One month later

Jiyoon lightly knitted her brows. Her best friend was miffed that her senior oppa wasn’t coming online again. But from all accounts, she doubted that he would be able to stay offline for that long, he was a gamer after all. And from Gayoon said, he did come online very often. It was strange. It very well could be a ban, but she doubted it, any parent keen of banning should have forbidden it in the first place, especially the gaming part. It could be a punishment, but no one punishes at the start of the school year. Plus he did seem to be able to balance his school commitments with his online life. But Jiyoon thought that it was likelier that Gayoon slipped up and showed a tad too much interest in that senior oppa boy…which probably resulted in him attempting to disappear from her life. Not a bad way, she had to admit, because Gayoon will never find out why he disappeared, and he doesn’t need to break her heart by rejecting her either. She could probably see herself doing the same thing in a similar situation. Jiyoon snorted. Not that she would be in that situation anyway. It would be so much easier to ask him directly instead of merely hypothesizing. Jiyoon groaned inwardly, she should have accepted when he wanted to know her. She had many times attempted to put it aside, but it wouldn’t stop bugging her, almost as if, if she didn’t resolve this, she would be losing something together with the fading of this whole incident from memory. Pursing her lips, Jiyoon opened the folder with all her download files, searching for the screenshots that Gayoon always sent her. There was no way that girl could send Jiyoon so many screenshots without giving her something to work on.

“Found you.” Jiyoon smirked. But now what? After some hesitation, she decided to take the plunge, who cares if she told him beforehand that she couldn’t talk to strangers online.

Jiyoon tapped her nails on the table impatiently, periodically glancing up from her work, expecting something to happen.

Notification: Contact request accepted by kyu♣.

kyu♣connected

“As expected. Avoiding her.” Jiyoon smiled knowingly.

kyu♣: Hello.

kyu♣: Your screenname looks familiar. Have we been acquainted prior?

JI✭: I think you would know who I am.

kyu♣: Your email looks highly random to me.

JI✭: Think harder.

kyu♣: Jiyoon?

kyu♣: Gayoon’s best friend?

JI✭: Indeed, you have hit the nail on the head.

kyu♣: I thought you were not allowed to talk to strangers?
JI✭: That might be true, but in some instances, I choose to exercise discretion.

JI✭: In instances like these.

kyu♣: Won’t you get into trouble?

JI✭: I can only hope not.

kyu♣: Why the sudden contact request?

JI✭: I think you should know the answer to the question best.

kyu♣: Regarding Gayoon?

JI✭: Took the words out of my mouth.

JI✭: