The day dragged on keeping Eunji busy with all the work. They arrived at a recreational resort in the outskirts of Seoul for the venue of the orientation. The orientation began at noon time with all students gathered up on the main hall.

 

General orientation on the University was the first topic. Soon after, there was a breakout sessions for each college so they transferred to smaller venues.

 

Eunji needed to join the team in-charge with the Chemistry Department's orientation. The activities would be until evening where they would hold the socials and much anticipated talent competition among freshmen. The Chemistry major freshmen were also active and so everyone truly enjoyed the night.

 

Just when they finished tidying up the hall used by the Chemistry Department as the venue of their program, Eunji received a call from a dreamy Jiyeon. She went out of the hall to talk to her.

 

"Eunji-ie, have you finished with your program?"

 

"Yes. How about you?"

 

"Mmm." She uttered in agreement. "Eunji-ie, my heart is beating so fast right now." She sang with a tone Eunji could not follow.

 

Eunji stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

 

"No. I think, I found the love of my life."

 

"What the hell is this about?"

 

"I found him tonight." Jiyeon mumbled over the phone. Eunji could hear the noises around Jiyeon. There were scratching noises.

 

"Jiyeon!" She screamed.

 

"She passed out," A man's voice answered on the other line.

 

"Who is this?! Where is Jiyeon?"

 

"She's in the lobby."

 

"I'll be heading there. Wait for me!" Eunji said and hung up. She ran like a fool to the building's lobby and she found Jiyeon lying in one of the couches there. "Oh God. Jiyeon, what's this?"

 

She was already snoring softly. She also was reeking with alcohol. She was drunk. Her phone was just beside her and there was no man in sight. It must be one of the staff in the resort. But still, he should have waited for someone to pick her up. Eunji sighed thinking of ways to drag Jiyeon back to their room.

 

Eunji hauled the arms of Jiyeon who was completely passed out. "Jiyeon, come on. Let's go to our room."

 

"Eunji?"

 

She turned and saw Kyungsoo. "Oh. Kyungsoo..."

 

"What's wrong?" He asked standing beside her. "Is this Jiyeon? What happened to her?"

 

"She seemed to have got drunk."

 

"As early as this?" Kyungsoo asked laughing. "How can she be drunk at this early hour?" It was just 10 PM and most of the programs had ended already. The committees have not even met for the day's evaluation and late dinner. Jiyeon was down already.

 

"I don't know. Somebody just called me using her phone."

 

"Would you be so kind to give me a hand?" Kyungsoo asked to help Jiyeon get up. Eunji nodded and both of them dragged Jiyeon back to the girls' room. Once Jiyeon had been settled in her bed, Eunji and Kyungsoo went out.

 

"I can't wait for everything to be over..." She announced as they headed back to the elevator.

 

"Me too..." Kyungsoo agreed. "I didn't know this could be very tiring. The freshmen this year were all energetic I'm starting to lose my mind."

 

Eunji laughed at his remark. Kyungsoo was usually a quiet person and seeing him complaining like this reminded Eunji that he still was human. She liked this side of him very much. They talked about the classes they enrolled for the semester. Eunji as secretly excited after knowing that she would be spending a lot of time with Kyungsoo as she was taking with him most of her classes.

 

Except for one which was Korean Literature which was a general course she was taking for the term. She had skipped this when they were 1st and 2nd year because she needed to be enrolled with the Major Subjects.

 

Transferring at the last term of her high school had her face some serious consequences. Some of her subjects were not credited in college so she had to take these general courses to make up. Korean Literature was the last one and the only course program offering the subject this term was that of the Accountancy Department. She would be taking this general course with first years from that department.

 

"The first years are generally nice so I think you'll get along with them quite well." Kyungsoo assured her. They just went out of the elevator. "We'll be having the dinner and evaluation at the view deck at 10:30."

 

Eunji glanced up to her watch. "Then I'll get back to my Department first. I'll see you later, Kyungsoo-ah." She bid goodbye smiling at him.

 

"Yeah, I'll save you a seat." He said and went away.

