Realistic or Modern The Spring Of Our Youth (IC)

[triples]

 

[triples]

hong yubi.

the tulip

She poked at the increasingly unappetizing school lunch, her mind — unused to all this thinking — jumbled up with potential excuses and escape routes. Oblivious to Yubi's despair, the group continued to giggle, throwing in their own little guesses about just who her mystery boyfriend could be. Was he handsome? Was he from this school? Was he older? Oh my god, is he studying abroad? And on it went.

Now, what was there to despair about in this lighthearted conversation, you ask? The fact, of course, that she didn't have a boyfriend at all, much less an older, handsome, foreign one. And that was despair-inducing enough on its own, what with her having been solo since birth, without her friends having such wild expectations about this non-existent guy.

She knew she should never have made up that stupid lie, but it had been in the spur of the moment and the desire to avoid humiliation sealed her mouth from spilling the truth even after she'd come to her senses. In the end, she had been well and truly got by her own scam, and she had nothing to blame but herself. She glanced over at Yuna with a pleading look, hoping for at least help, if not salvation, but the timing was off and she failed to catch the other girl's eyes.

"I'm betting it's Hojun," one of them theorized, grinning like she'd gotten full marks on a test instead of spouted absolute blasphemy, catching Yubi's attention at last. As a chorus of agreements and sounds of realization echoed around the table, Yubi's expression shifted from helpless to indignant.

"What?!" Her voice was too loud as always, piercing through at least half the canteen before she quietened down. "Are you crazy? It's definitely not him," she scoffed, leaning back in her chair as if to sulk when she was met with doubtful gazes. These girls didn't get it; Hojun wasn't at all her type. Her type was... her thoughts flickered briefly to two rows down, where a certain other boy sat, probably not paying her any attention.

"You just don't want to admit that you two finally got together, right?" Her friend laughed, chin resting on one hand with a knowing glint in her eyes, adding on a very confident: "It makes so much sense."

"Nope," Yubi insisted, a small frown forming on her face. Damn, how was she gonna get out of this mess? Maybe it was time to go on one of those sketchy boyfriend-for-hire websites and give that (unwise) idea a try. She wondered how much those even cost — as if she even had a budget. Yubi was broke.

"Okay, then why don't you just introduce us to this mystery guy?" Her friend pressed, her tone challenging. Because he doesn't exist, Yubi wanted to cry out, and barely held herself back from doing it. She'd told them so many times that he was "really shy", but they weren't buying it any longer and she was unfortunately low on her excuses reserve.

"I mean, unless you don't actu-" the girl continued, and despite the teasing tone, Yubi flinched. Before the sentence could even be finished, she brought her hands down onto the table and stood up, pushing the chair back with an echoing screech, as she exclaimed, "I do have a boyfriend, okay?!"

Suddenly, it felt like a spotlight had been shined on her, and she froze. Yikes. She was a fool. A total idiot. Her life was a comedy and she was the running joke. In which case, the punchline must be her suffering. People shot curious stares at her and it felt to her like they, too, expected some answers. Yubi glanced around in panic, her thoughts racing and her mind ready to grasp at any straws.

Right then, she saw him, standing right behind her. Ha Daehyun. A familiar face. A friendly face. A kindhearted, warm, compassionate face that wouldn't leave her to die in disgrace. Her savior. With the most wounded-dog expression she'd ever pulled off yet, she reached out to force him to her side, literally and metaphorically. And in the brightest tone she could manage, she cut the rope to her own guillotine with the words: "Right, Hyun-ie?"

 

[Stardust Galaxy]

ha daehyun.

the sunflower

outfit

school uniform

location

cafeteria

interactions

Yubi ( triples )

Daehyun was never a big fan of loud places and the school cafeteria was for sure one of the places that even if he didn't despise he wasn't thrilled to spend most of his time there. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't interested in listening to the hottest gossip in school or know how the school clubs were doing and how cool and amazing the aces of the teams were.

Well, maybe the last part was due to his jealousy because there was a time when he was the ace of the basketball team and everyone looked up to him to carry the team to the finals, but his athlete career ended as soon as the asthma attacks appeared and even if there had passed years where he hadn't had one, he was in the mindset that if he couldn't give it his 100% then he wouldn't do it.

And that was the main reason how he ended up in the literature club, not because he was a vivid reader if it was his choice he would have rather join the photography club, but taking nice pictures wouldn't take you to a good university and at least the literature club gave you the opportunity to seem more educated.

"What?!"

a voice that Daehyun identified as Yubi's rumble throughout the cafeteria, it seemed that their topic of conversation became a shock to his fellow events committee member as when he glanced at her, she seemed flustered and her friends seemed giddy about the whole situation Those girls really seem more chatty than usual. What do you think they are talking about? one of his friends asked curiously I think they are asking her about her boyfriend or something like that another voice in his group of friends replied. Maybe he should have already left when he had the opportunity he didn't want to engage in a conversation about Yubi's love life.

