Mina craned her neck as she walked to the campus’ cafeteria. The elegant girl just finished her examinations for the third day of their hell week. She lightly massaged her stiff shoulders caused by the long hours of answering her test papers. She sighed, thinking and preferring to head home after she ate in the cafeteria. When she entered the place, she witnessed study groups who were multitasking with eating and reviewing their notes and books. Mina thanked heavens because she can at least reassuringly breathe for the rest of her day.

It was an hour past noon and the penguin decided to order some sandwich and salad then headed to a vacant table inside the cafeteria. She took a seat and began eating her ordered food. A bag of potato chips was thrown at her and she jumped a little from the action. “What on earth?” Mina was surprised as she looked around her surroundings for the possible culprit of the flying bag of potato chips. A figure walked pass her from behind and sat opposite to her. “Hey,” Chaeyoung said as she reached for her chips, “This is mine,” she smiled to the girl. “That startled me,” Mina said, looking at the newly arrived companion, “And that’s not healthy.” The cub smugly ripped the bag open before she answered, “I intended to startle you.”

“What can I do for you today?” the penguin smiled and asked the cub. “Share your table for this very socially deprived person,” Chaeyoung replied as she pointed herself for indication. Mina took a bite from her salad before she questioned the shorter girl, “What do you mean by socially deprived person?” “Everyone seems so busy this week,” the cub said as she slumped her chin and rested it on her left palm. Mina observed the bummed cub, feeling the same dejected mood from the gesture, “Are you not aware that the university is in its hell week?” The girl just replied a scoff and a click of her tongue, “I am, actually very aware of it,” she sighed, “Jeongyeon has been neglecting me because of her studying and-or study groups.”

The taller girl, taking pity from her special cub, unconsciously patted the top of her head, “Well, you can’t blame her. This is her last semester in college, baby cub.” Chaeoyung sighed again, “I know, that’s why I’m bothering you right now,” she cheekily replied, “Do you have another exam after this?” Mina shook her head to disagree, “Thankfully, I just had my last one from my schedule.” “You don’t look so sleep deprived unlike the other med students who are roaming the campus,” the shorter girl said as she observed the other girl’s face, “You know, no eye bags or coffee in your order.” “I usually prepare early before the exams so I don’t stress or cram myself with it,” the penguin said and then took a sip from her bottled water.

The cub took an unhealthy chip and hummed from the girl’s answer, “Are you going to the library then? Can I draw you while you study?” The offer was tempting but the taller girl already made plans on going home and taking some rest before she prepared for the last examinations for tomorrow. “Sorry but I am heading home after this. I have to prepare for tomorrow,” the penguin apologetically explained. “No, Mina,” Chaeyoung whined as she prolonged the name in disagreement. “I need some affection,” she continued to whine before she pouted. The penguin bit her lip to stop a creeping smile, but she badly failed at the attempt, “That’s cute.”

“Bring me with you,” the cub said while stretching her arms on the table, and cutely and child-likely tapping the surface, “I promise I will behave.” The penguin let a defeated yet happy laugh, “Jihyo already warned me about this, but okay. You can come with me.” “Thank you,” she grabbed the taller girl’s hand and shook it animatedly in the air, “Finally, actual interactions with another human being,” she exaggeratedly expressed. “Wait,” Mina retracted her hand away, “Aren’t you going to study for tomorrow? Everyone still has their last tests,” she said, taking a bite from her sandwich. “No, I don’t study. I just flirt with my professors to survive each semester,” Chaeyoung said as she loudly crunched a chip in . The cub watched the penguin shot her this are-you-serious kind of look on her face. “Are you serious about that?” Mina knitted her brows at the cub’s words and Chaeyoung just smirked at the accuracy of her intuition. “I am not really sure whether you’re smirking because it was true or you’re messing with me right now,” the penguin blinked to what she was witnessing in front of her because the statement of the cub wasn’t that so farfetched. The shorter girl laughed heartily, “I’m not serious and just messing with you,” she pointed at the stunned girl, “Unfortunately, I did study for my exams this time though. The lack of human interactions pushed me to do it,” she added.

“I am quite amused how you thought I was serious,” the cub said, taking a diced cheese from the salad. The penguin watched her ate it, “I mean, how could I not? Most of the art professors are pretty young. I just assumed you did it whether to pass the semester or not.” “That’s really a great point and an argument,” the shorter girl nodded, “Nothing less from my Mina.”

My Mina, she internally repeated in a calm way and smiled at her. It was a sweet statement from the cub, nothing less and nothing more, and it made her smile. Her words still caught the elegant girl off guard, smite her heart, and shyly bowed her head, but there was nothing wrong to it. It was just the mere effects of Chaeyoung to her. Ever since her father asked about dating, she had come into terms to be honest with her feelings for the tiger cub and openly embrace it. She had decided to stop acting like a five year old kid who experienced the first word from her pre-school crush. It wasn’t ridiculous, it was just that she learned to swim in the sea of her overwhelming feelings for Son Chaeyoung. She stopped being scared and getting drowned. She started to float in the sea and entrusted herself where the currents will take her.

Refreshing, it was the word that echoed inside her head. This is refreshing, she thought and smiled again. “Your Mina, huh?” she mused — quite shy about it — as she played with the lettuces in her salad. “Yep,” the cub casually replied, sticking her right hand inside the bag of chips and popping the last letter of the word, “Any objections or violent reactions?” she asked and looked up at the penguin. Mina offered a small smile and lightly shook her head sideways, “Nope,” she replied, equally popping her last letter. Chaeyoung swayed her body as she smiled and showed her deep dimples, and the two ended their conversation so they can finish what they were eating.

