Liu Qiàn finally breathed out after being in a deadlock for more than a minute.

She finally believed her. But that was not enough ——

"Can you... Can you please keep this as a secret for me?" Mae asked as her eyelashes quivered.

Liu Qiàn nodded awkwardly.

Mae could finally be in peace now. But her mind decided to go against her. If Liu Qiàn saw the text, there could be someone else who saw it as well without her knowing.

The two went back home in silence, both scrolling through their phones to avoid each other.

Mae couldn't sleep that night, trying to figure out the solution if anything goes wrong.

......

On the other side of the Han river, not too far away from Mae's home, Min Cheol looked at the person who stood in front of his dormitory door. She was wearing a black hoody, a white mask covering half of her face, her cat liner was sharp on the edges, but she didn't have any other makeup on.

His footsteps stopped at the sight of her, he rubbed his temples and asked her to follow them into the dorm.

The members went to their own rooms to provide space for them to speak.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Jo Hee asked when they were finally left alone.

He didn't answer right away as he slowly removed his jacket and folded it, giving her a cold shoulder.

"You can't just treat me like this," Jo Hee frowned from his cold treatment and continued, "I am not yet ready for a relationship, doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

He finally sighed and sat on the sofa across her, looking straight into her eyes: "Why did you kiss me back?"

She gripped the hem of her hoodie unconsciously and looked down: "I...I'm sorry...I, I was drunk."

Min Cheol smirked, his face grim.

The atmosphere seemed to have stagnated, it became suffocating for both of them to be at each other's company.

Finally, Min Cheol broke the silence: "Just give me some time, I need to be alone for a while."

Jo Hee nodded, still not daring to make any eye contact with him. She picked her bag and left the dorm hastily.

Min Cheol stared at the shut door for a while, as if contemplating on something. No one in the house dared to disturb him.

......

8.A.M.

Mae looked at herself in the mirror, there was a dark shadow under her eyes. She sighed as she searched for her NARS concealer, she's still not sure if that will be enough to cover her dark circles up. To make sure she didn't look sick, she even used her Tarte foundation to cover up all the imperfections. She's going to see her cousin today and she doesn't want her family to worry about her.

Her cousin, Caroline, was waiting for her in a restaurant in Hongdae. It didn't take her long to find the place. Apparently, it was opened by the mother of an idol so there were millions of descriptions on the net. If she wasn't wrong, the idol had gone to serve the mandatory military service last year.

When Mae reached the restaurant, she realized Caroline was talking to a middle-aged lady, they were giggling and seemed to be having a good time together. Mae's lips curled up, she went inside and greeted the lady.

"Ah, so you are Caroline's little sister? Sit, sit, I'll treat you today." She was very solicitous but gave them space after Mae came.

"Who is she?" Mae asked as she sat down on the sofa in front of Caroline, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"She's the owner here." Caroline smiled secretively as if there was still something she has been hiding.

"How did you get to know each other?" Mae tilted her head looking through the menu.

"I helped her when she first opened the shop."

"Don't tell me..." Mae raised her head, her pupil dilated in surprise.

"Yeah, I worked at the fan club," Caroline nodded, smiling, "but don't tell my mom though. She's scared that I'll turn out to be like Lin Xia."

Mae was more than aware why Caroline had such concerns. Lin Xia's story is famous in her family. Because her family has been working in the entertainment industry for a long time, it wasn't uncommon for her cousins to go and meet celebrities when they go on shows sponsored by her family's company. But Lin Xia took this opportunity way too far. She somehow managed to exchange her number with a B-list rookie. They met a few times and started dating in a flash. This whole time, Lin Xia ignored everyone's warning and fed him, bought him clothes, and even rented an apartment for him. While she was spending fortunes for him, he took different models to that apartment every night and slept with them.

This incident later became a story for the mothers in her circle to warn their children to not date celebrities. It's an irony that they were expanding their wealth by manufacturing and managing these celebrities, yet they looked down on their profession and generalized them. After all, if you think about it, if it wasn't because of them, will these ordinary people be able to enter the mud pool? Mae and Caroline both had the same question yet never seemed to be vocal about it.

They diverted the topic as soon as they realized how heavy the atmosphere seemed to have become and started talking in a playful tone, joking and teasing each other every now and then.

The two sisters were enthralled to see each other after a long time. It's always nice to have someone who shares the same blood as you in a foreign land. And because of that, Mae could trust Caroline more than anyone else. She confessed to her about Five, while keeping her mouth shut about Min Cheol and WT.

"Jie, I might need your help in the future. I'll try not to bother you though." She said, swallowing her boba tea.

"Just ask away. I only have one little sister in this hell Joseon! I don't even have much work now since Oppa is in the military." Caroline patted her back. But soon, as if remembering something, she sighed: "But he's pretty scared that he'll soon be forgotten by the public and the fans though. You know how harsh this world is to them, especially since now he's out of the sight of the public."

Mae nodded in agreement. She always wondered how long will Min Cheol be able to stay under the spotlight. It'll be devastating for him if all these were to be seized from him. You can't make someone taste the miraculous fruit and then ban it forever. He always said that he wants to leave at the peak of his career. Mae knew clearly why he felt like that. He just will never be able to see himself slowly withering, he needs to hold onto the best memory.

After having lunch, the two sisters decided to roam the streets. You can never leave Hongdae before watching plenty talented students - and sometimes even rookie idols and trainees - busking on random places and emptying your wallet buying all those creative and unique goods.

While Mae was choosing gifts to buy for her new classmates, Caroline suddenly asked: "Hey, can I move in with you?"

"I swear I will move out as soon as I find a new apartment." She added.

"There's like so many rooms in my house, you can stay there as long as you want."

"Ah, but I don't want to bother you in case you make a new boyfriend."

"Did you forget? I live with Nancy. I won't be bringing my boyfriend home."

"Oh, so you do have a boyfriend!" Caroline teased her with one side of her lip curling up.

"No, Jie, I don't. I just came back. A boyfriend doesn't fall from the sky!" Mae emphasized as she turned to look at her.

Caroline giggled while looking at Mae as if she's the most adorable creature in this world. All the love she has for this big girl was leaking from her eyes. 

Jie(姐)/Jie Jie(姐姐)－ In Chinese, it literally means older sister. It's the same as "noona" and "unnie" in Korean.

Oppa －In Korean, when a female calls an older male, she calls him "Oppa". It literally means big brother.

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