Sooyoung stumbled into her dorm on Saturday morning, barely able to stand independently, stomach uneasy and legs unsteady. She’d drank nearly a full bottle of whiskey at the Galactic Lounge - Thomas had stated it was on the house, citing all the strife she’d been through that night - in preparation for the dreaded necessity of sleeping by herself. Sitting at that bar, clutching her glass with shaking hands, she even considered putting her head down on the hardwood counter and falling asleep there. At least she wouldn’t be alone. After deciding that was liable to get her thrown out for being too drunk, she finished her drink and made to leave. She barged through the crowd wantonly, still carrying her bloodied rag of a shirt, still wearing the messy, informal clothes from before. She was searching for Yeri.

The younger girl was looking for Seungwan and Joohyun, scouring the Astral Plane in order to tell them what had happened. Sooyoung was about to enter the dance floor when the worried-looking, cherub-faced beauty stepped from the shadows, biting her lip and nervously declaring that she couldn’t find either of her sisters anywhere. The two emotions in her eyes - fear and exhaustion - spoke to Sooyoung. They begged to be quelled, to be assuaged, to be soothed. A lost puppy, still wearing its collar and bell, thousands of miles from its master. Sooyoung did the only thing she thought to do: she took Yeri in her arms, and held her for a while. They ignored the crowd in the Galactic Lounge and merely embraced until they had both finished crying.

    And so, when Sooyoung entered her dorm at dawn, she didn’t need to worry about falling over. Her golden-haired pixie was there to keep her on her feet. From the moment they lay down to the moment they awoke, neither of the girls left each other's arms.

Sooyoung was awake first, lifting her head to find that she’d been using Yeri’s s as pillows. Hangovers didn’t come to her very easily, and as a result the only effect from her night of drinking was a mild headache. She supposed she must have washed up at some point in the night, as her hair was wet, and she wore only a bra and a thong. She looked up at Yeri, smiling to herself as she imagined how flustered the blonde must have been when she found out that Sooyoung slept in her underwear.

With slow, stealthy care, Sooyoung slipped away from Yeri, sat up, and began making coffee with Seul’s French Press. It occurred to Sooyoung that she’d never escaped from the grasp of a lover with such care for anyone’s benefit but her own. That is, to avoid those awkward, morning-after situations.

As Sooyoung poured hot water over the coffee grounds, an innocent, quiet voice came from behind her.

“Good morning, Sooyoung,” Yeri said, yawning. She cut off midway through her next sentence, letting out a gasp. “Y-you aren’t wearing any clothes…”

“Technically, that isn’t true. I’m wearing underwear.” Sooyoung said, turning to the red-faced blonde. As much as she wanted to kiss her embarrassed partner, she strode over to her dresser instead and began looking through her designated pajama drawer.

Still, Sooyoung couldn’t help but give the shy blonde a show. She bent over saucily, arching her back as she retrieved her clothes. She could practically feel Yeri’s stare boring into her as she did so.

“There,” Sooyoung said, holding her arms out, flaunting the oversized T-shirt and pants she’d donned. “Better?”

Yeri nodded, and then, like the needful, adorable baby she was, she opened her arms for a hug. Sooyoung did her one better: she planted a loud, smacking kiss right on the lips.

The blonde giggled as Sooyoung joined her under the covers. A satisfied grin came to Sooyoung as she felt Yeri’s hands briefly brushing the curve of her behind. They lingered there for a fleeting second, as if they desired to do something more, but were held back by their owner’s hesitance. Sooyoung knew that touch - or rather, lack thereof - well. It was the hesitance of insecurity.

Sooyoung wanted to take Yeri’s hand, keep it there, allow the blonde to explore her uality in a safe environment. She knew better, though. The healthiest progression for their relationship was to allow Yeri to move at the pace she wanted. Sooyoung would just have to be there to accommodate her when the time came.

“You’re making coffee?” Yeri asked.

“Yep. Want some?”

“I’ve never tried it,” Yeri said, “My sisters say it’s very bitter. I prefer hot chocolate.”

Sooyoung sighed, kissed the blonde on her forehead. “You have no right to be this adorable, Yeri… I’ll make you a cup, with creamer in it and a little sugar. Only lunatics drink it black.”

“Joohyun drinks it black, I think,” Yeri said thoughtfully.

“Makes sense, then.” Sooyoung muttered, mood wilting at the thought of Yeri’s eldest sister.

