The hallways of HYBE buzzed with energy as Jiah, Chaewon, and Yunjin made their way toward the cafeteria. Their practice session had been long and exhausting, and the thought of food was the only thing keeping them energized.

"Do you think the cafeteria has the strawberry milk today?" Jiah asked absentmindedly, glancing at Yunjin.

"Probably," Yunjin replied, her excitement already showing. "But honestly, I'm just here for the tteokbokki. It's my fuel at this point."

Chaewon laughed softly. "You're way too excited about food, Yunjin."

"Well, forgive me for being human!" Yunjin joked, earning a playful eye roll from Chaewon.

As they approached the cafeteria doors, Chaewon suddenly stopped in her tracks, her gaze locking onto a familiar pair of figures just outside the entrance. Standing there, deep in conversation, were Beomgyu and Heeseung.

Chaewon instinctively nudged Jiah. "Look who's here."

Jiah froze mid-step. Her eyes darted toward the pair, and her stomach flipped uncomfortably. "Oh, no," she muttered under her breath, immediately turning around and tugging on Chaewon's sleeve. "Let's go back to the practice room. Now."

"What? Why?" Yunjin asked, clearly confused as she tried to keep up.

"Just trust me!" Jiah hissed.

The three girls began retreating, but they didn't get far.

"Jiah!" Beomgyu's unmistakable voice echoed down the hallway, loud and cheerful.

Jiah winced, squeezing her eyes shut for a brief moment before pasting on a polite smile. Slowly, she turned around to face him. "Oppa! Hi," she greeted, her voice filled with forced cheerfulness.

Beomgyu grinned widely, clearly oblivious to Jiah's internal panic. "What are you guys doing?"

"Uh, just... taking a break," Jiah replied, trying to keep her tone light. She gestured toward Yunjin and Chaewon, who were reluctantly following her back to the cafeteria doors.

Chaewon bowed politely as they approached. "Hello, Heeseung-ssi," she greeted formally, keeping her voice steady and composed.

Jiah followed suit, turning to Heeseung with a polite bow of her own. "Hello, Heeseung-ssi."

Heeseung nodded back, his expression neutral but his gaze flickering toward Jiah for a moment longer than necessary. "Hi," he said softly, his tone reserved.

"This is Yunjin," Jiah said quickly, stepping aside to introduce their newest group member. "She's one of my members."

Yunjin smiled brightly, bowing enthusiastically. "Hello! It's nice to meet you."

Beomgyu's grin widened. "Ah, so you're Yunjin! Congratulations on your debut announcement," he said warmly.

"Thank you so much!" Yunjin replied, her excitement obvious.

Beomgyu looked at the trio expectantly. "Are you guys heading to eat?"

Jiah and Chaewon both opened their mouths to decline, but before they could get a word out, Yunjin, clearly unaware of the situation, answered, "Yeah! We're on break and thought we'd grab some food."

Jiah shot Yunjin a subtle glare, but the damage was already done.

"Perfect timing! Let's eat together," Beomgyu suggested enthusiastically.

Chaewon immediately tried to object. "Oh, no, we wouldn't want to-"

"Disturb us?" Beomgyu interrupted with a laugh. "Don't be silly. It's not disturbing at all. In fact, it'll be good to get to know each other better."

He turned to Heeseung for confirmation. "Right, Heeseung?"

Heeseung paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, it's fine."

Jiah bit the inside of her cheek, trying to suppress her frustration, while Chaewon sighed in defeat.

"Come on!" Beomgyu said cheerfully, gesturing for them to follow as he headed into the cafeteria. Heeseung trailed behind, sparing a brief glance at Jiah before disappearing through the doors.

Left behind, the three girls exchanged uneasy looks.

"What just happened?" Yunjin asked, completely oblivious to the tension.

Chaewon and Jiah turned to glare at her in unison.

"What?" Yunjin asked, blinking in confusion.

Jiah sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He's the Heeseung I told you about."

Yunjin's eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Wait... that Heeseung?!"

"Yes," Chaewon said bluntly, crossing her arms.

"Oh no," Yunjin whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh no, oh no, what are we going to do? Should we run? Can we run?"

Jiah exhaled sharply. "We can't run, Yunjin. They're expecting us to join them now."

Yunjin looked genuinely panicked. "But- okay, what's the plan then?"

Chaewon pulled out her phone and quickly began typing. "I already sent a message to the group chat. Let's just hope someone comes to rescue us before this gets worse."

Jiah nodded in agreement, glancing toward the cafeteria doors as if preparing herself for battle. "Good thinking. Now let's just hope they get here in time."

The three girls exchanged nervous glances before reluctantly stepping toward the cafeteria, their footsteps heavy with dread. Inside, Beomgyu and Heeseung were already seated, waiting for them with trays of food.

"Just act normal," Jiah muttered under her breath. "We'll survive this... I hope."

The cafeteria was quieter than usual, a soft hum of chatter filling the background as Jiah, Chaewon, and Yunjin reluctantly joined Beomgyu and Heeseung at the table. The trays of food in front of the boys looked untouched, and the girls' lack of appetite matched the energy.

