Yoojung never described herself as being the jealous type, in fact she was happy to have Sohye included in their friend circle. The older girl was a little quirky, but kind nonetheless. She was excited to hear that Doyeon finally had someone to mentor after all this time. Doyeon had been pestering Heehyun and Nayoung for months, much to the older girls’ annoyance. But Yoojung couldn’t help but feel a little jealous at the attention Doyeon was giving Sohye.

“Dodo… aren’t we going to meet at the bakery later after school?”

“Oh shoot… I totally forgot.” Doyeon slapped her forehead. “I’m meeting with Sohye to work on her stroke. Sorry Yoojung, it totally slipped my mind.” Doyeon gave a sad smile. “How about we meet Wednesday?”

Yoojung shook her head, “I can’t. I told you that Chungha was booking the practice room for rehearsals on Wednesday.”

“Oh. Sorry… I forgot.” Doyeon rubbed the back of her head unconsciously.

Yoojung felt annoyed, shouldn’t her best friend be paying attention to her when she talks? She’s told Doyeon about their upcoming rehearsals for weeks! Was Doyeon even listening? Did she even care?

“Forget it.” Yoojung huffed, taking her school bag and marching away from a flustered Doyeon. I guess swimming comes before me. I’m less important than a sport.

“Wait Yoojung!” Doyeon tried chasing after her, but the shorter girl had already disappeared inside the school. Great going you idiot. Doyeon groaned internally. This was going to be a long day.

“Ouff, what did you do to Yoojung that’s got her so angry?” Yeonjung slid next to Doyeon quietly. “I thought she was going to take out someone’s eye in PE today. She was absolutely ruthless.” Yeonjung shuddered at the image.

“Was she that mad?”

“Well. Judging by the fact that Yeri almost lost her head during dodgeball, and maybe 5 years off her lifespan—yes Doyeon, I think she was indeed that mad.” Yeonjung took out her art supplies and placed them on the desk. “I could feel her killer instinct from across the room. Luckily, I was on the other field, otherwise I’d probably be in the infirmary right about now with a concussion or something. Girl was sniping the others like she was in the army or something.”

Doyeon rolled her eyes. Isn’t she overreacting? Ugh, I forget things too once in a while!

Yeonjung looked at Doyeon worriedly. “Maybe you should talk to her…”

“Why do I always have to talk to her? She’s the one who’s mad at me! She has a brain and a working mouth. I don’t always have to talk to her first you know.” Doyeon exploded.

Yeonjung frowned. “Well, I guess you guys should talk some time to cool off then. You’re not going to solve anything, not with that kind of attitude.” She glanced over, and sighed, “Doyeon, for the love of god. Do not break that pencil.”

Doyeon held the pencil so tightly that it was on the verge of snapping. She relaxed her grip and put the pencil down, and smiled apologetically at the unamused teacher who motioned for the two of them stop talking. Why am I getting so worked up over this? This is stupid. This shouldn’t hurt so much…

I’m not sure why I’m feeling this way, why am I jealous of something so petty? Yoojung sat down on a bench. Doyeon spending time to help Sohye isn’t something out of the ordinary, it’s a commitment she was entrusted with. There’s a lot of responsibility on Doyeon’s shoulders. But still, why do I feel this way? I should be happy, but instead I feel so hurt and sad. What kind of best friend am I? I should understand… but I don’t. I can’t. Yoojung sighed. All these emotions were overwhelming her.

She never really felt this way until recently. Maybe it was the looks of adoration Doyeon would get from others, making her feel small and as if at any time, Doyeon would eventually end up leaving her. Doyeon had so many admirers and fans, she was a walking celebrity. People would flock to her no matter where she went. With her undeniably good looks, charisma and her sense of humor, Kim Doyeon was perfect. And most of all, Doyeon never made Yoojung feel small (figuratively anyways), she always protected the older girl and would always listen to her worries. It made Yoojung feel vulnerable. Maybe this was the reason she was lashing out lately.

It wasn’t Doyeon’s fault, it was something she had to overcome herself.

The next day, Yoojung decided that she needed to apologize to Doyeon. It wasn’t fair to her. Doyeon has always been the more understanding one in their friendship. She had to take responsibility for her actions.

Yoojung spotted Doyeon with Yeonjung leaving the arts room together. The two were immersed in a deep conversation, much so that when Yoojung greeted them, they didn’t even notice. It took Yoojung three more tries before they finally realized.

