She opened the door to the club and couldn't check the message she had just gotten because the moment she stepped in, everyone stopped doing whatever they were doing and the silence did not welcome her.
Joy wasn't mad at her, it really wasn't her fault, she was just at the mercy of her broken heart. Luna was the woman her boyfriend left her for, it would take time to get over.
All the rest of the members had figured out from what they had seen at the park, was that Joy's boyfriend had been cheating on her with Luna, and since they basically idolised Joy, Luna wasn't very likeable at the moment.
"As I was saying.." Joy continued and Luna sat down, they were having a meeting and had she not decided to check in, she simply would've missed it.
"We've been neglecting our club's social media accounts and need I remind you all that our last photo book's sales went up by forty percent thanks to online advertising."
With a carefully subtle gaze, Luna looked around for Haemin while everyone was looking at Joy but Yumi caught her and Luna turned back quickly.
After the meeting ended, everyone proceeded to post their works online,
Luna sat next to Joy, "Hey."
"You should post your work online too, ask Yohan for the accounts' passwords." Joy said without even looking at her.
Luna sighed, she'd have to try another method.
With a slight nudge to Joy's shoulder, she looked at her with big pleading and slightly watery eyes, "Please don't be like this.. I didn't know about Mark Kelsey dating you, had I known I would've kept a distance, I swear." She could see Joy giving it a serious thought and Luna knew she needed just one more push,
She wrapped her arm around Joy's, "Please believe me, I cant lose my only best friend."
Joy unraveled, "Oh Luna.. I know its not your fault, I just couldn't wrap my head around the twistedness of this small world. Im sorry for being so unreasonable." She patted Luna's hair.
And Luna hugged her, "As long as we're okay everything else can be forgotten," She pulled away, "And I'll help you get over that bastard."
Joy cocked her head to the side, "How?"
"I'll introduce you to someone even better." She chirped.
Joy fake scoffed, "Oh so you want to get me out of the way so that you can have Mark all to yourself?"
Luna gasped and jumped up animatedly, "No, I swear that was not my intention."
Joy chuckled, "I know, I know Im just messing with you. So, do you have someone in mind or do I just go to a club tonight?"
"Well.. its not someone new and there might be something going on between you two already.."
"Who?"
"Jihoon."
Joy looked at her hands in her lap, "Yeah, no thanks, next."
"But whyyyy. Jihoon is perfect! I know him. He's a great guy." The thought of Jihoon and Joy together excited Luna, they were perfect for each other, she was enough wild for his graveness, enough chirp to subdue the dark aura around him.
"He doesn't like me, and yes Iv checked."
"He said he doesn't like you?!"
"Not exactly.."
Luna crouched in front of her to look her in the eyes, "Then what? Tell me." She begged.
"He asked me to marry him."
Luna fell back down, "What?! Already?"
"See? Thats just it! He's not proposing because he likes me but because of business. I know about his rivalry with Hyuck Kim, and how he got engaged to Sooin Jung for favour at work."
Luna thought hard about this and it confused her, If Jihoon was looking for a business favouring marriage, then an architect in Australia's daughter wasn't at all a good choice, no offence to Joy but she just wasn't a treasure in that category.
"But.. out of all the girls who throw themselves at him for his money, he chose you. There must be a reason for that."
"We all were at the same highschool, Hyuck got Sooin, so Jihoon wants me, its an obvious move."
Luna scratched her head, "Uhh I don't think thats why h-"
"And I am not just some girl, I am the most wanted rookie model in South Korea. I will do as I please when it comes to my life and am in no dire need for a beneficial marriage." Her voice was raised slightly and all of Luna's efforts to get her to forgive her almost went down the drain so she cooled her,
"Alright alright, we'll think of someone else. I actually have another guy in mind, I'll set up a date with him okay?"
"Is he handsome? Nice? Tall? And does he believe in love?"
"Yes, yes, yes, and big yes." Luna smiled.
Luna logged into Sajinsul's Instagram account and looked at other members' works for a second before uploading her own.
"Haemin went to collect the assignments from when we were in Australia. He also said he'd pick up yours." Yumi said coming up behind her all of a sudden.
