Chaeyoung was standing at the bus station, with the scarf hiding half of her face. She didn't mean to turn sour. It was only the result of what happened. She still couldn't understand why Sana did that to Dahyun? And then Dahyun stopped talking to them. That was the reason why they all split up. But what bothered Chaeyoung the most was something else. Why did Mina defend Sana? She tried not to think about Mina. Or maybe she just told herself she was trying to forget. Because she still kept thinking about Mina. But to stop her thoughts from becoming too loud, she fixed her earphones and turned the volume up. Soon the bus arrived and of course, it had Sana's face all over it. She was everywhere. She finally entered the bus and prepared for a boring day. 
She didn't like that some of the professors thought she wasn't paying attention in the classes. All she could do was listen and write. All because she never spoke or look at them. Some of them even called her immature. What did they expect? That she would stay silent when they were accusing her of something she didn't do. She just wanted to rant about that to her friends. But she didn't have any. The closest to her were her parents. Though they would say what those professors did. Albeit she didn't want to stay alone until she had to go to work. So she still went to her parents' house. She didn't bother knocking. She still had the keys. Because she still spent a lot of time in her parents' house. No matter how much she wanted to convince herself that she didn't mind being alone, she felt lonely.  She entered the warm house and immediately a sweet smell hit her nose. She smiled involuntarily and took her outerwear off. Without any hesitation, she headed to the kitchen and there she saw her mother preparing an apple pie. 
"Hi, mom. Smells delicious." Chaeyoung's mother turned towards her and left a kiss on her cheek. Chaeyoung then tried to steal a little of the filling but got hit on the hand. 
"Hi, it's for the actual pie. Did you eat anything yet?" Chaeyoung nodded and then sat on the counter. She observed her mom work on the pie with interest. She needed that. To experience something easy and nice. And her mom didn't ask questions. At least yet. 
"Will you drive me to work?" Chaeyoung tried her luck. She was just sick of buses for today. And walking was out of the question. Her mom put the pie into the oven and looked at her with a soft smile.
"When will you get a driver's license?" Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. She didn't have any space for a car. Chaeyoung's mom sat on the chair next to the table and took her mug.
"There is nothing fun about being the driver. Come on, it will take you 10 minutes." Mrs. Son couldn't stop worrying about Chaeyoung. It seemed like she lost passion in her life. But she also lost all of her friends. It was hard for her to watch Chaeyoung close herself. Chaeyoung needed someone to be there for her. As she and her husband wouldn't live forever. Though every time she tried to talk to Chaeyoung about that she was getting hushed. 
"Fine. How are you going to get back?" Chaeyoung shrugged. Her mom could only sigh. Chaeyoung usually just walked. She enjoyed the calm streets of the city late at night. Her apartment wasn't far from the club she worked at so she could do that.
"I will just walk. It's just 8 minutes away." Her mom made a skeptical face. Because Chaeyoung needed that. And she knew what was coming next.
"It would be easier if you could walk with someone." Chaeyoung frowned. She didn't want another lecture. She was doing fine. Why would she get involved with some people when you can't even trust them? She was fine just like that.
"I am fine. I don't need anyone to babysit me." Mrs. Son heard that many times. And she knew those words weren't true. Chaeyoung obviously tried to protect herself from losing friends again. But she is probably losing more by pushing everyone away.
"It's been 5 years, Chaeyoung. You should just-" Chaeyoung didn't let her finish. She jumped off the counter and glared at her mother.
"I should just it up? I don't care how many years had passed. I don't want another bull in my life. I don't need them." Chaeyoung tried not to yell but her voice became louder with each spoken word. She hated that look her mother was giving her. Chaeyoung wanted her to look with pity or with disappointment. But all she could see was love and understanding.
"I didn't say that. I just think that if you had someone to talk to, it would be easier." Her mother was definitely right. But Chaeyoung wouldn't admit that she thought so. She didn't want to fight with her mother though so she just took a bottle of water and left for her room. Mrs. Son could only put her face in her hands and sigh. She felt so helpless. And as a mother, she just wanted to help her child. She wanted Chaeyoung to be happy again. 