For a time, both girls lay together in amicable silence. Sooyoung ran her fingers through Yeri’s hair and across her scalp, enjoying the feel of the blonde’s hands as they massaged her upper back and shoulder blades. Sooyoung knew she should have gotten up to prepare the coffee before it got cold, but wrapping herself around Yeri was just too cozy.

“Last night was terrible,” Yeri said abruptly, lifting her face to look at Sooyoung.

“It was a ing trip, that’s what it was,” Sooyoung said, shaking her head. “I can barely believe it happened.”

“I’m worried for my sisters. Are you able to help me look for them today? Yesterday night when I went to look, I was afraid to travel too far from the Lounge. Because… well…”

Yeri paused, and that blush from before returned to her cheeks. Then, in a small voice that was almost inaudible:

“You weren’t with me.”

“Of course I’ll go with you, sweetie,” Sooyoung said, taking Yeri’s hand (it was so tiny, like the hand of a porcelain doll) and brushing it against her own lips. “Where did you end up leaving your necklace?”

After their battle with Cade, Sooyoung had decided that keeping Eodum’s charm on was, obviously, one of the worst things Yeri could do. The blonde had been hesitant to remove it, citing threats of violence from the evil Representation. She had eventually agreed when Sooyoung pointed out that keeping the necklace on would lead to violence regardless, while taking it off at least brought the possibility of safety.

Black wasn’t Yeri’s color, anyway.

“Near one of the Touchpoints on Jupiter,” Yeri said, “I go there sometimes to watch the storm.”

“Storm?” Sooyoung said with a start. “Like that big red spot?”

“Mhm,” Yeri said, “It’s beautiful to watch. Do you want to go see it sometime?”

“Maybe after we prevent the apocalypse,” Sooyoung said, reluctantly breaking from Yeri and going to fix two cups of coffee. “We can keep a list of date ideas for when this is all over.”

Yeri smiled, propped herself up on her elbow to watch Sooyoung. With the blankets covering much of her torso, only her bare shoulders were visible, along with a tiny bit of cleavage. Blonde hair fanned out around her in strands of gold that glittered in the sunlight. Her lips were slightly parted, beads of moisture glistening on their pink surfaces. It gave the younger girl the appearance of a fairy. Unreally exquisite, mystically gorgeous. Sooyoung couldn’t help but steal glances from her periphery as she prepared the coffee. The yearning that bloomed in Sooyoung’s lower abdomen felt like the unfurling petals of a funeral flower. Beautiful, yet fitting perfectly into the macabre cast that had come over her life. A symbolic send-off to both existence as she’d known it and the planet she called home.

“Yeri,” Sooyoung said, sitting down handing her partner the still-steaming mug of coffee. She took a deep breath, trying to find a way to organize what she wanted to say in a way that wouldn’t scare the younger girl. It didn’t take her long to realize that it wasn’t possible.

“Do you think we can really stop Eodum?” Sooyoung asked, avoiding Yeri’s probing gaze. “If he’s done this before, and your sisters haven’t been able to stop him, what makes you think we can?”

“I don’t know,” Yeri whispered. “I don’t know if it’s possible. As far as I know, they’ve never tried to openly oppose him. I definitely haven’t… at least, not until last night.”

Sooyoung reached out and took Yeri’s free hand, began tracing the fine network of creases on the surface of its palm. “Statistically speaking, this is probably the end of the Earth, right?”

Yeri’s lip quivered. “Yes.”

“Okay,” Sooyoung said, swallowing. She closed her eyes, inhaled, exhaled. “We’re in too deep at this point. All we can do now is try. At least, that’s how I see it. Do you agree?”

Yeri nodded.

“And, statistically speaking, I have much less of a chance of surviving this than you, right?” Sooyoung looked up, feeling a rueful smile coming to her lips. “I am just another mortal, after all.”

“Sooyoung, don’t say that-”

“Shhh…” Sooyoung said, leaning in, kissing Yeri into silence. “No matter what happens, if it reaches a point where the end is coming, can you promise me something?”

Sooyoung placed her hand on Yeri’s cheek, cupped it.

“Promise me that if I die, I die in your arms. After I’ve given all I could, after I’ve exhausted every option I had left in stopping Geulim Ja, after I’ve been completely defeated, please let me die in your arms.”

Yeri put her cup down, then pulled Sooyoung into an embrace. “Of course, Sooyoung. Of course.”

