“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” 

― Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan.

A smartphone was ringing and vibrating endlessly on top of a Hamlet novel for the last five minutes. At the digital clock, flashed a '6:30 PM', which means it's almost dinner for some. 

But, certainly, that's not the case for the girl who was under her bed's comforter trying to escape the fact that one of her closest friends has been trying to reach her out, bugging her to come at a senseless party—at least for her—at the nearby bar famous for college students who want to express their frustrations about studying and well, maybe dropping their majors too.

Due to irritation, the girl sat on her bed and sighed defeatedly, her geek circle glasses were nowhere to be found at the moment making her eyes have a hard time visualizing her bedroom.

Hearing the on-loop ringtone, Yujin reached for her phone and rolled her eyes as the name of her 'so-called' buddy, Choi Yena flashed on the screen.

"Okay, look. I know what you're going to say, and my answer is no. Like no!" Yujin was gesturing to no one, trying her best to express herself over the phone.

"Wait, wait, I haven't said anything though. You must be thinking about the party tonight? Hehey~ You must be thinking about it that much that it didn't leave your mind." Retorted by the best friend.

Yujin swore that if only Yena was there at the moment, physically, she might have kicked her for being too stubborn.

She was actually preparing for a review for the upcoming finals on one of her majors, explains all the books scattered on her study desk and a tall coffee tumbler.

"For the record, I don't go to parties and it's a no! If that's not why you're calling, then what?" Yujin held her temples and massaged it as she looked on the corner of her room.

"Well, I was just going to tell you that I, Choi Yena, your very very good best of a friend, was able to buy that limited edition, Pablo Neruda poem collection."

"You what?!" From a bad mood, Yujin's face quickly enlightened upon hearing the almighty deed of her best friend, using her other hand to cover in surprise. 

"Oh my god, you're kidding me! I almost visited the book stores in Seoul but they don't have it anymore! Where did you get it?" Yujin asked excitedly, her mind was all over the place just imagining the book she needed to fill up for her research.

"You know, connections," Yena said flatly but proud over the line. 

"So, when can I..have it?" She asked full of hope, just thinking that she can finish her term paper peacefully and less-hassle makes her feel like she just raised a child successfully.

Yujin was biting her tongue, waiting for Yena to speak her next words about the book. But then, there was a sudden realization that had hit her. Yujin felt her heart jumped out on her chest due to the sudden short-lived adrenaline. 

Yena didn't say anything on the line but Yujin knew, she was smirking.

"Oh my god," Yujin face-palmed herself, "You're not telling me that I need to attend that stupid party first, before getting it? Please tell me I'm wrong."

Suddenly being all religious, Yujin prayed that her hunch was wrong—only to disappoint herself.

"I'll see you later, Yujin."

With that, Yena on the other line was laughing so much but then the victory was hers anyway. She dropped the phone call that made Yujin kick her pillows and bed sheets continuously.

They said that during college sufferings, the best way to do is to make sure that you're still alive regardless of only an hour sleep.

Of course, in a world full of aspiring people to reach success, the case will always be that classy and old-fashioned perspective from elders, brainwashing every son and daughter that a sign of a successful life starts from stepping on the stage and get a rolled A4 bond paper perhaps—also called as 'diploma' for some reason. 

This is how Ahn Yujin's mind was set, and the word 'Unfortunate' was rather an understatement.

And she'll make sure that she won't mess up the things she has on her hands, her studies.

Therefore, she had no choice but to attend a party that requires a lot of social experiences that she doesn't have.

Choi Yena, known because of her extroverted personality walked inside the crowded bar with people dancing as the blasting music dropped on its chorus, similar to a that makes them do the waves against each other. She nodded heads with the people she was familiar with and gave them a sly smile.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! A cute girl going through~" Yena went through the pool of people inside the bar, the dizzying neon lights are the ones helping her look at her way to a certain person.

The white T.H cap made her smile, patting herself mentally about her small mission in success.

Ahn Yujin was standing awkwardly near the bar, she has her hands inside her pockets watching people with intense disapproval on her eyes. 

"Yujin-ah! There you are!"

Yena managed to reach near Yujin without spilling the glass of beer on her hand. "Why are you standing right there like this is some kind of a concert? No band’s going to show up unless you think the DJ is a one-man band, let's go party!" She added. 

Yujin was looking at her in utter impediment. "I..so...want to kick your bum right now, good thing I'm not a bad person, and my parents didn't raise me to be a kung fu fighter."

Yena chuckled and elbowed her best friend. "I'm doing this for you. What's going to happen if you'll just lock yourself up in your bedroom and study all day? It's not like you'll need to recite a line from Shakespeare's sonnet just to order a Starbucks coffee!" The shorter girl shrugged, finally witnessing how Yujin rolled her eyes at her. 

"But I am going to pass my term paper and upcoming finals. I mean, dude, it's like, tomorrow? What will I pass to my Professor, a dried receipt of stinky beers?"

"Relax buddy! Have fun!" Yena patted the latter's back. Yujin shook her head, her sigh of exhaustion and stress seem to not end. "Come here," She dragged the taller girl near the alcohol bar. 

"Hey, Hyungdon Oppa, can you please give her a glass of what I'm having."

Yujin widened her eyes in worry. "Oh, no no! Please, I'll get a glass of red ice tea." She smiled at the old bartender. 

"She's a bit stressed, so, she kind of needs a kick." Yena winked at the guy in charge.

"I got her." The old guy smiled at Yena and Yujin was helpless. She couldn't protest since the bartender was quick to pour her some of the ugly-smelling alcoholic drink that's now placed in front of her.

"I swear, Yena. You're going to pay for this. Ugh," Yujin looked seriously at Yena and smelled the drink, she felt throwing up already. 

"Shouldn't you be thanking me, since I got you the book you need and now I am letting you enjoy the night? You're always uptight Yujin."

"It's because I need to survive university." She defended and scoffed. 

"Well, I needed too, and I'm doing fine?" Yena raised both her hands.

"Well, no offense but you're taking up Theatre arts? Like the plays and rehearsals are different from making a research paper and taking the sources from all the books you read." Yujin crossed her arms.

"Omo, Omo! Look who's talking!" Yena exaggerated her gestures by acting like she's in pain. "For your information, Yujin being a literature major means you're also under the liberal arts, not making you a lot different than me."

Yena sighed, "Look, you don't go outside, you read books for like, 24/7, maybe play some crap games on your pc and then have coffee at night? I also think sometimes, you forgot that there's more to studying, you know. Why didn't you take up other profession-focused majors if you're into that kind of studying." 

"Look at the person, Miyawaki Sakura." Yena pointed out at a petite girl who was dancing a bit weird, not really fitting her pretty face with the awkward dance moves. "Enrolled in Med school, but instead of dissecting some frogs she's here partying and enjoying. That means you can manage it too!"

"But we're not alike, okay? She might be really into this but this...this isn't my lifestyle, Yena." Yujin said with conviction. "Plus, you're talking about biology in high school, they don't dissect frogs in med school, they study using real-life human organs, goodness gracious," Yujin replied absurdly.

"Oh my god gross, are you sure?" Yena asked in shock. "I think she just shook hands with me earlier, do you think she j