In her room, she just jumped on her bed and took her phone out of her hoodie's pocket. She still had plenty of time before work so she decided to just watch other people paint. She couldn't bring herself to paint ever since their fight. She could only watch others do it and think about how much she wanted to do that again. But it all just didn't have any meaning. And it was the worst feeling. When she tried to paint whatever and she just couldn't think of anything. All the previous works that sat in her office just made her feel worse. Except for one piece. That made her feel better. Even if a little sad as well.

"Have you seen this? She looks so skinny. I bet she vomits every day to get that figure." Rosé showed the group a photo of some girl on social media. Dahyun and Yeri looked up from their phones and smirked. 
"I bet she is an attention . Look at all the guys in her comments." Yeri mocked before taking a sip of her iced coffee. Dahyun felt a little sting in her heart but she ignored it. She was Kim Dahyun. She didn't feel bad for her. No, not at all.
"Those are the worst. They are so fake but they think they are very honest. Ugh." Rosé and Yeri laughed at Dahyun's remark. The three became friends at the beginning of the first year at Uni. They got closer through being mean. For being es. People either loved them or hated them. But the three couldn't care less. They had each other and that was the only important thing. Suddenly Yeri made a puking noise and turned away from her phone. Rosé and Dahyun looked at her confused until she showed them a picture of Sana. Dahyun felt anger rise inside of her.
"I don't get why the ugliest people become successful. She deserves to be bullied." Rosé didn't have any sympathy for the model. After what she did to Dahyun, Sana was the worst human being on Earth. Yeri thought about leaving a rude comment but she opted not to. Dahyun wouldn't like that. Though that was what Sana deserved.
"Hopefully she will get what she deserves." Dahyun didn't want to go into an entire rant about what happened 5 years ago. Though her friends knew what happened. Probably everyone that had internet saw Dahyun's face all over it. Reading that people were ing to your pictures, even if edited, was still devastating. So how was she not supposed to hate the out of Sana? 
"Maybe she would also get edited into so she can experience how it is." Yeri just said it without thinking. So she covered as soon as those words left . Dahyun glared at her for a moment but then looked back to her phone. Rosé kicked Yeri under the table to scold her for mentioning that. "I am sorry."
"It's fine. It's not like I didn't have thoughts like that." Yeri grasped Dahyun's hand and squeezed it. Dahyun sent her a warm smile in return. There was no point for them to fight. They were better than that. Rosé got up from her chair and embraced Dahyun and Yeri in a tight hug. The three of them laughed and forgot about the negative thoughts. Dahyun was very grateful for them. She cut off her old friends because she couldn't face them. But then when she felt better she couldn't reach them and also thought they wouldn't like the new Dahyun. She was happy though. Or so she told herself.
Dahyun had the chance to move out of her parents' house but she didn't feel safe alone. She still lived with them and they didn't have a problem with that. They became a little overprotective of Dahyun after what happened in high school. They sued the two boys that made the edits and published them. Dahyun didn't want to sue Sana though. So Sana was left free from anything. Albeit they thought that losing all of her friends was enough. Dahyun understood why Mina stayed with Sana. Who else than Mina would do it? It was so Mina-like. Dahyun walked into the living room and saw the usual picture. Her bother lying on the couch with a bag of potato chips on his stomach and their father typing on his laptop. And she was sure that her mom was in the kitchen. She was glad they were so busy. She could just sit next to her brother and not get any questions. 
"You know, your ex-friend is hot." Dahyun slapped Myung Soo and heard him laugh a little. Nayeon was starring in plenty of dramas. So it wasn't surprising when Dahyun saw her appear on the screen. Nayeon deserved being so popular. She was very talented and just a good person. Nayeon spent the majority of the day with Dahyun after the fight. Jihyo was there as well. Those two were making sure that Dahyun would feel better and not think what other people did with those photos. The rest of the group would come to see her after school and all 7 of them would sit in Dahyun's small room.
"You know she has a girlfriend." Myung Soo whined and took another handful of potato chips into his mouth. Dahyun took some as well. And from there it was silent between them. Until their mother walked in.
