Baekhyun sat at the lunch table, his legs shoved under the low table. Then, unexpectedly he scowled at it, wondering why anyone would want a table so low that made his knees knock against it. He glanced over at the taller Chanyeol and Sehun. Begrudgingly, he thought they had it worse. Sighing, he leaned back, eyes glancing at the two.

“Does anyone know where Jongin and Suho are?” he asked. He looked around at the crowded building. Students were eating and moving around, but he didn’t see either of them.

Kyungsoo shrugged, picking up part of his sandwich and start chewing.

“I don’t know. I mean, don’t we usually met right here? It’s not like he couldn’t find us.” He answered without looking at Baekhyun.

 Chanyeol pulled away from his conversation with Sehun. Baekhyun saw Chanyeol’s proud smile and almost malicious gleam in his eyes. He rolled his eyes. They were probably arguing over something stupid and Chanyeol won. Or rather, thought he won.

“Do you really think Suho is going to show up today? It’s been almost a week since he attended his last class. I never thought it would be this easy to ditch classes. I thought our teacher would hunt us down if we skip classes intentionally. So, it’s not what I’m thinking?” Chanyeol asked curiously.

Baekhyun frowned. Suho had not been showing up for classes at all lately, much less the cafe. Baekhyun wondered if it had to do with Suho’s breakup. From the little bit Jongin had told him, it had been a painful one. That’s the only thing Jongin had told him after he met Suho. He wasn’t sure what Jongin had told the rest of the club members though. Unsure of what to say, Baekhyun kept quiet instead of replying to Chanyeol.

“Jongin said he might,” Sehun said. He grinned, shaking his head. “But everyone knows he’s the last person to be relied upon when it comes to Suho.”

“True,” Chanyeol said thoughtfully. He drummed his fingers upon the table. “But you would think Suho would show up soon! I mean, he’s been missing for a while now. Seriously, what happened to Suho hyung?!”

“He’s probably busy with assignments and thesis. Something that requires him to be away from indoor classes, most probably.” Kyungsoo assumed, quietly finishing the rest of his food. “It’s not unusual for one of use to skip lunch to get caught up.”

“But for this long?” Sehun said.

So, they didn’t know anything about what had happened to the club’s president, yet. Baekhyun only realised that now, based on the way they assumed things. Baekhyun felt like he had to agree with Sehun. It had been a long time, was Suho truly alright? Jongin had said he had talked to him. He said that Suho would be fine. However, Suho had yet to make any kind of appearance. How badly did that go?

“He’ll show up when he shows up,” Chanyeol finally said, drawing Baekhyun’s attention back into the conversation. “But I hope he realizes he can’t just leave us all alone like that without consequences. I mean, he’s our leader. Isn’t he?”

Baekhyun scoffed in sync with Kyungsoo. “What kind of consequences are you thinking of?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol might be the tallest in the club, but he was almost never the one to inflict “punishment” on anyone. That was Kyungsoo’s job. He glanced over at his friend. He didn’t seem too concerned with Suho’s absence, more annoyed than anything else.

“I’m thinking that-” Chanyeol cut himself off. Craning his neck, he rose halfway out of his seat to see something over Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Hey, isn’t that Eunmi?”

Baekhyun turned around. Around him, he felt his friends doing the same. They watched as the newest member of the photography club walked into the cafeteria. She walked slowly, her feet dragging on the floor. Baekhyun frowned. Did something happen to Eunmi, too? She was usually so much happier than this. But, ever since Suho sudden disappearance, Eunmi didn’t seemed that well either. Yes, Baekhyun noticed that.

“Eunmi!” Chanyeol called out. He stood up and waved. Eunmi glanced around her before seeing them tucked away behind a few other tables. She waved, offering a small smile. Chanyeol waved enthusiastically back. “Come join us!”

Eunmi’s eyes widened. She took a few, hesitant steps towards them, then froze. “No, no,” she said. “It’s fine, I’m just here to….” she trailed off. 

