Sojung rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as Eunha and SinB seemed to continue to chat to each other about keeping secrets from each other, left out of that seemingly personal space of the two. Praying that a stray bolt of lightning would strike and smite her on the spot to remove her from this position, she jolted when her phone buzzed. Seeing her manager’s name on her phone screen, she was never happier to pick up this call and step away from this table. Quickly excusing herself from the table and stepping outside where there was less chatter around.

“Hello?”

“Hey, there’s been an update for your project.”

“Update? I haven’t turned in a complete proposal yet?”

“Well, when you told me that you wanted to do such a project and I reported it higher up, they became interested in what you could do.”

Sojung pinched the bridge of her nose, why did it feel like the expectation bar was raised?

“What do they want then?”

“The only huge thing is that they’re giving you a due date, everything else is minor.”

Taking a deep breath, Sojung calmly listened to all the smaller details that the company was asking of her, the most important one being that they were going to scout a photographer for the company in the first place and that she would be working with them as an assistant for whoever she decided to be the main photographer.

“Deciding to add a newbie to my crew is pretty important is it not?”

“S-sorry, I figured that it wouldn’t bother you directly, since they’d be working under the photographer, not you.”

“It’s fine, I guess. I’ll send you my rough outline later.”

“Take care Sojung ah.”

Biting her tongue from telling her manager to shut up, Sojung put her phone into her pocket, leaning against the railing of the outside terrace design of the coffee shop as she breathed in the slightly chilling air. She had been trying to be nicer to him, but she didn’t exactly want him to be calling her so familiarly. A glance into the shop had her wishing she really had either just stayed home or went to the office to work, what with Eunha giggling and pinching SinB’s cheeks, they both had smiles as far as she could see. If she could just take her drink and give an excuse for leaving… she could just say what the phone call was about, genius.

Boldly walking back in and retrieving her stuff, Sojung gave an apologetic smile that SinB seemed to stare at before hurriedly responding to her.

“Where are you going unnie?”

“I got called in for some extra work, I’ll catch you two again some other time.”

“Wait, you mean you won’t be in dorm tonight?”

Sojung hesitated, well, she did say that like she wasn’t planning on seeing them both soon, but the thought of staying out also seemed to be a good idea to herself to sort her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’ll be back tomorrow I guess.”

The sad drawing together of eyebrows had Sojung’s heart squeezing a little but she managed to get herself out of this weird third wheeling feeling that she hated.

“Promise I’ll be back tomorrow. Be good okay SinB? Don’t burn the kitchen down.”

“Get me a hotel room.”

“Huh?”

“I said book me a room for tonight.”

Her manager looked at her funny. Of he would, Sowon just barged through and kicked him off his computer to use it for her own work, leaving him sat in the corridor of his office cubicle instead of working hard on sorting through his own work.

“What are you going to use it for?”

“To sleep? What else is a hotel room for? Get to work.”

“Did you get into trouble at the dorm?”

“Shut up about that or I will end you.”

Even if it wasn’t a secret to the company that she was living her life as a student, it wasn’t information that everyone was supposed to know. The employees who didn’t work directly with her was not obliged to this fact and of course, the less that knew, the lesser the chance of getting caught by the press. For her manager to be openly asking her this question was basically broadcasting what she wanted to keep secret with his loud mouth.

“Sorry.”

The hotel that her manager had booked was of course, a decent place. The issue was this was the hotel that she hated. There was always a paparazzi or two hiding around the entrance looking for scoops and the like.

She was still dressed in her regular oversized clothes and boring appearance, the one thing she couldn’t hide was her height after all. Walking quickly and making her way to the front desk without the trouble of someone stopping her, she managed to get the key and to the elevator. Standing in the corner, she did her best not to stand out as other guests came into the elevator.

Fashionable people hustled their way in and Sojung just looked to the wall. Getting off at the correct floor, Sojung sighed as she entered her room, seeing the night view in the window, she only frowned a little and closed the blinds.

Flopping on the bed after taking off her jacket, Sojung rolled on her side, closing her eyes. All she had left was to sleep to fast forward to the next day. Her mind, however, did not let her relax.

“SinB.”

Sojung looked at the bedside table where her phone sat. Calling her would be unnecessary, right? SinB was having fun with Eunha after all and it wasn’t like she was obligated to tell her everything. There was one thing about Eunha that bothered her though. From her previous observations, Eunha was a student who did like skinship, there were a few times where Sojung had seen her hooking arms with another, but wasn’t today a little different?

