"What's with this mood..?" Chaeyeon tried to sound cheerful but the atmosphere was more serious than she was expecting. After some time of not talking to one another, Sakura suddenly asked Chaeyeon to go the rooftop with her. She's seen these kinds of things in drama before--that's probably why her imagination is going wild at this moment. "Isn't this place off-limits?"

 

 

"It's fine if no one finds out." Sakura assured, though it sounded strange to Chaeyeon. It wasn't the type of thing you'd expect from the esteemed honor student. She looked like the type who never breaks school rules.

 

 

"What are you being so serious for? Is something wrong..?"

 

 

"Hm.. Has Eunbi said anything strange to you recently?" 

 

 

....Chaeyeon grew silent at the question. Anything strange? There certainly was. Many different thoughts entered Chaeyeon's mind as she heard the question and she had a feeling she wasn't going to like however this would end. Call her a coward, but she hated serious talks the most. 




"Before that, I'll say one thing. You need to rethink the trust you put in Miyawaki Sakura."

"She isn't what you think she is." 

"She's the reason you've been suffering all this time!" 

"She's the reason why the people you loved so much had to leave this school." 

 

 

"She did, huh?" 

 

 

Seems like Chaeyeon didn't need to answer. Sakura already knew that Eunbi was going to make a move as soon as possible. 

 

 

"I didn't listen to her," Chaeyeon quickly defended. Her words were coming out rushed and she didn't know why panic was starting to crawl up to her.

 

 

"What did she say?" Sakura turned to her with an unclear expression on her face. 

 

 

"Putting it simply.. she told me not to trust you so easily." Chaeyeon said as she looked away. She didn't know why... but this situation and Eunbi's words made her unable to look Sakura in the eye. "She also said.. that you're the reason I've been suffering this whole time." 

 

 

"Hm..."

 

 

"She's wrong, right? It's probably a mistake? Recently she's been a bit desperate when it comes to our relationship so-"

 

 

"She's not entirely wrong."

 

 

....

 

 

..

 

 

...?

 

 

"What...? What do you mean... by that..?" 

 

 

Eunbi wasn't entirely wrong? There was.. truth behind the nonsense Eunbi was spouting? 

 

 

"W-Wait a minute.." Chaeyeon was starting to sound panicked. She was constantly trying to convince herself that there was no way Sakura would be that kind of person. There's no way Sakura would do something to hurt others. There's no way...

 

 

"E-Explain this to me!" Chaeyeon raised her voice a little. Sakura's eyes widened, worry spreading all over her face when she saw how worked up Chaeyeon was getting. She hasn't even started with telling Chaeyeon the story and she's already like this. 

 

 

"Look. Calm down, alright..? I'll tell you everything so-"

 

 

"H-Hurry up and get talking!"

 

 

With a voice full of desperation, Chaeyeon rushed her. Chaeyeon actually thought deeply about it. From the moment Eunbi spoke to her, her mind has been filled with many different possibilities. 

 

 

And the biggest thought that weighed her mind... was how much she wanted Sakura to tell her that Eunbi was wrong... and that Sakura had nothing to do with it. 

 

 

"I-I get it. I'll tell you everything." Sakura massaged her temple, feeling a bit lightheaded from the nervousness."

 

 

......

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

......

 

 

"That day.. the day Hirai-sunbae met with Jiyoung... I was.."

 

 

.....

 

 

"I was there."

 

 

 

~ + ~

 

 

Sigh. 

 

 

There seemed to be no peaceful day in this school. Just that morning, a fight broke out between the ace of the dance club, Hirai Momo, and the notorious princess of the principal, Yook Jiyoung. Because both parties were big names in the campus, it spread pretty quickly. 

 

 

How troublesome, Sakura thought to herself. She had no opinion whatsoever regarding Jiyoung. She didn't like nor hate her. They were people who happen to exist at the same time and go to the same school. 

 

 

She's never gotten in trouble with Jiyoung. If anything, they're in quite good terms? When it came to someone like Jiyoung, having your existence ignored by her is the best terms you could be with her. That way, she neither likes hanging around you nor does she hate you to death. 

