lluvbly

although it wasn't full-blown yelling (luckily), the subtle glares and scoffs were enough to throw her and the rest of the group for a loop. not you, of course. you had been too focused on the tasks at hand to notice the two girls' (very obvious) silent war.

the two girls weren't always this hostile with each other.

when their feelings first bloomed, both hanni and minji acknowledged that they had a small crush on you. the two knew that it would get end up nowhere. you were unattainable, a person whose only goal was to succeed in the idol industry. you had basically instilled yourself with your own dating ban.

still, your kind and caring nature drew the two girls in.

you were always there for hanni on nights when all she could think about were her failures. you held her tightly, comforting the younger girl as she listened to your heartbeat instead of her own voice in her head.

hanni found herself looking forward to nights soon after, the two of you developing a habit of sleeping next to one another. with you, she found her mind blank, living only for the present.

and with minji, she always found you helping her structure her schedule and even helped her with errands at the grocery store. you would always offer to carry her things for her, despite being tired. you would open doors for her, make her coffee in the morning and even make sure that hyein cleaned her room on days when minji was too tired to pester the younger girl.

you took care of minji, and she couldn't help but find herself wanting to take care of you too.

it was safe to say that they were falling. hard.

the rest of newjeans (minus you) had figured out a while back. hanni had always been obvious with her feelings. she couldn't hide them no matter how hard she tried. minji, on the other hand, always seemed awkward around you but despite that, was the first one to be by your side in times of need.

it was peaceful. that was, until your close friend, shin yuna, accidentally announced that you had a crush while you were on facetime with her.

hyein wished she could go back in time and stop you.

it started after practice for an inkigayo stage showcasing newjeans' newest comeback. you guys had just come home, tired and with no food. decidedly, minji and hanni had gone out to grab something to eat, and being the oldest, you insisted that you stay behind to watch them.

and then yuna called you. you picked up.

that was the first mistake.

the second one was putting her on speaker.

"you wanna kiss her soo bad." the girls heard yuna's voice from your phone as you lay on the couch.

their heads shot up, sending each other shocked looks (minus haerin).

the jyp idol had to be joking. there was no way you, someone who had a metaphorical stick up their ass, would ever like someone, especially this early into your career.

"yuna!" you scolded her, pursing your lips. "shut up! you're on speaker!"

hanni entered the dorm, a bag in hand while minji followed her closely. they looked around, realizing that everyone was staring at you.

"unnie has a crush?" dani covered her mouth, hyein looking straight at the ground in disbelief.

"who? hanni?" minji laughed, earning a slap from the girl. "we all know she does."

you sat up, frowning as yuna stayed on your phone, listening to everything that was happening.

"you do?" you asked, locking eyes with hanni. minji laughed harder beside her. "why didn't you tell me?"

yuna didn't understand why she was always friends with idiots.

"uh-"

"no!" danielle shook her head, pointing her finger at you. "yuna-sunbaenim said y/n-unnie had a-"

"dani! you're so funny." you interrupted, your eyes going wide as you whispered harshly into your phone. "i'm gonna kill you in your sleep, shin yuna."

you heard yuna inhale, preparing herself to talk to you but quickly got interrupted by a male voice. after a few seconds (and some rustling that hurt your ears), she spoke into the phone.

"it's my turn to record." she informed you. "talk to you later?"

"i hope your voice cracks."

she laughed teasingly, making your eyebrow twitch. "bye!"

the phone hung dead before you turned it off, squeezing your eyes shut as the others stared at you for seemingly minutes.

yuna most likely assumed that you had told the girls already. it had only made sense because, where yuna was your best friend (for many years due to training), the girls were your family.

but you didn't want them to look differently at you.

you cleared your throat and stood up, hoping that they would just let it go.

"who is it?" minji asked, hope in her eyes.

hyein looked over at hanni, the same expression written all over her face.

you blinked. "what?"

hanni asked. "who's your crush?"

you chuckled awkwardly as haerin giggled, a blush spreading across your face, confirming to minji and hanni that it was one of them.

"i'm gonna shower." you grinned uncomfortably. your eyes made their way to minji's. "you wanna go first?"

"no." minji sighed shakily, almost bursting with happiness. she finally knew she had a chance. "it's okay."

"okay." you smiled, turning to the girl beside her. "hanni, can i use your bathroom?"

hanni nodded, sending a quick but bashful smile. "sure."

"haerin," you turned to the other girl, her eyes widening as minji and hanni looked at her with a pair of glares. "if you go through my room i'm kidnapping your frog plushie."

"i wasn't gonna do anything," she muttered, frowning at the thought. you stared at her blankly. "i won't."

"good." you smiled. you turned to the youngest. "you too, hyein."

hyein hung her head low. "aww."

you smiled, patting danielle's head (knowing that she'd feel too guilty to even think about going through your room after) as you walked into hanni's washroom.

minji and hanni smiled at your fading figure before turning to each other, a harsh, unspoken battle between the two.

hyein frowned, her stomach suddenly hurting.

she didn't like where this was going.

hyein's stomach has been hurting for the past two weeks.

it wasn't because of anything she ate. you had always made sure that the rest of the girls were well fed, at least when you had time to make food for them (hanni was usually in charge of the food, though).

no. lee hyein was stressed.

"minji." hanni smiled tightly at the girl as the youngest three tried to eat.

minji hummed, her eyes squinting at the vietnamese girl. "hanni."

"i'm scared." hyein muttered, her stomach gurgling in anxiety. beside her, danielle patted her back as she watched the interaction.

"i'm not." haerin smiled, basically inhaling her cup noodles. "this is fun."

"where's y/n-unnie?" minji asked, looking down the empty hall.

"she's in my room." hanni smiled smugly, watching as minji pursed her lips. "she sleeps there usually."

"oh." minji scratched her chin, her eyes lazily looking hanni up and down. "well, we were actually gonna go out together so..."

"when?" hanni grinned teasingly. "in your dreams?"

"she got you there, minji-unnie." haerin added as hanni high-fived her, ignoring the glare from their leader.

danielle slapped the younger girl's shoulder, causing her to shrug. this was free entertainment to haerin (as long as they didn't fist-fight, of course.)

"look," hanni rested her hand on minji's shoulder. "i get you're upset that she probably likes me-"

minji raised an eyebrow as she scoffed. "she doesn't."

"-but that's totally normal." hanni continued, fake genuinely in her voice. "i just hope our friendship won't get affected."

"when her and i end up together?" minji said, nodding as if it was a fact. "of course not."

the two girls stared at each other, a heated battle going on between them. they were sure that you had liked them back, and they weren't going to go down without a few scratches (metaphorically. they were still friends... mostly).

"dani-unnie." hyein whispered, clutching onto her stomach. "i'm scared."

"me too." danielle rubbed the younger girl's back, turning over to a grinning haerin. "how are you enjoying this?"

haerin shrugged, looking between the two older girls. "because i already know who it is."

hyein and danielle's eyes widened, their jaws dropping. how could haerin already know?

in reality, haerin had always known who you liked. it was obvious by the way you interacted with her. the way your eyes would soften, the way your voice turned into a whisper. you were in love with the girl and haerin couldn't help but find it hilarious that you liked this 'mystery' girl (although it wasn't really a mystery. everyone else was just stupid).

"hey guys." you entered the living room before danielle could ask.

the girls turned to you, finding you with a huge grin plastered on your face. you had a light, almost unnoticeable blush that no one would've seen if the lighting hadn't been so bright.

"why are you all smiley?" hanni asked.

"um..." you cleared your throat, haerin's eyes looking down at your phone as you faced it away from the others. "just excited for later? right, minji?"

"right." minji smiled, looking at hanni with a smug grin. "me too."

you looked over at hanni, confusion written all over your face as she grinned back at minji sarcastically.

you scratched your cheek, not entirely sure what was going on.

hanni turned to you, a smile replacing her grimace. "i can go with you if you'd like."

"it's okay." you walked over, pushing her bangs out of her face. you could see her eye bags under the light. "you need to rest. you've been stressing yourself too much lately."

minji rolled her eyes, scoffing at your interaction. you glanced at her, a dull lightbulb nearly appearing above your head.

hanni smiled, the giddy feeling back in her chest. "okay, unnie."

you smiled, letting her go as you walked over to minji. you put your shoes on before wrapping your arm around hers. minji inhaled, feeling electricity light up across her arm.

you turned to the younger girl, her eyes sparkling. "let's go?"

"yeah." minji swallowed her giddiness back. she turned to hyein and haerin. "behave."

"you heard her." you laughed, opening the door. you glanced at the vietnamese girl. "hanni, can you-"

"yeah." hanni smiled tightly, her eyes locking onto minji's as the leader smirked at her. "have... fun."

hanni knew she shouldn't have wished for anything bad to happen to her member, but she hoped that minji would trip at least once on your grocery run.

kim minji always knew she was someone many people considered put-together.

she was the leader of one of korea's monster rookie girl groups. she was the one who took care of the other girls (with your help, of course), along with scheduling practices and polishing up the choreography.

but she was also a mess around you.

you had been surprised when minji was labeled an extrovert. she had always been quiet around you, seemingly too lost in her empty head as if she was observing you.

you didn't mind. you thought it was adorable.

but it ended up with times like these, where the tension in the air was awkward (the two of you haven't spoken since you left the dorm).

minji bit the side of her cheek. "unnie."

"minji." you smiled at her, pushing your almost full cart down the aisle.

"what would you do if you liked someone on your team?"

you looked at her, wide eyes as you nearly tripped on your cart. minji always seemed like the type to never act out on her feelings, just like you.

"why are you asking this out of nowhere?" you furrowed your eyebrows.

minji chuckled, coming to a stop in front of the dairy section. "i've been thinking about it."

"oh." you hummed, realizing she had been blushing. "well, just be careful. you know that dating is dangerous in our industry."

minji nodded. "i know."

"do you like her a lot?"

minji looked at you.

i do.

"i think i'm falling in love with her."

"oh wow. kim minji falling in love with someone? unbelievable." you teased, earning a playful eye roll from her. "i think that if you're sure about this, you should go for it."

minji could feel herself waiting for the right time. soon. "really?"

"yeah." you encouraged, continuing to walk through the store. "if i was the person, i'd be happy that you liked me."

"oh."

soon.

"yeah." you nodded, halting in front of the meat section. "don't stress too much. whoever you like is lucky."

now.

minji could feel excitement running up her throat. she was 100% positive that she had been the one that yuna had mentioned. all she had to do now was tell you that she felt the same way.

"unnie?"

"seriously." you mumbled to yourself, picking up some sirloin. "you're a good kid."

minji's face dropped.

kid; noun. a child or young person.

you saw her... as a kid?

"your crush should be grateful. you'd definitely treat them well." you muttered, nodding as you inspected the steak. haerin would like this a lot, and maybe you could even bribe her to keep her mouth shut with it. "i'll be cheering for you and them like a good unnie. maybe i should even interrogate them."

'like a good unnie'.

minji clenched her jaw.

