Joohyun is eager to welcome the warmth that the otherwise dreary and minimal halls bring in this chilling morn.

          She bites back profanities and settles for smoothing an expression of mild annoyance and discomfort in her otherwise perfect face – well, as many people would often say. She hefts her bag, and swiftly walks across the lobby.

          There is not much people milling around, but the few that do thankfully manage to ignore Joohyun – though quickly speed-walking without making eye contact did help in her part.

          All she wants is to pass her English research paper, and pick up a couple of worksheets and textbooks. It may be a little over Christmas, and the middle of “winter break” but work – Joohyun has always believed – doesn’t stop there.

          Besides, a little extra credit couldn’t harm you.

          She didn’t mind the extra work put into it, in fact, she liked it (opposite a certain person Joohyun tried very, very hard not to think about these days)! It gave her something to do, rather than sit idle. There is a specific goal and mindset in her head constantly. It did not allow small and unnecessary thoughts to breed and prosper, something that she definitely did not need in this significant time (especially now).

          A few students, like her, were here to pass projects, do extra schoolwork; and there was the ones in the study hall – constantly enshrouded in a pile of test sheets and books, constantly working to up their grades. All of them were as eager as birds being forced to take flight in the rain.

          Well, they all looked like they would rather be home.

          Joohyun wonders if she ought to be this hard working.

          Was this even worth it?

          She could be home, away from the bustling world, in her comfortable nest. Lying down, relaxing, and breathing in deep, warm, calming breathes – as opposed to her brisk pace and heated pants she gave off as of now.

          Joohyun knocks on the faculty room.

          Two seconds pass, then five.

          She opens the door with a ready smile on her lips.

--

          “Unnie!”

          Joohyun turns, and around the bend in the opposite corner, she sees Park Sooyoung.

          She has never been that close to the younger girl, as they were in different social circles, activities, and classes after all, so a dart of confusion passes through her when she sees her. They are acquaintances, however, so Joohyun greets her with a soft hey.

          “Wat’cha doing around here?”

          Sooyoung approaches her and greets her casually, with her trademark way of easiness. Though Joohyun knows better than to let her guard down at the slight casual twitch of those lips, or the seemingly innocent glimmer in those eyes. She’s seen her enough times in the disciplinary hall to know there is more to her than meets the eye.

          (“How the hell did  someone, a girl, at that, manage to rack up this many disciplinary sanctions?” Seohyun murmured incredulously when she looked over the report Yongsun gave her. Even Seungwan was surprised, and she’s from Canada.)

          “Oh, just passing a paper.” She gestures to the folder in her arms, and Sooyoung raises a brow. Realizing it would be impolite not to make small talk, Joohyun asks: “And you?”

          “Study hall.”

          Sooyoung says it like it is the most obvious thing in the world, and even if it isn’t, Joohyun’s cheeks heat up. She isn’t used to dealing with people as brash as her.

          “Oh.”

          “Yeah, I’m kind of behind a couple of tests in class, not to mention I still have to serve detention for um, some things I may have done on accident in the school premises.”

          Sooyoung talks like she is discussing the weather today, and not how her grades or reputation could be at stake – though she probably could care less. Joohyun has always thought of her as a strange person, free and independent in many ways. Joohyun doesn’t even want to know what she did this time.

          In ways, she reminds her of Seulgi.

          No stop.

          But it was too late.

          She finds herself thinking of the girl she hasn’t contacted in days. It was a record for Joohyun. Usually, they’d find ways, whether unintentionally or not, to talk with each other. Whether be it a look-I-saw-this-shirt-and-I-thought-of-you picture Seulgi would send from wherever she was, or any of those random calls Joohyun would do early in the morning just to check if Seulgi was awake (most of the time that was her wake-up call).

          But this time, Joohyun tries to avoid contact.

          It certainly wasn’t good for her poor heart.

          It didn’t help that no matter how much Joohyun tries to distract herself these days, it still bothers her how Seulgi hasn’t called, texted, or even emailed her over the winter break. The last time was when Seulgi sent out – and of course, Joohyun replied – her customary Merry Christmas greeting, that she just knew the younger girl sent out to all her contacts.

          It’s been perhaps a couple of weeks since then.

