“I’m such an idiot,” Haera mumbled, pressing her fist to her stomach when it made a sound.

She tapped the tip of her pencil on the white paper, leaving a galaxy of dark black dots as she stared at the page of her textbook. The words didn’t make any sense. Haera dropped the pencil and tangled her fingers in her hair, pressing her temples with her palm. It was like the throbbing in her head was in sync with the ticking of her wrist watch. Screwing her eyes shut, Haera let out a huff. She focused on setting her hunger aside before reaching for the textbook again.

“Still on chapter one?” Jongin asked as he sat across from her.

Haera sighed. Moving her arm to rest on her lap, she applied pressure to her stomach again – she hoped it wouldn’t growl again.

“I can’t focus,” she said, pushing the book away.

“I can tell,” he said, bringing the book closer as Haera narrowed her eyes. “What is this about anyway?” He flipped a few pages before shutting it to look at the cover. “The Lucifer Effect?”

“It’s about the psychology of how good people turn bad,” Haera explained, slouching in her seat and folding her hands over her stomach. “The sub-title says so.”

Frowning, Jongin raised a brow.

 “Do you remember the Stanford Prison Experiment I told you about?” she asked.

Jongin pushed the book to the side. “The extremely disturbing one that made me question your career choices?”

Haera nodded. “That’s more or less what it’s about.”

Jongin shot one glance at the book and shook his head. “Man, you guys are weird.”

Haera chuckled as she straightened to unhang the sweater from the head of the chair. Putting it on, she nodded to Jongin. “You’re early.”

 “Class got over sooner than expected,” he said as Haera shoved her book and notepad inside her bag. “We had a pop-quiz.”

Closing the zippers, Haera looked up. “Pop quiz? How do you have a pop quiz in dance class?”

“You’re told to dance to a minute of pop music unannounced,” Jongin said, already walking ahead.

“Is that supposed to be a pun?” Haera took a few large steps to catch up while taking out her hair from under her sweater.

“He likes to think it’s hilarious,” Jongin replied, opening the door.

The burst of cold wind that combed Haera’s hair made her feel like hear head had been hit by a freight train.Wincing, she scrunched her nose and shoved her hands into her sweater’s pockets. Jongin gave her a detailed explanation of his third day in dance class accompanied by skips and occasional slides. The brightness of his smile sparkled in his eyes every time he recounted his instructor’s appreciations.

Droplets fell from the sky on her nose and she brushed them away. Breathing from made dry but Haera couldn’t keep herself from enjoying her best friend’s moment.

 Avoiding collision with other students, Haera and Jongin made it to the building’s entrance.

“You should’ve seen the look on his face when I spun,” Jongin said, holding the door. “I mean, not bragging here, but he looked like he was going to cry.”

“You do spin good,” Haera agreed, almost walking past him when the knots in her stomach returned. The twist went up to and Haera pursed her lips – the groans from her stomach were too loud to be missed.

Jongin’s smile became smaller when he asked, “You ate today, right?”

Haera grinned and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Of course, I did,” she said, pulling him along.

Jongin sounded unconvinced. “What did you have?”

Haera gave a short laugh as her stomach made another sound. “I overslept so I didn’t have a lot of time—”

“Haera.” Jongin jerked her to a stop. His lips pressed into a thin line and his thick brows pulled together. His unrelenting gaze bore into her conceding eyes.

“Bread.”

“And?” Jongin probed.

Haera looked to her boots. “That’s it.”

Her fingers unclutched his coat’s sleeve and she crossed her arms, biting the inside of her cheek. Sighing, Jongin guided her away from the busy center. Something crumpled over the many sounds in the corridor and a chocolate bar pressed into Haera’s hand.

“This is all I have right now but we’re going to go to the café later today. My treat,” he said, lowering to see Haera’s face.

“Okay,” she said, rubbing her thumbs over the brown plastic wrapper.

A few colorful shoes went past her when Jongin spoke again. “You either don’t want to attend class or you really like your boots.”

Haera looked up, her eyebrows pinched before Jongin showed her the time on his phone. Haera’s eye widened – she was going to miss the first slides of the lecture.

“.”

“You can make it if you run,” Jongin said, grinning as she looked from his phone to her wristwatch. With a hurried, “Ciao,” Haera bolted through the corridor, avoiding people’s shoulders as she made her way through the bodies. The doorknob of the lecture hall door rammed into her torso – it was like a sprinkle atop her hunger pangs. The professor hadn’t arrived until she had taken her seat, and for the next two hours, Haera tried not to get chocolate stains on her notes as she sneaked bites of her Snicker’s bar. By the end of the period, the tightness in her stomach was gone. What was left of the chocolate were marks on her notes and a super sweet aftertaste along with a turned out wrapper – looking at it made her heart sink.