 

 

The last thing Sakura wanted was to be tangled up in Jiyoung's business... but the world wasn't cooperative with her wishes. Just as she thought this, she happened upon quite the concerning scene. The trio, Jiyoung and her dogs, were circling around Momo. 

 

 

Instinctively, the expression on Sakura's face became that of distaste. Though she said she didn't exactly dislike Jiyoung, the way the girl does things was troublesome no matter how anyone looked at it. She isn't the type to directly confront Jiyoung, but that doesn't mean she'd idly watch the scene unfold. 

 

 

Sakura decided that perhaps she should walk by. She won't exactly help Momo, but perhaps having a passerby would get Jiyoung to rethink. With her current relationship with Jiyoung, she was almost certain the younger girl wouldn't really do anything to her. 

 

 

After all, if Sakura walked by now, Momo would still be completely fine so Sakura wouldn't have witnessed anything she shouldn't. 

 

 

Just as she was about to go through with her plan, Momo noticed her first. It looked like the trio were busy discussing what they would do so they weren't really paying attention to Momo or their surroundings. Momo looked at Sakura, and shook her head. She slightly motioned with her hand, telling her to get away. 

 

 

Is she really in the place to be worrying about me? That thought entered Sakura's mind. Her mind hadn't stopped analyzing the situation. This wouldn't end well for Momo no matter what she does. If she doesn't fight back, she gets hurt. If she does fight back, it would certainly backfire even if Jiyoung started the fight. 

 

 

Senpai, I'll be fine. Sakura mouthed. She wasn't sure if Momo would be able to tell what she's saying considering the distance they had but it became clear that Momo could. 

 

 

You can't. Momo mouthed back, shaking her head slightly in the process. 

 

 

Why?

 

 

This girl is too crazy. 

 

 

...Momo smiled. For a second time, she motioned with her hand for Sakura to walk away. 

 

 

"What are you smiling for?" Jiyoung caught both of them off guard, punching Momo right in the gut. She then turned to the direction Momo was looking. ".....Unnie...?"

 

 

Once Jiyoung looked at her, Sakura was quickly able to control her expression. She wasn't showing any clear emotions on her face. 

 

 

"You didn't go home yet?" Jiyoung kept looking at her. 

 

 

"Who was it that decided to ditch her duty in the theatre club when she was assigned to do it with me?" Sakura asked back. It wasn't hard to tell that Jiyoung wasn't being hostile towards her, at least not at this moment. Believe it or not, Jiyoung was capable of holding normal conversations with people who aren't her target. 

 

 

....But for her to continue acting normal despite having punched a senior in front of Sakura was enough to call her a psycho. 

 

 

"Ah, right. I was in charge of cleaning the set today." Jiyoung smiled at Sakura. "I'm sorry, Unnie." 

 

 

Someone who didn't know Jiyoung would've thought that smile was genuine but Sakura knew just how twisted the real intention of that smile was. 

 

 

"Why are you just standing there, Unnie?"  

 

 

"It's quite the show, Jiyoung." Sakura smiled back at her. "If only you were this motivated for our plays." 

 

 

"Sakusaku...?" Momo weakly called out to her. "I think it's better if you get going."

 

 

"Look, Momo-unnie is also telling you to go." Jiyoung nodded, kicking Momo's leg. Momo winced a little but she didn't look that hurt. Being the ace dancer really made her body sturdy. Even so, there's going to be a limit to how much she can take... and Jiyoung doesn't know the meaning of moderation. 

 

 

One after another, the three of them threw punches at Momo without mercy. Somehow, Sakura could feel the annoyance in her stead. Momo looked so fierce whenever she danced but getting to know her would reveal that she's actually quite shy. It's like dancing flips a switch inside her. She was also known for being good at clearing misunderstandings that happen between dance club members. 

 

 

....She's just the type of person who normally wouldn't get into a fight. 

 

 

She was just unfortunate to catch Jiyoung's attention. 