"Dahyun. We will have guests for dinner. Join us." Dahyun immediately knew what was the reason for that. Her mom's another attempt to make Dahyun talk with a therapist. She stopped asking her to go to someone and just started bringing them to their home. Myung Soo glanced at his sister and knew right away that it would be heated. 
"I can take part in it but I won't be talking to anyone." Dahyun's voice was cold. She was done with that. She didn't need help. She was alright. Mrs. Kim looked to her husband for help but he didn't stop typing. She sighed and put her hands on her hips.
"You can't just stay silent during the whole dinner. It would be rude. Our guests are very kind and-" Mrs. Kim couldn't finish because Dahyun stood up and cut her off.
"And a psychologist. Yeah, I know. I don't need that. I think I will just go out with Rosé and Yeri tonight." Myung Soo decided to join the discussion and perhaps take the tension down. But Dahyun pulled away her hand when he tried to take it. She didn't need his help. 
"Dahyun, the more you try to deny you don't need help, it just gets worse. It will really feel easier after you let everything out." Her mother wouldn't let go. And it annoyed Dahyun even more. She always tried to keep her tongue in check in front of her parents. She didn't want to hurt them. But sometimes she just had enough. 
"I am fine. Just let me ing live. I don't want anyone to pity me. Just stop. Didn't it all end well? Or do you really want me to tell some stranger that I was at the top of the searches at sites? Because I don't really find that fun." Dahyun was met with silence. She felt like crying at that moment and she hated that. She was supposed to be an emotionless . Her mother embraced her and started caressing her back. Dahyun hugged her back and started crying. Mrs. Kim glanced at her husband again and met his eyes. He had a sad expression on his face but his eyes betrayed that he was lost. Myung Soo got up and patted Dahyun on the head a few times before leaving for his room. He felt like their mother would handle it.

The nights were definitely too cold. Especially, when Chaeyoung had to go out after a few hours of sitting in the heated club. She also moved a lot as the DJ. She was shaking the whole way to her apartment. She ran up the stairs and then struggled with opening the door with her frozen hands. Fortunately, it didn't take long. She could feel the heat on her face and hands. She was saved. She just wanted to drink warm tea and just go to bed. But as every day, she was stopped by her office. Most of the times she just stared at the door for a few minutes. That night she just felt like she needed to enter. Perhaps she just missed it. Maybe she just wanted to see it. It's been a week. So she walked up to the door and grabbed the handle. Chaeyoung took a big breath and then opened the door. It was dark. She left the blinds closed. She just had to turn on the light. And she did. Plenty of pieces came into her view but she was still focused on one. The one that was hanged right in front of the door. Mina. In her black outfit, she used for practice. With her hair tied into a low ponytail. Captured in one of the poses for her dance. A dance that Chaeyoung watched every day with the same feeling. Breathtaking, elegant. Sometimes she would forget to draw because she was too mesmerized. Chaeyoung didn't dare to move inside. She didn't dare move close to the painting and touch it. She knew she should get over it. But maybe she actually loved Mina more than she wanted to believe she did. And one thought came to her mind every time she remembered that. Mina didn't love her as much as she did. But if only Chaeyoung had a chance to confess. Then it would have been different. Mina could fall for her. Chaeyoung shook her head and massaged her temples. She shouldn't think that way. Why was she being like that? 
"Just let go, you ing coward." Chaeyoung whispered to herself and turned off the light. She couldn't look anymore. She closed the door and headed for the kitchen. And for a moment she thought about changing the tea for alcohol. Just for a moment. She the stove and put the kettle on it. Then she took the mug and the tea and waited in silence. Her mother was right. She needed someone. But was there even someone that wouldn't leave her? If they learned how ed up her mind is. Jihyo would have known what to do. But she couldn't ask Jihyo anymore. She was alone. They had left. The high pitched sound of the kettle woke her up from her thinking. She decided not to think anymore. She would just take a sleeping pill and not care about anything else. Maybe she should go to therapy after all. Perhaps she wouldn't need sleeping pills to stop thinking. But she did what she planned. She went to her room with the tea and took out the pills. She took one and swallowed it with the tea. Then she the TV and sipped on her tea until the sleep took over her. 

