People come and people go, Seulgi mused as she sat on the balcony of a coffee shop, watching people rush around the sidewalk, busily heading to their own destinations. People enter into one’s life often, sometimes expected, often unforeseen and in the same manner they leave, popping like a bubble; sometimes with a farewell, often without a word.

Nobody would’ve guessed that such thoughts ran in ‘dumb bear’ Seulgi’s mind each time she’s dazed and zoned out into oblivion but she knew Wendy would. The girl’s her best friend and she knew Seulgi liked to people-watch. Being an artist, it helped her understand the complexity of humans and how they act in their environments. She enjoyed watching their expressions and is in awe of how a slight twitch in one’s seemingly insignificant eyebrow can give out a completely different feel.

Adding final to her sketch, she finally decided to leave it be and criticize it later when her eyes had gotten rest and are fresh for another round of critical search for flaws. She took off her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose before grabbing her phone with one hand, the other picking up her cup of coffee.

Seulgi sipped the bitter drink while she scrolled through her messages, trying to reply to everyone and not forgetting to add a cute grinning emoji at the end. She had ignored her phone the whole day, what with the hectic time in the university and now having to focus on finishing her sketch.

“Hm?” she hummed curiously when she opened the last three messages, the texts being sent at 3AM in the morning. 

From: Wannie 💙 
11 hours ago
Hey, Seul. I’m not going to attend school later today. Just letting you know in case y’all get worried about me again J

From: Wannie 💙
11 hours ago
Actually, I might be gone for a while :/ idk, it’s just some family matters I need to settle. Don’t miss me too much ;) I promise to let you know if something’s up.

From: Wannie 💙
11 hours ago
Love you, Seul. You know that, right? Thanks for everything.

Seulgi put down her cup, blinking hard at her screen. Something’s amiss and even her slow-witted was able to deduct that much. Wendy, bless her greasy heart, may be tad too cheesy at times and would take every chance to show them she loves them in the most cringeworthy way possible.

But this one felt different. Seulgi had no idea how or why but it just felt so. Maybe it’s the fact that it was sent at 3AM or maybe it was the absence of humor and even emojis in the message but it gave off an odd feeling. Trusting her gut, she quickly gave her friend a call only to reach her voicemail.

She sighed, running fingers through her hair. Maybe she’s just exaggerating. Perhaps nothing’s really wrong. Wendy must be busy that’s why she’s not picking up her calls. Yes, that must be it. Wendy did say she’ll let them know if anything came up.

She calmed down at that and decided to shrug it off, going on with her afternoon agenda after informing Yeri and Joy about Wendy’s message. Their friend would keep in touch if she can.

Little did she know that she won’t be receiving any news about the said girl in the next couple of days.

***

Trouble brewed in an empty classroom of the Social Sciences Building. Past the locked doors was the school’s infamous duo, hunched over a blueprint on the teacher’s table while having a serious discussion. With all the mess they had to witness and deal with for the past couple of days, Joy and Yeri decided that the school had been far too peaceful without their meddling and came into an agreement that the place deserved to have a little fun and excitement now that they’re available.

“So. We enter the left-most cubicle of the comfort room, climb through the window, go through this corridor over here,” she traced the said passageway with her forefinger, “And break into Professor Baldy’s office through the back door without getting caught by the security cameras. You sure no one uses this hallway?”

Yeri nodded, “Yep. Nobody likes going there with the rumors of it being haunted.”

Joy paused, giving Yeri a serious look, “Well, is it?”

Yeri shrugged without a care, “Dunno.”

Joy narrowed her eyes at the youngest before turning back to the table, clearing , “What do we do inside his office?”

“Break into his computer that has a pathetic password of 1234, get evidences of his R folders, and post it in the school site using his own account.”

Joy nodded, satisfied, “Good. And we’re doing this because?”

“He’s a erted who needs to be fired before he could victimize more innocent girls.” Yeri replied, a slanted grin lazily stretching her lips as she shrugged, “We’re basically superheroes.”

Joy nodded again in agreement, returning the smile. “Damn right, we are.” she rolled up the blueprint before setting it on fire to destroy any evidence left, “Let’s go and save the world from terrible professors then.”

They set off without hesitation and went with their plan. Imagining that they had a James Bond-ish background music, they casually climbed up to the fourth floor (as casual as they could seem with their backs against the walls and finger guns lifted up and pointing to whoever passes by) and got into the restroom, successfully climbing into the window (with a lot of Yeri stepping on Joy’s back and the latter groaning in pain and annoyance), and walked along the deserted corridor where Yeri had inconspicuously grabbed Joy’s ankle, making the latter squeal and flail her arms around in surprise. Needless to say, the youngest had her good share of laugh and received an equal amount of death glares too.

With Yeri’s lock-picking skills, they successfully got into the professor’s office and did what they had to do without any surprises. They didn’t linger and returned to their temporary hideout (an empty room they had broken into) through the same route. There wasn’t a hitch in their mission. Everything sailed smooth.

