After dance class, Mina follows Tzuyu's lead to the field outside. The comforting sight of green grass, a gentle breeze, and the invigorating smell of fresh air immediately soothes Mina's soul. They arrive at an old tree towards the back of the field, where Dahyun and Chaeyoung are lying down. Dahyun is engrossed in her phone, whilst Chaeyoung looks to be sketching.
"I've brought her back, in one piece," Tzuyu announces to them as we approach. I notice Chaeyoung's warm smile directed at me, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she closes her sketch book and sits up against the tree.
"How was it? You didn't break a leg, it seems," Chaeyoung teases as Mina sits beside her. Her playful tone brings a smile to Mina's face. "It was fun! I danced and I met some new people." Mina says, pulling her water bottle out of her bag. "By people, she means Sana and Momo. Oh, Mina, does Nayeon count as a friend?" Tzuyu asks, a smirk escaping her lips. Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, adding to the playful banter. "Did Nayeon say something to you?" Chaeyoung asks, leaning forward. There's a slight sliver of pain in her eyes, hiding behind her stare. Mina's eyes sharpen. "Oh, just the usual stuff I've grown to know Nayeon for", Mina says, rolling her eyes too. Chaeyoung clenches her jaw slightly but releases it as Mina hands her the water bottle, breaking her train of thought.
Dahyun nudges Tzuyu. "Did Sana say anything about me?" Dahyun waits impatiently, her foot tapping the grass softly as she leans on her elbows. Tzuyu laughs and throws her empty lunch box at Dahyun's arm. "She said you're very annoying", Tzuyu teases. Mina and Chaeyoung laugh. Dahyun pouts. "Tzuyuuuuuu.. did she really say that?" Everyone can sense the desperation in her voice. Tzuyu chuckles and shakes her head as she leans back onto her bag. Mina takes the time to reflect on her morning, the camaraderie she felt during the dance class, Nayeon being rude to her again, and just the general chaotic atmosphere of this school.
I've got something for you guys," Chaeyoung muttered, pulling a tangled mess of thread and beads from her hoodie pocket.
Tzuyu leaned closer, brow furrowing. "What is that supposed to be? Roadkill?"
Chaeyoung scowled, untangling the strings. "Bracelets. Handcrafted masterpieces. Respect the art."
Dahyun snatched one before she finished explaining, dangling it between two fingers. "If this breaks mid-dance practice and strangles me, I'm suing."
"Don't yank on it like an idiot," Chaeyoung shot back, swatting at her hand.
Mina smiled quietly as the others laughed. She took hers gently, turning it over in her palm. The thread was uneven and a little frayed, but in the centre were small beads spelling her initial. M.
"It's beautiful," Mina said softly.
Chaeyoung blinked at her, startled by the sincerity. Then her mouth twitched, just slightly, as if she didn't quite know what to do with the compliment.
Tzuyu slipped hers on and immediately thrust her wrist into the air. "Give it a decade," she said dramatically, "and this will be worth millions. The tragic relic of Chaeyoung: world-famous artist, moody recluse."
"Glad to know you're already planning to profit off my suffering," Chaeyoung said dryly.
Dahyun clutched her chest. "Oh, come on, Chaeng. You should be honoured to be my retirement plan." The girls laugh, and even Chaeyoung can't hold back.
After a few minutes of silence, each of us engrossed in our phones and books, Tzuyu and Dahyun start bickering about their following classes, teasing each other. Chaeyoung continues to sketch in her book as Mina lies beside her, eyes resting. Mina could hear Chaeyoung's pencil marking the page, an almost ASMR feeling in her ear.
Across the page was a bird. Not a neat one, not the kind she expected from idle doodling, it looked deliberate, almost obsessive. The wings were spread wide, feathers shaded with sharp pencil strokes, each line layered over the other until the paper itself seemed bruised. One wing, though, had been crossed out entirely, slashed through with a thick, messy line that cut the drawing in half.
Mina tilted her head, eyes narrowing with a mix of curiosity and surprise. "You drew this?"
