THE stares coming from the whole school didn't leave Joohyun alone even once. It's Monday once again and there's really no other choice but to attend class. It's her last semester in school anyway. Just a bit more and she will finally get a degree. She wanted to have her last days in university to be really quiet but Seulgi's grand entrance to her life just won't let her have a peaceful life.

It's already lunch time and she's on her way to the café but she could hear the students gossiping about her and Seulgi. They didn’t even whisper to each other, they were obviously letting her hear all their conversations. They wanted a confirmation and they wanted her to be the one to give it to them.

"Kang Seulgi didn't go to school today."

"I heard that she won't be coming to school this week. One of the school assistants confirmed it."

"Did she get rejected? She was supposed to hear the answer from that girl, right?"

"Do you think she would really reject Kang Seulgi? She's a Kang!"

"She got the nerve to reject my number one crush!?"

Joohyun just smiled to herself while being forced to listen to the gossip. 'These people talk as if they know who Kang Seulgi really is. Hey, wait-'

Joohyun stopped in her tracks when she realised something. Everyone who's watching her also froze to their places. She looked back and all of them pretended that they were all doing something else. Joohyun felt confused.

'But I don't know her as well... I might know a thing or two that these people don't know about her but I don't really know anything about the true Seulgi-ssi.'

Joohyun continued walking towards the café, leaving the other students in another cliffhanger. Her thoughts began to be more entangled with things concerning Seulgi with every step that she takes.

Joohyun actually felt bad about all the ‘accidental hugs’ they had yesterday. It seemed like Seulgi was telling the truth about not being hugged for a long time but during those times that they ‘hugged’, she was actually attacking her.

'You want to open the box? Seriously, Joohyun-ah? Do you really want to open it? You know well that once you open it, it will never be closed again and you'll be taken by the flood!'

She gritted her teeth, her steps got faster. Seulgi's smiling face flashed in her mind but her imagination was playing with her as she saw cracks on the beautiful smiley face.

'Kang Seulgi! Stop reminding me of him!'

"Unnie…"

'It's not fair. I don't want to remember him anymore!'

"Joohyun-unnie..."

'Stop smiling when what you really want is to cry---'

Joohyun was taken out from the depths of her thoughts when someone grabbed her by the wrist. She gasped when she recognised who it was.

"Y-Yujin-ah?"

Ahn Yujin, the heiress of Korea's biggest automotive company and also a sculpting prodigy, immediately let go of her hand. "Unnie, I've been calling you but you weren't answering. Are you okay?"

Joohyun frantically shook her head. "I should be the one asking you that. Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Ahn Yujin let go of Joohyun and put her hand on her hip, the other one was holding a little book about mechanical engineering.

"I mean, did you just really talk to me here at school?" Joohyun made it clear. Yujin just sighed.

"I have time. Let's talk."

Joohyun, knowing well about the superiority complex of the said girl, had no other choice but to also give her time. She’s not even requesting for her time at all. She was commanding her.

"Where is your girlfriend?" Joohyun finally asked after they entered the staff room of the café. She watched how Yujin rolled her eyes.

"Minjoo isn't my girlfriend. She’s just my model." Yujin stressed, which made Joohyun raise her eyebrow.

"You say so." She then opened her lunchbox. "Have you eaten lunch?"

Yujin, now with her eyes fixed on the book, nodded. "We had a chapter test earlier. All who finished early were allowed to get out early."

"How long did it take you?" Joohyun asked with a sneer, she already knew where that conversation was going.

"Five minutes." Yujin answered with a yawn. "The professor was kind of useless. Just gave an exam and then sent his students away without a lecture. Completely a salary worm."

Joohyun snickered as she listened to Yujin's rants.

"It was supposed to be a two-hour class but I finished after five minutes. I just went to the Art Building and checked my art then I just started studying on my own. Then I ate early so I could meet you."

"Don't you usually eat lunch with your girlfriend?"

Yujin lowered the book down a little to have a look at Joohyun. "Unnie, she isn't my girlfriend. And I already told her that I would be talking to someone. She's going to have lunch with another friend."

"I see." Joohyun stopped asking about the rumoured girlfriend of Ahn Yujin, she took a mouthful of her lunch and immediately thought if Seulgi already had her lunch. She wondered if the girl liked what she cooked.

"So, why do you want to talk with me, Yujin?" Joohyun asked.

Yujin's eyes went back to her book. "You already know what it is, Unnie."

"Right…" Joohyun smiled faintly. "Please tell them that I will be back after graduation… I guess."

Yujin took a deep breath. "You should personally send them a message at the very least. Aunt Hyunmi is so worried about you."

For some reason, the food suddenly tastes bland. Now Joohyun understands why Seulgi doesn't want to talk about family in the middle of a meal.

"I'll be back once I finally clear my mind." Joohyun answered weakly. She suddenly lost the appetite to eat.

"Will you even be successful with that?" Yujin took another peek of her. "I mean, with that Kang girl after you?"

The older girl's shoulder dropped even lower. "Don't tell me you told Omma about it."

"Of course not. I am not the type to meddle with these things." Yujin then stretched her neck a little bit. "Just tell me if that person is bothering you a lot. Let me deal with her."

"I'm alright, Yujin." Joohyun completely put her utensils down. "Seulgi-ssi, despite doing those burdensome confessions, I think she's really a nice person."

Yujin nonchalantly nodded her head. She was actually surprised by that answer from Joohyun but she had to play it cool. She couldn't tell Joohyun that she actually threw a block of clay at Seulgi.

She thought about bragging about that but hearing what Joohyun had to say about Seulgi, she knew that keeping it a secret will be the best for her.

“If you want to drive her away then you can show her your angry face.” Yujin nonchalantly said. “It will be the best way—”

The younger girl was suddenly silenced when Joohyun started shaking in her seat.

‘Right, I showed Seulgi-ssi my angry face last night. She even called me a gorilla! But she just laughed at me and acted like nothing happened! Does she even know how to get turned off!?’

Yujin cleared and stood up. "I'll go then but I'll stay at the café. Minjoo and Sakura will be heading here after lunch."

Joohyun popped her thinking bubble and gave Yujin a smile. "Sure, I will give you a cousin discount~"

The younger girl smirked. "You know that we don't need discounts. So, you can go back home anytime you want, Joohyun-unnie. Aunt Hyunmi also wants you back home."

"Thanks, Yujin. I will keep that in mind. See you around."

Yujin gave her a nod but before she opened the door, she slipped on a random wet rug but thankfully, she immediately regained her balance. She casually fixed her clothes as if nothing happened. When she got a hold of the door knob, she threw another question to Joohyun.

"Don't you think that Kang girl reminds you of someone? Somehow, she reminds me of him."

SEULGI was smiling from ear to ear but that black mask was preventing it from being seen by the world once again. The girl just got out of an art exhibit. She thought that wearing sunglasses while viewing artworks would really affect her perception of the art so she thought of applying makeup. With that, she managed to go around with just a mask.

"I should've thought about makeup in the first place. I won't be missing classes like this!"

She was talking to herself saying words that express regret but her face shows the opposite. She was really happy that she had the time away from school.

She was scanning the pictures that she took at the exhibit hall, looking for pictur