Baekhyun noticed how hesitant she seemed to join them. He was about to say something when Chanyeol beat him to it.

“Have you eaten yet Eunmi?” Chanyeol asked, he stood up and pulled over a chair for her. “Why don’t you sit with us?”

 Eunmi was hesitated for second, and then smiled at him.

“I’d love to, Chanyeol,” she said.

She didn’t get to eat breakfast that Yoonmi prepared this morning because she was too ashamed of herself. Her cold behaviour towards Yoonmi made her felt guilty even more. She really wanted to apologise, but then another thought struck her hard. Eunmi eventually came up with a determined resolution. A determined resolution to not to apologise until she is hundred percent sure Yoonmi wasn’t the one in Suho’s heart and Yoonmi wasn’t hiding anything from her. That’s it.

Taking the chair he offered her, Eunmi sat down. She took a deep breath. She had not wanted to run into any of them yet. In fact, she had been trying her hardest to avoid them along with Yoonmi. However, she didn’t have the heart to refuse Chanyeol. He’d been so earnest in his attempts to get her to sit down. Maybe someone liked her after all.

“Anyway,” Sehun continued, picking up the thread of their conversation. “The club has absolutely no rules about punishing those who are absent for a time. Suho probably has a reason for staying away….” he sighed. “But I hope it’s a good one, because I’m not sure I’ll accept anything else.”

Eunmi shrank into her seat as she realized who they were talking about. She bit her lip as the boys complained about Suho’s disappearance. Her argument with Suho was still fresh on her mind. It was like an open wound that refused to heal. No matter what she did, it kept hurting and hurting. She shivered. Eunmi truly hoped that Suho would not be joining their table. She had thought of that when she sat down, but refusing Chanyeol’s offer would have been horrifically rude.

Besides, Eunmi thought glumly to herself.

‘None of them were involved in our argument….just me and Suho. Oh God, what did I do?’ Her mind kept replaying the argument over and over again.

Was she selfish like Suho said? She shook her head forcefully. A fresh throb of pain stabbed Eunmi’s heart. Even if Suho Sunbae loves that one girl whom Eunmi eagerly need to know who, instead of her. Eunmi’s eyes dropped her to lap. At the very least, she felt very guilty over having lost her composure and yelling at Suho. Maybe his sudden absence had more to do with her than any of the others could guess. Maybe Suho wasn’t there because he was still angry with her. Eunmi felt bitter and responsible for the whole thing.

Even when she felt like Suho had been playing with her feelings and hurt her so badly; she never wanted anything bad to happen to him. Yoonmi too, she didn’t even get to confirm whether she’s the one in Suho heart or not, but she already treated her coldly. And she already felt horribly guilty for her own behaviour. Yoonmi, her only sister she had in this world. No matter what happened, she didn’t want to see anything bad happen to either of them. She closed her eyes, wondering if she could wish her pain away. She loved them; Yoonmi and Suho both in different ways.

She hoped Suho wouldn’t stay away because of her. Please don’t.

“Jongin said he met with him, and that he had resolved the problem. Suho should be coming anytime now.” Kyungsoo spoke calmly.

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t owe us some sort of an explanation!” Sehun said. “He’s the president and he just left without a word to anyone. I mean, what is actually happened?”

Eunmi didn’t dare look up at any of them. She felt if she did, they would somehow be able to tell she was responsible for it all. That she had cause Suho to stay away with her angry words. Eunmi bit her tongue. She wouldn’t tell them anything. If Suho hadn’t, neither would she. Eunmi would not embarrass herself in that way. She sat quietly at the table, listening to them chat.

“Oh look,” Baekhyun interrupted her train of thought. “There’s Jongin.” He stood up and waved the tall, darker skinned boy over. Jongin gracefully walked over to them, holding two trays of food in his hands. One he placed in front of an empty seat, the other he put in front of Eunmi. She glanced up at him in surprise. He winked at her playfully before he sat down.

