It was not in Mir’s nature to be disappointed over something for too long. After Minah had left him on the roof, he had sat down and closed his eyes. Anyone who saw him would have thought he was meditating, which he was in some way.

He merely had to clear his thoughts and release the negative feelings in him. He was not angry at Minah nor did he resent Jaesun for unknowingly stealing her away from him on his birthday. The only thing Mir could think about now was, next time.

Next time, he wouldn’t let his chance slip. Next time, he would definitely tell her. It didn’t have to be on his birthday. It didn’t even have to be on any holiday. The only thing it was going to be was special.

The day I confess to Minah will be a special day. Just you wait Minah, Bang Mir will definitely steal your heart.

Feeling reassured, Mir had stood up and headed to his next class. However, he had been devastated to find out the professor had locked the door due to his strict “no tardy” policy. More pissed than ever, Mir had stalked off to find something to do until his friends’ classes were over.

That’s when he found himself in front of Minah’s psychology classroom. Room B-12. He didn’t exactly understand how he got there, he was just there. The smart thing to do would have been to walk away, but a part of him wanted to see what Minah looked like during class.

Yeah, more like you just wanna stalk her. You’re such a creep Mir.

Mir slapped his cheeks and pried his eyes away from the window on the door. And yet he found his eyes going right back to it seconds later.

What he saw made his heart warm up. Minah was sitting beside Jaesun, her gaze on the front board. He could see that she was concentrating deeply on the professor’s words, scribbling down notes at the same time. Unconsciously, her hand went up and lightly the faint scar on her cheek. Ever since she had removed her mask, Mir found it had become a habit of hers to gently touch the scar as if she was checking that it was still there.

Just as Mir was about to leave, Minah looked over and spotted him. At first, she seemed surprised. Then, she smiled softly and waved at him. Mir’s eyes grew wide and he was paralyzed for a moment. A concerned look crossed Minah’s features before she chuckled to herself and made a gesture with her hands, motioning for Mir to leave.

Biting his lip in embarrassment, Mir gave her a tiny salute before scurrying away.

When Mir left, Minah quickly diverted her attention back to the professor. She hoped no one had seen the little exchange and immediately plunged herself back into the task of taking notes.

However, someone had seen her. The neutral, gray color of his eyes gave nothing away. None of the emotions or thoughts in his mind could be seen by anyone who looked at him. The small frown on his face was hidden beneath his mask. If you could see the nearly imperceptible glare he had as he stared at the door, you would know that he was not pleased with Mir and Minah’s interaction.

---

Later in the day, Mir went off to work at Yongguk’s shop. Seungho was busy with soccer practice. Joon was doing whatever it is he did. Minah had her job at the convenience store. Who was it that hasn’t been mentioned yet? Oh yes, the idol Cheondoong.

Much like his job implies, Cheondoong was off doing idol-like things. His schedule was jam packed with TV show recordings and interviews that day. Not to mention he was making his comeback soon.

So, Cheondoong’s life became a blur of activity. He barely had a moment to breathe and it definitely do any good for his studies either.

It was now the second week of their first college term. A normal Thursday for Cheondoong which meant he was stuck in the company practice rooms, going through the choreography for his new song.

The choreography wasn’t too difficult but if involved lots of short bursts of movements, which depleted his energy quickly. An hour passed by and Cheondoong already collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat.

His choreographer told him they could stop for the day and left him alone in the room. For about five minutes, Cheondoong lay there in silence. His eyes were closed as he rested, thinking about nothing in particular.

Finally, after ten minutes, Cheondoong rose to his feet slowly. He staggered over to his bag and then plopped down to the floor again. Reaching inside his bag, he pulled out his phone. He looked at his screensaver and smiled softly. It was a picture of him, Minah, Joon, Mir, Seungho, and Byunghee. It was one of the first pictures they took together and Cheondoong still remembered that moment clearly. In that moment, he could remember that he was truly happy.

