"Don't you think Mr Lee is hot?" Sooyoung asked, eyeing their professor Mr Lee who was leaning against the coffee bar, chatting with the barista and waiting for his latte.

Chaeyoung scrunched up her nose and set her coffee cup on the table. "Isn't he like forty or something?"

"That's not too old." Yerim lifted a fry off her plate and nibbled at it.

The three girls were sitting in the university cafeteria, they made it their tradition to come here every day after their classes had ended.

"Well Rosé wouldn't know, she only has eyes for Chanyeol." Sooyoung gave Yerim a knowing look and the latter giggled. When Mr Lee passed their table they both smiled and batted their eyelashes at him.

"That's not true!" Chaeyoung protested, frowning. "Actually, we're probably not getting back together." She added, finally piquing the other two girls' interest, as they peeled their eyes away from Mr Lee's backside and gave her surprised looks. It wasn't exactly a lie, even though Chaeyoung came up with it on the spot. Last night, after pondering on it for hours and ignoring his calls and texts, Chaeyoung decided that it just isn't going to work between her and Chanyeol. She felt guilty about how liberating it felt to be away from him and she realized she was just looking for excuses to be angry. All she needed to do now is break it to him.

Sooyoung pursed her lips. "How come?"

Chaeyoung shrugged. "I think I need a break." She said mysteriously.

There was a commotion at the front of the cafeteria, and the crowd parted. Four guys strutted by, lead by Chanyeol. Yerim jostled Chaeyoung's arm, making the silver bracelet around her wrist jingle.

"Speak of the devil." Yerim murmured, her eyes widening.

Chaeyoung's stomach churned and she swallowed hard, suddenly feeling nervous. She was definitely going to break things off with Chanyeol... eventually. But she didn't expect the opportunity to come this soon. She took a long sip of her coffee and followed Yerim and Sooyoung, who were already strolling over to the boys. Instantly, the two of them started talking to his friends, leaving Chanyeol at Chaeyoung's mercy.

"Hey you." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hi." Chaeyoung said with a stiff smile, and motioned him to distance themselves from the rest of their friends.

"You didn't answer my texts." Chanyeol noted.

"Um, my phone was dead." Chaeyoung murmured and immediately regretted it when Chanyeol glanced down at the phone she was holding.

"Oh." He said and smiled. Chaeyoung took a long time to respond.

"Look, I'm sorry for ignoring you. I just needed time... to think about everything I guess."

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows.

"So? Are you ready to talk now?"

"Um, yeah." Chaeyoung cleared . "I think we should take a break." She blurted out.

Chanyeol looked stunned and Chaeyoung took a deep breath and held it.

"Wait, what?" He asked, burrowing his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry." She rubbed her hand and looked away from his hurt expression.

"I don't understand... Is it because of the Jennie thing because-" He started, but Chaeyoung cut him off.

"It's not..." She exhaled sharply. "It's not about Jennie. We just need a break. I just need a break Chanyeol."

His face darkened.

"Fine." He said but it didn't sound too convincing.

"I'm sorry, okay, but it's for the best." Chaeyoung added, not sounding kind, but not mean either. Just... detached.

"That's cool" He forced a smile.

"Rosé, c'mon we gotta go." A voice said. Chaeyoung jumped, startled. Yerim grabbed her hand.

Chaeyoung paused, her mind still reeling from the conversation she just had with Chanyeol. He smiled at her faintly.

"See you at the Drama thing." She murmured, before she allowed Yerim and Sooyoung to drag her out of the cafeteria.

*

Jennie was perched on the edge her chair in the university auditorium. In her hands was a ragged copy of Phantom of the Opera with all the lines for the Phantom, the character she was playing, highlighted in yellow marker. As she thumbed absently through the first scene, the prima donna Carlotta and the concierge Madame Giry, played by Jisoo and Sooyoung, were rehearsing their scene on the stage.

"Okay! Christine up on the stage!" Mr Lee, their professor  who was also the director of the play - when Nayeon wasn't taking his place in his absence - shouted. Chaeyoung climbed the rises, tucking the script under her arm, and Jisoo breezed past her and plumped down next to Jennie.

"So what are we doing later?" Jisoo leaned in whispered in her ear and Jennie felt every hair on her neck stand up straight.

" We aren't doing anything." She managed, and untangled herself from Jisoo. "I have that big exam coming up remember?

Jisoo rolled her eyes.

"We can study together. Your place?"

"Are you even taking Environmental Sculpture?" Jennie raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, sure..." Jisoo said and burst with giggles when Jennie gave her an irritated look.

"Yeah, nice try." Jennie slapped Jisoo's shoulder playfully, a smile escaping her lips as well.

"Did you say Environmental Sculpture?" A deep voice said from behind them. Chanyeol, who leaned in from his chair, was smiling shyly.

"Are you taking it too?" Jennie asked.

"Yeah, but I regret it now. It's so confusing..." He said genuinely. "I'm definitely going to fail."

"Well then, we have to make a study group!" Jisoo rejoiced happily, clasping her hands together.

"No way!" Jennie protested loudly, and Chanyeol looked slightly offended.

"Oh, it's okay I didn't-"

"No, I mean Jisoo isn't even taking it!" Jennie quickly added, clearing up air that suddenly got awkward. "She'd be more of a nuisance than help." She glared at Jisoo who was still smiling dumbly.

Chanyeol, who had an entertained smile suddenly became frazzled. A shadow fell over them and Jennie looked up. She spotted Chaeyoung, Sooyoung and Yerim standing over them.

"I thought we were going to study together Wednesday?" Chaeyoung asked loudly.

"Oh, I-I didn't know we were still doing that..." He stammered, now completely derailed.

Jennie's eyes darted back and forth. Chanyeol his lips, looking guilty and Chaeyoung was gritting her teeth. If she didn't know any better she'd think that they were having an argument. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat suddenly remembering how furious Chaeyoung had looked when she saw them together at her party. Could they be fighting because of that?

Jisoo gently elbowed Jennie, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Why don't you join us?" She offered, putting on the most innocent of faces. "I can quiz all of you."

The three girls towering above them snickered at the proposal. "I'd rather just fail." Chaeyoung said coldly.

"Suit yourself." Jisoo shrugged and smiled triumphantly. She turned back to Chanyeol and Jennie, whose stomach churned sourly.

"So, later this week?" Jisoo asked and both Chanyeol and Jennie glanced back at Chaeyoung, whose jaw was basically on the floor. He apologetically raised his shoulders but Chaeyoung just rolled her eyes and stomped away.

One uncomfortable Drama class later, Jennie was shrugging into her black coat and stepping out of the auditorium together with Jisoo.

"I just need to pick something up from the library." Jisoo said, when Chaeyoung wordlessly pushed past them. Jennie's eyes traced her all the way to the end of the hallway, where she disappeared around the corner.

"You know, you might've went too far in there." Jennie suggested as they were walking down the wide staircase.

"I was just trying to help." Jisoo said innocently, walking ahead to library entrance, with Jennie by her side.

When they strode into the library, the old, leather-bound book smell greeted them. They silently made their way to the fourth row of bookshelves, trying not to disturb any of the students who were doing their work and studying in there.

"You know you didn't actually want to study with Chaeyoung." Jennie persisted, now whispering. "Do you even want to study with Chanyeol?"

Jisoo glanced at her and frowned. "Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't." Jennie said quickly. "Well... I don't know, I just don't want to cause any more problems with Chaeyoung." She admitted, forgetting to whisper and earning a stern look from one of the girls who was revising near them.

Jisoo scanned the bookshelf in front of her, gently touching the spines of the hardcov