"We can try again." Dahyun rolled her eyes and finished putting on her shirt. She didn't have the patience for that. She didn't stay at the dinner after all. She got annoyed after 10 minutes and left the house. Dahyun called her friends and told them that they should to go to a club and find someone to hook up with. She just wanted to forget. Though she couldn't. She was sure that the guy's ego got damaged when she pushed him away after 10 minutes of nothing. He said he was about to come. As if she cared about that. She wanted to experience the ecstasy that brought with it. But of course, it was for nothing. She could feel more if she just ed.
"Go another girl. Maybe if you were actually good I would have let you come. I should have just go to a girl." She heard him call her a and she smiled to herself. She didn't give a about his hurt ego. He pulled up his boxers and jeans and left the stall. Dahyun left soon after and when she was in the main hall again she scanned the crowd to find her friends. She couldn't see them anywhere though. And it caused her to panic a little. She approached the bartender and asked him if he saw them. He immediately pointed her to the balcony. She could sigh with relief. Dahyun didn't waste any time and jogged up the stairs. She grabbed Yeri and Rosé's arms and pulled them with her. She didn't care about the guys calling after them. She took them downstairs and sat at the bar.
"So it's done? What now?" Yeri observed Dahyun with concern. She and Rosé didn't like the fact that Dahyun left another dinner. They understood that she didn't like what her mother was doing. But they thought that Dahyun could use therapy. She pretended that she was fine though there were many times when it was obvious she wasn't fine. Like right then.
"I don't know. We get drunk." Rosé and Yeri shared a look. They didn't want to fight with Dahyun but they didn't want her to get drunk just because she couldn't handle the situation. Rosé sat next to Dahyun and patted her on the shoulder.
"I think we should just dance or something. We shouldn't get drunk when we need to wake up for classes tomorrow." Dahyun didn't like where that was going. She thought that her friends would understand. But they were lecturing her just like her mother. 
"If you want to lecture me then leave. I want to have fun with my friends." Dahyun turned to the bartender and ordered a drink. Yeri sat on the other side of Dahyun and also asked for a drink. Rosé looked at them in disbelieve for a few seconds. She decided to stay sober to keep an eye on her two friends. She hoped Dahyun and Yeri would only drink and wouldn't get involved with anyone else. 
"Anyway, won't your parents look for you?" Dahyun glanced at Yeri for a moment and then went back to watching her half-empty glass. She bet that her brother would look for her. But he probably wouldn't find her.
"My brother won't even know where to look. Besides, they know I will come back. Can you two stop worrying now and just have fun?" Rosé and Yeri didn't mention Dahyun's family anymore. The three of them just talked about the most random things. Dahyun was grateful for that. And they did that until 2 a.m. Rosé made sure that Dahyun and Yeri would get home safe and only then she went home. Dahyun tried to walk to her room without much noise but of course, her mom wasn't sleeping. Her mom left the door to her parents' room open so that she would see Dahyun enter. And when she saw Dahyun walking unsteadily she got up and tried to help her daughter to get inside her room. She didn't comment. She didn't think there was any sense in that. Dahyun didn't reject her help and they entered her room with no trouble. Her mother stayed with her. 
"I am not 2, you can leave." Dahyun sounded vulnerable even if she didn't want to. Her mom took a deep breath and left the room. That surprised Dahyun. Was her mother upset with her? She didn't mean that. She got up and stumbled out of her room to catch her mom. She didn't have to look her though as her mother was standing outside of her room. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Dahyun forced words out of .
"Are you upset?" Her mother didn't answer for a while. And that made Dahyun even more anxious. She loved her mom so much. She didn't mean to hurt her in any way. But then her mom smiled and shook her head.
"I am not, sweetheart. I think you had acted rude but our guests didn't mind that. Go and change into your PJs." Dahyun felt relieved. She nodded and went back into her room. She felt like she caused a lot of trouble for her mom. But at that point, she couldn't act the way she used to. The sweet, happy girl was gone. And it was probably unfair to blame everything on Sana and those two guys but that was exactly what Dahyun was doing. She was like that because of them.