Chaeyoung looked up from her book, their faces inches away as Mina took in the detail of the sketch. A small, almost sheepish smile touched her lips. "Yeah."
Mina hesitated. "It's… beautiful," she said honestly. "But… why the wing—"
"Not everything's meant to fly," Chaeyoung cut in, her tone too casual to be natural. She slid the book back into her bag and snapped it shut.
The sudden finality in her voice left no room for questions. Mina glanced at Dahyun and Tzuyu, but neither seemed to notice anything odd. So she rose quietly and followed.
The moment passed too quickly.
"Anyway," her voice shifting light again. "We should head back. I'm sure Jihyo is looking for you"
Mina pushed herself up, brushing off her knees. She wanted to ask about the bird — why ruin something so carefully drawn? But Chaeyoung was already slinging her bag over her shoulder, her attention fixed elsewhere. Tzuyu and Dahyun follow, both stealing uneasy glances at one another.
So Mina let it go.
They started walking side by side, the quiet between them companionable. Mina glanced at Chaeyoung from the corner of her eye, the sketch still lingering in her head. She hadn't realised Chaeyoung drew like that, with such focus, such weight.
"Do you show these to anyone?" Mina asked after a pause.
"Not really." Chaeyoung shoved her hands in her pockets, a half-smile ghosting across her face. "People don't usually care about what's hidden in notebooks. They only care about what gets performed."
Mina thinks for a while, "Like the showcase?" Mina said lightly, trying to keep the conversation alive.
Chaeyoung's smile faltered, only for a second, but Mina caught it.
"Yeah," she said. "Like the showcase."
Mina didn't push. She couldn't have known that a single word carried more than Chaeyoung was willing to say. As they reached the pavilion, Chaeyoung kept walking, her mind consumed by thought as Mina greeted Jihyo. Mina watched as Chaeyoung kept walking, expecting her to stop, but she didn't.
"There's the dance queen", Jihyo says playfully, hugging Mina as she smirks at Jihyo's comment. Jihyo hands Mina a file pack, five centimetres thick of paper.
"What's this?" Mina asks, opening the pack. "Oh, it's for the showcase at the end of the year. It is usually grouped into dorms. So you'll be with Sana, Momo and..." Jihyo tries to smile but sighs a little ", and Nayeon".
Tzuyu laughs at hearing Mina's showcase partners. "Oh, good luck with that one, Mina", Tzuyu says, laughing with Dahyun. "Don't worry, it's just a few hours a week of group practice, knowing Sana and Momo, it'd be dance-based, with Nayeon singing," Jihyo says, resting a hand on Mina's arm.
Mina dreads the thought of having to work with Nayeon.
"And before you ask, no swapping partners", Jihyo says, as if she could read Mina's mind. Mina nods, her shoulders slumping a little.
Mina decides to distract herself; she pulls out her schedule and whispers, "vocal class" softly. Jihyo looks over at her schedule and beams with a smile.
"Two classes with me today so far, I'd say you're following me or something", Jihyo teases before putting her arm around Mina's shoulders and guiding her back through the main building.
_______________________________________________
Vocal practice later was chaos. Jihyo led as the vocal teacher dozed off in his chair, trying to keep the tempo steady, while Tzuyu dissolved into laughter every time she cracked off-key.
"Tzuyu!" Jihyo groaned, smacking her on the arm. "We're not doing comedy hour!"
"I'm trying," Tzuyu wheezed. "This is my trying face."
Dahyun leaned against the wall, clutching her stomach. "She's right. That is her trying face. Someone paint it."
Even Mina laughed, covering her mouth. But when she glanced at Chaeyoung sitting in the corner, she saw the sketchbook open again, her pencil scratching.
Mina leaned closer. "You should sing with us," she whispered.
Chaeyoung shook her head, muttering, "Not my thing."
"Just once," Mina coaxed, smiling gently. "For me?"