Not like he didn't care about the girl, but he didn't consider himself close enough to meddle in her personal life just like her wasn't close to him, they were just acquaintances that happen to be on the same committee, so gossiping about her love life wasn't something that he wanted to do nor he was interested in it. After all, he had his own love life to worry about.

Asking Cho Yuna out was his main priority right now, the girl that started as just a person she knew at her cram school which later became his study buddy and eventually became the girl he was crushing on after spending time with her. She was intelligent and pretty and she was also caring with the people she cared about, there was no way that no one would crush on her even the bookworm Ha Daehyun who only seemed to care more about his grades than anything else.

He managed to come with the perfect date, well, after browsing for date spots, he wanted to do things the right way and that was knowing what kind of place would Yuna like because even if it was a popular place he wasn't going to take her to Lotte World, it would have been as having two fish out of the water, so Coex Mall with their 50,000 book library and movie theatre was for him his best bet. Now he just needed to ask her, but doing it in the middle of the cafeteria didn't sound like something a girl would like. He just needed to find the perfect moment where he wouldn't be interrupted or become the topic of conversation of all the school.

That's when he remembered that he still had Yuna's notes, giving them back to her and asking for help even if he didn't need it was the perfect excuse to ask her out.

"I have to go"

he said to his friends as he picked up his stuff and headed towards where the girl was seating

Everything was according to how he pictured it on his head, that was when he was dragged next to someone and that someone being no other than Hong Yubi. Wait, what was going on? He just came to give back the math notes of Yuna

"Right, Hyun-ie?"

the girl said. What she was talking about? Why she was calling him Hyun-ie?

"Huh?"

The boy said, he was like a deer in the headlights and that's when he noticed the perplexed look on Yubi's friends Are you really dating Daehyun? one of them asked as if she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing, and that's when he realized what was going on. Yubi didn't have a boyfriend she was just making up a lie and he was just in the right place and time to become the "boyfriend" and she could continue with her act.

He could have said no, that he didn't like Yubi and that they weren't close everything would be over, but he was supposed to be the kindhearted and compassionate Daehyun, he was supposed to be the one that would have to take one for the team and would have helped Yubi without thinking, he wouldn't have had such a struggle on knowing what to say if the girl he liked didn't happen to be the best friend of the girl that was now claiming him as her boyfriend, but even if he wanted to say no with all his heart he couldn't let Yubi be the embarrassment of the entire school, even if his golden boy persona was more of a facade at this point just to be liked by everyone and in reality, he cared more about himself than others he wasn't a monster that would just let her die in disgrace and also because he had a big soft spot for dogs and Yubi was looking like one right now as she pleaded that he would help her.

Now, what was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he never had a girlfriend before, but he was never in a position to pretend he was dating someone, should he put his arm around her? Give her a kiss on her cheek? Hold her hand? Maybe he should start by agreeing that he was in fact "dating" her

"Oh Yes! I thought you weren't ready yet to tell others about us that's why I was surprised, but yes we are dating"

he said as he ruffled her hair tenderly.

Ha Daehyun sealed his fate and it wasn't how he wanted.

 

[Uxie]

cho yuna.

the lily

outfit

school uniform

location

cafeteria

interactions

yubi, daehyun, npcs

To be completely honest, Yuna wasn't really listening. It wasn't the first time the topic had been discussed and she was sure it wouldn't be the last, so she had put on her customary slight, oblivious smile as the other girls continued to throw out teasingly exaggerated theories. And the conversation would end as the bell rang with the same conclusion, because she knew Yubi didn't have a boyfriend. Yuna was sure her best friend would've told her the moment she started dating someone, and the mysterious boyfriend that had popped into existence sometime last December had definitely been left out of their conversations thus far.

Yuna could admire her best friend's commitment to her charade but her attention was elsewhere— namely on the boy seated just a few tables away. He was smiling at something his friends had said, and just the sight of him was giving her butterflies. Not that Yuna was hopeful, or anything, that they might go to something a little more than friends, but there was no denying she certainly felt that way herself. As if feeling her eyes on him, he turned towards her suddenly and she glanced back hastily at her friends, somewhat relieved Yubi was occupying all of the table's attention. Were they talking about Hojun now?

It was all of three seconds before Yuna snuck another peek at Daehyun, only to find that he had left his seat and had begun walking towards her. Them, she corrected, even as her heart skipped a hopeful beat in her chest.

