Swiftly scanning the paper in front of her, Jieun started putting marks on Chanyeol’s answer sheet before pushing the paper towards the giant. He intently listened to Jieun’s explanation of why his answers were wrong. Jieun could see that he’s really trying to learn something. Baekhyun, on the other hand, was being tutored by Junmyeon. The other flower boys were immersed in answering the Math questions that Jieun assigned.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Jongin spacing out.

“Sarang and I…broke up.”

He was holding his phone as if he was contemplating on whether he’ll make a call or not. Jieun knew right away that he’s hesitating on calling Sarang.

“Sarang broke up with me.”

When Jongin told her about what happened, a very uncomfortable feeling settled inside her. She grew fond of Sarang and she even started seeing her as compatible for Jongin. She was starting to move on. She thought she was able to make a step or two from the starting line but here she is again, standing still on that same line. She couldn’t explain why she’s hesitating.

“Is this right?”

Jieun looked at Chanyeol in surprise when the latter showed her his answer. She cleared , acting like she’s been attentively watching Chanyeol solve the problem. She scanned the paper once again and with a satisfied smile, she nodded.

“You got it.”

“Really?” Chanyeol asked in disbelief. He stared at his paper before a proud grin came to his face. “I never knew I had the knack for Math. It’s amazing how I can understand everything that you explained in just one day.”

Jieun just smiled at her friend’s comment. “Let’s take a break before we start with English,” she commented, patting the giant’s back. Chanyeol made a face.

“Ah…English…” he sighed. “That’s my weakest subject.”

Once again, Jieun’s eyes went to Jongin’s direction. He was sitting still just like before. His brows were furrowed, showing that he’s thinking deeply. Suddenly, he sighed as he shut his eyes.

“We’re back!” Jongdae greeted as he opened the door. Behind him were Sehun and Yixing who were both holding bags of good for them. “We bought pizza! Who wants pizza?” Jongdae energetically asked while showing what he was holding.

Jongin suddenly stood and headed to the door.

“W-Where are you going?” Junmyeon and Minseok asked in unison.

“Outside.” Without looking back, Jongin left the house, leaving the flower boys just looking at each other. They were obviously trying to ask each other why Jongin’s acting like that all of a sudden. Jieun’s the only one who was informed about the break-up and she could understand why he did not tell the flower boys about it. They’re just going to ask many questions regarding why they broke up.

“Is it just me or he’s really acting so weird these past days,” Baekhyun commented.

“I noticed that too but I did not say anything. Let’s not ask too many questions. He’ll find that annoying,” Kyungsoo stated.

Jieun remained quiet.

Even when the flower boys started goofing around while having their break, Jieun’s just sitting still. Her mind’s filled with so many questions. She was reminded of that night when Jongin dropped the unexpected news. When he told her that Sarang was the one who broke up with him, Jieun did not find the courage to ask him why she did that. Jieun had her own theories but she was hoping that none of those is the reason for what happened.

Feeling like her head’s going to explode at any moment, she stood and walked to the balcony. It really is December. The weather’s getting colder by the day. Sighing, she pulled her jacket tightly. “This is frustrating,” she muttered.

“What is frustrating?”

Jieun turned around in surprise just to find Sehun staring at her with a small smile pasted on his face. “N-Nothing,” she lied, stuttering. Sehun’s expression showed that he did not but that at all. As he stood beside her, he let a deep sigh leave his lips. They stayed quiet for a while as they just stared at the neighborhood lit with pretty lights.

“Let me guess…They broke up?”

Taken aback, Jieun looked up at Sehun who was maintaining a casual expression. “How did you know?” she mumbled.

“I see. So they really broke up.”

Realizing what she did, Jieun hit her own lips. She was internally scolding herself for letting those words slip.

“His actions gave that away. He’s been staring at his phone for so long while looking like he’s thinking about something so deeply. He’s been loitering around the dance room when Sarang’s still inside, hesitating to enter or not. Jongin’s that easy to read.”

“If he’s that easy to read, then why are they clueless?” Jieun asked, pointing at the flower boys inside. Sehun smiled a bit.

“I’m sure some of them already know about it. They’re just not saying anything because they respect Jongin’s need of some time for himself.” Sehun looked up and took a lungful of air. Listening to his explanation, Jieun turned to look at the flower boys.

“I think Kyungsoo knows…” she mumbled to herself. “Junmyeon and Minseok are also quick in noticing things. Yixing…hmmm…I don’t think so…The trio…definitely not…”

“So how do you feel about it?”

“Huh?”

Sehun leaned on the railing, placing his arms in front of him. “How do you feel about their break up?”

Jieun looked down before turning around, rubbing her cold hands together. “I don’t know. I told you before that I’m starting to like Sarang for Jongin that’s why I don’t know what to do. Sehun…” She paused, biting her lip in frustration. “Do you think Sarang broke up with him because of what happened at the party? Am I…the reason for what happened?”

Sehun remained silent. He didn’t like the idea of telling Jieun his honest thoughts.

“Honestly…I’m scared of seeing Sarang in school. I can’t explain it but I feel bad about it.”

Noticing how anxious and frustrated she is, Sehun sighed. “You’re not the reason; Jongin is. He’s responsible for his actions so don’t blame yourself. You’ve been trying your best to move on because you feel bad about having feelings for him when he was with Sarang so…it’s not your fault.”

Jieun pursed her lips as she rubbed her hands once again.

“But…” Sehun started. “Do you still have the same feelings for him?”

Slowly, Jieun shook her head. “I don’t know. With what happened…I’m not sure anymore. There’s a part of me that wants them to get back together but there’s a part that does not want that. Do you think I still like him like before?”

Sehun held her gaze for some seconds.

“I hope not.”

“W-What?”

“I hope that you don’t like him like before. I hope…that you’re in the middle of moving on.”

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