The atmosphere in the club was suffocating. The fog and mass of people mashed up together and created a place where Chaeyoung didn't want to stay for long. But that was her job. She was a DJ and she had to entertain all those people. The thing that made it better for her was the perspective of going home in less than 20 minutes. She could just not do anything for the rest of the night. Or maybe she would take the pill and sleep. She could see the other DJ walking into the bar and she sighed with relief. She finished the last song and just let the guy settle in her place. Chaeyoung went to grab her coat and scarf and moved straight for the exit. But she couldn't just leave. Some girl bumped into her. Chaeyoung looked up annoyed at the girl, though she couldn't let out a word. The girl had opened and blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing right and that it wasn't just her drunk mind playing tricks.
"Dahyun?" She looked different. Blonde hair, make-up and revealing clothes. That wasn't Dahyun Chaeyoung remembered from their high school days. But also the fact that Dahyun was completely drunk made the situation even more bizarre.
"You have long hair? What are you doing here?" Chaeyoung looked around in search of anyone that could be Dahyun's friend. But she couldn't spot anyone. Dahyun suddenly stumbled forward and Chaeyoung caught her arm to keep from falling. She had never thought she would see Dahyun in such a state. 
"You are drunk." Dahyun snorted and pointed at Chaeyoung with her glass. Chaeyoung wanted to go. That wasn't the way she wanted to talk with Dahyun again. 
"Got a problem with that? I am just having great fun. You should try it. You look pitiful." Chaeyoung didn't know how to take that. Did Dahyun insulted her or was just concerned? Either way, Chaeyoung didn't care about whatever Dahyun had to say about her. Not when Dahyun looked pitiful at the moment.
"This is not a good way to deal with your problems. Go home and sober up." That comment seemed to offend Dahyun. Her brows furrowed and she looked ready to fight.
"What the do you know? You can preach to someone else. Why did you become so sour? You sound like an old hag." When did Dahyun become so rude? Chaeyoung swore Dahyun was the biggest sweetheart. Whatever had happened, she shouldn't take it on others.
"Chill, dude. I know that what happened was devastating but you shouldn't take it on others. You should-" Chaeyoung didn't finish. Dahyun pushed her a little. She clearly knew what Chaeyoung was going to say.
"You chill. What the do you know? It didn't happen to you. I don't have to get over it." Chaeyoung was getting irritated. She never got angry at Dahyun before. And she knew Dahyun was drunk but she still couldn't just ignore that. 
"I don't know because you just stopped seeing us. You are full of bull right now. I don't want to talk to you." Dahyun stopped Chaeyoung before she could leave. Chaeyoung clenched her fist. She just wanted to leave. She didn't want trouble. And Dahyun was asking for it.
"I stopped seeing you because I couldn't look you in the eyes. And you don't look any better. You look like a goth or some other . What were you doing here anyway? Hooking up with girls? Oh, wait. I forgot that you have feelings for Mina who doesn't give a about you." Dahyun sobered up a little after she felt a fist hit her jaw. She didn't expect that. She did use Chaeyoung as a way to get rid of her anger but she didn't mean to go that far. She stared at Chaeyoung with wide eyes. She wanted to apologize but Chaeyoung shut her up with her remark.
"You are a ing . Go yourself." Chaeyoung then left the club. She didn't wait for any response from Dahyun. She didn't want to hear anything else. And the worst part was that Dahyun was kinda right. Mina probably didn't give a about her. She knew that. But was there anyone expect from her parents that gave a about Chaeyoung? 
She stormed into her apartment and after closing the door she immediately moved to her office. She entered the room and the lights. And when she fixed her gaze on the painting in the front she walked up to it and grabbed it. She wanted to drop it on the ground and then cut it. But when she was kneeling next to it with scissors in her hand she paused. Tear. A tear appeared on the piece. Chaeyoung sat on the ground and put her face in her hands. She was ing crazy. It was just a painting. Then why couldn't she just get rid of it? She burned her sketchbooks that were full of drawings of Mina. It wasn't hard to do. But Chaeyoung knew why she couldn't do it. She wanted to give that painting to Mina. After she would have confessed. And it was the last piece she did of Mina. Chaeyoung changed her position once more. She lied next to the painting and continued to cry until she fell asleep. At least she didn't need sleeping pills for once.