She lifted a hand as he approached, trying to hide the beaming smile that was itching to spread across her lips, only for her view of him to be immediately obstructed. "I do have a boyfriend, okay?" Yuna jumped in surprise, glancing up at a visibly frustrated Yubi with a mixture of shock and concern. Ah, had she let it go too far?

"That's enough, you guys–"

she began, with the gentle chiding tone she always used when the time came to conclude the "Does Yubi have a boyfriend" segment, only for the girl of the hour's voice to cut through. There was an unfamiliar sweetness embellishing her tone, one that she only recognised from the few times Yubi had spoken about her crush on one of their schoolmates, though it was the name she sang that made Yuna do a double-take.

Hyun-ie? When had they gotten close? Her eyes darted between the two of them, lingering on Daehyun just that beat longer, then back to the girls who seemed equally as surprised by the turn of events as she was, though surely without any of her despair. "Are you really dating Daehyun?" The question was taken right out of her mouth, and Yuna did her best to keep her expression neutral, concealing the hope that threatened to spill out if he gave the answer she was looking for. Even as her gaze continued to drift towards the point where the two connected, her best friend's arm wrapped around her crush's.

"Oh Yes! I thought you weren't ready yet to tell others about us that's why I was surprised, but yes we are dating."

Her heart sank.

A tap on her forearm reminded her of where she was, her expression quickly morphing to one of pleasant surprise. Emphasis on pleasant. "Did Yubi not tell you either, Yuna?"

"No, I knew just as you guys did."

Even as her delight sounded painfully disingenuous to herself, it seemed to convince the rest at the table. The conversation restarted quickly, the brief silence overcome with a tirade of questions and comments alike.

"Never took Daehyun as the boy too shy for you to introduce us to, Yubi."

Neither did I.

She forced a smile. Had it all been in her head? Just the one-sided delusions of someone who'd mistakenly fallen for her best friend's boyfriend? Yuna felt like a fool— a clown performing to a mirror.

"Ah, it's a pity. I thought Daehyun and Yuna were the ones that were going to get together."

I thought so too, but I guess I never stood a chance.

The sting at the corner of her lips began to fade, her eyebrows furrowing in a flawless reaction even as her heart thumped its beat of despair.

"Don't say that."

she chided, jumping in without missing a beat; Like a practised line in her script, her voice as gentle as it always was, betraying none of the guilt nor anger that churned through her gut.

Her smile grew wider as she turned to face them, her eyes doe-wide.

"I think they suit each other. But you should have told me, Yubi."

A pout, then a coltish giggle as her fingers clenched around the hem of her skirt.

What a fake.

 

[triples]

hong yubi.

the tulip

outfit

school uniform

location

cafeteria

interactions

daehyun, yuna, npcs

A beat of silence rippled across the table at her sudden announcement, and the gravity of her own announcement dawned slowly on Yubi — a second too late, as always. Her palms grew clammy at the sight of incredulous surprise in Daehyun's expression. If even she could spot it, then everyone else definitely could. Yubi was at least introspective enough to recognize her own obtuse nature.

Please, she begged silently, hoping that somehow her pleas would be telepathically communicated to her friend, just don't say anything. But it was too late. Daehyun's lips had already parted, as the shock on his face faded and he seemed to regain his senses. He was going to pull her cover cleanly off. She was screwed.

"Oh, yes,"

he finally replied, and Yubi braced herself for the tonne of shame to crash down on her like an ele-

Wait. What?

"I thought you weren't ready yet to tell others about us."

A warm hand fell on her head, messing up her hair in that familiar, affectionate way. Oh my god. He was going along with it? Yubi blinked, staring up at the tall figure of her hero, his crisp, perfectly-neat uniform sparkling in her eyes like pure white armor, the bright lights of the cafeteria shining down on him like the halo of angel. A beaming smile spread across her lips. She knew it! Daehyun really was such a good guy!

"Never took Daehyun as the boy too shy for you to introduce us to, Yubi,"

someone teased, and a nervous laugh escaped her lips. That's because he isn't. To stay here any longer right now was pushing her luck for sure. She had to leave, and take her newly minted pretend-boyfriend along with her, so she could explain this whole situation to him. And then, of course, beg for forgiveness.

"Ah, it's a pity. I thought Daehyun and Yuna were the ones that were going to get together,"

the girl continued. Yubi's smile fell slightly. She had, too — they would look so good together. But Yuna had never talked to her about Daehyun, much less confess to liking him or anything close. They were best friends; Yuna would tell her if she had feelings for a guy. Right? Of course she would. Yubi told her all about Jaewoo, before Fake Boyfriend came into the picture.

She glanced at Yuna, who was smiling in the same pleasant, calm way she always did. And, yet, something odd twinged at Yubi. But she pushed it away. Right now, she had to get out of this minefield of a conversation.

