Thanks to your sent love from the past chapter guys! I really appreciate it!! :))

Journey 17

Jinri took one sneaky steps at a time, trying not to get herself heard. When she reached the door, she slowly went outside, closing it behind her. Then, she arched her head forward and peeked on the tiny peephole. The scene inside the room made her giggle feverishly. It was really nice seeing him perturbed from a situation even just for a while.

Suddenly, a hand firmly clamped and dragged her away from the door. She tried to scream but the power of this man was too heavy to conquer for her. She felt herself being led outside the school grounds where flurries of the first white snow of the year dropped gently on her face. Snow. *It's so beautiful* she gasped.

The hand released her, she gasped for air, and turned to her abductor which showed the grinning face of Chanyeol.

"Why do you have to drag me outside like some creepy stalker? And how did you manage to enter here?" she grumbled.
"Let's leave him there, come with me." Chanyeol answered, avoiding Jinri's questions.
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know... but it's our first snow together so let's do something fun." Then he grabbed Jinri's hand and tugged her away from university's walls.
 

5 hours ago...
 

"I can't believe he deducted points just because I've misspelled streynger!" Amber complained loudly, checking her finals papers.
"He's supposed to cross that one out since it's our finals and the subject's English, Amber." Luna pointed.

They entered the cafeteria to have some lunch before their next exam. Amber grabbed her tray and continued grumbling under her breath while Luna kept on making her points clear to her friend. On the other hand, Jinri stayed peaceful and stress-free. In fact, she was excited because the weather forecast last night announced that today would be the first fall of snow of the year.

Some people see snow as a symbol of misery and loneliness but Jinri thought otherwise. She always likes snow for a reason that no one would be able to understand.

"But to tell you the truth, you've been very distracted lately." Luna commented as they set themselves down on their favorite table.

Amber looked away from Luna and dug a spoonful of rice on .

"Welv youv arf tuw" she answered through her moutful.
"What?" Luna prompted.

Amber swallowed her food and coughed.

"I said, 'well you are too'." she repeated.
"Ahh -" Luna started but got distracted immediately. She tensed up and hid her face as Kyungsoo approached their table and joined the girls.
"Hiya!" he greeted, sitting beside Luna.
"Hey." Jinri greeted casually, turning her attention to her food.
"Wow! I don't know that they're preparing Chinese here now." Kyungsoo noted, looking at Luna's orange chicken.
"Um.." 
"Can I have some?" he asked, showing Luna his trademark smile that only Chanyeol knew as flirting.
"Sure." Luna mumbled, pushing her lunch timidly towards Kyungsoo.

Amber looked from Kyungsoo to Luna then back to her food again. While Kyungsoo shared Luna's food and Jinri was busy with her own food, a shy freshman girl approached their table and asked for Amber.

"A-amber?" she said nervously.

Amber snapped her head to the little girl and growled.

"Not now." she hissed.

Luna and Jinri stared at Amber, not believing her words. Sure, they're perfectly aware that Amber's a girl and she hates attention coming from girls too but they also know that Amber really tried her best to be polite with her admirers. They never heard her snap at her fans, well... not until now.

The girl looked thunderstruck from Amber's harsh response and walked away with her nose in the air. Amber sulkily went back to her food, losing her appetite.

"I'm done." she said, pushing her chair and walking out of their table.
"Amber!" Luna called but her friend was already gone.
"What's wrong with her?" Jinri turned to Luna who shrugged in return.
"Ah sweet molly! I'm sorry ladies, but I need to go. I almost forgot our club's meeting. See you later!" Kyungsoo waved, and ran outside the cafeteria too.
"Look at that barbaric man! After he ate your lunch he'll just run away like nothing happened. Tsk. Here Luna, you can eat mine." Jinri said, looking at Luna's now empty plate and pushing hers to the latter.
"No, it's fine Jinri." Luna grinned, blushing. Hesitating.

Jinri tilted her head curiously.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked.
"Mmm.... yes? Kind of... But, I'm actually shy..."
"Come on, we're friends." Jinri winked, leaning herself forward so only she can hear Luna's words.

Luna seemed more interested on her nails than to Jinri and did not respond immediately. Jinri waited until Luna gathered his courage to speak.

"Okay. But won't laugh at me, promise?"
"I promise." Jinri assured.
"Jinri... I kind of - no - I really like Kyungsoo." 

