Monday 12pm (1 month later)
Winter's P.O.V.
"This is really nice." Ning Ning said as we were sat in the campus café enjoying cake and drinks during our lunch break.
It was quiet in the café with most of the students listening to music on their headphones, chatting with friends or studying for the next round of exams as the busy end to the semester was soon approaching. The SM, YG and JYP representatives too would soon be visiting the campus in a few weeks time to hold the first auditions.
That morning, I'd found out that my audition tape had been successful and I was through to the second stage. It was like a dream, I was ecstatic and of course Ning Ning had been there in that moment I received the news so we'd been talking about it for the past hour.
"I know, we should order another slice of this to take back to the dorm." I muttered happily, enjoying the slice of blueberry cheesecake we were sharing along with our ice tea.
Ning Ning laughed, shaking her head. "Not the cake, Winter. I mean it's nice celebrating your news about the SM auditions. Not to mention having time just you and me. It reminds me of when you started here on campus."
"That was only like 2 months ago? Apart from me dating Rina, nothing has changed." It hadn't been a long time but since dating Rina I'd been busy much of the past few weeks. I stared in my reflection of the glass window, deep in thought.
"Well that's more than enough to change things." Ning Ning muttered under her breath.
I sighed, prompting her to put down her napkin before continuing. "It's just I hate the constant arguments with her. It's nice having this time with you for us to catch up without Jimin interrupting."
"Ning Ning." I whispered in sorrow. Rina was currently in lectures all morning or else otherwise it would likely have been that she was here too like most days in the week.
"What? I'm just saying it's a rare moment and I missed spending time with you." She said with a sad smile.
I'd missed the moments too, catching up with my best friend in the world. I placed my fork down, taking a sip of my ice tea. The ice cubes were melting as they left a cooling tint on the glass."You do you realise you're the one who brings Rina up in our conversations, not me. Soon you might even see her in your dreams."
"Those are called nightmares." She replied bluntly with a hint of sarcasm.
"You know just because I'm dating Rina doesn't mean anything will change." I stirred my drink leisurely as the sun glittered through the nearby window.
"Okay, you say that but it already feels like it has. What I don't get is that you were so adamant that she was jealous and possessive and you wanted to concentrate on your idol training. So what changed literally over night? What did she say to you?" Ning Ning asked in curiosity as I recalled the past few weeks.
It was special moments mostly in Busan, the date nights, the strolls through the city together and the evening under moonlight in the park where we'd met to dancing at the Valentine's event. Every moment had had an enigmatic nature but had turned into a fairytale like romance that I never wanted to end.
"I just... it's just a feeling when I'm around her. She's really thoughtful and so caring." I suddenly noticed a familiar figure at the counter, collecting coffee and a box of freshly baked cookies. It was Wendy who seemed somewhat distracted.
I waved at Wendy and called her name. She quickly glanced over before hurrying away out of the café. "Did Wendy not see us? That was really unusual.."
"Maybe she just had things on her mind like how your always on Jimin's mind." Ning Ning smirked, making me roll my eyes.
"It's still early days, we're just seeing how it goes." I checked my phone, noticing a few missed messages from Rina but the usual group chat that was often lively with discussion was oddly quiet and had been all week.
"Okay, you might be but she certainly isn't." Ning Ning replied, interrupting my from my train of thought.
I replied to Rina before placing my phone back into my pocket. "What do you mean?"
"Winter, she's practically obsessed with you! Everyone knows it." Ning Ning whisper yelled as I chuckled in disbelief.
"You're exaggerating." Drinking the last of my ice tea, I enjoyed the sensation and familiar aroma of my favourite drink.
"Am I? You know I spoke to Lia the other day." The sudden mention of Lia brought me back from my dreamy state.
"Lia? Is she okay? When is she coming back to campus?" It had been way over a month since Busan and and I hadn't heard from Lia, nor had the others.
"She isn't. She wouldn't say why but she said she can't come back, things are too intense. That was the word she used, intense." She emphasised the word as if to suggest something more sinister on the horizon.
"I hope she's alright." I muttered sadly because although I'd only known her a few days, in that time I hadn't realised how she'd noticed me in music theory or how much we'd had in common. It had been the start of a friendship that had never quite materialised.
"I think Aeri was right." Ning Ning said, more to herself than to me as she was stirring her bubble tea with the straw whilst deep in thought.
"About what?" I questioned, enjoying the warmth of the café in contrast to the snowy scene outside from the window as iciles formed on the window sill outside.
She sighed, biting her lip. "She once told me that me that Jimin has a very sinister side and not to get in the way of what she wants. Maybe she thought Lia was..."
I furrowed my eyebrows in disagreement. "In the way of what Rina has nothing to do with why Lia isn't here. You said it yourself it was an emergency why she had to go home."
