Naeun has been staring at the white ceiling above her for a while. She glanced at her roommate, who was already dozing and in a deep slumber. She found it unfair that she couldn't find any sleep. She got up, sat on her bed, and reached for her phone on her bedside table. Checking the time, Naeun sighed when she read that it was already 12:15 AM. She should already be up by six since her class for tomorrow starts at eight, but how was she supposed to fall asleep when Eunji's question has been keeping her awake?

With all the years she and Taemin have been friends, no one actually questioned their closeness; neither did they. They have been very comfortable with each other, and having a little bit of skinship, such as their arms brushing while walking or placing an arm over each other's shoulder, was a normal thing for them. They even held hands just because Naeun was trying to balance herself on a parking curb for fun while Taemin was holding her hand for support when they were walking home after school once, and the other one when he asked her to dance with him during their senior prom.

Eunji just came out of the bathroom when Naeun decided to ask her about her question for clarification.

"Uhm, why did you ask me if Taemin and I were just friends anyway?"

"Nothing. It's just that you guys look at each other differently and you're both very natural with skin contact. Good thing Taemin mentioned to us that he was single and actually introduced you as his best friend, otherwise I might mistake you as his girlfriend by the way he's staring at you. Or was it just me? You know, sometimes I get too observant that I'm probably just exaggerating things." Eunji shrugged and sat on her chair. "Don't worry about it, though; you said it yourself that you're both just friends."

"Oh my god, I almost forgot that I have an assignment due tomorrow. I should've swung by the library after my afternoon class instead of going to the coffee shop with you guys earlier." Her roommate panicked and checked her schedule for tomorrow. She let out a relieved sigh and laughed foolishly, "I'm saved. The deadline is still at dusk, and I have two hours vacant tomorrow, so I can still cram my essay."

On the other hand, Naeun chose to stay silent and not share the story of being with Taemin at the library earlier before they went to the coffee shop to avoid further suspicion from her roommate.

Naeun rolled and tossed on her bed and sighed. To think of it, it was the first time that someone asked if there was more to her and Taemin's friendship, and somehow, for unknown reasons, it made her awkward. She couldn't blame Eunji either, as she knew that the girl was just genuinely curious and did not mean any harm.

Now that she's overthinking, she looked back at the things she did with Taemin and now questioned herself if they were something that a normal girl-and-boy best friend would do.

Gripping her hair frustratingly, she resisted the urge to scream to not wake Eunji up and instead hid under her blanket.

Why does it affect her so much?

Coming out of the blanket, she huffed, shut her eyes tightly, and forced herself to sleep despite the lingering questions inside her head.

 Naeun was glancing at her wrist watch from time to time to make sure that she wasn't running late for her first class. She had just passed by the dormitory buildings when she suddenly felt a hand on her wrist. She was ready to throw a punch when she realized that it was none other than Taemin, her best friend, who was the main reason she was sleep-deprived.

He was grinning very brightly at her, but for the first time, she couldn't smile back.

"Are you going for your first class?" He then placed one of his arms around her shoulder, just like he always does. Because they're best friends.

Naeun visibly stiffened at the action and was afraid that someone from his or her friend group might see them. She answered him very curtly.

"Yeah." Not having the heart to shrug his hands off her, she decided to fasten her pace instead.

"Me too! Let's just go together," Taemin said, trying to keep up with her.

While walking, the silence didn't go unnoticed by him, and he wasn't used to her quietness. Taking a closer look, he placed a hand on her small back and asked with worry laced in his tone. "Are you okay, Naeun-ah? You're unusually quiet today. Something's going on?"

Glancing at him only to avert her gaze back within a second, she lied, "Of course. I guess I'm just in no mood to talk." Naeun hated herself for lying to her best friend. She didn't even know why she was suddenly feeling that way towards him—as if her roommate's question took a toll on her.

Taemin doesn't believe her, but he didn't push her to open up. It must've been something personal for Naeun that she couldn't share with him just yet. Besides, Taemin trusts her to tell him when she has to, and he's going to be more than willing to listen.

Before parting ways, he took his shot at asking her to have lunch with him later, but it was no luck.

"I'll see if I'm not too busy," Naeun said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She finally went to her classroom, leaving Taemin feeling uneasy with the cold shoulder treatment she was suddenly giving him.

As he was turning around so he could go to his own class, he bumped into someone. With full alertness, he managed to catch the girl from falling and felt as if his heart dropped.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He asked the girl with an apologetic look written in his face. His hand stayed on her waist while the other was holding her wrist.

The girl continued to look at him in surprise as she processed the situation. Clearing , she left his touch and properly stood up. With her face flushed, she answered in a small voice, "I'm fine. Thank you."

Her cheeks reddened even more when Taemin smiled at her. She couldn't make it if it was due to embarrassment about what just happened or because she thought he looked handsome.

She thought Taemin looked handsome.

Mentally slapping herself, she tried to erase her thoughts. Her eyes found Taemin's once again when he spoke.

"I'm actually running late for my first class, so I'll get going. I'm really sorry for bumping into you; I hope you're alright."

"Y-yes, please don't worry about me." She stuttered and lowered her head, feeling as though she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. He mumbled a brief goodbye and started walking away, and that was the only moment she could raise her head to follow his movements and to look his way unafraid until he finally vanished out of her line of sight. With her cheeks still hot, she tried to get a hold of herself and entered her own classroom.

Naeun has probably sighed a hundred times already. She was so distracted by reasons she couldn't even understand and was acting unlikely. She didn't even properly understand what the professor had just discussed with them.

She was staring into nothingness when her roommate's voice started to linger inside her head.

"It's just that you guys look at each other differently."

Does she really look at Taemin differently? Does Taemin not look at others the same way he does at her?

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