Shaking her head, Haera shoved in into a pocket of her pants. Tightening the lace of her shoes, Haera sped down the stairs and ran to her next class.Sliding past bodies and giving out apologies, Haera screeched to a stop outside the lecture hall. Her footsteps echoed as she raced up the stairs and dropped into her seat. Feeling lighter and a lot less guilty, she took off her sweater and kept it on the empty space next to her. Her breathing returned to normal just in time for her company to arrive.

“Decided to show up early, did we?” said the boy who always sat behind her in class.

Haera shrugged. “How’s the assignment coming, Jongdae?”

Jongdae paused, his foot hovering over the next step as he stopped next to her. Putting a hand to his chest, he gaped. “How dare you attack me like that?” He put his foot down. “I literally just observed you were early.” He shook his head in mock exasperation. “Gosh, people these days.”

Haera snorted a laugh. “I wanted some silence before the most boring lecture of the century.”

Jongdae scoffed. “Relatable,” he said, throwing his satchel on his desk and jumping onto the bench. “I always wonder how Professor Ahn manages to the life out of Child Psychology.”

Haera curled one leg over the bench to turn around. “I think we’ll get our quiz results today, too.”

Jongdae dropped his textbook on the table and looked at Haera. “Please, stop talking,” he said, closing his eyes.

A wide grin came across Haera’s face but she said nothing. The session started not long after. Haera spent the duration of the lecture by trying not to doze off alternated with attempts of taking pictures of Jongdae sleeping.

“With every picture you take without my consent, you’re violating my right to privacy,” Jongdae said, zipping his satchel.

“I only have, like, four people on my Snapchat,” Haera said as she kept her folded sweater in her bag. “Chill.”

“This is a crime.”

“Sue me.” Haera hung her bag over her shoulder and unlocked her cell phone.

“Oh, I can,” he said, nodding as he pressed on his phone screen. “I will!”

Haera shook her head. She slid her finger over Jongin’s contact and held the phone to her ear as they went down the narrow staircase. She was starting to feel hungry again.

“Hey, I don’t look half bad,” Jongdae said. “Good angle, this one.”

“You’re welcome.” Haera flashed him a toothy smile before facing forward again. The dial tone was all she could hear.

“Show off.” Jongdae scoffed, still looking at his screen.

Haera raised a brow before leaning in to see what he was watching – a loop video of her spinning her ballpoint.

“How do you even do that?” Jongdae asked, looking up at her as he locked his phone. “I can’t even twirl the damn thing between my fingers.”

“Practice,” she said, hanging up as they neared the door. She was about to press redial when a familiar white checked scarf caught her attention.

“Speaking of pens,” Jongdae said, “did you hear about what happened to the Event’s club president?”

Haera’s eyes widened. “Don’t talk—”

“Some dude splattered ink all over her.” Jongdae shook his head. “Man, that must’ve been embarrassing.”

“It was,” Jongin said, coming toward them as he fixed the scarf around his neck. “Hello.”

“Hey, Jongin.” Jongdae nodded. “Have you heard about what happened to—”

 “I’m hungry,” Haera announced. “Jongdae, are you hungry?” she asked, turning to him but looked away before he could even answer. “No? But, I’m hungry.” Haera grabbed Jongin’s arm and started pulling him away, waving at Jongdae as they walked in the opposite direction.

Jongdae spread his arms. “Hey!”

“See you tomorrow, Jongdae!” she shouted, gaining stares from some of the students. “Don’t forget the assignment!”

“How dare you?!” he retaliated as he waved back.

Haera stuck her tongue out before she pulled her best friend away. Haera stole a peek at Jongin – the void in his expression made her purse her lips. Their gait was burdened by the enduring anxieties that nibbled their conscience; Jongin’s guilt followed him like a dark cloud and Haera believed it was her duty as his best friend to shield him with an umbrella – except she had been failing.

 “He didn’t mean to,” Haera said, her voice small.

“I know,” Jongin said, straining a chuckle. “I can’t pretend like it never happened, Haera – it did.” His jawline looked more defined than usual and the minor contraction strained his lips. “I did it. I made that story out of her.”

They split for a moment to give way to the row of art students carrying a pole. “But you apologized and she forgave you,” Haera said, coming to his side.

