-S.coups' POV-

In the morning, the theme for this year's competition was revealed. It was 'Love.' I checked out Jaerin's theme too, which was also about love. It may appear that I dislike her, but this was not the case. I was being harsh with her because I didn't want her to be distracted. The same goes for the guys. That was, of course, only part of the reason. The main reason for this was that we had all been hurt before.

We'd known each other since high school. We met through an event, despite the fact that we were all from different schools. Since then, we've become great friends. We would get together almost every day after classes to chat and hang out. We agreed to attend the same university and even take the same course. We made it in the end, despite the difficulties.

We decided to stick to our own group and do projects together during our first year of university because we were comfortable with each other. It was until a girl approached us and tried to befriend us. We were hesitant at first, but we eventually became friends with her. She was bubbly and easygoing. She appears to be particularly nice, and after a while, everyone became attached to her. For the first two months, everything has been fine. Everything, however, began to fall apart one day.

She stole our project ideas and passed them on to another group. She had been a spy all along. They submitted the idea ahead of us and were praised by the Professor. We reported that their idea was stolen from us, but the case was closed because we were unable to provide any evidence. We were enraged and betrayed. From then on, we kept to ourselves and refused to make any new friends for the rest of the year. We were able to come up with another song just in time for the competition without any distractions. Our effort and hard work were then proven thanks to the guys' refusal to give up.

What did the other group get out of it? Nothing.

So I was a little hesitant when I heard we needed to assist a junior in the upcoming competition. But, of course, I knew we'd only be giving ideas, but the events of the past were still fresh in my mind. I couldn't help myself, but I'm hoping it will go away one day.

I was surprised to learn that some of the guys already knew Jaerin when we met her on our first meeting. Woozi... Hoshi... Joshua... I could tell she wasn't the same girl from the way Woozi welcomed her into the Music Club and how she spoke to Jeonghan. However, never judge a book by it’s cover. Who knows, maybe she'll change one day.

I could tell she had musical talent after hearing the melody she recorded. She managed to come up with a melody that was good enough, despite the fact that it was not professional.

The one thing that distracted me was whenever Jaerin spaced out. Part of me wanted to know why, but the stubborn side of me held me back, as well as the others. I knew the guys didn't approve of my actions, but I blurted without thinking, as if it was a habit of mine. The8 confronted me after she left the room. "Are you going to be so harsh with her all of the time?" I thought about his question but was unable to respond. "Jaerin isn't the same as her. I can guarantee it, and I'm sure the others can as well. You should be able to as well. So just stop lying to yourself and let the past go. Jaerin does not deserve to be treated this way." He was absolutely correct. Despite the fact that she did nothing wrong, I am always the bad guy, trying to ruin the situation.

I rose from my seat and walked out of the room, hoping to catch up with Jaerin. She, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. I went to the field and the music room, but she was nowhere to be found. Is it possible that she has already returned home? I decided to return to our room, disappointed, but as I turned around and walked, I collided with someone. “I’m so sorry!" I apologized and extended my hand to the person. As if fate was on my side, I accidentally bumped into Jaerin. I helped her in getting up and apologized once more. “It’s alright.” She responded. There was an awkward silence between us for a brief moment. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth first.

“I’m sorry.” I said it again, which confused her. "It's not about how I happened to bump into you. I'd like to apologize for how I've been treating you recently." She still seemed puzzled by what I was saying, at least to me. "You may completely ignore the rules I told you previously, particularly the last rule. Something happened to us last year, and I'm still traumatized by it. But I'm willing to give it a shot to let it go, and I'm hoping you'll be able to prove me wrong. Of course, if things between us do not appear to be going as planned, the last rule still applies. If you're okay with it, I'm hoping our next meeting will be more meaningful." I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Have a wonderful weekend ahead of you." I walked back to the room after. I was rather taken aback by my own actions. What if she thinks I'm weird and won't agree with me? Or what if she doesn't show up for future meetings?

"Are you all right?" Jeonghan brought me back to earth.

"I'm fine." I replied.

"Where did you go just now? We assumed you were upset by The8's words and went somewhere to cry." Jeonghan made a joking remark.

"You'll find out next week." I said as I walked back to my seat, causing Jeonghan to complain.