After the long and exhausting day, they celebrated dinner paid by the three teacher. Technically Yerin had an occasional freelance gig as a graphic designer to collect enough money for her McDonald’s funds, but she wouldn’t pass the opportunity to be treated by Yunho.   Maerin’s excitement could not be contained as she returned to the dorm, already reminiscing the earlier event. Taemin told her how much he enjoyed her singing, or rather, whispered it in her ears since others were making a big ruckus over something stupid, like who could drink soup the fastest using a fork. She wanted to laugh, but the sudden heaviness in her heart prevented her from doing so. The Caffe Latte song only reminded her of her relationship with Taemin, which according to him, was no different from a regular male and female friendship. The one person who could lift her spirit up in one second, could also bring her to total destruction within the next. What was she to do?   In the wake of her dilemma, she opened the door to her room, ready to bask herself in the warmth of her bed. She’d have to get rid of those moving boxes, which had only increased in number everyday, but remained without an owner.   Maerin lazily slouched her way in, feeling something amiss. She had nothing to bump into. The boxes were gone. She halted, fully on guard when she heard water running from the bathroom. Even the bed was filled with cozy pillows, a bolster, and even some adorable dolls.   A smile took over Maerin’s fatigued face. She had a roommate. And as she contemplated how to present herself, the bathroom door already clicked open.   The girl’s frame was petite in a way that reminded Maerin of Hyunmi’s short stature. Her hair was still wet, hanging loose against the towel she had around her shoulders. She wore regular pyjamas, along with an extra sweater over it. Through her big framed spectacles, she stared back at Maerin with some hint of fear.   “Hi,” Maerin greeted cheerfully. She mustered a friendly smile and extended her hand out. “My name is Ha Maerin. 18 years old, social science major.”   The blank look on the other girl’s face morphed to one of hesitation, staring at Maerin’s hand in search for anything suspicious. Only after an elongated dose of awkwardness did the girl reciprocate the gesture. It wasn’t even a firm handshake, but more like a faint skin to skin brush.   “I’m Lee Eun,” the girl softly spoke, timidly averting her eyes elsewhere. She pressed her lips together, thinking for a moment, before continuing her introduction using Maerin’s template. “19 years old, and I study medical science.”   “Wow! We have a future doctor in the house,” Maerin cheered, surprising the other with her boisterous volume.   “I’m still a student,” Eun spoke, maintaining that soft tone.   Maerin wasn’t sure whether her new roommate was shy, terrified, or extremely polite, but she was determined to pursue a new friendship with the roommate she had been waiting for. “Why did you only transfer now?”   “Uhm.. I had to settle some matters at my old place, Elliteu University” Eun answered, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, afraid to meet the other’s eyes.   “You were a student at Elliteu?” Maerin’s eyes sprung wide open, her voice once again increasing by a few decibels. After today’s performance at Moonbucks, she was convinced Elliteu University was elite for a reason, and couldn’t fathom why Eun transferred to Balgwang instead.   “Do you know their show choir club? Are they always that amazing?” She didn’t miss her chance to ask.   For the first time, Eun’s eyes sparked up with rekindled fire, every blink revealing new excitement. “They are. They are perfect in every way. I wished I could be one of them,” she spoke, surprising Maerin at her capability to speak at a decent volume.   “Why didn’t you?”   The excitement disappeared as soon as it appeared. “I didn’t pass the audition,” she said, returning to her hushed tone. The softness couldn’t mask the disappointment grazing her voice.   Bs actually had an audition process whereas Crescendity bribed the majority of their members to join. Their sense of professionalism was at a completely different level. But Maerin didn’t indulge in the comparison for too long, sensing a spark of interest from her new roommate. This opportunity could not be wasted.   “If you want, we have recently started a show choir club at Balgwang. You should definitely come and check us out. We have a meeting tomorrow at 4. Do you have class?”   Eun silently shook her head, but the earlier interest made an appearance in her feverish gaze once again.   “Great! It’s at room 215. Just come by,” Maerin said, grinning widely.   Maybe then, they’d finally gain a member who joined out of free will without the aid of briberies.     Strange, Biah had searched an entire day for her bracelet her mom gifted on her 17th birthday. She only took it off when showering, but the bathroom was empty.   “Did you drop it at the cafe?” Chiyeon asked, laying sprawled on her bed, with a drama script in front of her.   “Oh! I don’t remember if I was still wearing it,” Biah said, as if having a moment of epiphany, only to be have it fleet by like the dust of air.   “You can return to the cafe and ask anyone there,” Chiyeon suggested, looking up. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to this pink ocean. Once, she questioned whether Biah owned other colors, to which Biah answered by opening her closet, showing a collection of pink outfit. Chiyeon learned not to question afterwards.   “That’s a good idea. Thank you,” Biah said politely, then bid her farewell as she left the room. Would it be okay to skip practice for the sake of finding her bracelet? She had an ominous feeling that a tardy attendance would lead to bad consequences, so maybe she should find one of the leaders and double check.   As she grabbed her pink cased phone from her pink purse, her fingers browsed for the number of the female leaders since she didn’t have the guys’ number—the only number from the opposite gender she wanted to save was that of her prince charming. She’d even add a heart next to his name, once she knew his identity.   “Is this yours?” A grim voice spoke, frightening the girl with a small jolt.   