"How are we going to find her though? She could live anywhere." Rosé was worried that they would never find Chaeyoung. Dahyun came back to them with tears the previous night. And Yeri promised they would find Chaeyoung so that Dahyun can apologize. Rosé wasn't so sure that it was the right way to go about it. Also that Chaeyoung was definitely angry with Dahyun. But Dahyun was calmer thanks to that promise so she didn't complain. 
"We will go to her parents' house. I mean, her mom will tell me where to find her. I was her close friend." Dahyun sounded hopeful. She knew she ed up the previous night. She might've been a but she still had a conscience and she felt awful. She just hoped that Chaeyoung would listen when she would find her. 
"Yeah, 5 years ago. How can we know her mother would be thrilled to see you?" Rosé's concern was understandable. But Dahyun was sure that Chaeyoung's mother didn't hate her for cutting everyone off. The reason was obvious. And even if she did, Dahyun would apologize and say that she is trying to apologize and be friends with Chaeyoung again.
"I think the biggest concern should be Chaeyoung punching you again." Yeri poked Dahyun's jaw and giggled when Dahyun let out a whine. Her mother tended to it and tried to take her to the hospital. But Dahyun told her that she deserved that and that it was just a bruise. Her father, on the other hand, was ready to go to the club and find the culprit. Her mom barely stopped him. She didn't tell them it was Chaeyoung. She didn't know why. Maybe because they would have asked why and Dahyun couldn't lie to them. And they would find out she was a . Just the mere thought of her parents finding out she was being mean and rude to others made feel as if she disappointed them. 
"Even if she does, I will probably deserve it. I kinda went overboard yesterday. I shouldn't have mock her feelings." Dahyun was drunk but it wasn't an excuse. Rosé put her hand on Dahyun's shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. It was obvious all three of them were rude but they weren't rotten. They were each other's favorite people. To each other, they were the sweetest people on Earth. 
They were finally standing in front of Chaeyoung's parents' house. Dahyun wasn't that nervous for a while. She didn't know what to expect from them. She hoped that she would be greeted like she used to, with a hug. But it's been years. Dahyun looked from Yeri to Rosé and received nods from them. She took a deep breath and pressed the bell. The door opened shortly after. Chaeyoung's father frowned at the sight of Dahyun. 
"Good afternoon. It's been a while. You look the same, Mr. Son." Dahyun sounded painfully awkward. Yeri cleared to stop the silence that fell on them after Dahyun's greeting. Chaeyoung's dad eyed the two other girls and then Dahyun again. It really was her. 
"Dahyun. I didn't expect to see you here again. It's nice to see you are fine." Mr. Son was debating what to do. He wasn't sure if he should just let the three girls inside or just talk with them outside. And he was saved when his wife appeared from behind him.
"My. Dahyun. Look at you. You are all grown now." Dahyun smiled at Chaeyoung's mom warmly. It's been only 5 years though and she was sure she didn't grow that much. "And these are your friends? Come inside." Rosé stepped forward and put her arms around Dahyun and Yeri. She smiled gratefully at Mrs. Son.
"Thank you very much. I am Rosé and this is Yeri. We would love to come inside." Yeri and Dahyun nodded along to Rosé's words. Chaeyoung's parents invited them inside and Rosé pushed her two friends inside. She hoped that the meeting would give them the information they needed.

She was able to fall asleep on her own but she didn't wake up feeling rested. Her body ached after sleeping in a weird position on the floor. Chaeyoung got up with some whines and then looked at the painting. She grabbed it and hanged back on the wall. She glided her fingers over Mina's face and then immediately left the room. And just as she closed the door she heard a ring. She doubted her parents would visit her in the morning. But then she checked the time and was left in shock. It was after 3 p.m. She couldn't believe she slept for so long without any pills. The ring sounded again and Chaeyoung moved to the door. She didn't see her parents though.
"Hi. You look awful. Were you crying?" Chaeyoung got irritated at the sight of Dahyun. She didn't have the strength to deal with her old friend. 
