"I will never fall for you Jaein." Baekhyun's voice rang loud and clear in the classroom with all the EXO committees. 

Those harsh words echoed through the entire class. Maybe it was just Jaein but what he said was like being magnified by a megaphone and the class went dead silent as Baekhyun answered her without an expression. Jaein was naively confident that Baekhyun would return his feelings but now here they were awkwardly looking at each other with the entire EXO committee member in the classroom. Not that Jaein had any prior to confessing to any guy but she didn't know feelings are complicated. Effort does not reciprocate with feelings. You can get a good academic result if you spend more time understanding it, studying it, and paying attention to it but feelings do not work that way and Jaein was clueless about it. It was all too sudden when Jaein finally gained the courage to blindly say it out loud without thinking over the consequences. 

"I..."Jaein's words stuck in and nothing came to her mind when she tried to structure any possible excuse for this refusal but ended up just staring at Beakhyun, looking like a lost puppy. Just then Jaein saw her friend walking towards the classroom and her potential lifesaver, Taeyeon walked into the classroom.

Jaein quickly moved her helpless eyes and stared and Taeyeon. Taeyeon stopped in her track as she felt the dead silence in the classroom, and quickly understood that there were a situation. 

"How could you betray your friends by saying you like me in front of everyone when you should know that I'm already dating Taeyeon?" Baekhyun put his arms around Taeyeon's waist as soon as she stepped towards Baekhyun who was currently facing Jaein. The statement dropped to Jaein like a bomb, causing her to widen her eyes and all the attention focusing on Taeyeon. Jaein was clueless about what happened between Baekhyun and Taeyeon. Not that Jaein even confronts Taeyeon about how she had feelings for him and Taeyeon even encourages her to confess to Baekhyun. How could she? Taeyeon seemed equally shaken by the statement and she grabbed onto Beakhyun's shirt tightly like her life depended on it. She then looked at Baekhyun innocently and anger bubbled up from Baekhyun's chest. He looked at Taeyeon like he was questioning her if she had told her friend about their new relationship since last week Friday. 

Baekhyun was the one that asked and Taeyeon was delighted that her plan worked. She had always been good with boys, charming every boy that she was interested in and playing them like a doll, including Baekhyun. Those puppy eyes looking at her begging for acceptance and trying to please her, again. One time Taeyeon had a slight fever and her cheeks were flushed, Baekhyun ran out to the closest convenience store and bought her cooling fever patch even though she had received dozens of them from different boys. Baekhyun even took the same bus route and followed her so that she could go home safely after another unofficial "date night". There was the last time that Taeyeon even pretended that she had to hold too many things in her hand when she was holding an umbrella in her other hand. It was raining hard when Taeyeon decided to go back home after having an 'Unofficial date" with Baekhyun in one of the student halls. She knew Baekhyun brought his own umbrella but she wanted him to follow her back home again. Baekhyun took her bait and pretended that he needed an umbrella to the bus station too and shared the same umbrella. Bingo. She wanted him to be head over heels for her and she made it happen. That was the night that Baekhyun confessed to her and stuck with her since then. 

Taeyeon looked at Jaein who stood lost and she felt a surge of power that she always loved. Taeyeon knew Jaein was innocent and new to crushes and dates. Taeyeon never disliked Jaein, she was nice, pure, and sweet but that was exactly why she hated Jaein. Baekhyun seemed to be drawn to the innocent and would occasionally spend too much time with her to Taeyeon's liking.  Baekhyun would always talk about Jaein in front of Taeyeon without conscious and she hated the bitter taste in every time it happened. It would be a perfect opportunity to crush another girl's dream right there and then.

"Ho-how.. cou-ld..How could you betray me like this?" Taeyeon stuttered with an innocent sad frown and then turned around to hug Baekhyun on the waist and buried her face into his chest. Upon looking at the hurt girl in Baekhyun's arms. Baekhyun pulled Taeyeon closer to his chest and kissed the top of her head. 

"You could never be good enough Jaein, only Taeyeon is mine." Baekhyun went closer to Jaein and warned. It might sound manly from a girlfriend's perspective but those words cut deep and it will definitely create wounds for Jaein. Wounds that won't heal, and probably will never. Jaein looked at both Baekhyun and Taeyeon in disbelief, especially Taeyeon. All the emotions panted up and Jaein could feel tears forming in her eyes, all emotions of helplessness, sadness, surprise, disbelief --- betrayed. These are the emotions of what betrayal feels like. Without realizing it, tears from her eyes quietly rolled down her cheeks even though she tried to control it. Mastering herself, she croaked to Baekhyun with obvious hurt in her voice, "I've done nothing near to betrayal." 

Instead of explaining that she never anything about their relationship, Jaein quickly packed her bags and left the classroom, not knowing her way and tears pouring down her face with no control. 

Little did everyone know, that was the last Jaein that everyone would see. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weeks passed and turned into months. Now Jaein was already at the end of her first year of study and she had two years left until her study ended.

"Jaein, wanna have a run at the stadium today?" Rora nudged Jaein who was sitting beside her and knitting her eyebrows reading the financial report that was given by their lecturers to digest and come up with a summary report. "Gimme another 10mins and we're good to go," Jaein replied lightly. "C'mon, it's getting dark and let's catch the sunset, it's getting cold and I might just ditch your diet plan and go to have some hot Kimchijige without your motivational ."  Rora scoffed and added, "You're already first in class anyway." Rora then flailed her hands to emphasize. Jaein couldn't listen to her complaints anymore and folded the papers in her hand. "Fine, let's go you annoying ." Jaein flicked her finger onto her forehead and smiled, which gained a soft groan from Rora.  

