The late afternoon sun spilled through the cafe windows, casting a soft orange glow on the worn out wooden tables.
The faint murmur of customers filled the silence between conversations, blending with the low hum of coffee machines.
Yeri stretched behind the counter before sliding into the seat across from Kyung and Jaeyi.
The break was supposed to be short, but she always found herself lingering when the three of them were together, the only constant thing in her life.
"You look like shit," Yeri muttered, eyes flicking toward Jaeyi.
Jaeyi smirked faintly, leaning back in her chair. "Thanks."
"I'm serious." Yeri's eyes narrowed. "When's the last time you actually slept?"
Jaeyi's fingers traced the rim of her coffee cup, shoulders lifting in a careless shrug.
"I'm fine."
"That's not an answer," Kyung mumbled, pushing up her glasses.
"It's the only one you're getting."
Kyung's mouth twitched, like she wanted to argue but knew better by now.
The conversation shifted into lighter things, Yeri boasting about her growing YouTube channel, Kyung complaining about university deadlines.
It was easy, familiar, the kind of rhythm they all fell into without thinking too hard.
But then Kyung's voice faltered, her fingers drumming lightly against the table.
"There's someone... at my university."
Yeri barely glanced up, still stirring her coffee. "What, another girl you're secretly crushing on?"
Kyung's lips parted, like she wanted to fire back with something sarcastic, but instead, she swallowed hard, glancing between them both.
Jaeyi's eyes lifted slowly, dark and unreadable.
Kyung's voice dropped lower.
"Seulgi's there."
Everything stilled.
Yeri's fingers froze around her cup.
Even the soft chatter from the other tables seemed to dim in the background.
Jaeyi didn't blink.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't let a single crack show, but the silence that stretched between them felt heavier than any reaction ever could.
"...Okay." Her voice was cold, detached, like the name didn't slice through her chest the second she heard it.
Kyung shifted in her seat, glancing down at the table like she regretted bringing it up at all.
"I just thought you should know-"
"You thought wrong."
Yeri's eyes flicked between them, waiting for something, anything, to break the surface.
But Jaeyi stayed perfectly still, fingers wrapped loosely around her cup, gaze fixed on something far away.
They all felt it, the shift in the air, the unspoken weight pressing against their chests.
Yeri leaned forward slowly, her voice softer now. "Does she... seem happy?"
Kyung hesitated, fingers tapping lightly against the table.