The distance between the two younger girls before her at the coffee shop was near zero? If Eunha was really just being friendly, no, the way that she kept catching Eunha’s gaze meant that there was something that Eunha wanted to convey to her. Could it be that by leaving early, she had missed the conversation that Eunha had invited her in the first place for? Then again, Eunha didn’t seem to be trying to tell her anything even when she was on her way out of the coffee shop.

Then Eunha was showing off, that she was that close to SinB again. For what pur….close to SinB. Showing off. Sojung was being warned not to be so close with SinB. Isn’t that unfair though?

Perhaps it shouldn’t be called unfair, since then that would mean that Sojung was jealous. And Sojung does not like jealousy. Groaning into her pillow, Sojung whined and went limp.

“What can I doooooo? Urghhhh.”

SinB lay in bed awake, it had been awhile since she was left alone. Even if she were always alone in her room, perhaps there was a comfort that she felt knowing that her roommate was in the other room. She wouldn’t ever admit it, but she was never actually asleep when Sojung came back in the middle of the night. If she were, she’d be awoken by the nightmares anyways. But the truth was, she purposely left her room door open at night, waiting until Sojung came back after they had gotten closer to each other.

This habit of leaving her door open and listening as Sojung came stumbling through the entryway and coming over to close her door for her in case she would accidentally wake SinB up with the noise of her moving around in the living room. Though it might not have been on purpose to wait for Sojung to come home, this action only amplified her loneliness by tenfold knowing that Sojung wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

“I wonder where she’s staying.”

Probably a hotel or a motel or…her family’s house? Thinking on that, SinB realized that Sojung hadn’t mentioned much about herself at all aside from coming clean about her identity. How was her family? Did she have siblings? If she did have a younger sibling, that would explain why it always felt like Sojung was caring for her excessively, not that it was a bad thing. But if Sojung didn’t say anything about them, then perhaps she was an only child? Looking at her phone screen to check the time, she realized that she could just check online whether Sowon had siblings.

When she had the search open and Sowon’s profile was linked below in the drop-down list, SinB hesitated. Technically, her relationship with Sojung wasn’t like a fan to an idol. They were just friends who knew each other, and each other’s occupations were not a subject that they were bonded on. In other words, it felt a little wrong to be snooping around for information on Sojung. Besides, the internet wasn’t always right anyways.

Unable to sleep well, Sojung tiredly made her way home from the hotel early in the morning, almost tripping on the way into the front door of the dorms, Sojung leaned against the side of the elevator as it went up.

“Good morning, where were you last night?”

Jumping slightly at the interrogating voice, Sojung ducked her head in apology, only to see Yerin with a quirked-up eyebrow.

“Um….”

“I didn’t take you for that kind of person unnie, so kindly explain?”

“I had work that ended too late….so I decided to stop at a hotel for the night?”

Yerin hummed and ushered Sojung out of the elevator, since she had almost missed her floor, but instead of continuing where she was going, Yerin followed Sojung to her door.

“Then why are you coming back this early?”

“Um I couldn’t sleep well…so I decided to come back.”

“You do know that classes start tomorrow?”

“I do, I’m well prepared.”

Yerin hummed again and followed Sojung into the apartment, because she was their RA Sojung couldn’t tell her to stay out while SinB was sleeping.

“How about SinB?”

“Eh? What about?”

“I haven’t spoken to her face to face in a while, is she doing better?”

Sojung sat down on the couch, Yerin following behind.

“Well, the way I see it, yes. Better.”

A slight sound of a crash was heard, and a groan came from SinB’s room. They both looked confusedly as SinB stumbled out of her doorway, looking disheveled and likely in pain from her hand that was now rubbing her hip.

“Sorry, did we wake you?”

“Ah no no, I uh fell off my bed.”

Yerin giggled and helped SinB stand straighter by lending her shoulder.

“How are you doing kiddo?”

“Great I think, unnie do you know if my professor is nice?”

“Well I’d have to know who they are first don’t I?”

SinB blinked in confusion then hobbled away from Yerin towards the bathroom. Then she turned around and blinked at the two older girls again.

“Um? Good morning?”

This caused Sojung to laugh, SinB must have been so disoriented from waking up by falling off her bed that she didn’t realize that it was odd that Yerin was in their apartment.

“Hahaha, good morning SinB ah.”

=============

incoming wingman Yerin