"Yeah but something feels unsettling about the timing of that..." Ning Ning stated when we suddenly noticed another familiar face running inside the café to escape from the cold weather.
"Taeyeon, what's wrong?!" I asked, the smile leaving my face when I noticed how sad she looked, clutching tightly to a piece of paper that was crumbled up in her hand.
She didn't reply, instead handing Ning Ning and I the paper. It was a letter, addressed to her that had been sent just a few days earlier.
"You're being regretfully asked to leave the campus due to extenuating circumstances following a committee decision approved by... the student council?" Ning Ning read aloud as my eyes went wide seeing Rina's signature at the bottom of the letter and beside it was the student council stamp of approval.
Taeyeon seemed lost and I could understand why. Like me she'd dreamt of going to SM and she was so close to the opportunity. She'd clearly been crying from the tear stains on her cheek. "I need to speak to the head of the university... if I don't pass this year, I have no chance of getting into SM!"
"It'll be okay, it's probably just an error in the system." Ning Ning stated as Taeyeon took a seat beside her.
"That's optimistic even for you." Taeyeon muttered with a sad smile.
She turned her attention to me, there was an angry glint in her eyes making me nervous. "Did Jimin tell you about this?"
I shook my head frantically. "What?? No, she never mentioned it-"
"This is ever since I helped you with you SM application." She muttered quietly to herself, making my eyes go wide again in realisation. It had been Jimin's decision for Taeyeon to leave but the question was always why.
"Winter... are you okay?" Ning Ning asked quietly as I sat still staring at Rina's signature.
"Yeah... I need to go. Tae, I'll speak to her about this." I smiled at Taeyeon but she didn't smile back, still clearly in thought as Ning Ning stayed to talk to her. Leaving the café in a rush with grabbing my bag and jacket, I headed for nowhere in particular but just needing to think.
For a few hours I wandered around the campus before making my way to towards the library. The campus was quieter than usual, perhaps because of the cold weather.
As I walked along the cobbled, snowy pathway, my mind continued to race with the words Ning Ning had said. Rina couldn't be the reason Lia left. Why was her signature on Taeyeon's letter? Why didn't she tell me they were leaving and more importantly what was the reason why they had to go?
It was as I was deep in thought when I suddenly zoned out, bumping into someone as I turned the corner. We both stumbled slightly but to my delight it was someone I'd wanted to talk to all day. "Wendy, hey! Everything okay?"
She dusted off the snow from her jacket, grabbing her bag that had fallen in the process as if she was in a hurry. "I can't be here."
"Why?" I asked, it seemed she was purposely avoiding me.
"I just can't! She said so..." Her words trailed off as she glanced around the campus worriedly.
"Who said what?" I questioned in confusion and apprehension.
She was still glancing around the campus frantically until she suddenly held my hand and whispered. "Winter, please listen when I say Jimin-"
There was loud cough behind us, when Giselle suddenly appeared looking emotionless. "Wendy. Shouldn't you be at vocal training?"
Wendy nodded her head and hurried away as I tried to call after her but to no use. I sighed when suddenly Giselle spoke again, a livid and stern tone to her voice. "Jimin is waiting for you. You didn't show up to the meeting earlier."
"I don't want to go." I argued back stubborbly. I was in no mood for more apparent drama between Rina and I.
"You shouldn't go against her, Winter. She isn't pleased you didn't show up." Giselle replied somewhat quieter than before.
For weeks, Rina wanted me to go to the student council meetings where I'd literally sit in her office and stare out the window while the meetings took place. "I'm not even in the student council so why do I have to keep attending those meetings? Why does it matter? I do have a life on campus you know!"
"That's debatable." She muttered smugly, crossing her arms bemused.
I turned to walk away, hearing her call after me. "Well you can certainly be the one to question her about the meetings, not me."
Tired of the mystery and confusion, I turned back storming towards her. "What is with you? You do whatever Rina says, do all her work, the way she speaks to you-"
But the sound of her bellowing voice stopped me almost immediately. "I'm protecting Ning Ning! That's what matters to me... and that's all you need to know."
"Jimin is waiting for you at her office." Her voice trailed off as I stood there in confusion until she repeated the same words once again. "Jimin is waiting for you at her office."
Slowly, she walked away back towards the music department in the opposite direction. Puzzled and frustrated, I made my way towards the student council building in the distance.
It was getting late and there was hardly any daylight remaining as I entered the building that was oddly desolate. It seemed the meeting had been over for some time by the stacks of organised files and categorised papers on the desk that had been completed for the day.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door of Rina's office. Upon hearing no reply, I entered quietly to find her sat at her desk staring out of the window.
"Where were you?" She asked, she seemed to know it was me before even turning to glance in my direction.
I didn't reply, still stood awkwardly beside the door whilst glancing at the floor. "I asked you a question, Minjeong."