Beomgyu was the only one attempting to lighten the mood, his smile unwavering as he gestured for them to sit. "Come on, it's just lunch," he said cheerfully.

Jiah hesitated but eventually took a seat across from Beomgyu, with Chaewon and Yunjin flanking her on either side. Heeseung sat to Beomgyu's right, his posture stiff as he stared at the table in front of him.

The silence at the table was palpable, thick with unspoken words. Beomgyu, clearly uncomfortable with the tension, clicked his tongue and sighed dramatically. "Okay, so I'm guessing you already know about Heeseung and Jiah's history."

Jiah's head snapped up at the mention of the topic, her eyes narrowing slightly. Heeseung, who had been avoiding everyone's gaze until that point, finally looked up at Beomgyu, his jaw tightening. "Beomgyu," he said firmly, his voice low and warning. "It's best not to talk about that here."

Beomgyu shrugged, unfazed by Heeseung's tone. "You're going to have to talk about it eventually. Why not now? We're all friends here."

The tension at the table increased tenfold. Chaewon, who had been quietly observing, finally broke the silence. "It's hard not to know about it when I was there for Jiah through it all," she said, her voice calm but pointed.

Jiah shot her a grateful glance before turning her attention back to Beomgyu. "We'll talk about it when we're ready," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "There's no point in doing it in front of all our friends."

As she spoke, Jiah could feel Heeseung's gaze on her, his eyes heavy with emotion she didn't want to decipher. She refused to meet his gaze, instead focusing on the waitress who had just approached their table with a notepad in hand.

"What would you like to order?" the waitress asked politely, her pen poised to write.

Jiah and Chaewon quickly placed their orders, keeping it simple with some rice bowls and soup. Just as Yunjin opened her mouth to order, the cafeteria doors burst open. Garam and Eunchae, two of their members, came running in, their faces flushed as if they had sprinted all the way there.

"Unnie! Director-nim is looking for you and Chaewon-unnie!" Garam called out breathlessly, her eyes darting between Jiah and Chaewon.

Jiah blinked in surprise. "Right now?"

Eunchae nodded enthusiastically, her ponytail bouncing. "Yes, he said it's urgent."

Jiah and Chaewon exchanged quick glances, silently agreeing that this was their best escape route. Rising from their seats, they bowed slightly toward Beomgyu and Heeseung.

"Sorry, we'll have to cut this short," Jiah said, her voice polite but tinged with relief. "We'll just order in instead."

Chaewon nodded in agreement. "Enjoy your meal."

Without missing a beat, Yunjin also stood up. "I'll go with them," she said quickly, grabbing her bag before anyone could protest.

Beomgyu looked slightly disappointed but nodded. "Alright, see you all later."

Heeseung remained silent, his eyes following Jiah as she turned to leave with the other girls. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met, and Jiah's heart skipped a beat. But she quickly averted her gaze, hurrying out of the cafeteria with her group.

As they walked back to their practice room, Garam and Eunchae exchanged knowing looks. "How did it go?" Garam whispered to Yunjin, who was walking beside her.

Yunjin sighed dramatically. "Let's just say it was tense."

Jiah and Chaewon shared a quiet laugh at Yunjin's bluntness. "That's one way to put it," Chaewon said, shaking her head.

Jiah glanced back toward the cafeteria doors, her mind briefly lingering on Heeseung's expression. She shook off the thought and focused on the present. "Let's just eat in peace," she muttered, earning nods of agreement from the others.

The hallway was quiet except for the faint hum of the elevator nearby. Jiah walked with her members toward the lift, trying to shake off the heavy tension that had followed them out of the cafeteria. She let out a small sigh, silently grateful for the excuse Garam and Eunchae had provided to escape.

Just as they reached the elevator, a voice called out behind them.

"Jiah!"

She froze, her heart dropping at the familiar sound. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Slowly, she let out a breath, signaling to her members to go on without her.

"Go ahead," she said quietly, her tone calm but firm.

Chaewon stopped in her tracks, turning to face her. "Are you sure?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

Jiah gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. I'll catch up with you in a bit."

Chaewon hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave her behind, but Jiah nodded firmly. "It's okay, unnie."

After a moment, Chaewon sighed, giving Jiah's arm a gentle squeeze before stepping into the elevator with Yunjin, Garam, and Eunchae. The doors closed with a soft ding, leaving Jiah alone in the hallway.

She turned around, her forced smile already in place. Heeseung was walking toward her, holding something in his hand. As he got closer, Jiah could see the slight tension in his expression, though his voice was calm when he spoke.

"I just wanted to apologize for Beomgyu earlier," he said. "He can be... well, you know how he is."

Jiah nodded, her smile stiff but polite. "It's fine," she said. "I already know how Beomgyu is."

He stopped in front of her, holding out her bag. "You forgot this," he said simply.