 

 

Somehow, knowing that it's unlikely for Momo to fight back pissed Sakura off. She took one step, just one... and Jiyoung turned back to her. 

 

 

"....Do you want to join in, Unnie?"

 

 

"That depends. Which side are you putting me in?" In a tranquil tone, Sakura asked. 

 

 

"Which one do you want to join..?"

 

 

"Sakusaku... Don't you keep a schedule..? You're going to waste time standing here." Momo interrupted, still not giving up on getting Sakura to leave. "Jiyoung is just playing a little."

 

 

"Senpai, I think I know the definition of playing.. and it isn't like this." Sakura replied in Japanese. Though Jiyoung was a bit ticked off by the fact that she couldn't understand it, she didn't question her. 

 

 

Without saying anything else, Momo just smiled at her again. 

 

 

Ah. Don't smile at me. Sakura didn't want that smile. 

 

 

"Unnie.. You shouldn't pry too much in other people's business." Jiyoung walked away from the group and went towards Sakura. 

 

 

"Yook Jiyoung,"  Momo called her. "She has nothing to do with this."

 

 

"I know that." Jiyoung placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders. She then begun to push Sakura lightly, leading her away from the scene. 

 

 

"What are you doing..?" Sakura asked, but was walking back as Jiyoung lead her away. 

 

 

"Can't you see Momo-unnie is uncomfortable with you watching? She's really nice. I guess she feels some connection because you're both Japanese."

 

 

"What are you trying to say?" 

 

 

"She wouldn't like it if you got hurt... So you should just follow her wishes right?"

 

 

"You really need to reflect on your attitude, you know?" 

 

 

"Are you any different, Unnie? Even if you say that, you didn't stop us from hurting her."

 

 

"Would it have made a difference?" 

 

 

"....I guess not."

 

 

Sakura wasn't known for physical strength, she was known for her intellect. She didn't have the capacity to go against Jiyoung - not in a physical fight, at least. But even her intellect wouldn't work in this current situation. Jiyoung was invincible for as long as she was in this school. 

 

 

There used to be many cases of Jiyoung's actions being reported to the police but betraying everyone's expectations, the police would back out from investigating in less than a week. Eventually, it was revealed that the school board would cover up the cases by any means possible. Bribing, threatening - it didn't matter what method they used for as long as it worked.

 

 

"Now, just behave and go home, Unnie."

 

 

"It's weird being told that by you." 

 

 

"Unnie. Don't you know how great of an honor it is to be treated nicely by me..?"

 

 

"I didn't ask for that honor." 

 

 

That last statement caused Jiyoung to sigh. She honestly liked Sakura; she was the type to talk naturally to Jiyoung regardless of the situation and she really liked that. Many people would be either glaring at her or be shaking in fear of her. Sakura was neither of that. 

 

 

"I'm going to let you off with a warning because I like you. I'm assuming you know how to keep secrets."

 

 

"Do I have an obligation to keep this a secret, Jiyoung?"

 

 

Jiyoung's eye twitched at Sakura's defiance, and found herself grabbing the girl's collar. "Please, just do as you're told." 

 

 

"What are you doing?" Another voice entered the scene, and the two looked at the source. It was Yena. "Yah.. I asked what you're doing."

 

 

Yena took quick steps to close the distance between then and pulled Jiyoung's hand away from Sakura. She then proceeded to fix the wrinkled collar. 

 

 

Sakura turned to Jiyoung as Yena fixed her collar and the expression on the the girl's face was so easy to read. Jiyoung turns passive whenever Yena was around and whenever she is aggressive, she never directs her aggression towards Yena. 

 

 

"Yena-unnie.. I was just talking to her."

 

 

"Talking? What part of grabbing her collar was talking? Why don't you try talking to me like that?"

 

 

"I.. I wouldn't do that to you." 

 

 

"Just let it be, Yena." Sakura interrupted them, but Yena positioned herself in between Sakura and Jiyoung, looking straight at the younger girl. 

