"Tae!"

The door flung open and Eunsook made eye contact with Taehyung who was eating his lunch on the hospital bed.

"Sook-"

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She yelled, rushing in, and raised her hand, making him flinch. "You-! You're unbelievable! Why was I not informed! Am I nobody?!"

He swallowed the food he was chewing and bowed his head. "I'm sorry... I didn't want to worry you..."

She huffed and dropped herself on the bed, covering her face with her hands. Tears were welling up but she could not let them flow. It was only after a few days after the incident that her parents told her about him and asked if she knew anything. She had no clue that he was almost on his deathbed and then came back to life. It had been so long since they spent time together. Back then, they used to be inseparable.

"I almost lost you," she murmured to herself and he caught it.

"I'm here, aren't I?" He chuckled and she looked up to glare at him. Noticing the tears brimming her eyes, he softened his expression and patted her back. "I wouldn't leave you like that."

She sniffled and got up to sit properly. "You better not."

They looked at each other for a long moment. It was evident in their stare how much they actually cared and missed each other. Taehyung broke into a smile and then Eunsook gave him a sad one before leaning forward to hug him.

"Please be more careful from now on."

Her shoulders were trembling and he wrapped his arms around them tightly. "I will."

Temperance watched them in silence and let out a sigh before teleporting to where Saejin was, only to freeze in place, in shock of what she just came to see.

"Sae! Hold on!" Jimin screamed, reaching out his hand into the water in the middle of a huge ice crack where Saejin seemed to be drowning in. She flailed around, panicking, her hand slipping from his as she sank deeper into the water. "Sae!"

Jimin quickly jumped up and took off his ice skates before throwing them away and jumping into the ice crack. Temperance stepped forward but stopped and took a step back. Who knew what would her intervention would lead to?

With all his might, Jimin grabbed onto Saejin who was nearly unconscious and pulled her up to the surface. A sudden cramp made his legs unable to move, and he pushed Saejin up to the surface, leaving himself down in the water, immobile.

Saejin's head floated over the water in Temperance's sight, and she took another step forward only to stop again.

"Don't," she reminded herself. But Saejin did not seem to move at all and was only going to sink down again. "Greed, where are you?"

Time was ticking as she stood still, watching her drown once again and the seconds were stretching longer as she waited with bated breaths, hoping that Jimin would somehow come up with Saejin. She anxiously looked left and right and no one was there to help them. It was silent. Terribly silent. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited, but what was she waiting for?

Before opening her eyes, she dashed forward, and then looked down into the water through the ice crack. Before she could think again, she dove into the cold water.

From afar, a man was approaching with a small stool.

Sunghoon ran through the hospital hallways and swung the door to Saejin's room open with a racing heart. His eyes fell on the girl lying unconscious on the bed and slowly approached the doctor with a dazed look.

"H-How is she?"

"Her stats are normal. The damage was not severe so she will wake up soon, but she needs to rest."

He breathed out in relief. "Thank goodness..."

The doctor walked out and Sunghoon approached Saejin with a pained look. "Saejin... I was so afraid..."

Temperance watched him. It did not take a genius to know how he felt. It was not her place to tell him how to act or frown upon his actions. He was not the Sunghoon she knew. Yet, she was not fine. It was absurd. The emotions in his eyes as he looked at Saejin made her uncomfortable and not want to see him stare at her so longingly. Perhaps, at that moment, Temperance might have had similar emotions in her eyes.

She looked away and told herself not to be ridiculous when Jimin suddenly came in, holding his IV drip and looking haggard as if he just woke up. He could see nobody but Saejin as he walked inside. Sunghoon looked at him and did not know what to make of the situation.

Temperance, however, could see what was going wrong.

And things were going wrong.

Weeks passed and they had all recovered just in time for the masquerade ball for art students. All the artsy kids had a thing for mystery and drama with a little bit of melo, so it was a given that this was a time for asking out someone you fancy to go together or run into someone mysterious to sweep you off your feet during the ball. But that someone was hardly someone with a partner who came with them from the start.

Eunsook walked into the ball with Taehyung with a purple and green mask each. After the incident, they spent more time together, and naturally, Taehyung asked her to be his partner earlier than anyone could. Not that it mattered. She was not asked out by the person she was waiting for. It kept her up during many nights, but she felt stupid for feeling like this when the culprit did not seem to care.

She scanned the room and stared at every man who looked like Jungkook to really know if it was him and whom he asked to be his partner. She could ask him directly but she did not want to stoop like that. She acted like she did not care.

A golden mask caught her attention instead. She quickly made her way over to him and fake smiled. "Jimin!"

"Oh, Eunsook?!" He took off his mask. "Nice dress. Purple really does suit you."

"Thanks." She looked around him. "Where's your partner?"

He shrugged. "Went to the toilet?"

"Why don't you know where Sae is? Very responsible." She shook her head. "Then what about Jungkook?" She blurted, making him frown.

"Beats me. I don't know where both of them are. Must be together."

She scowled before processing what he said. "What?"

He frowned. "He asked Saejin to be his partner."

She froze and spluttered, "H-He did what?"

"Saejin told me that Jungkook asked her," Jimin said with a lot of spite and pursed his lips. He put his mask back on.

She swore she heard wrong. It must be. Eunsook's head was spinning from this unexpected news. "Does... D-Does he l-like her?" She stuttered and her voice trembled and she hated that.

Her heart was growing louder and she could not focus.

"I have no idea." Jimin tried to stay calm and sighed. "I always thought that he actually liked- Never mind."

Eunsook did not hear what he was saying over her thoughts. She turned away and her eyes found a couple with full white outfits and white masks who looked familiar. She nudged Jimin and pointed at them. "Hey. Isn't that her? I think that's Sunghoon she's with."

Jimin looked at them as well and let out a long exhale. "You're right."

"T-Then... Jungkook was dumped?" She said hopefully. "Can you ask him if he's here with someone else?"

Jimin frowned. "Why should I do that?"

He walked away before she could insist further. She could not understand what made Jimin act so not like himself, but she had her own things to worry about that weighed more than his attitude. Her stubbornness kept her from reaching out to Jungkook, and she spent the whole evening searching for him in the crowd.

In the end, she did not find him.

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Huehuehue~ 🫶