"What do you want?" Dahyun extended her hand with strawberries. She hoped that Chaeyoung still liked them. If not then she would just apologize with words. Chaeyoung eyed the box and then looked back at Dahyun, who was smiling at her.
"I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. I did one sentence too much. And I am sober now." Chaeyoung's eyes went right to Dahyun's jaw. A big bruise could be seen there. Chaeyoung felt a little bit of guilt. She definitely overreacted. Even if Dahyun was a . The more time passed without Chaeyoung saying or doing anything the more anxious Dahyun became. 
"Fine. Come inside." Dahyun sighed with relief and entered Chaeyoung's apartment. Chaeyoung took the box of strawberries from her hands and headed for the kitchen. Dahyun undressed from the outerwear and walked further into the corridor. She expected to see paintings hanged on the walls but there was nothing. Just bare walls. And the living room looked the same way. Just a sofa, TV, coffee table and a cupboard. Nothing else. Chaeyoung was an artist. Her apartment should be full of art. But there was nothing. That made Dahyun worried. Something must've made Chaeyoung change. Who was she kidding, it was obvious what caused it. Chaeyoung walked into the living room and gestured Dahyun to sit. 
"I am sorry. You are right. I am a ." Dahyun didn't see a reason to lie to Chaeyoung. They were close friends before. And she thought that Chaeyoung wouldn't judge her. Especially, that she knew what had happened. 
"Yeah, I am sorry for punching you." Chaeyoung saw Dahyun shake her head. She didn't know what to expect from Dahyun. She had no idea if she would be rude or not.
"I deserved it. Mocking your feelings was even too low for me. I don't want to make excuses but I was just very angry and I just snapped at you. I just wanted to say something that would make you angry as well." Dahyun didn't get a reply right away. She stared at Chaeyoung who seemed to be thinking about something. And she hoped it wasn't about Mina.
"You are seriously a . Wow. What happened to the girl that couldn't even frown at someone because she felt bad about it?" Chaeyoung still was shocked that was Dahyun. She couldn't blame her though. What happened was damaging. But she would have never thought Dahyun would become like that. Dahyun rolled her eyes. She remembered how she was before. She liked to think she was still like that but she just hid that part of herself. Because it was weak and the way she was now, protected her in a way.
"Why are you so surprised? If you were a star without your consent you would be the same." Chaeyoung didn't like the way Dahyun described it. Sure, the photos were used for that purpose but it was up only for three days. And the court made sure all the edits would be deleted. Though maybe there were people that had saved them. Chaeyoung hoped it wasn't the case. 
"I am sure people don't even remember that." Dahyun knew Chaeyoung tried to make her feel better. But it still annoyed her. She didn't care if anyone else except their old friends remembered. It was enough that she remembered. 
"I don't care about that. I remember and it's enough. I also have to see that backstabbing 's photos everywhere. I just think it's ing unfair she is so popular after doing something so ty." It was still very weird to hear Dahyun swear and sound so rude. Chaeyoung agreed with what Dahyun said a little bit. Though it wasn't just Sana. "Do you wonder why Mina went with her? I mean, you are probably pissed of." Chaeyoung glared daggers at Dahyun and it shut her up. Dahyun had to start watching her tongue around Chaeyoung. She didn't want to make her upset or furious. 
"Do you even think about what leaves your mouth or are you just saying whatever? . Mina could do whatever she wanted. She wanted to be with Sana that is her decision. I couldn't force her. Maybe they aren't even together anymore." Chaeyoung kept her gaze on the floor. She didn't want to talk about that. Though she needed to talk about that. She knew she needed it. If she just told someone what was inside her mind it would have been easier. 
"Yeah. But do you wish she wouldn't be with her anymore? I mean, I think Mina liked you back then." Chaeyoung stood up forcefully and startled Dahyun in the process. Dahyun knew she really needed to shut up. Why couldn't she be nice to her friend? 
"Why do you care? And stop saying that she might've felt the same way. I don't need that." It was obvious that Chaeyoung didn't let go. Dahyun could see the tears threatening to leave Chaeyoung's eyes and how her hands were clenched. And it stung her heart. Because she didn't want Chaeyoung to be so miserable. 
