The morning sun shone gently against Jimin’s windows leaving her no choice but to forcefully get out of bed. If it was up to her she would have spent her whole day in bed trying to get some decent amount of sleep because the dim night wasn’t enough to put her to sleep. Checking her phone by her bed side table the white lines told her that it was already half past nine which means that she was already late for her first subject that morning not that it mattered. She wasn’t in the mood to attend her classes anyway.

After making her bed, she walks softly towards her bathroom. As soon as her feet hit the cold tiled floor of the small space, flashes of yesterday’s events came running back to her mind. Sleepless eyes meet hers as she stares at the mirror. Walking towards the porcelain sink in front of her, she rests her hands before leaning closer to her reflection. “Keep it together.” She says to the girl in the mirror. She waited for a response but minutes after nothing came. “Keep yourself together.” She murmurs one last time to her reflection before resting her head against the mirror. No gushes of water can be heard in the confined space but it was filled by the silent sobs that Jimin was trying to keep.

 “Hi, honey. Is there an event in school?” Her mother asks when she sees Jimin walking down the stairs sporting a casual look which definitely isn’t a school uniform.

“I’m going to the mall.” Jimin answers casually as she kisses her mother on the cheeks. Before she could even walk away, gentle hands held her face and met her eyes. Her mom was looking into her eyes like she was searching for something. There was no judgement that was being delivered but something else. Worry. And Jimin hated it more than anything. So before her walls break down in front of her mother, she quickly retreated from her hold and went straight towards the shoe rack near the door.

“Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?” Her mother asks in a more collected voice. The tone that she normally uses.

“I’ll just grab something in the mall.”

“Your dad has left for work and your car isn’t in the garage.”

“I left it on the parking lot. I didn’t feel like driving yesterday. I’ll just be taking the bus.”

Jia got the memo. Her daughter wasn't in the mood to talk today and she surely wouldn't ponder. Instead of pushing the topic, she just walked Jimin to the door and gave her a greet of farewell.
“Okay. Have fun, honey.”

The ride to the mall was serene as Jimin expected since it was almost eleven in the morning when she boarded the bus which means that the working population and students have long been into their respective destinations. She normally preferred the bustling crowd and noises of the vehicles in a crammed highway because these sounds fills up the space in her head and drowns out unwanted thoughts but today something was different. She wanted silence in an open area to calm her down.

She was even tempted to ditch her plans of going to the mall and just extend her travel by just sitting there by the side of the window while letting the passing surroundings slowly hypnotize her to sleep but after passing by the park and seeing the blossoming garden that is boasts, Jimin eventually got off the vehicle when it stopped at the entrance of the huge infrastructure.

After grabbing a coffee and some bread to somehow fuel her up, Jimin then proceeded to ride the escalator on her way to the third floor of the building.

Aeri didn't know where she got the courage to ask Ningning out for lunch. But somehow she found herself in front of her former university waiting for her fiancé at the parking lot. It was a shot in the dark since she knew that the younger girl was never into girls. So when she received a message reply from Ningning telling her to meet her at the parking lot, Aeri didn't waste a second and was already pushing down the ground button on the elevator as to not be late.

Looking at the girl sitting across from her eat heartily, Aeri can't help but feel some sense of fulfillment. Because one of the things that she learned from her parents' relationship is to provide. Provide in terms of food, shelter and other necessities.

"How much should I tell Jimin?" Aeri finally asks when she came back to her senses. Ningning pauses after putting her utensils down. "What do you mean?"

One has to keep in mind that Ning Yizhou is always at the top of her game. Always. Aeri knows this. So to see the younger girl with some creases on her forehead due to confusion was something new to her.

"She's my best friend and she already saw us yesterday. She's going to ask questions." Aeri explains carefully when she remembered that she still has a lot of talking to do with Jimin.

The look of confusion was suddenly erased on Ningning's face replaced by something that Aeri can't read. "Well you can come up with different answers if you'd like." The younger girl answered quickly before turning back her attention to her food.

The sudden mood change of her companion didn't sit well with Aeri since as far she knows she have never said anything that could offend her fiance. Because one second she was eating happily then goes straight up stoic the next.

"You mean lie?" Aeri tries to clarify what Ningning just said because she didn't want to jump into conclusions knowing that it wouldn't do any good for the both of them.

Ningning takes one last sip of her water and places her utensils to side of her plate indicating that she's already done with her food and that all if her attention is now focused on her. With her fiancé's eyes on her, Aeri's title and position felt like it was stripped away from her on that very moment. It was all void under Ningning's gaze. Those perks didn't matter because she knows Ningning could out do and outsmart her in any way possible when it comes to business and the likes.

"It's up to you, Aeri." Ningning finally answers after what felt like an eternity to Aeri.

Hearing the younger girl's answer made Aeri even more confused. It wasn't like Ningning to let her thoughts be swayed away. She would always make sure that her message come across whenever there's a certain decision or plan to be made. Apart from the confusion it also made Aeri's break a little bit because for her Ningning has a say about this decision as much as she does.

"I want your opinion too. I'd like you to be comfortable as much as possible but I don't think I could lie to Jimin." Respect. Another one of the core things that she have learned from her parents' relationship. Respect for each other's opinion and thoughts should always be considered. It doesn't ma