"So... So, anyway, now you guys... all know,"

she stuttered out, her grip tightening on Daehyun's arm,

"Hyun-ie, can we... go somewhere else?"

She composed herself, chanting to herself to relax. They were dating. Yes. Totally. She should be hesitating to leave with her own boyfriend, right?

"I want to show you something!"

She finished, her tone gaining a lot more pizazz. Her iron grip and pleading eyes left little room for argument from Daehyun, but still she held her breath as she waited for his reply.

 

[Stardust Galaxy]

ha daehyun

the sunflower

outfit

school uniform

location

events meeting classroom

interactions

everyone

Daehyun had saved the day, or at least Yubi’s day. He could see it in the way she was smiling at him brightly; which was far from the loving smile everyone thought they were sharing because, on Daehyun’s side, he felt a bittersweet sensation behind the smile he was giving to her. But once again, when it was the last time, he really smiled because he felt happy. Did he even know what that emotion felt like after all that time?

But one feeling that he was familiar with was the one of disappointment, and even for a moment; he noticed that look in Yuna’s eyes, or he was just imagining it? If only he could tell her it was just a lie that he wasn’t there to express his love for Yubi in front of the entire school. Instead, he was there just to give her math notes back and invite her on a date. But now he was just in the entwined in Yubi’s lies.

“No, I knew just as you guys did.” And at the sound of those words coming up from Yuna, cause pain that made his heartache. But at the sudden revelation as Yubi’s secret boyfriend, the interrogation didn’t take long until it started as they were bombarded with questions from the curious souls in the cafeteria that were Yubi’s friends that seemed amused at the new gossip of the school.

“Never took Daehyun as the boy too shy for you to introduce us to, Yubi.” One of Yubi’s friends teased, which only made Daehyun laugh awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head in nervousness.

I’m not exactly the shy type, to be honest.

“Ah, it’s a pity. I thought Daehyun and Yuna were the ones that were going to get together.”

That was what I wanted. That was my intention originally, not to become Yubi’s boyfriend.

But what ended with the last hope that he had, that maybe Yuna would see behind this mess and realize it was impossible for Yubi and him to be together, was when she said. “I think they suit each other. But you should have told me, Yubi.” After those words, Daehyun felt like someone ripped his heart and stepped on it as they laugh while doing it. Why did he have to follow Yubi’s antics?

“Hyun-ie, can we... go somewhere else? I want to show you something!” Yubi said with a tight grip on his arm. The sound of the cutesy nickname that Yubi had chosen for him sen sent a shiver on his back. She couldn’t just call him by his name? Even if he was going on with this entire story created by Yubi, there was no way he would call her a cute nickname like Yubinn-ie.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Dae-Hyun said with a smile on his face.

“Sorry for taking Yubi away from you guys, but since she wants to spend some time I can’t say no.”

He added as an excuse for them to leave, with his so-called girlfriend holding his arm as if her life depended on it.

They walked outside with the whispers of everyone that saw them. He guided her to a small secluded area in their school that, despite being surrounded by flowers and a tree that provide the perfect shadow, no one really went there or knew about it except Dae-Hyun that usually went there just to read a book peacefully or take some photos when the weather was nice.

He let go of Yubi’s hand once they arrived and walked towards the tree as he rest his back on it.

“So are you going to tell me since when we are dating? From what I knew, we were far from being in a relationship.”

He asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his composure even if his words sounded harsh than he expected it. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention, but I really need your help right now. I’ll totally pay you back, for fake date me.” Dae-Hyun listened to Yubi’s, not believing she would go that far just to fake a relationship, but maybe he was even more out of his mind to even consider helping her.

He let out an annoyed sigh, rethinking his choices. Was this really worth it? But again, what else could he lose when the girl he actually liked also believed in the lie of them dating.

“Fine, I’ll help you, but with one condition, when this is over, we are going to tell everyone that I was the one that broke with you.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the day was full of curious questions about the new couple of the school since no one really expected them to date and, well, Dae-Hyun also never thought of dating Yubi; but here he was telling for the third time that she was the cutest girl in school and he was so happy to date her. If he ever had to say that once again, he would definitely be over the whole arrangement before the day was over.

And now that the classes were over, the only thing that was keeping him away from his freedom because of this crazy day was their meeting from the events club, and he was considering skipping it. But how could he do it when he had things to plan for the upcoming school festival and that Yubi was also there, there was no way that he could leave his “girlfriend” just like that without telling her anything.

But he was less than excited to even attend the meeting. When Yuna was also going to be there, how could he even face her when he had to pretend to like Yubi in front of everyone but maybe facing Yuna wouldn’t be as bad as facing Jaewoo. Even if they were not friends anymore, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with his annoying presence, and Dae-Hyun knew that his ex-best friend would take on this opportunity to mess up with him.