Biah turned around, surprised to see rude guy Howon dressed in a black hoodie today. His face was again hidden in the shadow, and she couldn’t help but tremble a little, remembering the way he had beaten up twenty guys yesterday. Would she face severe consequences for witnessing the fight?   Howon held his hand up in front of her face, dangling the golden string of a familiar looking bracelet down his fingers.   He dropped the item from his hand before Biah could examine it, not caring if it fell unto the floor. Biah held her palms out, catching the item in time. Howon found her bracelet. She erased her fears and erupted into a thankful smile.   “Thank you! I’ve been looking for this. This is really important to me,” Biah said, not realizing the cold look he gave her, completely disregarding her gratitude. Instead, he remained there, and she curiously tilted her head sideways.   “About yesterday, forget everything you saw,” he sneered, stripped from any kindness.   “About the fi—”   “Shut up!” Howon raised his voice, stopping her from vocalizing the part he needed to keep hidden. He even raised his hand, but halted remembering this public place. So he lowered his arm with reluctance, believing the warning had been clear enough, and turned away.   Biah didn’t realize the breath she had been holding until he was completely out of sight. With the release of her breath also came the release of her tears, afraid what would become of her.   Where was prince charming to save her?     At the end of the day, everyone was alive and well when they gathered at their usual practice room. Hyunmi held her iPad, looking around to write down everyone’s attendance. It wasn’t mandatory and Leeteuk never asked her to do it, but as always, the teacher let her be.   Her gaze stopped at Woohyun, watching as he was chatting to Kibum and Minseok. His earlier statement continued to bother her—a thank you didn't suffice. He did save the entire performance, but why was she taking up the responsibility to reward him for it? To make him stay in the club, of course. Yes, that had to be it.   Her train of thoughts halted when Woohyun suddenly looked up, meeting her eyes in the stare she’d been holding for the past five minutes. He smiled at her, prompting her to quickly look away.   “Hey miss top student,” he greeted, approaching her. “I heard you’re a pretty skilled guitarist, right?”   She frowned at the nickname and question, sensing he wanted something. “I wouldn’t say skilled. I only know a few basic chords.”   “Great. I’d like you to teach me.”   Well, well, what an interesting turn of events. Hyunmi couldn’t help let her lips sink into a smug grin as she folded her arms like she finally got the upperhand. He was known as a great composer, but he couldn’t play the guitar.   “The first rank has come to seek my help. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” She abused her sudden position of power.   “All the other experts were busy, so I’m left with you,” he answered, easily deflecting her taunt.   This made her narrow her eyes in annoyance. “Why should I help you? Even if I did, it won’t be for free.”   Woohyun laughed, shutting her down with a single reply. “Because I helped you save the performance.”   Right, she was sort of indebted to him and in no position to manipulate him. So she cleared . “Jaehwan is a better teacher actually. He, Myungsoo, Minhyuk, and I agreed to have some weekly guitar tutorial sessions. Myungsoo wants to polish his skills, and Minhyuk wants to learn to play. You can join.”   Woohyun frowned, noticing she’d be the only girl among the men, but decided not to comment on it. Instead, he grinned in a way that would occupy her mind for an entire day.   “You see, I am more of a one on one kind of learner, so I need you to teach me, in private.”   Hyunmi blinked her eyes, not knowing what to say. She felt her cheeks warming up, her eyes refusing to leave him. She didn’t know his intention, but argued it was a good opportunity to show proper gratitude. Knowing her voice would crack if she had answered, she opted to nod in reply.   “Oh, and I was kidding about the experts,” Woohyun added before he turned. “You’ve always been my only choice.”   And that did it. Whatever his intention, Hyunmi couldn’t stop her heart from the pace it accelerated with.     Mira’s class ended a little late because the lecturer got carried away talking about a horror incident that only brought down her mood. Whereas others celebrated their performance, seeing Mark’s face fouled her entire day. Minhyuk’s agreement to help was the only good thing she could remember.   “There you are! I thought you forgot about our plan,” Minhyuk’s voice greeted as soon as she stepped out of the class. Frankly, she did forget about the plan.   “What plan?”   “Convince them about us. Show them how sweet I am. Turn them against Mark,” Minhyuk briefly recapped, which she knew nothing about. Other than the evil smirk on his face, he hadn’t said anything when they left.   “I like the last part.” Mira nodded, watching a sinister look eclipse Minhyuk’s sweet and fluffy appearance. How did he even get bribed into joining the club when he seemed capable to manipulate others himself?   “Just the last part? I worked hard coming up with the entire plan. But that’s okay. By making them see how good we look together, they’ll realize Mark is a jerk,” Minhyuk said, though the two points had no actual correlation with each other.   “Aren’t you friends with Mark?” She skeptically raised an eyebrow.   “Yeah, but the guy likes to hit me whenever he's mad. I think he has anger management problems. It hurts,” Minhyuk pouted, his hand trailing to his upper arm, remembering the pain once inflicted.   “Yes! I always see him kicking stuff and smashing tables. Sometimes I get so scared I just stay quiet,” Mira said, excited to find someone she could relate to. She didn’t like promoting her own boyfriend in a bad light, and therefore kept her silence about Mark’s ill behavior when they were still dating. None of her friends knew.   “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from now on,” Minhyuk said, his voice laced with conviction.   Mira couldn’t control the change in her expression when he casually said those sweet words, as if it bore no meaning to him at all. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to, but her heart couldn’t help but react to it. Mark never said those things—he was the one she needed to be protected from.