 

 

"Yena-unnie.. I wasn't going to do anything." Jiyoung tried to reason. "I've never done anything to Sakura-unnie, have I? We're in the same club and we get along just fine!" 

 

 

"Don't touch Sakura again." Yena glared at her. "If anything happens to her, I'm going to assume it's your fault."

 

 

"T-That's not fair, Unnie!"

 

 

"Do something about your reputation then!" 

 

 

There was nothing Jiyoung could to that. She wouldn't be able to change the way she acted towards other people. The only person she would never hurt in this entire school was Yena so even if she gets along well with one person today, she could easily throw them away the next. 

 

 

"Let's hurry and go home."  Yena held Sakura's hand and started pulling her away. "She might come back for you if I leave you alone so let's go together." 

 

 

"Ah- Wait-"  Sakura looked back, conflicted... but ultimately headed home with Yena.

 

~ + ~

 

"So you just abandoned her...? You let Jiyoung have her way..?" Chaeyeon's eyes have grown dark as she let go of each word. "How could you do that to her..?"

 

 

"I didn't want to!" Sakura too, had gotten emotional at this point. She had tried her best to forget the things that happened in the past... bringing it all back in order to explain was also taking it's toll on her mind. "I couldn't have done anything at that moment, but I did have another plan-"

 

 

"But you backed out like a coward?" Chaeyeon looked up, glaring at Sakura. Tears were streaming down her face but rather than sadness, anger was clear in her eyes. "So in the end you didn't do anything."

 

 

"What..?" Sakura was taken aback by Chaeyeon's reply. She sounded so cold, ruthless even. 

 

 

"In the end, you're just a coward who wanted to save yourself."

 

 

"That's not what happened, Chaeyeon! I had no choice-"

 

 

"No choice?! Even as she was getting beaten up, Momo-unnie only thought of your safety! And you're telling me you had no choice?!"

 

 

"Listen to me! There's more to what happened... I had a reason!" 

 

 

"No amount of reason will ever be enough." 

 

 

"Chaeyeon.. Just listen to me for a little more.."

 

 

"What for? So you can make excuses?" Chaeyeon scoffed. She found herself laughing about how ridiculous this all is. She was laughing, but it was definitely not out of amusement. 

 

 

"I'm not making excuses, Chaeyeon. No amount of excuses can make up for what happened to Hirai-sunbae and I know that very well."

 

 

"Then why are we still talking about this? If you already know that nothing you say really matters?"

 

 

"I'm here to give you an explanation."

 

 

"How's that different from an excuse, Miyawaki Sakura?"

 

 

Sakura flinched slightly when Chaeyeon spoke her full name. She could feel the distance between them growing every second. 

 

 

"I'm explaining to clear up any misunderstandings, not to justify or defend myself." 

 

 

"I don't want to hear it. Excuses or explanations, I don't want to hear anymore from you." Chaeyeon turned away, and begun walking towards the door. Sakura quickly caught up to her, grabbing Chaeyeon by the hand....

 

 

...but Chaeyeon quickly shook her hand off without a second thought, and left the rooftop. The sound of the door slamming startled Sakura, causing a ringing in her ears.

 

 

....

 

 

 

.......

 

 

Chaeyeon kept going without ever looking back. She was starting to get dizzy. At the bottom of the staircase, on the 2nd floor, she saw two figures who looked as if they could kill each other with their glares. Kwon Eunbi and Kang Hyewon. 

 

 

Eunbi immediately turned to her as she heard footsteps approaching them. Eunbi went up a few steps, standing in front of Chaeyeon. "Are you okay?" 

 

 

"Who's fault do you think this is?" Hyewon interrupted them. Even Chaeyeon had to agree that all of this stemmed from Eunbi somehow. It was Eunbi who started to bring up the past. But if Eunbi hadn't done that, then maybe she would've never gotten the truth from Sakura. 

 

 

"Don't interrupt us, Kang Hyewon." Eunbi didn't look at Hyewon, but instead focused on Chaeyeon. "I'm assuming you already heard of what happened from Sakura?"