“I just noticed you didn’t have any food,” Jongin said easily, trying to make his voice sound natural and not strained. “I thought I’d save you the trip.”

Eunmi whispered her thanks. She raised a hand to her cheek, hoping that it wasn’t flushed from thinking about Suho. Her skin felt warm under her fingertips. Eunmi resisted the urge to sigh and instead smiled at Jongin before beginning to eat.

“You’re as charming as ever,” Baekhyun said sarcastically. “Do you know where Suho went to? I know you talked with him last.”

Jongin shrugged. “That was a few days ago,” he admitted. An odd sense of discomfort slipped into his chest. He shifted on his seat. He didn’t like lying to his friends….but he supposed he hadn’t lied so far. He had only chosen to not tell them about what Suho and he had talked about that night. Jongin looked up at Eunmi. The girl sat very still, her pretty eyes resting on the plate in front of her.

“A few days ago?” Chanyeol echoed. “And he hasn’t talked to you since then?” Jongin nodded, but didn’t look at him. His slanted eyes were still trained on Eunmi. As they continued to pester Jongin about Suho, he studied her. His mind flashed back his harsh meeting with Suho.

 

“Isn’t it ironic?” Suho had said bitterly, his eyes angry and hurt as they glared at Jongin. “Eunmi is Yoonmi’s twin and I didn’t know. I couldn’t even guess. Who could? They are fraternal twins after all. I was too consumed with Yoonmi to even notice that. I didn’t notice that Eunmi liked me either.”

Jongin took a cautious step forward. Suho still smelled of alcohol. Even if he hadn’t been drinking recently, the smell of it still clouded the air around him and clung to his clothes. Jongin tried not to stare at Suho’s sunken cheeks or sharp cheekbones. It wasn’t a look that matched the Suho he knew at all. He looked haggard and beaten down. Jongin didn’t know that Eunmi was related to Yoonmi, much less that they were twins. Now that he thought about, he wanted to smack himself for not realizing it. He too had seen the pictures in the book that Yoonmi had dropped. Why hadn’t he recognized Eunmi?

Slowly, Jongin remembered pieces of what Suho had told him about Yoonmi’s journal. He remembered how she had hated winter because of what had happened to the one she loved most… could that person have been Eunmi?

“Suho hyung?” he asked. Suho stood in the middle floor, still and silent. It was unnerving for Jongin.

“Yoonmi broke up with me because she said she could never hurt her sister. Can you believe it Jongin? She loves Eunmi so much she’s willing to throw away her own feelings to ensure her sister is happy. She was willing to throw me away in a heartbeat. Tell me Jongin, how is that fair to anyone? Do I really mean nothing to her...?”

 

“Hello Jongin?” Sehun cut into Jongin’s memories. Jongin pulled himself away from his thoughts. Belatedly, he realized he’d lost the train of conversation. It did not seem to matter to the others though. They were still talking amongst themselves.

“Hey, why do we keep asking Jongin about how Suho’s feeling? All they ever do is arguing anyway!” Chanyeol said.

“That’s true,” Baekhyun agreed, nodding his head.

Jongin sighed and began eating his own meal. Even though he ate relatively quickly, he did not taste any of the food. It felt dry in his mouth as he continued to peer over at Eunmi. Was it really fair to her that Suho and Yoonmi kept their relationship a secret from her? Even if it was over, even if it meant that Eunmi had her heartbroken, wasn’t it better to tell the truth? Wouldn’t that help things return to normal? Jongin was never one to keep things hidden for too long. He felt that if they would not do it, then it would be up to him.

“Besides,” Kyungsoo chimed in. “It’s not like Jongin is able to watch over Suho’s actions all day every day. If he did, maybe the club would be run better.”

Jongin ignored the dig. Sehun did not. “Yah!” the other boy cried, throwing a napkin at Kyungsoo. “What’s that supposed mean? That we should trust this crazy kid to run everything? Our photos would be horrible then! He’s not even part of our club!”

