Duyen came back to the table with two trays of drinks. She set everything down carefully, her movements still precise and professional—unsurprising, given her past experience as a waitress. But if you looked closely, you'd notice the sadness lingering in her eyes. And Shana noticed it all. Dao, on the other hand, was too busy grabbing cups of Coke and setting them on the table with eager energy.
Shana gently nudged Duyen's elbow and whispered, clearly worried. "You were gone for a while... Did something happen? With you and Mina?"
Duyen gave a faint, dismissive smile and shook her head. "Nothing happened. The line at the counter was just really long."
Mina sat down next. Her face had gone pale, and she slumped into her seat as if the weight of the world had suddenly dropped on her. The moment Duyen saw her, she instinctively turned away. Mina also avoided Duyen's eyes completely—afraid, maybe, that she wasn't worthy of looking into them. Or perhaps she was just terrified of confirming what she feared most: that Duyen hated her now.
A fleeting moment passed—sharp and cold like a blade—when Mina shot a glare toward Naomi and Linh. It sent shivers down both their spines. Under her breath, Mina muttered a curse no one could quite hear.
If it weren't for them, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this. Why couldn't they just ...DISAPPEAR already...?
Naomi looked up at the air conditioning unit, rubbing her arms. Weird, where's that chill coming from? Neither she nor Linh could've known it came from Mina. They never would've guessed Mina was silently wishing them dead.
Shana, of course, heard every word. She gave the two girls a slow, side-eye glance while lazily stirring her straw through her Coke. Hmm, something definitely happened...Those two bitches are dead meat.
Once Dao satisfied her snack cravings, she clapped her hands together and declared, "Alright, let's hit the haunted house, guys! Mina? Mina?"
She patted Mina's shoulder, pulling her back from whatever dark corner of her mind she'd drifted to.
"Huh? Oh... sure," Mina mumbled, barely present.
"No way... Haunted house?" Shana asked, raising an eyebrow. She was familiar with the concept—humans and their obsession with horror—but still found it hard to understand. She'd seen one back in Japan during the Meiji era, 166 years ago. Even back then, the appeal eluded her.
She clicked her tongue. Dao noticed.
"What's with that attitude, Madam President?"
Shana blinked innocently and flashed a fake sweet smile. "Nothing~ I just don't get the appeal of fake scares, that's all."
Dao grimaced. "You're only saying that 'cause you've never tried it! C'mon, give it a shot. Let's see if you're scared or not!"
"Ohhh, I'm so scared ~" Shana deadpanned, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yep. Absolutely terrified ~. Guess I'll pass."
Dao's eyebrow twitched. Mina was right. This chick has a real mouth on her.
Frustrated, Dao stood up and grabbed Mina by the wrist. "C'mon! We're all going! No way I'm leaving this park without trying that place!"
Mina sighed. Mina knows very well Dao hated ghosts—was absolutely terrified of her, in fact—but she didn't have the energy to fight Dao right now. Her eyes drifted toward Duyen, and for a split second, their eyes met.
Those amber eyes—still beautiful, still gentle, still so full of light, though now... dimmed. Mina's chest tightened. She knew. It was her fault.
How do I fix this? How do I make it right?
Dao turned to Duyen next. "You're coming too, right? Right?!"
"Huh? Oh, uh... sure?"
She wasn't expecting to be asked. But it wasn't like going along would hurt, right?
Mina's heart fluttered with the tiniest spark of hope. Maybe this isn't over. Not yet.
---
The haunted house at Everland was no joke. It was a towering, shadowy mansion—eerily realistic and clearly well-funded—modeled after the one in The Conjuring. A shadow flickered past a window, so convincingly real that Dao, Naomi, and Linh all clung to each other and nearly screamed.
Duyen and Mina remained quiet. Shana, meanwhile, stifled a yawn.
Dao was scared out of her mind but tried to play it cool. "Hey... Mina, you'll come in with me, right?"
Mina raised an eyebrow, giving her a look that clearly said, In your dreams.
Dao sighed and turned to her backup option. "What about you, piggy—uh, I mean, Duyen? Wanna go in with me?"
Duyen politely shook her head.
That left Shana, Linh, and Naomi. Shana? Not a chance. Dao wouldn't even bother asking Shana. With no other choice, she looped her arms through Naomi and Linh's.
"Come onnn, we're besties, right? Let's do this~!"
