Seungwan found herself beside Joohyun. Arms on  the metal railings whilst her hand lay limply across open air. She relaxed her shoulder and let them drop. It was a quiet afternoon. 

She took in the view across her. The sky was breathtaking. The blue sky was mostly clear, with light streaks of coral and orange across b- it looked unreal. Seungwan’s mind was clear as she gazed at the sky, engraving the memory of it in her mind. And a few moments later, doubting the reliability of her memory, she took a picture. Just in case. 

“I thought you preferred taking moments in rather than taking a picture of it.” The girl beside her mused, peeking down at her before returning to face the view. 

Seungwan returned her phone to her pocket, weighing the statement if it was a snide remark or not. She decided it wasn’t. “To make sure I don’t forget, I suppose.” She resumed her previous position and tilted her head sideways to look at Joohyun.

It took a few seconds before Joohyun grew wary of how long Seungwan has been staring and broke the silence between them. “You look like you want to say something. What is it?” 

Joohyun’s eyes were still focused on the view across them. Seungwan silently marvelled at how beautiful Joohyun looked. Seungwan inhaled sharply before answering. “Do I?” 

Seungwan saw Joohyun’s right eyebrow rise a bit, her lips protesting a smile. It was unfair, Seungwan thought. Joohyun always seemed to know what was going on in her mind. But she never prodded too much. She kept her space, and was careful. 

Sensing Joohyun’s head turn, Seungwan quickly returned to look at the view in front. She didn’t want Joohyun to look at her. Seungwan didn’t like the effect those curious eyes had on her. It usually left her brain fried. And now was not a good time for that. Not when the sunset sky - Joohyun's favorite - was making her feel sappy, and brave.

“You know you can tell me anything, Seungwan-ah.” 

Seungwan could hear the softness ni Joohyun's voice. Seungwan wanted to risk a glance at Joohyun but decided against it, she couldn’t risk a glance at Joohyun. No, not when she felt bare and her emotions were open for Joohyun to see. 

So instead of facing Joohyun, she figured the best course of action was to rest her head on top of her arms and keep her eyes closed. 

There, problem solved. 

Or so she thought. 

She remembered Seulgi’s words earlier, “Wan, if you never tell her then she’ll never know.”

Seungwan silently cursed. What was her brain doing? This was not the time to remember such things.

 It was impossible, after all. This thing has always been one sided. She knew that from the start, and nothing could change that. Her confessing to Joohyun wouldn’t change anything. It would just ruin things between them. 

“But wan-ah, wouldn’t you feel more at peace with rejection? It might help you move on.” Seungwan figured Seulgi was probably right. Maybe confessing would help her get a grip. She knew deep down that she was still hoping it wasn’t just her that felt that way. If she wanted to move on, she needed to be rejected. 

But Seungwan was terrified. After all, isn't compromise her second name? She could just wait it out and maybe three to four years later, she'd move on. Hopefully.  

She heard Joohyun let out a sigh. Seungwan realized that the silence had already stretched long. 

Seungwan desperately thought of a topic to change the air around them. It felt heavy, and awkward. Seungwan felt herself wince. 

“So, have you already started preparing for finals?” She looked up as she asked Joohyun, her voice coming out louder than she intended. 

Seungwan thought about the injuries she’d sustain if she were to jump from the second floor. She really wanted to get out of the situation. Broken bones hurt but they heal, this situation however, would later haunt her in the future. 

“Hm?” Joohyun mumbled before she faced Seungwan. Seungwan tried to mask her emotions by keeping a straight face. She looked back at Joohyun. “Son Seungwan, the top of the class,” Joohyun paused, eyes staring at Seungwan, looking for something - then Joohyun raised her eyebrow, a look of amusement on her face. “Worried about finals?” 

Joohyun shook her head, letting out a small laugh before tearing her gaze from Seungwan. “I know the finals isn’t what’s bothering you, but I feel like you can’t or don’t want to tell me. So don’t. If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay. I won’t push.” Joohyun took a deep breath before continuing, “Regarding finals, I’ll start prepping for it tomorrow. Bogum wanted to study together, so we’ll be in the library in the next three days. You can join us, if you want. You and Seulgi.”

Ah, there it was. Park Bogum. Seungwan couldn’t hate the guy. He was charming, kind, and everything nice. Everyone loved seeing the both of them. A power couple, some would say.  They’ve been together for a year and a half, and despite the fights and misunderstandings, they still pulled through. 

Seungwan was happy for Joohyun, or at least pushed herself to be. After all, wasn't this a picture perfect relationship?  Everyone, after all, said so. 

And so she did what she could only d