There was a brief silence that enveloped the group just after the exchange of words between Yujin and Minjoo. The others didn't know whether they should say something or continue watching the two who were busy having a staring contest, eyes still fixated on each other. 

"And that's about it." Eunbi spoke up, holding the piece of paper. "I'll take a pic of this first then give it to the MCs soon after." 

When she noticed that no one was giving her attention, she looked back to the group with a questioning look. "Wait. What happened? Why are you guys all silent?"

Yujin cleared , finally breaking eye contact from Minjoo. 

"Oh, it's nothing. We were just talking about how perfect the roles for us were. Right, Yena unnie?" Yujin gave Yena a look, to assure Eunbi that there wasn't any problem at all. 

"R-Right. Unnie, you really picked the right members for the roles." Yena says, chuckling awkwardly soon after. 

Eunbi narrowed her eyes at her. "Are you sure? If there's something wrong, you guys can tell me about it."

"Oh, unnie. There's nothing wrong, really. We got this in the bag." Minjoo quickly assured, giving Yujin and the rest a brief glance. 

Eunbi stared at Minjoo unsurely. When she noticed none of them spoke again, she nodded her head. 

"If you say so." She then put away the paper she was holding. "Just make sure that there's really no problem so this play will go smoothly, alright?" 

Her question was for the whole group who nodded their heads to her in unison. 

"If there's no more concerns, it's best that you guys start memorizing your lines."

--

The next day came and the two teams started planning heavily for their plays. The other faculty staff and teachers were also distributed in order to start helping the two teams with the necessities needed for the play. 

Ms. Minatozaki was assigned to supervise the actors in order for them to deliver the lines well and make sure that the emotions that they'll be using will be apt for the scene. There was a different supervisor for each team and the yellow team got Ms. Minatozaki for them. 

"First, let's do a roll call for each of the characters so I'll know who's who." Ms. Minatozaki grabbed a clipboard and read through the characters' names as each one raised their hand when their roles were called. 

"Since this is our first practice, we'll start with you guys reading your lines in the script. But even so, start putting emotions in it. I should see what you guys are capable of despite this being only a script reading." Ms. Minatozaki looked around the room to make sure they understood. 

The students nodded, signalling they got it.

"Okay and Scene 1, go..."

The first scene consisted of Minjoo acting alone as it was the opening scene for the whole play. Minjoo was able to pull it off naturally, as if she the character has been based off of her the whole time. She didn't encounter any difficulties in delivering her lines, that is until she encountered the scene with Yujin in it—her being her character's best friend. 

Ms. Minatozaki was shaking her head no when the two were reading their lines. 

"No, no. I feel like there's something lacking here." Ms. Minatozaki lifted her head up from the script to look at the two girls. 

She then looked to the side to speak with Eunbi. "Eunbi-ssi. Can you tell me who are the partners of these two in this contest?"

Eunbi glanced at Yujin and Minjoo who looked at her with somewhat fear in their eyes, unsure where Ms. Minatozaki was going from here. 

"They're partners with one another...Ma'am." She answered, also waiting to see why their teacher asked this. 

Ms. Minatozaki hummed, nodding. "If you guys are partners, why don't you have a good chemistry together? It's been a long time since the contest started. Wasn't it enough to bring you guys closer?"

There wasn't a hint of mocking nor scolding in Ms. Minatozaki's tone. She was simply curious on why the two have been acting the way that they are now. 

Minjoo looked down, unable to answer Ms. Minatozaki. Yujin pursed her lips and looked everywhere except at their teacher. None of their members also answered Ms. Minatozaki's question. 

Ms. Minatozaki let the question hang in the air for a few minutes. When she realized that no one will be giving her an answer (and somehow it felt like it was a touchy subject, when she saw how awkward the two look), she asked them to continue on with the next part. 

Minjoo let out a sigh of relief, regaining her senses as to not let her emotions ruin her acting for the next scenes. 

--

After they finished the script reading, Ms. Minatozaki dismissed them. She told them to work more on their chemistry and some of the lines weren't as powerful as they should've been so she told them to focus on that too. 

The members of the group each did a different task after finishing their session with Ms. Minatozaki. Eunbi went over to the technical team, finding songs that would best fit the scenes. Hyewon was assigned in designing their brochures to be given to the audience for a little knowledge about their play. The other four helped in making the props. 

Yujin, Yena, Minjoo, and Yuri were sprawled against the floor near the techinical team as they painted a huge cardboard that was to be used as one of the furnitures for the set. There were no conversations that happened between them as they did their task busily. 

But after minutes of painting, Yena's hands got tired that she let the brush fall from the side where there was paper and slightly leaned her back—watching the three paint. 

"Yujin-ah, Minjoo-yah." Yena called that made the two look up from their work. 

Yena took a deep breath in before speaking. "I know like there's something going on between the two of you at the moment but would you like, I don't know, fix things out so that our play would, you know, turn out nicer than it is?"