Sooyoung hadn’t known Yeri for long, but the bond she’d formed with the supernatural girl was perhaps the most meaningful connection she’d ever had in her life. She supposed that the realization should have made her sadder, but it didn’t. It only made her angry. Sooyoung had been battling constant loneliness since the age of nine, and like all strife that a human had to endure, it was a thing she’d eventually been able to grow accustomed to. Ironically, the absence of that loneliness had finally brought it to her attention, made her understand just how isolated she’d been. It left her feeling cheated. Cheated by the dark comedy of her reprieve coming now, when the planet was about to be annihilated.

Sooyoung released Yeri, replaced the now-lukewarm cup of coffee in her hand, and settled back beneath the covers. She had to savor every second they had together.

***

    The Galactic Lounge wouldn’t be open until later that evening, so Yeri and Sooyoung spent the rest of the day in the dorm. The blonde was fascinated by the variety of movies they watched, though she was, predictably, not a huge fan of horror. Sooyoung ordered food for them: omelettes, bacon, and hash browns from a nearby diner. It was amusing to watch the blonde scarf down the food with such fervor; her appetite clearly hadn’t been affected by the events of the night prior. Sooyoung, on the other hand, took slow bites, chasing them with gulps of coffee, forcing the food down. She didn’t feel like eating. What she wanted to do was drink. The neatly organized bottles of liquor atop her desk (“Gin, whiskey, vodka, tequila, you name it!” Seul had said jokingly one night, “Pick your poison!”) called to her. Was it the familiarity of habit, or the darker implication of addiction? Either way, she would resist the urge. A sober mind would suit her best for the work she had to do today. Whatever that “work” entailed.

    In all, the hours they spent in solitude were relaxing and sweet. Yeri’s company seemed to brighten Sooyoung’s day at baseline; the cuddling and caresses only increased her comfort. Yeri was inquisitive as ever about the life of mortals, and Sooyoung found herself educating the blonde on the nuances of humanity. Not exactly a history lesson, more a rundown of things that people did in their freetime. Reading, playing sports, watching television, getting high. Yeri’s experience with these topics was weirdly mixed. Some subjects she knew at least on a conceptual level, while in others she was completely clueless. It didn’t matter to Sooyoung that she did most of the talking. Spending time with Yeri was a treat no matter what they were doing. It almost made her forget that the world was preparing to crumble around them.

    Sooyoung found herself on high alert as they entered the Astral Plane. The trip was brief, but lingering paranoia from the night before made it feel protracted. Sooyoung kept watch while Yeri navigated, squeezing her hands around the blonde’s elbow, surveying and scanning the world of stars they’d entered. She tried to figure out what landmarks, if any, Yeri was using to guide them. Sure, there were certain unique objects that appeared: planetary bodies of all shapes and colors, gaseous forms that rotated in an intangible wind, unidentifiable objects that streaked across the sky, leaving trails of light and dust in their wake. However, they were all distant and ever-changing; on each occasion that Sooyoung had visited the Astral Plane, the dimension had looked totally different. She suspected that even if one of Eodum’s agents came to confront them, she wouldn’t notice until they were practically on top of her.

    Thankfully, they managed to reach the Galactic Lounge without incident. Sooyoung braced as they crossed back into reality, inadvertently drawing some power from Yeri in order to prevent herself from becoming disoriented by the transition.

    They emerged to an empty dance floor. Thomas waved hello to them from behind the bar. Only two Representations had arrived this early, and they sat close together, contrasting hues of orange and violet hair mingling as they whispered to one another.

    “Those are Solar and Moonbyul,” Yeri informed as they approached, relief trickling into her tense tone. “Solar is the Representation of this system’s sun, and Moonbyul is the Representation of the Earth’s moon. They’re my friends.”

    Sooyoung nodded. She supposed that meeting these two ancient beings should trigger a greater sense of existentialism within her, but compared to everything else that was going on, this was almost underwhelming.

    “Wait,” Sooyoung said, taking Yeri by the arm, preventing her from getting the womens’ attention. “What if they’re possessed by Eodum?”

    Yeri tilted her head to the side. “Representations can’t be possessed by Geulim Ja.”

    The blonde then scampered off to greet her friends, leaving Sooyoung with no choice but to follow.

    “Oh, duh,” Sooyoung muttered to herself, shaking her head. “Silly me. Should’ve known.”