Something flickered in Chaeyoung's eyes, but she sighed and joined in on the next line. Her voice was low, husky, untrained but raw in a way that made Mina's skin prickle.
When they finished, Mina said softly, "You're good."
Chaeyoung shook her head, eyes on the floor. "No. You're just being nice."
By the time Jihyo dismissed them from vocal lessons, Mina felt wrung out — not from singing, but from keeping track of everything. The classrooms were tucked into corners she hadn't memorised yet, every hallway branching into another unfamiliar path. Even inside the practice room, she caught herself glancing at the exit more than once, quietly mapping her way back.
The others seemed at ease. Tzuyu was already halfway out the door, earbuds in, moving with that same casual confidence Mina envied. Jihyo had stayed just long enough to gather her sheet music before hurrying off to her next responsibility. The room fell into stillness as the door clicked shut, leaving only Mina and Chaeyoung.
Mina hesitated, her bag strap sliding down her shoulder. The air was different now — quieter, but heavier. She drifted toward the piano, her fingers ghosting over the keys. She didn't press down; she wasn't ready to let sound disturb the silence.
On the floor by the wall, Chaeyoung sat cross-legged, sketchbook open across her knees. Her pencil hovered above the page, but she wasn't drawing. Just staring, as if the unfinished lines on paper weighed more than they should.
"You didn't sing much today," Mina said after a pause. Her voice came out softer than she meant, careful, as if not to startle her.
Chaeyoung's shoulders lifted in a small shrug, the kind that dismissed more than it revealed. "Didn't feel like it."
"You should, though. When you did sing—" Mina stopped, choosing her words. "It was good. Really good."
That made Chaeyoung look up, briefly, before her gaze dropped again. A flicker of something passed through her eyes — not disbelief exactly, but a reluctance to accept the compliment. "You say that like you actually mean it."
"I do," Mina said simply. And she realised, as the words left her, that she meant it more strongly than she'd expected.
Chaeyoung closed the sketchbook in one swift motion, as if cutting off whatever was inside from being seen. She rose to her feet, brushing pencil dust from her palms. The room seemed smaller when she stood, shadows lengthening across the floor in the fading afternoon light.
Mina shifted, the bag strap slipping again until she caught it. She wasn't sure what to do with her hands, or her words, or the space between them.
Then Chaeyoung crossed it. Just a step, then another, until she stood close enough for Mina to notice the faint pencil smudge near her thumb. Her hand lifted slowly, almost uncertain. She didn't take Mina's hand, not really. Just let her fingertips brush Mina's wrist, grazing over the bracelet she'd given her earlier that day.
"You actually wore it," Chaeyoung murmured.
The beads pressed cool against Mina's skin. She nodded, swallowing before she spoke. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
For the first time that day, Chaeyoung had a genuine smile. Small, fragile, barely-there — but real. The kind of smile that seemed like it could be taken back at any moment. Mina felt her chest tighten at the sight, like something rare had been entrusted to her.
And then it was gone. Chaeyoung dropped her hand, stepping back as though catching herself. She slung her bag over her shoulder, her tone lighter when she spoke again. "Don't be late to dinner. Dahyun and Tzuyu will join us."
She was already at the door before Mina could answer. The click of the handle echoed louder than it should have.
Alone again, Mina let her breath escape slowly. The room felt bigger now, emptier. She pressed her thumb against the bracelet, tracing the initials until the beads left faint impressions on her skin.
The path to the cafeteria still confused her — every hallway looked too much like the last — but Chaeyoung's words lingered in her head like a thread to follow.
And though Mina hadn't realised it yet, the quiet weight of Chaeyoung's smile felt heavier than any direction on a map.
Mina left the practice room with Chaeyoung's voice still in her ears, faint as a fading note. She traced the bracelet absently as she walked, weaving through hallways that felt like a maze. Twice she turned the wrong way, doubling back until she found the stairwell that Jihyo had pointed out earlier. Even after just one day, the school felt overwhelming in its scale — endless doors, endless faces, and rules she hadn't yet learned.
