*From this point onwards, it’s all from a third-person perspective. *

“Hey idiot, your inner moron is showing on your face.” Jisoo flicks her finger onto her forehead.

“He- OUCH, Jisoo, you-“

“Quit it, Jisoo-unnie.” Jennie cuts in. “Poor girl’s having a rough week, she doesn’t need any more bullying.” She stuck out her tongue.

A warm smile appeared on Nayeon’s face, somehow this scene takes her back. Felt like Déjà vu, if you asked her. But somehow, something was different – she couldn’t quite make it out.

“Thanks Jennie.” She slyly sneaked a wink.

“Ew.” Jisoo’s face in disgust.

“How’s the preparation of the festival going?” Jennie asked.

“Almost done.” Nayeon stretches her back. The effect of being overworked clearly showed.

“Reminds me, y’all going to the festival? I put in my utmost blood, sweat and tears in this, y’know.” The sudden thought of Yoo Jeongyeon flashed through her mind, causing her grin.

“Maybe, gotta see if I’m free~” Jisoo whistles.

The statement earned Jisoo a menacing glare from Nayeon; Jennie seeing this, wanted to interrupt and halt the tension but to her surprise, Nayeon started laughing.

Weird, they thought.

“Nayeon-unnie, are you…alright?”

“Yeah, of course!” Nayeon wipes her tears.

“You’re weird, y’know. It feels like, you changed.” Jisoo scratches her head – she couldn’t quite make it out what about her friend had changed but she somehow could feel it’s a positive change. Something about her just feels so light and relaxed.

Maybe it’s because of how the festival is at its final stages? She thought.

“What about me?” She beamed. “I feel the same.” She checked herself out funnily.

Jennie too, certainly felt it too.

“It’s nothing.” Jisoo muttered.

“Is it because of Jeongyeon senior?” Nayeon suddenly taken aback by Jennie’s bold question.

Yoo Jeongyeon, huh.

“There’s rumours about you and Jeongyeon dating, you do know, right?”

“Wait what.” She gulped. “We’re not though...”

Nayeon, whose face could be clearly read like an open book was enough of an evidence that somehow that Yoo Jeongyeon impacted her some way or another. Jisoo’s gut was ringing.

“She’s just a close friend, alright?” Nayeon smiles. “I’ll figure something out about the rumour.”

“If you say so.”

…

“I gotta run, there’s a final meeting for the festival!” She looks at her watch; she’s running late.

As Nayeon packed her belongings, Jennie leaned in sneakily, making Nayeon’s hair stand. “I’ll try to get Jisoo-unnie to come along, okay? I know you’ve been working hard on this.” She smiles.

“Thanks Jennie.” Nayeon gently pats her head as she smiles back. It was a heart-warming gesture.

“I’ll see you girls this Friday!”

(Try your best to bring Jisoo along. If you do, I’ll give you a reward.) She mouths the words silently over to Jennie, to which her face blushed while Jisoo staring at them back and forth.

“You better come along this Friday, Jisoo-unnie.” She nudged her with her elbow continuously as she smiles at her.

“OUCH. Ouch, ouch. Okay, okay, I’ll come, I’ll come... Jesus, Jennie.”” She rubs her sore arm.

Yoo Jeongyeon’s a very mysterious woman, Nayeon thought. A sudden realization of how Jeongyeon always appear before her, seemingly knowing her whereabouts. (She even thought Jeongyeon might be able to find her even if she was in a foreign country.) Finding the culprit, however, was a completely different matter. She was mysterious in a sense; Nayeon never knowing what goes through her mind or her actions.

It just made Nayeon think of how she wants to understand her better, to know her better. It was unfair how Jeongyeon knows and reads her so well (well, not like she isn’t an open book that anyone can read, lmao). But first, to get to know her, is to find her. After all, she had a little free time since the festival is almost close to done.

She thought of possible locations that someone like Yoo Jeongyeon would frequent. For example, the library, she thought Jeongyeon was always reading and the library would seem like the perfect place, but she wasn’t there. She even went to the place, much to her very embarrassment, the place that she fell asleep on Jeongyeon’s (comfy and warm) shoulder. With little expectations of the actual person being there, she wasn’t there either.

She gave up with a half-hearted feeling dwelling in her chest. Why was it this upset and disappointing? She went back to council club room to fetch her belongings.

Whatever, she’ll be there when I need her.

The passive thought rang through her ears.

She froze.

But what if she doesn’t appear?

She stares at the broken shards on the floor lifelessly.

Her thoughts quickly vanish as she jolts from the touch of her manager – who upon hearing the noise rushed over from the room quickly. Nayeon looks at her in surprise before realising the mess that she made all over the floor.

Subconsciously, she eyed the same old spot where Jeongyeon always sat; reading her book and sipping over her usual coffee. But today, she wasn’t there. A question hit her.

Why did she think that she would be there?

As she bent down and tried to stupidly start cleaning the broken pieces of glass with her bare hands, her manager quickly grasped her hands. She signals something.

“Sowon-ah, could you clean this up for me please?” Her manager ordered as she pulls Nayeon into the kitchen.

“Right on it!” Sowon rushed over with a broom and dustpan.

She breathes. “Nayeon-ah, are you okay?” She asked.

“Umm. I’m fine. I think.” She rubs her arms.

“A person whose ‘fine’, wouldn’t pick up broken glass with her bare, hands. Would they?” She caressed her head. “You’re obviously not ‘fine’, Nayeon-ah.”

A long silence pursued after that. Her manager scanned her with concern.

“I supposed I’m not.” Nayeon smiled wearingly.

“How about you go home and rest up for today sweetie?” She insisted.

Nayeon nodded, much to her manager surprise that her suggestion wasn’t refuted.

“Thank you.”

What if she doesn’t appear?

The question been haunting her mind all day.

The guilt. The guilt of treating Jeongyeon for granted hit her hard. The guilt of not being able to reciprocate the things, the love Jeongyeon gave her. She’s always thought Jeongyeon and her was always connected somehow, even the thinnest thread would connect them together. But that wasn’t the case now, all she had was false impressions and a naïve mindset, she realizes

She mindlessly scrolled through her contact list in he