Behind the school building—
The three of them sat in silence.
The tension hadn't gone down even a little.
Yuna's mind kept running—
Every detail.
Every moment.
Then suddenly—
She froze.
"…Wait."
Harin and Minji looked at her.
Yuna quickly opened her bag and took something out—
A star-shaped hair clip.
"I found this a few days ago," she said seriously.
Minji leaned closer.
"In the corridor?"
Yuna nodded.
"At first, I ignored it… but then I checked the price."
Harin raised an eyebrow.
"It's expensive," Yuna continued. "Too expensive to just 'lose' like that."
She paused.
"And yesterday… I saw the exact same clip in Chaeyoung's hair."
Both Harin and Minji went silent.
Yuna then explained everything—
The washroom.
Chaeyoung's reaction.
How she avoided answering.
And how everything felt… off.
A few seconds of silence—
Then—
Minji suddenly stood up.
"If this is because of Chaeyoung…" she said angrily,
"I am NOT forgiving her."
Harin nodded.
"Same."
Yuna shook her head slightly.
"Wait… Chaeyoung isn't the type to just spill things out like this."
Harin tilted her head.
Thinking.
Then—
A slow smile appeared.
"I've got an idea."
---
Chaeyoung walked alone in the corridor, looking at her phone.
Completely unaware.
Then—
"Ah—!"
She slipped on a banana peel.
Her body tilted—
She was about to fall—
But suddenly—
An arm caught her.
Firm.
Perfect timing.
She looked up.
Harin stood there—
Like a prince.
"Are you okay?" Harin asked softly.
Chaeyoung's cheeks instantly turned pink.
"…Y-Yes."
---
Not far away—
Hidden—
Yuna and Minji watched everything.
"…Will this even work?" Yuna whispered awkwardly.
Minji smirked.
"Of course. No one is immune to our Haru's charm."
Yuna crossed her arms.
"…I am."
Minji gave her a look.
"…You don't count."
---
Back to Harin—
She smiled gently.
"Hi. I'm Haru."
Chaeyoung blinked.
"…Hi. I'm Chaeyoung."
Harin quickly noticed something—
The Elite 7 fanclub was still searching around.
No time to waste.
Harin leaned slightly closer.
"I wanted to tell you something…"
Her tone turned softer.
"Can you come with me?"
Chaeyoung's heart skipped.
So cute…
She nodded without thinking.
"…Okay."
---
Behind the school building—
The moment they arrived—
Before Harin could say anything—
"Now."
Yuna and Minji stepped out.
Chaeyoung froze.
Then slowly—
A small laugh escaped her lips.
"Wow."
She crossed her arms.
"I can't believe I actually fell into your trap."
Yuna stepped forward.
Her expression completely serious now.
No hesitation.
She raised the clip.
Her eyes locked onto Chaeyoung.
"Enough games."
A pause.
Then—
"Now say it clearly."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"About this clip."
Chaeyoung looked at the clip in Yuna's hand—
Then at Yuna.
"…Fine."
Her tone turned serious.
"That day… after I gave the books to the teacher—"
"I was walking back alone."
A pause.
"Then suddenly…"
"…someone pushed me from behind."
Minji and Harin stiffened.
Yuna's eyes narrowed.
"I couldn't see the face," Chaeyoung continued,
"the person was hiding it… and before I could even turn—"
"that person ran away."
Her expression darkened.
"I fell because of that."
Yuna's grip on the clip tightened.
So that's why her uniform was dirty…
Chaeyoung glanced at the clip.
"And at that moment… my hair clip must have fallen."
She crossed her arms.
"I didn't even realize I lost it."
Silence.
Then—
She looked straight at Yuna.
"And then…"
A small, sarcastic smile appeared.
"…out of all people—"
"You had to be the one who found it."
She let out a soft scoff.
"Wow."
"What a coincidence."
Silence hung in the air.
Yuna was about to speak—
But suddenly—
Chaeyoung's expression changed.
"…Wait."
All three of them looked at her.
Her brows slowly frowned, like she was trying to pull out a memory.
"That person…"
She lifted her hand slightly, thinking.
"I couldn't see the face but—"
She paused.
Eyes widening just a little.
"…there was one thing."
Yuna stepped closer.
"What?"
Chaeyoung looked at her hand.
"A bracelet."
Minji blinked.
"…Bracelet?"
Chaeyoung nodded slowly.
"Yeah… a white bracelet."
Her voice became more certain now.
"It didn't look normal… it looked expensive."
Harin and Minji exchanged glances.
Yuna's expression turned serious.
A white bracelet… expensive…
That wasn't something common.
Which meant—
The circle just got smaller.
And more dangerous.
Because now—
They weren't just looking for anyone.
They were looking for someone who stood out.
A heavy silence followed Chaeyoung's words.
A white bracelet.
Expensive.
That narrowed things down—
But not enough.
Then Harin suddenly spoke, crossing her arms.
"Wait a second."
Yuna and Minji looked at her.
"If that person was wearing a white bracelet… do you really think they'll keep wearing it now?" Harin said.
"Come on, that person must know someone could be looking for them."
She shrugged slightly.
"Wouldn't it be obvious for that person to stop wearing it?"
Yuna stayed quiet for a moment.
Thinking.
Then she shook her head.
"…Not necessarily."
Harin raised an eyebrow.
Yuna looked at both of them.
"There's also a chance that person thinks no one saw them."
Her voice turned sharper.
"So from that person's perspective… there's no reason to hide anything."
She glanced at Chaeyoung.
"But…"
"Chaeyoung did notice something."
A pause.
"So yes… it's still possible they're wearing it."
Harin went silent.
Minji nodded slowly.
"…That actually makes sense."
Chaeyoung let out a small sigh.
"Are you all done?"
They looked at her.
"Can I go now?"
Yuna stepped forward immediately.
She bowed her head slightly.
"…Thank you."
Then she added, more seriously—
"And please… don't tell anyone that we met."
Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow.
"Are you giving me orders?"
Yuna shook her head.
"…No."
"I'm requesting you."
For a second—
Chaeyoung just stared at her.
Then—
A small smirk appeared on her lips.
"…I'll try."
And with that—
She turned around and walked away.
Leaving the three of them behind—
With one new clue.
And a growing mystery.