Baekhyun is unusually quiet.

Stoic would be the better word. There’s an unresponsive air around him that makes him hard to approach. 

Even Chanyeol acts like he’s tapping into unprecedented waters. He doesn’t know how to process Baekhyun’s indifferent complexion, coughing awkwardly in the lecture hall when his joke doesn’t land right with his best friend.

“Is everything alright?” Jieun whispers as she peers at her seatmate with concern.

“I’m fine.” As she’d expected, Baekhyun’s tone is dismissive. Jieun wasn’t fit to ask such a question when she knew she was partially responsible for his strange mood. 

The bunny plush in her bedroom stares her down like a foe, a reminder that its existence catapulted Baekhyun’s shift in attitude. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he was deliberately avoiding her. He hasn’t texted her since then, nor does he or make excuses to see her outside of class. Whereas the Jieun a month ago might have welcomed the peace with open arms, the current her feels extremely uneasy, if not distressed.

Jieun can’t help wondering if she did something wrong. And if she did, she doesn’t know what she owes an apology for.

She’s having lunch with Sehun today. Seungwan had club activities during these Wednesday hours and Seulgi made plans with Joohyun, to which Jieun takes the cue to give them alone time. 

“Something on your mind?”

Jieun blinks, fixing her posture under Sehun’s inquisitive gaze. She hadn’t realized she’d drifted off in her own head midway through their conversation.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well the past few days.” She smiles sheepishly, shaking her head. At least that part was true.

“Are you sure? You seem distracted.” He’s asking out of genuine concern. But he’s not the right person for Jieun to talk to. No one really knows the extent of her and Baekhyun’s relationship to begin with. 

It’s rare that Sehun would ask her out for lunch. He was normally preoccupied with extracurriculars and assisting Professor Lim that spotting him on campus during noontime was an easter egg in its own right. Jieun doesn’t want to appear apathetic when he was taking precious time out of his schedule just to see her.

“Sunbae, hypothetically speaking. If you feel like your friend is upset at you, but they won’t tell you what’s wrong, what would you do?” She hopes Sehun would chalk it up to the other party being a female friend.

He senses Jieun’s anxiety and gives the question some serious thought. “It’s normal to get into disagreements and fights with friends, right? Just that everyone has their own approach to solving their differences. I’m personally the confrontational type, though I assume that’s not the case here.”

“It’s more like the other party doesn’t want to be confronted.” She lets out a dejected sigh. “I’ve never dealt with anything like this, I guess I’m confused.”

“Ah, I know someone who’s literally a brick wall when it comes to this stuff.” Sehun remarks dryly, as though he’d hit a nerve. “As much as I hate it, I’ve learned there are things better left unknown in order for a relationship to work out.”

“Tell me about it.” Jieun knows he can’t give her a clear cut solution. At least, she’s comforted that he’s been in the same boat before.

“Give them some time. You might feel passive now but people tend to come around eventually, one way or another.” And having been in the same boat, Sehun seems to understand how to deal with it, even in a general sense.

“You think so? I’m not very good at this waiting game.” 

“Positive. But if you ever feel comfortable telling me the whole story, I’m here to lend an ear.” He smiles reassuringly at her. His words struck a silver lining in her heart; she wishes she could, if only the words would come out.

He walks Jieun to her next class. She’s starting to feel normal again in his presence. But what little of herself had risen up for air is pulled underwater again from the corner of her peripheral vision as she passes by her reflection in a cafe window.

Jieun doesn’t care for her reflection; she sees Baekhyun and Yoojung, sitting together at one of the tables. 

She can’t make out more than his profile, only Yoojung’s animated giggling in response to something he’d said. 

The girl’s bright and captivated smile twists a knot in Jieun’s chest. She doesn’t understand the muddling emotion that suddenly overtook her senses, nor does she want to acknowledge how unpleasant it feels. 

“Jieun?”

Sehun’s voice snaps her out of her frozen daze. He’d accidentally walked ahead without her, puzzled as to why she suddenly disappeared from his side.

“It’s nothing.”

Jieun brushes it off with a forced smile. 

It’s none of her business.

Friday rolls around too quickly for her liking.

Baekhyun hasn’t changed. When he slides into his seat for morning lecture he only greets her and nothing more. 

Instead, Jieun occupies herself chatting with Seulgi, discussing plans to visit a vintage boutique her friend had stumbled upon online. She tries her best not to sound half-hearted. This whole silent-treatment thing was getting in the way of her mood.