Jinri's mout fell wide-open from Luna's confession. She can't laugh. She just can't. Because the news was extremely shocking for her.

"Oh my God!" Jinri squealed.

Luna quickly pressed a finger on Jinri's mouth and pleaded through her eyes.

"It's been a while, actually. He's the reason why I don't accept any of my suitors. You know, because I kind of hoped that he'll notice me." she continued.
"So he's also the reason why you keep on joining competitions? So he can notice you?"

Luna nodded. Then her eyes lightened up as she remembered something.

"Do you remember that time when we jammed together? I can't believe that he'll actually talk to me and sing in front of me too!" she said excitedly, her eyes shining. It was clear to Jinri that Luna had no one to confide her feelings to. Now that she started confessing it to her, Luna seemed unstoppable in her stories.

"...then he asked my number, and I gave it to him. From then on we always text each other late at night -"
"Wait - you two are textmates? How come I don't know that!" Jinri interrupted.
"- and that's why we ended up with a guitar lesson last time." Luna ended, brushing Jinri's comments away.

Jinri felt like she missed a part of her world from Luna's confession. She had been so focused on her constant struggles with Chanyeol and Joonmyeon that she never paid attention on her friends' concerns. As a matter of fact, she can't remember a day when she asked any of her friends about their love interests because she's just not that into topics like that.

"I'm sorry Luna. How long have you been keeping this to yourself?" Jinri said sadly. "I should have been there for you."

Luna's face fell and hold Jinri's hands.

"You did nothing wrong Jinri. Besides, it's my decision to keep it to myself this whole time."

After lunch, Luna bid goodbye to Jinri towards her next exam. Meanwhile, Jinri proceeded on her own wherein she shared the same class with Amber. 

She found her friend sulking alone at one corner of the room. She went her way towards her and sat on a vacant seat beside Amber.

"Hey." she greeted.

Amber turned to her and nodded, then went back to dull trance.

"What's wrong with you earlier?" Jinri asked.

Amber sighed and banged a fist on her head.

"I don't know myself Jinri. I'm just so confused!" she burst.
"O-kay.... do you want to talk about it?" Jinri asked.

Amber let another sigh and nodded.

"I just don't think that I'm being fair, you know that? And I definitely think that I shouldn't be feeling it too."
"What?"
"Me... getting jealous of Luna." Amber mumbled quietly, dropping her gaze down to her shoes.

Jinri felt another thunderblow from within her. Another friend's confession and she's not aware of it again???

"Because???" she prompted.
"Because Luna and Kyungsoo are getting really close together." Amber groaned and buried her face on the table. "I mean, I shouldn't be really feeling it because Luna's my friend, but Kyungsoo seemed to like her. And I don't have the courage to ask Luna if she likes Kyungsoo too...."

Jinri started becoming uncomfortable on the situation. It was her first time talking with her friends about their own love interests and by a graceful blessing of coincidence it so happens that her two friends both like her best friend. And now she's in the middle of the two, knowing two secrets she can't spill to both of them.

*Oh Kyungsoo! What kind of trick did you do to these girls????* Jinri silently thought.

"And when Kyungsoo sat beside Luna earlier and openly flirted in front of me, my heart just wants to burst."

It was official. Jinri was definitely feeling awkward. Thankfully, their professor came in and started distributing their term papers that she was saved from saying anything to Amber.

* * *

After a moment of contemplation, Jinri decided to just leave Amber and Luna alone on themselves because even to herself she can't stand to be with either of them. She texted Joonmyeon and asked how was his exam, but the latter seemed to be still taking his tests because he's not replying to her.

"Jinri!"

Jinri turned around and saw Victoria waving at her from a distance. She waved back and waited for Victoria to catch up.

"Hi eonnie." she said when Victoria finally reached her. She noticed Victoria's unusual radiance in her smile and a blush on her cheeks that made her wonder what happened. "You look happy." she commented.

Victoria slung an arm around Jinri's left arm and laughed.

"Maybe." she answered. "How's your exam?"
"I have my last one in an hour. How about yours?"
"All done."

Victoria led Jinri downstairs until they reached a small room from the farthest corridor of SMA.

"Where are we?"
"To our club's office." Victoria answered, flicking the lights on and revealing all sorts of pictures and weird ornaments that Jinri was not familiar of.
"You mean yours and Kyungsoo's club?" Jinri clarified.
"Oh yes!"  

Victoria grabbed a log book from the table and pen then she handed it to Jinri.

