Sana blinks at her, an expression Momo can’t decipher plastered on her face. It makes the latter nervous and unsure suddenly. They’re out walking to buy school supplies since it’s the first day of the third trimester of their sophomore year tomorrow. The slightly older girl stops walking, an expectant gaze facing the younger one.

“Are you sure about that, Moguri?” Sana drawls out, and it confuses Momo

“Yes, I’m pretty sure.”

“Are you really, really sure?”

“Why are you asking me twice?” Momo, annoyed, huffs and continues walking. Sana follows behind.

“I’m just making sure, you know.” Sana catches up to walk beside the grumpy girl. “Besides, you don’t look like it.” She mutters.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Sana points to an ice cream shop. “Let’s talk about it inside.” 

They go in and buy their ice creams before settling down at one of the tables. Sana looks around to make sure no one of their friends or acquaintances is in the area.

“So,” she pops her spoon out of . “Tell me about it Momoring. Tell me how you knew you liked her.” At this, Momo fidgets, unsure of how to answer.

“Well, I don’t know, I just ... did?” Momo shrugs. Sana raises her eyebrows at that.

“You just did?” She squeaks. “Then how are you so sure you like Chaeyoung?”

“I’m sure about it, okay? I just don’t know how, but I just knew.” Momo unknowingly raises her voice in defense, indignant at how Sana questions her own feelings.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Sana drawls out, deciding to let that matter go. “Now, tell me one thing, Momoring. Why tell me and not Nayeon?”

Momo didn’t answer her that day if she remembers correctly. To be really honest, she doesn’t know either.

She walks along the corridor alone, intentionally leaving Sana behind from their previous class to avoid the talk. The clumsy girl means well, but Momo doesn’t need her speech right now. Sana does have the tendency to nag her friends’ ears off.

“Besides, to tell you the truth, I don’t even get why you’re hiding this from her? Or are you not sure about it at all?” Momo groans as Sana’s previous words ring in her head. Checking the time to see that she has at least 10 minutes to spare before her next class, she heads to the nearest bathroom (just in time to miss a fuming Nayeon going out of the speech room followed by a panicked Jeongyeon).

She leans on one of the sinks while staring hard at herself in the mirror, her breath steady. Images of Chaeyoung pass through her mind and she sighs. The freshman has somewhat been a constant in their lives, and now that she's gone it feels like they’re breaking down one by one.

Chaeyoung’s presence really had so much impact in their lives.

Jeongyeon is obviously the most affected among them. With her being the closest to Chaeyoung among them, she treats the cub like one of her own blood. Momo knows the slightly older girl tends to act strong for others even though she is feeling vulnerable, and she admires her for that.

The school meal club, as Sana calls them, might not show it, but losing a third of them hurts a lot. She sees it, even the bubbly and energetic Kim Dahyun can’t hide her sad and worried eyes behind those beaming smiles (towards Sana, mostly). Even the stoic freshman Chou Tzuyu doesn’t bother hiding streaks of tears on her face. 

There are Nayeon and Sana. Momo finds herself sighing. Nayeon has always been one to promote self-care but recently seeing the senior throw that away makes her worry. But she doesn’t know what to do, with the older girl pushing her away and running to Sana instead. She feels neglected and ignored, but what can she do now? Sana tells her to talk but the timing is always wrong. She sighs again; she’ll think about it when she sees them.

Then there’s Myoui Mina, who’s suddenly talking with other people.

“Hirai Momo-ssi?” Speaking of.

She looks at the door and Mina is there standing, a curious look on her face. Momo flashes the biggest smile she can muster.

“Myoui-ssi. Aren’t you with Jeongyeon?” She remembers the younger Japanese having the same elective with Jeongyeon.

“Oh, she ran after Nayeon-sunbaenim. I think she was offended by something Jeongyeon-unnie said.” Mina has a small, polite smile on her face before turning into a look of worry. “Are you okay? You were looking in the mirror for so long.”

“It’s nothing of your concern, Myoui-ssi.” Momo’s tone is as polite as Mina’s, but Mina hears the underlying “why are you caring all of a sudden” underneath. 

