Chapter Text
CHAEWON AND LYNN WERE BEST FRIENDS.
They were best friends while they were in middle school. They spent years of their childhood at each others' houses, in each other's beds as they couldn't keep their voices down at night. With each other was where their time was spent.
But that soon got swept away with time, as if it was summer swiftly turning into autumn. When the next school year came along, it was time for Lynn to become a high school student and leave Chaewon back at middle school. It was extremely saddening for the pair, to say the least.
That was until they both had found someone else in a matter of time. In that matter, it didn't even take two weeks before they did.
In Lynn's case, she had met a girl called Shion who was small and cute, but weirdly obsessed with bread, might i add. Looks wise, she was the complete opposite of Lynn, who was tall and looked a little frightening at first sight.
But personality wise, they were very much the same. They shared the same humour and were both very soft spoken and quiet. Their vibes matched perfectly.
In Chaewon's case, it wasn't until she was walking back home at night, from previously visiting the shops, when it was pitch black.
She had noticed a young girl trying to peek through the windows of her father's dojo.
Chaewon raised her voice slightly, "Hey!"
The girl turned around quickly, a blank expression on her face. It didn't seem like she was scared or that she was excited, but rather she was more... Curious.
"Do you live here?" The girl asked, her voice unexpectedly deep for her age.
Chaewon nodded, the plastic bag in her hand rustling a little as she walked towards her. "Yeah. What're you doing here?"
"Cool! So you know who owns this place?! Is it your dad? Your mum?" The girl queried eagerly, leaning forward.
Chaewon raised an eyebrow and suspiciously narrowed her eyes, "... Yeah. It's my dad's. Why?"
The girl's facial expression quickly turned into an excited one. "Really? Is there a club on, or something? I really wanna join!"
Chaewon couldn't help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm. It was quite an unusual situation, it being ten pm on a random Tuesday.
"Yeah. Wednesdays and Fridays. He usually does Special Forces, but he also teaches general martial arts and self defence." She said, "What age are you?"
The girl's smile didn't falter as she held her hand out for her to take. "I'm fourteen. My name is Hayeon."
Chaewon took her hand and shook it gently, "Nice, me too. I'm Chaewon."
From there onwards, the pair trained together at Chaewon's dad's dojo on Wednesdays and Fridays. At the time, those were the only times they would get to see each other, but they had quickly become best friends.
When it was now time for them to go to high school, it was a pleasant coincidence that they were going to the same one, and therefore got to see each other almost every day, including after school at Mr. Kim's dojo.
It was the most popular high school among the neighbourhood, called 'MH High School' and had available almost every subject known to man. Same goes for 'University of MH', although it was a little more specific in classes.
Anyways, to this day, seventeen year-olds Chaewon and Hayeon are still best friends. They're in their second year at MH High School, though usually slack off during classes unless it's P.E.
Now, since Chaewon is only in her second year, that means that Lynn is in her third, and last, year. The pair weren't as close as they once were, but they hung out sometimes.
Chaewon and Hayeon are friends with a fellow second year student called Kim Soomin. The girl is one that you'd have to stop before she reached her third sentence -- because if you didn't, your ears might fall off.
She never ever got tired of talking, which is kind of impressive, actually. She had always been that way, though.
Chaewon is also friends with a couple of first years, who were named Kwak Yeonji and Joo Bin, who went by Joobin; Yeonji being Soomin's best friend, and, possibly, an even worse yapper.
In every High School, there is a group of popular kids. Whether they are annoying, mean, or genuinely sweet, it doesn't matter. There always is that one group.
And Jeong Hyerin was a part of that group. The girl was famous for majoring in dance and being exceptionally good at it. She was also famous in school for her big and pretty facial features.
Along with Hyerin, her best friend, Ryu Sarang, was also known for majoring in dance. But most of all, being titled as 'The Prettiest Girl At MH High School'.
To her, it didn't exactly bother her that people liked the way she looked, but it was the way that people thought of her that bothered her.
The way people thought she was arrogant and rude, even though they had never even had a conversation with her before.
But that's why she and Hyerin were best friends. Because they genuinely understood the other and were one of the only few that truly knew each other.
Sigh. MH High School is not a bad place at all, no. Actually, it's really great. But, sometimes things can get a little rough.
That's just life, though, isn't it?
SEOYEON FELT LIKE A DISAPPOINTMENT.
Although she studied hard, the outcome was never enough. Never up high enough to fit her standards.
It was fine, though, because it didn't matter in the end. She would wind up as a business worker for her parents.