When he arrived at the classroom, he said a quick hello avoiding starting a conversation with the rest, and sat in his usual place.

“Is everyone here? If so, then we can start with the meeting. The school festival is around the corner, so anyone has any ideas for this year’s theme and what stalls the students want to see.”

He started saying diligently, in his mind if he just focused on the school festival he could avoid being asked about his relationship with Yubi.

 

[triples]

im jaewoo.

the orchid

outfit

uniform + hoodie

location

meeting

interactions

everyone

"Hey, did you hear? Ha Daehyun and Yubi from Class A are dating."

It was the funniest news Jaewoo had heard all week. For one, he was fairly sure Yubi had a crush on him; just because it was narcissistic to say it himself, didn't mean it wasn't true. She wasn't exactly the subtle type, unlike her best friend — or, at least, who he'd assumed was her best friend.

He glanced across the table at Yuna, who was already seated and acting way too normal for being Reason Number Two why this was such an entertaining situation to witness. If Daehyun was going to date anyone, Jaewoo had been certain it would be her. Even just from the occasional glimpses he got of their study sessions while passing by, it was obvious he liked her. Though that guy loved cosplaying as an angel, he wouldn't hang out with a girl so frequently outside of school in the name of being nice.

But would Cho Yuna hang around a guy, alone, that often, just because? Or was she just so cold inside, this didn't actually bother her? Or was she just pretending? Jaewoo's gaze lingered on her as he wondered, only dragged away when the infamous couple entered the scene.

In one look, he could tell something was up between them that wasn't romance, and the way Daehyun rushed to start their discussion only proved it further. A smirk tugged on his lips at the thought of getting a live, up-close view of this farce. It was rare to get such a golden opportunity to fluster the perfect Mr Ha.

"Theme? What about spring,"

Jaewoo laughed, leaning back in his chair, a glint of mischief in his eyes,

"so the rest of us can fall in love, too?"

He paused, as if waiting for a reply, but resumed speaking just a beat too quick for anyone to actually interject.

"When were you gonna tell us you guys were dating, anyway? I heard you guys were hiding it all this time?"

He questioned, gaze trained on his old friend's trying-hard-to-be-calm expression with some satisfaction,

"Weren't you the one that said members should be open to each other, or something, Daehyun?"

 

[Stardust Galaxy]

yoo bora.

the peony

outfit

uniform

location

meeting classroom

interactions

everyone

The news of Yubi and Daehyun dating spread like a wildfire around the school, and Bora was also part of the confused crowd that wasn’t expecting that the two of them would end up in a relationship. She was sure that the years she has spent reading romance webtoons and mangas would have made her an expert to notice when two people had feelings for the other. But if she really tried to think of one time, she saw that spark between them. The answer was non-existent.

Even if they were not close, besides that they were classmates and were part of the same club; Bora really knew little about Daehyun; so saying that she could say what girls the guy like was a mystery. But thinking that out of all the girls in the school, he would be Yubi’s boyfriend was something extremely odd. But sure she believed in the opposites attract, however, the more she tried to think of a reason on a reason would have had feelings for the other, the more she realized they were just like the day and the night.

Sure, she could understand why Yubi developed feelings towards Daehyun. The guy was cute, not as cute as Hojun if she was being honest; he was also smart, not as smart as... anyway, Bora knew Daehyun was quite popular with the girls. But trying to understand the reason he liked Yubi was like a complete mystery. Yubi was for sure happy and had that childish lovable vibe around her, but was that enough of a reason to become her boyfriend? The more she tried to u understand it, the more she was getting confused.

Maybe the best thing to do was to just let them be and stop overthinking the situation. After all, everyone could date whoever they want and Bora would be neutral about it unless someone had feelings over Hojun because then she wouldn’t be too happy about it. The only thing that bothered Bora was the fact that Daehyun and Yubi were the first couple to come out of the events committee; they had stolen all the spotlight that she and Hojun were supposed to have. If only Hojun had already realized that he was madly in love with her, then the story would have been different because everyone should know that bojun was more iconic than daebi, or at least that’s what Bora believed.

When the time for their club meeting arrived, there was some discomfort was all of this because of the news of the new couple. She took her seat, and it didn’t take long until Daehyun started it. He wanted to move on as fast as he could, but wasn’t he always focused on his duties rather than gossip? At least that’s how he always was in class as soon as Daehyun finished, Jaewoo spoke, letting no room for anyone to interfere. “Theme? What about spring, so the rest of us can fall in love, too?” Bora was sure the last thing on Jaewoo’s mind was the festival.

“Oh, I like that. Hojun, don’t you think it would be cute to fall in love too?”

Bora said to the guy, ignoring completely the bickering between the other two members of the club.

