Three weeks passed already and the assignments were stacking like mountains on every student's desk. Jiyeon was having it even harder as she had to study all day then go for night shifts at the hospital. She literally looks like a zombie walking down the hallway. 

5:00 am- Time to wake up

Her morning routine would start at 5 am after she manages to turn off her ten consecutive alarms and get out of bed. She wouldn't speak to anyone, wearing a deathly glare on her face until she reaches the kitchen and makes herself some coffee. Lately she's been greeting Irene who would be back from her morning jog and Hyejin who didn't sleep yet and spent another overnight to finish up her project. 

"Yeon-ah, you asked me to remind you to check your Ipad once you're up" Irene gave her the device then headed for a shower.

"Ugh, I forgot about this lesson" she shrugged and let her head fall until it hit the table. It was loud enough to wake up Hyejin who kept dozing off. "Hey Jin-ah can you revise this with me? Irene is still in the shower". As a medical laboratory technician who knows enough, Irene always helped her.

Hyejin nodded and took the Ipad then started listenning to the weird and very long medical terms like magic spells until she fell asleep again.

 

7:00 am

The girls whould be dressed up by now, waiting for Suho to come and pick them up to their campuses with his car. 

"MORNING GURLS" Suho would be always energetic around them. 

"Hyejin sit in the front seat, I cant handle him today" Jiyeon exclaimed slamming the back door behind her.

The sleep deprived designer blinked and followed the orders not giving it much of a thought but Suho's pout didn't go unnoticed by her.

 

8:15 am- Start of classes

That day's classes seemed to never end, Jiyeon was losing her mind with the never ending explanation from the professor, she just wasn't in the mood for it. As she was drifting away, her name was suddenly called, and without thinking, she stood up and said straightforwardly "S".

This owned her a glare from the professor, a new joke marathon for the whole semester and weird looks from erted students.

"Great, this is what I needed today"

 

"How can you say that out loud?" her classmate Seulgi was still laughing at her for an hour now. 

"I just... don't ask" Jiyeon sighed as some random guy passed by and shouted "s girl" at her. "Is that even a joke, coming from a future doctor?" she was quick to shoot.

After admiring the idea, she decided to just go for a walk around the campus, maybe she'd come back to her senses with the fresh air. She grabbed her phone and texted her group of bestfriends. 

Jiyeon: "Down for a coffee break at the rugby field? Just embarrassed myself in class big time" 

Suho: "IN!" 

Irene:" I will be done in ten minutes and will meet you there. Tell us what happened!"

Jiyeon: "Hyejin?"

Hyejin: "Can sOmone pik me up? I will faint from sleepiness nasfsghss" 

Suho: "On my way"

 

The green rugby field- around noon

In the middle of the field, Hyejin was laying down with her head on Irene's tight, while Suho was puffing the smoke of his cigarette far away from the sleeping girl who started coughing. 

" I forgot she's uncomfortable with this smell"

"Will you ever quit this bad habit?" Jiyeon kicked his leg.

"The day you confess your love to me, is the day I will quit it" he smirked as he approched her face, too close, until they heard some whispers from passing students. 

"Just date already" Hyejin half whispered.

"NEVER!"   "TELL HER THAT!"    Both frenemies yelled opposite things.

While their argument continued, someone approached them, a rather tall and handsome guy. He cleared his throat and looked at Irene direclty, "Irene-ssi can I talk to you in private?" 

Hyejin sat up immediatly and took Jiyeon's cup of coffee, took a sip, then glanced at the guy up and down scanning him, "Interesting" she said to herself but loud enough for them to hear. 

Irene sighed and walked with the guy, again, while her friends' gaze were fixed on them. "What number is it?" 

"25 in three weeks" Jiyeon did some mental calculation, "I guess she broke the record"

"He's a decent one though" Suho studied the guy.

"Nah, Minhyuk's a virgo, and from the architecture department" Hyejin stated still sipping on her friend's coffee.

"How do you always know their zodiac signs?" Suho blinked.

"It's like a survival guide for me in the design department, I get to know what type of psycho I am dealing with"

"And what's wrong with architectural students?" 

"Everything... Everything until 2 years after their graduation"

Irene smiled at Minhyuk as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then bowed before walking back to her friends. 

"So?" the three of them said in union.

"No... He's fishy" she titled her head, "And I guess he has a girlfriend already, look at his keychain"

"How is it always like this with you? I mean you're the most gorgeous girl in this university, yet has the worst dating history"

"Not as bad as Hyejin though" Irene defended to which the girl agreed.

Not even ten minutes passed, when loud noises like animals were heard and kept getting louder. Suho looked around to see what's going on, but was soon flooded by the rugby team jumping on him. 

"SUHO HYUNG!" Lucas said dramatically as he held his hyung's hand who was now almost fully burried under the pile of bodies. "Are you alive?" 

"Get off him!" Coach Lee yelled at the boys before picking up the poor man. "Suho-ssi, I didn't have the chance to thank you about what you did last time to save these idiots"

"N-no need f-for-" Suho was fighting the diziness, a resul of almost suffocating. 

"Apologize to hyung" Taeyong glared at his teammate who followed the orders. 