Jongin gave a small lopsided smile. “I’m surprised she hasn’t told everyone it was me.”

“It’s probably because—”

Haera yelped as Jongin grabbed her shoulders. A girl stood in their path, only a step away from Haera. Jongin apologized while Haera settled into the situation. The girl swayed on her heels with her hands behind her back. Faint beats of music came from the obnoxious set of red headphones around her neck as she exchanged pleasantries with Jongin. Her pale complexion and soft features were foreign to Haera – she didn’t know her.

“Is everything okay, Nayoung?” Jongin asked, eying her as she rummaged through her beaded handbag.

Nayoung side eyed Haera.“Could you spare a moment?”  she asked Jongin.

 “Uh…Okay.” Jongin shot Haera a look.

Haera shuffled closer to the wall as Jongin and Nayoung walked to the other side of the almost empty corridor. Haera played with the stray threads in her pockets as she watched the exchange between the two from afar. Cold seeped through her shirt and the curve in her back straightened as she leaned against the wall. Yawning, Haera felt a bubble pop in her stomach followed by another twist of hunger. Her fingers brushed over the empty chocolate wrapper, making her gulp. Haera shook her head and looked around. Thunder rumbled through the walls as the sky outside turned darker. A gray mat fell on the floor near the glass entrance door. Haera scrunched her nose – she didn’t want it to rain.

Haera turned ahead as footsteps approached. She kicked herself off of the wall, scrutinizing her best friend with a frown as she walked closer to him. Jongin’s neck under his scarf was turning red.

“What was that all about?” she asked, gesturing to Nayoung as she put on her headphones and walked away. Jongin opened his mouth to speak. His lips moved but his voice seemed to be failing him. Haera’s frown deepened. She glanced at the back of the retreating girl before turning to her friend again.

“What did she want to talk about?”

Jongin didn’t look at her – his gaze fixated on the item in his hand. Haera tilted her head at the green container wrapped around his fingers. Moments of silence passed but Jongin didn’t say a word. A light pounding began in Haera’s head again; another bubble popped.

 Jongin’s neck was turning darker.

“Give me that.” Haera snatched the bottle from his palm. She spun when he tried to grab it back and brought her hands to her stomach. Turning the sticker- less bottle, Haera couldn’t figure out what it was. She twisted the cap, cracking it a little, and raised a brow at the yellow gooey looking cream.

“What the hell is this?” The smell of the mixture made her gag and she screwed the top back. “Is she trying to kill you or what?”

“Seriously, give it back.” Jongin stepped back and huffed.

Haera clucked her tongue. Black pigment showed on her fingers once she touched the bottom. Haera flipped it over to discover a sloppy handwriting.

‘HOMEMADE FAIRNESS CREAM’.

Haera’s breathing hitched. Her fingers around the container turned white. Feeling lightheaded, she turned to face Jongin. Haera held the bottle up. “Are you kidding me?”

Jongin frowned. “Haera, listen to me—”

“Is she serious?” Haera’s voice turned louder. “Is this some sort of a sick joke?!”

Jongin peeked over his shoulder and tugged the bottle out of her grasp. Haera’s breathing picked up and her fists began trembling as Jongin rubbed his hand over his jaw.

“It’s all right,” he said.

Haera’s eyes narrowed as her face contorted with incredulity. “You and I both know it’s not.”

“It’s fine,” he insisted.

“You willing to bet on that?”

Jongin took a deep breath. “She meant well.”

Haera’s jaw slackened as Jongin’s head ducked. The sound of rain paired with Haera’s heaving breathing as she stared at him. Crossing her arms, Haera asked, “Why didn’t you give it back?”

Jongin’s head whipped up, his eyes slightly wider than before.

“You shouldn’t have accepted it in the first place,” Haera continued, “why didn’t you give it back?”

Jongin blinked several times, his mouth forming a thin line. The red on Jongin’s neck was starting to look like a rash. A rock settled on Haera’s chest.

“Jongin?” Haera called with a voice softer than before. It made him look up, and all she could see in his eyes was a ten-year-old on a soccer field. Holding her urge to flinch, Haera gave him a smile. “Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

The run through the rain left Haera’s socks wet and her hair dripping. Taking a table at the end, Haera took off her shoes and her drenched socks. The café’s heating system felt like a warm hug as water dripped off of them.

Haera stuck tissues to her head as she squeezed water out of her hair. A flurry of raindrops pattered the window as Jongin looked out. Water trickled down his hair and crawled over his cheeks and nose as he slouched in his seat. Students tumbled in with jackets over their heads, leaving a trail of water from the entrance through the length of the room – every seat had its own puddle.