That's how it was looking.
Not how she wanted it to look, though. It wasn’t like she had an idea in her head, but she couldn’t help but feel like she wanted something more.
Seoyeon is a third year student at MH University and is majoring in Mathematics. Yeah... Mathematics. She was currently sitting at around a C.
Her parents were quite encouraging and were very passionate about what their children wanted. Despite this, though, Seoyeon's efforts felt like they weren't contributing to anything. After a talk with them, Seoyeon decided that she would drop out at the end of the school year.
With this in mind, that her parents were very considerate, fate took a turn that Seoyeon wasn't too fond of.
If you don't know, Seoyeon's (ex) girlfriend just broke up with her about a month ago and left the country for work.
She, Ji Suhyeon, was a ballerina and ended up moving to the Netherlands. But before she did, she broke things off with Seoyeon in tears.
It was safe to say that Seoyeon was going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, and her parents new announcement was not a comforting hug.
"Honey, you have to consider this. This is a huge opportunity." Her father said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Seoyeon faught the urge to shrug it off and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and sighed. She looked up at her parents, who were giving her eyes that felt sympathetic and were begging.
She scoffed, "I break up with my girlfriend... And not even a month later... You want me to marry some person i don't even know?!" Her voice was loud and filled with rage.
Her mother stepped forward, "Darling, calm dow-"
"Calm down?!" She dared, stepping back slightly and her father's hand dropping from her shoulder. "Not a fucking chance."
She breathed heavily, "I can't do this right now." She turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her as she did so.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked through the luxurious walls of her house. It felt sickening to look at. The pure white and innocent decor didn't feel so comforting at all anymore.
It was a shame, because her favourite colour is white, but she can't seem to stand it at the moment.
She quickly tied on her shoes and grabbed a light jacket, heading out the front door, slamming it behind her also.
She walked. She didn't know where to, but she walked.
After about fifteen minutes, she ended up at a park. A small childrens playground. It was dark out and no one was to be seen. The lights of the houses and that surrounded her were turned off and it was quiet.
She walked over to the rusty swings and sniffled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. She sat down and sighed, tilting her head back in exhaustion.
It wasn't until she felt as if she was going to fall asleep that someone spoke up behind her. "Tired?" They asked, their voice fairly deep and smooth.
Seoyeon's soul literally jumped out of her body and returned again, "Oh my fuck..." She cursed in a whisper as she jumped out of the seat and turned around.
A girl stood before her, her hair long and dark. Although it was dark, it was easy to see that her skin was quite pale and her eyes were piercing.
"What the hell?!" Seoyeon exclaimed in horror, her hand holding down her jumping heart. "Holy mother of guac." She sighed.
The girl laughed and raised an eyebrow, "What did you just say?"
Seoyeon blinked, "I said what the hell?"
"No, after that."
"Oh... Holy mother of guac?" Seoyeon asked, her face contorting into confusion.
The girl laughed again, clutching onto the pole of the swings for support. Once she calmed down enough that she could speak, she breathed in, "Sorry."
She cleared her throat, "I guess i must've scared the sleep out of you."
Seoyeon still stood there in a shocked trance as she spoke, "Right."
The girl stared at her, looking at her face and outfit, noticing her tear-stained cheeks, red eyes and mismatched clothes. "Something happen?"
"Why should i tell you?" Seoyeon asked, not intending for it to come out as cheeky as it did.
The mysterious girl replied calmly, "It's not like we're going to meet again, right?" She said, "I walk away with this information and you'll never even see me again."
"And if i do?" She questioned, wanting to get things off her chest, but still a little wary of the stranger.
The girl simply brought two fingers from one corner of her mouth and dragged it to the other, pretending to zip her lips together.
After Seoyeon stared at her for a moment with narrowed eyes, she finally sighed and run a hand through her hair.
She dumped out all her feelings and current issues to a stranger. A beautiful one, at that. Not that it matters, but just... So you know.
When the girls parted ways that night, they headed to their own homes in the dark. The girl who Seoyeon had met had arrived home eventually and went straight to bed.
When she woke up the next morning, her parents had told her to go sit in the living room for a small chat. Now, she was a little skeptical because with her parents, it's never just a "small chat".
"Listen, Yooyeon, we don't really care about what you think. You're getting married and this is final. No debates." Yooyeon's mother declared, pointing a finger at her daughter.
Yooyeon sat in silence as her brain processed her mother's words. You're joking.