“Like you’re one to talk about bad photography,” Baekhyun teased, sticking the edge of his tongue out. Chanyeol gasped dramatically. Grabbing his chest, he pretended to fall over as if wounded.

“What are you so upset up?” Baekhyun demanded. “I’m insulting Sehun!”

Chanyeol sat up and pushed his empty tray out of his way. “Oh I know,” he said. “But Sehun isn’t clever enough to retaliate well.”

As all four of them leapt into a joking argument over whose photos were the best and who would be the best president of the club, Eunmi sat quietly. As she silently ate her food, she felt Jongin’s eyes on her. He kept his gaze trained on her no matter what the others were doing. It made her feel uneasy, like he knew what had happened. A gasp died in . Didn’t they say that Jongin had talked to Suho last? What if Suho told him about their argument? She pushed her tray away from her. Her appetite was gone. What if Jongin hated her too?

“And I would make a great president because-”

“Eunmi,” Jongin said loudly as he interrupted Chanyeol’s speech. “Would you follow out of the cafeteria? I need to speak with you.” Baekhyun’s mouth began to open.

“Alone,” Jongin said louder.

Eunmi’s fingers clenched themselves into a fist on her lap. She stared across the table at Jongin with wide eyes. Around her, she heard the table fall silent. What did Jongin want with her?

“Why?” she finally managed to ask. Jongin shook his head.

“I’ll tell you when we’re alone,” he said.

Not wanting to make a scene, Eunmi nervously nodded. “Su-sure,” she said, trying to force a smile.

Relieved that she had agreed to easily, Jongin stood up to lead her away from the others. The sooner Eunmi knew the truth, the better. Jongin waited until Eunmi had stood up. Then he began leading her away from the table and out of the crowded cafeteria. Eunmi felt very self conscious standing next to the taller boy. She had no idea what he wanted with her. A burning sense of uneasiness coiled in the pit of her stomach. She had a horrible feeling about this. Just as they reached the doors, Jongin suddenly stopped. He grabbed Eunmi’s elbow, forcing her to slow down. Eunmi opened to ask him what was going on. Then, before she could, she saw for herself.

Suho stood before them. Or at least, she thought this was Suho. Eunmi’s eyes flew open. Gone were Suho’s sweaters and crisp collars. Gone were his polished shoes and carefully combed hair. The small bowties he occasionally wore were nowhere in sight. Instead, Suho had replaced his composed, peaceful look with something else entirely. He wore a black leather vest over a long sleeved shirt. Emblazed on the front of his chest was a large, shining design that reminded Eunmi of a fiery sun. His black jeans were ripped at the knees, chains swinging from his hips. Eunmi felt a blush rising to her cheeks at the sight of him.

He looked….so masculine and daring.

Feeling very self conscious now, Eunmi looked around frantically in hopes of finding an escape route. Even now the sight of Suho made her heart ache with unbearable pain. How was she to face him? How could she face him when she suspected he was hiding something from her? Before her pained and jumbled thoughts would allow her to run, Suho spoke.

“Hello Jongin,” he said cheerfully. “Eunmi.”

Her name rolled off his tongue with ease. Shocked, Eunmi could only stare him. Beside her, she felt Jongin stiffen. Jongin took a quick glance towards Eunmi, wondering how she would react to Suho’s sudden appearance. Her eyes were like those of someone who's just fallen in love, someone who sees nothing but her lover, someone who has no fear of anything.

“Suho hyung...what’s going on?” He could not believe what he was seeing. Suho never wore clothes like this. It wasn’t his style or in his comfort zone. He didn’t even know Suho had clothes like that. He must have gone out and bought them. But, why? Jongin questioned. He carefully examined Suho’s face. His cheeks were still a little hollow, but gone were his red eyes and jutting cheekbones.

“Nothing much,” Suho replied.

Jongin’s eyes narrowed slightly. Was he not going to mention his break up at all? Suho’s eyes slide down to where Jongin still had a hand around Eunmi’s arm.     

“Where are you going, Eunmi?” He asked.

