Nayoung wakes up to the blazing sun rays seeping through the curtains of her bedroom. She pushes the covers away and blinks, alarmed if she should be late. Hurriedly she unlocks her phone that has been placed on the table beside her bed. 

She heaves a sigh of relief to see that it's 10.21 in the morning. If she rushes, she could make it to school by 11 for her lecture. If the bus comes in time, that is. 

Nayoung wonders if she should just skip the lecture, since it's her only schedule for the day anyway. But Nayoung shakes the thought away, thinking that she should be a good student.

"Wait, it's Friday," Nayoung sits up and mumbles. Tuesdays and Fridays mean the Superposition lecture. "Heol!"

Nayoung runs out of her bedroom and begins washing up. She hurriedly throws on a random T-shirt, and grabs one of her many coloured jeans after slight processing whether the colours mismatch. She hurls her notes into the bag she's been bringing to school these days since all her supplies are packed in, runs to a kitchen for a sip of water and then out of her home. 

Nayoung repeatedly presses the elevator button. The thought of her jamming it occurs, but she doesn't care.

Her legs fail on her when she tries to run for the bus stop. Luckily for her, after a few seconds of hard praying with her eyes shut, she catches a glimpse of the bus arriving at the previous bus stop. Nayoung releases her breath and pants from the running, intensely watching as the bus makes its way over to the bus stop she's at. 

When Nayoung rushes into the lecture theatre, it is 11.07am. Nayoung heaves a sigh. She slips into a seat in the last row of the lecture theatre just by the door, and is relieved that the lecture is just starting. 

Nayoung doesn't realise that Haebin is seated in the row before hers until halfway through. A small smile creeps onto Nayoung's lips. 

When the lecture ends, Nayoung's attention returns to Haebin as she sees the latter packs up, as she did the previous lecture. With a smile, Nayoung stands up and walks over to the spot right behind Haebin, and lightly taps her pen on Haebin's head.

"Nayoung!" Haebin greets after turning around.

"Annyeong," Nayoung smiles. "You going anywhere after this?" Nayoung asks while returning to her seat to pack her belongings up.

"Nope," Haebin answers and shakes her head. "You wanna have lunch together?" Haebin asks next.

Nayoung freezes at the invitation. What? 

But Nayoung thinks she likes it anyway. 

"Sure," Nayoung smiles again, as she gathers her belongings and slings her bag over her shoulder. "Let's go."

・・・

"So, where do you live now?" Nayoung asks thoughtlessly before filling with another bite of her Sub.

"I stay in the hall actually," Haebin says. "Omo, do you wanna move in?" the request startles Nayoung, "I'm actually alone now, they said the other student cancelled her application to stay here."

"Geurae?" Nayoung remains dumbfounded. She reaches for her drink, but pokes the straw onto her upper lip instead when she tries to drink.

"Why aren't you staying in the student hall though?" Haebin asks next, "I thought you would."

"Yeah, because I'm so lazy to drag myself to school every day right?" Nayoung chuckles. She laughs more when Haebin nods her head, and her heart swells a little that Haebin still remembers this trait of her. "I thought so too, but there's Mimi and Sejeong at home, and I don't live that very far away either," Nayoung explains herself.

"I see," Haebin nods, "but I thought you were really looking forward to living without your family."

"Ah, you remember that too?" Nayoung feels a gush of warmth to her heart. "I still have arguments with my mother and my parents still drive me crazy but I guess because of Sejeong and Mimi unnie I ended up deciding not to get a place in the student hall."

"Mmm," Haebin hums a reply and nods while chewing on her food.

"But now that you've asked, I'll consider," Nayoung sincerely says. "We've always been wanting to live together anyway, right?" Nayoung's eyes twinkle a little when she says that.

"I remember us getting excited about the idea," Haebin beams.

"I'll ask my parents about it," Nayoung answers. "Wait, I'm going to decide on this by myself anyway, they have no say on this."

"You're still deciding without your parents' input, are you?" Haebin asks.

"Heol, I'm an adult now. And you know how I can't talk things out with my family," Nayoung doesn't realise what she's said until she does so. 

Nayoung falls silent. She wonders if she's changed even after three years of Haebin's absence from her life.

She wonders how much has Haebin changed, apart from currently being the taller one, apart from currently being able to initiate lunch together, apart from currently able to converse well.

Maybe Haebin has replied her statement while she was silent, Nayoung doesn't know, but she is shaken out of her daze when her phone vibrates on the table.

1 new message from Yalmimi: Where are you? We have to hurry to Itaewon soon or I won't be in time to pick Sejeong up for cram school later.

"You have to go?" Haebin asks when Nayoung holds her phone up to type a reply.

"Yeah," Nayoung flashes an apologetic smile, "Sorry." Sorry because I'm supposed to spend time with myself by shopping, and now after meeting you like this, all the more I need time alone, Nayoung thinks. 

Haebin shakes her head, "It's okay. I was the one fleeing on you back then, was I?" Haebin laughs.

Nayoung stops. Haebin's laughter seems peculiar, and Nayoung wonders if there were to be any underlying meaning.

"Well, I have to get back to school for club activities later anyway," Haebin adds, and Nayoung wonders if she's supposed to be comforted by that.

"Ah, I see," Nayoung awkwardly nods her head. "What have you joined?"

"Community service," Haebin easily answers her question. "You?"

"Ah," Nayoung has yet to get used to the current Haebin who actually returns questions, "I'm in the cheerleading squad."

"That's nice! You've always liked that right?" Haebin gleams before her. 

Nayoung doesn't know how to respond to Haebin. Nayoung doesn't know how to communicate with this new Haebin.

author's notes: nayoung and i, we both at running. heol i love kimnayoung the similarities are endless this is why she's my muse HAHAHA okay but she doesn't overtake haebin's seat as my bias in gugudan!! on the other hand, i am not so much of a klutz like nayoung. i am not as clumsy as nayoung is portrayed here. i'm quite sensible. HAHAHAHA. i don't poke my straws off target, and i know my way around my campus probably in just two weeks. at that, we're different. HAHAHHAA just a little defence here