“I feel like we c-came out of a sh-shower,” Haera stuttered, blowing air into her bare hands. “I think we s-should get ourselves tall c-cups of coffee and a large bowl of p-p-eanuts.”

Jongin looked away from the window. “You’ll bust a nosebleed.”

Haera rubbed her pink nose. “Whatev-er.”  She took out her dry sweater from her bag and draped it over her shoulders.

 and the rock Haera felt before returned heavier than before. She brushed her thumb over the black smudges on her fingers and sniffed. Jongin rubbed his hand on his damp jeans, leaving faint streaks of gray.

Inhaling from , Haera scraped her seat closer to the table. “You said you were going to t-treat me,” she said, as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering. “Give me food. Feed me.”

Looking at Haera, he scrunched his nose. “Ew.”

Haera gasped. “Rude,” she said, making her voice extra nasally.

Jongin stared.

“What?” Haera straightened. “Is my voice bothering you?”

Jongin shook his head.

Haera flipped her wet hair. “It’s my charm.”

“You have tissues on your head,” Jongin pointed out.

Haera raised her hand, slowly patting the patches before she took them off. “It’s a new trend.”

Jongin scoffed before his lips spread into a smile. “What do you want?”

Haera wiggled in her seat with a grin as she counted on her fingers. “Caesar’s salad, Alfredo pasta, a side of mashed potatoes, a cola, a basket of breadsticks…” Haera bit her lower lip as she looked at the lamp overhead. “What else…”

“You’re going to eat all that by yourself or I can have some?” Jongin asked, squinting his eyes.

“Mine,” she said. “You get your own.”

Jongin nodded as he waited for her to complete her list. Haera named every item she could remember from the menu, using her toes to count the extras. It wasn’t a lot, but it had Jongin joking again. He had his hand up to contradict Haera about an ingredient when the lightning struck outside, almost launching him off of his seat.

Haera was about to laugh until she jumped at the sudden pat on her shoulder.

“Is it okay if we sit here?”

The voice made Haera feel like she had swallowed one of Tink’s yarn balls. The pieces of wet tissues in her hands released water as she squeezed them in her hand. Her jeans were wet again but that was the last of her concerns.

Droplets trailed from Yixing’s forehead as he huffed. His black shirt stuck to his torso and his jacket in his hand looked like it came out of a laundromat.

“Please?” said a female coming up from behind him. “All the other tables are full.”

Soojung’s white sleeves soaked up water as she squeezed the ends of her shirt. Haera peeked at Jongin – with pink ears, he looked equally as dumbstruck.

“It’s fine if you don’t want us to,” Yixing said.

Haera blinked. “No,” she said, raising her hand as they almost walked away. “It’s completely fine.” She ushered them over. Picking up her bag from the floor, Haera pushed her shoes aside with her feet scooted a seat, leaving it vacant for – hopefully – Soojung. Jongin picked up his scarf from the seat and did the same – Haera tried not to focus on his glare.

“Thank you so much,” Soojung said, settling next to her. “It’s a nightmare out there.”

Haera forced a chuckle. “Sure is.”

Jongin shrunk – his shoulders caved and he clasped his hands, planting himself to the window. He ruffled his puffy half dried bangs so they fell over his eyes and ducked his head. Haera couldn’t help but feel bad for him.

“We’re really sorry for cutting in like this,” Yixing said. “No other table had seats available.”

Haera cleared her dry throat, holding the urge to turn and check. “It’s totally fine,” she said, bringing up a hand.

“Are you sure?” Soojung asked. “I feel like we just ruined your date.”

Jongin jolted in his seat, followed by a fake sneeze – Haera could almost see the horrified look on his face. She jumped when Jongin kicked her from under the table and strained another laugh.

“We’re not dating,” Haera said. “Just best friends. No couple.”

“Oh, thank God,” Soojung said, fanning herself with her hands. “Otherwise I would’ve felt terrible.”

Haera pursed her lips and looked away. She glanced at Jongin before her gaze trailed to Yixing – his jacket hung at the head of the chair as he slumped in his seat, yawning. The intervals between Haera’s blinks shortened – what was happening?

Soojung coughed before turning to Haera with a smile she had heard a lot about from Jongin. “I’m Jung Soojung.”

Haera stared at her hand for a while. Jongin kicked her again. “Park Haera- um… nice to meet you.” She shook Soojung’s cold hand, leaving white finger marks on her pink skin.