Her head buzzed with the memory of Chaeyoung's fingertips brushing her wrist. Light, almost hesitant, yet enough to make her pulse skip. She tried to shake it off as she pushed into the gym, but the echo of it lingered stubbornly.
Inside, the air was warmer, humming with the sound of bodies in motion. A few students dotted the room, working through their routines. Mina found her spot near the mirrored wall, carefully adjusting weights and preparing to do some squats. She wasn't here to draw attention — she wanted to move, sweat, and push through the knot of nerves coiled in her chest.
She didn't notice Sana and Momo until their laughter rang from the far end, heads bent together like co-conspirators. A moment later, Nayeon walked in with them, radiating that casual confidence Mina had already come to recognise. She scanned the room once before her eyes locked on Mina.
Her smile bloomed instantly, as if the tension of their earlier encounters had never existed. She crossed the floor purposefully, ponytail swaying, sneakers squeaking lightly against the polished floor. Momo and Sana waved at Mina with a kind smile before heading to the lockers.
"Mina!" Nayeon's voice was bright, too bright. "Working out already? You really don't waste time, do you?"
Mina straightened, brushing hair from her face. "Just trying to get used to the place."
"Then let me help." Nayeon didn't ask; she simply stepped closer — too close. She stood behind Mina, adjusting the position of her arms as she reached for the weights. Her hands were firm on Mina's shoulders, then sliding down to her elbows, guiding her posture.
"Lift here," Nayeon murmured near her ear, her breath warm against Mina's skin. "Slow. Controlled. You don't want to strain yourself."
Mina's pulse quickened, though not in the same way it had with Chaeyoung. This was different — heavier, deliberate. Each correction came with a touch that lingered a moment too long: fingertips brushing her waist, a palm settling against the small of her back, the press of her shoulder under Nayeon's grip.
"You're tense," Nayeon whispered, leaning in so Mina caught the faint scent of her perfume. "Relax. Let it flow through you."
Mina swallowed, focusing hard on the mirrored wall in front of her. Nayeon's reflection hovered just behind, close enough that their bodies nearly overlapped. It looked almost intimate, like a dance choreographed for two.
"See? Better already." Nayeon's voice softened into something that could almost be mistaken for tenderness. "You're a natural, Mina. You belong here."
The words should have felt reassuring, but Mina's unease only deepened. She nodded quickly, stepping out of Nayeon's hold under the guise of adjusting her grip.
"I should finish up," she said, forcing a smile. "I promised to meet the others for dinner."
Nayeon's smile didn't falter, but her eyes sharpened, just for a moment. "Come with me instead. You already know Sana, Momo, I'll introduce you to Jeongyeon. You'd fit right in."
The invitation was tempting, delivered like a gift — but Mina felt the pull of Chaeyoung's earlier words, the fragile weight of her smile. "Maybe next time," she said, softer.
Nayeon's hand brushed her arm one last time before she stepped back, masking her disappointment behind an easy grin. "I'll hold you to that."
Mina finished her set quickly, escaping into the showers where the rush of water finally drowned out the lingering echo of Nayeon's voice. Even then, she couldn't shake the contrast — Chaeyoung's hesitant touch like a whisper, Nayeon's deliberate closeness like a claim.
And caught between them, Mina felt the weight of something she couldn't yet name.
Mina had barely stepped into the cafeteria when a voice called her name from across the room.
She turned to find one of the student aides waiting by the doorway, stiff in posture and expressionless.
"Miss Myoui," the girl said, her tone rehearsed. "The Head of Academics would like to see you in her office."
Mina blinked, confused. "Now?"
"Yes. She asked that you come immediately."
A dozen eyes turned toward her as she followed the aide back through the hall. Heat crept up her neck — it felt like being singled out, though she wasn't sure for what.
Ms. Lee's office was at the end of a quiet corridor lined with framed photographs: past graduating classes, trophies, awards. Mina's shoes clicked against the polished floor until the aide opened a door and gestured her inside.