"you aren't allowed to kiss anyone though, okay?" you glanced at the girl who was spacing out. "you're still a little baby."

'little baby'.

she was wrong. it wasn't her, meaning that it was...

"minji?" you looked at her curiously as you walked away from the section. she stood still, lost in her head. "you good?"

she nodded. "yeah."

hanni.

hyein wondered whether or not bts' jungkook ever felt stress like this.

the youngest member had found herself in between whatever was going on with hanni and minji due her dorm being in between the both of them. the vibes were seeping its way into her room, and her (many) pictures of bts were no longer giving her comfort.

even in practice (like today), she could feel the overwhelming anger that their leader felt toward the vietnamese girl.

(sometimes, hyein's worried that all the hair she was losing in the shower was because of this.)

minji bumped her shoulder into hanni's, walking past her with a frown.

"why is unnie being extra mean to hanni-unnie lately?" danielle pondered, thinking back to last week.

"i don't know." hyein clutched her stomach as she rested on the practice studio ground. "why can't i grow peacefully? this stress is making it hard to digest my food. i need my nutrients."

"i have my heat pad in my room." haerin looked at the younger girl as she squirmed around. "just grab it after we're done."

hyein nodded, resting her cheek on the ground as she watched minji shoulder-check hanni. again.

the youngest could feel her stomach tense.

"what is wrong with you?" hanni asked, glaring at the leader.

"nothing." minji smiled too happily. "just hurry up and practice."

"minji, bro." hanni frowned.

"i'm serious." minji's eyes hardened, looking around afterward. "where's unnie?"

on cue, you burst through the door, haerin smiling as she got a glimpse of your lock screen.

too bad you silenced her with that steak you made her last week.

"here! sorry." you panted, your face bright red as you turned your phone off. "i was talking to, uh, haewon-ssi."

"it's okay." minji whispered softly before turning to the girl beside her. "hanni, get into place."

"what the fuck, bro?" she scoffed. "i literally did nothing and you're singling me out. again."

minji shrugged, her face stoic. "i don't know what you're talking about."

hanni ran her tongue over her teeth. she didn't know what the girl's problem was, but she was getting sick of it.

"enough." you broke between the two, not sure where the tension had sprouted from. "let's just practice for now. minji, switch with me. cool off, okay? i'll take over."

you walked to the computer as minji nodded, looking at hanni one more time before walking to her spot. hanni shook her head, danielle quickly standing between them before another fight occurred.

"unnie?" hyein walked up to you, her grip tight on the hem of her shirt.

you looked over to her. "yeah."

she looked back at the other girls, watching as danielle urged haerin to help her out.

"i'm scared."

"i know, hyein." you rubbed her back. "but be scared later. practice now."

hyein sighed, walking in between hanni and danielle as she felt the indirect glare the older girl was giving minji.

hyein held her stomach. "dani-unnie..."

"i know."

"i'm tired." hanni whispered into your neck as you found yourself laying beside her.

it was later that day and the moon was out, beaming happily through the curtains just like usual. you were in no mood to shower, too fatigued from the earlier events.

"well, minji made practice brutal earlier." you told the younger girl, patting her back. "let's just go to sleep."

"why did she?" hanni muttered, a hopeful feeling in her chest. "did... something happen?"

you looked up, thinking to yourself. "i don't think so?"

"she's been acting weird since you came back from shopping last week." she muttered.

you hummed to yourself. "well, she did tell me she liked someone."

"oh." hanni pushed her smile back. did that mean what she thought it meant? "what did you say?"

"i said to go for it."

hanni bit her tongue. did you reject minji... for her?

"did she?" the younger idol asked, her heart suddenly beating in her ears.

"i don't know. she didn't tell me." you shook your head, your eyes heavy as you tried to fight back. "poor kid probably is upset that it didn't go well. don't worry about her too much, yeah?"

hanni held back a laugh. kid.

"okay."

she relaxed against you, feeling as your body redated heat onto hers. her eyelids felt heavy, but her chest was pounding like her heart was about to burst into two.

she just needed to do this. hanni just needed to tell you.

"unnie." she whispered.

you hummed in response.

"if you liked someone," hanni swallowed. "would you tell them?"

your eyes shot open. "what?"

hanni felt your heart racing, making her smile. "you like someone, right?"

"i... do." you hesitated. "you can't tell anyone though."

"i won't." she shook her head, feeling your heart calm down. "what are they like?"

"well..." you felt a tired smile cover your entire face. "they're really sweet. they always check up on me to make sure i'm doing okay, even when they're busy. they're the cutest too. when they smile, it's like their eyes disappear, kinda like a cartoon. it's one of my favorite things about them."

hanni felt herself smiling against your neck. was that what you thought of her?

"really?"

you sighed blissfully. "yeah."

"have i met them?" hanni encouraged, trying to lure out a confession.

"you did." you nodded, your eyes fluttering close at the thought of your crush. "i think you've mentioned how great of a leader they are."

oh.

"leader?"

"yeah." you giggled softly. "they're a great leader."

hanni stiffened, turning around.

it wasn't her that you liked, not in the slightest. you weren't describing her, but someone else.

"hanni?"

"sorry," hanni muttered, pain weighing her chest down. "i'm really tired."

"oh." you rubbed her back, making her tense up slightly. "okay."

minji.

hyein felt like one of those lizards who needed a hot rock on their stomach to digest food.

except for this time around, haerin's frog heat pack wasn't helping her anymore. it was just causing her stomach to hurt more.

the youngest blamed the stress coming from hanni and minji's fighting. what used to be discreet became something entirely different, out in the open in fact. whenever you weren't around (and lately, you had always been out for some reason), the two girls would throw harsh words at each other (luckily, nothing too aggressive).

hyein just wanted to be happy in her room with her posters without stomach problems again.

beside her, danielle watched as minji and hanni glared at each other across the table, the latter trying her best to eat.

"i just want to be happy again like a family." the australian whined, sighing into the kitchen chair. she looked at the sadly made shin ramen in front of her.

haerin smiled into her cup noodles. "this is so fun."

"you're the only one having fun here." hyein muttered, looking at her melted cheese.

"move your shit over." hanni rolled her eyes.

minji squinted. "you first."

"dani-unnie, do something." hyein clutched her stomach, her lower abdomen hurting for the millionth time this week. "this is making me constipated."

"i'm scared too!" danielle whined once more. she turned to the cat-like girl. "haerin."

"no."

hyein and danielle groaned.

"you're so annoying, you know that?" hanni said, squinting her eyes at the girl in front of her.

"how am i annoying?" minji scoffed, crossing her arms. "this is all your fault."

"how is it my fault?" hanni stood up, slamming her hands into the table. hyein and danielle flinched. "shouldn't you be happy?"

minji followed her, startling haerin beside her. "why would i ever be happy about this?"

hyein couldn't take it anymore. if they had one more argument, she was sure that she'd have to destress at the le sserafim dorms where they only fought in certain circumstances (i.e. when yunjin and sakura steal chaewon's many snacks).

"enough!" hyein shouted out, catching everyone off guard. the older girls looked at her. "unnies, please! i'm so tired of you guys fighting like this. dani-unnie's joints hurt from your practices, minji-unnie."

"my bones crack whenever i stand up." danielle muttered in agreement.

"you yell at me more too!" hyein frowned at minji. "even when i clean my room."

minji furrowed her eyebrows. "you never clean your room."

"but now, i'm too scared not to."

minji sat down, slumping her shoulders as she sighed in defeat. she didn't realize how much it was affecting the other girls. it was her job as the leader to keep things in check.

it didn't matter who you liked, as long as the team was together.

hanni chuckled teasingly. "yeah, minji."

"you're just as bad!" hyein threw her hands up. "you made grilled cheese and you didn't even grill the cheese! you just burnt the bread and gave it to me!"

"yeah." haerin nodded. "we haven't eaten real food in days."

"i thought you were fine with this." danielle looked at her, scratching her own head.

the younger girl shruged. "i like cup noodles."

"please." hyein sighed, watching as hanni sat down. "just fix this."

hyein shook her head as she walked away to her dorm, clutching haerin's froggy heat pack while danielle and haerin followed (haerin had brought her cup noodles along with her).

the two older girls stared at each other, looking awkwardly as they fidgeted.

"hanni."

"minji."

they continued to stare at each other, minji looking around the room as hanni scratched her cheek.

how could i let it get this bad? they thought to themselves.

they were, are friends. they both knew that they should've never let a girl (even if it was you) come between them. friendship was more important than anything, and they had basically thrown each other to the side after (wrongly) assuming it was them.

"i'm sorry for getting angry at you." hanni started, minji's eyes snapping to her figure. "i know that y/n-unnie likes you and-"

"what?" minji tilted her head. "y/n-unnie doesn't like me? she likes you?"

"no?" hanni squinted, trying to see if the other girl was lying. "look, whoever she likes... we shouldn't be like this."

"i know." minji sighed. "it's just-"

"hard when you love someone." hanni finished for her.

"yeah..." minji nodded, burying her head into her hands. she shouldn't have let it come this far. "i'm sorry."

"me too." hanni whispered. she sent minji a heartbroken smile. "i'm sure she likes you though."

"no." minji could feel a laugh forming in the back of her throat. "she called me a kid."

"well." hanni bit back a smile. "she said she liked someone who's the leader type."

minji looked up, sighing. "that could be you."

"or it could be you." hanni countered. she rubbed the side of her forehead. "unnie's so confusing."

"yeah..."

the two stared at each other once more, the tension between them dissipating.

(in the distance, hyein could be heard rushing to the washroom.)

"are we good now?" minji asked softly.

she missed hanni. she missed her best friend.

"we are." the girl smiled, the anger lifting from her chest. "can we not fight like this again though?"

"we won't."

hanni smiled at the leader, and minji smiled back.

you had come back two hours later, hands nervously fidgeting as you gathered everyone into the living room.

they looked at each other curiously (minus haerin), wondering why you were doing something like this. it wasn't anything like you.

"guys." you cleared your throat, glancing at the door. "i want you to meet someone."

here we go, haerin thought, leaning into the couch.

"who?" minji looked at hanni.

hanni shrugged. "i don't know."

"i'm curious."

"me too!"

"unnie's nervous."

"shut it, haerin." you squinted at her. you shouted from your place. "come in."

the six of you heard the door open and close, and a girl, one a little shorter than you, stood beside you, her clear eyes showing her nervousness.

"hi, i'm oh haewon." the idol bowed. "it's nice to meet you guys."

"yeah, this is haewon." you scratched your neck. "she's.. my girlfriend."

"...what?"

haerin nodded, giving you a thumbs up.

(you hoped that you were able to show minji and hanni that it was okay to like each other, especially after introducing them to your girlfriend.)