“When were you gonna tell us you guys were dating, anyway? I heard you guys were hiding it all this time? Weren’t you the one that said members should be open to each other, or something, Daehyun?” Jaewoo continued questioning Daehyun and the curiosity might have won over Bora as she started speaking too.

“Jaewoo is right, I can understand why you wouldn’t tell either him or me, but aren’t Yuna and Hojun your best friends, Yubi? I just find it odd that neither of them knew. I honestly don’t think dating Daehyun is a big deal, isn’t that like a lot of the girls in this school want?”

Bora asked as she looked at the couple.

“Unless Daehyun, were you embarrassed about saying you were dating Yubi?”

 

[Uxie]

yang hojun.

the daffodil

outfit

school uniform

location

hallway

interactions

bora, yubi

Hojun was never one to listen to rumours. He was the type of person that was far from concerned with trivial gossip, though it's hard to stay oblivious when the names are familiar, especially when his escorts to the committee club room were buzzing about it quite intently.

Did you hear? Spring has finally come for Ha Daehyun.

Cho Yuna?

"No," An arm looped around him, and Hojun looked up just in time to catch his friend's smug grin. "Horang-i, your best friend." His steps faltered, though his friend's grip on his shoulder forced him forward. Yubi? Dating? Daehyun?

"What? Hong Yubi?"

The other boy's dismay was clear as day, his plan to fish out more information about the school's new couple thwarted so instantly. "You didn't know?" No, she'd very much neglected to fill him in, at all. He hadn't even known she'd had a boyfriend at all to begin with, and the thought of that made Hojun scowl. When had it started? Since when were they even close enough to develop feelings? If there was anyone who she should've...

It was still on his mind as he slid into his seat in the club room, arms crossed as he completely ignored the discussion going around. His gaze remained stubbornly fixed on his best friend— studying her, and the way her gaze seemed to skip around her new beau. There was something off about this.

"Hojun, don’t you think it would be cute to fall in love too?"

His eyes finally left Yubi at the mention of his name, glancing around in a mix of confused irritation only to find the beaming smile of Yoo Bora. Her expression seemed expectant, though Hojun wasn't quite sure of what. The frown that formed on his face was ill-disguised, the accompanying response unenthusiastic,

"Yeah, sure."

"I heard you guys were hiding it all this time? Weren’t you the one that said members should be open to each other, or something, Daehyun?" He was listening now. As irritating as Im Jaewoo was Hojun couldn't help but echo his every question, though he wasn't seeking answers from Daehyun. His stare returned to Yubi, boring into the side of her face.

"Jaewoo is right, I can understand why you wouldn’t tell either him or me, but aren’t Yuna and Hojun your best friends, Yubi? I just find it odd that neither of them knew."

Bora had hit it on the nail.

"Right?!"

he remarked, eyes flashing in irritation as he willed his best friend to look at him. It was natural to be upset, no? To feel betrayed, cast aside—

Jealousy.

“Unless Daehyun, were you embarrassed about saying you were dating Yubi?”

Yuna retorted before he did, just as Hojun cast a cursory glance at Daehyun.

"Bora, don't say that."

He better not agree. He was unlikely to, but he wouldn't let him off in the off-chance that he did. His gaze flicked back to Yubi just in time to meet hers, his eyebrows creasing into a frown as she looked away hurriedly. Embarrassed. Guilty.

Enough was enough.

"Are you going to keep avoiding my eyes?"

He stood, crossing the room in a few strides and pulling Yubi to her feet with a gentle but firm grip.

"Excuse us, Yubi and I need to have a chat outside."

She offered little resistance, following along with what felt like ashamed obedience to Hojun, and he released his hold on her arm as soon as the door was closed behind them.

"Hong Yubi, you have a hell of a lot to explain."

he barked, arms crossed and features narrowed into a disappointed glare,

"Ha Daehyun, huh? Were you even planning to let me know?"

 

[Stardust Galaxy]

ha daehyun.

the sunflower

outfit

school uniform

location

meeting classroom

interactions

everyone

“Theme? What about spring?” Jaewoo said mischievously. “So the rest of us can fall in love, too?” he added, making Daehyun glare at the guy, annoyed. There was no way Daehyun could have escaped Jaewoo’s loudmouth. He was sure his once-called best friend was waiting for this opportunity to mess up with him; as soon as he found out about the news of him and Yubi dating. Daehyun didn’t need to look deeply into Jaewoo’s face, just to know he was rejoicing with his snarky remarks. And one thing was sure is that Daehyun wasn’t in the mood to stand whatever it came out of Jaewoo’s mouth.

“I’ll add it to the list of options. Does anyone else has any other idea?”