    “This is my friend, Sooyoung,” Yeri was saying as Sooyoung arrived. “She’s helping me look for Joohyun and Seungwan.”

    “Good to meet you,” the violet-headed one (who Sooyoung assumed was Moonbyul) said distractedly, forcing a smile. Solar acknowledged them with a curt nod, then turned back to her drink.

    Yeri gave a surprised look, as if she was taken aback by their unwillingness to talk, but otherwise remained quiet. After an awkward pause, Sooyoung decided to jump in.

    “We’re looking for Seungwan and Joohyun,” Sooyoung said, “Have you seen them lately?”

    That was enough to get the attention of both women.

    “We met with Seungwan last night, actually. We don’t know where she is tonight. We haven’t seen Joohyun lately,” Solar said, then gave Sooyoung a suspicious look. “Why?”

    “Because we need to talk to them about Eodum,” Sooyoung said impatiently.

    Both women’s heads swiveled sharply toward her.

    “What do you know about Geulim Ja?” Solar asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

    “Not much,” Sooyoung said, sitting down beside Moonbyul, towing Yeri behind her, “Just that he tried to kill us yesterday. Twice.”

    “Damn,” Solar muttered, knocking her fist against the bar. A bit of a dramatic move for Sooyoung’s taste, but it was certainly appropriate. “He’s already started to infect the planet. I was hoping Seungwan was mistaken.”

    “We’re doomed then,” Moonbyul said hopelessly, staring at her lap.

    “He’ll destroy you guys along with the Earth, then?” Sooyoung asked. She ordered a beer from Thomas, something on the lighter side in order to avoid becoming intoxicated. Yeri ordered a sweetened soda.

    “Yes,” Solar said solemnly. “It’s only a matter of time.”

    “Why, though?” Sooyoung asked. “Why did he choose to do this?”

The two women glanced over at Yeri. The blonde was innocently sipping her cola.

    “Seungwan thinks that it’s because Joohyun angered him in some way,” Solar said, swirling the drink around in her glass, avoiding eye contact with Sooyoung. “She didn’t go into detail about it, though.”

    Seul! Sooyoung thought with a jolt.

    Yeri snapped to attention. “Do you think she was talking about Seulgi?”

    Sooyoung almost groaned aloud.

    “You know her?” Moonbyul and Solar said in tandem.

    “She’s my roommate,” Sooyoung admitted flatly, “She and Joohyun have been hooking up, despite Joohyun being married to a horseman of the apocalypse or whatever. But you probably knew that already.”

    “Seungwan did say that, yes,” Solar said reluctantly, and then, glancing at Yeri, “You really shouldn’t be telling mortals about our business.”

    Yeri shied away, glancing down at her shoes in shame.

    “It becomes our business when you put our entire world in danger,” Sooyoung said sharply. “Guess Yeri’s the exception to the rule here when it comes to you Representations treating us like playthings.”

    Solar’s nostrils flared. “This was our planet long before it belonged to mortals. You can’t begin to imagine the implications of Geulim Ja’s arrival here. What use would it be to tell you when you’re doomed anyway?”

    “Because we can help you,” Sooyoung said, keeping her voice steady, reminding herself that these two were just as scared as she was. Maybe even more, considering they had apparently seen Geulim Ja’s work before. “We can work together to stop Geulim Ja.”

    Solar shook her head and let out an exasperated laugh. “If you think that we even have the slightest chance of standing against him, you’re a complete fool.”

    Sooyoung felt her temper bounding within her, begging to be unleashed on this rude, cheese-haired woman, but still, she forced herself to be calm. “Fine then, he’s unstoppable. I’ll take your word for it.”

    Without waiting for a response from Solar or Moonbyul, Sooyoung took Yeri by the arm. “Come on. Let’s go. These two aren’t gonna be any help.”

    Yeri obeyed, allowing Sooyoung to lead her over to a set of lounge couches off to the side. The blonde sat, watching as her partner paced back and forth, occasionally pausing to sip beer. Sooyoung would have gone to get something stronger, but the ire she held toward Solar prevented her.

    “Don’t be angry, Sooyoung,” Yeri said diminutively, watching Sooyoung storm about, “Solar and Moonbyul are just frightened. You have to understand that Eodum has been in control of them their entire lives. Just… looming above them, a constant threat. This is their worst nightmare coming true. It would make anyone irrational and mean.”