"surprise?"

she was the quiet kid in the back of the class that you struggled to befriend. the girl that you had managed to bribe into talking to you after offering a small block of cheese to during the middle of a lesson.

kang haerin was someone your parents considered their own daughter, basically living at your house more than you had been. she was the one who dragged you around, looking for stray cats on the road to feed ice cream to.

kang haerin was someone your parents considered their own daughter, basically living at your house more than you had been. she was the one who dragged you around, looking for stray cats on the road to feed ice cream to.

haerin was the girl who you would've called your best friend, and maybe if you had told her back then, the love of your life.

but now, haerin was nothing but a memory to you. she was a feeling that you would get from time to time, like how a warm breeze blows past you on top of the tallest hill during that field trip so long ago. haerin was the feeling of scraping your knee for a hello kitty bandaid.

but she was also the despair that you felt when your mother promised you that you would see her again on that halloween years ago.

kang haerin was a beautiful, empty promise.

you just wished she was yours.

who was y/l/n y/n?

love.

kang haerin would answer love immediately.

haerin always knew that she loved you, years before she knew what that word had even meant. she would find any excuse to find herself next to you while you talked to your plethora of friends. she found herself caring about what she looked like more often, trying to impress someone who didn't know about her feelings, just like her.

all she needed to know was that you were the person who made her unafraid of the harsh spotlight. she knew that no matter what, you would be cheering her on from anywhere in the world.

haerin wondered where you were now.

did you still think about her? were your dreams filled with the two of you, just like hers were? did you still keep that one picture from that one christmas where she had asked her parents to not buy her a present that year, so she could buy you one?

did you even remember her?

haerin remembered you. haerin would always remember you.

the world had finally fallen in love with kang haerin, just like you had many years ago.

you could see her posters everywhere, one even in front of your house as she danced to her newest single 'OMG'.

she was successful. you were happy(?).

your roommate — song jisoo, a first-year high school student with a focus in entertainment who happened to be from your elementary school — would say otherwise.

you were miserable. so much so that most days, she would drag you out of the house to go on her horrid five-mile walks with her, just so you would forget the pain that you felt from the taunting faces of your first love.

however, since the new idol had blown up, everywhere you had gone was filled with her (even in that bathroom near the station at SOPA... who leaves their photocard on the floor like that?).

still, that didn't deter jisoo in any way.

"get up." the girl shook you back and forth.

"no."

jisoo shook you harder, trying to roll you out of your bed. "get. up."

you groaned, hating the feeling that sat upon your chest as you watched videos of haerin on your phone. "why?"

jisoo could think of a million reasons why, but it was clear that you weren't exactly open to hearing them.

"let's go somewhere." she told you, her face engraved with a small smile. "that cafe near hybe."

you sat up, expressionless.

"you're torturing me, aren't you?"

"i am not." she groaned, grabbing your arms as she pulled you up. "you'll be fine. maybe we'll even get to meet suga or jin."

there it was. jisoo had always been a big fan of bts, even back when you first knew her. you knew that she had an ulterior motive. she hates sit-in dining.

you looked at her, confusion all over your face. "jin's in the army now."

"no." jisoo covered her ears, glaring at you. "not if i don't believe it. now get dressed, we'll be out in five minutes."

you sighed, rubbing your eyes as you heard the door slam in front of you.

you made your way to your closet. part of you sure that you had no more clean clothes left since someone (read: jisoo) had forgotten to take you laundry with her yesterday.

you opened your closet, not a single shirt in sight.

muttering under your breath, you shuffled around in your closet, trying to find a box that had 'clothes' labeled on them. you must've had something that you could wear, even if it was a little small on you.

2021 CLOTHES

you smiled, thanking yourself in your head that you had managed to label this one properly.

lifting up the box, you set it on your bed. you opened it, fully expecting your clothes to be there.

oh.

in front of you stared a cat beanie, one that you knew didn't belong to you. its soft gray ears stuck out in surprise as if it was shocked to see you like you saw it. its eyes were still in the shape that you knitted them a couple years back.

kang haerin's eyes.

gently, you picked it up, the wool of the beanie touching your fingertips. it was soft, softer than you expected.

you turned it around.

be brave, kang haerin!

you wondered if haerin ever went looking for it. if it were you, you would've done everything in your power to get it back. perhaps if you paid the idol a visit...

no. you couldn't. you don't even know if she remembered you. it would be too humiliating to.

still...

you would kill to see the owner again.

haerin wanted to kill minji.

not in a literal sense, but more in a 'why did we just practice for two hours straight with no break?' sense.

at least practice was over. that was all that mattered to the cat-like girl.

"i'm tired." hyein muttered as she stumbled into the car, danielle close behind her. haerin watched as hanni leaned onto their leader's shoulder. "unnie, i want coffee."

"no." minji shook her head, mindlessly on her phone as danielle closed the door. "it'll stunt your height."

hyein whined. "but i don't want to keep growing!"

minji sighed as the car moved. although they did have a few hours to kill before their next schedule, minji knew that it should've been spent resting instead of running errands.

minji couldn't handle a grumpy, overtired hanni.

"haerin," the leader called out. "do something."

haerin turned her head, blinking tiredly at minji. she never understood why hyein would listen to her rather than their leader. perhaps the youngest knew that eventually, minji would allow her to if she begged hard enough.

haerin hummed, wanting a pick-me-up from the tiring practice.

"i kinda want coffee too."

minji pursued her lips as the youngest cheered. in front of her, danielle muttered to the driver, asking to drop them off near the curb to a cafe she always frequented.

"wow." hanni chuckled, her eyes closed. "minji got betrayed. imagine that."

minji frowned down at hanni as haerin blinked in disgust. the cat-like girl looked over to hyein, the youngest with a grimace as she watched the interaction. "you're supposed to be on my side."

"me? your side?" hanni looked up, minji's face erupting into a blush. "funny."

the three other members looked at each other. danielle shook her head with a small smile, telling the others to just let them be.

haerin sighed, feeling the car come to a halt. she was glad that the cafe wasn't out of their way. minji would most likely calm down after a while, and they would still get the much-needed rest before the shoot.

the idols stepped out of the van, putting on their masks as the cold winter air hit their exposed skin. the entered the warm store, the rest picking a booth at the back of the cafe as danielle ordered for them.

it was cozy. the lights were dim enough for haerin's liking, but the overwhelming smell of caffeine made her head hurt.

she looked around, trying to find something else to focus on as the others conversed.

"i'm serious!"

she knew that voice. why did she know that voice?

"haerin-unnie?" hyein looked over to the girl as her head perked up, her eyes trying to find where that sound was coming from.

it couldn't have been you.

"haerin?"

her eyes locked onto your figure, her entire body tensing up as you rolled your eyes at your friend.

wait, was that song jisoo?

"do you know her?" hanni asked, rubbing her eyes awake.

song jisoo. your former seatmate in second grade. why were you here with her?

"y/n..." she whispered under her breath, her eyes wide.

the others looked at each other, shocked to hear that name again.

it was a name they hadn't heard in a while, but one that they heard every minute of the day back during pre-debut. they had never asked haerin in great detail who you were, but they knew enough to understand that haerin wanted more.

the members turned their heads to look at you.

"it's a stupid idea."

song jisoo... haerin didn't understand why you were with her here. was it because you were meeting up again? why didn't you ask her instead?

right. she thought. i changed my number.

"you're a stupid idea." you frowned, sticking your tongue out at the girl. "just let me give it back to her."

haerin watched as jisoo rolled her eyes.

"how?" she asked you, taking a sip of her coffee. "are you gonna go up to hybe and say 'hi! i'm kang haerin's long-lost best friend and i have a beanie that's two sizes too small that i want to return to her. i promise i'm not a creep!'"

haerin found herself smiling.

you still remembered her.

haerin watched as you took a sip from your cup, your eyes glaring at jisoo with something else laced beneath them. "you are so supportive, y'know that?"

haerin knew she should just go up to you. she would reach for your shoulder like she always used to do, and you'd smile at her with your signature smile, your eyes dancing with curiosity.

courage. she thought to herself as she prepared to stand up. i just need courage.

jisoo smirked, making you twitch your eyebrow. "that's why you sleep in my bed, yes."

oh.

"whatever." you muttered, a bright red blush on your face.

the members frowned, haerin's eyes drooping as she looked at you.

suddenly, she felt like she went back in time, back to when you didn't know her name.

"ha!" jisoo pointed at you, smiling victoriously. "you want me sooo bad."

haerin looked down at the table, a small, disappointed smile on her face. you were always good around people, it was your charm. she couldn't blame you for finding someone who appreciated it.

she missed her chance. if only she hadn't been so stupid.

"shut up and eat your pastry before i shove it down your mouth."

haerin was tired.

"just say you want me." jisoo stuck her tongue out. "i already know."

haerin stood up.

"die."

danielle walked up to the table, drinks in her hand as she looked over to the younger idol, confusion laced across her face.

"haerin?"

i wanna go home.

"i'll be in the car."

you were love. but sometimes, haerin forgets that you could also be heartbreak.

it had been two weeks since the cafe incident and haerin hadn't felt this alone since she was younger.

it was stupid. she knew it was stupid. you two had completely separate lives now. for all she knew, you were only here to visit jisoo, the girl she was sure was your girlfriend.

she wondered if she would've been your girlfriend if she stayed in contact with you.

"haerin." she turned her head to find minji peeking her head through her door. "there's someone here for you."

haerin tilted her head. who would be here on an off-day for her?

the quiet girl stood up, walking out of her room and into the living quarters. her eyes met hyein's watching as the young girl awkwardly looked at a figure from across the couch.

haerin swore she almost burst a lung.

this had to be a dream.

"kang haerin." you smiled at her, just like you always did. "hey."

she looked at you with a blank expression, her eyes pooled with curiosity. this had to be a dream. there was no other explanation. you would never visit her, not when you had a girlfriend.

"i didn't stalk you! i promise!" you tensed up, uncomfortable with the way she had been eyeing you. "i asked if i could give you back something at the main building but they took me here."

her manager. she knew who you were.

haerin made a note in the back of her head to convince the company to give their manager a raise.

haerin nodded, still looking down at you with a blank stare.

"hi."

danielle winced as hanni covered her mouth, watching the entire thing. they knew haerin was this awkward but this was a level that they'd never seen before.

you furrowed your eyebrows, watching as she stood still. "hi?"

the idols looked at each other in silence as haerin continued to look at you.

hyein bit her lip. she was sure she's seen you before.

"are you--"

"sorry about her." minji covered her mouth, shooting you a smile as you looked at the two confused. she chuckled. "we're just going to our rooms now."

the leader ushered everyone away, pushing them down the hall as she sent haerin a worried look. the younger girl had missed it, too emerged at the person in front of her.

"uh..." you cleared your throat, ignoring the mutters that could be heard from down the call. "i came to give this back."

haerin watched as you stood up, pulling out a piece of clothing that she hadn't seen for over a year.

slowly, you walked over to her, reaching out as she grabbed it gently. you let go, watching her face morph into a smile.

pretty. you thought.

"my cat beanie." haerin whispered. she had cried so hard the night she lost it. it was almost as if she lost the last piece of you. "i thought i lost this a while ago."

"i stole it before you packed up for hybe." you scratched your cheek, avoiding her shocked face. "i forgot about it until now, but here you go."

she traced the engraving on the back.

be brave, kang haerin!

haerin smiled, her chest filling with love as she stared at you. "thank you."

you nodded, a bittersweet grin on your face.

it was obvious to you that the idol was uncomfortable. her awkward stance, her refusal to sit on the couch next to you... you didn't want to prolong your stay any longer.

you were glad to see her smile one last time.

you stood up, dusting yourself off. "it was nice seeing you again."

haerin felt her shoulders drop. why were you leaving so soon? did you not want to see her?

why couldn't you just stay?

haerin wanted you to stay.

the idol's eyes followed you as you walked towards her, towards the door. "you too."

she remembered you, back when she was packing up for the dorms two years ago.

("be bold, kang haerin!" you said, giving her a beanie with similar features. "and stay warm!")

be bold.

she grabbed your wrist. "y/n."

i love you.

"yeah?"

"i..." haerin blinked, her brain racing a mile a minute ("be bold, kang haerin! for me!"). she couldn't. not now. "i've missed you."

if you could describe kang haerin right now, she would be hope.

the idol watched as your eyes softened, becoming glassy with tears. "i've missed you, too."

"this beanie." she whispered, holding it up. "you gave it to me."

i gave it to you with love. you thought, the knitted eyes of the beanie staring back at you.

"i did."

"you told me it would keep me warm." she looked at it, letting go of your wrist as she grasped it with two hands. "i..."

you stared at her curiously.

her eyes met yours once more, an emotion you couldn't place filling it. "i don't want it."

i want you. haerin thought. i want you so bad.

"oh." you chuckled, scratching your cheek with embarrassment. "sorry, i thought you would want it ba--"

("be bold, kang haerin! i believe in you!")

"i don't want it if you're just going to disappear from my life again." haerin shook her head. she watched you inhale sharply. she looked away. "can i... have both?"

down the hall, danielle held back a squeal as hanni slapped her shoulder, their maknae right beside them nodding her head.

"wow." hyein was impressed. "unnie's smooth."

"shut it, you idiot." hanni whispered loudly, glaring at the younger girl as danielle giggled beside her. "minji's gonna find us listening."

behind them, minji's door opened slightly, her head popping out into the hallway.

the three girls' eyes widened.

"i don't care." minji looked down the hall. "i'm listening too."

"haerin..."

haerin was a beautiful promise, one that you could reach out in front of you and grab. she was the promise of ice cream on a hot summer day. she was the promise of the window seat when traveling on a bus.

she was the promise of love.

you wrapped your arms around her, burying your head into the idol as she found herself doing the same.

"i'm sorry for not keeping contact," you muttered, your warm breath hitting her skin.

you still smelt the same. like the warm laundry detergent haerin had found in your basement while playing hide and seek.

and just like before, she still loved you the same (if not more).

"me too." haerin smiled, feeling herself melt into your embrace. "i should've tried harder."

i will. i'll make up for it. i promise.

"me too."

haerin sighed, pulling back as she watched tears fall from your face. it was the same time of tears she had seen the day she had got accepted into the company. the one that fell down the side of your smiling mouth as you looked at her proudly.

("be brave, kang haerin!")

"can we..." she trailed on, her eyes on you as you tried to figure out what she was going to say.

you smiled. she always knew that you would understand her, no matter what.

"just like then?" you whispered.

she whispered back. "just like then."

she watched as you backed up, clearing your throat as you smiled the same smile as she remembered.

"hi. i'm y/l/n y/n! i think you're really pretty." you winked at her, making her roll her eyes. "can we be friends?"

('hi! my name is y/n! let's be friends!')

"hi. i'm kang haerin." she smiled. "i think you're really pretty too."

("i'm kang haerin.")

"does that mean we're friends?"

("be my friend, kang haerin!")

"yeah." the idol nodded. "we're friends."

("okay.")

haerin'll worry about song jisoo another day.

unfortunately, they were going to see you, no matter what it took.

"you're staying in korea?" yunjin asked, playing with your hair as you lay on her lap. on her phone were kazuha and eunchae, as both had left earlier that week to visit their families.

"you're staying in korea?" yunjin asked, playing with your hair as you lay on her lap. on her phone were kazuha and eunchae, as both had left earlier that week to visit their families.

"yeah." you closed your eyes, wondering what your group's family was like in general. you hoped that it was nothing like yours. "my parents are coming here instead."

"ooh!" you heard eunchae's voice from the phone. "are we finally going to meet your parents?"

"absolutely not." you shook your head, hearing the footsteps of your other members come closer to you. "i don't want you guys to suffer the way i do."

"they can't be that bad." yunjin muttered, looking down at your face.

you heard sakura and chaewon laugh in the distance, the two knowing the full extent of how insane your parents were. it was so bad that sakura, nako, and hitomi always had to stay with one of the other members whenever they visited.

"they're horrible." chaewon yelled. "me and kkura-unnie have met them when y/nnie was still with yujin—"

"unnie!" you bolted up as yunjin turned her head to the older girl.

"what?" chaewon scratched her cheek, looking at the blonde girl. "did yunjin... not know? even zuha knows?"

"you're gay?!" yunjin covered her mouth as she tried to suppress a smile.

you could hear eunchae and kazuha laughing through yunjin's phone as sakura and chaewon side-eyed each other.

"yes." you cleared your throat, slightly embarrassed at yunjin's outburst. "look, let's just not talk about it around my parents, okay?"

yunjin nodded, looking at her phone discreetly while you glared at your leader. eunchae gave her a thumbs-up, making kazuha laugh hysterically.

"they're coming here, right?" sakura asked, following chaewon to the entrance of the dorm.

"yes." you nodded once more, your eyes trained on your older members as yunjin tried to shush the other two on her phone. "kkura-unnie, can you—"

"i'll be at chaeyeon's place." the japanese girl gave a warm, reassuring smile. yunjin hung up, turning her phone off to avoid the younger two's teasing. "don't worry."

you felt a pat on your head as sakura passed by you. you gave her a grin as chaewon squished your cheek.

"are you sure the two of you are gonna be fine here?" chaewon asked, putting on her shoes as sakura put her jacket on.

"of course!" yunjin answered almost immediately, standing up from the couch in a fighting position. "if they don't like me, i'll just beat them up."

you felt yourself smiling. "you're so weird, unnie."

"what?" yunjin fixed her glasses, turning towards you with a kick. "you don't like it? can i not defend my baby?"

"ugh," you joked, pushing her foot away from you. "go away."

sakura shook her head as chaewon laughed loudly, opening the door. "you two have fun!"

"sure." you muttered, popping your head out to watch the two leave. "see you guys tomorrow."

you and yunjin waited for the door to close, finally leaning back into the couch upon hearing the click. you found yourself back on the older girl's lap.

"are your parents actually that bad?" yunjin asked, moving the hair out of your face.

"understatement of the entire year." you groaned. you looked up at her. "they're only here for a day though, then they'll go back to america."

"do you want me to stay here or go back to my dorm?" the older girl watched as your eyes wandered all over he face, making her smile.

truthfully, yunjin wanted to say with you. she's seen what some parents were like, and although she had no experience dealing with ones like yours, she would do whatever it took to make sure you were okay.

she was serious about fighting.

"do whatever you'd like." you said, feeling her relax. "i think i'm screwed either way."

yunjin opened her mouth to disagree but was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. by the way you tensed up before leaving to open it, she had figured it was your parents.

she was right.

"mom. dad." you looked between the two, forcing a smile as you gestured for them to enter. "hi."

you closed the door behind them, yunjin pulling out her phone as she tried to seem occupied.

"you look tired." your mother commented as she took off her shoes.

yunjin winced at the tone but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. sometimes, asian parents just had a certain tone in their voice that made it seem like they were scolding you.

"i am." you nodded, not missing the judging look from your father. "i'm glad you guys landed safely."

"we almost didn't." your father grumbled under his breath, putting his shoes away to the side. he stood up with a glare. "some idiot brought his dog on the plane and you know how much i hate dogs."

yunjin's eyes widened as she stopped scrolling through her phone, biting her tongue to prevent herself from gasping.

oh, she thought to herself. they're those kinds of people.

"maybe it was a service dog." you shook your head. you hated how inconsiderate they were sometimes. "you know, for disabled people."

your father shook his head, his glare making it's way to you. "you shouldn't be flying if you're disabled then."

yunjin felt her mouth drop as she struggled not to gasp.

you cleared your throat, not wanting to start a fight right from the get-go. "where are you staying?"

yunjin felt the floorboards bend beneath her feet, signaling that your parents were walking toward the living room. she quickly fixed her posture, pretending to be preoccupied with her phone.

"we're staying at the hotel down the street." she heard your mother's voice coming closer. "just in case you need us to help you with something."

you clenched your jaw as you turned the corner. you knew what that really meant. "i'll be fine."

you watched as your parents looked at each other as if they knew something about you that you didn't. midway, your mother caught sight of a blonde girl, quietly sitting on the couch.

"who's this?" she asked, immediately fixing her expression.

"oh." you scratched your cheek, worry starting to seep through your voice. "this is huh yunjin. you remember her, right? she was in produce 48?"

"oh, the mean singer!" you clenched your eyes as your mother nodded to herself. "you were my pick."

yunjin glanced at you before bowing. "thank you."

"you should've debuted instead of that yujin girl." your father spoke up, a slight grimace on his face. "you guys broke up, right?"

you felt yourself sigh, the overwhelming weight of sadness suddenly filling your chest.

"honey, they were never really together." yunjin watched as your mother corrected him. "it was just a rebellious phase."

you shook your head, swallowing your anger back. "i really loved her."

"no, you didn't." your mother laughed as if it was the funniest joke in the world. "you don't know what love is like."

yunjin watched in anger as your parents looked at you with a teasing smile, almost as if you were a child crying over something stupid. she knew how much you hated feeling invalidated, and she wanted nothing more than to throw your parents out in that very moment.

if it weren't for you shaking your head at her, she would've.

instead, she tried her best to ease the tension and move on from the situation.

"would you guys like to eat?" she asked gently, praying that her voice didn't shake from anger.

"of course!" your father smiled, his eyes hardening as he turned to you. "how come your friend has more manners than you?"

"i was going to offer," you whispered, almost cowering away.

"you should've done it sooner." your mother intervened, her voice harsher than your father's. "i'm sorry about her, she always gets like this. it's so embarrassing."

yunjin opened her mouth but was quickly shut down with you ushering the two away to the kitchen.

she looked at you with a frown, your eyes seemingly tired despite being filled with energy earlier that day.

she followed you to the table, your parents ushering her to eat with them as you prepared the food that chaewon and sakura had baked earlier that day. it was plain kimchi stew, but part of you hoped that there was poison in it.

you placed it in front of them, a big bowl of rice accompanying it as you sat down next to yunjin. you felt a soft squeeze on your leg before feeling yunjin move her hand away.

you smiled subtly, digging into the food.