MH UNIVERSITY WAS KIND OF LIKE MH High School, that it was very big, popular and had a variety of different subjects for students to choose from.
You've heard of Jeong Hyerin, right?
Remember how i told you earlier that she was majoring in dance? Well, so is her older sister, Kim Nakyoung. But instead of it being high school, she's in her final year at college.
Nakyoung seems cool when you first meet her, and is actually when you get to know her. Although she's cool, she's also a bit of a softie; her favourite thing ever is cute Sanrio characters, specifically My Melody.
When she was young, her parent's friends frequently came over to her house and vice versa. Their friends had a daughter just three years younger than her.
Hyerin was normally engrossed in other things as a child and had other friends, same with her older sister, Hyungseo, who was a teenager.
Nakyoung was ten when she first met Gong Yubin, who was eight. Yubin's birthday was earlier in the year, hence why she was already eight years-old.
The pair always ended up in Nakyoung's shared room, or Yubin's small room, whenever their parents met up.
They always opened the windows slightly and whispered things as people walked by, barely keeping in their laughter.
Their humour had always been a bit strange, but it was fun. They always had fun together and trusted each other.
When they had turned into teenagers, Nakyoung being fifteen and Yubin being twelve, they were both first years.
A first year in middle school and a first year in high school, that is. At this time, it was a little hard for them both to understand each other. More so Yubin towards Nakyoung. The gap in experience and maturity was just a little too big.
It wasn't until Yubin turned nineteen and was starting university that the pair had started getting in touch again.
Their lives had gone on for years without each other. That was before Yubin had caught Nakyoung on her second Monday at MH University.
The older girl was simply heading out of the dance studio when Yubin saw her. She stopped walking and raised her voice slightly, "Nakyoung-unnie?"
Nakyoung raised her head from her phone. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared. Yubin could've sworn that she saw tears form in her eyes, but maybe it was just her bad eyesight; She wasn't wearing her glasses or contacts that day.
Her mouth hung slightly agape as she walked towards Yubin. "I'm not dreaming, am i?" She asked, her facial expression calm, unlike the inside of her chest.
Yubin chuckled and shook her head. Nakyoung smiled, "I'm so happy to see you." She sighed and wrapped her arms around Yubin's shoulders.
She then pulled back after a moment, as if something just clocked, "Wait, you're in college?" She asked, "Are you a first year?"
"Yeah. I started a week ago." Yubin stated with a slight nod, feeling a little awkward, seeing as they hadn't spoken in years.
Nakyoung smiled warmly at her, "What are you studying?"
"I'm majoring in dance." She said, "I'm guessing you are as well...?"
"Yeah." Nakyoung nodded, "I am."
The girls stood in silence for a moment, just staring at each other and becoming familiar with their new vibe.
"You've changed." Nakyoung said quietly, eventually, "Like, by a ton." She said, still staring at the girl.
Yubin looked away and her eyes darted around their surroundings, "Yeah, well, it has been seven years..." She replied quietly, finally looking back at her again. "You look cooler." She joked with a small smile.
Nakyoung laughed, "Thanks, Yubin."
After a moment, her smile faded and she ran a hand through her hair. "I can't believe it's been seven years."
The girl looked hurt, and it made Yubin feel even worse than before. It wasn't their fault that they drifted. It just... Happened.
"Yeah... Me too." Yubin claimed, looking down at her feet.
Nakyoung noticed her slightly awkward behaviour and couldn't blame the girl. It was quite awkward between the two at the moment.
She lifted her head and offered an unnoticeably strained smile, then placed her hand on Yubin's shoulder. "When do you finish your classes tomorrow?"
Yubin blinked, "Two pm."
"Great, meet me at dance studio number one at quarter past two tomorrow. Don't be late!" Nakyoung waved as she walked away, her hair slightly knotted together from sweat.
Yubin watched and sighed. What the hell just happened?
WHEN YUBIN GOT BACK HOME, she sighed and flopped onto her bed. Her new roommate, Noh Yunah, looked over and spoke gently, "Rough day?"
Yubin groaned, the noise muffled from her bedsheets. She rolled over, onto her back and stared at the ceiling, "Met an old friend today. Don't know how to feel."
Yunah nodded in understanding, "How old?"
"We've not talked in seven years." She explained, turning her head towards the girl, "She's a fourth year."
The girls' room was filled with quiet chatter as a single lamp stood lit in the corner of their room. Eventually, the pair fell asleep and snored quietly.
THE NEXT MORNING, Kaede woke up and peacefully got on with her morning routine. Her first class was at half nine, so she had a spare hour before it started.
