Soojung comes out from her cabin after she’s done changing and heads to the main site, and the yellow and red team are almost finished cleaning the main site. She spots Jinri right away and she’s carrying two huge bags full of trash and it seems like she’s having difficulty to carry both of them, so Soojung rushes to her, and tries to grab one of them from her, but Jinri shoves her away with the bag she’s holding in her right hand.

“Jin, you need help.” Soojung says in a matter of fact because Jinri really needs help, and she tries to be nice even though it hurts very bad being called names by her only best friend. She tries to ignore and pretends that she hears nothing from her, but Jinri only responds with a sharp glare that Soojung thinks she might be dead by now if glares could kill. And then Jinri walks past her, and she never thinks that Jinri would ever turn her back against her.

She sighs heavily, her shoulders slump in disappointment because the thing that she afraid the most is slowly coming true. She changes—and that is to be true with her own feelings—and Jinri’s slowly leaving. People don’t stay, she knows, and she might probably don’t mind if it’s someone else, but we’re talking about Jinri here, and Jinri’s really, seriously very important to her. Jinri’s always there, and Soojung can’t remember the day she’s not there and she can’t imagine if Jinri leaves forever.

She looks at Jinri’s back as she’s done throwing the bags away and is now helping Luna, and she’s laughing together with her, and Soojung’s chest feels heavy. There’s like a lump in and she could hardly swallow down her saliva or even to take a breath. Her fingers curl into a fist without she realises, and tears well up in her eyes. Feeling like she doesn’t belong even in the crowd, she walks to the lake and sits on the wooden bridge. She takes off her shoes and lets her feet slightly dip into the lake—it’s cold but the weather’s hot and she likes the contrast very much.

The wind dances between her hair and tickles her cheeks, and the sun shines brightly between the clouds, and suddenly, summer feels like summer even though she could smell she’ll be having problems later on, but what happens today, happens today. She’s tired enough of worrying things, and she thinks that maybe it’s alright to let things flow on their own.

She wonders how she could be this… easy. She thinks it’s because of him—it’s always been him.

It is weird how there’s always someone out of everyone that could change your perception of life—and he manages to do it while everybody can’t—it’s even weird how one decides to not trust on others, but when he comes and indirectly says ‘hey, I’d like to know you, and don’t worry because I’m not a bad guy, and cheer up, this life isn’t that bad, you know?’, she could easily believe in him. Maybe people really have effects on people—except that it only works on certain people.

Jinri—she doesn’t know what to do about her. She’ll apologize, she thinks, but for what? For being real after faking all the feelings she feels all the times before? She’ll apologize for letting her guards down, yes, but she’ll never apologize for the mistake of loving him, even if Jinri dislikes her for that, even if one day Myungsoo realises that she’s just another mistake. She won’t apologize for falling in love because love is a feeling that comes genuinely without any force. If you love, then you love. You can’t pretend it’s not there if it is.

She faintly smiles. How much time has passes? She remembers watching him from a far, and they can even stand so close by now. And after such a very long time, finally she’s happy, very and really, and she doesn’t know how he manages to do that. It’s always seems funny how one single person can make you experience so many feelings all at once.

“A penny for your thought?”

She startles, but she doesn’t need to turn her head because she knows who it is. And so she shakes her head, smiling because she feels like it. He then sits beside her, his legs also dangling like hers, and he stares at their reflection on the surface of the lake.

“You’re always so secretive, you know that?” he asks. “So mysterious. I wonder why people don’t bother to explore you.” He says. “but at the same time, I’m glad it’s only me who’s interested.” That comes out more like a whisper.

Soojung chuckles. “Since when did you become, uh, outspoken like this? Sometimes I feel like you’re way too honest.” She tilts her head towards him, and he looks so calm and peaceful at the moment, and she thinks that maybe it’s okay to only stare at him for the rest of her life. She thinks she can do that forever.

“Honesty is the best policy, don’t you think?” he replies. “I think it’s very important to be h