“Complaining is a vain way of explaining pain without gaining relief. Keep complains distances away from you.”

 ― Israelmore Ayivor, 

Minjoo was utterly confused the moment Yujin dropped the call, she checked her phone signal and everything was clearly okay.

She can’t seem to shake the thought of it.

“Strange,” she said to herself. 

The pink-haired girl’s train of thoughts was suddenly stopped by a guy who s his arm around the latter’s shoulder.

“Oh, Youngjae, sorry about that,” Minjoo gave him a warm smile. “Shall we go back inside?”

The boy winked at her and they walked inside the bar together, side by side and probably way too close for people to think that these two aren’t just the usual friends.

Wonyoung sighed as she tried to look around her room. On her wall clock was past ten in the evening and she couldn’t sleep due to the mess she created just earlier. She regretted a bit that she hasn’t finished unpacking her stuff from her luggage.

Calculating the time, she’ll have for sleep, Wonyoung decided to start cleaning her room for the meantime. Thank god for a 9 am class tomorrow, she’ll definitely have enough time for sleep. 

The girl started to bring her clothes to the cabinet as she ran around to put all other necessary things to their places. Thankfully, Yujin’s house was big enough for her to get a good size room for herself. Although she hasn’t felt the comfort of being alone in a different house, fortunately, she’s with her childhood best friend.

Her desk was also untidy, and Wonyoung pouted. After her clothes, she headed to organize her books and journals. While doing so, she got a bit clumsy and dropped a small notebook on her hands. 

Seeing it made her stop.

It was her childhood diary, and yes, she’d keep every notebook with her that it actually occupied a big part of her luggage. The way she kept them in a good condition meant that she’s really into writing. 

For Wonyoung, keeping a journal is the best way to talk about everything she feels. But, it seems like she might skip an entry tonight to re-read her grade school. But even before Wonyoung opened it, she heard a loud door slam outside.

The latter hurriedly checked what happened and there was no one, she went upstairs to check her housemate.

“Yujin? Yujinnie?”

Wonyoung opened the door of her best friend’s bedroom, but she was surprised to see an empty space. She glanced at the window, and she saw Yujin walking hastily inside the car, to somewhere she’s not sure of. 

She tried to figure out but failed.

Meanwhile, a person wearing an orange tracksuit walked briskly. She didn’t care about her outfit or look. It was obvious that she only grabbed a black coat to help her ease the cold breeze outside.

“I must be crazy,” she said to herself as she catches her breath. “Why am I doing this?”

“Ugh, , , !”

She cursed to her helpless self, the pain she felt earlier was a good trigger for her to jump out of bed and to quickly go to a certain place she’s not fond of. 

The blasting music inside the bar made everyone go wild with their own y dance steps, random age groups are present inside the place and it’s again, shots after shots were given to everyone.

There could be two types of people inside this kind of crowd, one, those who drink for fun to enjoy the night, two, those who feel lonely,

Minjoo is the type of girl who’d be a part of the first type of person. It was really nice for her to enjoy it and she’s not ashamed of meeting people in this sort of crowd. 

“I don’t think I’ll be retiring anytime sooner in this kind of culture,” said Minjoo as she had a tequila shot. She grunted due to the strong taste of and laughed together with her circle of friends. Most of the people in their spot were her classmates and those whom they met regularly in the bar.

“Ah, I think I’m close quitting alcohol, I can’t always have a hangover especially when painting for the finals. We can’t really go with it perfectly,” Chaewon shook her head and puffed smoke. 

“Yeah, I might use salt and lemon as a muse,” added Eunbi, and everyone laughed. Some of their friends were dancing while they were just chillin’ on the couch. 

“Anyway, Kim Minjoo, you’re not telling us about Yujin, is there something going on with you guys?” Eunbi suddenly asked and Chaewon started teasing the pink-haired girl.

“Well, how do you define if there’s something going on?” Minjoo laughed.

“Ah, you sly little fox, always secretive,” Eunbi nudged her.

“She seems so into you girl,” Chaewon crossed her arms. 

“I find Yujin very awkward at times and too..soft?” Minjoo imagined Yujin’s antics in her thoughts, she couldn’t help but feel giddy.

The three of them laughed.

“However, Yujin needs to learn a lot of things though,”

Both Eunbi and Chaewon agreed, “I find her too uptight,”

“Yeah, exactly my point,” said Minjoo.

“But, hey isn’t this the first time you got interested?” teased Eunbi.

“Hmm, is it?”

They laughed again while joking at each other. They couldn’t help but enjoy the moment free from school stress.

“But, all in all, I think she’s worth the risk,” that was the last thing Minjoo said as she smiled to herself. Chaewon and Eunbi eyed each other, because for the first time ever, they saw a change of expression from Minjoo once she mentioned Yujin’s name.

It was all new.

“By the way, Youngjae hasn’t been here for a while, right?” Eunbi said as she saw the man at the center of the dance floor.

Minjoo nodded as she eyed the man in the crowd, he met Minjoo’s eyes and playfully winked for another time.

Yujin could feel her sweaty hands on her coat pocket, she’d feel the same situation only in times she’s not sure if she answered a question on her test paper correctly, or probably when her Mom was mad at her for not even fixing her bed in the morning. 

But since Minjoo came to her life, it was an addition to feeling the sticky perspiration on her palms partnered by a trembling heart.