"You didn't let go. You should do that, bro. You are only hurting yourself." Chaeyoung laughed mockingly at Dahyun. As if she didn't know she is hurting herself. It was something she did since the day she figured out her feelings for Mina.
"Can we not talk about this? We haven't seen each other for 5 years and all you want to talk about is Mina. Let me live, dude." Dahyun nodded to show that she agreed. Chaeyoung sat back down and the two of them sat in silence for a while. They didn't know what to talk about. There was no much to say but they didn't know how to start. So Dahyun decided to just say something random.
"Do you wanna eat something? We can go somewhere or if you prefer to cook here it's fine." Chaeyoung liked that idea. She was hungry after all but it would be weird to go out together with Dahyun again. She didn't want to cook though so she got up and headed for the door.
"Sure. Let's go out." Dahyun hopped off the sofa and followed Chaeyoung. She stopped Chaeyoung before she could put her boots on and gestured to her face.
"You sure you wanna go out looking like a clown? I don't want people to stare at us. Go wash up." Chaeyoung was thinking that it would be very hard to get used to that new Dahyun. At least she didn't sound that rude at that time. Chaeyoung put her boots down and went to the bathroom. 
"Don't go wandering around. I will be back in 15 minutes." Dahyun showed her thumbs up and Chaeyoung locked herself in the bathroom. She thanked Dahyun for stopping her. The shower helped her relax her sore body. Almost she didn't want to go out. The shower was comforting and the outside wasn't. But what if Dahyun could be her friend again? She would have someone to talk to. Though she could leave again. Chaeyoung couldn't tell if Dahyun wanted to be friends with her again. Maybe she still needed to try. She would just keep distant so that when Dahyun decided to leave Chaeyoung wouldn't be hurt again. And with that mindset, Chaeyoung left the bathroom and saw Dahyun holding the handle of her office door. Dahyun froze and after a few seconds, she let go of it. 
"I didn't mean to go in. I was just holding it." Chaeyoung couldn't tell if Dahyun went inside or didn't. But perhaps, Dahyun would've commented about the paintings inside and she didn't. So she came back just in time. She didn't need that. She didn't want Dahyun to know about that room. Albeit it would have been better for Chaeyoung if Dahyun knew. 
"I can't get used to this new Dahyun. Just respect my requests, please." Dahyun nodded and said soft sorry. She really didn't mean to. She just assumed that was Chaeyoung's bedroom so it wouldn't be the end of the world if she took a glimpse. But when she saw the fear in Chaeyoung's eyes when she saw Dahyun holding the handle, she knew that wasn't her bedroom. Then they got ready and left to find a restaurant they both would eat at. They didn't talk much during the walk or at the restaurant. Chaeyoung only allowed them to talk about easy things. Studies, work, and family. So Dahyun didn't learn anything. But Chaeyoung also didn't learn anything. Though it could've been the best way to go about that meeting. They met after several years and they weren't the same people. And it would just be awkward to talk about their struggles so openly at the first meeting. After dinner, Dahyun suggested that she would walk Chaeyoung back home but the offer was declined. Chaeyoung said she would go to her parents' house. So the two extended awkward farewells and went their way. Dahyun went straight to see Rosé and Yeri, to tell them all about the meeting. She also decided that she would visit Chaeyoung the next day as well. She wanted to reconcile with her old friend. She hoped that they could be as close as they were before. Also, she was sure that Rosé and Yeri would like Chaeyoung as well. On the other hand, Chaeyoung was worried. She thought that she perhaps shouldn't get too close to Dahyun after all. Which meant that she shouldn't hang out with her again. Even if she decided to let Dahyun in a little bit before, she wasn't so sure anymore. She didn't like the fact that she enjoyed the time spent with Dahyun. Even if they were silent a lot and Dahyun was rude many times as well. She just felt like they were back in the old days. And it was great really. Except it wasn't. Chaeyoung didn't want the past to happen again. She got on the bus and stopped thinking about that. She was sure that her mom would make her tea and give her a hug and Chaeyoung would feel better. Her mom was the only person that wouldn't leave her.