They saw it.

Renjun's friends saw how Ningning entered the cafeteria looking devastated. It was clear how she ran towards her friends for comfort. They all saw how she cried.

It also hurt for them to see someone cry like that, even if they weren't really that close.

"Ouch, my heart hurts.." Irene said, clutching her chest. "What did Renjun do this time?" She took a deep breath.

Minutes later, Jeno, Donghyuck and Jaemin entered the cafeteria with Renjun following behind, looking so devastated.

"Something happened." Jaehyun said, but not too loud. "Look at him." He sighed.

"Those two are hopeless." Kun sighed.

✨

"Tell us what happened." Yiyang sat in front of the girl who cried earlier.

They were already at their dorm, and once Ningning calmed down they all asked her to tell them everything that happened.

She took a deep breath. "Yesterday, I went with Herin at the locker room to put my usual letters. He's reading them, I know it. He even told me." She chuckled. "To my surprise, yesterday was an unusal day. I saw how he ripped the paper into two, crumpled it, and threw it away."

She looked down and played with her fingers. "Herin treated me ice cream yesterday since I was really down." She chuckled.

Lami stood up, "What?! That's so unfair—"

"Shh, Sungkyung. Ningning's talking." Hina warned.

Lami huffed. "Fine."

Ningning sighed. "I didn't give up though. I still went to his locker and placed another letter, as if nothing happened yesterday. The same thing happened." She chuckled bitterly. "Am I annoying? Am I already too much?"

Yiyang sat beside her and patred her back. "No, you're not. He's just stupid to not realize that you're worth it." She smiled. "Besides, he doesn't know that it's you."

Herin nodded, "Yeah, he's stupid for not realizing that yz stands for Yizhuo." She sighed.

Ningning scoffed. "As if something else would happen if he knew that it was me."

"Of course something else would happen!" Jungyeon said. "As if you're blind not to see his smile every time he approaches you, or his little actions every time you're around." She smiled. "It's definitely something, Ningning-ah... he's just too dumb to realize."

"Ah, what are you guys saying?" Ningning laughed. "Like I said earlier, I don't want to keep my hopes up anymore. I'll only end up being hurt." She said.

"What are you planning to do now, unnie?" Lami asked.

Ningning stood up. "I'm not gonna stop, though I'll keep my distance..." She smiled brightly, as if she didn't shed tears yesterday and earlier. "Stopping isn't in my dictionary." She took a bow and went to her room.

"Is she even sure it's still a crush?" Hina asked. "Based from what we're seeing, it doesn't look like it's a simple crush at all."

"Let the kid be. She knows her limitations." Koeun sighed.

💓

"Yah." Chenle sat on Ningning's left side, while Jisung sat on the right. "Are you okay?" He asked the girl who was too engrossed in the history book she was reading.

She was probably reviewing for their upcoming history test.

Ningning closed her book and looked at him. "Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?"

"We all saw how you cried yesterday." Jisung was the one who spoke. "How you ran to your friends and cried on to them like there's no tomorrow." Jisung sighed. "Seriously, Yizhuo. What happened?"

"I saw how he threw the letter away." Ningning sighed. "That's why I cried. I'm okay now, though. I swear." She smiled.

Chenle took a deep breath, "That's good to hear, then. What are you planning to do? Will you keep on sending him letters?" He asked.

The girl nodded, "Of course. I'll finish what I've started." She said, full of determination.

Jisung scoffed, "The last time you said that, you just made your projects colorful."

Ningning glared at him. "That sounds like the both of you. Now get lost, I'm gonna review for the test." She said, picking up the book that was on her desk.

"Are you seriously gonna review for the test?!" Chenle exclaimed.

Ningning rolled her eyes, "I'm not like the two of you who don't review." She said. "Watch me get the first place away from you, Zhong." She challenged.

"Oh, you're not getting my rank away from me." Chenle said, going back to his seat.

💌

Ningning decided to write something since there were plenty of time left. She was done answering and reviewing her paper, and now, she can't do anything.

She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

Dear Renjun,
     You probably won't be reading this letter anymore since I've already seen you throw my letters away twice. But hey, here I still am, writing a letter for you.

She sighed and took a deep breath before continuing. Her hand was shaking, and it feels like the pen will fall out of her hand any moment soon.

     I'm wondering, will something change if you know who I am? I mean, you probably don't care about me right? You probably won't even know me if it weren't because of Chenle and Jisung.

It seems like she's back in time.

When she would just stare at Renjun when she sees him, because she doesn't have the courage to talk to him. She would always steal goances every time he's at the cafeteria with his friends.

But now, things changed.

They're friends. Well, for Ningning, at least.

Never in her wildest dreams that they would actually talk to each other comfortably. She never imagined that they would be this close.

But now....

Now...

She sighed.

     Anyways, I'm still here, liking you from afar, because that's what I've been doing... right from the start.

—yz

✨

"Renjun-hyung won't be at the cafeteria at lunch today." Jisung whispered out of the blue.

Ningning flinched looked at the guy beside her. "Jesus Christ, Jisung!" She said. "You could have killed me!"

Jisung laughed, "Anyways, Renjun-hyung is with Yuri-noona now, and they're rehearsing for the winter fair next week." He said.

"And you're telling me this so...?" Ningning raised a brow.

Jisung shrugged, "Nothing. Just so you won't be around looking for him." He laughed. He stopped laughing when Ningning handed him a folded piece of paper. "What's this?" He asked, and was about to open it but thegirl stopped him from doing so.

"Give that to him." She sighed. "Just tell him that someone you don't know gave it to you. Or maybe tell him that it was from me, I don't even care at this point." She leaned on her desk.

Jisung shrugged. "Okay, okay."

💌

"Hyung, here..." Jisung handed him the letter that Ninning was asking him to give Renjun.

Renjun reached out to get the paper Jisung was giving him. "It's a letter, from yz. I believe." He closed his fist and placed his hand in his pocket.

Jisung raised a brow. So what Ningning said was true. Renjun-hyung's not reading any of her letters anymore. "Why?"

"Throw it away." Renjun sighed.

"Why should I? Hyung, it's a letter for you." Jisung said.

"How would you even know who yz is?" Renjun raised a brow. "Jisung-ah, be honest. Do you know who yz is?"

Jisung was tongue-tied. I won't give in. I promised Ningning... "O-Of course, I don't. Hyung, are you stupid?" Jisung said. He looked at the letter and saw a 'yz' written at the top. "Hyung, I'm not blind. I also know how to read." He said, showing the older what he saw just now.

Renjun rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He pulled his blanket over his head. "Throw it away. Get it out of my sight."

"Hyung, what's with yz that you hate? You used to read her letter before." Jisung said. "What happened? Shouldn't you be happy because someone, with enough courage, is writing you letters because she admires you a lot?" He said.

He was tired of seeing Ningning looking sad all of the time. All of them were tired seeing her not acting like herself.

"Jisung, just..." Renjun sighed. "Just get it out of my sight."

Jisung scoffed and placed the letter under his pillow. "You're hopeless!"

—tbc