"so," your mother started in between bites. "where are you from again?"

"i'm from america." yunjin said simply, not wanting to make too much conversation with the older couple.

"thank god." your mother laughed, making you grip onto your spoon tightly. "i thought you'd be from japan like that sakura girl. don't get me wrong but kpop is for pretty korean's. not those japanese people."

you exhaled shakely as yunjin's mouth dropped open. "mom."

"i'm serious!" your mother chuckled, looking over to you. "i was surprised you were even picked. i mean, look at your members compared to you."

you shook your head, looking back down at your food as your father agreed with the woman next to him. you hated how they talked about you. to them, you were never pretty enough, or talented enough. it was almost like they were the people praying for your downfall instead of supporting you.

yunjin looked over at you, her appetite suddenly disappearing from the rage she felt.

"have you been training properly?" your father asked, eating another spoonful of kimchi. "i don't want you to slack off now that eunbi isn't around."

"i've been training fine," you replied monotone.

"seriously... why did they make that chaewon girl the leader?" your head shot up as you saw yunjin clasp her hands together. "they should've had someone else do it."

"chaewon-unnie's a great leader." you spat out, cowering away after your mother glared at you.

yunjin never wanted to hit someone more in her life.

"how would you know?" your mother smiled sarcastically. "you get washed out by all the others, even that kiyoko one."

yunjin couldn't take it anymore.

she was already insanely fed up with the way they had been treating you and the other members, but there was something about your mother's tone that made yunjin want to smack the older woman in the face.

she opened her mouth, but before she could speak, you did.

"her name's nakamura kazuha." you growled, slamming your utensils onto the table. yunjin winced. "she's really talented, okay?"

everything went quiet.

your father looked at you, a smile of disbelief painted across his face. "don't tell me..."

"tell you what?" you rolled your eyes.

your father threw his utensils on the table. "are you doing this gay shit again?"

"i'm not doing 'gay shit'." you scoffed, watching as your mother put hers down, pushing away her food. "i am gay."

"we talked about this." your mother said gently. if yunjin didn't know what she was like, she would've believed that your mother actually cared. "we agreed that you would break up with yujin so you could stay an idol."

yunjin clenched her jaw, shock running though her body.

she looked over to you, finding your hands clenched into fists, so tight that she would've been worried about you hurting yourself if you had longer nails.

she wanted nothing more than to reach towards you.

"that kiyoko girl..." your mother sighed, leaning back against her chair. "are you two—"

"get out." you whispered.

your parents stared at you in shock, not sure if they heard right.

"what?"

you lifted your head, tears streaming down your face as you glared at them. "get out."

"we are your parents!" your father yelled, slamming his hands into the table as he stood up. "we raised you! how dare you—"

yunjin had enough.

"she said to get. out." she stood up slowly, trying to hold back the fire from her tongue. "i'll call the fucking police if i have to."

"we're your family, y/n." your mother tried to reach out to you, only for you to pull away. "you're gonna let a stranger push us around?"

"just listen to yunjin-unnie." your voice cracked, yunjin sending you a worried glance. "i don't want to fight anymore."

your mother sighed, her eyes meeting yunjin's as the blonde girl sent her a hellish glare.

"you're a horrible daughter!" your father continued, making his way towards you. "i thought we could fix you but—"

yunjin stepped in front of him, glaring down at the older man. "get out of our house."

your father glared back at the taller girl, finally backing down as your mother exited the dining room. yunjin waited, hearing the door click before coming to your side.

she moved your hair out of your face, watching your stoic face as you tried to hold back your tears.

carefully, she wiped your tears away. "are you okay?"

you laughed bitterly, making yunjin's eyebrows furrow. "i hate my life."

"your parents are awful," she said, grabbing your hand gently.

you nodded, trying your best to laugh away the tears. "tell me about it."

yunjin stared at you with worried eyes. she wanted nothing more than to make you feel better, hating the fact that your face was full of tears.

she kissed you hand gently. "i'm glad you're nothing like them."

you took a sharp breath, yunjin watching as your face morphed into a mixture of relief and sorrow. you sobbed into your hands, covering your face as yunjin enveloped you in a hug, stroking your head.

she didn't mean to make you cry.

"hey, hey," she muttered, trying not to cry herself. "don't cry."

despite it's intended purpose, you cried harder. "i'm so sorry."

"why?" she pulled back, trying to get a look at your face. "you did nothing wrong."

"they—" you shook your head, moving your hands out of your face. yunjin moved your hair out of the way as you tried to speak in between your sobs. "i just—"

"it's okay." you felt yunjin rub your leg in reassurance, smiling at you warmly. "listen to me. you're nothing like what they say. you're an amazing performer and artist, and an even better person. your parents are horrible people and i know you're nothing like them. don't worry, okay?"

you nodded, trying to calm yourself down. "okay."

"i'm right here," she whispered, looking into your eyes. lightly, she used the sleeves of her sweater to wipe away her tears. "we all are. we believe in you."

she stood back up, giving you a hug that you found yourself melting into. yunjin was always there for you and the others. she was your safety net. being around her made you feel like nothing could hurt you.

your crying eventually died down, leaving you with hiccups that yunjin ended up chuckling at.

"can we watch," you hiccuped, sending the older girl into a fit of giggles. "white chicks please?"

"what?" you could feel her ribcage move as she hugged you. "randomly?"

you nodded, muffled into her sweater. "comfort movie."

yunjin smiled, pulling back. "okay."

you stood up, following yunjin to the living room as you wiped your face lightly. she grabbed the remote before launching herself into the couch, making you laugh at her actions. she started the movie, your head on her shoulder.

somewhere in the middle of the movie, you found yourself laying on top of her as she lazily wrapped an arm around you, glancing every so often at your face.

you looked up at her, your gaze meeting hers. "unnie."

she smiled at you, finding your curious eyes adorable. "yeah."

"i know you think i believe them and sometimes i do." you whispered, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment (she hoped you missed all the other times) "but i don't around you guys, so don't worry so much."

yunjin sent you a grin, one that was filled with affection and warmth, something that you were familiar with when it came to the older girl.

the two of you continued to watch the movie, commenting every so often on terry crews and the odd (yet iconic) placement of him in the movie.

still, yunjin couldn't stop staring at you, but for a different reason this time around.

"you should stay with me and my family next time we visit the states," she said, pulling you out of the movie.

you looked up at her with hopeful eyes, nearly making her melt into the couch.

"do you think they'll like me?" you whispered curiously.

"they'll love you." yunjin nodded, brushing a stray hair strand out of your face. she smiled softly. "just like i do."

"i hope so." you muttered, putting your head back on her chest. "your sister—"

"stop."

"what?" you frowned, feeling her grip tighten on you. "i was going to—"

"flirt with my sister?" she shook her head. "that's what you were going to do?"

"no!" you replied (though not convincingly). "what? she's pretty."

yunjin scoffed, rolling her eyes as she glared at the two men in a dance battle. "just watch the movie."

"unnies!" eunchae whisper-shouted as she stared at the two of you, asleep on the couch.

"why?" chaewon entered, kazuha following closely behind her. her eyes widened as she felt kazuha grip her arm in excitement. "oh my god! kkura-unnie, hurry up!"

"do you think yunjin-unnie...?" kazuha asked the youngest as sakura entered her dorm.

"probably not." eunchae shook her head. "it looks like y/n-unnie was crying so yunjin-unnie probably didn't."

with a frown, kazuha looked at the two older girl's. "why was unnie crying?"

"her parents."

"oh. right." kazuha sighed, watching as chaewon and sakura took pictures of the two of you for blackmail (specifically for yunjin). "do you think when she wakes up, i can stay with her?"

"we should get unnie those snacks she likes." eunchae said thoughtfully, trying to remember which flavor chips you preferred.

"are you guys sure you could even touch her?" sakura watched as yunjin stirred around, falling back asleep with a tighter grip on you. "yunjin has a pretty strong hold on her."

"unnie won't hog her the entire day." kazuha looked at you, her dormmate. "right?"

the rest of the girls looked at her as kazuha sighed.

who was she kidding?

minji gave hanni a side eye as she straightened her hair. she never asked hanni to set her up with you in all honesty. the vietnamese girl had just approached her randomly one day, saying that her older cousin was here and that they seemed to fit well with each other.

(hanni didn't tell her the real reason she set them up was that minji was painfully single and so were you)

"it's the first date." minji turned the iron off and put it down, carefully inspecting her clothes. she tried not to dress too flashy, afraid that she was going to be recognized on the spot. "nothing bad is gonna happen."

"first dates are usually where people get murdered the most." haerin stated, laughing as hanni shot their leader a glare.

"murder her and i'll murder you."

"i won't!" minji looked hanni up and down, wondering why she was so protective all of a sudden. she looked over to the cat-eyed girl giggling beside them. "haerin, bro..."

haerin shrugged, the two girls following their leader as she went to the front door. there, both danielle and hyein were waiting, discussing which shoes would go best with the girl's outfit. minji didn't choose either.

instead, she went with casual sneakers (jordan 1 low cuts). she wasn't there to impress (liar).

hyein squealed, sitting beside the older girl as she tied her shoes. "unnie's gonna fall in love!"

minji shook her head, standing up as she grabbed her wallet. "it's just a first date."

hyein rolled her eyes, immediately squishing her own cheeks up and making a kissy face. haerin watched the younger girl with a small mischievous smile, and flicked her nose. hard. hanni laughed at the two as minji sighed, too tired (and too late) to worry about something like this. she turned to the austrailian girl.

minji shook her head as she opened the door. "dani, you're—"

"i'm in charge!" danielle gave her a reassuring smile.

"behave." she pointed at the other girls, stopping at the youngest. "i'm looking at you, hyein."

hyein looked away, rubbing her nose lightly.

"i'll be back in two hours." minji informed over her shoulder as she exited.

the girls watched as minji left. as soon as the door closed, hyein chased after the cat-like girl while hanni pulled her phone out to record.

danielle watched and took a deep breath. if this was going to make minji happy, she would do her best, even if it killed her.

minji sat idly at a bench a couple blocks away from hybe hq. she looked at her watch, realizing that she was not late at all. in fact, she had put it in her schedule that the date started at 6:30 instead of 7:00, knowing that she was going to be late.

so here she was at 6:35PM on a friday, sitting at some playground as she waited for some stranger that she didn't even know the name of.

minji sighed, feeling a light tap on her shoulder.

she turned around, seeing a slightly shorter girl than her looking down with a curious smile behind her mask. she didn't seem like a newjeans fan, most of them being younger than her. the girl seemed older, dressed in laid-back but fashionable clothes that screamed 'put together'.

"you're kim minji, right?"

minji suppressed a frown, just wanting to enjoy the night without anyone bugging her. she was grateful for her fans, but she needed some time to herself too.

"uh," minji plastered on a smile. "do you want an autograph?"

the girl in front of her laughed, her eyes turning into crescents. if minji hadn't been so offended, she would've found herself smiling back at the masked girl.