“That log on the chair is Zhang Yixing.” Soojung gestured to the half-asleep boy on the chair opposite hers.

“Hello,” Haera said, looking around. Yixing waved before closing his eyes. Silence fell upon them. Soojung’s glances danced from Jongin to Haera. Her raised brows made Haera bite the inside of her cheek. She had to introduce Jongin.

Haera smiled at Soojung and kicked Jongin once – he didn’t even flinch.

“That’s my best friend,” Haera said, her smiling growing wider.

Soojung turned to Jongin. “Hello!”

Haera’s cold toes hurt when she kicked Jongin harder.

“Is he okay?” Soojung asked in a low voice.

“Oh,” Haera said, laughing. “He’s just fine!” She aimed higher, biting her lip to keep from wincing, and kicked his shin.

Jongin shot straight up, his eyes screwed shut and his cheeks puffed. Haera would’ve laughed if Soojung and Yixing weren’t sitting with them.

“Hi,” Jongin managed to croak, his eyes still semi-closed.

“Hey!” Soojung gasped. “I know you!” She slowly raised a finger. Jongin froze. He glanced up at Haera through his bangs. Jongin took a deep breath, glaring at Haera before he looked down again.

“You’re with me in History, aren’t you?” Soojung snapped her fingers. “Kim Jongin!”

Jongin Adam’s apple bobbed as he raised his head. Finding the tiny hot sauce bottle better to look at, Jongin nodded. Yixing turned his head and opened an eye, looking at everyone.

“You know him?” he asked Soojung. Haera played with her fingers as Jongin’s bare neck started turning pink again.

“He sits just behind me,” Soojung said, still smiling. Haera tried not to look too surprised at Soojung’s reaction. “We were paired for a reading on our first session,” Soojung added.

Haera remembered that day – Jongin had skipped his way home.

“What a coincidence.” Soojung shook her head.

A man in an apron came over to mop the floor next to them. The café was starting to feel stuffy – the air became thick with humidity. Most of the chatter around them consisted of orders and weather complaints accompanied by the sound of chewing and slurping. Windows looked like bubble wraps with the raindrops scattered on the surface.

Jongin had his head up but his gaze down, his teeth digging into his lower lip as they all sat in an awkward silence. A part of Haera wanted her to push Jongin’s leg again – he hadn’t spoken a word.  Soojung tied her hair into a pony and folded her hands on the table.

The awkwardness was more suffocating than the humidity.

“Am I the only one who’s hungry?” Yixing opened his eyes.

Haera tore her gaze away from her stinging red toes and nodded without a thought. “I am!”

“Me too,” Soojung added.

Jongin scratched his head.

“Since it’s my first day,” Yixing said, stretching as he straightened, “you treat me.” He smiled at Soojung. She narrowed her eyes at him but bent over to open her bag. She took out a thick red wallet, coming out with a flash of familiar navy blue. The corners of Haera’s lips twitched.  She stared at Jongin, waiting for him to notice the scarf in Soojung’s bag before her gaze flickered to Yixing.

He was looking at her.

“You were going to give me a treat, too,” Haera said to Jongin. He responded with wide eyes.

“You can come with me then,” Soojung said as she got up from her seat. “I’m going to order.”

“I think we should order later,” Jongin said to Haera, his voice almost a whisper.

“I’m hungry right now,” Haera insisted.

“You go. I pay,” Jongin suggested.

“I’m not wearing shoes.” Haera moved her feet even though no one could see them. “Besides, Kaira is there today.” She gave him an exaggerated frown.

“Haera—”

“I don’t bite,” Soojung said with a chuckle, her eyes turning into half-moons. Jongin’s ears turned pink. Shooting a glance toward Haera, Jongin rose from his seat. Yixing’s gaze followed Jongin as he stepped over his bag and joined Soojung. With his hands in his pockets, Jongin walked next to Soojung with a distance large enough to fit another person. Haera almost cooed at the sight.

“Good distance,” Yixing commented. Haera’s muscles locked in place. Taking her time, she turned to the front. Yixing had his arms crossed over the table.

His stare made her shift in her seat. “So you’re going to do it?” Haera raised her brows.

Yixing remained quite – unblinking.

“That’s why you’re here,” Haera said, pointing behind her, “right?”

Yixing pulled his mouth to a side. “Coming here was on impulse,” he said, leaning back. “I wanted to see Jongin for myself before I came to my final decision.”

