“You go.”

“You go first, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Students, I don’t have all day,” the voice rings out. 

One by one, the residents of West wing file into the common area to greet the dean. It usually isn’t a good sign when she appears in person without warning. 

“Let’s see, it looks like you’re all here– Hanbin, you aren’t a part of this wing,” the dean points out. 

From a quick look at him, she could also tell he’s under the weather. 

“Should I leave?” he asks, though it’s obvious that he doesn’t want to.

So, she gives in. “It’s fine– I came by to announce something.”

At those words, she manages to capture their undivided attention. The last time she ‘came by to announce something’ it was to announce–,

“A new dorm head?” Jisoo blurts what everyone is thinking.

“Is that why she has been ignoring our messages?” Hayi softly mumbles to herself. 

“Why are you the one announcing it? Shouldn’t Yiseul come and tell us herself?” Chanwoo demands. 

Immediately, chaos erupts and the dean places her hands up. 

“Whoa– hold on– a new dorm head? Yiseul didn’t quit.”

Simultaneously, everyone comes to a standstill. “What?”

“You didn’t even let me speak,” the dean says. “I came to tell you that Yiseul won’t be here for at least another week, so to behave yourselves until she returns.”

“Where is she?”

“For personal reasons, Yiseul requested an extension on her break.”

“What are the personal reasons?” Seunghoon asks.

“It wouldn’t be ‘personal’ if I were to tell you, now would it?” the dean answers.

“But, shouldn’t we know?”

“Well, I don’t know what they are no matter how much you question me,” the dean says as she starts to take her leave. “I have to get back to my office, but I do want to leave one last warning; if I hear about anything, I will make sure to discipline Yiseul.”

“Why would you discipline her?” Junhoe wonders. 

“Yiseul gave me her word that the West wing will stay out of trouble. So, shouldn’t she be responsible if anything were to happen?”

With a smile, the dean disappears.

***

“Did the girls hear anything from Yiseul?” Mino asks. “What about you, Hanbin?”

The girls shake their heads. Even their messages have gone unanswered. 

“I spoke to her once, but now she isn’t picking up her phone. It’s completely turned off,” Hanbin answers. 

“I’ll try to find out,” Mino says before leaving the common area.

Stepping out into the hallway, he dials his parents to ask for a favor. He didn’t think he would reach them at all while they’re at the company, but to his surprise, his mother answers.

“Mom, can you find out how I can reach Yiseul?”

It didn’t take long before his mom gets back to him and he has to relay the message that Yiseul and her mom moved out of Mrs. Kang’s home overnight. 

The news is confusing to everyone as expected. 

So, Hanbin tries to explain what he knows with Mino filling in some details. 

“So, Yiseul’s mom works for Mina’s family, but maybe not any longer seeing how they moved out,” Jennie summarizes. “We can also assume they didn’t leave on good terms after hearing about Hanbin meeting up with Yiseul.”

All heads turn in Hanbin’s direction to find him blowing his nose into a tissue. 

“What did you do, Hanbin?” Jisoo asks. 

He knows he didn’t do anything, but why does he feel so anxious? “I’m gonna go dig around,” he says with sniffles. 

Getting up, he marches out of the common area and ignores the call of his name. 

Heading to campus, he decides to stop in the dean’s office. With no appointment, he’s easily turned away. 

“I’ll wait however long it takes for her to finish,” he stubbornly says. 

With a sigh, the secretary allows him to take a seat before she returns to her own desk. Minutes p