"Unnie, can you sleep in your room? I have to go to class and I need to change now" I whine for the nth time and beg her to just lift herself and sleep in her own room. It is already 10 AM and my class is at eleven.

"Just change already. I already have seen tons of bodies so it really is nothing" I don't know if this is just because she is in a groggy state, twirling in my bed as she finds a comfortable position, half-awake but this is definitely getting on my nerves.

"Do you want me to drag you back to your bed or are you going to walk yourself back?" I close my eyes as I plead silently to the gods if they can magically lift the body in front of me and place it somewhere other than my room.

"Oh please, Tzuyu. We know you're good at acting tough but I bet you won't and can't do that" How can she be more right on that? All I can do is close my eyes and silently berate myself that I can't even command them in my territory.

Should I just change here? God, I don't think she'll even move an inch away from my bed.

I sigh and feel wary as I my top, feeling vulnerable even in just two buttons off.
"O-okay. Can you at least—" I look over my shoulder, halting my actions to see if it is at least safe enough to take off my top, as if I am being surrounded by wolves, ready to devour my flesh aggressively "—Cover your eyes and turn around?"

Nayeon unnie kindly take my favor and burry her face on my pillow, chuckling as she says words to let me know it is already safe.

"You know you can change in your bathroom" she chuckles more.

Oh, why didn't even I think about the most obvious, safest way to change clothes. When will I stop embarrassing myself in front of others? What is even there to make me so nervous in just changing clothes? I want to bang my head on a wall.

"Shut up and just sleep"

Nayeon unnie might stay here for a while. She rarely goes out of her room before 12 PM on her vacant days and I can already picture that she will only get off the bed at around 2:30 PM for our schedule later, and I bet she will rush taking shower, choosing outfit, and putting lipstick in that slim 30 minutes.

But who called her? Should I open it up to her or not? It has been hours yet not even a single glimpse on her phone and I am getting antsy in every minute that pass. Because the tone of that man is as if he is really being avoided on purpose.

"I'm going. There's breakfast on my table. I know you don't leave the bed before noon. Put it back in the kitchen when you're finished" I said and took my bag from my desk chair. When I take a last look on unnie, I saw her already sitting up, looking at her phone, and is already massaging her temples.

I guess my hunch is right. She's not like how she was last night but how her vibe suddenly changes from her fun personality gives it. I should have let it rang.

"Unnie, I'm sorry"

She shakes her head and raised her head to give me a smile. A smile that is obviously forced.

"It's okay. I asked you to answer it"

No, it is not. That smile was never okay in any angle. I am frozen on my spot as I look at her feeling sorry and dumb at how I didn't follow my own judgement when she already gave a huge hint the night before.

But she looks at me back with her smile that assures me that it was nothing, that I didn't do anything bad, asking me to feel better.

I left the dorm full of guilt.

News spreads fast in the campus. Eunbi was never a stranger to anyone, instead, she is actually a well-known volleyball player. There are even rumors about her that the national team is eyeing on her. Eavesdropping is not one of my hobbies but I don't really have a choice but to accidentally listen to the conversation of the students in front of my table in the cafeteria.

"I heard she's been visiting a psychiatrist before she died" a student with curly short hair with glasses said in a very gossip tone.
"Did she—"

I slammed my book and pretend to study as I clear my throat, that silenced them a bit. I don't like gossips but the least that I will tolerate is having prejudice against people who visit a mental health facility suddenly dying is already concluded that they took their matters on their own hands.

I never understand the joys of gossip. What brings them good in talking about people that least concern them? Did it spark joy to them? What will they do with the information?

Will that do good to the dead?

My eyelids suddenly feel heavy, the voices of the student in front of me becomes incoherent and the book is surprisingly close to my face. How many hours was my sleep?

"I shouldn't" I mumbled and shake my head, trying to keep my self awake. Nayeon unnie is going to tease me if I am late again.

But maybe a wink won't hurt, just to lessen the strains of my lids.

Then suddenly I remembered

I didn't send Mina unnie a reply.

Horror is one genre that I don't pay attention at all. For one, I don't like the feeling of your heart beating erratically, beating and painfully hitting my rib cage as it tries to jump out of my chest. Two, I just don't like it. I can walk down in a narrow dark alley by myself at night and not get scared at all but watching is another thing for me.

But here I am inside Mina unnie's unlit room, the television is the only source of light, while the others is on their own comfortable place to watch.

Chaeyoung and Dahyun sit on the floor in front of the sofa, an arm dangling down at each other's shoulder and eating popcorn like they are watching a comedy.
Sana unnie's on the side of the sofa with her phone, rarely glancing away from it, busy contacting several people to find Momo unnie, who is currently absent.
Jihyo unnie's nagging at Jeongyeon unnie just because she forgot to wash her mug and left in the sink for half a day when both of them just hate dust but it is only the first time she did that because she's already late for training.
Nayeon unnie's on the table at the side, palms on her head and pushes her hair back, looking stressed and tired. I don't know if I am seeing right but her eyes are watery and she refuses to lift her head.
And Mina unnie is beside me on the couch, has her arms around mine, hiding her face on my shoulder every time there is a jump scare.