Before Jongin could insist that they were just about to leave, Suho moved forward and took Eunmi’s free hand in his. Jongin felt his hold on her elbow slip as his friend practically dragged Eunmi back to the table. Her feet fly along the floor to keep up with Suho’s hurried pace. Yet even as he pulled her forward, Jongin could see hope on her face.

“Suho hyung? Is that you?” Baekhyun cried in disbelief, mouth widely agape in shock.

“Oh my God, what happened?!” Chanyeol asked. Almost at the time same time, Sehun demanded to know what had happened to his clothes.

“What are you? An alien rock star?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened.

“Did something happen to all of your old ones?” he asked, his face looking astonished. “Did someone brainwash you?” This time, it was Sehun.

Suho smiled. He sat down at the table, pulling Eunmi into the seat next to him. He laughed quietly at their bombardment of questions. He looked unexplainably calm and composed, as if nothing had happened to him for the past few weeks. It made Jongin feel even more tense.

“It’s just me,” he said. “I just needed a few days to decide some things. Part of that was the decision to try out a new look.” He flashed Eunmi a grin as he casually tightened his grip around her hand before letting it go. She could only sit beside in shock. What had happened to him?

“No I wasn’t brainwashed Sehun,” Suho continued calmly. “And I wasn’t kidnapped by rock star aliens either.” He glanced down at Eunmi’s hands as they rested on the table. As he continued to answer his friends’ storm of questions, he moved his hand so he could gently her arm. When she started, he only smiled and gave her a reassuring pat.

Eunmi felt heat rising to her cheeks. Why is he doing this? She wondered. He had been so angry with her before. What had changed? Suho’s casual skinship did not go unnoticed. The others at the table watched as his arm remained on Eunmi’s.  Jongin’s gaze fixated on them in suspicion. He cursed Suho for interrupting his meeting with Eunmi. He had been so close to fixing the mess her sister and Suho had created. Jongin began to scowl slightly as Suho tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear.

He glanced over Suho’s edgier, darker clothes.

Something was off.

Something was wrong.

Something was- Jongin’s scowl deepened.

“Okay, everyone!” Suho said loudly, ending the stream of questions. He turned to Eunmi, taking her hand in his. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it like this, but I realized maybe this is better. First of all, I’m sorry for the sudden disappearance, I’m back anyway so screw that.”

Suho paused, clearing his throat before he continued.

“Second, I wanted all of you guys to be a witness to this moment between Eunmi and me.” His smile grew wider.

“I’m going to get revenge on her for breaking my heart!” Jongin suddenly recalled the words that Suho said to him a few days ago. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. That uncomfortable feeling was spreading over him again. Jongin thought he knows what’s going to happen next. Something that he wished Suho wouldn’t do.

“Jung Eunmi, will you be my girlfriend?”

Jongin’s head jerked up in shock. Warning lights went off his head. An anxious, tight feeling curled in chest, forcing him to realize how badly this was going to be. He watched helplessly as Suho turned to face the surprised Eunmi. Something inside Jongin sank at the sight of Suho’s smile, and he suddenly felt defeated.

Suho eventually did it.

Suho actually did it.

As he watched Eunmi’s face light up with joy, Jongin felt sick. His feelings all tumbled and mixed together like a stew of varied ingredients tossed into the same pot. He was aware of the blood coursing through his veins, the beat of his heart, the breath in his lungs.

Revenge is only for the weak! Jongin never thought Suho was this weak when it comes to love. Suho was full of hatred...of his own weakness and stupidity, of the stubbornness and his pride. And last of all, the love and hatred of Yoonmi and Suho, who had started it all. But the hatred swayed to pity, then to hopelessness. Then back to anger.

Jongin stared back at the smiling Suho, as well as his other friends; Sehun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. They must be in great shock with Suho’s sudden confession towards Eunmi, just like him.

Jongin’s heart whispered desperately.

‘This is all a part of your revenge isn’t it, Suho hyung?’