Come Monday morning and Hayoon bolted out of the flat within minutes of waking up, hiding away in the library until it was time for her afternoon lecture. However, even during the lecture, Hayoon was helplessly distracted, chewing on her lip, with her eyes jumping back and forth across the room, unable to concentrate on what the professor was saying. Noticing the girl’s agitated state, Sehun planted his hand over Hayoon’s neck, massaging it softly in an attempt to ease her tension.

Once the lecture ended and the students shuffled out of the room, Hayoon caught a glimpse of Jongin’s purple hair slowly but firmly heading towards their direction. Squeezing out a quick goodbye, Hayoon slipped through the sea of students, her small height making it impossible to find her. Jackson stared at the empty space that Hayoon previously occupied in confusion while Jinyoung remained startled at how fast the girl had disappeared. Sehun simply raised an eyebrow as his gaze shifted towards Jongin’s approaching figure, shaking his head in frustration.

・・・

Hayoon had reached Dear Me in record time. Slightly out of breath as she pushed the door open, she immediately felt her anxiousness settling down at the sight of Minseok’s calm smile greeting her from behind the counter.

“Perfect timing.” Minseok grinned. “I just unpacked the new guest beans. Want to try them? They’re from Taiwan.”

Nodding breathlessly, Hayoon shuffled towards her usual seat, sinking into the chair as she finally felt like she could breathe. Sinking into the peaceful atmosphere of Dear Me, Hayoon suddenly realised the absence of a certain honey-voiced male and his wide scary stare. Eyes wondering in search of the male, a soft giggle echoed from the kitchen, ringing in Hayoon’s ears.

Staring into the kitchen, Hayoon caught sight of Irene piping cupcakes while Kyungsoo hovered around her, his hand gently guiding hers. Despite the careful distance the male maintained, Hayoon still felt a slight twitch in her chest. Irene squealed as she accidentally smudged a cupcake, transferring some of the icing onto her cheek. This was followed by Kyungsoo lifting his apron to wipe the icing while he laughed at how silly she looked.

Hayoon felt the corners of dropping, threatening to form a frown on her face. Tearing her gaze away, she removed her glasses and buried her face in her hands, breathing deeply. Much to her dismay, she could not for dear life shake away the gnawing sense of disappointment over the fact that Kyungsoo had not stepped out of the kitchen the moment she arrived the way he always did. To make matters worse, the girl found hersel