“Sorry I didn’t see you there,” Yeonjung greeted her an apologetic smile.

Doyeon didn’t say anything, but only glanced at Yoojung briefly before looking away.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, Yeonjung excused herself stating that “she was supposed to meet up with Yeorum and Dayoung after class.” Which left the two of them alone.

Yoojung was nervous. It was rare for them to really fight, and it seemed that Doyeon really was angry at her this time. She realized that maybe should be more attentive towards her best friend, and apologize first for once. Before Yoojung could say something, Doyeon was pulled aside by one of the teachers, and Yoojung had no choice but to let her go. She watched Doyeon’s receding figure disappear into the distance.

“We’ll meet at the pool after our last class and we’ll practice for about two hours. We’re going to focus on your kicks this time, how does that sound?”

Sohye nodded, “I think it’s a good idea.”

Doyeon clapped her hands together. “Great, I’ll see you after school then!”

Sohye grinned shyly, then waved goodbye and turned to walk away.

Doyeon took five steps away, when suddenly a boy appeared in front of her. He was holding a small box and a small bouquet of flowers. He looked nervous, fidgeting anxiously with his fingers, he then reached to loosen his tie, and cleared his throat.

Yoojung could overhear bits and parts of their conversation from where she was standing. For some reason, it felt like her heart was freefalling.

School dance… date… Friday night… time?

Was Doyeon really going to go on a date with some random boy who confessed to her today? After all the people she’s rejected up to date, it came as a surprise to Yoojung. Her heart throbbed slightly, as she watched Doyeon seemingly accept the boy’s proposal. Students started to gather around them, whispering as they buzzed with excitement.

“Whoa, Kim Doyeon finally accepted someone?”

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

“… Wow after all this time I’m surprised…”

“Damn, I should’ve asked her out…”

“Heol, Doyeon said yes to someone…”

“Kim Doyeon’s going to the dance with someone? What about Choi Yoojung?”

“Daebak… I never thought I’d see the day…”

“Man he’s freaking lucky…”

Yoojung felt the world pause for a moment. The throbbing in her heart spread across her chest and it filled her with an unpleasant sensation—it felt like she was suffocating. The mindless chatter faded away as she focused on Doyeon’s expressions, while trying to make out the words she was saying.

Yoojung couldn’t ignore the grin on the boy’s face. She felt betrayed, and mostly hurt. And then it hit her. She was supposed to be Doyeon’s date to the school dance next week. How could Doyeon forget? Anger bubbled inside Yoojung, a rage on the verge of exploding. She couldn’t believe this. All thoughts of apologizing to Doyeon dissipated instantly.

Ignoring the hot tears threatening to spill over, Yoojung stalked away in the shadows. Her heart clenching painfully with each step.

//

Sejeong mulled over her thoughts— everything felt so complicated. Her lingering feelings for her ex, and her undeniable attraction to the Chinese transfer student. Sejeong could only sigh in exhaustion as her thoughts swirled around in her brain.

Sejeong couldn’t help by tense up whenever Hyoseol would be around her. There was this unspoken awkwardness that Sejeong couldn’t overcome, and with every glance she’d steal, her heart would beat slightly out of sync. The knot in her stomach would tighten, and she couldn’t help but find herself staring at Hyoseol for longer than necessary.

But then her thoughts would drift back to Chungha and all the memories that she had with the older girl. Her heart would abruptly stop at the sight of her. Sejeong always tried to put on a strong front, she did her best to appear as unbothered as possible. But a part of her always wanted to run back into Chungha’s arms. She missed the way Chungha would hold her, the way her eyes would morph into tiny crescents as she’d smile, and most importantly, the way she felt when they dated. Sejeong wanted so badly to turn back time. Back to when they were still together.

She stared at the polaroids on the wall. It’s been so long, but she still hadn’t had the heart to take them down. She ran her finger over their faces, trying to trace over every feature, committing them to memory. They looked so happy. Genuine smiles were plastered on their faces, and no one could miss the look of adoration and love in their eyes as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

The first picture was taken when they had first started dating. They had gone to a flea market, and whilst browsing through various items, a young man with a camera had asked if they could take a picture of them together. They stood side by side, fingers intertwined as they looked into each other’s eyes. She was giddy with excitement, and she could barely contain herself when Chungha laced her hands through hers. Everything had felt so right then. Things were so much simpler then.

