life of others and in this moment she was glad she was not in Byuly's place. If she likes a bit of attention once in while, Yongsun prefers it when she can control said attention. Of course, because at this moment Solar wanted to lay low, especially since the rumors could easily trace back to her, Namjoo had to pull her right in it.

“Hey Solar! Did you know about this ?”

Her eyes barely glanced at the other girl calling her out and were still glued to Moonbyul's back when the latter turned around. If Solar was a bit taken aback by the sudden eye contact, she tried her best not to show it. Byul's stare went from hesitant at first to daring, expectant. She could pratically hear her talk, Come on, what do you have to say to this ?

And in this moment, for a second as she was considering her options, Solar was seriously tempted to respond to that challenge. To just easily, cooly answer Yeah, I knew. I'm the mystery girlfriend. Gosh that would be so great. Come on, Yongsun, say it. Be ing brave for once.

Maybe because Moonbyul could see her inner turmoil and wanted to put her out of her out of her misery by answering for her.

“Come on, why do you assume that she knew if you didn't ?” Byul laughed. Thank god she was a good liar, unlike Yongsun.

“I don't know but you're always together I figured she might know. I mean, you told Hwasa, why not Solar too?” Namjoo interrogated

“I didn't tell Hwasa. She found out on her own.” That part was true. Solar remember when Hwasa walked in on them when they were hanging out and saw them kiss. That was a real fun day for her.

“Yeah” Hwasa snickered “They weren't exactly being sneaky.”

“Do we know who it is ?” Namjoo asked, her eyes shining like knowing this would actually make her life better “You have to tell me!”

“Does it matter ?” interrupted Seulgi, earning an incredulous look for Namjoo saying Of freaking course it does “ I mean, if Byul accepted the love letter today, doesn't it mean that they broke up ?”

A beat. Silence. Realisation.

“Oh. Right...” she looked at Moon “Did you ? Break up with her ?”

Moonbyul hesitated. She couldn't really say yes or no. That would be assuming their status in front of Solar who couldn't really do anything anyway. Solar could see that the girl didn't want to do that. Once again, Yongsun's brain went into panic mode. What another good occasion to stand up and say No we didn't break up, we're together. Solar's brain really over-estimated how brave she really was. But this wasn't a movie, she wasn't a courageous main character ready to shout her love to the rooftops. So she just stayed seated, her hand fidgeting and almost ashamed, watching Moonbyul carefully as she answered.

“I don't know, maybe.” She quickly glanced at Solar before looking away. “It's complicated.”

And with that, before anyone could say something else, the bell rang and ended the longest lunch break of Solar and Moonbyul's life.

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My god this took way too long to write, i dont even have an excuse, just had no motivation. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Im probably gonna try to end it in one last chapter I'll see. And maybe in a single POV instead of switching in the same chapter, it might be confusing ? So tell me, who's POV would you like to end it on ? thanks for reading xx