          Joohyun is so lost in thoughts that she lets Sooyoung ramble on an on, only absently nodding her head along to whatever she is saying and letting her feet take her somewhere without much thought.

          It isn’t until a door swings open right in front of them, that Joohyun gets jarred out of her thoughts.

          Speak of the devil.

          “Sooyoung! You’re finally here!”

          Seulgi.

--

          “Unnie!”

          Joohyun should have known.

          Seulgi always hangs out with Park Sooyoung. She still remembers the days when she would constantly worry over the younger straying the path of goodness when she learns that Seulgi is friends with the Park Sooyoung (over all the students, it just had to be her).

          Seulgi promptly notices Joohyun, and whilst flashing her heart-stopping smile, she drags the two into Park-sunsaengnim’s classroom. To where study hall is currently ongoing.

          Damn it.

          All plans of avoiding Seulgi (and as all “heartbroken” teenagers do, close up their hearts and emotions to the world) fly out the window when the younger opens . “Guys! Look who we have here!”

          She hardly knows anyone in the room, in study hall, so she ducks down in embarrassment. Though the opposite could be said to the two beside her.

          “Yah! Park Sooyoung, what took you so long?” Someone shouts.

          “Yeah, I’m starving!” Another yells out.

          “You should be grateful I actually took the effort to stop by the convenience store for all your needs!” Sooyoung shoots back while bouncing to the middle of the room whilst waving the shopping bag she brought, leaving Joohyun with Seulgi.

          “Yeah, yeah. Did you buy the chips? And the soda?”

          Joohyun unconsciously finds herself pressing herself closer to Seulgi. She hardly knows anyone here, and frankly, the stares and glances she is getting unnerves her more than she would like to admit.

          “Sooyoung-ah, I hope you didn’t forget my ramyun!” Seulgi calls out.

          Joohyun wonders if Sooyoung even hears her with the swarm of people approaching the girl, eager to look into the plastic bag that she brought. It occurs to Joohyun that it must be break time for the people in study hall.

          She wonders where Park-sunsaengnim is.

          Seulgi puts an arm around her, and Joohyun stiffens.

          “Uh, Seulgi,” Joohyun blushes, slightly detaching herself from the girl, “I really think, I should go now.”

          “Huh? But you only just got here!”

          Joohyun tries not to roll her eyes in exasperation. I don’t even belong here.

          Leave it to Seulgi to drag her around everywhere in social functions. She’d never forgive her for the time she was made to sit through an intense (an understatement) party of one of Seulgi’s friends – Joohyun didn’t even know he existed until Seulgi told her he did – for nearly the whole night.

          She had to explain to her parents why she came home that night smelling like puke and sweat.

          “Yah, what’s study hall for if you don’t study? Or perhaps you want to have summer lessons too?”

          Seulgi pouts. “Aw, come on, I just had a really hard test this morning. And I’m supposed to review a bunch of test questions this afternoon. My brain’s about to burst!”

          Joohyun’s lips twitch up.

          “Idiot. Then you shouldn’t have joined so many clubs in the first place if you can’t even keep up with your studies.” It is an argument they keep on getting back to since the beginning of the year, one Seulgi could never manage to win. Joohyun warms up to the familiar banter she has been accustomed to through the years.

          “Joohyun, please? I missed you!”

          Screw avoiding Seulgi.

          It’s better this way, anyway.

          Even if it hurts to have the thoughts of Seulgi liking someone else float around the back of her head.

--

          “What’s up with you today? You’re acting weird.”

          They’re sitting out in the hall, sounds of talk and laughter drifting out of the open door of the classroom. Aside from that, the school is strangely devoid of the buzz of talk and the existence of pupils.

          Occasionally, someone would pass by Joohyun and Seulgi, sitting squat on the floor.

          “What’s up with you? You’re acting mean.”

          Joohyun pauses.

          Seulgi doesn’t look at her, even when she slurps up her noodles.

          “What?”

          Seulgi takes her time to chew before responding. She meets her eyes. Joohyun thinks she sees a hint of coldness in them, but then she blinks, and then it is gone.

          “Nothing. Nevermind.”

          Joohyun feels something crawl up her chest, a feeling she doesn’t like. It hurts to be hurt by Seulgi unintentionally, it hurts even more when they fight. She senses the beginning of one, and she wants to avoid it.

          Silence encroaches them and Joohyun absentmindedly fiddles with her fingers.