Naomi and Linh desperately wanted to say no. But Dao was the daughter of a high-ranking general. Both of their families were trying to curry favor with her father, so... yeah. No choice.
That left just three people standing outside: Duyen, Mina, and Shana. Shana folded her arms and kept glaring. She knew what was happening between the other two, and she hated feeling like a third wheel. This was supposed to be her romantic moment with Duyen.
She let out a dramatic sigh and leaned into Duyen, fluttering her lashes. "Duyen~ I'm thirsty~"
"Take a left, then a right, then go straight."
It wasn't Duyen who answered—it was Mina. Calm, blunt, and ice-cold.
"Hey! I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to Duyen!" Shana snapped.
Mina didn't even flinch. "Yeah? Well, are you thirsty, or is she? I was under the impression you were the one dying for a drink. Grow some self-respect, Madam President. Go get it yourself."
Shana gaped. "You little—wait. Left, right, straight... That's the way to the... TOILET!?"
Mina just smirked.
Shana fumed. I swear to God, I will rip that smug face off her— But then she caught sight of Duyen still standing quietly nearby. Her anger simmered down. With a stomp, she turned and went to get the drink herself.
Still, she couldn't help glancing back after a few steps. Duyen didn't even glance her way. That stung.
"Stupid Duyen... stupid, stupid girl..." Shana muttered, face flushed with frustration. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stomped away, her footsteps almost shaking the ground beneath her.
---
That left just Mina and Duyen. The silence between them was thick, uncomfortable, and stretched far too long. Only Dao's screams from inside the haunted house broke through.
Someone had to speak first—they both knew it.
"Actually..." they both blurted at the same time, then quickly looked away, blushing.
"You... go first," Duyen said, her voice trembling slightly.
Mina hesitated. She was always confident—composed, rational, even cold. No one could fluster her. No situation ever caught her off guard.
Except this one.
Everything that had happened—everything she'd said, everything she'd done—it was all because of Duyen. Only Duyen had this effect on her. Only Duyen made her heart pound like this.
She had to choose her words carefully.
But why? Why did she suddenly feel so unsure?
Was she afraid Duyen would hate her?
Why?
Why?
"Duyen... about what they said—I never thought of you like that. I swear."
Duyen gave a soft nod. "You don't have to explain. I know you. You're kind, Mina. Of course you wouldn't."
Only the two of them truly knew what had happened that night. No one else. And while Mina had never felt disgust toward Duyen the way people gossiped... it hadn't been a clean ending either.
Everyone thought that night had closed the book on their story.
But somehow, fate had brought them together again.
No—Mina didn't believe it was fate.
It was a miracle.
God had given her one more chance. This moment had to mean something.
And this time, she wasn't going to waste it.
This time, she wasn't going to let Duyen go.
"Duyen... the truth is, all this time I've—"
"FIRE! FIRE! SOMEBODY HELP!"
A man burst out from the haunted house, panic-stricken.
Under normal circumstances, people would've laughed it off—but this time, something was wrong.
Duyen rushed forward and grabbed him. "What happened!?"
"The electric system—it shorted out! Something inside caught fire!"
Mina's eyes widened. "WHAT!?"
Smoke began billowing from the rooftop. Screams erupted. Chaos broke loose.
Linh stumbled out, coughing violently before collapsing.
Duyen rushed to help her. Mina knelt beside them and grabbed Linh by the shoulders.
"Where's Dao!? Where is she!?"
Linh struggled to speak, her breath ragged. "Dao... Dao and Naomi... They're still inside... The door—blocked... won't open..."
She passed out before she could finish.
Panic rose in Mina's chest.
"Rescue team—where's the team!?"
"They won't make it in time!" Duyen shouted. She ripped off her overshirt, soaked it in a nearby fountain, and wrapped it around her face. Then, without a word, she charged into the burning building.
"DUYEN, NO!" Mina screamed.
She tried to run after her, but a rescuers held her back.
"You can't go in! The fire's spreading too fast!"
"No—Duyen—SHE'S STILL IN THERE!"
Tears streamed down Mina's cheeks as she thrashed in their grip, screaming Duyen's name until her voice cracked.
"DON'T DO THIS, DUYEN! DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE ME—!"
Because you still don't know.
That all this time...
I've always—
Not far away, a girl with twin braids overheard her cries and froze.
"...Duyen?" she whispered.