Too smooth, actually, that when Joy sat on one of the chairs of the empty classroom, she felt odd despite the huge, winning grin on her face. Usually, whenever she made trouble with Yeri, their Wendy-unnie would be there, reprimanding them like an annoying, noisy conscience. How funny. The girl had only been gone for two days and yet it already felt like forever.

Her eyes met Yeri’s from across the table and knew, despite the sassy grin that she felt the same too.

***

Joohyun sat on her usual seat on the front row and put her notes and pencil case on her desk, preparing for her Thrusday music class. She busied herself by arranging her pens, trying to keep her mind occupied and grounded yet each time a student enters the room, her head would shoot up, eyes automatically setting themselves on the newcomer without her permission. Each time, she’d be disappointed and return to organizing her pens with shoulders hunched lower than before.

When the fog of emotions in her head had cleared up that Saturday, guilt and regret replaced all the anger and fear. She worried a lot and worried some more when Wendy didn’t show up during their Monday music class. She hasn’t seen the girl around since then until now but she still hoped Wendy would show up, though her words of farewell started to bother Joohyun.

Thinking back, she had been a little too harsh and mean. She recalled those sad yet hopeful soft brown eyes looking at her with utmost sincerity and then turning wide with hurt when she hurled those scathing words. How could she? How could she do that to such a precious girl who deserves nothing but good things in this world?

Joohyun buried her face in her palms, groaning at her behavior. Wendy Son deserves someone much better. Someone who would believe in her no matter what. Someone without massive emotional baggage on her shoulders.

Yeah, we’re definitely not meant to be.

She let out a big sigh, miserably propping her cheek on her palm as she stared blankly ahead, thinking of what could have been if their situation wasn’t as problematic as it is.

***

Despite all the drama that’s been happening recently, the Revel-LOVE Dating Agency is still in business. So that Friday afternoon, Gorgeous, Teddy Bear, and Squirtle took their positions on their usual places but not without glancing at the empty seat beside the piano every now and then, looking like someone just died. No one decided to bring it up yet but it was apparent, even without words, that the three girls had already been looking for the presence of their good, old, resident snowman.

The music room was quiet as they waited for a client to visit, each of the Stupid Cupids staring off at random spaces, lost in thought. Seulgi wasn’t even listening to Beyoncé, Yeri wasn’t touching her Harry Potter book, and Joy ignored her buzzing phone. It wasn’t every day that these usually noisy girls were silent. The air conditioner whirred, the machine being the only source of noise in the silent room.

Finally, the doorknob clicked and three pairs of eyes shot to it at the same time. They waited with bated breaths, heart accelerating in anticipation only to be disappointed at the sight of a guy peeking in with the typical nervous expression that first-timers often wear on their face. The Stupid Cupids simultaneously released the breaths they were holding and watched the jittery guy enter the room, the door behind him creepily creaking to a close.

“H-Hi. Are you…the Stupid Cupids..?”

Joy sighed, hopping off the piano to do her job, “Yes, we are,” she wearily replied, squinting through the darkness to see his face and when she did, her brows lifted in recognition.

“Oh. That’s great. I’m—”

“Oh Sehun, third year, dance major,” Squirtle finished up for him, “Born on April 12, 1994, at Jungnang District, Seoul, South Korea.”

As usual, the guy is taken aback, “How…?”

Joy waved a nonchalant hand, “We know everything except for the reason why you’re here so tell us, sunbae. What—or rather, who brought you here?”

“Well…” Oh Sehun rubbed his nape and seemed to search for words on the floor, “I like this girl and I thought that maybe you can help..?”

“Who’s the lucky girl?” Teddy Bear asked.

Oh Sehun pursed his lips for a while before finally gathering his courage to say her name, “Irene Bae.”

Complete silence.

The entire room was tongue-tied at the revelation. It seems that every time the name was uttered it entailed silence. Those three syllables brought along an air of unwanted gloom, turning the mood to an all-time low as they all instinctively gave the empty seat a glance.

“Ah, hell. Why does Irene Bae have to be so pretty?” Joy muttered under her breath. “I’m sorry, sunbae, but I’m afraid we can’t help you with that.”

He blinked multiple times as though punched in the gut, “Wha—why not?”

“The Cabbage is off-limits.” Yeri said.

“I’m afraid Irene Bae’s already got someone in mind and unfortunately, that is not and will never be you. No offense.” Seulgi added when she deemed her statement too harsh. “We don’t meddle with people who are already interested in somebody else. We hope you understand.”

Fortunately, the guy was easy to persuade and immediately accepted his defeat coolly. He left the room with a polite bow and without complaints, making silence reign once again along with the whirr of the air-conditioner.

“Wendy-unnie…how do y’all think she’s doing?” Yeri broke the ice first, voicing out one of the questions running through their minds.

“I don’t know.” Joy honestly replied, voice uncharacteristically soft. She turned to Seulgi and asked, “Still don’t have news yet?”

Seulgi gravely shook her head, “She’s not answering my calls and messages.”

