Thursday 6pm (Continues from immediately after chapter 6)
Ning Ning's P.O.V.
Leaving the library that I'd quickly dashed from the dorm to, I wandered across into the auditorium noticing Winter was stood with a rather large crowd around her.
"Rina..?" She said quietly in surprise, as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as to who she was talking to.
"I missed you, Minjeong. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us." Jimin replied with a smirk. It was really unusual to ever hear anyone call Winter by her Korean name.
"Winter, are you okay?" I asked when I noticed she was stood frozen in place.
Jimin walked closer towards her, brushing her bangs with her fingertips. "I've missed you so much Minjeong, my Winter."
My best friend blushed bright red until she suddenly noticed the large crowd that were there again watching nearby. As quick as she could, she collected her bag from the chair and grabbed my hand as we dashed towards the exit. "I need to go."
"Winter, what's wrong? Why are you rushing? Where are we going?" I called after her, leaving behind a puzzled Giselle and somewhat furious Jimin.
"Anywhere but here. I don't feel well." Winter muttered breathlessly as we finally arrived on the campus courtyard outside. She looked tired as she placed her hand to her stomach that seemed to be causing her pain.
I managed to grab her hand, her eyes still staring at the floor deep in contemplation. To calm her, I noticed the nearby cafeteria and gestured towards it. "Let's just go get drink and order some food to take back to the dorm. It might help you feel better. Then we can talk, okay?"
She nodded her head and silently followed me, taking a seat as we quickly order our favourite meals before resuming the silence. Fortunately the cafeteria wasn't that busy as we mad our way to our familiar table the corner enjoying the warmth and smells of the delicious delicacies on being cooked.
From the way she was acting, I could tell Winter was agitated as she was playing with a napkin on the table, folding and then unfolding it over and over again. "Okay you're acting aloof even for you. Are you gonna tell me why you suddenly stormed out of the auditorium? Last I was there you were in the dorm talking to Jimin."
She sighed loudly, boring he flip. "Nothing... it's just... that's Rina?"
"Who is?" I asked, hearing the name again as I looked around casually.
"Jimin is Rina!" She yelled, catching catching the attention of the nearby tables.
"Rina? The girl you met on vacation who was like totally controlling around you?" I'd recalled Winter mentioning someone she met a couple of years ago previously while in Seoul.
"Why is she here?" Winter muttered to herself as the waitress brought over our drinks.
"Well Jimin transferred last year. Did she know you were on the waiting list to go here too?" I asked, having known from dating Giselle that Jimin had transferred suddenly to the university from another prestigious academy. It seemed especially unusual as she was studying music management rather than performing arts like the majority of the other students here.
"Yeah..." Winter muttered, still clearly in a daze.
"Maybe she wanted a romantic reunion." I stated casually taking a sip of my orange juice, mixing it with my straw leisurely. Winter however seemed mortified by the thought of a reunion.
"So what happened? How come you didn't know it was Jimin?" I asked in curiosity.
"We just had this whirlwind romance when I visited Seoul for the Christmas break 2 years ago. She looks so different." She got out her phone and showed me a photo of the 2 of them from before, my eyes went wide in disbelief.
"All the random things you tell me about your daily life. What you had for breakfast, which new shirt you bought, where you took your dog for a walk but yet you fail to mention you were spending your vacation with a supermodel!" I pointed frantically to the stunning image of Jimin.
Winter blushed bright red again, snatching her phone back from me. "Gimme that!"
I clicked my fingers suddenly recalling a moment from that time when Winter and I were supposed to meet up at the movies. "Was she the one that didn't want you to meet me because she was jealous when you were visiting here?"
"Yeah, I'd just started at university in Busan and I was trying to transfer here but I was put on the waiting list. I spent like the full 2 months with her and it was amazing to start with but... she got really possessive and it was confusing. Then I eventually went back to Busan." Her voice trailed off, lost in moments of nostalgia.
"Only you of all people wouldn't recognise her. I mean Karina's name even sounds like Rina so she was l clearly giving you a big hint." I muttered with a chuckle under my breath.
Her eyes went wide as she pouted. "She looks really different, okay! Why didn't she just tell me instead of these riddles? She knows it pisses me off..."
"Maybe she likes to see your reaction, it is amusing." I laughed in amusement.
"Not helpful." Winter said while whining, taking a sip of her fruit juice with a slightly sour expression.