Daehyun replied, trying his best to maintain his composure, but it seemed it wasn’t enough for Jaewoo as he continued speaking, even if no one asked him to. “When were you gonna tell us you guys were dating, anyway? I heard you guys were hiding it all this time? Weren’t you the one that said members should be open to each other, or something, Daehyun?”

“I remember saying that, but I think it was pretty obvious that I meant regarding matters of the events committee and I’m sure my personal life or Yubi’s is not of importance for this club.”

Daehyun replied, glaring back at his former best friend.

“So if you have nothing else to add, at least is regarding the festival. I’m asking you to not make more comments.”

But just as he managed to at least try to stop one of them, Bora spoke, adding more tension to the already uncomfortable environment in the classroom. “Unless Daehyun, were you embarrassed about saying you were dating Yubi?” Even if Yuna said something to stop her, he still needed to say something as he had already taken notice of Hojun’s cursory glance, Daehyun had enough already with Bora and Jaewoo the last thing he wanted was to deal with Yubi’s guardian dog aka as Hojun.

“I’m not embarrassed to say I’m dating Yubi. And if we kept it a secret, I can reassure you it was a mutual agreement to avoid all the nosy people that have nothing else to do other than to meddle in someone else's business.”

But it seemed whatever he said it wouldn’t be enough as Hojun barked at Yubi, interrupting the meeting and excusing both because they had to have a chat. Causing a scene just because the best friend of his so-called girlfriend couldn’t control his temper. As the pair exited the classroom, Daehyun rested his elbows on the table, and with one of his hands, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he left a long and loud sigh of annoyance. He was sure he aged at least ten years in the last five minutes.

“Yuna, can you check on Yubi and Hojun and see if they are done with their conversation?”

 

[triples]

hong yubi.

the tulip

outfit

school uniform

location

meeting

interactions

hojun, yuna

If looks could kill, Yubi would have died a million times over. There were two people in this room that, had her & Daehyun's relationship actually existed, should have already been told. Yuna, on one hand, was nice enough not to get upset. But Yang Hojun? No chance. Not with the glare he had been leveling at her the entire time. She was so screwed.

The only upside of how hard she had been trying to focus on not meeting her friend's eyes was that she couldn't focus on Jaewoo, who seemed not to care about the news in the least other than as the subject of his sarcastic jokes. Not that she expected anything from him but, Yubi was sure, if she had time to think about it, she would have been hurt. There was an uncomfortable churning in her gut even now, and she couldn't say for sure herself if the nonchalance of Jaewoo or the lack of that from Hojun was the bigger reason.

"Are you going to keep avoiding my eyes?"

Yubi flinched. No, yeah, definitely Hojun. She pressed her lips into a line, gaze flicking to her fake boyfriend in search of some potential for rescue. Nothing. Of course not, she'd be asking for way too much at this point. As her friend's hand wrapped around her arm, she gave into the inevitability and followed him obediently out the door like a child who broke a vase.

"Hong Yubi-"

Oh no. It was starting off bad already.

"-you have a hell of a lot to explain. Ha Daehyun, huh? Were you even planning to let me know?"

She squirmed under his demanding glare; how was she supposed to have told him something she couldn't have guessed herself? He wasn't wrong to be upset — in any other situation, she would have spilled all about it to him already, as she always did.

With the rise of guilt in her heart, a dilemma followed. Does she share this dangerous secret? On one hand, she trusted Hojun. On the other, it kind of felt like an unspoken promise that neither her nor Daehyun were going to snitch about this mess. Faced with his arms that weren't un-crossing, her resolve was slowly slipping away. Damn, it was just on the tip of her tongue now. She had to tell him. She felt so bad and Hojun could help her out and...

"Look, the thing is,"

she began in a whisper, her faith in the soundproofing of the rooms dropping to new lows for no reason,

"it's a secret, okay? You can't tell anyone..."

She took a deep breath, eyes glancing left and right in dramatic paranoia.

"but Daehyun-"

Click.

Yubi's mouth shut faster than it ever had before, and if she were a cat her fur would surely have stuck up like needles from the surprise. She straightened up abruptly, hands flying from behind her back into her pockets and then back out in the matter of milliseconds, a physical representation of her thoughts losing their place and flying around awkwardly.

"Yuna!"

She nearly yelled as the familiar face came into view from behind the door, before her voice slipped into a completely-not-suspicious stutter,

"Are-are we, uhm... starting? Like, I mean, you know, the meeting."

 

[Uxie]

cho yuna.

the lily

outfit

school uniform

location

cafeteria

interactions

yubi, hojun, daehyun, jaewoo

A perpetual frown had taken hold of Yuna's features. From the moment the discussion had begun with the ill-disguised jabs from Jaewoo at the new couple, to Bora's sharp criticisms of her best friend.

