EVERYTHING MATTERS

He's not the one for you, Jennie.

Ailly finds herself in the bathroom, trying in vain to relieve her stomach. Frustration. The strange taste lingers in her mouth. Perhaps she should drink something to get rid of the bitterness.

As she leaves the office, she feels the vibration of her phone, looks at it, and discovers a message from Jennie inviting her to lunch in the cafeteria. Yes, she'd completely forgotten about lunchtime. Despite this, she decides to go and meet her, even if the idea of eating doesn't excite her.

Ailly is surprised at how busy the cafeteria is at this hour, with students jostling for space. She tries to choose something she won't throw up later. It's a pity, because with Language Week upon us, she'd have liked to take advantage of the various international dishes on offer in the cafeteria.

Still, she spots Jennie in the crowd of students that has filled the academy's cafeteria. Fortunately, Jennie isn't hard to find. When she approaches, she's relieved not to see Jun around Jennie.

Ailly places her tray on the table in front of Jennie before sitting down. Jennie looks at her, frowning.

"You okay?"

"Nickel..." says Ailly simply, waving, without looking up at Jennie. "Except for the fact that I still feel like throwing up... but I'm fine." she continues, lifting her head a little to flash Jennie a smile.

"What's wrong? What did you eat?" Jennie asked, concerned, sipping her soda calmly.

"I don't know, Jennie... and honestly, I only drank sage tea at the tea stand, so I don't see why I feel like throwing up..." explained Ailly, knowing very well why. Because this feeling of nausea only came after what happened during the conference earlier, leaving her stressed and anxious, with a persistent urge to vomit.

"Hmm, it must be the sage tea in that case. These teas have that kind of undesirable effect for some people. Turns out you're one of those people..." Jennie said with a smile, trying to be sympathetic but seeming ironic.

Ailly said nothing, pondering this. Maybe that's the case, maybe it's because of the tea that she feels sick, but even so, she doesn't feel well.

"So, how was the conference..." Jennie began before catching herself and saying something else. "Actually, what I'd like to know is what's going on between you and Noah," her best friend asked with a smile.

Ailly looked up to her best friend who was waiting for her response on the topic. But what to say? There's nothing to say, and she doesn't quite understand what Jennie is trying to find out.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ailly said, not knowing what else to say in this case.

"Oh, come on, I know you were together today and you were together during the conference earlier," Jennie said, well aware of the situation.

"I thought you weren't interested in this kind of thing... So, were you there?" Ailly referred to the fact that Jennie had attended the conference even though she claimed not to want to. She saw her with Noah, otherwise, Ailly doesn't see any other explanation for why Jennie could have seen them together during the conference.

"What? No, I wasn't there..." Jennie replied.

"So, how do you know I was with Noah?" Ailly retorted, suspicious.

"Jun told me, he said you were with Noah at the conference, and he even asked me questions like, is there something between you and Noah, you know, everyone suspects that there's something between you..." Jennie smiled softly.

Ailly finds herself plunged into perplexity, trying to figure out what's most surprising in Jennie's words. Maybe it's the fact that Jun reported to Jennie that Ailly and Noah were together during the conference, or maybe it's the fact that Jun suddenly took an interest in her life, or perhaps it's the fact that he questioned Jennie about Ailly's relationship with Noah. It's just crazy and improbable that Jun and Jennie would have these kinds of discussions. Plus, how can Jun be aware of this? Whatever anyone tells him, he has no reason to meddle in Ailly's life like this. It's really getting out of hand.

"Speak for yourself, you didn't tell me that you and Jun are now dating," Ailly responds, with a hint of reproach in her voice, seeking an escape to avoid this discussion with Jennie. She knows the best way to dodge is to divert the topic towards her own relationship with Jun. At the same time, she wants to understand what's really going on between her best friend and that idiot Jun. And she sees that it works because Jennie gives a soft smile and some blush appears on her cheeks.

"Oh Ailly, I think I'm still dreaming..." Jennie daydreams. Ailly barely holds back from rolling her eyes; her best friend is totally irrecoverable.

"You know what's great?" Jennie asks.

"The fact that he calls you 'Jen' instead of Jennie?" Ailly says in a sarcastic tone, which Jennie pretends not to notice, simply smiling at her.

"Yeah, that and the fact that he was the one who first asked us to officially start dating," Jennie replies, totally absorbed in the clouds.

"Maybe from seeing you always around him, he got fed up?" Ailly says, barely holding back laughter.

"Haha, very funny..." Jennie replies simply.

"It was a joke... You know very well what I think of Jun."

"Yeah, and I'm not asking you to understand or anything, but to be happy for your best friend, who's finally dating the man of her dreams," Jennie says with a smile.

"I'm happy for your achievement, Jennie... really... but to say he's the man of your life isn't a bit too excessive?" Ailly smiles, in an ironic tone.

"But he is the man of my life... and we're destined to be together," Jennie replies.

She's crazy, yeah, that was the only thought crossing Ailly's mind at that moment, because her best friend was completely crazy. Crazy about that idiot Jun, and crazy in general, that's a fact. How can one be so sure of such a thing, of such a feeling, which, according to Ailly, is absurd at their young age of 17? But she knew Jennie was like that, romantic, passionate, and honest. Because Jennie was so honest in her feelings and in what she said that it easily reflected. The fact that she meant what she said, her emotions were so transparent that it's hard not to find her endearing, even knowing that she's currently dating that asshole Jun. Plus, she's way too good for Jun, and that's a certainty. But the other certainty was that Jennie really loved Jun, and dissuading her from forgetting him was a lost cause.

"On that note... speaking of the devil, we'll see you around... Maybe we'll visit the drink stand," Jennie says after probably receiving a message from "the man of her life." Jennie smiles as she looks at her phone before getting up to leave the cafeteria, leaving Ailly with her untouched meal. At the same time, the urge to vomit seems to have vanished.