"no." you took off your mask, revealing your face. minji's eyes widened. "i'm y/n pham. well, pham y/n here."

you waited for minji to speak, watching as the surprised girl blinked at you. you looked around, wondering if she had been your cousin's member or if she was just a random girl on the park bench.

"you're my date?" minji whispered, not sure if she was dreaming.

you gave a half smile. "disappointed?"

minji shook her head. "no!"

you giggled at the girl's quick response. she expected you to look more similar to hanni, maybe a little more foreign. and as pretty as hanni was (because she is), minji didn't expect you to look so... stunning.

"i'm joking." you laughed. you looked at your watch, realizing that your reservation for 7:30 was coming up soon. you turned to face minji. "should we go?"

minji nodded with a slight blush on her face, standing up and dusting herself off. "yes."

she was definitely going to thank hanni later.

'sorry for the inconvenience but due to certain circumstances listed below, we will be closed for the rest of the day.'

minji rubbed the side of her head, staring at the piece of paper that was taped to the restaurant door.

beside her, you watched with a frown on your face. hanni had told you that she was sure that this blind date was going to be perfect because the other girl was known to plan things extremely meticulously.

you were flattered, but you honestly preferred spontaneity.

"it's okay." you reassured her, smiling at her furrowed eyebrows.

she had planned this out perfectly, even asking hanni what your favorite types of food were so she could scour the entire area for a restaurant around that price range.

"i'm so sorry." she turned around to face you. "i made a reservation and they confirmed it but i had no idea they would close today."

"it's fine, really." you smiled, turning to the piece of paper as you read the rest of the text on the bottom. "they said their cat died so..."

"oh."

you turned to minji, finding her scratching her cheek in embarrassment. you looked around, finding a small garden/playground across the street.

"i don't mind a park date." you gestured to the opposite side of the street, cracking a grin. "i could use some exercise. my legs are already starting to crack."

you offered minji your hand, watching her stare at it. she looked at you, her mask hiding her smile but you could tell from her eyes. gently, she wrapped her hand around yours, the two of you feeling soft sparks dancing up your arms.

she gave your hand a squeeze. "okay."

you gave her a smile, gently guiding her as the two of you made your way to the park. you were too focused on making it there that you didn't notice that minji had been observing you, a small smile covered by her mask.

the two of you quickly arrived, slowing down to watch as children played and as the leaves blew past the two of you. you two walked in silence for a while, taking in the feeling of ambiance around the two of you.

minji hasn't been this relaxed since before she was a trainee.

"what do you do?" she asked, making you turn your head. "like for work, i mean."

she felt you squeeze her hand, sending a blush to her face. "i'm the head graphic designer for samsung."

minji looked over at you with wide eyes.

"what?"

"yeah." you laughed as she scratched the back of her head, suddenly feeling as if she wasn't doing enough with her life. "i started when i was about 17? it's fun."

minji cleared her throat as she tried to compose herself. "so you like to draw?"

"not really." you shrugged, looking over to her with soft eyes. "i just like it when things look pretty."

"oh." minji could feel herself blushing as she lifted her mask up higher. she looked away from your teasing eyes. "that's cool."

you smiled. you couldn't help but adore minji's flustered face.

the two of you continued to walk, the sun barely out as grey clouds above your head started to form. the wind blew slightly stronger, and mothers were quietly ushering their kids away from the open areas.

you two would've noticed, if you hadn't been so occupied with each other.

"how long have you trained for?" you asked.

minji thought to herself, trying to count in her head. "i've been in the company for six years, i think."

"six?" your eyes widened. you couldn't imagine being committed for something that long just for a shot that wasn't guaranteed. "that would make you..."

"eighteen now." minji smiled at you, causing you to grin. "i started when i was twelve."

"i see." you felt yourself nod, your eyes suddenly glued to hers. "so you're younger than me. that's cute."

minji lifted her mask up again, trying to hide her face. "you like to flirt a lot, huh?"

you tilted you head. "do you not like it?"

"no," minji shook her head, moving slightly closer to you. "i like it."

you nodded, giving a small smile before feeling something land on your forehead. you looked up, noticing the gray clouds as minji looked down, seeing the splatters of water hit the ground.

she furrowed her eyebrows. there had only been a 20% chance of rain today. she had checked before leaving. if she had known it was going to rain, she would've brought an umbrella.

"oh shit." before you can register, the rain soon fell hard onto the two of you.

the sound of leaves blowing soon turned into heavy rainfall as the two of you swore at the clouds above.

luckily, you had been wearing a waterproof windbreaker. you took it off quickly and wrapped it over minji's head, guiding the two of you to the nearest overhead shelter. unfortunately, there were none in sight.

"i'm so sorry." minji shouted over the rain. she took her mask off as it was too wet to breathe in. "i really didn't know it was going to rain."

"it's okay!" you smiled, taking yours off as well. you pulled her closer to the middle of the park, the trees swaying with the strong breeze. "i like the rain."

"you're getting wet." she yelled once more, gripping the jacket over her head.

"it's just water." your eyes lit up as rain threatened to spill into them. "c'mon, kim minji. let's play together."

you gave her a warm smile, one that made her forget that she was standing in the middle of the cold.

minji found herself smiling back, taking off the jacket and no longer caring about her perfectly straightened hair that she had spent hours on.

"okay."

minji felt free.

the rain stopped ten minutes after.

the two of you spent the entire time running around the park like little kids, bringing her back to her elementary days. the two of you never let your hands go, afraid that the other would slip out of your grasp. but soon the rain took a toll on the two of you and you had to break apart.

minji didn't mind though. she's never had more fun in her life.

she watched as you squeezed out the water in your clothes, your stomach grumbling.

"i'm hungry."

minji nodded. "me too."

you looked around, finding a bright yellow cart a couple meters away from where the two of you were standing.

"that vendor is open." you pointed. the two of you walked up, minji digging in her sweater for her wallet as the two of you got closer. "bungeoppang!"

the older man looked between the both of you, a lingering stare at minji.

minji panicked for a second, realizing that she wasn't wearing her mask anymore.

luckily, you noticed and took his attention away from the idol. "can we have four custard ones please?"

the man nodded, quickly doing his job before handing over the bag of custard-filled bread.

he looked at the two of you. "ten thousand won, please."

"ten thousand? for four?" minji's eyes widened, gripping her wallet as she glared at the balding man. "are you trying to rip us off?"

"hey, lady," he snarled back. "food is expensive to make, y'know?"

minji squinted, wanting nothing more than to mouth him off but refrained from doing so. her idol image was at stake, and so was her entire date.

"minji, it's fine." she felt you squeeze her forearm, making her entire face go red. she looked away as you grabbed your wallet and paid. "here you go."

"thank you." the older man smiled and turned his head to the idol. "learn to be more like your friend."

minji scoffed as her head shot up. "you know wha—"

"thank you for the food!" you grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the man who cursed under his breath. "have a nice day!"

you continued to pull minji away, making your way back to the front of the restaurant that the two of you were supposed to go to. the two of you sat on the wet curb.

you let go of minji's arm, giving her one of the fish-shaped buns.

minji bit into it, hating the fact that it was good. "what a ripoff."

"i know, right?" you muttered with a smile, finding it cute that the younger girl was so aggravated.

she turned to you with a sorry look.

"sorry for making you pay." minji fiddled with her wallet again. "i have money if you—"

"it's just ten thousand won." you interrupted, minji watching as you got custard on your nose. "don't worry about it, okay?"

she laughed, taking another bite. "okay."

the two of you ate in silence, with you eventually realizing that something had gotten on your nose after accidentally hitting it with your hand. you wiped it off quickly as you looked at the setting sun.

"the sky is really pretty right now," you whispered, making her look up at the now cloudless sky.

minji nodded. "it is."

you turned your head towards her, carefully looking over her features. you were grateful that your younger cousin had debuted, especially since you got to meet the prettiest idol to ever walk the earth.

you bit the side of your cheek as her eyes wandered around the sky. "so are you."

minji turned to you, red dusting her entire face.

"oh."

you winced, looking back down at your food. "too much?"

"maybe." minji shrugged, moving slightly closer to you as she tried to suppress the cold finally hitting her. "but i like it."

minji watched as you nodded, wrapping your windbreaker around her. you send her a grin, your face illuminated by the fading sun. she couldn't help but stare at you as you turned your focus to your bread, devouring it like you haven't eaten for ages.

minji felt warmth spread across her shivering body.

you and minji decided to end your date soon after you had finished your overpriced food.

you were scared that she would get sick and didn't want to face the wrath (read: constant spamming) of your younger cousin asking for compensation (also read: money).

you walked her up to the hallway of the hybe dorms, looking around as the luxurious white hallways echoed in the silence.

"this is your dorm, right?" you asked softly, squeezing her hand.

you looked over to the window, swearing that you had saw your cousin's head just a second ago.

you shook your head, focusing on the girl in front of you as hyein, hanni, danielle, and haerin peaked from the blinds.

"yeah, this is mine." minji nodded. she let go of your hand gently. "i'm so sorry about the date today. if you don't want to go on a second one, i u—"

"i want to." you couldn't help but bite your lip at her confused look. "i like you, kim minji. you're cute."

"oh."

"yeah. oh." you teased, making her blush. you looked at her as she fiddled with her hands. "give me your phone."

minji nodded, swearing that she heard danielle and hyein squeal (had she lost her mind? probably). "okay."

you quickly entered your number saving it as 'y/n <3'. you gave it back to the younger girl. "text me as soon as possible, okay?"

"okay." minji nodded. she'll definitely text you tonight.

you smiled at her, the two of you staring at each other, waiting for one to speak. inside, the four members watched with bated breaths, wondering what was going to happen next.

you leaned up slightly, giving her cheek a light kiss.

"bye, kim minji." you whispered, minji realizing that this was the first time she's seen you blush.

she nodded, watching as you walked away. "bye."

her eyes trained on your fading figure as she felt herself get yanked inside.

the door closed behind her, and she immeadietly got bombarded with questions.

"i was joking about you falling in love, unnie."

"did you have fun?! did you guys kiss?"

"are you sure that was hanni's cousin? she seems too pretty."

"you wanna die, kang haerin?"

minji turned to hanni, giving her a hug. "thank you."

the four girls looked at each other.

"what the fuck, bro?"

"unnie, we're here." 

chaewon woke up to kazuha nudging her and she grumbled in response, but she managed to climb out of the van with the help of sakura. the short-haired girl squinted at the bright sign, trying to read the name of the restaurant yunjin had discovered the day before.

le lieu royal.

"what does it mean?" the leader heard eunchae ask yunjin and the american was quick to respond, sounding excited. "the royal palace."

sounds really fancy, chaewon commended.

yunjin led the way inside, where a waiter led them to the table she had reserved for the group. the girls marveled at the restaurant's interior design: red and black were the dominant colors, with a hint of gold thrown in here and there.

