Once every student had entered and taken a seat in the gymnasium they began the long monthly assembly that no one really cared for, myself included as I kept falling asleep with Yuri beside me nudging me awake every few minutes. They made a few comments here and there about student achievements with academics and sports and also about some ‘unethical’ behaviour. Did Mrs Park just look straight at me when Principal Kim said that, that woman has it out for me I swear.

I was shaken awake once again by Yuri, but this time more persistently as they were about to start talking about the talent show. Finally, ugh, these bleachers are not very comfortable to sleep on you know.

As soon as the Principal wrapped up with the assembly, everyone had gotten up and some started to leave straight away. We had about half an hour until the next period was due to start, so most of the kids wanted to hang around I guess. But then the minority of us that had wanted to sign up for the talent show had stayed behind as the music teacher said she’d be handing out a sign up sheet during the free time we had.

I tap Yuri on the shoulder to get her attention and motioned that I was going to find Chaeyeon or Eunbi or Yujin, whoever I found first really. She nods at me and then got in line to put her name down. I then walk around the large group of people all crowded around the desk with the sign up sheet on it, trying and looking around to find any one of my friends. 

Yujin’s height is somewhat useful I suppose. That tall little brat. I spot her at the side next to another giant that I couldn’t miss, Jang Wonyoung. I then approach those two and I find both Eunbi and Chaeyeon right next to them. Sweet. I greet them from a meter away, “Heyyy guyss, how’s it going? Hey Wonyoung-ah just tagging along? And did you grow even taller over the weekend?”

“Ah Yena-unnie!!” exclaims the baby of the group, then the other 3 turn around as well and before I knew it I’m being grabbed around the neck by the giant puppy. 

“Yena-unnie! We thought you’d still be dead in bed cause Chaeyeon-unnie wasn’t there to wake you up.”

“Yah yah! I can wake up just fine all on my own I’ll have you know. But since it’s a Monday today, Yuri came to my rescue and woke me up and we even got here twenty minutes early.” I shrug her off and huff as I crossed my arms and turned my head away, closing my eyes to playfully put on a tough act.

“Oh Yuri-unnie woke you up huh? Cute. When are you gonna ask her out?” I whip around at that question, fake tough act be darned. Me? Ask out Yuri? Like on a date? To be my g-girlfriend..? Hahah that’d be weird…

“Yah.. what do you mea–”

I am then cut off by non other than Eunbi-unnie, “Kids lets go, we’re at the front, we need to sign up.” forgetting Yujin’s stupid little question, I look over Eunbi’s shoulder as she was writing our names down and what we were planning to do for the show. Wait a minute, that’s not supposed to be there..

Chaeyeon voices out the question I had in mind, “Unnie, why did you write Chaewon’s name down too? I didn’t know she wanted to join us.”

“Well technically she never said she didn’t want to join,” Eunbi shifts her eyes and chuckles stiffly, “and Minju told me that Chaewon’s been stressing about school too much lately and she thinks that she needs something to take her mind off it a bit you know? Besides having an odd number for the amount of people in a formation looks better than an even number, don’t you think?”

We all look around at each other before shrugging and allowing her to do as she pleased. I mean I don’t really know about that last part or if Chaewon would agree so calmly, but I’ll trust whatever Eunbi-unnie decides to do. And if it all fails we bring in Kim Minju hehe.

It took a lot less convincing on our parts to get Chaewon to join us for our talent show act, all we had to do was say that Minju thought that it would be a good idea for her to join and make a quick phone call to said girl and the baby cheetah was game. Whipped, if I do say so myself.

So about 2 weeks later, here we are now; Eunbi, Chaeyeon, Yujin, Chaewon and me, after the end of the school day, in one of the empty dance studios that the school has. Wonyoung had also tagged along with Yujin as she had nothing to do, as well as Sakura-unnie who had walked in with Chaeyeon. We had gotten closer ever since the latter had introduced her to the group, we even play games together sometimes along with Hyewon, another close friend of mine that’s also in my class. Who had probably already left school to go home and take a nap. Lucky her.

Lying on the ground, panting, after practicing for almost 2 hours straight, I stared straight up at the ceiling lights almost falling into a trance until a cold bottle of water pressed itself against my cheek and I jolt up. “Oh, Chaewon-ah, thanks so much.” I say as I take the bottle from her grasp and gulp the water down gratefully.

She nods at me wordlessly and that’s all I get from her before she walks back to the sit against the large mirror of a wall and shuts her eyes for her own little rest. With the talent show being less than two weeks away, we all went into overdrive to get this dance as perfect as possible, and with Chaeyeon on our team I’m sure that it would be a lot more than that.

Speaking of the girl, I look over to see her and Sakura flirting again. Gross, right in front of my salad. I then look around some more to see that Eunbi had moved to sit next to Chaewon and was talking to her about some things that I couldn’t really hear, but even with her eyes closed you could tell that the latter was still listening, occasionally giving a hum of her own to show her attentiveness. My eyes then drift off to the two kids in the room, playing with each other in their own little world. You could practically see the hearts floating around their heads. Ugh them too? 

Seeing the two couples I yelled out, “Why are y’all so loud and couple-y and stuff? Yah, Lee Chaeyeon you’re so gross, I don’t wanna see it. Go get married somewhere else or something.”

The dancer snorts at the comment and makes a retort of her own, “What about you huh? Why don’t you go find your bride and get married?”

“Huh? What bride are you talking about stupid?”

This time it’s Sakura who replies and it shocks me a little bit at what she says, “Yuri stupid. Aren’t you guys like already dating or something? Why don’t you get married?” she then sniggers a little into the palm of her hand as her partner cackles out loud.

“Yuri-ah?”, I laugh a bit nervously. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I’ll play along though, cause I’m not one to back down on things. “Nah, she’s only for dating, I wouldn’t marry her.” I smirk and laugh a little more firmly but slowly come to a halt as everyone in the room had gone silent. “Ahah… uhh what’s wrong?” 

I then catch a flash of pink in the corner of my eye where the door should be. Ah, Minju must have come to visit. What is she doing here though? I thought she was helping Yuri with her thing… oh shoot Yuri! I quickly turn to see two figures at the door, one of them being the subject of our conversation not long ago.

“H-hey Yuri-ah.. didn’t see you there. How’s your song piece going?” I ask the girl but I never got an answer as she had stormed off into the hallways with nothing more than a huff. But I could’ve sworn a few diamond tears fell from her beautiful brown eyes before she managed to turn away from me.

How could I have not heard the door open? No scratch that. How could I even say that, even if I was joking? I mean of course I would marry Yuri if we were dating! She’s so wonderful and amazing and so good to an idiot like myself. Urrgghh I’m such an idiot. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat then echoes around the room and Eunbi announces that practice was over for the day and that we should all get some rest. I pack up my stuff and was the first to leave not minding at all the stares I could feel boring into my back. As I walk back to my dorm room I couldn’t help but think again about the face Yuri had made as she exited the room.

What’s this strange feeling in my heart? Why does it hurt so much right now? Why have so many strange things been happening to me lately and why can’t I find the answers to any of these questions I’m asking?

As I enter my room I don’t even bother to shower or change out of my sweaty practice clothes. And I know I’ll regret this later, but at the moment I couldn’t really care less, not when there was a hole slowly carving its own way into my chest. 

[A/N]:

Of course I have to use the iconic yulyen moment 

And why do people keep cutting Yena off? Let the girl talk oof

-J