 

Eunji couldn't stop smiling all the way back to her Department. Kyungsoo will save me a seat. Do I deserve this? She asked herself mentally. She was beaming ear to ear until her junior spotted her.

 

"NOONA!" Park Jinyoung screamed snapping her out of her reverie.

 

"AAAAHHH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

 

Jinyoung looked so horrified. "What? Why are you screaming?"

 

Realizing it was just her naughty junior, Eunji smiled. "You surprised me. You idiot."

 

"You looked so out of it earlier." His small eyes narrowed at her. "Did something good happen to my noona?" The look on his face told Eunji not to spill anything. He was quite close to Kyungsoo. 

 

"Something good, my foot." She said rolling her eyes. "Where are the people anyways?"

 

"Oh we sent the freshmen to their rooms. I'm heading back to the deck for the dinner and evaluation..."

 

"Is that so?"

 

"Wanna come?" He asked. "Kyungsoo-hyung would be there."

 

She was instantly reminded of Kyungsoo whom she was just talking to earlier. She tried to keep a straight face at the mention of his name. "Yeah, come on. Somebody promised me to save a seat." She whispered.

 

"WHO?" Jinyoung asked with wide eyes filled with curiosity.

 

"You need not to know, JinJi-ah..." She uttered and ruffled his hair.

 

"NOONAAAAA!!!"

 

----

 

The two went to where the committees were convening. They had the evaluation first before the dinner. Everyone was having a good time even if it became a very tiring day. Kyungsoo kept his promise to save her a seat and they sat mostly beside each other the whole night.

 

Having Kyungsoo by her side made her forget all the things that were bothering her. When the dinner was just about to start, Kyungsoo excused himself to get his phone which he left charging in his room. Eunji got bored waiting for him to come back and instead of fooling around with Jinyoung who would just endlessly with Kyungsoo, she decided to get up and get some fresh air.

 

She stayed at the quiet corner of the rooftop where they were having the dinner. She looked up the sky and saw the stars twinkling. They were visible in this side of the country. She was all smiles when she heard a voice speaking just below where she stood.

 

"I'm sorry, I didn't call back right away. I left my phone in my room."

 

She realized that she was just near the staircase. She was never an eavesdropper, not a person who would wish to listen about somebody else's business, but somehow she found herself unmoving at the sound of the voice speaking.

 

"Have you eaten? Oh, I am just about to."

 

It sounded so familiar in her ears that she just wanted to stay there and keep listening.

 

"I'm heading back to the group now. I'll call you again, later. I love you."

 

The voice sounded closer and the more it did, the more Eunji seemed to recognize whose voice was it. It sounded so much like...

 

"KYUNGSOO-HYUNG!" The blabbermouth Jinyoung cried from the tables. Eunji remained unmoving until the person emerged from the stairs, revealing the handsome face of Do Kyungsoo.

 

---

 

People loved beautiful things. But Jung Eunji was not among them. She didn't like gorgeous things because they always end up hurting her. Just like the beautiful human being sitting right beside her.

 

"Why aren't you eating anything, Eunji-ie?" Kyungsoo asked with concern.

 

She did not answer but took another shot of soju which Seoji who was sitting beside her had been pouring since they began eating.

 

By the she thought she was done, she already was intoxicated. She walked like a zombie all the way to the comfort room to wash her face and to sober her up at least.

 

The comfort room was empty which was good because when she stood in front of the mirror, she realized her face already was wet from crying. She cried all the way to the loo.

 

"Kyungsoo has a girlfriend." She said out loud, stare fixed on her reflection. "Well, of course a man like cannot just be single. You're just an idiot, Jung Eunji." She cursed before reaching for the sink to wet her face.

 

She caught a handful of the running water from the faucet and splashed it over her face. It was refreshing and somehow, it sobered her up a little. She drained the water from her face using her hand and when she stared at her reflection in the mirror she realized she wasn't alone in the comfort room. One of the cubicles had just opened up and standing behind her was a tall figure.

 

Her vision was blurry from all the water but as she looked closer, it was a man who was looking at her as well in the mirror. He was wearing a hoodie and a black beanie over his head. Her eyes glanced sideways and noticed the urinals near the entrance and realized she was in the Men's Comfort Room.