The room was immaculate — mahogany desk, books stacked in careful symmetry, a small potted orchid blooming pale on the windowsill. Ms. Lee sat behind her desk, posture perfectly straight, glasses balanced at the bridge of her nose. She was younger than Mina expected, her face calm but sharp, as though nothing escaped her notice.
"Mina," Ms. Lee greeted, her voice smooth and low. "Please, sit."
Mina obeyed, clutching her hands in her lap.
"I wanted to check in," Ms. Lee continued, folding her hands atop the desk. "First days can be… overwhelming. You've met your groupmates, yes? Jihyo, Sana, Momo, Nayeon?"
"Yes, ma'am," Mina said softly, wincing at the fact she didn't mention Chaeyoung, Tzuyu and Dahyun.
"Good. You'll learn quickly that teamwork is essential here. No matter how talented you are as an individual, success will always be measured as a unit. Keep that in mind."
Mina nodded, though her chest tightened.
Ms. Lee regarded her for a moment, then added, "Your father has been very generous to this institution. His contributions allow us to provide opportunities that many students would never otherwise receive."
The words were said kindly, but they pressed down on Mina like lead. She lowered her eyes. "I… understand."
"I only mention it," Ms. Lee went on, "because there will be expectations. Others will look at you and assume. Some will envy you. Some will want to test you. It is important that you prove not only your talent, but your resilience."
Her gaze was steady, piercing. Mina felt like she was being weighed and measured, every weakness already catalogued.
"Yes, ma'am," she murmured again, though her throat felt tight.
The silence stretched, filled only by the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Then Ms. Lee leaned back slightly, her smile small but deliberate.
"I have faith you'll rise to it. Don't disappoint me."
Mina swallowed hard and forced herself to meet her eyes. "I won't."
"Good. You may go."
As Mina stood, Ms. Lee added almost absently, "Oh, and Mina? Don't lose sight of who you align yourself with. The company you keep will shape how you are remembered."
Mina's fingers brushed against the bracelet at her wrist as she left the office. The words echoed in her mind long after the door closed behind her
The cafeteria was alive with noise when Mina finally slipped inside. The hum of voices rose and fell like the tide, cut through by bursts of laughter, the scrape of chairs against the floor, and the steady clang of trays as students lined up for food. The smell was a jumble — fried chicken, steamed rice, something overly sweet from the dessert counter. It all mixed into a dizzying cloud that seemed too heavy for Mina's already full head.
She spotted them immediately — Chaeyoung tucked into the far corner by the windows, Dahyun sitting cross-legged on her chair beside her, and Tzuyu, posture straight as ever, a book balanced half-open on her tray as though dinner was just another background task. It looked like a little island in the chaos, quieter, steadier.
Relief tugged at Mina's chest as she crossed the room, tray in hand.
"Finally," Dahyun said the moment she slid into the empty spot beside her, tone mock-accusing. "We thought you ditched us for better company."
Mina smiles, sets down her tray and gave a small shake of her head. "I was at the gym."
Tzuyu's eyes flicked up from her book, which was calm and unreadable. "Meet any cute guys?" Both Dahyun and Chaeyoung looked at Tzuyu with a surprised look. "Or girls? Jeez, I was just making conversation," Tzuyu said, laughing at their reactions.
The question hung in the air, casual but sharp at the edges. Mina hesitated, her chopsticks pausing just above her tray. That tiny beat of silence was all Dahyun needed — she grinned like she'd just uncovered a secret.
"Don't tell me Nayeon already reeled you in," Dahyun teased, leaning her elbow against Mina's arm. "First day and you're already getting recruited by the Elite?"
"it makes sense right? Mina is rich right?" Tzuyu asks Dahyun and Chaeyoung, as if Mina weren't there.
Heat crept up Mina's neck. "It wasn't like that."
"Sure," Dahyun sing-songed, flicking a grain of rice at her tray. "That's what they all say before they swap tables and forget us 'brokies'."