Chaeyoung finished eating first, so she watched the penguin as she finished hers. When Mina finished eating, she wiped the sides of . “Great, I can’t wait to draw you again,” the cub offered a warm smile. The penguin nodded, “Wait here, I’ll wash my hands first before we go,” she excused herself and stood from her seat. The shorter girl signalled an okay with her hand and watched the taller girl left their table.

She idly busied herself with her phone because that was one of the great purposes and uses of mobile phones — to fake that one was doing something particularly fun and not awkwardly alone or waiting for someone, not that the author does that. The cub felt an intruding body sat next to her, Is this another person who I had with and I forgot about their name? she thought to herself before she slowly looked at the person. She realized that she was gravely wrong with her expectations and assumptions. First, it wasn’t someone she had with; and second, the girl was very familiar with her. It was Chou Tzuyu, in flesh, inside the very same cafeteria. “I thought you don’t like eating here,” the raven haired girl said. “I don’t. I had potato chips and they don’t cook those so it’s safe for me. I thought you don’t also like eating here?” the cub asked and frowned. “I don’t, too, it’s just that the library is heavily packed by breathing humans so I have no choice but to be here,” the tall girl soundly sighed.

The shorter girl looked at the downhearted girl, “Your schedule today isn’t done yet?” Tzuyu buried her head on her crossed arms on the table, “Obviously,” she muffled her answer. She lifted her eyes and saw an almost finished salad in the opposite side, “Why did you even bother to eat potato chips here?” she asked. Chaeyoung also looked at the younger one’s sharp observation, “I’m with someone.“

“Myoui Mina, your art partner,” Tzuyu cut the other girl off as she raised from her position. “You knew her?” Chaeyoung piqued her attention to the Taiwanese girl. “I don’t, Jeongyeon unnie just informed me about her,” she expressionlessly explained. “She’s just washing her hands in the bathroom,” Chaeyoung started, “Oh, wait. Scratch that, she’s almost here. That girl,” she said as she pointed her art partner. The tall girl looked at the approaching girl — wrapped in brown checkered coat with bright yellow lapels, black tight jeans, and brown pair of boots. She watched the girl sat opposite to them.

“Hey,” Chaeyoung began, “Tzuyu, this is Myoui Mina. My art partner who took pity onto me,” she gestured to the penguin and then to the puppy, “Mina, this is Chou Tzuyu. My friend and someone who’s younger but taller than me.” Mina bowed her head and smiled to the tall girl, “Hello, Tzuyu.” Tzuyu also bowed to the elegant girl, “Hey,” she expressionlessly said.

Tzuyu took her time to observe the cub’s companion. She openly checked out the girl, “I think, I saw you oftentimes with Jihyo unnie,” she said nonchalantly. “We’re classmates,” Mina replied, “What department are you on? If you don’t mind me asking.” Chaeyoung just watched the two engaged in conversation from her seat. “Literature,” Tzuyu answered as she looked at her small friend before she looked back to the newly known girl. Silence filled the table after the Taiwanese girl’s reply. Mina expected that the girl would also asked her about her course, but sadly it didn’t happen. The penguin just pursed her lips shut after the brief reply. “I got to go,” Tzuyu said while facing the shorter girl and staring at her face. Was it Mina’s imagination or Tzuyu only directed her words to the cub? She leaned her face close to Chaeyoung’s, “I don’t want to third wheel on you two,” she said before she leaned far too close in Mina’s perspective. The raven haired girl spared a meaningful glance at the penguin before she lifted her hand and intimately glided her thumb on the cub’s left cheek. “Fallen eyelash,” she said and then leaned away from the shorter girl.

Chaeyoung touched the glided cheek and blinked at her puppy friend. “I’ll see you around, Chaeyoungie,” Tzuyu smiled at the cub and stood up, “See you around, Myoui Mina,” she bowed and left their table. Mina could only nodded because the girl already left before she could utter a single word. “Let’s go?” the cub asked as she stood from her seat. The penguin quietly followed through the shorter girl and stood from her own seat then nodded, “Okay, sure.”

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After the two arrived at the penguin’s unit, Mina excused herself to change her clothes in her room while Chaeyoung comfortably sat and waited for her on the couch. She quietly closed her door when she entered her bedroom. To be honest, her excuse was just a petty reason to settle down her winding inner thoughts. The elegant girl was quite restless from her interaction with the beautiful and tall goddess that she just met. She removed her coat and hung it on her door. Mina knew that the girl was the cub’s friend but she has this antsy feeling caused by Chaeyoung and Tzuyu’s relationship. Something inside her wavered from the witnessed short interactions between the two because it was intimate.

Chou Tzuyu, she thought. The girl was the cub’s friend, possibly the same age as her, and more importantly knew Chaeyoung better and longer as the fact that she knew about Jihyo and probably the cub’s circle of friends. Her heart enviously beat at the gathered information deduced from her short observation of the foreign girl. As of now, there was a great chance that she was tad bit jealous of Tzuyu.

Mina removed her white blouse and took a black long sleeve shirt from her closet. When she had dressed, she grabbed her marked book and walked back to the cub, not intending to make her wait any longer. The penguin approached the couch and sat next to the shorter girl who was already holding her sketch pad. She smiled, “Sorry if I took so long.” Chaeyoung lifted her foot on the couch and crossed her legs — Indian style — before she fully faced the