It was a cold Tuesday night, just a couple of days before Valentines. Yuri was on her bed, papers scattered around when her phone vibrated. Excited, she took her smartphone and viewed the messages.

[ MESSAGES with Choi Sungmin-ssi ]

Good evening, Yuri-ssi. Are you doing fine so far?

Yuri thought about it. Lately, Yena has been acting weird and erratic. The duck would be cute and fluffy one second and when Yuri looks at her again, she's mad and furious. "Is it her time of the month right now?" wondered Yuri and sighed. She then remembered that she had to reply to the older Choi.

Well… I'm fine but… Lately, she's been acting weird.

Weird? Oh, mind to elaborate?

She's either kind and cute or mad and furious. There's no in-between.

Huh? That's… interesting.

This attitude of hers is making me more confused. I don't know why she's acting like this…

I see.

Do you think the two of us need some time apart? To clear my mind?

Getting tired, aren't we?

Honestly? Yes. Everything is so tiring! Yena's mood swings, school, family… It's suffocating!

Then Yuri-ssi… How about going out together? You and I.

Ehh!? Is it alright with you? I might be disturbing you from your work…

Oh no. It's alright. I have some unused leave and I wanted to take time off from work anyway.

Is it really fine?

Yeap. If it's for you, anything is fine!

Sungmin-ssi…

So what do you think about it, Yuri-ssi?

Maybe it would be a good idea. Thank you.

Then it's set. As for the date… It's your College Week next week, right?

Yes. And oh, it's a bit late. You should sleep, Sungmin-ssi.

You're a really kind person, Yuri-ssi. Yena's too lucky to have you. You should sleep soon as well. Goodnight.

Goodnight.

Yuri pressed the 'Back' button, as the conversation ended, and looked at her conversation with Yena. It's been a while since they last messaged each other. She wanted to talk to her more. Maybe ask the girl about her day or why she's acting so weird these past few days. But is she even allowed to? Well, they're friends, right? The only word that explains her connection to Yena really hurts but she was fine with it. But… for how long?

'I guess I'm the only one who's hoping…Between the two of us…'

Meanwhile, at a certain condominium unit, a brunette was getting stressed, looking at her phone.

"Do I send it?"

"Ah! It looks really cringy!"

"But it looks romantic, right?"

"Oh goodness, why am I getting so overworked with sending a message!?"

Suddenly, the door to the guest room opened, revealing a now furious Ahn Yujin.

"YAH! You're so freaking noisy! I have a quiz tomorrow and I want to pass so just freaking send the message!" Yujin was gritting her teeth, her hair was messy, and her eyes were covered by a thick round-framed pair of glasses.

Yena immediately retorted, visibly confused. "Yah yah yah! This is my house so deal with it! And besides, the message is too cringy! It makes my hair stand!"

Yujin squinted, walked a few steps to her unnie, and snatched the phone. "Lemme see, lemme see…" The taller girl briefly scanned the message before letting out a hearty laugh. "Oh my god, Yena-unnie! This is so sweet, I'm getting diabetes!"

Yena tried getting her phone back. "YAH YAH YAH, AHN YUJIN! GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK!"

"YOU SHOULD SEND THIS, YENA-UNNIE! YOU'RE BOTH HOPELESS ROMANTICS ANYWAY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yujin retaliated by trying her best to not let Yena get her phone back.

"DANG IT, YUJIN! JUST GIVE ME THE PHONE!"

"NO WAY! I NEED A SCREENSHOT OF THIS!"

Yujin looked at the screen and saw that the message had been sent. She stopped with wide open. "Oopsie…"

Yena managed to steal her phone back. She looked at the screen and saw the treachery that happened. "AHN YUJIN!"

Yujin ran back to her room, snickering. "Good luck, Yena-unnie~"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Yena was panicking. "What do I do!?"

Yuri was on her way to sleep when her phone rang. The ringtone was specific to a certain contact and it made Yuri immediately look at her phone. "Y-yena? What does she want this late?" She tapped the message and let the fingerprint scanner identify her thumbprint.

[ MESSAGES with Yena-yah ]

I've been contemplating whether or not to send this.

Are you dreaming of me? Because I can't sleep.

I'll try to dream of you too as revenge.

I love you, Yuri. Sweet dreams.

Yuri felt her heart race. 'Y-yena-ssi messaged me this? T-this is a message, right? It's not in public. Can I claim this?' Yuri threw the phone on the bed, burying her face on the nearest pillow. Squeals could be heard and this caused both of her roommates to wake up, looking at each other.