          A moment passes, and Seulgi slurps up the last of the noodles, nods, and gets up. Joohyun inhales.

          “Seulgi.”

          Seulgi pauses, before walking again. This irritates Joohyun.

          “Kang Seulgi. Stop.”

          This is unusual behavior, and it baffles Joohyun. Seulgi hates discord, so she would usually do everything in her power to avoid fights, to end meaningless arguments, and make everything right. Rarely did she ever begin one.

          Joohyun stands up and repeats the word.

          Seulgi stops.

          “Yah, are you alright? What’s with you today?” She approaches the girl, worry overcoming her rationality. She grabs Seulgi’s arm, and makes her turn towards her, Joohyun repeating the question.

          She looks into Seulgi’s eyes – normally filled with happiness and innocent mischief – and is bewildered when she sees tears starting to fill up.

          “I—“ Seulgi’s voice cracks.

          Seulgi frees herself from Joohyun’s grip and frantically tries to cover her face with her hair, an annoyingly endearing habit she does whenever she would start to tear up.

          Joohyun doesn’t know what is going on, but she tries hard for Seulgi.

          All annoyance for the girl’s moodiness dissipates.

          She takes the empty ramyun cup from Seulgi’s quivering hands, and with one arm, wraps the younger girl in a half-embrace. She very well knows she can’t lead her back into Park-sunsaengnim’s classroom, there are people in there after all, so she leads Seulgi – who is quietly stopping herself from sobbing and ultimately failing – into the only place she can think of.

          The girls’ bathroom.

          Joohyun contemplates opening the Council room, but then realizes it would be too far (thus ultimately attracting attention, and obviously Seulgi wouldn’t want that).

          She leads Seulgi into the otherwise empty bathroom, the whir of ventilation pipes being the only interruption to the sound silence, depositing the trash in a nearby bin.

          That, and the clack of their heels and the irregular intakes of breaths Seulgi is taking.

          “I – Joo – can’t – s-stop—“

          Joohyun shushes her once she feels the girl violently begin to hiccup.

          Together, they find an empty stall – not before Joohyun checks it’s cleanliness of course. She gives a mental sigh of relief once she finds a suitable one, and she gently seats Seulgi onto the closed toilet lid.

          “A-are you alright?”

          Seulgi’s sobs have subsided into soft sniffles now, and she lets out a feeble nod. Joohyun frowns when she sees Seulgi rubbing her eyes, she holds the girl’s wrists.

          “Are you sure? Don’t lie to me.”

          Seulgi nods again, and Joohyun sighs.

          She really doesn’t know what to do right now. They fought before, but she doesn’t know what to do when Seulgi starts crying, mainly because (1­) they rarely ever fight, and (2) no one ever cries when they fight.

          There’s a first for everything.

          “Stop it.”

          “Hey, stop crying.”

          Seulgi nods, but Joohyun knows that the tears are still flowing. She moves closer to the girl, and hugs her. Seulgi’s sniffles are more audible, but her shudders die down, and she presses her face to Joohyun’s stomach.

          Joohyun tries to ignore the tingle of butterflies’ wings in it.

          Joohyun feels a sort of loathing for herself for not knowing what to do at a time like this, even after all the years she has been with Seulgi.

          She inhales, and exhales.

          “Seulgi-ah. Stop crying.” She says it softly this time. She alternates between Seulgi’s hair and rubbing her back in soothing motions. The younger clutches onto her tighter, not caring of the wrinkles or tear stains she leaves on Joohyun’s clothes.

          “I-I’ll try.”

          A minute passes then two. Joohyun can practically hear her heart thudding in her chest. She shakes hair off her face and looks up at the tiled walls. She can hear water dripping from somewhere in the room, echoes making it louder than it actually is. She can feel Seulgi’s tears, and her nose nudging slightly against her.

          No.

          Seulgi likes someone else.

          Stop.

          It’s the first time she sees Seulgi completely lose her composure. Well, without knowing the reason. She dearly hopes Seulgi isn’t having a breakdown of some sort.

          “Joohyun.”

          “Hm.”

          The buzz from Seulgi’s mouth tickles Joohyun a bit and she moves backward. Seulgi tilts her head up, resting her chin on Joohyun’s stomach.

