I woke up on Monday with the headache of the century. It was weird, I never ever get hungover. I nearly puked from the pain alone.

My alarm was blaring, which was also a strange thing. I was usually up before it.

I groaned my way out of bed. I’d have to skip my morning run today. There was no way I would survive it. I wondered how Joshua was doing. I could tell that he was still asleep.

My dad had left some soup on the stove for me so I heated some of it up to eat, and I got dressed as it came to a boil.

I ate the soup and packed my bag and boarded the bus to go to school all in a blur. I couldn’t make out when one task was done and the next had started. As the sun rose, my eyes began to hurt more and more. I even considered taking a sick day, but I was nearly there anyway.

I rolled into class a few seconds before Ms Yoo did, and I wished I’d ran so I could have at least had a few minutes to rest before she saw me like this.

“Jesus, you look like ,” she said. “Are you sick?”

I shook my head, but the movement made me groan. “Nope. Just hungover.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Weren't you bragging just last year that you don’t get hungover when the whole class went out the night before the final showcase and you were the only to come out bright-eyed and perky?”

I shrugged. “I guess I’m getting old.” It wasn't like I could tell her that I was feeling this way because of a telepathic link to Joshua Hong.

She laughed. “If you’re getting old, what does that make me?” She started to stretch. “You didn’t have to come to class today. It’s just some extra time to work on your final project. I’m not teaching anything new.”

I sighed. “No, I do need that extra time. This project is kind of killing me.”

“Aren't you graduating this semester?”

I chuckled. “Not unless I can pass this class, which I can’t pass without that final project.”

“Is this the only class you’re taking?”

I nodded. “It was the last one I needed. I was always overloading and reaching ahead in my first three years.”

She nodded as well. “Now I remember. Then you burnt out in your fourth year, took a semester off, and now you’re back to take this one class and you’re afraid to take it too seriously.”

“Sorry?”

She turned around to actually face me now. “Alice, I haven’t felt any enthusiasm for dancing come from you since you left. It’s really a bummer. You were exceptionally talented. You set such a high standard for yourself and you continuously exceeded it. I think that Alice deserves to graduate more than the one standing before me now.”

“I do take dancing seriously. Very seriously!” I defended. My blood felt ice cold. This was my lifelong dream, and the one person getting in the way of achieving it doesn’t believe I deserve it?

“You’re choreographing for an idol group, yet you’re struggling with a simple project in which you just have to teach without doing it yourself? Why are you not taking school as seriously as your job?”

I took a deep breath. “I don’t necessarily think that means I don’t deserve to graduate. What good is teaching without movement anyway? How is that even efficient?”

She gave me one last look and sigh. “I chose that final project specifically to help you when I heard that you were choreographing at Pledis. The fact that you don’t understand it tells me you are not ready to have that job in the first place.”

With that she went back to stretching, and my classmates came in soon after.

Jiae looked super tired. One glance at me and she asked, “Did your date go on late into the night, too?”

I laughed, even though that aggravated my headache. “So I take it everything went well with Minhyun?”

She looked up, shocked. “I never told you his name. I never told anyone his name.”

I raised a brow. “What are you paranoid about? Minhyun works where I work. He was the one who was supposed to take me out last night, but then Joshua saw him with you so I took him out instead.”

Jiae gasped. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize Minhyun was ditching you for me! I totally wouldn't have kept him away from you if I had known!”

I waved a hand dismissively. “My night salvaged itself. Tell me about yours.”

“It was fine,” she said with a shrug. “He told me he would want to date again, and then we went back to his place and, well,” her eyes rolled back and she had a sly smile on her face.

“Oh my God!” I whispered.

She held up a full hand and a thumb from the other. “Six times, Alice. Each time better than the last, I swear.”

Ms Yoo started staring at us, and I especially didn't want to get her pissed off at me after the conversation we’d had earlier, so I started to stretch. Jiae copied me.

“Give the man back to me,” I joked in a whisper.

“Fat chance,” she replied. “What, is Joshua a minute-man?”

I tried to picture Joshua knowing a woman biblically. “I don’t know? We didn’t have we just kissed goodnight at the end of the night.”

“Damn.”

After class, Jiae joined me to Pledis. She had agreed to take over where I left off when I went to LA, so she would have a day to get to know how our practices usually went. I planned to finish the teaching today anyway.

Most of the girls besides Nayoung and Pinky had already met Jiae on that very first night we had helped them. “Good afternoon, girls,” I greeted. “I will be going to LA for a few days the week after next week. I won’t be gone long but those three days, we have two practices. So Lee Jiae will be teaching you instead, just for those practices.”

