Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Tzuyu found themselves stuck at the second landing. A noisy crowd of students had covered the entire stairwell. At the center of crowd stood a flustered girl, whose eyes widened as the mob of students closed in.

"Sana-unnie! It's been so long! Do you remember me from middle school?"

"Ah, yes, Lee Chaeryoung! Nice to see you again!"

"Sana-unnie, how was your trip to Japan? Can you show me pictures of your shiba inu?"

"Yes, I went home! I do have new pictures of Shu Shu. I'll show you after class!"

"Unnie, I missed you! I'm so glad we're studying in the same building again!"

"I missed you too! Let's have lunch together sometime! But please excuse me, I have to get to my meeting--"

Chaeyoung stepped side to side restlessly, trying to tip-toe and catch a clear glimpse of the girl at the center. Noticing Chaeyoung's dilemma, Tzuyu silently moved to the side and gestured her to come closer for a better view. Chaeyoung nodded her gratitude and leaned toward Tzuyu.

The girl at the center seemed cornered. She smiled and replied politely to each student, but she often tried to excuse herself and glanced around for opportunities to escape. She smiled so shyly that she reminded Chaeyoung of a confused hamster. Her wide smile, accentuated by her round cheeks, gave her an easily approachable aura. She tucked her long, reddish brown hair behind her ear, as she shifted on her toes, looking for an exit and checking her watch again and again.

"Dahyun, who is that?" asked Chaeyoung, unable to take her eyes off the girl, whose smile was almost magnetic.

"Minatozaki Sana. She was an exchange student from Japan a few years ago, but she ended up being offered a scholarship to stay here at JYP Academy," replied Dahyun coldly. "She's part of the Rose Council."

Dahyun's suddenly emotionless tone surprised Chaeyoung, who glanced at her new friend in concern. Dahyun's expression was tense, as she gritted her teeth and balled her hands into small fists at her sides. She was focused on Sana, and Chaeyoung could tell that she seemed angry. Puzzled, she put her hand on Dahyun's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"

Dahyun seemed to snap to attention. She shook her head with a smile and replied to Chaeyoung, "I'm fine. Sorry, I guess I spaced out for a second. Let's go--"

"Sana."

A familiar voice spoke from the top of the stairwell. It was soft and quiet, but so authoritative that the gaggle of girls packed at the landing immediately quieted down and looked up in unison. Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Tzuyu followed suit, turning their heads up to see who had silenced the commotion so effecitively.

It's her, thought Chaeyoung, the girl from this morning.

"Ah-- it's Myoui Mina!"

"Uh-oh."

"The Myoui Mina?"

"Yeah, there's only one in our school."

With one hand against the railing, Myoui Mina descended the stairs, her eyes firmly set on Sana. The atmosphere had abruptly shifted from haphazard excitement to tense silence. The girls on fringes of the crowd shuffled to the side to make way for Mina as she approached. Her expression was unlike the one she had shown Chaeyoung earlier that morning. The soft, gentle smile was gone; her pout now formed a stoic expression that instinctively sent shivers up Chaeyoung's spine.

She looks so different right now.

Sana seemed to shrink away from Mina; she tried to step back and hide behind other students, but it was futile. Mina stood in front of Sana and spoke softly, "Sana. The entire student council has been looking for you. You and Momo missed our lunch meeting. Come with me; we have a meeting with the principal before class." She reached for Sana and pulled her by her wrist towards the stairs leading to the second floor -- right toward Chaeyoung.

Sana whimpered in soft protest but seemed resigned to her fate. She waved goodbye to the girls who had surrounded her, then paused all of the sudden. She stared at Chaeyoung.

Wait, she's not looking at me. She's looking at someone beside me. She's looking at--

"Dahyun."

Sana looked surprised as the name rolled out of . She made eye contact with Dahyun, who suddenly turned and pushed her way through the crowd, heading up to the third floor without a single word to Chaeyoung or Tzuyu. The sudden ruckus caused the gathering of girls to shift off-balance on the packed stairwell. All of a sudden, Chaeyoung felt the girls in front of her step back, so she took a single step backwards to avoid a collision.

Her back foot met nothing but air.

Uh-oh.

Tzuyu realized that Chaeyoung was off-balance and tried to reach for her arm to steady her, but the sudden compression of the crowd blocked her arm. Chaeyoung tried to catch the railing as she fell, but her hand slipped. She felt herself tumble back. Time seemed to slow down, and her thoughts raced through her head at seemingly lightning speed.

This is going to hurt. I wonder what happened to Dahyun. Oh, man, this is really going to hurt. How high is this stair? How many steps did I take? I should probably protect my head. What's the safety rule? Duck your head? I need to make sure that I don't land on my arms or elbows. Just become a ball, and hope that I roll. First thing first, get my arms around my head.

Chaeyoung attempted to secure her head between her elbows for protection, but she felt a strong tug on her left hand. She closed her eyes and hoped that she wouldn't break any bones. She heard the girls scream. She hit the ground with a thud, a softer landing than she expected.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Myoui Mina's face mere inches away from hers.

She also realized that she was wrapped in Myoui Mina's arms.

"Mina, are you okay?" cried Sana as she bounded down the stairs two steps at a time. The girls on the landing also called out their concern but stayed a generous distance away from the fallen pair. Chaeyoung tried to snap up and help Mina to her feet, but her right shoulder was aching from the impact.

Mina groaned and slowly sat up. She blinked a few times, then looked up at the crowd of girls above and said, "Class will be starting soon. Please go back to your rooms." She said please, but she clearly meant it as an order, not as a request. The girls dispersed and walked away briskly, whispering in hushed tones.

Tzuyu stayed. She strode down the stairs and helped Chaeyoung to her feet, as Sana pulled Mina up.

"Thank you," stammered Chaeyoung, bowing profusely to Mina. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. I'm just glad you're okay," replied Mina automatically, but she paused as she looked at Chaeyoung. "Oh. You're the one from this morning. We really have to stop meeting like this." She gave that same smile from earlier this morning, and it made Chaeyoung's stomach somersault.

"I'm so sorry, Mina. I was trying to leave, but I couldn't and I missed the meeting and now you got hurt. Do we need to go to the clinic?" asked Sana worriedly as she patted the wrinkles out of Mina's skirt.

Mina brushed her hand away gently and replied, "No, I'm fine. Let's go. We're already late for the meeting. Nayeon-unnie, Jeongyeon-unnie, and Jihyo-unnie are already there. They must have found Momo by now. We need to follow."

She gave a slight nod to Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, then walked down the stairs with Sana. Chaeyoung winced when she realized that Mina was walking with a slight limp.

The pang of guilt that she felt almost distracted her from how hard her heart was beating at the moment.