          Her eyes are red, and when she reaches a hand up to rub them, Joohyun takes her face in her hands, swatting away the offending palm. The younger’s face is puffy from crying, and all Joohyun wants to do is to hug her and protect her from the world.

          “Stop it. You don’t want your eyes to be all puffy now, do you?”

          Seulgi shakes her head, and sniffs. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly.

          Joohyun frowns quizzically.

          “Why are you sorry?”

          “For crying so suddenly. I don’t know. For freaking you out. I don’t know why I’m like this.”

          “Yah, everyone cries.”

          Seulgi shakes her head.

          “Not you, unnie. I never see you cry.”

          Joohyun just smiles. She pats Seulgi’s head softly. Her heart skips a beat when Seulgi lazily smiles back, shyly nuzzling back into her.

          “I was mad at you.”

          Joohyun furrows her brows. “You were? Why?”

          Seulgi’s smile drops, a blush now coats her face. “Well, first off, you didn’t contact me for weeks! What kind of best friend does that?”

          Joohyun grins ruefully. Part of her wants to take satisfaction knowing that she isn’t the only one hurting, but she knows it is wrong. It isn’t Seulgi’s fault. It is hers, and hers alone.

          “And when I saw you today, you just –“ Seulgi stopped, a hurt expression flashing on her face. Joohyun’s heart lurched then. “You were acting so different, like you didn’t want me around.”

          “You idiot. I always want you around.” More than you ever know.

          Seulgi smiles, and Joohyun takes the chance to wipe her tear-stained cheeks.

          “You’re just overreacting.”

          The stress is probably getting to her.

          Seulgi’s the dumbest person she knows. She tells her that, and Seulgi frowns.

          “-am not!” she puffs out her cheeks, in the way only she can, and Joohyun pinches it. Joohyun hugs her close, and they stay like that for a while.

          She is content in the silence, breathing in the scent of her shampoo, and to have her in her arms.

          “I’m not dumb.” Seulgi reasserts herself.

          Joohyun nods.

          “Arasso.”

          “I’m not.”

          Seulgi pulls away, and Joohyun immediately misses her warmth. She’d stay standing here forever if she could, if it means getting the chance to indulge in Seulgi for as long as she would wish to.

          “I know about you and Bogum.”

--

          A distraction is something that will take your attention away from your priorities. An unwelcome itch to many, may very well be a savior to few.

          For Joohyun, Bogum was that savior.

          She isn’t as oblivious as she makes herself out to be. She knows about his feelings for her, she just chose not to acknowledge it. Until now that is.

          “Huh?”

          Seulgi nods solemnly.

          “You’re dating him aren’t you?”

          Bogum once told her he liked her. Joohyun didn’t know what to say at that time and was rendered speechless. Nevertheless, regardless of their feelings for each other, she couldn’t deny that those little meetings weren’t dates.

          “I guess.”

          Seulgi looks down and nods.

          “Where’d you hear that?”

          “From Eungkwang-oppa. He said he saw you with him in the mall last weekend. So, for how long?”

          Joohyun shrugs. “Just this winter break. Only Eungkwang?”

          “Some others. People talk a lot.”

          “Oh.”

          “Is that why you didn’t call? Because you were busy?”

          Seulgi looks so frail and vulnerable looking up at her, that it takes all of Joohyun’s willpower not to smother her.

          I like you too much Seulgi, did you know?

          “I-I’m sorry.” Joohyun winces when Seulgi’s eyes lose that hopeful glimmer.

          “Do you like him that much?”

          Bogum takes good care of her. He is courteous, bright, polite, and pleasant. He does his best to make her smile and Joohyun tries to match his affection for her. Though she senses there is more to his lingering touches and gazes that show that he may well feel something deeper for her.

          Do I like him that much?

          “I don’t know.”

--

          I’m sorry Bogum, but I have to cancel on Saturday. Seulgi wants to go with me to the movies. I’m REALLY SORRY :( 

          Joohyun presses send.

          She tries to suppress the giggles, so she covers .

          I want to go with Seulgi.

          She should feel horrible, but she doesn’t.

---

Author's note(6): Idk what this is HAHA *cries*.  Anyways, I am just in time for our dear Irene's birthday so YAY! I'm probably going to edit this. Later. Um, maybe. Or not. Cause I'm a bum.