"We're having a friendly game night this friday against HU " Coach Lee announced, " We'd like to have you and the girls with us on the VIP players' benches to watch up close the game" he glanced at the girls who weren't emphasized like he expected. "The boys will be playing in skirts as a punishment" 

"IN" Jiyeon clapped in excitment making the boys blush.

"And after the game, we'd be hosting a bbq night to strenghten the friendship between both universities, we'd like you to join us too". This time Hyejin clapped and put her thumbs up. 

"Great, now boys practice time!" he used his whislte and pushed the boys out.

"Can't wait to see you on friday! Irene noona !" Lucas waved like a maniac.

"Confession number 26?" Suho pointed at the crazy boy.

"Not him though" Hyejin replied as she lied down on Irene's leg again. "And it's gonna be up to 28 confessions on Friday"

"How the hell-"

"Does she know that?" Jiyeon cut him shortly. "We don't even know, but she's right everytime"

 

7:00 pm- End of classes

Irene closed her book, grabed her bag and walked out of class. She was used now to the stares of the guys, especially the freshmen, and to the daily unexpected confessions and secret letters on her desk or locker. However this time, she found something suspiscious in her locker, "What is this?".  She found a light vintage empty paper. At first she was scared to touch it, "what if it was contaminated?" 

She grabbed a spare pair of gloves from her bag and held the paper and checked both sides, then under the light but nothing appeared. "I guess I will leave that for tomorrow, I need to go now and catch up with my brother'

 

Suho on the other hand was waiting outside's Jiyeon's class with a bag of home made muffins, he was so excited to see her reaction. 

"Yeon-ah! I baked muffins just for you! Here taste them" he gave her the bag once she stepped out of her class still in her lab coat. 

"OMG! Much needed treat" she smiled widely.

"See, I know you so well". He was ignored again. 

"Hey Jiyeon, what are you eating?" Minho and Siwon approached her and grabbed the other muffins, not noticing Suho's presence.

"Delicious" Siwon nodded. "Where did you get it from?"

"He baked them" she pointed at her friend without looking away from her treat. 

"Nice man" Minho tapped on his shoulder, then threw his arm around Jiyeons' , "Let's go to our night shift babe". 

Suho clenched his fists at the scene, especially that Jiyeon didn't mind it and walked ahead of him hugging back Minho leaving him alone with his feelings. He sighed and went to smoke.

 

"How many today?" he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"5" he puffed the smoke to the other direction as Hyejin sat next to him on the activity club entrance's stairs, her dark circles so obvious and her hair in a half up messy bun held by a pencil.

"Did you get any minute of sleep during the day?"

"Huh?" she blinked, "Can I try it?" she pointed at the cigarette in his hand and tried to reach it. Suho was quicker and stopped her by pushing her forehead back. 

"No, it's gonna kill you. Beside you're not in your right mindset now"

"And that makes you any immortal?" she snorted.

"This is how I deal with my issues" he argued then stood up, "do you still have some energy left?"

"I am more hungry than sleepy"

"Great, I will buy you food if you come along, I don't want to stay alone at the moment"

 

9:00 pm- Han River walkway

"Here's your food" he handled her a burger which she took excitedly.

"Speak at last while I am eating" she was serious. "I can tell you have things going on"

"Why is life so ed up? Nothing is fine" he mumbled while chewing on his sandwich. "Whatever I do, I'm still stuck in... that... place..."

"What place?"

Silence.

"My past, that dark space". He sighed and put down his food as the mood became heavier. Hyejin blinked at him and stopped eating too."From the day this happened, our father leaving us, my mother and siblings, everything ended me... He was my role model, the one I looked up to, he suddenly disappeared. And for what? For a different woman." 

He kept talking about his story, his family, his mother, his dreams, everything that's been bothering him. Throughout he smoked another cigarette,then another and it soon was up to three as he felt his anxiety hitting back. While the girl just listened and nodded whenever he looked at her for a confirmation sign.

Heavy Silence.

"You know" She finally spoke, "I always pictured you as my role model, with how bright you are, your ambition, artistic side. You always gave me strength when working together and inspired me" she stopped and looked away, "You became a very strong person and survivor from past pain, I look up to you now. And I am always honest about my thoughts" her eyes were fixated on the passersby from the shop's window. "I don't know about you, but I'm very proud of you and the person you've become" she smiled looking directly into his eyes then quickly hid her blushing face with her food.

Suho glanced at her taken aback, he never expected her, the silent private girl to say that. This made him beam widely, it revived in him the almost fading flame, the passion to work harder. Kind words from her were unexpectedly so refreshing.

"You know, I just realised that I told you everything, that only very few know, so lightly and I don't regret it. You have that charm in you"

"Oh well, you're quick to energize I see...It's 10 pm already, let's head back" she said with a small blush on her face walking ahead, her unfinished meal in her hand.

 

11:00 pm- Shared dorm

The girls are now gathered in the living room, of their shared apartment, with hot chocolate in hand but each in her own bubble.They didn't realize that, but they sighing in synchronization every few minutes.

"We're so depressed" Hyejin concluded to which the others agreed. 

"I guess this is what our university experience is about" Irene added.

"Suho's muffins today were good though" Jiyeon said out of the blue to which made them laugh at last.