Luna gave her a look, "Okay.."
Yumi deadpanned, "I saw you looking for him earlier."
"Me? What? Pfffft no."
"Oh god, spare me the lies."
Luna laughed, atleast one member was back to normal with her.
Walking against the relentless wind, with her cardigan almost sliding off her, she made her way to the university gate, Jihoon asked her to cancel her classes for the rest of the day and come with her, he also said not to ask any questions, rude.
She didn't have any classes anyway since the transfer was to be processed that day and her new ones would start the next day.
She saw Jihoon's car and he came out of it looking ticked, he tapped his watch 'You're late.'
He had texted her before the club meeting and had been waiting since then.
"Luna!"
She turned around hastily, for a second her hair blew into her eyes and she couldn't see anything but then cold and soft fingertips brushed her hair aside and tucked them behind her ear.
It was Haemin.
"Hey." He smiled at her breathlessly.
She faced to the side, "Im kind of in a hurry."
"Oh umm, here, I got this for you." He took out a vanilla coke tin from his pocket and extended it towards her.
She gave a frustrated sigh and in a clipped tone said, "You didn't need to do this."
"Oh its nothing I was already getting something from the vending ma-"
"Luna come on! I don't have time." Jihoon shouted.
Without a word, she grabbed it from him, turned and walked to the car. Just as her hand was on the handle Haemin stopped her again, "Oh yeah I forgot to give you this.." he fished around in his backpack,
Luna clenched her jaw and opened the door, just before she got in she said, "And don't bother getting my assignments, I changed my major."
He froze mid-action, his head still down.
She didn't bother to stay and see the look on his face because she knew she would cave, so she just got in and Jihoon drove off.
"I could've waited for you while you told him and explained the whole thing, just slapping him with the news and leaving didn't look nice."
Luna hit her head against the window a bit too harshly and sighed, "Yeah right, you zoomed off as if there were zombies behind us," Jihoon was about to say something but she continued, "Besides, I intend on distancing myself from him, it's what's best for me, he ignores my feelings and doesn't even reject me properly! He acts like everything is fine! But it's not, I'm not fine! I thought I was but I keep wanting more!" She punched the window with the side of her fist.
He stayed quiet and drove. After a minute she had to ask, "Where are we going?"
"To meet your new therapist."
Her eyes widened a little, "But I thought.. I don't need.. Im fine though."
"You would stop abusing my car's window glass if you handled your anger like an ordinary person."
She stirred, "But that was just slight frustration! It doesn't mean I need therapy! And things are better with my family, they are clearer and I even took a step for myself by changing majors, please don't make me go, there's nothing wrong with me." Her throat pained from the urge to cry and her eyes burned.
He pulled up near the sidewalk, they were on the main road.
With a soft sigh, he turned to her, the look full of emotion in his eyes made her tears tip over and she looked at her hands in her lap,
"Who said anything was wrong with you? Hm?" She began to cry.
"It's the world that is in the wrong, torturing my sister like that." He pulled her head to his chest, "And if you felt its effects, that's only human, you grew up with it. But the effects may turn out to be something even uglier in the future, Luna. When you get angry or frustrated, your first instinct cannot be self harm, even in the slightest."
She blinked, letting more tears fall.
"And hey, getting therapy is nothing to be ashamed of, this is the twenty first century, getting therapy is like going for a picnic once in a while, or going to a yoga class. Or like how Shifu goes to meditate in a cave for inner peace. All the inhabitants of this materialistic globe need therapy once in a while." He patted her shoulder affectionately,
"This hesitation of yours is just that stupid Pièrce gene. Always thinking that they are above everything else, basically Gods. But you and I both know they are just made of stone and that is far from perfect. Not feeling, is nothing to be proud of, that just means you've lost your humanity. Humans are the noblest of all creatures so anything else would be beneath us, no? And tell you what, I'll have sessions with the therapist too. We'll do it together."
She pulled away sniffing. She took a tissue and cleaned her face, "You don't need to do that.. I'll do it anyway."
"No, no, I need it too. Right now I just convinced myself too." He chuckled, "I give a mean pep talk don't I?"
Involuntarily she laughed along with him, "Yeah, you do."