Jiah blinked, realizing she had left it back in the cafeteria. "Oh," she murmured, taking it from him. "Thank you."

As she adjusted the strap over her shoulder, Heeseung's eyes flickered down to her bag. His gaze lingered for a moment before he spoke again, his tone softer this time.

"You still kept the keychain," he said.

Jiah followed his gaze, her eyes landing on the small, slightly faded keychain hanging from the zipper of her bag. It was a simple design a miniature plush bear holding a heart that Heeseung had won for her at a fair years ago.

Her lips curved into a faint, bittersweet smile. "Of course I kept it," she said. "It's my favorite keychain. I wouldn't throw it away just because of... our past."

Heeseung nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence stretching between them. Finally, he broke it.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jiah tilted her head, her smile fading as she looked at him. Her gaze was steady, almost blank. "Do you know why you're apologizing?" she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.

Heeseung opened his mouth but said nothing. His silence spoke volumes.

Jiah shook her head, letting out a small, humorless laugh. "Exactly."

She turned as if to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"I'm apologizing," he said, his voice firm this time, "for the way I treated you when things got rough. For shutting you out. And for not fighting for us."

Jiah froze, her back still turned to him. Slowly, she turned around, her expression unreadable.

"You didn't fight for us," she repeated softly, almost to herself. Her grip on the strap of her bag tightened. "You just gave up, Heeseung. Like we didn't matter."

His shoulders sagged slightly, the weight of her words hitting him. "I know," he said quietly. "And I've regretted it ever since."

Jiah's gaze softened for a moment, but she quickly masked it. "It doesn't change anything," she said, her voice steady. "What's done is done."

Heeseung nodded, though his expression was heavy with guilt. "I just... I needed you to know," he said. "That I'm sorry. For everything."

Jiah hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Are you comfortable having this conversation right now?" Her voice was steady, though the strain in her eyes was unmistakable.

Heeseung didn't respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the floor between them. The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable, until Jiah sighed softly. "Exactly what I thought," she said, folding her arms. "I meant what I said to Beomgyu earlier. We'll talk when we're both comfortable. Not like this."

He looked up then, his jaw tightening. "It's been three years, Ji. How can we not be comfortable by now?"

Her lips twitched into a humorless smile, and she shook her head. "Three years doesn't erase what happened," she said firmly. "I'm not comfortable being in the same room as you, Heeseung. Never mind having this conversation."

His shoulders stiffened, his expression darkening. He opened his mouth as if to respond but paused, choosing his words carefully. "You're acting like I'm the only one who did something wrong," he said finally, his voice low.

Jiah's eyes narrowed slightly, and she tilted her head, her tone sharp. "I am," she said without hesitation.

That caught him off guard. He blinked, his lips parting as if to argue, but she continued, her words quick and decisive. "Because after everything went down, it was me who did everything to try and make it work. I was the one reaching out, apologizing for things I didn't even do, trying to meet you halfway." Her voice grew sharper, and Heeseung flinched slightly. "And what did I get in return? I got pushed away because your ego was too big to accept that you were wrong."

His gaze dropped to the floor again, the guilt evident in his posture. "That's not-"

"No," she interrupted, her tone firm but not unkind. "I'm not going to let you justify it, Heeseung. You were wrong, and you couldn't admit it then and you can't admit now. That's why it ended."

The weight of her words hung in the air between them, and for a moment, Heeseung couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

Jiah let out a small, bitter laugh, shaking her head. "So I'm sorry if you feel like I'm being unfair," she said, her voice softer now but no less resolute. "But I'm not going to invalidate my feelings just to make you feel better about what happened. I've already done enough of that."

He looked up then, his expression conflicted. There was pain in his eyes, but there was also a flicker of understanding or perhaps realization.

Jiah exhaled, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "When we're both comfortable," she said quietly, "we can have a real conversation. Until then, I'll treat you like the sunbaenim you are, and I'll be the respectful junior I'm supposed to be."

Heeseung nodded slowly, his voice barely audible when he finally spoke. "I understand."

"Good," Jiah said, adjusting the strap of her bag. She glanced at the elevator down the hall, signaling that she was ready to leave the conversation behind.

Heeseung hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly as if he wanted to reach out but thought better of it. "Jiah," he said, his voice stopping her mid-step.

She turned back to him, her gaze questioning.

"I really am sorry," he said, his voice steady despite the vulnerability in his tone. "For everything. Not just what I did... but for how it made you feel."

Her expression softened for a brief moment, but she quickly masked it, nodding once. "Thank you," she said simply.

Without another word, she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing faintly in the quiet hallway.

Heeseung watched her go, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The words he wanted to say, to explain, to make amends were caught in his throat. But for now, he had to accept that it wasn't the time.

Jiah, meanwhile, stepped into the elevator, leaning back against the cool metal wall as the doors closed. She let out a shaky breath, her grip tightening on her bag. The conversation had stirred up emotions she thought she had long buried, but she reminded herself of her own words.

When they were both comfortable, they could have that conversation. Until then, she would keep moving forward.