Momo must’ve seen the look of hesitation Mina is trying to hide because she apologizes to the younger girl with a smile.

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to,” Momo gestures towards Mina, “to you being nice all of a sudden.”

“It’s all right.” Mina purses her lips. Momo swears she had to lean closer to hear her clearly. “I get it. I’m not the most sociable person in high school, after all.” 

“Hey, we all have reasons.” Momo leans away from the sink. “Let’s go to the music room together, if that’s alright with you? After you do your stuff of course.” Mina nods and Momo lets her be, opting to wait for her outside.

Their walk was a quiet one, both girls not knowing what to do, but it wasn’t as awkward as Momo had imagined it. In fact, she finds herself relaxed in the quiet girl’s presence. Had they tried, Momo thought Mina would’ve been part of their little circle of friends.

“Where is Sana-ssi?” Mina’s question snaps Momo out of her reverie and, hearing the question, she sighs.

“I went ahead of her. We’re – uhh – it’s complicated.” Seeing Momo struggling, Mina decides to drop the topic. They walk in silence again until they reach the music room. Before Mina can enter, Momo grabs her wrist. She looks up to see the older girl’s serious face.

“Mina-ssi, can I ask you something?”

“Your husband was a good man. We’re sorry about the accident.”

“We hope you find your son.”

“Condolences to you.”

Nayeon shuts her ears, refusing to hear more of the sad (and mostly empty) words people were giving to their family. She was by the door of their home along with her mom and Yoona, bidding the people who went to her father’s memorial goodbye. 

Nayeon had been locking herself in her room a few days before until a sad 11-year-old Jeongyeon dragged her out for the burial. She looked so broken that Jeongyeon actually feared her emotionless state. Nayeon only looked at the coffin being lowered, refusing to talk to anyone nor to look anywhere else.

Nayeon can’t feel anything. Losing her father and her brother in one accident was too much for her 12-year-old self.

She looks at her father’s photo hanging by the wall of their home. His smile was blinding, a harsh reminder that they won’t be able to see it again in person. She thinks she won’t be able to smile that much after this, she had her father’s smile after all.

“We’re sorry. We heard about the car. Nayeon-ssi must really be lucky.”

Contrary to the doctors’ prediction, Nayeon was able to walk 3 days after waking up. She, however, had to wear glasses from then on. Not that Nayeon minded. She was simply grateful she’s alive.

She doesn’t understand, however, why her father didn’t survive and her Jaebum-oppa went missing. She thinks of all the possibilities and scenarios.

Only to come up with nothing. She can’t even remember what happened.

She frowns. Screw the accident. There are holes in her memories before the accident. She wasn’t diagnosed with amnesia though.

But why doesn’t she remember things?

Nayeon opens her eyes slowly, happy to know that her headache is gone. She hears two voices, the other one bidding goodbye. She blinks, figuring out that she’s in the infirmary and not anywhere else.

Infirmary. Again.

“Good you're awake, grandma. Honestly, you’re too heavy for your age.” An amused voice quips on her right and she glares at an annoyed-looking Jeongyeon. Nayeon internally chuckles though, the younger girl can be a tsundere most of the time, not bothering to hide the worried look in her eyes.

“Says the food vacuum.” Nayeon struggles to sit up, still weak. She ruffles her hair. “That’s some headache I had.”

“What happened? You just collapsed after nagging me.” Jeongyeon sits beside her. “Good thing you woke up, sleeping while having contact lenses is bad you know? You might’ve gone blind.”

Contact lenses? Nayeon scrunches her eyebrows before the realization hits her. Oh, right, eyesight thing. Nayeon shrugs, not wanting to comment about her eyesight and what happened to her since she doesn’t know either.

“Some bad dizzy spell, I guess.” She looks at the wall clock and raises her eyebrow. “You should go to your class, Jeong. You’ve missed enough already.” 

“I’ll stay until you get better. Jihyo’s got me covered anyway.”

“No Jeong, you need to go to your classes. No excuses.” Nayeon says firmly, Jeongyeon just stares at her defiantly until she sighs in defeat. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Definit