"Listen, cheer up. I've got good news to distract you from this Winrina drama. There's a trip in a few weeks to Busan to visit one of the SM Entertainment music studios and we get to go to a Kpop concert too. They're arranging a coach for us and there's still a few seats left." I got the letter and leaflet, proudly from my bag.
Passing it to Winter alo with the leaflet, she finally showed her usual gradient smile. "SM Entertainment, really? That's so cool! I might even get time to visit my family while we're there."
"You just need to sign the permission form and then they can scan your campus badge and you're ready to go. Places are filling up fast though so be quick, I already got my ticket." I stated as she continued to read through the list of activities on the trip.
"Campus badge?" She replied, tilting her head in confusion.
I tapped the lanyard around my neck, that she seemed oblivious about. "You don't have your badge yet? Winter, you're supposed to get it on your first day! You need it for joining clubs, for entry on and off campus, even buying things at the campus store-"
"Okay, I get it. I messed up, I didn't know.." Winter muttered sadly in dismay.
"I'll just go get one. Where do I get it from?" She asked as I bit my lip nervously at her question.
"Ning Ning?" She called my name while I avoided the topic and took another sip of my drink.
"When's our order gonna arrive?" I muttered, changing the topic whilst looking aimlessly around the cafeteria that was beginning to get busier with the dinner rush.
Impatiently, Winter waved her hands in front of me to gain my attention. "Hey! Where do I get the badge from?!"
With a loud sigh, I gestured towards the towering and grand adjacent building that stood at the heart of the campus. "You have to apply for it at the student council office."
Her mood instantly switched from boisterous to stern. "I'm not going there."
"Winter, I don't know what's going on between you and Jimin but you certainly can't ignore her. She's practically everywhere here." It was fair to say that ignoring Jimin was practically impossible on a campus that she seemed to run and organise every event for.
As Winter pouted and slouched back in her chair muttering how annoying everything was, Giselle suddenly entered the cafeteria. She had a rare smile on her face that made my heart melt. How I wished she'd smile like that more often, so happy and relaxed.
Her smile soon faded though as she glanced boredly around the cafeteria until she seemed just as surprised to see us as I was to see her here. Recently, she had tended to only stay at the student council office, her dorm room or at the library instead of in social areas. Casually, she made her way over to our table. "Hello Ning Ning. Winter, Jimin has asked to see you."
"What are you her messenger now?" I asked coldly which didn't go unnoticed.
"Jimin just asked me to check in on Winter and requests that she meets her." She replied calmly whilst still staring at me with those hawk-like eyes.
Winter shook her head stubbornly, clutching her stomach. "No. I won't go. I don't feel well, my stomach hurts."
"Are you okay?" Giselle asked, causing Winter and I to look at her slightly out of character.
She seemed somewhat offended at our surprised reaction. "What? I can't ask if she's feeling okay? I'm being nice."
"Well it doesn't seem your style." I scoffed, making Giselle huff and storm away as our meals finally arrived boxed up in containers to take back to the dorm.
I noticed Winter's forehead was a bit warm as we stood up to exit the cafeteria. "You're really warm, you need to rest. Come on, let's go back to the dorm and you can pout and complain about Jimin some more to me on the way." To which she certainly did.
Friday 12pm
Winter's P.O.V.
It was around lunch time the next day as I stood for 10 minutes outside ths student council office door, building the confidence to knock on the door. I hadn't been feeling great with stomach ache since yesterday and fortunately this Friday was a day when I had time to catch up on my reading so I didn't have lectures to attend.
As a result, I'd been resting all morning in the dorm but I was determined to submit my form for my campus badge, I didn't want to miss my opportunity to go on the Busan trip with Ning Ning.
Polietly I knocked, entering the room to find it seemingly empty. There were a few chairs by the sidewall, a series of medals and awards on the walls, photographs of famous alumni and several bookcases and potted plants scattered around. At the far side of the room, a student in formal attire was sat at the desk typing on the computer. From the doorway, I peered around noticing that fortunately no one else seemed to be waiting. "Hi... I'm here to apply for my campus badge."
She smiled warmly, inviting me into the office as she picked up one of the forms from a categorised file beside her. "Sure, what name is it-"
"Winter." Before the assistant could even finish her sentence, Rina was staring at me from afar while casually leaning against the doorframe into what seemed to be an adjoining office.
Her high heel stilettos clicked across the wooden floor as she snatched the form out of the confused assistant's hand. "I'll sort this, you can go."
"But Jimin-" The girl began to protest only to meet Rina's fierce and extremely intense gaze.
