Chaeyoung paced around the room without even bothering to remove her coat. She just saw her best friend kissing an unknown girl in public. Questions ran through her head, did her best friend actually left her on this? Was it a conscious act when Jeongyeon decided not to tell it to her? The questions kept on boggling her mind and it sat at the pit of betrayal on the shorter roommate’s side.

How long have they been dating? she thought as she paced to her right. Did she really kept this from me? she asked herself another question. She sighed, finally thinking that this will not help her confusion about her tall roommate. She felt her phone vibrated and when she checked it, there was an e-mail from her professor.

Park Jinyoung:
Due to my absence, I will officially assign a new project here. A painting to be passed a week before your midterm examination.

Chaeyoung scrunched her face because this e-mail doesn’t help her in any way possible and more likely another problem for her. She breathed once, ignoring the message from her professor who was really bad at timing, before she sat on their couch.

“There’s probably a logical explanation for Jeongyeon,” she whispered as she thought back to her best friend before she looked at the blaring time on her phone. 8:17 pm, she had been waiting for almost two hours for her but the good thing was, Jeongyeon usually got home around this time. As if on cue, her best friend quietly entered their shared room. Jeongyeon noticed the tiger cub was seated quietly on their couch, “Hey,” she called out with a smile. She heard the shorter girl repeated her greeting except in a soft uttered word. Thus, she concluded that something was off with the baby cub.

The silver haired girl walked pass the cub to the kitchen sink in caution, she didn’t know why but her instincts told her to be cautious. “What’s up?” she carefully asked the unusually quiet cub before she washed her hands for no reason. The atmosphere was now visibly tensed caused by the cold conversation between the roommates. A shiver ran through Jeongyeon’s long spine when she heard Chaeyoung’s reply, but more of a question that was shot back at her. “Are you dating someone?” the shorter girl asked.

Jeongyeon, playing safe, lightly chuckled while wishing the cub only heard rumours because if she did, there was a bigger chance that the cub will listen to a lie. “I’m not,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders, “Why do you ask?” Chaeyoung mirrored her innocent actions and bitterly chuckled to herself, “Because I saw you kissing a girl on my way to Mina's place earlier,” she spat at her roommate. The silver haired girl shut because she was caught red-handed and in a fresh lie. Now, she knew that the cub was pissed and likely to feel that she was betrayed. She approached the seated cub, attempting to lighten the mood, “Look, there’s a perfect explanation for that,” she said as she walked to her.

The cub ran her right paw to her mane, anger and betrayal blinding her, “How long have you been dating her?” She felt weight settled on the left side of the couch before she heard her best friend’s sigh and quiet answer, “Several weeks before the exams.”

After Jeongyeon’s answer, every gear in her head finally worked. No wonder her roommate was always missing in her dorm. No wonder Jeongyeon had a lot of excuses these past days. It just made sense how her best friend’s time was suddenly and heavily divided, for all the one-person dinner she had, but what really hurt the cub was the blatant lying to her. Wasn’t she qualified enough and privilege enough for her best friend to tell her? They're childhood and best friends, and they practically knew everything about one another. Right now, only one thing ran in Chaeyouong’s head.

She never really meant to tell me about this.

“When do you plan to tell me this, Jeong?” she sadly stated. Jeongyeon sighed, no point in lying now, “After I graduate,” she softly answered. Chaeyoung furrowed her brows, “Isn’t that too long?” “I know, but after Dahyun, I just want you to know that I’m always at your side,” Jeongyeon explained.

Chaeyoung ran her hand again through her hair, Not this again, she thought to herself. “I know you, Chaeng. I know that there are times you felt Dahyun was out of reach because she has a girlfriend now and that hurt you sometimes because you hell value your friendships,” the tall silver haired girl further explained. The cub just clenched her jaw because this was the same thing the unknown girl from the tteokbokki place had said to her. “I just don’t want you to feel neglected again, this time by me,” Jeongyeon stated, equally feeling hurt from the consequences of her actions.

“You already did,” Chaeyoung whispered before she stood up and bolted out of their room. “Wait!” Jeongyeon called out as she quickly stood and tried to follow the furious tiger cub, but she failed as Chaeyoung broke into run, indicating she will not be followed for the next hours. The tall girl pulled her phone before she selected and called her girlfriend. Her girlfriend quickly picked the call, “Good evening, we’re screwed,” she drudgingly informed.

-------

The deafening music from the stereo numbed the buzzing system of Son Chaeyoung. After she bolted out of their room, she headed to a club to fill her empty stomach with fountain of alcohol beverages. Despite being a broke college student, she managed to drink herself with the help of offered glasses from strangers who find her cute or wild for the night.

Sitting in front of the bartender’s counter, she took another shot of mojito provided by a very young looking woman who claimed herself that she was already in her late twenties. After she had blurted her story to the girl, she wholeheartedly offered and saved the broke girl for the night. The woman was really quiet and Chaeyoung internally thanked her for it. It was already late, passed midnight, and Jeongyeon haven’t managed to track down the runaway cub since she had turned her phone off before entering the crowded club.

She saw the girl slid her three glasses of what they were drinking, “I have to go, little kid,” she  calmly said as if she wasn’t one bit drunk. “I still have work for tomorrow,” she smiled through the flashing bright lights of the club. Chaeyoung hold her by the arm to stop her, “Wait, what is your name?” The woman softly chuckled before she leaned close to the cub and whispered her name. She ended their interaction with a peck on the cub’s left cheek before she walked away from her. Chaeyoung watched her walked away with drunken eyes until she was nowhere to be seen in the crowd of dancing and gyrating people.

