3rd Person’s POV

It’s been weeks since Lei and Timothy broke up, and the two unnies were comforting her back and forth. Jeril wasn’t really a comforter so she continued doing her usual fights. It wasn’t that she doesn’t care about Lei, it’s just that she doesn’t know how to show it.

Although, she doesn’t go home with much wounds this time but it only causes more worries for Anika. She knows that Jeril was mad about Timothy and directing it to the others instead. And as much as she wanted to help the gangster, she was also caught up with things.

It was when Jeril walked out in the middle of the class that Anika had enough. When Jeril was in the middle of the fight, which she doesn’t know, she called her.

Calling…Chase

Jeril kicked the guy as she tried to swipe the screen of her phone to cancel the call, unfortunately it was answered.

(Chase, where are you?)

“I’m a bit busy right now, Choi.”

(Tell me where you are. Why did you suddenly leave?)

“Look, Anika, I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later, I promise.”

Jeril ended the call, put the phone in her pocket and started punching people again. After seeing that all of them were down, she grabbed her phone again and dialed Anika.

Calling…Iniel

(Chase!)

“Yeah, sorry I hang up. I was in the middle of fighting, why’d you call?”

(Look, I know that your mother is the principal and you’re allowed to cut class but I’m worried about you, Chase. Are you okay?)

“I’m fine. They couldn’t land a lot of hits to me.”

(That’s not what I meant. I know that you’re mad about Timothy and you think that you couldn’t do anything when he hurt Lei, I understand that.)

“No, you don’t.”

(Chase, you’re not the only one who trusted Timothy. I did, too.)

“I don’t trust anyone, Choi.”

(Even me?)

“...no. I trust you.”

(Ofcourse, you do. Now if you really trust me, come back to school. Let’s eat lunch together in the rooftop.)

“You do know that you’re making me do things that’s ruining my image.”

(Yet, you’ll do it.)

“Tsk. I’m coming, bye.”

Jeril let out a sigh as the call ended. She put her hands in her pocket and started to walk back to the school. She immediately headed to the rooftop and rolled her eyes when Anika smiled at her like she just won the lotto.

[Sae Young Dormitories…September 10, 20XX]

Chase was alone in the dorm room when she heard the knock on the door. She stood up and opened the door, expecting it’s one of her dormmates, and was confused why there was a mailman.

“Are you Jeon Jeril Chase?”

“I am, why?”

“A letter delivery for you, ma’am.”

“Who send it?”

“Lee Siyeon.”

Jeril’s eyes widened. Why would a gangster send her a letter? Unless…

She immediately grabbed the letter and ripped it open. The photos were scattered on the floor, she was right. It was blackmailing. The contents of the envelope was pictures of her and the 4D with a note below that says…’Lay low or they’ll be caught in this.’

Jeril couldn’t risked it. Lee Siyeon was the gangster that everyone was afraid of, before she came. But now, everyone was afraid of her instead, so maybe Siyeon wants the spot again. Even though Jeril couldn’t care about the title, she cares about her group.

But at the same time, Jeril can’t stop fighting. If staying low means she stop causing fights with gangster, then she can’t. Fighting is the only way to escape everything, from the crowd’s judgemental look, from her family’s expectation and especially from her father.

The only way to continue fighting while not getting the members caught is to avoid them.

“What a cliche.”

“What’s a cliche?”

Jeril was brought back with Erika’s voice and immediately collect the pictures. “Nothing.”

“Oh, okay. Anyways, sign the paper so this man could leave now.” Erika stated, entering the room first. She was about to enter the bathroom to take a shower again when Jeril called her.

“Unnie."

That made Erika snap her neck towards Jeril. It was the first time that Jeril called her ‘unnie’. “Yeah?”

“If you’re in the middle between choosing your career or your friends, which one would you choose?”

Erika thought for awhile before shrugging. “My career.”

“Wha--? Aren’t we important to you?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that…my career was always my getaway from the world. Whenever I felt lonely or sad or angry or anything, I sing or dance. And if I were to let it go, I wonder what my life would be.”

“I see.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like you, okay? I like you guys a lot, like really. You’re also important to me, I’ll do anything to protect you.”

“Even if staying away?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Thanks, unnie.”

“Uhh…sure?” Erika looked at Jeril confusedly before entering the bathroom completely.

With that, Jeril let out a deep sigh and decided to go with her plan. It was a foolish and childish plan but it was the only way to protect 4D while continue to fight.

[September 17, 20XX]

For one whole week, Jeril avoided 4D. She was often outside fighting, secretly looking for Lee Siyeon, and wasn’t able to spend more time in the dorm room. The others noticed it and was worried with the sudden cold shoulder.

“Don’t you think we should do something?”

“Like what?”

“Like talk to her.”

“Nah, it’s fine. She just needs time.”

“It’s been a week, unnie.”

“I know, but she’ll come around eventually. She can’t resist Choi, trust me.”

Lei faced Anika this time and asked. “How about you do something, Anika unnie?”

“I tried, Lei. But everytime I do, she’ll find ways to avoid me. For the past 7 days, I’ve been rejected for atleast 70 times.”

“That hurts.”

“I don’t have that much ego like you, so I’m fine.”

“Yet, Choi Anika Iniel is making an effort other than music. Now, isn’t that something?”

Lei knew that Anika and Jeril were surprisingly close with each other, maybe because she and Erika were always together, leaving the two alone. But either ways, knowing that Erika was provoking Anika, she decided to step in.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough, unnies.” Lei interrupted. “I need you to come with me for a minute. There’s some news about Jeril unnie that I need to hear in the Student Council.”

“You two could go, I still need to clean the place.”

“Okay. We’ll be back immediately.” Lei grabbed Erika and drag her out of the room.

Seeing that the two was gone, Anika let out a sigh. She had miss Jeril. In the short period of time that they got together, she became really close with the gangster. They were both loner, both doesn’t care about anything other than their hobbies and was both tsunderes.

Now that Jeril was acting up, Anika felt lonely again. Erika told them that they should just give Jeril some space on the first day that she was acting weirdly. And now, seven days had passed and she was still acting weird. Something’s wrong. But what was wrong?

Anika let out another sigh before deciding to clean the dorm room. She sweep the places, dusted off the furnitures, mop the floor and was now changing the bed sheets. She climbed at Jeril’s upper bunk bed and started to take the bed sheets off when something dropped.

“Pictures?” Anika muttered, raising the pictures to look at it clearly. “Pictures of 4D.”

Anika peeled off the bed sheets completely and looked at the other pictures that was hidden under the foam of the bed. She looked at them and saw the last one had a note. And now she finally realized why Jeril was acting up.

“That idiot.”

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