It was their usual schedule for the past 1 year or to be approximate, 11 months, exercising after class after Rora claimed that Jaein was too thin and weak. Jaein started out unwillingly but ended up starting to love running because it was it kept her focused. A year isn't long but she'd changed so much that even her grandpa noticed when she finally one day woke up earlier than him. In the break of dawn, Jaein was seen to be preparing herself for her first day of daily 30-minute run around the neighborhood. She remembered 8 months ago, her first time trying to get herself together and doing things differently instead of locking herself in her room. "Jaein ah, I guessed is finally my time to really enjoy retirement. Is everything okay?" Jaein's grandpa didn't forget to while walking towards Jaein who was doing her stretches. She was so focused on trying not to fall asleep and jumped when Haraboji called her name. 

"Haraboji! You scared me" Jaein fake crunched the cloth in front of the heart and groaned. "I'm trying to be an amazing granddaughter here, don't tease me!" Jaein walked towards her grandpa and clung to his arm like a koala. She then continued," Will be going out for a few runs these days to help me focus on my study. All those entrepreneur books are telling me that I should wake up at 4 am to start my day but I'm already fighting with my own soul to wake up at 6 am. Please tell me, I'm doing a great job, I'm...I'm having a hard time, Haraboji" 

"Had your heart broken by a young man with just 3 months in university, sweetheart? I thought it would be at least until your second year I would have the chance to see this sad face of yours, which I never will appreciate to see my dear." Haraboji teased while he held her hand. Jaein shrugged her shoulder, didn't reply, and put on her earphone that was on full volume. Haraboji gave her a warning smile and patted softly on her head. Jaein smiled softly as she jogged to the door.

What happened with her and Baekhyunwas was already 3 months ago but she still can hear the words loudly and clearly from Baekhyun's mouth. She can never be competent, she is not pretty enough, she's just a normal girl who has fallen for a guy that she can never get and she's just always not there yet. Even though she had not spoken a word to anyone, she had been drowning herself in deep thoughts about how confident could she be without considering that so many out there are way much better than her. She's been mostly quiet for the past 3 months, if not Rora, she must've been locked in her room since the day. Thanks to Rora being annoying enough, she's getting on her feet again, baby steps but better. Jaein would occasionally stay quiet sitting on her school rooftop, letting her thoughts run free. Coming back from her train of thought, she realized she hadn't replied to Haraboji.

When her hand grabbed onto the doorknob, she stopped in her steps and turned around to reply Haraboji, still earphones stuck in her ear to make sure she couldn't hear herself. She refused to listen to hear real thoughts and she had been trying so hard to deny her feelings for the past 3 months. Jaein picked up all her courage again, one last time accepting the fact that she'd fallen hard for Baekhyun, the most predictable boy she'd fallen for, and replied softly to Haraboji, "It was me who had not kept my feelings well, and I...I'm not good enough anyway."

A year later, Jaein is now more composed, more cautious around people, and has put all effort into improving herself. She was still active in all the meetings that EXO had but since she was doing paperwork, she would avoid interaction with Baekhyun at all costs.

When Jaein arrived at the stadium, there were more people jogging on the track compared to the past few months since spring is nearing and she wondered what made everyone start working out in March, but the weather is getting durable and it's a new season is starting. Jaein simply tied her hair into a high ponytail and did her stretching with Rora. Just when she was bending down to do a back stretch she could hear whispers and giggles from people who were walking past her. She hadn't brought her earphones today so the best she could do was ignore them. With the stretches, she breathed in deeply to smell the green that was just freshly cut and welcomed the last winter cold air onto her face with her eyes closed. Maybe the inner zen worked, the whisper around her stopped and she was glad finally she had peace. Still with her eyes closed, she turned around and prepared herself to jog with her eyes still lowered to check if there was any loose shoelace. What she expected welcomed her was not cold air hitting her face but she slammed into a solid warm wall, or... body. 

"Oh so sorry, I wasn't loo..." When she raised her head from bowing and saying sorry, hoping to see a buff boy. Instead, she met with the brown eyes that she had tried \ to avoid for the past year. Baekhyun stood in front of her.

Jaein didn't move her eyes away immediately but paused to look into his eyes which had drawn her in without trying. Although only a few months of not seeing him in the meeting, his face had been replaced with a newfound maturity and tiredness, yet his mischievous smile remained untouched. Maybe it was the last stray of dusk shining, his eyes were still as brown and radiant as they first met in front of her uncle's restaurant, holding the same captivating sparkle. Maybe God was helping his feature to pop out. There was a noticeable buff in his arm and chest, making him look more robust than he had been.

As they locked gazes, the intensity reflected in Baekhyun's eyes mirrored Jaein's own. They were both familiar strangers, b with cherished memories. Both of them looked like strangers but full of memories.

Jaein tore her eyes away and walked away without another word, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. Feeling like a lost puppy, she just sprinted as fast as she could. Suho who was standing behind Baekhyun had his lips quirked up and he sensed something special between the two. 

Holy hell It took so long for me to reach this point and I no longer care where I am to write this chapter. Finally magic is happening sooonnnnn, stay with me loveliesssss 

ALways welcome all the comment below and tell me how you feel!