They all bowed and greeted Jiae. She bowed back.

“Alright, without further ado, let’s start.” I turned to the stereo and pressed play, and I watched Jiae as she stared in awe at the work we’d done so far.

They only had about 45 seconds left to learn, and they weren't hard moves. It included the chorus, too.

By the end of the half hour, we had finished the entirety of the dance and gotten through it three times without fault. “Cool!” I called out. “You guys are great and I love you all and you’re dismissed. I will see you all after I get back. Kyla and Sungyeon stay back.”

“Ooh, you’re in trouble,” Siyeon teased.

When it was just those two trainees, me, and Jiae in the room, I smiled. “So. Brainstorm with me. We don’t have a long time. Name some songs you already know the dance to, and we can find some common grounds and choose one.”

Jiae chuckled. “So, you’re three girls standing in a practice room in a Pledis Entertainment building, and your first thought isn’t to cover legendary trio Orange Caramel?”

All of our eyes brightened in sync. “You’re a genius!” I squealed.

Kyla smiled. “Catallena?” she suggested.

“Only if we can borrow the sushi costumes,” I replied.

“Bangkok City?” Jiae tried.

Kyla snickered. “Let’s not confuse the Americans, they already think Asia is one country.”

Sungyeon snapped her fingers. “We were both backup dancers for My Copycat! Let’s do that one!”

We exchanged highfives, and then I packed up to get to the ice cream shop on time. Right before I left, Kyla ran up to me and gave me a hug. Joshua had told me he’d told her to thank and apologize to me, but this was more than enough.

***

What woke me up wasn’t an alarm or someone’s voice. What woke me up was my own rolling in my sleep. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I could stay on the bed, though.

I got up with a groan from the ground and Seungkwan stared at me like I’d grown five legs overnight.

“You alright, hyung?” he asked.

“Yep,” I croaked. “Totally fine.” My back cracked as I stretched, and I crawled back into bed to continue the sleep I’d been whisked away from.

I was almost asleep again when I heard stuff going on behind my bedroom door. The front door had just opened and closed and two people were speaking. After a moment, I recognized who.

“Where have you been?” asked Seungcheol.

Vernon replied in a gruff voice, “Sungkyung’s.”

“Man, you’ve gotta stop coming back so late in the day. Someone is going to see you.”

“I know, I know. I meant to come earlier, but I slept through my alarm. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Get some rest.”

“Thanks.”

Huh. He’s been going to Sungkyung’s a lot lately.

Hey, do you know how serious Vernon and Sungkyung are? I asked Alice.

‘I don’t think they’ve put a name on it yet, but they're basically casually seeing each other.’

It felt weird not to acknowledge the kiss we shared last night. A little peek told me she was on her way to work at the ice cream shop, so I decided I’d meet her there again.

I begrudgingly clawed my way out of the cocoon of blankets I had just made myself and proceeded to get dressed.

“Whatcha up to?” Seokmin asked from his perch above my bunk.

“Going to meet up with someone.”

“Who?”

“Nunya.”

He frowned. “Nunya who?”

“Nunya Business.” I patted him on the head and left him rolling his eyes.

I had another obstacle: Seungcheol was still in the living room. So were Jeonghan and Wonwoo. “Hey, I’m stepping out for a bit, I’ll be back soon!” I called, and hurried to leave. I shut the door behind me before anyone had the chance to say anything.

Success!

The sun was soft on my skin and the wind ruffled my hair. I had a theory that my bare face was unrecognizable, so I didn’t wear any makeup, and so far it was working to keep me hidden.

When I looked into the store, she was at the counter speaking to a customer. I stepped in and tried to inconspicuously stand in line, but Alice wasn’t afraid to tell the customer to step away. When he did, I wasn’t surprised. It was Minhyun. He looked like a deer in headlights.

“Oh, hey Joshua,” Alice greeted. “Ice cream?”

I gestured to Minhyun. “I can wait. You finish up your conversation.”

Minhyun was still side-eyeing me.

Alice shrugged. “We’re already done talking,” she told me. “Ice cream?” she asked again.

Mr Jung came out then, and placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder. “Minhyun, please don’t take up a customer’s time.”

Minhyun bowed. To Alice he muttered one last, “I’m sorry,” before rushing to duck out the door.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Great, now he’s gonna think he actually hurt my feelings.”

“What, did he not?” Mr Jung asked her dubiously.

“No! It was clear from the get-go that it wasn’t fated to be. Why would I be angry at him for finding someone who is fated to be with him?” She hurried to stick her head out the door and yelled at him. “Minhyun! We’re still friends!” Then she came back to the counter and asked me, “Ice crea