“The paparazzi chick is over there.”

Nice observations Seulong. We all know she’s there, as she always is with her little lunch group every lunch period to lunch because lunch is a verb. “So we’re launching Plan A tonight?” I asked, directing my query to no one in particular.

I was waiting for someone to answer me, but Renn was being mopey with Jay trying to lighten up her mood, and Junsu and Junho were busy with their calculator doing some measurements for their lab after lunch. I turned to Ian and Minji, expecting an answer.

“Nara, I think it’s too early tonight. We still need to confirm that she is following one of us. I mean, we’ve seen her take pictures, but it could be incidental shots.” Ian answered.

“Ian, her body language says it all. She’s been watching us since last year,” I snuck a glance at her, and true enough her eyes quickly shifted back to the other occupants of her table. “It’s pretty obvious if you actually took time to observe her.”

“I’d rather not. I’m not a stalker like you and your bff over there.”

I couldn’t stop the frown from forming on my face. Renn was not my bff. We hardly even spoke anymore, not that we have a lot, but being in the same group, spending as much time as we did, Renn was still someone I couldn’t seem to figure out.

“Don’t deny it.” I heard Minji say, “It’s not like it’s not obvious.”

“You sure deny a lot of things for a Psych major.” Seulong added.

I arched a brow at each of them. Why they used this against me and not Seulong, I never know. Renn and I...well, our history together was rocky at most. Ian had gone to high school with her, and I distinctly remember the first thing he said to me when he found out we shared a Math class back in first year.

“Renn is an interesting person. You and her are either going to be best friends, or worst enemies.”

Up to this day I still didn’t catch the meaning behind his words. I know I’m supposed to be the intuitive one being the psychologist of the group, but Renn was just on a whole different level of existence.

“Hey, are you working tonight?”

Work. I sighed. I worked part-time at the student center as a peer councilor. At first, I did to make my resume look a lot more impressive and to get some experience with my adviser, but now, well...now I found myself getting a little too attached to it. There was one person in particular that had me staying longer hours, much beyond our scheduled time and scope of conversation. Although...there really wasn’t a set topic.

I nodded at Ian, “Yeah, so you can go on ahead without me.”

“I wonder who she’s working for.” Seulong asked. He could never let this issue go, and I just knew that this was him hoping he was paparazzi girl’s object of affection.

“The question is, who is she targeting. Once we answer that question, we move on to who hired her and why.” I said, pulling out my own packed lunch.

“She’s not a very good ninja.” Minji commented, taking out her own lunch.

“I don’t think she’s trying to be.” I replied, “If she were, she would have at least tried, but as it is, she’s not really hiding.”

“So no one really knows where’s she’s from?” Ian asked, “Someone is bound to have a link to her. I know Jang Wooyoung from their table because Minji and I share a few classes with him, the foreigner is Nichkhun Horvejkul, but who doesn’t know him, right?”

“That’s Jung Sung-Jin.”

We all turned immediately to Junsu, surprised he even spoke. We all knew who Jung Sung-Jin was, the Biomen, Junsu, Junho, and Renn, all made a big fuss over her perfect Chemistry grades that pushed their GWAs down back in first year. It was one of those outstanding rivalries that have yet to be settled.

“We know, oppa, we know her very well.” came Minji’ sarcastic reply. She may have been the youngest, but she was definitely the snarkiest.

“So no one really has a connection to whats-her-face?” Ian said again, this time with more emphasis.

“I’ll get on it.” Seulong suddenly volunteered. This of course could only mean one thing. “I’ll get Changmin to investigate.”

Lee Changmin was one of our informants inside the university. He was a Journalism major and a part of the University organ, he was a good friend of Seulong’s, and he provided us with very, very valuable information.

“On a really random note,” Seulong piped in...again. “Look who’s been here all along.”

We all turned to the direction Seulong waggled his eyebrows at to see Hwang Chansung and Ok Taecyeon on the other side of the room. I turned to Minji immediately to see her flushed scarlet and teeth bared at Seulong. This did not bode well for my dear friend.

And true enough, Minji landed a couple of fists into Seulong’s chest and back, leaving the much taller guy in a pool of ruined laughter on his seat while the rest of us laughed more freely.

Was it supposed to a secret who Minji’s crush was? Or was it just the irony of the situation that made this joke so much more tempting to throw at every given opportunity?

Unconsciously, I found myself turning to see how Junho would react to all this. He wasn’t laughing as boisterously as the others, he just sat there, smiling like he was the actual leader of the group. Calm, cool, collected. His eyes however said a different thing as he eyed Minji as surreptitiously as he thought he was doing.

Don’t be silly Nara.

I shook the thought away before they could even resurface and turned to Jay and Renn instead. Renn was sleeping on the lunch table, sharing Jay’s mp3 player with him. It was almost sweet. Jay was asleep too, leaning back on his seat, his chin on his chest. Renn sleeping I could understand as her roommate Minji would often say she had weird sleeping habits, but Jay looking tired out lately had me interested. He was obviously not doing any schoolwork as Ian said his academic performance remained on the satisfactory line, so what it was he had been busying himself with piqued my curiosity.

I looked back at the rest of the Wednesday Club, originally, we were called the Math Club, as it was the very first class all eight of us shared. Renn and Jay had to retake the subject, while the rest of us were required to take it as a basic requirement for the credits we needed to graduate. Ian and Minji, I had no idea why they took a Math course for science majors, but I later found out that they needed it as a pre-requisite course for a sound engineering subject they both were taking this semester.

We were friends, right? All eight of us.

I suppose I just wanted to make sure. It felt like time was running out for us, and soon enough we’d be separating ways again. That’s the primary reason I asked them to spread out our general classes, that’s why I insisted on the Wednesday Club. I didn’t want college to end with us not even remembering what it was like to simply have fun.

Seulong was already beaten into a bloody pulp with a heaving Minji next to him. They would probably never admit it, Minji especially, but these two would miss each other possibly the most when we graduate next year. As with the rest of us. Renn, I had to be honest, I wasn’t sure of, but Jay, yes. We would all miss Jay, and he us. That’s why for now, I had to keep us all together and hold on while we still could.

“Oh right.” Ian started, “you two,” He pointed towards the Junbros, “I need you two to record a track for me.”