“All of these routes look so ugly.” Seulgi frowns at the complex options listed on her navigation map. The boutique was hidden away in a faraway residential district, not transit friendly from campus grounds. 

Jieun plays around on the Seulgi’s screen, searching for an alternative path with the least amount of hassle. 

“We could try getting off the subway at this station and walking a few blocks.” She points out a series of streets leading to a bus stop marker. “This bus should take us somewhere close. It’ll take longer but it’s the least amount of transfers.”

“Wow! I had no idea that was possible.” Seulgi is astonished by Jieun’s sense of direction. “How did you manage to figure it out?”

“Oh, just by chance…” It was a considerably obscure area to find a bus; coincidentally, Jieun used to take the same bus home during her middle school days.

“I took her to a nearby restaurant last week. Jieun’s actually got a good memory, unlike this guy over here.”

Her seatmate covers for her while pointing at Chanyeol. He’d been listening in this whole time.

“Dude! Why am I being insulted in a conversation I’m not even part of?” The taller boy cuts in, gravely offended by Baekhyun’s snide mention. 

“What did you have for breakfast two days ago?”

“I-uh, I…let me think-”

“See?”

“Jokes on you I skipped breakfast. You think I have time for that when class is this early?”

“That’s not something to be proud of, Yeol.”

Their banter almost makes Jieun believe nothing had gone wrong. She takes the opportunity to sneak some words of gratitude, a whisper under her breath just loud enough for Baekhyun to hear.

“Thanks, for saying that just now.” 

“You need to work harder on keeping your story consistent.” He whispers back, the slightest trace of a grin pressing his lips.

He isn’t upset at her.

So why?

It was another lucky Friday afternoon that Jieun’s last class was canceled with only asynchronous material to study on her own. 

She heads back to the apartment complex early, just in time to catch Baekhyun tapping in the key code to their building’s front entrance. 

“Hey.” Baekhyun notices her approach and holds the door open to let her inside. “You’re back early today.”

Jieun’s surprised he’d acknowledged her at all. “Class got canceled. I thought I’d take it easy.” 

“That’s nice.” He ends the conversation there, no witty comments in sight.

She tries to decipher Baekhyun’s tone of voice; it sounds neither inviting nor avoidant. He’s simply going through the motions, almost purposefully so.

“You don’t have any plans for the evening?” Jieun tries to start up the conversation again as they step into the elevator.

“Not today.”

It wasn’t her best course of action, but she gives it a shot anyway. “Since it’s still early out, would you like to get dinner together?”

“I can’t, sorry. I have unfinished assignments.” He doesn’t even think before responding abruptly. 

Jieun tries not to sound dismayed. Their interaction this morning had only been a spur-of-the-moment reaction. 

“I see, that’s fine.”

The rest of the elevator ride is awkward. So is the walk down the lengthy corridors to their respective units.

He couldn’t have forgotten, right? 

They had plans the next day. Jieun had been looking forward to it since weeks prior.

She takes a long breath before calling out to him.

“Hey, Baek.” 

“Hm?”

“Tomorrow, we’re still going, right? To the musical?” Jieun doesn’t like how meek she sounds. This wasn’t like her.

“...Yeah. We are.” His hesitance suggests otherwise. “I’ll text you later when I get my assignments over with.”

“Is that even a question?” She’d imagined him to respond in his typical carefree manner. Jieun only feels less assured as she watches Baekhyun enter his apartment without a second glance.

She hates the lingering suspense. There’s a tightness in her chest that makes breathing more tiresome and her concentration strained. 

Jieun’s attention travels to her blinds in repetitive cycles, though her neighbor’s curtains remain firmly shut. Time wasn’t passing swiftly enough on her damned cell phone screen.

It wasn’t until two hours later when he texts her that Jieun’s heart finally settles into a regular pace. 

He asks to meet at the venue just before the show starts, as he has prior engagements to take care of. It doesn’t make Jieun feel any better. She was hoping they’d meet up earlier, maybe leave together, even plan something else after the performance ends.

Jieun doesn’t know if she’s looking forward to tomorrow. She can’t set up expectations when disappointment is imminent in the back of her mind.

A grand theater dipped in velvet and deep shades of maroon, surrounded by sweeping staircases, carved columns and warm chandeliers. It was a place that drew a sophisticated crowd, unanimously chattering amongst themselves with heightened excitement.

Jieun feels out of place amidst the theatergoers. She smoothes out her skirts as she surveys around the venue, wondering if she’s too overdone for the occasion. She’d chosen an elegant black cocktail dress and her favorite heels, her hair de