Sitting in that practice room suddenly felt extremely lonely to him. Cheondoong hadn’t been able to see his friends for a week now but that’s what he had to sacrifice to keep his job. He loved his job and there was no way he would ever give it up.

Tomorrow is Mir’s birthday, right? I should ask my manager for a day off tomorrow.

Even if he couldn’t give up his job as an idol, it didn’t mean he couldn’t take short breaks from it.

Cheondoong dialed his manager’s number and waited for him to pick up. When he did, he wasted no time in getting right to the point.

“Hello. Hyung, I want a day off tomorrow,” he stated bluntly. There was a slight pause as his manager took in his words.

“And what’s the reason?” his manager asked.

“It’s my friend’s birthday,” Cheondoong replied. He hoped that was a good enough reason for his manager to let him go. He heard a sigh on the other line and almost lost hope.

“Okay, fine. But only tomorrow, alright?” his manager responded. Overwhelmed with joy, Cheondoong let out a whoop of happiness. His manager chuckled and said goodbye before hanging up.

Cheondoong quickly regained his composure, glad that there was no one else in the room to see him. His first thought was to call Minah and tell her he had a free day, which contradicted his earlier intentions in asking for the day off. Shouldn’t he be telling Mir, instead of Minah?

Right, you’re hopelessly in love with Minah, Cheondoong. Of course she would come to your mind first.

Mir’s birthday became temporarily forgotten as Cheondoong began to realize that maybe he should confess soon. There was a noticeable tug in his heart that wanted him to call her at that moment and spill out everything he felt for her. However, he couldn’t do that. He knew that if he did, his words would get stuck in his throat and he would babble incoherently.

Maybe I should practice before I confess. But, practice how?

Glancing at the phone in his hand, an idea came to his mind. Cheondoong punched in a number and placed the receiver by his ear. He waited patiently for the other party to answer. When he heard the familiar click that signified the other person had answered, he immediately began to talk.

“Hey Joon, it’s me Cheondoong,” he began. “Don’t say anything yet. I just need a moment to talk and babble and I wanted someone to listen. You seemed like the perfect choice.”

Cheondoong left no time for Joon to reply and continued to speak. “You’ve known Minah the longest so I thought that you’d definitely know her best. I…I really like Minah. Do you think she likes me back? No wait, don’t answer that question. Ugh, I don’t understand why I’m like this. I’m usually so calm and collected but when it comes to Minah, I just can’t think straight.

“I’m sorry if I’m rambling on. I was just thinking about confessing to her soon and I wanted some practice before I mess up and say something stupid. So…maybe if you pretend that you’re Minah and you just listen to me talk, then this could work somehow?” Cheondoong took a deep breath.

“Okay, don’t say anything at all or else I’ll die of embarrassment. Oh, and you’d better not say anything tomorrow either. That reminds me, we need to throw a party for Mir since it’s his birthday tomorrow. Anyways, I’m getting off track. Alright, here I go,” Cheondoong took another deep breath and closed his eyes, imagining that Minah was right in front of him.

“Minah, I don’t really know how to say this but…I love you. No wait, that’s too short. Minah, from the first day I saw you I think I fell in love. As I got closer to you, I realized I was falling even deeper for you. Every moment we spent together has become a memory that I’ll never forget and I’ll cherish them forever.

“I’ve never felt anything like this for any other girl before. You’re special to me and I love you so much. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. And…I just really want you to know that…I love you,” Cheondoong finished his “confession” and squeezed his eyes shut.

There was no response on the other line so Cheondoong assumed Joon was either dying of laughter but trying to hold it in or he was frozen from the awkwardness.

“Okay, thanks for helping me Joon. Bye,” Cheondoong said before quickly hanging up. He pressed the back of his hands against his cheeks, feeling the heat radiating from them. Looking up at the mirror in front of him, he noticed that his face was beet red.

Damn, that was so embarrassing. But, at least I have an idea of what to say to her. I just hope when I do confess to her, I won’t turn into a tomato.