|Gloom in the Air|

--Yun Oh's Point of View--

 I felt intolerably desperate as if the only thing I desired at the moment was to see her, hoping to catch a glimpse of her smile and not what I had sensed before I came here.

'I don't want to see her suffering alone.' her fake smile has been bothering me for a while now, even when she tries not to smile so fakely, she always ends up doing it anyway.

"This is mad! HONEY CATHERINE LOU!!"

I shouted her name, calling to hear a response from her, not wanting to see or hear her voice trying to act like she was alright because I knew it, she wasn't doing alright.

I peeked through the window with the curtains hanging over it, covering the only way for me to view whatever was it that was in there.

"Catherine?"

I called again, seeing a figure in the dark, and I didn't mind the rain that got me so damp as well as the brand-new clothes I was wearing.

I continued what I was doing for the purpose that I intended.

 "Catherine, I am not leaving until I know you're sleeping soundly in your bed!" the sound of the door's lock clicked...

I knew that very second, it was my chance to seize and never let go.

A silhouette appeared a little as the door slightly opened with a seemingly drenched person, I knew from that look, that it was her.

Suffering alone like what I feared.

She was standing still like an unmoved soul trapped in the household as I approached the door, taking her hand gently off the doorknob and entering with a mindful attitude considering her current state of well-being at its lowest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked cluelessly as she had always been, I didn't bother answering that question of hers, given the fact that she wouldn't be in the right mind to understand what my intention was.

"Go upstairs and wash up." I guided her toward the staircase, convincing her to move as told. "Okay." my friend replied plainly.

Catherine moved without any hesitation, following my words like an obedient child who had no sense of her own will, she reminded me of myself...

"A son who did everything he was told until he grew up to become a puppet." I whispered.

Throughout the evening, I made her do things for her own good, things that people wouldn't normally have to be told just to do for themselves.

She yawned weakly, feeling sleepy but unless I told her to go to bed, she didn't budge from her place even under her roof, however, I couldn't tell her to snap out of it.

'It isn't that easy.'

--Sora Young's Point of View--

 "What happened to the party?" I asked Sihyeon-eonni to tell me everything that went on but her response was just the same as everyone else.

The only thing that stood out to me was...

'Honey's neighbor.' that woman, I have never met her once before, and yet, she seems to play a role in our lives, including mine, of course...

"Stopped being so full of questions, it's not like we'll tell you anything."

Song covered his face with a bucket hat and continued his slumber in a corner of the classroom, we were hanging out as the teachers had no plan on resuming the discussion of lectures this week upon our return to school.

"I told you not to talk to me, remember?"

The room was heated once these words left my mouth, retaliating from the kind of treatment he was giving me lately, I mean... "There's nothing wrong with wanting to know, to have people tell me even when I don't ask them to do so."

 "Alright, I get it. I've always understood you no matter what." Song confessed, rolling his eyes and motioning the girl to leave him alone. "Now, because that's all done..."

Sihyeon tirelessly nominated a new topic to proceed with.

"Let us continue with our first-ever operation." the others were dumbfounded, clueless at the mention of a plan.

--Author's Point of View--

"A lot of people have been gone since the summer break trip we had recently."

Riyanna mentioned while launching a can of lemonade from the ground toward her friend who was sweeping the track field.

"Yes, and I would very much love it if you help out like you said." Yeonju brushed his hair back, dropping the cleaning items he was using.

"You can handle it." replied the girl, they were practically aware of their similarities so the two of them weren't even surprised to hear that they were related by blood.

The track field was in a mess after the two-day hardcore training of the running athletes, these athletes were preparing for an upcoming competition with other schools, and the same goes for the other athletes in different fields.

 "Do you not miss playing football?" the silence that fell in the air was interrupted by the girl once more, she looked at the other student who didn't seem to care.

Thus, getting ignored upon asking it just like everyone else around them. "If you don't plan on answering that, answer this instead..." this caught the attention of the boy.

Riyanna started to walk away from him, trying to play hard to get after he simply ignored her without even a glance.

"What the heck?!" he shouted, feeling like he just finished watching a cliffhanger movie. He chased after her and they both ended up running around like a cat and a mouse in the field as another school day ended.

(The Next Day) Honey Lou and every other student performing for the last performance were wrapping up the practice.

Soon enough, they will start the rehearsal after the costumes and props are completely made with the help of Ivy Go, the stepmother of Honey.

"Honey! Follow me." the mentor clung her arm onto the girl and they walked outside.

'Not another one of their so-called rituals...' the sunlight exposed the dark brownish color of Honey's hair, her mother was waiting outside with an authentic fan in her hand which she rapidly used to keep herself cool.

"Is it just me or is it incredibly hot lately?" Iv complained about the sunny weather.

'It's the middle of March anyway.'

--Yua's Point of View--

 "Well, that was a bust!" Song already knew that this plan was not possible, even the slightest out of a hundred percent.

'Can he at least have a bit of hope in us?' he ain't even helping in any way, like what in the world is wrong with him??

"First, and foremost of all... Song! Quit acting like you know anything."

Sora pulled him and dragged him outside.

"This meeting is done anyway." the cyan-haired boy lifted his head from laying flat on the tiled floor after Sora took him by the legs and escorted him out, fortunately for him, he was planning on leaving before she decided to do that...

What are the chances out of a million for this coincidence to happen...

"And I'm not even exaggerating..."

"Huh? Did you say anything?" Sihyeon-noona turned her head to me, perceiving what I thought was just a thought in my head that I suddenly blurted aloud, we dismissed the rest of the conversation because there was nothing left to say.

 A day in school felt almost like a year, a boring one, that is... "Where are the others?" the most asked question in our circle of friends came earlier than I expected, only six of us from the group, mainly, the young ones were present.

Sora, Sookyung, Riyanna, and I altogether stayed in the field bleachers.

Yeonju was also in the field, cleaning up.

In addition to us, Seongmin stood with his photography club as the leader. Sihyeon-noona, on the other hand...

"Avoiding her boyfriend as usual." Sora leaned on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around me as if she didn't know about the discomfort I had against physical touches.

I looked at her with my death stare... "I know you love me, Yua!"

 She isn't wrong about that, I do love them to the point that I can consider their sake more than mine. 'Especially since Sora had to go through a traumatic experience that is far worse than what I did.' getting picked on by countless guys, is harder to face compared to that time when my family attempted to kill me off...

Remembering such memories about my past absolutely sickens me.

"Don't you just love it here?" my closest companion spoke, raising her hand so cheerfully in the air as the sun shone brightly in the sky before it started to set.