The short girl quickly downed the three glasses of mojito. She groaned as she stood up from her seat and headed to the restroom of the club. She walked with blurry eyes, she was definitely drunk yet at the same time she was still sobered because of her fight with Jeongyeon. She entered one of the stalls and rested her back against the closed door. She sighed and pulled her phone, turning the device on. When her phone booted, she saw that it was almost one ‘o clock in the morning before she tucked it back in her back jean pocket. She did her business and once she was done, she left the stall and walked to one of the sinks inside the restroom.

Before she reached a functioning sink, her ears rung and pain stabbed on the upper part of her right brow. She groaned as she flipped herself over. Chaeyoung just slipped because of whatever spilled liquid on the flooring of the room and she hit her head on the edge of the sink in her fall. She stared at the dim light provided by a single bulb before she finally decided to get up from her lame position on the filthy flooring of the club. She groggily stood up in front of the sink. The cub winced in pain as she touched her bleeding right eyebrow. She clicked her tongue and wet her right hand in cold water before she gently damped it on her brow to wipe away the blood. It was still bleeding so she took her coat off and wiped it better.

When she was satisfied with her wound treating, she disposed the blood and unknown liquid soaked coat to the bin beside the restroom’s door. The cub walked out of there, and then she pushed herself passed through the moving bodies as she decided to call it a day. Out of the noisy club, the cold settled on her skin but she was unbothered because she was warmed by the amount of alcohol she had drank for the night. Chaeyoung walked out aimlessly on the sidewalk because she got nowhere to go. She can’t go to Nayeon and Jihyo’s place since she was not in best condition to sneak inside their dorm, not with that devilish dorm lady. Dahyun and Tzuyu’s room was also out of the picture since she had to pass their own room before she could reach it. The next logical person she knew was Mina and she hoped that the girl can be disturbed in this ungodly hour of Tuesday.

She walked in the cold air until she unknowingly reached the very familiar building. She called her number and after numerous ringings from the penguin, she finally picked up the call. “Chaeyoung?” she muttered on the line. She clenched her jaw because she felt quite pathetic with her actions, “Hey, can I crash at your place? I’m already outside of your place,” she asked the girl as she looked up at the sky. She heard some shuffling, the elegant girl was probably getting up from her bed, “Of course, are you drunk?” Mina asked her worriedly, “Are you okay?” “Thank you,” Chaeyoung replied without a word answering the penguin’s questions. The cub entered the place and walked in front of the elevator. She clicked the button multiple times until the punk looking guy in the counter of the building interrupted her, “Elevator’s out. Take a hike, buddy. On the stairs,” he informed the drunk girl. The short girl bowed and placed her hand on her head to hide her wounded brow before she headed to the door for the stairs inside of the building.

-------

Mina was woken up by her ringing phone on her night stand. She opened her eyes and her night lamp. Her eyes adjusted at the light for a moment before she looked at the caller’s name. When she saw it was the cub that was calling her, she quickly answered the call — not even questioning that it was sent in an ungodly hour of the day. It was just that she had a bad feeling for the call. She had been feeling uneased ever since the cub left her without a word yesterday afternoon.

“Chaeyoung?” she called the girl, wishing that the conversation will be like the one from their previous phone call. It ended with understanding and playful exchanges of words. She heard her breathed before she answered back to her, “Hey, can I crash at your place? I’m already outside of your place.” The urgency of the cub’s call and presence in her place ran a worried coldness in her body. She tossed her comforter off of her and walked to her closet, “Of course, are you drunk?” she questioned as she grabbed her night robe. She heard no answer from the cub, “Are you okay?” she asked again, really hoping she could get an answer. “Thank you,” the cub answered before Mina heard a beep from the call. Chaeyoung just ended the call without further answering her questions.

She threw her phone on her bed before she almost ran to the empty fish bowl located on the countertop of her kitchen and then she fished out the keys to her flat. The penguin briskly walked to her front door, unlocked it, and bolted out of the place. After she closed her door, uncaring whether her place will be secured or not, she ran through the hallway and to the stairs. She hurriedly worked her feet down. She was panting, but she can’t help it. Chaeyoung’s reply was unclear and vague to her. Will the cub proceed with her idea of crashing or did Mina scared her away?

Mina passed down floor after floor. Her uneasiness grew inside her head as oxygen continuously escaped her lungs. She slowed down to a stop when a familiar small head approached her directions. She heaved while watching the girl with her right hand on the railing and a down casted head. Chaeyoung stopped and finally lifted her head when she noticed the tired penguin. “Yes, I’m drunk but still sobered enough,” she weakly smiled at the elegant girl. Mina’s heart clenched and stung the moment she saw the tiger cub. Her right eyebrow was bloody, her lips were pale from the cold, her skin was flushed from alcohol, and she had the same pained smile that masked her yesterday.

She worked her feet again as she grazed the railing with her left hand. She stopped when she touched the cub’s right hand with her left one. Mina cupped Chaeyoung’s right cheek as she grazed the remnant of blood with her forefinger and middle finger, “What happened?” she whispered directly to her. “Jeongyeon and I had a fight,” Chaeyoung said as she bore into Mina’s eyes.

-------