Something about his tone put Haera off but she kept quiet. She glanced over her shoulder to see Soojung and Jongin still at the counter. Soojung was saying something that made Jongin still – the red on his neck was receding.

“Well?” She tapped her index finger on the table.

Yixing huffed as he turned to Jongin’s empty seat. “He looks like someone kicked an abandoned puppy in the rain.”

Haera’s tapping stopped. “Meaning?”

Yixing threw a glance at her before shoving a hand into his pocket. “Meaning he feels guilty and judging from the vibe I get from him he’s better than most guys I’ve seen today.”

Haera scooted closer to the edge of her seat, her toes curling as they dipped into the water. “So you’ll help me?”

“I’m sitting here, aren’t I?” he said, pressing on his phone screen.

Haera’s jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. Her hand clasped around as her other lay flat on the table.

Yixing agreed…

Haera gulped. “So, yes?”

Yixing sighed. “Yes.”

 He actually agreed.

“Put in your number,” Yixing said, sliding his phone to her. “We’ll have to coordinate if you want to make this work.”

Haera took the device in her hands, her thumbs pressing the screen a bit too hard. She tried to contain her smile but her lips would twitch until she gave up. She slid the phone back and clapped her hands together – her plan was going to work.

Looking at his screen, Yixing raised a brow. “You named yourself Clandestine?”

Haera nodded. “It’s because we’re doing this in secret,” she beamed. Her shoulders deflated the longer Yixing stared at his screen – maybe her wit wasn’t appreciated.

A corner of Yixing lips lifted. “Cool.”

‘Maybe the name change was a bad idea’. Haera cleared . “I actually kept that because of the nature of our agreement. So every time we’re having a clandestine conversation you’ll remember to keep it a secret.”

Yixing smiled. “Of course.”

The euphoria from seconds ago left Haera as she leaned back in her seat. She rubbed her feet together and looked out the window. Her phone vibrated in her pocket seconds later.

“That’s me,” Yixing said, stuffing his phone back into his pockets. “You can name me Surreptitious – I won’t mind.” He smirked. Haera wanted to dissolve. She slumped lower into her seat and felt a tickle in her stomach.

A phone started ringing. Yixing leaned over and searched through Soojung’s backpack. The muffled tone became louder when he pulled the blinking device out and sped into Soojung’s direction,  Jongin catching him as he slipped over water. Haera tilted her head as the two males stood side by side while Soojung put a finger in her ear and went aside.

Soojung sighed before she hung up. Whatever she said, it made Yixing’s expression shift. Jongin stepped back, glancing at Haera as he shrugged. For reasons unknown to her, Haera gave him two thumbs up.

Yixing patted Jongin on the shoulder and said something that looked like a ‘thanks’ before he and Soojung walked back to the table.

“Raincheck on the food,” Soojung said. “No pun intended.”

Haera didn’t get it but she smiled anyway. “No problem.” She pursed her lips. “Everything okay?”

Soojung smiled. “Just my mom,” she said, lifting her phone. “She wants me home ASAP.”

Yixing picked up his bag while Soojung put on hers. “It was great meeting you, though,” Soojung said. “I hope we run into each other again.”

“I hope so, too,” Haera said, grinning. “Bye!”

Soojung waved and walked ahead. Yixing folded his jacket over his arm, nodding at Haera on his way out.

“Bye, Jongin,” Soojung said at the door.

Jongin blinked and managed to wave back as the duo walked out with their hands over their heads. Jongin kept looking at the door as he walked back, a small smile playing on his lips.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Haera said, grinning. “What a wild coincidence.”

Jongin fell into his seat, making it scrape the floor a little. He looked at the edge of the table, his mouth slightly open. “I can’t believe I spoke to Jung Soojung for more than ten seconds.”

Haera laughed.

“She’s so nice,” Jongin said, shaking his head. “She said—you know what she said?” Jongin leaned in, his eyes wide like a child’s. “She said that if my odd behavior was because of the incident then I should let it go.” Jongin slammed his hands on the table. “She said I should let it go,” he repeated. “It was an accident!”

“See!” Haera pointed. “I told you!”

“I can’t believe this,” he said, slumping back into his seat. “I cannot believe this.”

Haera drummed the table. “Believe it!”

Jongin’s teeth showed and his shoulders shook as he threw his head back with laughter. Haera bit her lower lip – suddenly the idea of working with Yixing didn’t feel so bad anymore.

Maybe this would work out.

Maybe this time, Jongin would get what he deserved.

-

A/N: I would really like to apologize for the ridiculous delay.