 

 

Clicking her tongue, Hyewon started to make her way to the rooftop to check on Sakura but not before purposely bumping shoulders with Eunbi.. hard. 

 

 

"Yah!" Eunbi called out to Hyewon but the other girl wasn't going to be stopped. She shook her head, turning back to Chaeyeon once more. "Hey, why don't we go back together?"

 

 

Go back..? With Eunbi..? Chaeyeon looked down at her feet, thinking for a moment. At these times, whenever she's feeling overwhelmed... it was always Eunbi that she talked to, wasn't it? Then.. if she went with Eunbi.. would this feeling of her heart being torn apart stop..?

 

 

"Chae..?"

 

 

"I'll.. go with you.."

 

 

 

~ + ~

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

.....

 

 

 

Neither Eunbi or Chaeyeon talked for a while.  Chaeyeon was seated down on the sofa, watching silently as Eunbi made tea for both of them. The last time she was at Eunbi's house was the time she confronted Eunbi about her feelings. 

 

 

....That was also the first time she talked to Sakura. 

 

 

As she sat down in silence, Chaeyeon was starting to regain her rationality. Perhaps she was starting to think that she shouldn't have agreed to come here. She got carried away by her emotions and went with Eunbi but now that she's actually here, it's starting to feel awkward. 

 

 

Eventually, Eunbi finished preparing the tea and brought it to small coffee table.  After pouring tea for both of them, she sat down next to Chaeyeon... who moved to her side slightly, away from Eunbi. 

 

 

Eunbi didn't do anything about, and instead just slid Chaeyeon's cup so that is was within her reach. "You can sit as far away as you want, I understand."

 

 

"....Thank you..." Chaeyeon spoke cautiously, reaching for the teacup and taking a sip after blowing on it a few times. 

 

 

Eunbi waited for Chaeyeon to put the cup back on the table before she begun talking. "What did you and Sakura talk about?" 

 

 

Chaeyeon couldn't answer immediately. She was feeling so out of it that her talk with Sakura was turning into a blur in her mind. She felt so tired. 

 

 

"...She told me she witnessed what happened between Momo-unnie and Jiyoung last year." Chaeyeon started. She then turned to Eunbi, asking, "But you already knew about that, didn't you? Since when did you know?" 

 

 

"I knew from the start." Eunbi leaned back, sinking into the sofa. "I was already in the student council as the secretary last year. So we were often called up whenever issues arise, and that entire thing was no exception."

 

 

Chaeyeon sighed.

 

 

Why does it feel like everyone around her knows so many things that she doesn't? Why does it feel like she's the only one who's left clueless? 

 

 

"You know about how Sana-sunbae tried to talk to the board to defend Momo-sunbae, right?" 

 

 

"Yes.."

 

 

"At that time, I was there with a few other student council officers. Sana-sunbae brought Sakura with her as witness to try and defend Momo-sunbae but... Sakura said that they were mistaken, and that she didn't see anything." 

 

 

"But the truth is that she saw it..."

 

 

"It was easy to tell from Sakura's expression that she was lying. She looked guilty about it... But of course, that didn't matter to the board. All they needed was for there to be no witnesses."

 

 

"...I thought she was different..." 

 

 

Eunbi eyed Chaeyeon with a strange expression on her face. She could tell that Chaeyeon was fuming, and that she was starting to harbor hatred for Sakura.

 

 

"Hey, Chae?" 

 

 

"What?"

 

 

"Aside from being a witness, did Sakura tell you anything else?" 

 

 

"...Anything else..?"

 

 

"Like.. the reason she lied about it?"

 

 

"Does it matter?" 

 

 

Cold. 

 

 

Chaeyeon's response was so cold that Eunbi felt uncomfortable despite knowing that hostility was currently not directed at her but at Sakura. 

 

 

"Eunbi? You've been making that face since earlier.. If you have something to say, then say it." 

 

 

"I was just.. I was thinking that maybe you should've listened to her until the end." Eunbi looked away. 