//

“She’s still not talking to you?”

“She hasn’t bothered to spare me a glance at all.” Nayoung sighed.

“That’s rough.” Sowon patted her friend on the back sympathetically.

Nayoung shook her head. “I deserve it. I’m too much of a coward to say anything to her.”

Sowon could only offer her same aged friend a sad smile. “Do you want to grab a coffee with me? We can sit and chat if you want.”

Nayoung politely declined her offer, knowing that the older girl was quite busy herself.

“You have something planned with Eunha, I don’t want to keep you from your date with her.”

“It’s fine, we see each other at school anyways. She’ll understand.”

“Thank you, but it’s okay—really. You’ve been so busy lately that you’ve barely had time to take her out on a date. You should go.”

 “Okay, if you say so.” Sowon looked unsure, but let the issue go quietly.

 She thanked Sowon for listening to her worries and bid her goodbye as they parted ways.

Nayoung couldn’t deny the growing feelings she had for Jieqiong. She especially felt her absence these days as she would no longer hear a bright voice greeting her in the halls. It felt like the world was drained of color once again. She was scared to admit it, but she started to feel lonely without her. She would find herself searching the halls for the raven-haired girl subconsciously. Her heart would flip the moment her eyes found Jieqiong, the thumping in her chest growing louder with every step she took towards her.

In the hallways, their eyes met for a brief second, sending a course of electricity throughout Nayoung’s body, making her shiver. But as quickly as their eyes met, Jieqiong looked away with apathy—she looked uninterested.

It felt like a knife was shoved into her chest, causing Nayoung to momentarily stumble. Luckily Sowon caught her arm before she faceplanted in front of everyone, embarrassing herself.

“Pay attention!” Sowon hissed under her breath.

Nayoung could only mumble an half assed apology before looking up at the spot where Jieqiong was standing. As expected, the Chinese girl was already walking away from her. She was halfway down the corridor by the time Nayoung located her. Her heart throbbed painfully with every step the younger girl took.

“You’ve been really out of it. Don’t you think it’s time you actually talked to her?” Sowon whispered under her breath, with a concerned look on her face.

“I…I…I’m scared.” Nayoung stuttered. Saying those words made her finally accept it. That she was deathly afraid of losing Jieqiong. And that she was a coward for pushing her away. A coward for not admitting her feelings to firstly, herself. And that she was a fool for not holding her closer to her. Even though she was always by her side.

Sowon intertwined their fingers together, conveying the words: I know you’re scared, but I’m here for you.

Nayoung smiled. She was always thankful to Sowon for supporting her and being there for her. She was like the older sister Nayoung wish she had.

Whispers followed her throughout the week. It didn’t take too long for people to notice the awkward tension between her and Jieqiong. Professionally, however, things were a little tense, but they still managed to get through the various student council meetings that scattered throughout the week without much problem.

The other members of the council picked up on the subtle changes in their behaviours, but kept mum. There was a fine balance that was fragile, and it seemed to be working, so they left them alone.

They didn’t miss the glances that they would steal at one another. But their timing would always be out of sync, so that their eyes would never meet accidentally. Maybe that was for the better. Maybe not.

Nayoung looked worn out, the bags under her eyes were ever the more prominent. She still had more paperwork to go through for the sports festival. She flipped through one of the proposals that was lying on her desk with a bored expression. Not bothering to read any further, she tossed it aside carelessly.

“Ah… I’m really tired.” She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Nayoung woke up to the white light emanating from her phone’s screen. 2 missed calls. 4 missed text messages. None of them from Jieqiong though. It made her heart sink a little.

Browsing through her texts, she opened Dani’s, which had a diagrams and notes of the proposed positions she had for the team based on chemistry and strategic situations. She looked over them carefully with a small smile plastered on her face, as her heart swelled with pride.

Dani was like a younger sister to her, and at this rate she could really make it as a coach. This was something that couldn’t be taught. She felt confident that they would win against Wangguk and take the crown this year. Everything was meticulously calculated and Nayoung could tell that Dani put a lot of thought and hard work into this. She would reward the younger girl with the title and Wangguk’s defeat for sure.

Nayoung got up to stretch, when a thud caught her attention. Looking down she noticed that it was a blanket. She bent down to inspect it further.