"it looks really good here."  sakura commented as she adjusted her seat. kazuha nodded from beside yunjin, who flicked her hair back with a proud grin.

"how did you find this?" chaewon asked curiously.

"apparently, this restaurant is well-known among idols, particularly hybe artists. i just don't know how so." yunjin answered with a shrug.

the previous waiter reappeared, smiling as he handed them the menu. the girls thanked him, and he bowed before leaving to attend to other customers, who happened to be an artist. the girls' heads turned as eunchae's eyes widened and subtly pointed at a guy.

"isn't that jungkook sunbaenim?!"

the golden maknae, who appeared to have just returned from a schedule, was indeed sitting there. despite the fact that he was surrounded by his management team, his eyes seemed to be searching for someone.

reaching over, chaewon slapped eunchae's hand in panic before the bts member noticed them pointing at her, causing eunchae to yelp while holding her hand to her chest.

sakura patted her head as the leader smiled apologetically at her.

"sorry, i panicked." 

eunchae simply pouted but let it go, returning her gaze to the menu after one last look at the jeon jungkook.

the girls talked quietly, exchanging their thoughts on the food on the menu. yunjin mentioned some food recommendations she'd heard from other artists, which they decided to try and gave to the waiter when he came back to take their orders.

the girls quickly struck up a conversation, but chaewon was too preoccupied with scanning the restaurant. there were far too many artists, most of whom she knew by name and some by face.

her gaze returned to jungkook, who stood up. the moon shape of his eyes indicated that he was smiling behind the mask.

then you appeared, dressed both attractively and handsomely. a red hue appeared across her cheeks as she felt her cheeks burn up, realizing she was checking out the newly arrived girl. chaewon's heart skipped a beat when your eyes crinkled happily, but it was quickly crushed when jungkook took you into his arms.

"ooh, unnie found someone pretty." yunjin teased when she finally noticed the frozen girl.

chaewon snapped out of her daze. "huh? no, no. i didn't…" she denied it, but the flush on her cheeks and the way she threw a glance over her shoulders said otherwise.

the girls followed her line of sight just in time to see you pulling away from the guy and punching jungkook in response after he whispered something to you. chaewon frowned as he laughed, watching you glare up at him.

"oh, sunbae is talking to her." sakura said.

chaewon quickly shook her head. "i think she's his girlfriend. stop staring!"

yunjin looked at her friend in disbelief. you dressed as if you wanted to attract both men and women. even kazuha could see it. with one last wave from you, they watched you walked away from jungkook's table. they had no idea where you had gone, but you would never leave your partner hanging like that.

but chaewon was in denial and refused to admit it, insisting that you were already taken.

"maybe she's meeting someone else?" eunchae suggested.

chaewon turned around to see you gone, and jungkook was returning to his seat, but she shook her head to get rid of the image of you in her head, the way you carried yourself with such grace, or the way you pushed your hair off your shoulders, and the way—

"no. enough, that's enough. kim chaewon."

the girls watched in amusement as their leader gay panicked miserably, her anger issues showing as she clenched her fists on the table. yunjin crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, shaking her head and looking at the other girls.

"she's hopeless." the american commented.

sakura laughed. "i think she's broken."

"how do we fix her?" kazuha asked, concerned, but eunchae shook her head. "she's beyond fixing, unnie."

the waiter then arrived and served them the food they had ordered. the sight of the food made their mouths water and the smell made their stomachs growl. at that, the girls exchanged surprised looks and pointed at each other, blaming one another.

"that was you?"

"what? no! i think it's yunjin."

"why me? maybe it's you?"

"i think it's zuha."

however, they couldn't tease each other any further because the waiter tripped while holding a glass of wine. because he was standing next to chaewon, the liquid was inadvertently thrown over the poor leader's lap.

chaewon pushed herself away from the table as she gasped at the coldness seeping through her. the other girls shot up from their seats, staring at the mess in front of them. the waiter apologized profusely, bowing repeatedly.

"i'm sorry! i'm so sorry! i apologize!"

"it's okay. hey, can you, uh, calm down now?" chaewon tried to calm down the panicking man because all the other customers were staring at them, not to mention they were all idols, and she was becoming even more embarrassed, but then a stern voice cut in.

"what's happening here?"

chaewon got goosebumps all over her body when she heard the voice, and the red flush of her cheeks returned when she turned her head and saw you standing in all your glory. chaewon's blush worsened as she watched you eye the mess and remove your blazer. she hadn't realized you were handing her the garment until kazuha took her hand and helped her take the blazer from you because you had broken her.

chaewon cleared her throat and let out a high-pitched thank you, causing the girls behind her to facepalm. the situation was stressing you out, but the flustered idol made it slightly better, so you gave her a quick smile before turning to the waiter who caused all of this commotion.

"you. let's talk." your stern voice returned and the guy followed you, his ears flushed with embarrassment. the other restaurant employees were bowing to the customers, with one man loudly apologizing for the inconvenience.

you walked past an elderly waitress, whispering something to her, and she nodded in response. they turned to the elderly woman who approached them as you passed through a door.

"ms. kim? kindly follow me."

chaewon did as she was told, her mind racing with the possibility that you knew her. the elder waitress had addressed her by her family name, so perhaps you recognized the idol or perhaps it was the old woman who knew her, but she wished it had been you.

click. chaewon jumped at the sound and turned around, only to realize they were in a restroom. chaewon nervously returned the elderly woman's gentle smile.

"apologies, ms. kim. the boss has gone to get you some extra clothes. she'll join us in a moment."

boss? chaewon blinked at her words. was it you? you're the boss of the restaurant? the elderly woman watched in amusement as chaewon processed her words. she knew that look, she'd seen it before. so she stood quietly with a smile.

the door clicked open and chaewon let out a small 'eep' as you entered the comfort room with your clothes hanging on your arms. the woman turned to leave, offering you two a bow, which you returned and chaewon hurried to do the same.

with a soft smile on your face, you finally faced chaewon. "i apologize for the inconvenience, ms. kim." you said as you extended your arm where your clothes hung.

ms. kim... ms. kim? so she knows who i am? oh my goodness. oh my god, chaewon panicked yet again. she stood there, frozen, staring at your lovely face. you were undeniably more attractive up close.

meanwhile, you waited patiently, confused as to why the idol was staring at you. is there something on my face? you wondered, briefly glancing at the mirror. there's none though? i hope there's none… maybe on the other side of my face?!

you were beginning to worry about your appearance in front of the beautiful idol. you didn't want to leave a bad impression, like she'd remember you because of the dirt you hadn't noticed on your face or something. aside from that, her stare was so intense that it made you nervous.

"uhm, ms. kim?"

chaewon didn't hear you, but she noticed your lips moving. you shifted your weight from one leg to the other, opting to wait for the idol to recover from whatever state she is in. am i that unbearable to speak to? the longer chaewon stared at you, the more attractive you became to her, but also the brighter your face turned.

it took her a while to come to, but once she did, she jumped and snatched your clothes before sprinting to the nearest open cubicle, which was right next to you two. in a panic, she swung the door open, almost hitting herself and you, but you dodged. you stared, perplexed, at the door she had slammed shut.

is she that mad? or i'm now unbearable to look at as well? shit. you faced the mirror, turning your head from side to side to check for something on your face.

fucking shit. what was that, chaewon? what in the world was that?

chaewon clutched the garments close to her chest, biting her lip to keep the frustrated squeal from escaping her throat. she buried her face in your clothes, red ears poking out from behind the curtain of her short hair, as the sweet scent of your perfume entered her nose.

just… what the hell, kim chaewon?

when the door opened, you looked up to see the idol finally dressed in your clothes, but you quickly averted your gaze, not wanting her to feel awkward. you quietly handed her a paper bag into which she placed her own clothing.

chaewon tried to catch your attention and apologize for her actions, even though she knew she'd just panic, but you refused.

"i know your night is probably ruined, but please do try to still eat." you started and the idol paid attention, watching you speak. "the food is good, i promise, and it's on the house."

chaewon's eyes widened at your statement and she shook her hands in the air, relieved, when you met her gaze. before she could say anything, you unconsciously grabbed her hand and shook your head.

"it's on us, ms. kim. please allow us to make it up to you and your members." 

chaewon couldn't say no to you, so she sighed and nodded. she looked at your clasped hands and you quickly let go, causing disappointment to bloom in her chest. she consoled herself by resting one hand on her arm.

"thank you."

"of course, ms. kim. apologies again. shall we?"

you led chaewon back to their table and gave them a deep bow, which they returned before you left. the girls looked at chaewon, who groaned and buried her face in her hands.

chaewon would scan the restaurant for you all night, but you had hidden in the office. even then, she hoped you'd come out. the leader told her members what happened, which they should have expected, but they were disappointed to hear the story.

"you should've asked for her number." sakura sighed.

chaewon was perplexed. "she's jungkook sunbaenim's girlfriend!" she hissed to the oldest girl.

"unnie, she wouldn't go out of her way like that if she really is sunbae's girlfriend." yunjin pointed out.

kazuha nodded along. "that's true. sunbaenim didn't even care when your… crush disappeared into the restroom for fifteen minutes or so."

"she's exaggerating, but she's right!" eunchae agreed, a bit weirded out by the way kazuha worded that, but still agreed.

chaewon furrowed her brows. "but she's the boss. shouldn't she be naturally concerned about her customers?"

sakura was so done with her. "if i were a boss, i wouldn't care." sakura was lying, she'd care, but not like that.

chaewon remained silent while poking at her food. the girls sighed before changing the subject and yunjin was the one who led the conversation about food. when they were finished eating, the same elderly woman led them out the door with a bow. chaewon stood stiffly in front of her as the girls thanked her and returned the gesture.

"yes, dear?"

chaewon took a deep breath. "uhm, could you please thank her? i appreciate her concern."

the woman nodded, her lips pulling up into a soft smile. "of course, my dear. anything else?"

when the idol opened her mouth, the words "her number" almost slipped off her tongue, and the old lady wished chaewon would just say it because watching you two act like little children was painful. even though she was smiling the entire time, an imaginary irk was already on her brow.

chaewon, however, shook her head, overcome by the fear that you were really jungkook's girlfriend, and held her tongue. instead, she shook her head, and chaewon entered the van, staring at the restaurant until it was no longer visible. the short-haired girl slumped against her seat, disappointed at not getting your number.

"...was what she said."

you were sitting on the couch, the red flush on your face forcing you to hide it in your hands. the old lady was amused by your reaction and chuckled lightly, despite wanting to smack you for being a chicken, as the door opened and jungkook stepped in, raising his brows at your flustered state.

"you good there, saeng?"

you shook your head. "no, she was too pretty."

jungkook huffed out a laugh. "chaewon, huh?"

you hummed and faced the guy after composing yourself and rolled your eyes at the grin on his face. "get that stupid grin off your face please."

