(Two Years Before Chaewon Entered Polaris Prep)

“I’m going to send it-”

“Holy , please do not send it I’m begging you-”

“I will-”

“No-”

“I am-”

“NO-”

“You’re such a buzzkill, Jungeun.”

“Well, if you feel that way…”

Kim Jungeun crossed her arms and huffed at her fluffy banged buddy’s accusations.

“Jungeun…”

“...”

“Jungeun, come on, I was kidding…”

“...”

“JUNGEUNNNNNNNNNNN!!”

“...”

“Woah, you’re serious…”

The smaller girl shrugged.

“I guess I’ll send it then-”

“NO.”

Jungeun grabbed her friend’s shirt collar, dragging her back down on the bench.

All her friend could do was smile.  That big, cheezy, too big for your own head goofy smile.  But today it had a hint of mischief.

“Got ya.”

“Yah, Kim Jiwoo, I’m glad you signed your death letter because I’m gonna-”

“What.  What will you do?”

Jiwoo looked at her brunette friend straight in the eyes.  

With the confidence of a stallion, no one would ever dare to be snappy with Kim Jungeun, even though she was only a freshman, but Jiwoo was never scared of Jungeun.  How could life long besties ever be afraid of each other?

They could annoy each other though.

“You’re such an .”

Jungeun swiped the card from Jiwoo’s hand before she could notice, leaving her to make one of the cutest pouty faces known to mankind.

But Jungeun was immune… sort of.

“Look Jiwoo, you’re really going to regret it if you send the letter.  It’s a paper trail. Do you really think a sophomore is going to say yes if you confess?  Someone on the dance team nonetheless?”

The pouty girl made a sadder pout, one that was riddled with doubt and defeat.

“... but who would be mean on Valentine’s Day…”

Jungeun sighed.  Her friend was too pure for the harsh ways of high school love.  The last thing she wanted to see was Jiwoo bouncing into her crush’s dance practice and getting thrown out or… laughed at.

Oh stop it, that’s not gonna happen…  Jungeun had to shake her head to get the worst possible scenarios from taking over her logical state of mind.

“Jiwoo.”

The sniffly girl looked up at her friend, her eyes huge and puppy like.

“Jesus, don’t make this hard for me to say…”

Jiwoo slouched.

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine- just, don’t do it now. Sooyoung has probably gotten thirteen million confessions today and you know it-”

“Twenty-three.”

“What?”

“She’s gotten twenty-three confessions so far-”

“WHAT? Really? Damn.”

“I know, it .”

Jiwoo looked down at her feet that were tapping the floor nervously.

Jungeun grabbed the smaller girl’s shoulder, making her turn.

“Jiwoo, you’re a great girl but you really gotta calm down a bit.  When your heart even gets a peek at something it might enjoy, it goes nuts and that’s a little crazy, don’t you think?”

Jiwoo chuckled a bit.

“You’re right.”

“I mean, all I’ve been hearing about is Sooyoung and ViVi’s breakup last year so why don’t you let that fire fade.  Honestly, the people who are confessing to her are kind of being inconsiderate don’t you think?”

“Hmm…”

Jiwoo’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought about what Jungeun said.  I mean, she’s not wrong…

“As always, Jungeun the Overthinker saves me again.”  Jiwoo snatched the letter back from her friend, looking at it embarrassingly.

It was a peach-colored letter decorated with hearts and penguins, Jiwoo’s favorite animal.  If you sniffed the outside it smelled like strawberries, Jiwoo’s signature shampoo scent, but if you sniffed the actual letter inside it smelled like apples, which Sooyoung always smelled like.

The letter itself was something Jiwoo had worked on all night.  She even failed a reading quiz in order to get her Cupid energy to the right levels.

Jiwoo sighed, cringing at how much work she put into some stupid letter that was never going to be delivered.

“What was I thinking?”

“Oh come on, don’t be like that.  It’s a cute letter but I think you need to look before you leap when it comes