Hyewon rose from her bed, squinting her eyes. "Jo Yuri-ssi… Please don't forget that you have two roommates here."

Yuri lifted her head from the pillow. "I… I'm sorry. I just… Received this message and all."

Nako glared daggers at Yuri. After all, her beauty sleep was disrupted. "How are you even sure it's sincere?"

Yuri stopped for a moment. What if this is another of the girl's evaluations?

Suddenly, another message arrived.

[ MESSAGES with Yena-yah ]

What do you think of it? Can you grade it out of 10?

'I should've known… Nako was right.' Yuri frowned, letting her body fall unto the bed. "S-sorry for waking you guys up. I'm going to sleep." She looked at her phone and closed it. Yuri went to sleep, her hopes crushed one again.

***

A grumpy-looking redhead rose from her bed, not recalling what happened last night. The girl felt as if her head was going to split into halves. However, she smelled something in her condominium unit. The aroma of appetizing food lured her to the kitchen but had no idea who was cooking. Seeing the back of a girl, she groggily dragged her feet near the person, wondering who it was.

The girl who was cooking noticed the redhead's presence and turned around. "Oh, you're awake. How is your head, Chaewon-ah?" asked the girl worryingly. "You seem to have drunk a lot last night," she added, moving towards the girl, who was only a few steps away.

"Minju? Why are you here? What happened last night?" asked Chaewon, her eyes squinting in confusion.

Cold.

Minju dismissed the word from her mind, shaking her head to convince herself before answering the barrage of questions thrown to her. "You drank a lot last night. Good thing someone I knew saw you and called me to bring you home."

The redhead's eyes slowly changed its focus to the floor. "Oh, I see." Disinterest was obvious in her voice.

Minju tried cheering the girl up. "W-well, for starters, eat breakfast first." She went behind the redhead, pushing her to the nearby chair. "I made some hangover soup. You should try it."

The redhead obliged and tried the dish. It was tasty, just right for her morning. She smiled at Minju. "It's good. As expected of Minju-yah."

Hearing the words made Minju blush. She was glad that the girl liked it. The redhead quickly finished her bowl and immediately told the younger to give her seconds which was complied.

‘But… How long is she going to do that?’ The foodie's words suddenly emerged from the depths of the girl's mind, not giving her any time to feel any better. Minju felt a pang on her chest; her feelings were getting the better of her again. Now getting a second serving of soup for the girl she loved the most, she tightly held the mint-colored pot-holder, her eyes showing the gloom that she tried her best to hide within her heart.

Everything she hears around her is starting to hurt.

Loving in secret is just not enough anymore.

***

Yuri was walking along the corridor, on her way back to her class when she saw Yena, who looked like she had been waiting for Yuri. She remembered the texts last night, slightly feeling mad and annoyed.

"Jjoyul, can we go out on a date later?" asked the duck, with a hopeful smile that could send all sorts of feelings to Yuri if only she weren't angry.

Seeing the smile, Yuri convinced herself to stay angry and mad in secret. She has to stay mad. The Accounting Major breathed in, and then out before breaking the bad news.

"Uhm… No… I can't go out with you today."

A frown immediately surfaced on the receiving party's face but a slightly uneasy smile followed afterwards. "Oh, no… It's alright. I just… wanted to watch some movies with you later. I had a couple of tickets, you see…" The girl immediately exposed the said tickets from her skirt's pocket before hiding it afterwards. "But it's alright. You have to rest after all," she added with a smile.

"Y-yeah… You're right." Yuri slowly felt guilty. Maybe she could retract her previous answer? No, wait. She still has to stay mad in secret. Not after the duck made her feel sky high, only to have the rug under her pulled, leaving her to fall on nothing but sadness and the truth that the girl won't give her even an ounce of affection. But as normal girls do, she gave in to her inner naïveté. Her right hand slowly tried to reach for the duck. However…

"I… I have to go back to my class now. See you later!" The duck ran away, leaving her alone in the corridor.

Maybe it wasn't so bad that it happened. She needed time away from the one who causes her so much grief and hopelessness and at the same time, the fast beating of her heart. She needed to rest. Or else she won’t be able to fulfill the contract.

Yuri sighed, despairing at her indecisiveness. 'It was my own mistake for thinking I wouldn't fall…'

"Earth to Yuri-unnie?"

Hearing the words made Yuri jolt away from the direction where it came from