    Sooyoung shut her eyes, stopped her pacing, drained her beer. The honest logic in Yeri’s words was helpful. “I know. Maybe it’s just my own ignorance, but I don’t see what the point of accepting defeat is. If they’re doomed either way, what’s the harm in trying?”

    Yeri peered off into the distance, arms wrapped around herself, bit down on her bottom lip. “A slower, more painful death.”

    “If death is the end result regardless, I would rather go down swinging. Fighting until the very end.” Sooyoung said. Then, recognizing the mental line her thought processes were growing close to crossing, she slumped into the seat beside Yeri and rested her head on the blonde’s shoulder.

    Long buried memories threatened to resurface, rotting corpses pulling themselves out of graves. There was reason to hope, reason to keep fighting until there was no fight left, but Sooyoung didn’t need to be reminded of why. Not now, not when she had a planet to save.

    “Maybe not everyone thinks like that,” Yeri said, quietly, “Maybe they’re just not as strong as you are.”

    Sooyoung chuckled. “Or maybe they’re just not as dumb as I am.”

    Yeri shook her head and gave Sooyoung a kiss on the cheek. “We should keep looking. I don’t know anyone else here very well, but we can still ask around.”

    “That’s alright, I’ll do most of the talking,” Sooyoung said, sitting up and looking around, “I’ll just do what I do if I’m trying to make friends at parties and-”

    She froze as she spotted someone stepping off the dance floor. A self-satisfied smile on her lips, hips swinging in her silver dress, Joohyun looked like the most content woman in the world.

    Sooyoung’s fury was reignited twenty fold, exploding through her mind, obliterating rational thought.

    “Oh, there’s Joohyun!” Yeri said excitedly, then, noting that her partner had already stood, “Hey, wait up, Sooyoung!”

    Sooyoung walked up to that terrible temptress, unheeding of those that she unceremoniously shoved out of her way, feeling like she was caught in a surreal dream. Here was Joohyun, so happy, so thrilled, probably just returning from another outing with her secret lover. Seul, who had been manipulated, pulled into the schemes and machinations of a world that was unfathomably beyond her grasp. Sooyoung’s rage extended beyond that, however.

    Joohyun had known of the risks of angering her husband, yet she had foolishly decided to disobey him. The consequences surely wouldn’t be as bad for Joohyun as they would be for the world. She was a Representation, a powerful one at that, not to mention that she was married to the villain. Whatever retribution she suffered for her misdeeds, the Earth would suffer far more.

At first, Joohyun’s eyes merely grew cold at the sight of Sooyoung approaching her. Then - perhaps seeing the expression the taller girl wore, or the fierce glow that came, unheeded, from the Charm at Sooyoung’s ear - those eyes became startled. Joohyun froze in place, brow furrowed, questioning.

She was caught completely off guard when Sooyoung punched her.

“Sooyoung, no!” Yeri squealed, grabbing her partner by the arm, yanking her back with a strength that Sooyoung didn’t expect.

Joohyun lurched back, hand pressed to the spot on her cheek where she’d been struck. She looked more indignant than injured. As if she simply couldn’t believe that this lowly mortal had hit her. Around them, other Representations gasped and gave the trio a wide berth.

“How dare you?” Joohyun hissed, light glowing in her palms as she took a step forward.

Yeri released Sooyoung, jumped in between the two girls, raised her hands.

“Stop it!” she begged, “Don’t fight.”

“Don’t fight? You’re telling me that?” Joohyun said in disbelief. “She just punched me for no reason!”

“Oh, I have reason, alright,” Sooyoung snarled. “You doomed my entire world, killed not only seven billion of us ‘mere mortals’, but two of your own Representations!”

Sooyoung pointed over at Moonbyul and Solar, who still sat at the bar, watching with rapt, horrified attentiveness.

More gasps, scandalous whispers from the crowd. They began to retreat, but Sooyoung could still feel their stares.

Color rose in Joohyun’s cheeks and she sputtered angrily: “You have no idea what you are talking about!”

“I’m sick of hearing that. Clearly you’re the delusional one here,” Sooyoung said, “Either that, or you’re just completely selfish.”

“Sooyoung, Joohyun, please!” Yeri half-shrieked. The hysteria in her voice brought a pause to the two battling girls, and Sooyoung tore her attention from Joohyun to find that her blonde fairy’s delicate little face was marred by tears.