She gulped, as she observed the bar name from outside. She’s fully convinced that there was something she needed to see, it felt like saving herself some time from someone who’s not even committed to being interested in her, and that was the instinct she can’t let go of.

Yujin mustered all the courage she had and started to walk towards the bar, the people inside couldn’t care enough with her outfit, she reached the entrance so far without judgment by her poor outfit for a bar. 

It was yet another stage for her to gather the guts to go inside, she was at the point of trying to think of possibilities but fails to process what she imagines, in short, her mind went blank. All in there was an image of Minjoo smiling, a smile that will never let her sleep peacefully at night.

After sighing deeply, Yujin took a step towards the bar.

But even before she did fully walk inside, she heard a burst of familiar laughter, not only one but surely, some of the other voices were familiar in her ears.

Yujin looked in front of her to see her heartbreaking in pieces.

“Oh, Yujin?” 

In front of her was Eunbi, Chaewon, and some random guy she presumed Minjoo was talking to earlier back in their phone call, was side hugging the person she had been longing for, Minjoo.

The group stopped and was surprised to see the nerd in front of them.

“Uh..”

Yujin was speechless, she doesn’t know which to process first, a greeting? Or an urge to walk away seeing a scene like this?

She couldn’t look up at them, instead, she focused on the floor while trying to remain composed.

What was she supposed to feel? To do? Will she slap the hell out of Minjoo? Will she let her explain? 

“Yuji-”

“I-I’m going home,”

The only thing Yujin did was to run away. She headed the opposite way leaving the group dumbfounded.

“Wait for a moment guys okay?” Minjoo smiled at them and quickly ran after the girl.

Meanwhile, Youngjae was confused, while Eunbi and Chaewon stifled a giggle, they kind of. 

“Yuj, wait!”

The pink-haired girl quickly reached for Yujin’s wrist as the latter almost went inside her car.

“Where are you going?” Minjoo asked in a very confusing way, but she smiled nonetheless.

Inside Yujin’s mind, she can’t just seem to understand why Minjoo has the guts to do so, is she really an emotionless human who never considers a person’s feelings?

“Come here,”

Minjoo pulled the taller girl at the side of the parking lot, at that part, there were only a few people around making them have their own little space.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?”

Minjoo asked, she felt happy seeing the person in front of her, but the puzzle was remained unsolved, not until Yujin talks. 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Minjoo could see a different aura on Yujin’s face, an expression like she was just suppressing a fit of anger.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Let..let me just go home,”

“Not until you say anything,”

“Why? Is there something to talk about?” Yujin asked she was biting her lip, trying to stop whatever word she might say.

“Wha-”

Then Minjoo stopped after realizing something. She tried to recall the scene earlier from the phone call up until she saw Yujin in the entrance.

“Are you…are you jealous?”

Minjoo laughed to the point she has tears around her eyes.

Right, Youngjae.

Yujin looked at Minjoo with full of fury in her eyes.

“I’m sorry…I just..”

Yujin had enough of it, she walked out again but of course, Minjoo was quick to stop here.

“Ahn Yujin,” Minjoo cleared and calmed herself.

“Listen,”

“Don’t tell me things anymore if you don’t mean them,” Yujin suddenly retorted.

“What? No! Listen to me first,”

Yujin wasn’t looking at Minjoo, she stood there as she anticipated with whatever bull Minjoo might come up with.

“Did you come here because of it? Tell me, are you suspecting me to be hanging out with someone else?”

The only thing Yujin wanted to do is go home, going there was a wrong move. And she might regret it forever.

“Do I have to answer that if you already showed to me what kind of girl you are? Did you come to my life to humiliate me and think down to myself?!” Yujin scoffed.

Minjoo felt like her heart was on the floor. 

“What did you say?”

Yujin didn’t have the guts to hear it, she was wondering how Minjoo sounded so hurt after what she said.

“Are you kidding me? You went here just to tell me that?”

“..do I look like that kind of b*tch to you?”

Minjoo chuckled sadly. There was a pause of conversation. Minjoo tried to calm herself, she was deeply hurt with what she just heard from that one person she’s interested in.

“If you’re going to shallowly judge me like that, then suit yourself, Yujin. I never existed in your life to please you and to live what kind of societal standards you have in your own ‘intellectual’ little world,”

 Minjoo walked out but paused on her tracks for a moment.

“At first when you assumed we’re doing stuff just for fun, I could bear that, but seeing that we’ve reached this way and still, your mindset is too much for this kind of relationship, then...

..I think I was wrong to even think we can have a thing more than just friendship,”

“…ah, also, just a reminder, stop daring to step up with someone if you can’t handle your emotions properly, taking a risk doesn’t mean running from everything you’re scared of…

..One last thing, Youngjae?” Minjoo absurdly scoffed.

“We’re heading out tonight, his boyfriend is waiting for him, stay safe, and I hope to never see you again,” the pink-haired girl said and left.

Yujin was dumbfounded to even run after the girl she likes.

She looked at Minjoo’s back after realizing what chaos she involved herself into. There was nothing she could do but to deeply sigh. Yujin dragged herself to the car.

On her drive home, she can’t stop thinking about the scene earlier and how stupid she was to even utter things that she didn’t really mean, it was a rush of emotions of the things she can’t understand.

After seeing Minjoo act like that, Yujin wanted to jump off a cliff, she can n