"I said go." The student council president repeated coldly again, her voice echoing through the room as the girl quickly nodded and rushed out the door.
"This way, Winter!" Rina said cheerfully as she walked back into her office with me having no choice but to trail behind her.
The office was formal with simple furnishings, filing cabinets and book cases. Yet it was the large window behind the desk that looked out across the campus that caught my attention that Rina seemed to notice too.
"So... it seems you and I are destined to keep running into each other." She stated with a smirk, taking a seat behind her desk. I stood there awkwardly, refusing to speak because in fact I didn't really know what to say.
"Are you ignoring me now like in the auditorium yesterday?" Rina suddenly replied, an angry tone to her voice as I continued to stare at the floor.
She placed my form down on her desk and scoffed. "Well if that's how it is then I suppose you don't need my help with your campus badge."
I sighed, taking a deep breath before finally speaking. "It was just a surprise yesterday... I didn't know what to say."
She smiled warmly and nodded her head in understanding. "I missed you, Winter. You really didn't recognise me?"
"It was just... you look really different, your fashion style is different, even your accent sounds different. I knew something about you was familiar but... Rina, why didn't you just tell me it was you? Why did you ask me my name on my first day here?" I wondered, thinking back only a few weeks previously.
"I wanted you to realise for yourself, I knew you would. I did all this for you." She proudly replied, stretching her hands out at the grandeur of the room.
"All what?" I asked still confused by what she assumed was happening.
"The success, the power, the style, it's all inspired by you. I couldn't wait until you arrived here, I've been continuing the minutes." She smiled, brushing her fingers through my hair gently watching as each strand fell through her fingertips.
"You knew I when transferring here?" I knew I'd told Rina about my plans to attend the university but I had no idea she was aware of the exact I'd be here.
She chuckled, sitting back on the edge of the desk and pulling me closer towards her. Her hands made their way to rest on my waist as I stood still lividly in front of her. "Of course, did you really just expect to transfer to the most elite university in the country overnight? You talked about being an idol, training here was your dream. You got accepted by your own merit but you were put on the extensive waiting list. So I just sped the process up since my family have connections here, I made it happen."
I crossed my arms, glaring at her in complete disbelief. "It wasn't any of your business!"
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I think what you mean to say is thank you? And you're welcome, sweetie."
I sighed, remembering how her stubbornness could rival even my own. I walked away towards the window, staring out at the campus in the distance. "You're impossible..."
She followed, backhugging me and leaning her head on my shoulder as we continued to gaze out of the window. "When you went back to Busan, I missed you so much. I thought of you every day. I wanted to be with you-"
I turned around still in her arms. "And I missed you too but it just wasn't working out between us. We said it was just a vacation romance while I was in Seoul. You said that's all you wanted too."
"Well I didn't. I wanted you forever, I still do!" She replied bluntly with a mix of frustration and fierce determination.
I slipped out of her hold to wander back across to the other side of the desk, creating a gap between us. "Rina, you started being really controlling, I needed space-"
"And now you're back here with me." She stated with a glint of optimism in her eyes.
I shook my head, awkwardly staring at my hands as I played with the ring on my finger as a distraction. "No, I'm here because I'm training to be an idol-"
"So what? I can support you." She argued back again.
I sighed realising this conversation was going around in circles. "I just need to get my badge, please Rina."
"You could have come back here." She continued, lost in a sea of nostalgia while crossing her arms sternly.
It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed my mind to visit Seoul again but back in Busan I'd been struggling with my midterms and my concentration had been solely on practicing my music."Rina... I had exams and I was struggling okay. The assessments were really difficult. We were both so busy and-"
"Right." She said coldly interrupting me mid-sentence.
I awkwardly began to play with one of the pencils on the desk as yet another distraction from Karina's stern gaze. "Please can I just get my badge and I'll be out the way."
"Your badge will take a month to be processed." She stated in monotone, taking my form and placing it forcefully at the back of another large pile of papers.
"A month?! But I need it to apply for the trip to Busan in a few weeks." I protested, knowing there was no chance I'd be able to go on the trip in such short notice.
"That must be so inconvenient for you." She mocked with a fake, sympathetic tone.
"Why does it take so long?" Ning Ning had told me it usually only took a few days at the most to process the form.
"Because it just so happens that I'm too busy and it's been dropped to the back of my list of priorities." She emphasised the word busy as if to make a point to counter my own argument earlier.