Deflating, Sooyoung blinked, regarded the onlookers with a rapid, darting gaze. They flinched away as she caught them with her regard. Sooyoung backed up, tried to tame the wild shift in her emotions, and failed. She felt as the peak of her anger dropped harshly into the depths of shame and self-loathing.

“I’m… sorry.”

It was all she managed to eke out before she ran away. Compared to the strident defiance she had displayed prior, she sounded entirely different, insignificant and submissive.

Sooyoung reached the end of Harp Street before she regained control over herself. It was a heavily-trafficked intersection, but she stood there alone, students streaming around her, fists balled as she willed the tears not to come. After a few seconds, she shook her upper limbs out and began to walk in a random direction; toward Main Ave, as it was most familiar to her. The fresh air blowing in her face paired with the simple, unconscious act of moving her body allowed her to regain some of her clarity and composure.

At several points on her walk, Sooyoung felt Yeri reaching out through her Charm in an attempt to establish contact. Sooyoung ignored each one, shied away from them mentally. She was too haunted by the desperate, pleading mien that she had managed to evoke in her partner. It brought an intense, empty pain to Sooyoung’s heart knowing that she had caused Yeri such strife. She couldn’t face the blonde yet.

Sooyoung found a bench right in the middle of Main Ave and sat. Her breath came in pants; she had been half-jogging since she’d left the Galactic Lounge. She watched the students on their way to parties and hangouts, laughing and joking and enjoying themselves. Part of her wished that she could do the same. Forget about all of this, return to her college life where all she’d had to worry about was maintaining straight C’s and preventing herself from dying of alcohol overdose. Seul might have thought that having the fate of the world rely on them was a grand, marvelous adventure, but Sooyoung was beginning to think that her roommate was terribly mistaken.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but it was beginning to grow cold when a blonde woman came to sit beside her. At first she thought it was Yeri, but this woman was much too tall, with eyes of a cool blue shade that Sooyoung recognized immediately.

“Summer?” she asked, turning to her classmate.

“Hey, Sooyoung,” Summer said, crossing her denim-covered legs and beginning to bob her foot up and down. On her freckled face was a smile that did little to hide the sympathy that she tried so hard to mask. “How’ve you been?”

Sooyoung sighed. “Overwhelmed, honestly. School’s been a lot lately. How about you?”

“Got ya,” Summer said, nodding. “I’d say the same. I’ve had a bunch to juggle. Mostly stuff that I have no control over, but I’m directly involved in. Make sense?”

“Yes, actually,” Sooyoung said, thinking. “That’s… pretty similar to my situation.”

“I had a feeling,” Summer said softly. “Well, I’m definitely not the type of person to be giving advice or motivation, but I think, based on the type of person you are, you can get through. Nothing comes easy, but you’ll be amazed at what you’re capable of. Trust me.”

Sooyoung’s overcast mood began to clear slightly, and she found that Summer’s words felt… true. There was an honesty about them that made Sooyoung think of purity, resonating on a level of her consciousness in a similar way to Yeri’s powers on the Astral Plane.

Summer stood and stretched. “Anyway, I just wanted to stop and say hi. I’ve got a date with Evanie tonight, and she’ll kill me if I’m late.”

“Thank you, Summer,” Sooyoung said sincerely, looking up at the girl with a reverence that felt simultaneously appropriate and misplaced. “You made me feel a lot better.”

Summer’s smile broadened. “That’s all I could ask for, I guess. You’re welcome, pal.”

The blonde girl’s tone dropped then, grew closer to a whisper. “Things aren’t as hopeless as they seem. I’m sure all hell is gonna break loose soon, but you aren’t alone. You can do this, Sooyoung. And when the time comes, I’m sure you’ll be surprised to see who’s standing by your side. And even more surprised at how strong you really are.”

With that, Summer turned and marched down Main Ave, quickly disappearing into a throng of students. Sooyoung sat there, cogs in her brain working to piece together the implications of what Summer had just said to her.

She was unable to do so for long, however, for the timid brush of Yeri’s mental communication came shortly after Summer’s departure. This time, Sooyoung answered immediately.

---------------------

A little bit of development for Joyri's relationship, and some insight into what they've been up to while Seulgi's been in California. I wonder what their next move will be?

Next chapter is another Joyri chapter, then we'll go back to Seulrene to see the aftermath of Seungwan's attack. After that, I think Act II is going to come to a close.

Thanks for reading, and remember to upvote and comment if you enjoy the story (: