Jaebeom looked out of the window, letting all the other noises in the classroom drown. He watched a tiny little droplet struggle to make its way downwards, while the other bigger ones simply dropped, joining with more and becoming larger. He must have watched dozens of drops race, and yet his mind wasn't focused on it. Simply, all he thought about was her. Her increasingly melancholic state. And yet, sometimes, he would see her smile a genuine one and it would lift his spirits. Throughout the day, she would be quiet, except for lunch where he saw her force herself to interact with him and Ri.

He hated it, seeing her sad. Yet at the end of the day, he would see her perk up when Jiyong would walk with them, only to be down when he heads straight to the mart, meeting up with the woman who he had his eyes on.

Yet Jaebeom couldn't understand it, how something so trivial could break her apart.

He was still in deep thought when a soft whisper came his way.

"Yah, Park Jaebeom!" it whispered - her voice, so crisp and clear even in his head.

Yes, Princess?, he thought before he heard it again. "Psst! Jaebeom-ah!"

Only the harsh flick on his arm woke him from his slumber as he glared at his seatmate, who then turned to Chae Rin who turned into their annoyed teacher, Ms. Jeo.

"Busted~" Ri's voice dropped with half delight and half worry. Surprisingly, he and the Annoying One had become close friend, mostly because of the quiet that laid heavily nowadays.  

"You alright?" Chae Rin looked at him,, eyes with worry. On other days, he would have been ecstatic for her to even talk with him, but the look she had in her eyes told him that she saw right through him and went straight into the only sight that could give her that expression.

"Yeah, but you're not," he said before taking her hand and walking away. Despite his usual shyness around her, over the past few weeks, a desperation grew in his heart, similar to the hole that expanded in hers. And he swore to himself that even if he couldn't fix him, he would try to fix her.

Jiyong saw his princess and the boy who adores her in front of the washroom, making him wonder. Where was his brother? Oh, right, of course, he was probably inside and they were simply waiting for him. Glancing at Chae Rin to flash her a smile, he felt his jaw drop at her expression - a look of utter brokenness on her eyes as her lips, though he was not sure if he was right at what he saw, quivered. The kid stepped in front of her, blocking Jiyong's view. He felt his arm raise itself, clutching the air in front as they walked away, one dragging the other, feet shuffling as if fleeing the scene.

He watched the two disappear from view, rooted to the spot while the beautiful woman beside her smiled softly, away from his eyes.

"You alright, Jiyong-haksaeng?" She wondered before glancing at the two, a playful smile on her face.

"I.. Yeah.. sure," he mumbled before following her to meet up with Junsu and the other people who she tutored during lunch.

Did something happen? Is she alright? Was Seungri dying inside that washroom? He didn't know. All he knew was that whatever it was, it was something bad. And something he needed to know.

The bathroom door swung open, and a short "WHAT THE- " was heard before Jiyong drowned out the rest of the voices around him, walking aimlessly in deep thought.

"Where the hell did they gooo?!!!"

"Spill it," Jaebeom said in such a forceful tone, it surprised her.

"S-spill what?" She found herself stammering, avoiding her eyes. She had always been good at confrontations, but this was the one thing she wasn't even willing to confront herself with.

"You know precisely what," Jaebeom said as he sat down on the staircase.  She watched him sigh before hiding his face in between the palm of his hands.

"I do," she muttered and sat beside him, bringing her knees close to her chest before hugging them. "But what's the point? You already know it. Ri already knows it.. Saying it would just - "

"Would get a hell of  a lot off your chest. We're your friends for a reason, you know?" his voice dropped, Chae Rin watched him steal a glance at her.

"I know but I didn't want to bother you guys, especially you."

"Because you think I'd get jealous?"  The question stumped her, yet she nodded. A heavy silence laying itself between them.

"Aren't you?" She asked in a small voice before resting her chin on top of her knees.

"A little, but that doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because you matter more." She felt catch at his statement, the truth dripping from his voice. How could he do that, she wondered, love her like she loved him when not once before this year she paid real attention to Jay?

The princess couldn't help but feel warmth in her heart despite the cold that frequented it. "Thank you," she said, flashing a smile at the boy before her. Wouldn't it be wonderful? If she could love someone who actually loved her back?

"Hey.. How about I tell you all about it later? At the park." She smiled, though there was  a hint of pain in it because she knew he wouldn't be there, since she was here.  "I won't even bring Ri."

"So it's a date then?" the words slipped off Jaebeom's mind, making him blush madly. She laughed and shrugged, finally a playful expression on her face - something that resembled the happy and witty girl he had grown to adore.

"Maybe. Are you buying me food?"

"Always."

"Don't you quote Snape on me, boy."

"Always always always!" he screamed before sharing another  match of laughter with her.