The aftermath of the occurrences the night before stirred deep emotions that lay deep in the hidden well of their small group of friends. What was once a relationship built on trust and forgiveness became that of bitterness and regret. As Mina became unable to explain the course of her actions— her inability to refuse Jimin’s approach, Chaeyoung pulled away for a moment of solitude to rearrange her thoughts on the matter. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal for the little cub if the Japanese hadn’t admitted, as her girlfriend was dragging her away from the scene, that she did feel certain emotions arise during that kiss. Mina had always found it difficult to lie, especially on matters that concerned Chaeyoung, and therefore was unable to hide the fact that she purposely didn’t pull away fast enough during the kiss. 

“You just stood there, taking it in. Do you want me to believe that you wouldn’t have stopped him if I hadn’t intervened?”

Mina was silent, unable to meet the younger one’s eyes.

“Say something, damn it!”

Chaeyoung rarely raised her voice in anger, and when she did, it most certainly was never directed at Mina. At the foot of the stairs outside their dormitory building, the cub’s tone of voice rang inside Mina’s heart and it was then that she revealed her once intense feelings for Jimin during the days they were a couple. 

“Jimin is very special to me,” Mina tried to explain. “I couldn’t help that memories and past feelings surfaced during the kiss.”

The older one continued to convey to Chaeyoung how Jimin helped her through moments when she’s lost the will to dance. During the hard times that she felt she wasn’t good enough, Jimin was there to lift her up and ease her into dancing once again. This kindness, Mina revealed, opened the door to her feelings for him. Naturally, the two got together and were the happiest of couples. They got along well and their chemistry was inevitable. They were both humble and kind, and they enjoyed each other’s company. It wasn’t a shock that Jimin was the one Mina chose to lose her ity to. They loved each other after all. It was the logical course of action in their growing relationship.

During this part of Mina’s tale, Chaeyoung gritted her teeth and wanted to shut off her ears. Hearing Mina mention an undying love for another person other than her was naturally something Chaeng didn’t want to hear. 

“You still love him, don’t you?” the little cub said in a low voice.

Mina shook her head, “Trust me when I saw that you’re the only one I love.”

“How can you expect me to believe that? Tell me Mina, when you wouldn’t even make love to me.”

Chaeyoung didn’t want to look weak. She wanted to get mad at her, to pour all her frustrations at her, but she couldn’t stop the tears of sadness from flowing.

“You know how hard it is for me to listen to you talk about how you had with someone else, when you couldn’t even so much as let me touch you?” Chaeyoung said. “I respected your decision, even when it made me sad as hell. I didn’t want to force you as I simply thought you weren’t ready. But to hear that you let someone else do the things I so badly want to experience with you hurts so bad, Mina.

“I lied to our friends just so they won’t bother us about it. This facade we’ve created, making them think we actually have a life, is something I didn’t want to do in the first place. But I lied for you. And now you’re making me believe that I may be the problem to your lack of motivation for something ual.”

By then, Chaeyoung’s tears had continuously flowed that she gave up trying to wipe them away. Mina couldn’t bear to look at her, but she didn’t look away. She had to face the fact that she did this to her, that she made her cry, the little cub who rarely showed her side of weakness in front of anyone.

Chaeyoung looked down, as if trying to decide whether to say more or to just leave the conversation there. A fatigue feeling on her body led her to take the latter course of action. She avoided Mina’s eyes, turned around, and made her way towards the exit of the school grounds without uttering another word.

The Japanese watched the small figure disappear into the dark. She couldn’t bring herself to rush towards her, to grab hold of her hand and plead for her to stay. Mina knew all too well how much pain the younger one was currently feeling, and the fact that she was the source of that pain led her to hesitate. Instead, she held back the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes and, unable to face her friends that were left in the common room, walked back to her dorm in a shroud of melancholy. 

~
“She hasn’t come back since that night,” Dahyun said. 

Mina met up with the maknaes at the school cafeteria to inquire about how Chaeyoung was doing. It had been two days since Jeongyeon’s birthday, and it seemed that the little cub was nowhere to be found.

Tzuyu pushed her empty plateaway from her and sighed as she placed her arms on the table. “I’m sure she’s doing fine. She’s not dumb, she won’t do anything that can intentionally cause her or anyone around her problems.”

“But she could’ve at least told us where she was going. I’m started to get worried,” the oldest of the maknae said. 

“It’s my fault,” Mina admitted. “What happened that night was entirely my responsibility. I shouldn’t have given in to Jimin’s harmless taunts, I shouldn’t have been on that dance floor, I shouldn’t have given him reason to do such things.”

“You shouldn’t have let him kiss you. And for more than 5 seconds at that,” Dahyun mumbled, in which Tzuyu nudged her arm as a sign to shut up. 

Dahyun raised her eyebrows at the youngest one who only glared at her. Dubu looked at Mina and apologized for what she said.

The Japanese shook her head, “You’re right. I let that happen.”

“Why?” Tzuyu asked.

Mina stared at her plate of untouched food. She stared at it with such intensity as if she was looking for the answers there, which was currently lacking in her mind. After moments of silence between the three, Mina finally shrugged. “I can’t properly explain it just yet,” she said. “Which is why I couldn’t give reason to Chaeyoung then, because I don’t even know myself. I’m confused, I admit, but please believe me when I say that Chaeyoung is the only one I love. In my heart, there is only her, and I can’t stand to lose her.”

The pale-skinned friend turned to Mina. “You don’t have to explain anything to us,” she told her. “I believe you and your love for our bestfriend, but that doesn’t change the fact that you hurt her. The only reason why I haven’t completely blown up on you is because you’re my friend, and I know it’s not in your interest to cause Chaeng any pain. For Chaeyoung’s sake, I hope you can mend whatever it is that kiss broke.”

Dahyun grabbed her empty plate and got up to leave. She glanced at Tzuyu to see if she would follow, but the younger one didn’t budge. Dubu sensed that she wanted to speak to Mina alone, so she exited the cafeteria after leaving her empty dish on the dirty dish pile. 

By then Tzuyu had focused her attention t