It was completely unfair. I tuned to walk away, muttering under my breath. "You were always like this..."
"What?" She said coldly, I could feel her icy gaze still staring at me from behind.
I spun around angrily. "Petty and stubborn when you don't get your own way. Fine, whatever I don't care! I'll collect it in a month then!"
Without another word, I marched out of her office and ran back to my dorm room where Ning Ning was playing video games on her laptop in the lounge. I fell onto the couch beside her, my face pressed against the pillow as I yelled into the cushion in frustration at Rina's annoying attitude.
"Well hello to you too." Ning Ning stated, pausing her game and removing her headset.
I continued to mumbled into the cushion as Ning Ning placed her laptop on the coffee table in front of us. "I'm guessing things didn't go smoothly at the student council office."
Turning around to face her, I felt tears well up in my eyes which Ning Ning seemed to instantly notice with a sympathetic smile. "Winter, it'll be okay."
"No, it won't. I really wanted to go on that trip and now she's gonna purposely make me miserable being here." I whined, sinking deeper into the couch.
"Come on, you need to rest or you'll end up feeling worse. Did you have some medicine earlier?" Ning Ning asked, knowing I hadn't felt great since yesterday.
"Yeah... but my stomach still hurts and I feel really tired." As if on cue, I yawned my eyes feeling sleepy until a knock at the door disturbed my thoughts.
"I'll get the door." My roommate replied, dashing cheerfully across the room and opening the door widely.
The smile on her face instantly dropped, her tone much more annoyed than before upon being greeted by the student president once again. "What are you doing here?"
"Well I'm not here to see you so let's go with process of elimination and make another guess." I heard Rina say in a somewhat patronising voice as I rolled my eyes before staring at the ceiling wondering why I couldn't have a minute of peace.
"I don't think Winter wants to talk to you right now." Ning Ning continued, only for Rina to scoff in reply.
"It's a good job I wasn't asking what you think then. Move Ning Ning." She barged past and entered the dorm, her eyes searching around as usual until her gaze landed on me.
"Rina?" I sat up when she smiled widely and took a seat closely beside me, her tone no longer bitter like earlier.
"Hey, sweetie. Special delivery~" She sang, fumbling through her bag to retrieve a blue lanyard. It had the university's crest on and a laminated card attached to it with my name and photo printed upon it.
My eyes went wide, eagerly taking it from her hands. "My campus badge! I thought you said it would take a month?"
"Did I say a month? I meant to say 5 minutes. It magically jumped the queue in my list of priorities. I just couldn't stand seeing you so upset." She pouted, her fingertips drying the tears that had stained my cheeks just moments earlier.
"I wasn't that upset..." I protested, mumbling slightly under my breath somewhat embarrassed.
She watched as I placed the campus badge happily around my neck. "I also wanted to say sorry about earlier. I was just annoyed at the office and I guess I've been in a bad mood today."
"Just today?" Ning Ning questioned in amusement from the nearby kitchen area, making Rina glare back at her.
"It's okay... I'm sorry too for storming away. Thank you for this, I'm grateful." I smiled warmly at her, making her smile sincerely back before cupping my face with the palm of her hand.
"You're welcome. Are you okay? Your foreheads warm." She said, checking my temperature whilst frowning.
I pushed her hands away, shyly shuffling away. "I'm just a bit under the weather since yesterday."
"And you didn't tell me?" As usual she seemed annoyed not to know every detail of my business.
"Why would I? Besides Giselle knew since you basically asked her to follow me yesterday and I assume she tells you everything-" I began to say, only for Rina's expression to turn livid.
"Giselle knew before I did?" I exchanged confused and concerned glances with Ning Ning who was still watching from afar.
"It's no big deal, I'm fine. I just need to rest." I stated with a small smile but it seemed Rina wasn't so sure.
"Right, you go relax and I'll take care of you. I'm gonna make you my special soup to feel better." She rolled up her sleeves and tied her long, raven hair into a high ponytail.
Making her way over towards the kitchen, I followed behind her as Ning Ning pointed to a small container in the refrigerator. "There's no need, Taeyeon already made her some and brought it round earlier."
Rina rolled her eyes before resuming to search through the kitchen cupboards. "Sure but this is just in case Winter wants the option of having good food."
"What's literally happening..?" I whispered to Ning Ning beside me.
She shrugged her shoulders and sighed as we both continued to watch Rina cooking whilst evidently making herself at home in our dorm. "I think we just got a new roommate."