The karaoke screen mocked her. Chaeyoung picked up an empty bottle and attempted to smite the TV screen but she stopped midway, the hot tears forced their way out. The bottle clanged on the floor as she got on her knees and buried her face in her hands. The screen blinked flashy lights as it displayed a perfect 100 score ‘You are amazing!’ it said, as if a taunt; even the machine knew how much of a move she pulled. And along with the congratulatory background music that filled the whole room was Son Chaeyoung’s silent weep. It was a secret that she and the four walls should keep to themselves- about what was in Chaeyoung’s head the whole time; what words that slipped off her tongue when Mina was outside the room and adrift away off her life; how she ran outside when guilt and longingness consumed her very soul and heart, and how she saw Mina in somebody else’s embrace; the painful blow that it dealt seeing them together- they felt right to be with each other.

●

Two days have passed but Mina never made an appearance to any of her friends. Chaeyoung kept mum every time they asked Mina’s whereabouts; all she could ever do was shrug and mumble a silent I don’t know. It was not a hard thing to understand- that maybe Mina and Chaeyoung had a fight over something, well, at least on their friends’ point of view that was what they thought happened. Because not even to their best friends did they share how Chaeyoung had cut their ties so bluntly and so painfully quick as if tearing a Band-Aid with one swift pull.

Sana tried visiting her but was shooed off by Mina through the maid. She fought the urge to strangle the house helper until her veins popped, and after one last cuss to the door that was only an inch away from her face after the said maid accidentally slammed it shut, she her heel only to find Momo approaching towards her direction. She didn’t see Sana as she was rummaging her shoulder bag for something and when she grab a hold of what seemed like a key, she jumped out of surprise to see Sana staring at her with a very confused look. , she exclaimed in her mind, Why is Sana here?! It’s class hours!

“Momo? Wha- why are you here?! You told me you went back to Japan already!” Sana audaciously voiced out her suspicion.

Momo blanked out for a second to think of, if not credible, at the very least, an almost believable excuse. But she was not accustomed lying to Sana, since the girl has a nose of a bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out lies coming off the tongue of a raccoon. Momo took a small breath and tried to say whatever words that was brave enough to be launched in the battlefield but was cutoff when Mina herself opened the door and stared monotonously at both of them. It was worse than what Sana had imagined; Mina was an embodiment of a human structure that lacked a soul. One glance and even a child would notice that Mina was now just an empty shell deprived of the most important factor in life- love.

Sana and Momo stood frozen. Mina, however, didn’t care and just walked back to where she was seated. She hugged her knees and stared at the cloudy skies. Her movements were slow as if on the verge of collapsing any second with just one blow of air.

Momo had a key but was also shunned by Mina since she locked herself in her room ever since that night. She looked at Mina with too much of a mixed emotion that she ended up grimacing, not at Mina but to herself. Did I do this?

“Mina…” Sana’s voice creaked. Even having no knowledge about what happened, Sana can’t help but tear up upon seeing such dreary expression from her best friend, “What’s the matter?” That was all she could muster to ask.

Mina shook her head slowly and smiled painfully; the edges of her lips quivering upon trying to hold that smile that was the only silver lining of her and her dear life. Once again, her heart shattered upon remembering, and even with her smiling façade, her tears trickled. It was all she could do- to smile even if her heart was left ripped open. Mina wants to remember everything that happened with her and Chaeyoung because that was all that was left with her- their memories, even if it meant going through a hell of pain and misery every time they remind her that it was over. She smiled even with the tears clouding her sight and even with her friends hugging her tightly out of pity. She smiled even if it wasn’t the happy ending that she dreamed of having. She smiled even if all the magic that bestowed between them, all the spark that was ignited, all the stories that they have written, all the pages they have turned, all the smiles that they have shared, all the love they thought they had, she smiled at them, even if none was real. She’ll smile throughout it all because in spite of everything, she’ll be the only one feeling this. Mina only had herself to reminisce them with. The harsh truth hugged her back; clinging to her until a familiar warmth and radiance drive it away. Hope, she only has a seed of it, but even with the drought of love, she’ll water it with faithfulness.

Sana tried to coax Mina to tell her whatever happened but Mina would only bite her lip and heave a deep sigh. Seeing Mina this way, Sana could not stop herself from hugging her every second. She always felt the need of protecting her from the world.

“I don’t have any regrets. I just wish our story lasted longer, or at least was even just a tiny bit real.” Mina whispered and it made Sana hug her tighter.

●

Momo sat across the two and was silent the whole time. She was feeling guilt surge violently in her stomach like the demons jailed in the pit of abyss running amok; she could taste the bitterness of karma on her tongue and the stings of remorse spearing her heart. She didn’t expect Mina to be abundantly affected this way. Now, more than ever, she was determined never to let Mina know about the truth. But how?! She cracked her knuckles out of habit and impatiently stood up after having the urge to step out of the room. She went to the kitchen and hastily washed her face. Before she knew it, she was trembling and cutting tears escaped from her eyes. She tightly shut them to prevent a waterfall but they persisted when images of a lifeless Mina flashed in her head. What if Mina stays that way for a long time? She pulled her hair and grunted silently. Momo thought her conscience would be sturdy as an iron but she was dead wrong when she saw Mina smile with a tremendous amount of pain evident in her eyes. She clenched the edges of the countertop and drew heavy breaths; numerous arrows were launched and shot through her heart. She’ll get over this, Momo whispered to herself countless of times like a mantra meant to make her believe that she was on the right side; that what she did really was the best for Mina; that she was doing it for Mina, not for herself.

“You had something to do with this, don’t you?”

Momo snapped her eyes open and slowly turned around. She could bet her life’s fortune that she looked like a suspicious mess as she faced the owner of the voice.

●

Chaeyoung walked by the riverbank and felt the emptiness beside her. She clasped her hands and stared at them with a longing look, truthfully, no one likes to be alone; no one to share the overwhelming warmth of your feelings. She sighed audibly and began picking up some pretty pebbles. Chaeng examined them thoroughly if it was worthy to be kept; the other stones that didn’t quite pass the criteria were thrown back into the waters. She looked hard unto the remaining pebbles but also tossed them away, she chuckled sadly, I already had the prettiest gem before but I let her go.

Her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying that she could no longer feel the sting in her eyes yet somehow, she felt the need to stare at the sky, and as she felt the pang of the sunlight creep into her skin, Chaeyoung scrunched her nose, Ah, she thought, this isn’t the warmth that I needed. A sad smile crossed her face. As long as we share the same sky, it’ll suffice… for now.

●

Sweats rapidly formed and with only a few seconds of staring at each other, Momo was already drenched. How come I always have the worst of luck? She questioned herself and the heavens.

“I knew it. It was impossible to have come to this worse if there wasn’t any third party involved.”

The grim voice continued. Momo took a few steps backwards and felt the sink’s cold surface through the thin fabric of her blouse. She gulped and wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead and tried so hard to form a plausible lie to cover up the whole truth but with the looks of it, she has no fire exit.

“What did you do, Momo? And don’t even think of lying.” Sana’s