She sighed, closing the file on her desk before making her way over towards me. There was cold atmosphere in the air, I'd sensed it once before during that winter vacation when we met. Awaiting an answer calmly, her confident persona she created was matched by her flawless sense of fashion as she stood in front of me.
"Hey... what is with this silent treatment?" She asked sweetly but it was me who had the questions for her about campus, her attitude and my friends.
"Was it you?" I whispered as I felt a tear run down my cheek, sadness and anger raging within me.
She glanced at me in confusion before reaching to hold my hands. "Was what me? Winter, your hands are shaking. Sit down and relax-"
I pushed her hands away, moving back to create distance between us. "Are you trying to get Taeyeon to leave the university?"
The silence resumed until she quietly spoke again. "Is that what you think?"
"That's why I'm asking you." I bluntly replied, clenching my hands tightly.
She chuckled, nodding her head before returning back towards her desk. "Interesting."
"Is was you, wasn't it? Are you the reason Lia left too? Why Wendy won't speak to me?" I knew she was from the sinister smirk on her lips.
"Well it sounds like you've already decided on the answer to that." She replied coyly, collecting a pile of papers from her desk without a second glance at me.
"So you did? Tell me why, Rina." None of it seemed to make sense and I wanted answers.
"Sweetie, I have mountains of forms to review. We'll discuss this later." She smiled at me, attempting to walk away towards the filing cabinet but I was tired of her always making the decisions.
Blocking her path to prevent her from leaving, she appeared amused as I felt my frustration surge. "No, we'll discuss it now. Tell me why!"
"Because they were getting close to you and you're mine." She replied calmly, brushing my hair with her fingertips.
I pushed her hand away feeling my blood boiling. "That's bullshit! We were already together."
"Were?" The amused expression on her face instantly turned sour and livid.
"Ning Ning was right. I thought maybe I'd been hasty ending things between us on vacation, that maybe you really did genuinely care but you only care about yourself." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes again as I tried my best to remain confident.
She frowned like she couldn't understand the situation. "Everything I do is for you. I care about us, about our future."
"No, you only care about our future as long as it makes you happy!" As long as I was only with her 24/7 that was all she seemed to care about, my ambitions, my friends, my feelings seemed irrelevant to her.
"Is that what you think of me?" She asked quietly when the room suddenly flooded with silence.
I didn't reply, staring out instead across the room to fixate on a nearby painting of a snowy, picturesque scene of a lake that Rina had placed beside her bookshelf. I'd never noticed it before.
When she couldn't read my expression, she tried to move closer again placing her hand on my waist. "Winter, where is this attitude coming from?"
I moved away, walking across to the painting and running my finger across the silver frame. "Why did you transfer here, Rina?"
"What?" She followed me, observing my every action like a hawk.
"I found out you transfered here last year before my application was accepted. You knew I was on the waiting list." It had never made sense that Rina was here as during our time on vacation together she'd never mentioned joining that academy and was already at an elite university south of the river.
"Well then you've already answered your own question." She gave a fake smile, crossing her arms in annoyance.
It frustrated me even more than even now she had no clear reason for driving my friends away from campus. "I'm just asking for an explanation as to what all this is about."
The tension between us was made worse by the pitter patter of raindrops on the glass of the window that could be heard from outside as the snow melted to rain. "I just wanted to be with you. And we were so happy again until everyone started trying to take you from me so I just asked a few people to stay away from you, some required more persuasion."
My eyes went wide in both astonishment and bewilderment. "Do you really not have any idea how creepy that sounds?"
"You're exaggerating this whole situation." She sighed, glancing leisurely through the papers in her hand.
"What have you said to Giselle? Why is she protecting Ning Ning." Giselle's words from earlier were still ringing in my ear.
"So many questions you have. You're very inquizzitive, do you know that?" Rina complimented, unphased by the questions but still reluctant to answer any that didn't include some form of a riddle. That what's it felt like, a mystery, a riddle to be solved.
"Ning Ning said you just want to control everyone including me. I should have listened to her." My best friend had never gotten on with Rina but perhaps I had struggled to see why they were so different until now.
"It's interesting you take Ning Ning's side over mine but then you do have a tendency to change your mind." I knew she was referring to our vacation we'd spent together.
"So what? Will she be next?" I scoffed, continuing to challenge her.
She took a deep, shaky breath to remain calm. "Don't speak to me like that, Winter."
"Then don't pretend like you care. We're over so just stop interfering in my life." I took off the snowflake necklace around my neck, handing it back to her before storming towards the door.
Her eyes lit up in a way I'd never seen like a firey blaze. "You can't just walk away! You mean everything to me!"
"We tried but maybe some things just aren't meant to be. Perhaps that's us." I muttered sadly before turning to walk out of the door with a trail of eerie silence behind me.