"Don't forget to log in. We like to keep track on our visitors."

Jinri chuckled and flipped it open. The log book was filled with nothing but Victoria and Kyungsoo's name only, she searched the last part of the book's latest page where she wrote her name.

"I'm just curious eonnie. How come you keep yourself here all this time? I mean, aren't you more interested in sports, arts, books and the likes?"

Victoria smiled and took a photo clipped on the wall.

"Look, can you see this black figure at the corner of that picture? We and Kyungsoo researched it and we found out that it's a black lady! A black lady on the middle of SMA Jinri! That's our club's current advocacy: beware of black ladies." Victoria said, swerving from Jinri's question.
"And this one?" she picked a small glass where a small canine tooth lies at the middle. "This is a werewolf's fang."

Jinri peered in the glass and raised her eyebrow. The tooth definitely looked ordinary to her, and she pitied the poor dog which Kyungsoo and Victoria tortured so they can get it's fang.

"Or it can just be an ordinary dog's tooth." Jinri suggested.
"No, it's a werewolf's." Victoria insisted, placing the glass on its shelf and sitting beside Jinri. "See Jinri? This is the reason why I prefer this club rather than joining other ordinary ones. You're a proof that you can't understand my passion, as much as everyone does. Well, except for Kyungsoo."

Jinri chose not to reply while she let Victoria play with her hair.

"Kyungsoo's such a smart man. I really like him." Victoria suddenly said, making Jinri bulged her eyes.
"What is going on with you people???" she demanded, bursting her hiding thought out loud. Then she clamped instantly, wishing she stayed silent.
"Why?" Victoria asked her.

Jinri grinned foolishly at her and laughed nervously.

"Um, it's just that.... um... Kyungsoo's you know, looked oblivious from your feeling?" Jinri side-stepped, hoping Victoria would believe her.
"Oh. I see!" Victoria nodded, all confusion gone from her face. "It's okay. I know he'll notice me in time." she replied.

As if on cue, Kyungsoo entered the scene and to Jinri's dread - he was with Luna. The two of them seemed surprised from Jinri and Victoria's presence so the four of them just stared awkwardly with each other.

"Um... eonnie decided to show me about the werewolf fang..." Jinri said, letting out another nervous laugh.
"Fantastic, isn't?" Kyungsoo grinned, sitting on the couch. "By the way, Vic, she's Luna, Jinri and mine's friend. Luna, she's Vic, my another friend and loyal club member."

Victoria and Luna smiled shyly at each other but Jinri can see the doubts painted on each other's face wherein questions like, 'Is she Kyungsoo's girlfriend?' or  'Does she like Kyungsoo too?' spoke their thoughts.

To make things worse, Amber opened the door who looked surprised at the presence of the girls inside the room.

"Oh - sorry, I thought I'll only find you here..." she told Kyungsoo.
"No, it's okay. Come in Amber, what do you want to talk about?" he asked her.

Amber scratched her head uncomfortably.

"Can't it be private?"
"Okay." Kyungsoo agreed, standing from the couch.
"No - wait! I changed my mind. I'll tell it right now." Amber said.

Everyone waited fro Amber to speak. She looked Kyungsoo straight in the eyes and said with a loud and clear voice,

"Do Kyungsoo, I love you since day one."

If Kyungsoo's round eyes can got any bigger, it did. His eyes were dangerously bulging from his eye scoket after Amber's confession, leaving is mouth hanging wide. Luna looked sadly at her friend, Victoria bit her lip and Jinri buried her face on her palms.

"And it hurts me to see you flirting with Luna every time." Amber continued.

Victoria snapped her head to Luna then back at Amber. Then, she cleared and addressed Amber.

"Hold on a sec - Amber right? You're not the only one who likes Kyungsoo. I like him too since day one." she admitted, letting Kyungsoo's mouth hang another inch.
"A-and me too!" Luna blurted, blushing from head to toe. "Although I don't like him since day one.... I like him since forever."

*Okay. Cheesy line Luna* Jinri silently thought.

She looked at her bestfriend paralyzed from the situation in front of him. Slowly, Jinri tiptoed towards the door and silently closed it behind her. Then she peeked through the peephole and can't stop herself from giggling feverishly. Now it's time to see how Kyungsoo reacts from a love confession.

Present hour

"So where do want us to go?" Jinri asked, following Chanyeol along the street.
"A nice date would be fun." he grinned at the apple of his eye.