"I’m not embarrassed to say I’m dating Yubi. And if we kept it a secret, I can reassure you it was a mutual agreement to avoid all the nosy people that have nothing else to do other than to meddle in someone else's business.” She hoped the hurt didn't flash across her face, and it was all of her willpower to remind herself it was because Yubi hadn't mentioned it to her earlier— not because she was jealous, or even upset, that her best friend had mistakenly ended up dating her crush. It would lead to blame, and Yuna didn't want to blame Yubi.

It wasn't her fault, after all.

"Let's give it a rest—"

she began, her meek voice promptly over-powered by the sound of Hojun's chair scratching against the floor of the classroom.

"Excuse us, Yubi and I need to have a chat outside." Her lips pressed into a fine line as she watched Hojun cross the room and pull Yubi up from her seat, the door closing behind them with a menacingly gentle 'thud' that heralded a suffocating bout of quiet from the remaining club members. She would've preferred a slam, if only to prove the hostility that permeated the room wasn't just her imagination.

A long, drawn-out sigh cut through the silence, and Yuna's eyes moved from the door to Daehyun; Eyes closed, with fingers pressed to his nose bridge. It was rare for Daehyun to lose his patience, she knew that much. He must like Yubi a lot if he's this upset. The thought pushed her gaze from him to the table, where her own fingers fidgeted uneasily beneath the desk.

This sucks. I should've just said I wasn't feeling well and gone home.

"Yuna," The sound of her name made her shoot upright in her seat, eyes lifting frantically to its caller. "Can you check on Yubi and Hojun and see if they are done with their conversation?"

"Yes? Oh, yes. I—"

Do they need more time? Her gaze went to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two with no luck.

"I'll go check on them."

Crossing the deathly quiet classroom felt like she had entered no-man's-land, and it was certainly with a great deal of relief that Yuna opened the door, albeit a little too promptly judging from how startled Yubi had been.

"Sorry,"

she mumbled, glancing between the two friends apprehensively,

"Daehyun wants to, but if you guys... if you guys need more time...?"

Hojun's intimidating stare went to her, and Yuna felt like retreating on the spot. She had no idea how Yubi managed to hold a conversation with him.

"We're not done. Yubi, he what?"

"N-no, he nothing!"

Her reply was immediate, tinged with ill-disguised urgency,

"We can start now!"

She had little time to react as her friend slipped past her into the classroom, tugging her along as she scampered back to her seat. The door clicked shut as all three returned, and though Hojun was still wearing quite the ominous expression on his face, it seemed he was willing to settle his doubts later. All was fine. Yuna shot Daehyun a small smile as she passed him as if signalling success in her mission, though her satisfaction was short-lived; Her smile dropped the moment she realised it was a misstep.

Things were different. She would have to be more careful from now on.

Vapid but comfortable smile returned to her features, Yuna slid gracefully into her seat and clapped her hands, turning to address the club.

"Shall we start, then? We have a lot on the agenda today."

"Where were we... The theme?"

Her gaze shifted to Jaewoo, the only one having given input before the topic had derailed.

"Spring, you were saying? It's a nice idea, but maybe we shouldn't limit it to just love...?"

She paused, then added with as much earnestness as she could muster,

"Not everyone's the romantic type."

 

[Stardust Galaxy]

yoo bora.

the peony

outfit

uniform

location

meeting classroom

interactions

everyone

Bora couldn’t find anything wrong with her words, even if Yuna told her not to say things like that, but she was stating the facts, isn’t she? Daehyun seemed like the guy that preferred to keep things to himself regarding his personal or that’s what she noticed during their time as classmates. But Yubi? She was definitely an open book and the type to be talking about her boyfriend 24/7 if she could. In the end, Daehyun admitted that both decided on keeping it a secret. She still thought it was a little suspicious, but she would let it slide in the meantime.

“Are you going to keep avoiding my eyes?”

Hojun stated it was obvious he was angry, and she could understand that Yubin keeping a secret could have upset him, but Yuna wasn’t acting like that. Why did he have to be so resentful? Why did he care so much about Yubi? Bora would not lie. She felt jealous seeing him react like that towards another girl that wasn’t her, even if he reacting to anything she said was still a work in progress.

“Who does he think he is? Leaving like that with another girl when I’m right here, so inconsiderate of him.”

Bora muttered to herself after Hojun dragged Yubi out of the classroom. The girl took a glance over at the committee members and everyone seemed already annoyed by the whole situation, especially Daehyun. Who would have thought a couple would have brought so much distress to the club?

After Yuna came back with Hojun and Yubi once they were done with their conversation, they went back to their conversation about the festival as Yuna expressed the festival shouldn’t be limited to only love.

“Maybe we could focus the festival on friendship too! Or maybe celebrate the new beginnings like the flowers that bloom after the winter.”