 

 

"What? Are you kidding me right now?" Chaeyeon had a look of disbelief. "First you tell me not to trust her... then now you tell me that I should've listened to her??"

 

 

"I just.." Eunbi was starting to get the feeling there was more to this. It wasn't unusual for witnesses to back out when faced against Jiyoung. Anyone who's been in their school long enough would know that nothing good would come from getting on her bad side. 

 

 

Looking at it that way, it would make sense for Sakura to just take her hands off the case. But when she talked to Sakura, she mentioned the name "Anna" multiple times. 

 

 

"I didn't want Jiyoung to get away with it."

 

"But.. for Anna.. I would do anything for her.. I had to choose her over everyone else."

 

"Anna.. I didn't care about what Jiyoung would've done to me.. but.. Anna's safety.. it was my priority for s sake..!"

 

 

Eunbi kept repeating those words in her head, trying to figure out what it could mean... and she could only come up with one possible explanation. Jiyoung must have used "Anna" in order to make Sakura bend to her will. 

 

 

Eunbi can't deny it; she provoked Sakura because she got carried away. She was doing everything to make sure Chaeyeon would find out the truth. She was sure that learning the truth would create a rift between Sakura and Chaeyeon.

 

 

That was the plan... but after connecting the dots, Eunbi came to realize that what happened was a lot deeper than it initially seemed. Eunbi wasn't heartless and she didn't really hold anything personal against Sakura aside from her recent closeness to Chaeyeon--so despite the initial hostility she had towards the other girl, Eunbi couldn't help but feel guilty about it. If her theory about "Anna" is true, then Sakura had a solid reason to deny being a witness.  

 

 

"Why are you suddenly quiet...?" Chaeyeon's voice snapped Eunbi out of deep thought. "What are you thinking so deeply about?" 

 

 

"It's nothing." Eunbi shook her head. Even though she knew she should mention it... she couldn't bring herself to tell Chaeyeon about this "Anna" person Sakura talked about. Cause if she did, she just might lose Chaeyeon for good. 

 

 

Chaeyeon kept looking at Eunbi, trying to figure her out. Ever since she asked that they break up, Eunbi has gotten more and more confusing. Eunbi would say so many contradicting things, and would do actions that she couldn't understand--she used to be able to read Eunbi like an open book but now it felt she couldn't see anything at all. 

 

 

"Have you rediscovered how pretty I am?" Eunbi laughed, but it sounded sad. 

 

 

"There's nothing to rediscover because you've always been pretty." Chaeyeon answered with no hesitation. Maybe it's because she was feeling tired, but she felt strange looking Eunbi. Right up until earlier that day, she was still mad at Eunbi... but for some reasons, at this moment, she didn't feel any anger. 

 

 

Was it nostalgia? 

 

 

Is it because of the sense of familiarity she has being here with Eunbi? 

 

 

Is it because she was in a state where she could use anyone's company? 

 

 

She didn't know. 

 

 

She didn't know what it was, but she gently grabbed Eunbi by the hand and pulled her closer...

 

 

 

 

~ + ~ 

 

 

 

 

||a/n: Uhh.. Hey there~

It's been well over a year since the last update, and I'm really sorry this took so long. Aside from college taking up most of my time, I had a very severe case of writer's block. After a long time, I read through Misled and Broken again to try and rediscover what it was that I wanted to do with this series. After reading through the detailed timeline I organized for the series, I've found myself interested in continuing to write it again!

In any case, Sakura had finally decided to tell Chaeyeon the truth but unfortunately, Chaeyeon refused to listen to the rest of it. After connecting the dots and forming a theory about "Anna", Eunbi found herself conflicted between clearing things up and remaining quiet. In the end, she decided not to say anything about it. 

Feelings are complicated, and love is a mixture of many different feelings; it's complex. One moment you're mad at someone, then the next moment you yearn to have them next to you. Despite having avoided Eunbi for a while, Chaeyeon couldn't stop herself from pulling her closer... Just what direction will their relationship go after this...? ||