She walked along campus and ended up in the library. She sat down and began studying for a while, earphones plugged in.
When she realised that she only had fifteen minutes before her next class, she gathered her things and left her spot in the library.
As she walked through the halls of the music and dance departments, there weren't too many students around since it was still a little early.
It was quiet at first, but as she passed by multiple practice rooms, a passionate voice that sounded overwhelmingly pleasant to the ear stopped her path.
She instinctively took out her earphones and paused to simply listen to the supposed girl behind the wall. It almost tranced her.
She didn't know who it was, and didn't get the chance to wait to find out; Her best friend, Kamimoto Kotone had caught up to her and almost jumped onto her back in the process.
"What's up, Kae?" She asked casually as she began walking with the younger girl.
Kotone is a second year student and is majoring in music. Kaede says she's the best rapper she knows.
"Nothing. Just heading to class." Kaede said, glancing back at the practice room for a second, before focusing her attention onto Kotone. "How are you?"
Later on in the day, when Kaede met up with Kotone after their classes, it was around one in the afternoon when they arrived at a cafe.
The cafe was a decent size and was decorated very nicely. It felt cozy and comfortable, yet very fresh and lively.
Old fashioned bells rang when the two entered through the door. Kotone smiled at someone behind the counter, holding up her hand as a greeting, "Hey Nien."
The girl behind the counter, Hsu Nien, smiled brightly and jogged around the counter. "Tone!" She chirped, attacking the girl in a hug.
As they did so, Kaede looked around, noticing how the scent of lemon cake and strawberry milkshakes filled the cafe.
She glanced at other customers, who were either quietly chatting, studying by themselves or peacefully eating or drinking their purchased goods.
She took a double take on a pair of girls. One stood behind the counter, where Nien previously was, and the other sat on a stool in front.
As they chatted and laughed quietly, Kaede couldn't help but stare at the girl who sat by the counter.
Her hair was long and brown, slightly wavy and hit the light in a way that made it look extremely soft and silky. Her eyes looked bright and happy, her face just expressed everything that she felt.
But, most of all, her smile was the thing that simply drew Kaede's attention towards her. It was so... Unlike anything she had ever seen before.
She didn't even realise that Kotone had been calling her name for minutes, until she had eventually yelled in her ear.
Kaede yelped and backed away, holding a hand towards her ear. "What the hell, Tone?"
"I was calling your name for like five years, jeez." Kotone said, glancing at Nien with a shake of her head, "What were you even looking at, anyway? You were smiling like a cree-"
"Who is that?" Kaede asked, not pointing a finger, but rather nodding her head towards the girl by the counter.
"Oh, that's Zhou-jie and Dahyun. Xinyu works here and Dahyun is her close friend." She explained with a nod and a wide smile.
"Dahyun..." Kotone mumbled, "I think she goes to our school." She paused and blinked, "I'm not sure, actually... I'm really bad with names." She smiled sheepishly.
Kaede silently took in the information and nodded.
Nien nodded as well, "Yeah, she's a third year; Majors in Music. Xinyu is actually in her fourth year at your school, too, but she's an actress." She smiles.
"What about you, Nien-ssi?" Kaede asked, finally taking a seat by the counter next to her best friend.
"Oh, no, i don't go to school. If i did, i'd be in the same year as Dahyun." She explained, taking a sip of water as she talked.
The three talked for a while and it was around two pm when Kotone and Kaede started heading back to their respective dorms, the sun still shining brightly.
SO, YOU KNOW NIEN'S CAFE, DON'T YOU?
Well, as Nien herself had briefly mentioned, Zhou Xinyu works here and Seo Dahyun is a close friend to Xinyu.
Xinyu would come and work for her best friend, Nien, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and on weekends (including the Friday).
Usually, it didn't matter when she worked, as long as she got her hours in. Her boss was her own best friend, after all.
On those days, usually during the afternoons, a girl would come in and order the same thing almost every day, except for holidays.
She would order a mocha and an egg tart, then sit down at a booth by herself. She always carried a laptop and headphones with her, presumably for work. But when she didn't, she always read book after book.
The first day she came in was around a year ago. A little girl who, at the time, was thirteen years old walked through the door of Nien's cafe. Her smile was playful and bright, along with her matching laughter.
"Sohyun-unnie, come on! Aren't you hungry too?" She asked the person who walked in behind her.
It was the girl who i mentioned earlier, "Keep your voice down, Haerin-ah." She, Park Sohyun, placed a finger against her own lips in order to get the signal across.