I can feel my whole body heat up. Every touch of her face on my shoulder feels like a great torture to gear up my already confused feelings. Do experiencing the next step— skinship— will help me sort my feelings? Or this kind of scenario just escalates everything to something you don't even want to?

Mina unnie screams and burry her face deeper to my neck. God must have found a sense of amusement in watching me suffer from all the unfamiliar feelings emerging from the pits of my stomach as she continues to grab hold on my arm.

"U-unnie" I uttered full of air, trying to remove her grip but that small—SMALL touch of her lips brushing over the skin of my neck leaves me incapacitated, defeated, and frozen under her touches.

"I see you" A deep, terrifying, cold voice of a man whispers like a loud gush of the wind echoes at the wooden walls of the room. The sensation the girl beside me no longer lingers. The source of the uncomfortable feelings is now replaced.

"Go away!" Nayeon unnie screams as she holds her head in terror, shaking aggressively on the table.

"Nayeon" the man repeated with cold air. Everything stop as if is on pause except for Nayeon unnie and I.
"Go away, please. Let me live peacefully!" she collapses on the floor, still holding her head for her dear life.

"What the—" I can't move! Mina unnie's grip glued me on the couch. I try hard to reach Nayeon unnie but with the body attached on my arm, I am not capable of anything, completely useless on the side watching the other girl squirm in horror, frustrated that I can't do anything to comfort her.

The lights went off. The voice of the man chills the pitch-black room. Nayeon unnie's never stopped screaming, cursing at nothing. I feel so useless. Why can't I move?

"Tzuyu" a familiar voice coming from the door sounds.

"Tzuyu wake up" the door opens and someone with a light enters, going towards me.

"Tzuyu, wake up!"

What?

"Wake up and lucid dream!"

"E—elkie?"

Elkie is that one friend of yours that just connects you to everyone. She's part of everyone's circle. I was surprised to see her hanging out with Dahyun before but as time flows and I keep seeing her with probably everyone that I know in that town, I stopped bothering to get surprised and just assume that she knows majority of the students in the university.

Everyone likes her. I like her. She's the reason why I found out about the vacancy in our dorm in the first place.

"So we really are going to have our first coffee here after I left the team?" I sit at the kitchen, watching her navigate around as if she's been a resident of this domain while in reality, this is her first time here.

"You're having chocolate, not coffee. This could be the perfect coffee date if you would just drink my coffee that is to die for, and yes, we are having it here" she sits opposite of me and place my cup in front of me and she takes a sip of her coffee that is 'to die for'

She knows that I am an insomniac from the start and she knows that is one of the reasons why I quit. I sometimes think why she's the person I befriended in the team when in all honesty, she is too much for me to handle. She uses coffee to tease me or even blackmail me to make me do things for her.

Yes, she is annoying but I appreciate the comfort she's giving me. She will always be that one friend I will always treasure.

"I don't even have a proper sleeping pattern. I'd be the first one to steal that from your hands if I want to ruin my life" I said as I take a sip on my chocolate.

But every friendship has something you hate, right?

She takes a bite on her bread and has this very annoying grin plastered on her face. Teasing me again about my dating life.
"But really, Tzuyu. Mark's ex? Your crush's ex? You are getting flustered over a teeny tiny small skin contact?"

I sigh and rub my forehead. I know this is going to happen because she digs too deep when it comes to me because I just can't lie and ending up telling everything I shouldn't.

"You know I didn't grow up in that kind of environment"

But she has a contradiction in everything I say just to push her agenda.
"Yes, you didn't. But flustered and beet red? Tzuyu, you feel uncomfortable at something you don't enjoy, not getting "
I just hate her during these times.

"No wonder you have the hots for Nayeon unnie"

That joke is getting old. Yes, I know that they relentlessly tease me to her and how I always find her annoying but go breathless from time to time on how attractive she is, but that is just pure admiration. EVERY ONE finds her attractive. If I do really am attracted at her, I think I would like her personality and how she keeps on taking care of me, more than her beauty.

I hate her for bringing it up that I glare at her and wish her cup of coffee disappears. And it did disappear.

"Hey— give me back my coffee. That won't change the fact that you literally went 180 there when Nayeon unnie started to go hysterical in your dream"

"I—"

"Don't ever bother explaining. I saw it clear with my own 20/20 vision eyes. Case closed"

That case closed. That freaking phrase. If she says that, all of my explanations would just go down the drain. She will never ever answer my replies for the mean time if I ever retort