Yeri suddenly slammed her palm on the piano top, startling the others. “That girl. She really is a good actress, isn’t she? Acting like everything’s fine and then suddenly disappearing and leaving us with a text to silence us for a few days. Sly snake.”

Joy glared at her, “Yerim.”

The girl’s on a roll now, “Does she even know how worried we are? She goes telling us she’d attend to family matters and not give us updates knowing she’d just sent herself to the devil’s lair itself. Unbelievable. It’s a family of snakes for heaven’s sake how can we be sure she’ll come out alive? All these drama just for one girl? Did she even think about how we, her friends, would feel?”

Seulgi sighed and sympathetically covered Yeri’s hand on the piano top with her own, “Yerim…”

Yeri blinked away the moisture from her eyes and swallowed down whatever’s blocking . She will not shed a tear for that snowman.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…” she trailed off, voice getting softer, “I miss her, you know?”

Joy put her arm around Yeri’s shoulder and pulled her close. “I know.” she said, “We all do.”

***

When Monday came and Joohyun’s seated in her Monday music class, the girl that’s been plaguing her mind was still not around. Joohyun sighed and went on her usual habit of arranging and disarranging her pencil case to distract her mind and when that wasn’t enough, she picked up her favorite sparkly, scented blue pen and started to scribble on her notes, jotting down thoughts and doodling unrecognizable figures. She leaned back and stared at the cluster of misshaped circles and grimaced at what was supposed to be a snowman. It looked like it was on the verge of melting.

She put her pen back into her pencil case with a defeated sigh. Drawing just isn’t for her. She took her phone out and scrolled through her messages instead, though they were mostly spams.

“Hey, hey, hey, guys! Did you hear the news?” a student came barging into the room, gushing. Joohyun sent him an annoyed glance before going back to her phone.

“Wendy Son’s withdrawing from school!”

Joohyun dropped her phone on the desk with a thud.

The room burst into loud murmurs. “What? Why?”

“They say she’s transferring to Canada to manage her parents’ business.”

Collective gasps filled the room. “So it’s true?”

“’Parents’ business’?”

“She is a corporate heir then?”

“Of course she is! You think regular parents can give their children a car like hers?”

“Whoa, I should’ve known…”

Joohyun abruptly stood, chair scraping loudly against the floor, the sound and her sudden, surprising action rendering the room silent. She marched to the guy who brought the news and glared up at his stunned face.

“Where did you get this information?”

“U-Uh…I, uh…here.” he gave her his phone that showed a conversation with a friend, saying that the latter heard the teachers talking in the faculty that the Wendy Son is withdrawing, transferring to Canada to manage her parents’ business.

Joohyun’s heart raced as she read the text, her grip tightening. “No way…” she mumbled under her breath. Everyone who knew Wendy Son as well as she does knows that the girl hated nothing more than taking over their company. She knew how Wendy hates her family too. So why…

It all came rushing back to her with a start; how she had fixed Wendy with a cold glare, ice hiding the fear in her eyes, tongue spouting out venomous lies to selfishly protect herself.

“You should just stay away from me and mind your own business. You’re wasting your time.”

The defeated response of ‘okay’ and the drooping shoulders, the girl who had seemed smaller than she actually is lingering by the doorway and the words that stopped Joohyun in her inner turmoil.

“Good bye, Joohyun-unnie.”

She clenched her fists so hard it started trembling. Stupid girl. She couldn’t possibly mean that, could she?

Muttering a curse under her breath, Joohyun shoved the device back to the guy and dashed out of the room as fast as her legs can take her. She ran as though her life was on the line. She frantically went straight for the staircase, going up three steps at a time.

Joohyun had no idea what went on Seungwan’s mind that she made such an absurd decision. Was she forced? Did she go willingly? Was it because of her? When Joohyun told her to stay away, she didn’t mean she should go to that extent. She wanted to strangle her for being so impulsive and then hug her so tight so she won’t be able to go back to that place where she’s considered a failure.

Second floor. Her calves and lungs burned, her knee faintly throbbing in protest yet she continued climbing up the steps, her dislike for the stairs temporarily forgotten in her moment of panic.

Fear enveloped her chest like a cocoon, tightening and making it hard to breathe. Joohyun’s scared of a lot of things; from the most irrelevant things like heights and dogs to heavy matters regarding the heart like betrayal and getting hurt. But what scares her the most, she realized with mind-boggling clarity as she finally steps on the third floor landing, is losing the girl who managed to go past her layers of defense, the girl who had always been there, offering her warmth when she needed it most.

I’m so stupid, she berated herself, mentally hitting her head, I’m so, so, so stupid.

Joohyun can’t bear to lose Son Seungwan and she’s not about to let that happen.

She ran to the end of the corridor, to the music room she now has mixed feelings about and came staggering inside, her knees finally giving up, spilling her down on the floor. She desperately tried to catch her breath before looking up, seeing three girls surrounding the piano and looking down at her with the same grave look on their faces. She knew then that they had found out about it too.

Joohyun clenched her jaw, determination filling her gaze.

“I need your help.”