Tzuyu smirked faintly, eyes still on her book but voice laced with something wry. "It's fine, Dahyun. Mina will hold out a little longer. Until the showcase, at least."
The word showcase landed heavy, though Mina couldn't quite explain why. She turned to look at Chaeyoung, curious to see if she'd join in — but Chaeyoung didn't look up. She sat quietly, pencil scratching against her sketchbook, tray barely touched in front of her.
"I'm not going anywhere," Mina said, firmer this time, though she wasn't sure if she was reassuring Dahyun or herself.
"That's what you all say," Tzuyu replied smoothly, finally closing her book. Her gaze slid toward Chaeyoung for just a heartbeat, then back to Mina. "But this place has a way of… shifting people."
It was a small sentence, but something about it tightened the air around the table. Chaeyoung's pencil stilled mid-stroke.
"Careful, Tzu," Dahyun cut in, her cheer a little too forced. "Don't scare her off with ghost stories. She's had enough for a first day."
"Ghost stories?" Mina asked before she could stop herself.
Tzuyu's lips curved faintly. "Nothing important. Just last year's drama."
That did it. Chaeyoung's chair scraped against the floor as she pushed back, snapping her sketchbook shut with one swift motion. Her tray was left untouched, food barely eaten.
"I'm done," she said quietly, though the clipped edge in her tone betrayed her. Without waiting for anyone's response, she turned and walked away, the strap of her sketchbook bag bouncing against her hip.
The noise of the cafeteria seemed to rush back in once she was gone. Mina stared at her empty seat, confusion stirring in her chest.
Dahyun gave a half-shrug, forcing a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "See? Drama. This school eats it for breakfast. You'll catch on soon enough."
She tossed a piece of kimchi onto Mina's tray like a peace offering, but Mina wasn't hungry anymore.
All she could picture was the way Chaeyoung's fingers tightened around her sketchbook — like it was the only thing she trusted not to slip away.
Mina turned in her seat and watched Chaeyoung disappear in the crowd of students, her eyes meeting Nayeon's unitentionally. Nayeon smiles and waves at Mina.
"That's kind of creepy.." Tzuyu says, nudging Dahyun to look over at Nayeon's table. A wave of uneasiness swarms over Mina as she looks away. 'What game is she playing at?' Mina whispers to herself.
The dorm was still when Mina stirred awake. The faint glow of the hallway light leaked in under the door.
But Mina couldn't settle. Her chest felt tight, restless, as if her body hadn't caught up to the exhaustion of the day.
She turned over in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind replayed each moment, out of order but vivid: Chaeyoung's hesitant touch against her wrist, the warmth of the bracelet there. The way Chaeyoung's voice had trembled but softened when she sang. The sketch of the bird — fragile, broken-winged, sketched with more pain than lines.
Then Nayeon's voice cut in, smooth and teasing, her hand brushing Mina's waist, her smile bold and unflinching. The heat of her skin on Mina's back when she corrected her posture. The way she looked at Mina like she already belonged to her.
The contrast made Mina's stomach twist.
She rolled onto her side, hugging her pillow closer. In her mind's eye, she saw Chaeyoung's retreat from the cafeteria — sketchbook clutched tight, food left untouched. The sudden tension when Tzuyu mentioned "last year's drama." The silence that followed, heavier than anything said aloud.
Mina's chest ached with questions she didn't have the courage to ask. What had happened last year? Why did Chaeyoung look so… haunted? And why did it feel like everyone else already knew?
She closed her eyes, willing her thoughts to quiet. The bracelet pressed cool against her cheek where she'd tucked her wrist beneath her pillow.
It should have been comforting. But in the dark, it felt like a reminder. A promise she didn't yet understand — and one she was already afraid she couldn't keep.
Sleep came fitfully after that, scattered with blurred images: a bird with broken wings falling through endless sky, laughter that turned sharp like glass, a hand reaching out and slipping away before she could catch it.
When Mina finally drifted off, her lashes were damp with something she wouldn't remember in the morning.