 

She quickly bowed and said sorry. "I'm sorry, I entered the wrong room." Just as she was about to leave, the man pulled her by the wrist.

 

"I found you."

 

"What the---" She tried saying but cut off as soon as she realized who the man was. It was no other than, "C-Chanyeol?!" She mumbled defenselessly.

 

He smirked in confirmation.

 

"Holy ." She mumbled under her breath.

 

----

 

Park Chanyeol handed her a bottle of water he managed to get from the lobby.

 

"Thanks." She said drinking up its content.

 

He took the seat beside her. She noticed that he was already wearing his eyeglasses. He wasn't wearing one earlier so that could be the reason when he did not recognize her at first.

 

"Why were you crying back there? You looked hella ugly." He said straightforwardly that made Eunji choked from drinking.

 

She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "That's a nice thing for you to say, buddy."

 

Chanyeol smiled. "Were you dumped?"

 

She stared at Chanyeol and thought she didn't like him to think that she was a loser when she clearly was one. "Let's not talk about that."

 

"Okay."

 

The night had fallen deeply and they were outside. Eunji had not gone back to the deck where the other committee members were. The pain in her chest was throbbing she couldn't think straight. She broke down and cried when she realized it was Chanyeol she saw back in the comfort room. She cried of her pain, her embarrassment.

 

She absent-mindedly followed Chanyeol when he dragged her outside the building.

 

Eunji sighed and looked straight ahead. It was awkward between them until she asked, "What's up?" Not knowing what else to say.

 

"Nothing much." Chanyeol mumbled. "Umh, I was released from the military few months back." He added.

 

"You've gone through the enlistment?!" Eunji asked, her voice sounded very surprise. Pretending she did not know about this when she actually had, thanks to Sohye.

 

He nodded. "I did. There's nothing much to do after graduation."

 

"Why did you not enrol to college right away?"

 

"Oh, I was a mess." Chanyeol recalled. "My grades weren't enough to get to a good University."

 

"Ohh..."

 

"Things became uncontrollable after you left..." He said but did not elaborate. This, Eunji, also had knowledge about. Sohye updated her about him a lot. More than she could ask. She knew about how Joohyun and Chanyeol broke up after she left and Chanyeol getting involved in so many fights. He almost got kicked out of school but managed to hold on until graduation.

 

"So I decided to just go and join the army. Had taken my exams after I was released... And thankfully, I got in." He said with a weak smile. He fixed the rim of the glass at the bridge of his nose. "How about you? What's up?"

 

"Oh, my father took me in when Mother decided to transfer me to Seoul." She confessed.

 

"Really?" Chanyeol asked wide-eyed. "So you're living with your father now?"

 

She shook her head. "I moved out to stay in the dorms after high school. He's been helping to pay my tuition but mom was still the one paying my dorms. I work part time during weekends too."

 

"That sounds tough." Chanyeol commented. "Were they nice to you?"

 

"Yeah, but I was not born for that kind of life." Eunji said. "But I have a little brother now. And thank God he isn't a pain in the unlike what Yoora eonnie has got."

 

He grinned and kept quiet.

 

"I'm in my third year now, taking Chemistry." Eunji added.

 

"You're living your dream now, huh?" He asked cockily.

 

"Sort of." She muttered. "And you? What are you studying anyway?"

 

"I'm studying Film."

 

"What happened to music?" Eunji asked curiously.

 

Chanyeol smiled. "I guess I'm not in the cut to be a musician. I'm studying film to be a music director though... It's quite interesting. A comrade in the army who was studying film introduced me to the concept. It's fun so I gave it a try."

 

"Sounds just like you." She commented. They stayed there for quite some time catching up with each other's life. Talking like they had not in the last two years. Somehow, Eunji forgot about her little heartbreak. It was almost midnight when she thought of going to bed because she still had to get up early in the morning for her chores.

 

"Ugh. It has been a tiring day. I think I need to sleep now." She said yawning.

 

"You should."

 

"So I guess I'll see you around?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Bye, Chanyeol."

 

"Bye, Eunji."

 

It was comforting for this time, their goodbyes did not sound like goodbyes.