Minjoo knew what Yena was asking them to do. She, too, wanted to fix things between her and Yujin but she knew it wouldn't be that easy. 

Yuri slapped Yena's arm that made the older react. 

"Ow! What was that for?" Yena asked, rubbing the part where Yuri hit her. 

"How insensitive for you to ask that? You could've worded it properly and not go around prancing over into other people's business." Yuri was glaring at Yena as she said that. 

"Oh. I... uhh..." Yena scratched her head, looking at the two apologetically. "Sorry." She then went back to painting even if her hand was still hurting. 

Yuri was the one who stopped painting to speak to the two. She gave them both a small smile. 

"I know you guys will work things out. You always do. You didn't become partners without a reason."

Minjoo glanced at Yujin from the side, seeing her stop painting, seemingly considering what Yuri said. 

After a few seconds, she went back to painting. Minjoo could only let out a quiet sigh. 

--

Three days have passed and there were still no improvement of their acting. They got to the middle part of the story, with only minimal cues from Ms. Minatozaki about their lines. It was going well—except for Minjoo and Yujin's chemistry. 

Minjoo knew their members were getting tired about how Yujin and her was acting, about not being able to fix things between them. And so, that night Minjoo finally decided to clear the air between them. 

They got home just after the sun set that day. Finished another day of rehearsals, props making, costume fitting, and the like. 

Like the usual that they've been doing the past few days, Yujin always washes up first while Minjoo stayed downstairs. She did this to avoid further conversations with Yujin and to find her already sleeping everytime. 

Unlike the new routine that they have come accustomed with in the short amount of days, Minjoo decided to change it this time. 

She usually stays for about an hour or so downstairs—using her phone, checking out their food stock, watching TV, cleaning the furnitures even if they didn't need any cleaning—all just to make sure that the younger will be sleeping once she enters their room. 

But for tonight, Minjoo did none of those. As soon as she heard Yujin finishing up, she quickly rose from her seat, bolting to the bathroom, and showering for as quick as she can. She finished in not more than 15 minutes. 

With her hair still wet and unkempt, Minjoo stood in front of the door of their bedroom. She was nervous to finally talk to Yujin after their last conversation—one that didn't go well. But she knew she had to do this. For the play, their friends, and for them. 

She held the doorknob, twisting it slowly, and entered the room. The first thing she saw was Yujin who was laying down on her bed, seemingly asleep. Minjoo wasn't sure if she was still awake or not, but hopefully she was so she'll hear what she had to say. 

Minjoo went to her own bed, sitting on top of it as she faced Yujin's back. 

"Yujin, I know you're still mad at me for what I said and I'm really really sorry for that. I never really meant all those things." Minjoo said, waiting for any response from Yujin. She got none. 

"I know that saying sorry won't be enough for what I did. I don't think I'll ever make it up for you for that. I told myself that you were a bad person without even knowing you first. I also misjudged you without even knowing why you did those things and assumed that it was all just for your enjoyment. I never realized that it was...all for me." She said the last part quietly. 

Minjoo took a deep breath in before starting again. 

"I understand if you don't want me to be your partner anymore, let alone be friends after everything that I did. But I just wanted to say, thank you."

"Being paired up with you, living in this beautiful house, spending time with you during our free time, doing all those challenges I wouldn't even think that we could finish, made me the happiest in which I didn't even know was possible. I thought this contest was going to be bad and I wouldn't enjoy it that it'll be a waste of time, but you proved all that wrong, Yujin."

Minjoo felt tears b her eyes. 

"T-That's why in another life, I would've just loved being paired with you in this contest. Just enjoying things, never even thinking of our score, and just spending every time and every moment with you."

A tear then slipped in which Minjoo quickly wiped. "I'm sorry for not making it that way."

Minjoo stared at Yujin's back for a while. There was no reaction whatsoever from the younger. It means that she was really sleeping the whole time that she spoke. 

Minjoo sighed, sniffing as she lay down on her own bed, turning away from Yujin. 

She let her tears fall freely, not even caring if her sobs were heard as she knew Yujin was already asleep. Even so, she did her best to keep quiet after a few minutes as to not wake the other girl up with her cries. 

What she didn't know was that Yujin was feigning sleep all this time. She heard everything that Minjoo said. Everything. Even her cries in which she desperately wanted to stop. 

--

The call time for the contestants to be back on the place always started at 10am. It was so that the students can prepare early, take their showers, and eat their breakfast before facing a new day of play work.

Yuri sat in one of the chairs by the corner, waiting for Minjoo to help her with her lines like they always did the past few days. Minjoo always came first before her—already having her script placed on her lap, sometimes a coffee on one hand, and always having a bright smile on her face. 

But today, things were different. Minjoo wasn't here. No script, no coffee, no sign of her friend. 

That was pretty odd for Yuri. She looked at her phone's c