Author's Note: Hi, guys! A little update for the weekend. :)) I made a mistake on writing that four out of five pillars were hopelessly in love with each other (thanks to hellounnie for reminding me) so I had to write this to make everything right. And by the way, this story doesn't have main pairing yet so you better comment down who you will ship for Amber as the story progresses. Ok? Thanks for the love! :D

So here's Jiwon for Amber. :))

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Jiwon’s POV

FLASHBACK

Freshman year

“Kim Jiwon-shi, fighting!”

Everyone cheered me before the Photojournalism contest started. It was my first competition outside Hansung and I was so nervous since I would be competing with top calibre students from the best high schools for the arts in Seoul. Digital cameras were not allowed but they still had the best lenses for their manual cameras to produce the best photos. What could my disposable camera do?

The contest began and we were given an hour to roam around the campus to take some photos. It wasn’t easy to come up with a good concept related to the topic that it took me exactly one hour to complete the twenty four shots to be submitted for printing. Out of twenty four, I only had to choose eight shots which I would use for the final layout then write a photo essay about it.

Oh gosh, writing an essay is where I at. I can write photo captions but not photo essays. I haven’t written one in middle school too.

I was meditating alone under a tree, thinking of what to write for the photo essay later when someone came towards me.

“Excuse me.” I turned immediately when I heard a deep voice spoke. It was another person from the Hansung team, my bestfriend Suzy’s cute tomboy friend, Amber Josephine Liu. We’re not classmates since they belong to the other section but I heard a lot about her from Suzy.

“Oh, Amber-shi. Why are you here? Aren’t you competing too?” From what I heard, she’s a writer like Suzy and would be competing for the English essay category. Amber then sat beside me and offered a piece of mint candy.

“I just came back from the contest venue and I happened to see you here alone. You’re Suzy’s bestfriend since middle school, right? Kim Jiwon?”

“Y-Yeah.” I didn’t know why but I suddenly felt shy. Could it be the presence of such a cutie?

“So how’s the photoshoot? You’ll be layouting this afternoon, right?” I got tongue-tied and just nodded. Uh, Kim Jiwon. Why are you so nervous?

“Can I read your photo essay?”

“Uhmm. I actually haven’t thought of it,” I replied, blushing maybe. Why did she even have to ask about the essay? *sigh* “I’m actually having a problem on how I’m going to write it.” Being honest won’t hurt, right?

“Oh, is that so? Let me help you then.” Help, yes, I needed help at the moment but I was too embarrassed to ask for Amber’s help. “C’mon, don’t be shy. I’m willing to help. Tell me the topic.”

In the end, I told her the details of my pictures as she silently listened to me. Her dark brown eyes were fixed on me, melting me on the spot. Amber looked eager in helping me out and she did.

“Hmm. So what you’re trying to say is that we should take a risk sometimes and break our boundaries to live our life to the fullest?” she finally told me. I couldn’t believe she just put into the simplest words what I was trying to express in my pictures.

“Exactly!”

“Then try to write something dramatic at first like ‘Two men look out at the same bars. One sees the mud; the other sees the stars’. I just heard that from a speech of my favourite orator so you can’t copy it but did you get the idea?” I nodded enthusiastically as ideas started popping inside my brain. I quickly grabbed a pen and started scribbling my ideas.

Amber’s idea helped me a lot and I just managed to finish the photo essay in ten minutes like I was good at it. While Amber, she looked like a proud teacher when she read it.

“Woah, this is daebak! I thought you’re having a hard time?” she told me with a grin.

“It’s because you helped me. I would just think of the title later while layouting.”

“How about ‘The Road Less Taken’? I think it fits your essay.”

How could I ever thank Amber for that? It’s catchy, it’s perfect!

“Amber—

“Calling the attention of all photojournalism contestants for layouting. Please proceed to Sungyang Hall for the contest proper,” the host announced through the microphone.

“Oh, it’s going start. You should go,” Amber said then helped me get up. The feeling of her cold hands on mine sent electric shock to my whole system. I was about to go when she suddenly called my name again. She walked towards me and handed me something. To my surprise, it was a black marker pen, the most crucial material in layouting!

“A-Amber-shi.”

“Jiwon-shi, you can do it. Fighting!” she told me with a sweet smile then left silently.

That contest, I owe it to Amber. Yes, I won. In my first contest in high school, I won first place. I even won the same contest on our sophomore year; the judges complimented me nonstop and said ‘You’re making it a habit’. Thanks to Amber, she’s the person who brought out the best in me.

One day I heard the familiar line that Amber once told me from my bestfriend herself, ‘Two men look out at the same bars. One sees the mud; the other sees the stars.’

“Suz, where did you get that line?” I asked her, dying to know who Amber’s favourite orator was.

But my heart shattered in pieces when I found out.

“It’s from my oration piece last season.”

END OF FLASHBACK

Why do you have to be so perfect? Your handsome face, awesome talents, and warm personality, tell me how can I not fall for someone like you? I know your heart belongs to someone else but you’re just too hard to resist. Without words and just my actions, I hope you could feel what you truly mean to me. I like you. I like you a lot. No, I think I love you. But you’re just too dense to notice it.

“What’s with that dork? Why is she smiling like a fool?”

I was pulled out from my trance by the suspicious voice of my bestfriend, Bae Suzy. And with the ‘dork’ she was referring to, it was ‘her’ Amber. Yes, Amber’s her possession, her private property. They might not label what they have but that’s how it basically works because Amber already gave her heart to Suzy when they were kids. And clearly, the feeling is mutual. It’s just Suzy who hasn’t realized it yet. Thus, Amber is someone I can never have.

“Maybe something good happened?” I told her as I carefully watched Amber who was lifting a giant speaker with Chanyeol across the stage of the grand auditorium. We were busy preparing for the Christmas program this afternoon and when every looked so tired, there was Amber who’s still smiling dorkily and dancing like an idiot to the beat of TaeTiSeo’s Twinkle.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Suzy muttered. I couldn’t understand why she looked so pissed by Amber’s actions. “Yah, Kim Jiwon. Do you have any idea who the senior guest vocalist is?”

“Uh, I met her yesterday, the blonde girl from Section 4-D.”

“You mean Jessica Jung?! Aish, when did that dork started to have no taste at all!” Suzy said before marching towards the stage and began bossing around. “Yah, you two, work faster, will you! Park Chanyeol, Liu Yiyun, transfer that speaker to the other side!”

“But you just said a while ago to transfer it here,” Chanyeol reasoned out, exchanging glances with Amber who also looked confused.

Aigoo. Suzy can’t possibly be thinking that Amber likes the vocalist girl, right?

“Amber! Let’s go grab some drink at the cafeteria!” I yelled. It was the only way to save her from Suzy’s bad mood. Her eyes lit up and immediately descended the stage, leaving Chanyeol to receive harsh treatment from Suzy.

“We’ll be back, Suz. I’ll buy something to calm you down,” I told my bestfriend who couldn’t say ‘no’ to me and just nodded.

“Strawberry milk please,” she said before punching Amber’s arm and left.

“Why does she keep treating me like a punching bag when she’s mad?” Amber protested while walking our way to the cafeteria. Because you’re the reason why she’s mad. I couldn’t tell her that so I just smiled faintly instead.

“Do you want something? My treat for saving me back there,” she told me.

“Uh, a medium cup of lemonade will do,” I replied.

As if I could tell her that I want her and nothing else.