“Huh? A blanket? Who covered me with it?” Nayoung was puzzled. She walked around the office to see if anyone was in the student council room, but it was empty.

“That’s weird…” She brushed it off and decided to head home in the wee hours of the morning.

“Man, you look like .” Kim Nayoung chuckled.

“Shut up.” Nayoung glared. She wasn’t in the mood for her childhood friend’s teasing so early in the morning, especially when she was nursing a headache. However, this seemed to make the other Nayoung laugh even more at her same age friend’s suffering.

“You alright though?” Kim Nayoung asked seriously, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “You actually look like you’re in pretty bad shape. I heard from Minky that you haven’t been showing up to practices lately.” She tilted her head. “You haven’t been sleeping well, have you? You’re skipping meals again, aren’t you? You probably haven’t even looked at all the paperwork on your desk, right?”

Every accusation was a jab on Im Nayoung’s pride. And as annoying as Kim Nayoung could be. She was right. She knew her well, of course. It frustrated her to know how right she was. About everything. And this was all over one Zhou Jieqiong. The source of her longing and suffering.

She tried to defend herself, but was stopped with a wave of Kim Nayoung’s hand.

“You—my dear friend, need to talk to her. You both are suffering without each other, but neither one of you are willing to budge.” She rubbed her temples. “I swear, the two of you are as dense as a whale.” She sighed.

Nayoung frowned and looked away. Her pride was hurt. Her eyes stung, as tears started pooling at the edge of her eyes. She swallowed thickly. A lump formed in at the thought of Jieqiong. It was like no matter what, her soul craved to be close to her. I miss her.

“I miss her. But I’m scared.” She admitted. She clenched and unclenched her hands to try and relieve her anxiety. Admitting this to Kim Nayoung was another blow to her ego, but she was glad that the other Nayoung was there for her. As annoying as she could be.

“I’m pretty sure she feels the same as you. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she looks damn miserable to me—I mean, from what I’ve seen during the days I actually attended classes,” she chuckled.

“I don’t think she wants to talk to me. Besides, she has Hyoseol and all her other friends. She doesn’t need me. She doesn’t need me like I need her.” Tears flowed freely from her eyes. She tried her best to contain her sniffling, but it just resulted her in hiccupping more.

“Girl. You’re thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. How dense can you be? Her eyes have been red and puffy all week. Your girl has been bawling her eyes out!” Kim Nayoung huffed in frustration.
“Now you better go and get your girl back, because there’s probably a hundred other people that would die to be what you are to Zhou Jieqiong.”

“And what is that?” Nayoung sniffed.

“You should ask her yourself.”

After Nayoung calmed down, her eyes were still bloodshot and her eye bags were darker than ever.
“.” She muttered under her breath.

She was wiping the last of her tears when suddenly Choi Yoojung stormed in, dragging an unwilling Doyeon with her. They didn’t seem to notice their student president in the room sniffling as they were too preoccupied with themselves. Nayoung quickly hide herself.

“Yah! Choi Yoojung, what’s the meaning of this? Why’d you drag me away from my friends?” Doyeon yelled.

“You.” Yoojung seethed with malice. It temporarily caused Doyeon to stumbled back in surprise.

“W—what about me?” Doyeon managed to stutter.

“Did you forget that we were going to be each other’s date for the dance?” Yoojung questioned, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice.

Doyeon paused. Her features stiffened.

“No,” Doyeon spoke calmly as she stared into Yoojung's eyes, “I didn’t.”

Sorry it took so long for an update. I'm still on vacation and you wouldn't believe the amount of times I've gotten sick from travelling... I got food poisoning 4 times in a span of 2 months T_T 

I put some more Dodaeng in this chapter since they were barely there in the last chapter ;~;

I have major writer's block regarding this story. Honestly, I feel like it's not going the way I wanted it to go. But I want your opinion as to which couples should stay in the story. I have to cut some of the ships out of the story, because it's getting too hectic and I can't make the story flow properly. I need to do a major rework on the story. I think Napink is the most popular ship in this story excluding the sechung/hyoseol triangle? Let me know which couple(s) I should keep in the story in the comments below and I'll rework the plot I had in mind. Please comment, it's really important... otherwise this story might be on hold until I figure out what you (the readers) want.

Thanks so much for sticking with me and this story... <3 I'll do my best to work faster.