When they eventually settled down by the counter, Xinyu gave them a polite smile. As Sohyun returned it with a small nod, Haerin was too busy checking out the menu.
"Ohhh, they have milkshakes! Isn't it cool, unnie?" She pointed towards the big board behind the counter as she exclaimed.
Sohyun chuckled, "Yes. Very cool, Haerin-ah." She turned her head towards her younger sister, "Would you like one?"
"Mm!" Haerin nodded enthusiastically.
"Which one?" Sohyun asked, "They have strawberry, banana, lemon, or chocolate." She explained patiently, counting them out with her fingers.
Haerin narrowed her eyes in contemplation, "Hmm... Chocolate." She clicked her fingers and pointed it towards her older sister.
Sohyun smiled and nodded, turning her attention towards the overwhelmingly beautiful barista. She cleared her throat gently, "Excuse me,"
Xinyu's head perked up towards her and smiled, "Hello, would you like to order?"
"Mm, yes, please." She paused, watching the girl shift over towards the cashier. "A chocolate milkshake and a mocha, please."
Xinyu's fingers tapped against the screen as she nodded, "Yep, coming right up. It'll be a few minutes, thank you."
Sohyun thanked her before she got to work behind the counter.
Haerin looked up at her sister, "She's pretty, isn't she?" She asked with adoration in her eyes.
Sohyun smiled warmly with a chuckle, glancing over at Xinyu, "Yes, she is." She poked her sister in the cheek gently, "No one's prettier than you, though, Haerin-ah."
From that day, Sohyun began coming in for her mocha and egg tart to quietly work on either lyrics or songs through her laptop. Or occasionally read, as i mentioned before.
For Xinyu, she always kept an eye on Sohyun when she worked. Not because she was suspicious of her, but simply because she just wanted to look at her.
She didn't know when it started, but if Sohyun didn't come when she usually would, she felt a pang of disappointment.
The two had never properly talked before, but they knew each other's names and just the casual things acquaintances may know about the other. But perhaps they were simply driven towards each other by more than just their small conversations.
Yoon Seoyeon, who you've met before, is Sohyun's best friend. Just as Sohyun bit into her egg tart, Seoyeon hurriedly rushed through the cafe door.
She and Xinyu were close friends, but she was in quite the rush at the moment that she didn't have the time to greet her properly. She politely bowed to Xinyu and Nien who worked behind the counter and then shuffled over towards the booth that Sohyun sat at.
Sohyun looked up, a bite of her egg tart in her mouth, in confusion. "Seoyeon-ah?" She blinked, "What're you doing here, and why do you look so... Distressed?"
Seoyeon sighed and placed her bag carefully onto the seat beside her. "You'll never guess what is happening to me, unnie." She held her head in her hands just at the mere thought of it.
Sohyun became worried. "What's wrong? Is it about... You know..." She asked, trying not to hit any wrong spots, since Seoyeon was still sensitive about the recent events between herself and Suhyeon.
She shook her head quickly, then stopped in thought for a moment. "No... Well- Not exactly-" She cut herself off, waving her hands in front of her face. "Just... Let me explain."
Seoyeon told her all about her parents and how they are basically forcing her to marry someone she's never met before. As she spoke, she only noticed that she really didn't know anything about the situation.
Last night, when she ranted about all of her problems to that random and mysterious girl at that playground, she didn't even know anything about the person she is actually marrying.
"Wait a sec..." Seoyeon stopped mid-sentence and sighed as she cut herself off once again. "I need to calm down..."
Sohyun stayed quiet and listened. By now, her egg tart had vanished and her things were neatly placed to the side of the table.
Seoyeon stared at the table in front of her blankly. "I don't even know who i'm marrying."
Sohyun blinked, "Yeah, i figured that much. You've only said, like, a thousand times already." She held back the urge to roll her eyes.
"No, i mean..." Seoyeon shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows, "Like, they could be the sweetest person in the world and i'm just hyperventilating for no reason."
She paused and then shook her head again, "Wait, no! This is so unfair! I should be allowed to marry someone i actually love, not just some stranger." She groaned and slightly hit her hands against the table, burying her head in them.
Sohyun furrowed her eyebrows in sympathy, placing a hand over her arm reassuringly, "Seoyeon-ah..." She sighed, "Let's go get some fresh air, yeah?"
Sohyun packed her things and slid out of the booth, Seoyeon following suit. When Seoyeon walked out of the door first, Sohyun suddenly stopped when Xinyu called out her name.