"you like her~"

"shut up please."

you never left chaewon's mind after that night. you afflicted her as if you were a virus and she was the odd willing recipient. the girl wanted to return to the restaurant and maybe ask for your phone number this time. however, she was still unsure whether you were jungkook's girlfriend or not. besides, her schedule was already jam-packed and she didn't know how to fit her own desires in.

days passed and chaewon found herself thinking of you even while at a party, more specifically, a get-together party hosted by the label. almost every artist under the label was present, but everyone kept an eye out for the idols below eighteen years old and kept them away from the alcoholic beverages. the leaders also checked the clock from time to time to see if the minors should go home.

it'd be really funny if she's here as jungkook sunbae's date, chaewon thought bitterly and drank the drink in her hand to hide her less than pleased expression behind the glass.

"hobi's here!"

chaewon ignored what was going on behind her, but the girls were on pins and needles trying to figure out what was so exciting that had their seniors running over to hoseok, who had just arrived.

then their eyes widened as they reached for chaewon and smacked her repeatedly. the leader cursed and narrowed her eyes at her members, who only pointed to the door. she turned around, puzzled, and her jaw dropped at the sight.

you were clinging to hoseok's arm, laughing at the bangtan boys' antics as they hyped you up. you wore a dress and tied your hair, exposing your neck and ears, which were adorned with jewels and earrings.

"ah, hoseok's little sister?"

"yeah, she owns le lieu royal, you know?"

"ooh! right! i remember!"

as she watched you whisper in hoseok's ears, the familiar flush returned to her cheeks. hoseok sunbaenim's little sister? the main dancer gave you a small nod and you walked away, heading for the drinks.

chaewon felt a push on her back and she walked mindlessly towards you. 

whoever that was, thank you. if you hadn't pushed her, she would've stayed standing there.

her steps were hesitant and slow, but she wanted to seize the opportunity. it had to have meant something, right? she had predicted your presence and arrival, chaewon hoped.

she came to a halt right behind you and heard you thanking the waiter before turning around, eyes widening at the sight of the le sserafim's leader standing there silently.

"ms. kim…?"

the short-haired girl huffed at your formality. "chaewon. call me chaewon please."

you blinked, but smiled gently at her. "then call me y/n."

"you're…?" chaewon didn't know how to ask you, but you assumed she was talking about hoseok.

"hobi oppa's sister? yes, i am."

but chaewon shook her head, which confused you. "no, no. i got that. but, like, are you…"

you waited for her to finish her question, but all she did was stare helplessly into your eyes, captivated by your face. but then jungkook appeared out of nowhere, a teasing grin on his face. you reached out to shut him up, but he simply dodged your hand.

"yes, she's single." jungkook said, causing the both of you to blush. he left, but turned back around to yell at chaewon. "and hopelessly in love with you!"

chaewon looked up at you, slightly embarrassed, with questioning eyes, but you avoided her gaze. you were blushing, hard, and you tried to hide it by sipping your drink.

chaewon laughed because she thought you were cute. she wasn't sure if that was the real reason, or if she was relieved you were single and interested in her as well. all of the above perhaps. you tilted your head in admiration as you watched the girl.

"i'm sorry for acting that way." chaewon said quietly, but you could hear her over the music.

you made a humming sound. "it's all right. have i made you uncomfortable?"

chaewon shook her head quickly. "no, no, you made me feel... safe."

chaewon smiled, biting her lower lip to keep it from spreading further as your shoulders bounced in shock and excitement. relief flooded you and your previous fears and hesitance disappeared.

you grinned. "i'm glad."

a slow song started playing and you looked over to see taehyung by the dj's area, wiggling his brows at you. you rolled your eyes at him before returning your attention to chaewon, who had extended her hand to you.

chaewon was glad she wore the suit tonight.

"shall we dance, ms. jung?" chaewon asked with a crooked smile.

you laughed and gave her your hand. "we shall, ms. kim."

despite being taller than her due to your heels, she drew you in by the waist and you wrapped your arms around her shoulders.

"you look stunning." chaewon tilted her head to catch your gaze when you had avoided her gaze after her unexpected compliment. "y/n/n, stop avoiding my gaze."

you laughed. "sorry, chaewon-ie."

then she remembered something. "your clothes, they're at the dorm."

you hummed and she felt you play with the baby hairs at the back of her nape, lightly tickling her. "it's fine, you can keep it."

chaewon flushed and gave you a look as if to ask if you were sure. you simply laughed and nodded, causing her to smile back.

you stayed with chaewon for the rest of the night. you danced with her, talked with her, joked with her, and shared your interests with her. chaewon wore this lovestruck expression the entire night, her members from afar playfully gagged, and stared at you with heart eyes, eyes bouncing all over your face to memorize your features.

chaewon had memorized every single one of your habits as well: how you'd duck your head to hide your blushing face or avoid her gaze when she complimented you out of nowhere, how you'd grab her arm to steady yourself as you laughed at seungkwan's antics when you found him in the middle of the room.

when hoseok took the dance floor, you cheered him on, and chaewon, who should have been watching him, found herself staring at you instead. chaewon noticed how your eyes turned moon-shaped when you smiled, how your voice stood out among the other people shouting, how you swayed to the music, and how you approached hoseok after to give him a big hug. chaewon adored all of it and all of you already.

the night seemed long, but it was also short, and before you knew it, it was time to part ways. it was past curfew and eunchae had to go back to the dorm, which meant chaewon and her other members had to as well.

"i have to go." chaewon pouted sadly.

you smiled at her cuteness and reached out to hold her cheek. "that's okay. i'll take you out on a date when you're free if that's okay with you."

chaewon eagerly nodded and moved closer to you, wrapping her arms around you. you returned her hug, eyes closing at the warmth, and took a few seconds to separate. 

chaewon would've stayed there in your arms and warm embrace, but she had duties so she begrudgingly pulled away. you watched as chaewon turned to leave, only to turn around and walk backwards.

"bye?" she called out in hesitance, waving her fingers.

you smiled. "you're forgetting something."

chaewon came to a halt, furrowed her brows, and tilted her head. you chuckled and approached her. you took her hand and placed a piece of paper on her palm before making a fist with it. then you grabbed her necktie and planted a shy, hesitant kiss on her cheek.

"my number." you said, pointing to the pink lipstick stain on her cheek. "as well as that."

you left her there, staring at you with a surprised expression. her members inside the van were cheering so loud you could hear them and you giggled into your fist. chaewon's face had turned bright red and goosebumps had risen all over her skin. she watched you walk past the bts members, who were all beaming, especially hoseok, pushing the maknae line off you when they tried to tease you.

chaewon dashed to the van after she was done processing and gay panicking, squealing loudly as the door closed. the members laughed at her as she stared at the paper with your number written on it, but she didn't mind the teasing that was about to come her way.

meanwhile, hoseok sighed contentedly. "ah, my baby sister is growing up. i'm so proud of her."

hi?

ms. kim?

chaewon giggled, typing out her reply. 

yes, ms. jung.

take care, okay? good night!

you, too.

chaewon slumped back against her seat once more, clutching her phone to her chest. the only difference was that she finally got your number this time and was on cloud nine.

nikko note: i'm not really proud of this one, but i find it a tiny bit cute. thank you for the request! i was kinda pressured and worried when i received one hehe. thank you for trusting me with your request, but feel free to request if you're not satisfied with it TT

yunjin made her way to the great hall, eager to meet up with her friends for lunch. aside from the food, she was excited to see you. she didn't see you all morning because you didn't share any classes with her today, unfortunately for your girlfriend. her eyes darted around, but she was disappointed not to see you at the gryffindor table. your friend group was there, but you weren't.

"yunjin, over here!"

hearing chaewon call for her, she sat with her friends. she barely listened to them, too distracted to speak with them. her eyes would dart to the doors as they opened, hoping to see you walk through, but her shoulders would sag when it wasn't you.

kazuha nudged her. "you okay?" she asked, noticing yunjin's mood.

"yeah, don't worry." yunjin replied curtly.

nobody knew you were dating so she couldn't tell her anything. you wanted to keep your relationship hidden because you didn't want yunjin to receive criticisms from her fellow slytherins and her family, and yunjin respected your wishes despite not knowing your real reason. you refused to tell her. thus, you'd been keeping your relationship a secret for the past eight months.

yunjin didn't mind because she liked the privacy and the idea of you abandoning your typical gryffindor hatred for the slytherin house for her and her alone. despite the fact that she occasionally wishes she could hold or kiss you in public.

yunjin shook her head and looked up, visibly brightening when you walked through and caught her gaze. she didn't smile, and you didn't either, but she noticed the smallest crinkle of your nose, which served as a greeting. yunjin returned it before you could look away, your slytherin girlfriend humming in contentment as she bit into her food before finally joining the conversation.

you sat with your friends and talked with them, but your gaze was always drawn to the slytherin table, where your girlfriend and her friends sat, and yunjin would always meet your gaze, joy swimming in her eyes as she watched you from across the hall.

but you knew better. you knew yunjin was just trying to hide the fact that she wanted to approach you and talk to you. you knew your tall slytherin girlfriend wasn't content with just staring at you, especially since it was the first time she'd seen you today. so you stood, excused yourself, and exited the great hall after a brief glance at yunjin.

you waited in the restroom for a few minutes before your girlfriend arrived, running up to you and hugging you. you stumbled at the force, but she steadied you, pressing you closer to her. you melted and clung to her, nuzzling her neck with your nose.

"hi, i missed you today, my love. where were you?" yunjin muttered, pressing kisses on the side of your head.

you hummed. "i missed you, too. i was helping hagrid, sorry." you brought a hand to the back of her head, caressing her hair.

yunjin hummed in acknowledgement. she held you in her arms and pulled back to stare at you, her previous thoughts resurfacing in her mind. you tilted your head in confusion and stroked her jaw with your thumb, causing her to snap out of it.

"what's wrong?" you inquired as you watched her lean into your touch.

yunjin shook her head. "it's nothing, love."

you paused at first, but with her firm nod, you let it go. but you weren't convinced, and she knew it. nonetheless, she was relieved to see you not pressuring her. you led her down to your level, kissing her lips before pulling away. yunjin smiled, gently squeezing your hips before letting go completely. the tall girl craved your warmth right away, so she clung to your robes instead.

"you have charms next, right?" yunjin asked and you nodded in response. "then i'd see you at divination later."

"see you later, jen."

you stared at her, expecting her to let go so you could separate, but she didn't and drew you closer. she leaned in for one last kiss on your brow, smiling giddily against your skin as you playfully furrowed your brows.

"i love you." yunjin called out when you walked away.

"i love you, too." you replied, throwing her one last smile over your shoulders before exiting the restroom.

later, yunjin walked to divination with chaewon and kazuha. being tall has its advantages, and she took full advantage of them as she searched for you among the small crowd of students heading to divination class. it didn't take her long to find you because you weren't small, just shorter than her. besides, she spotted the cute snake clip she had given you pinned to your hair.

you and your friends somehow ended up right next to them, wanting to avoid the crowd. when you made eye contact with your girlfriend, she scrunched her nose, indicating that she was getting tired of all the pushing and pulling from the others. you clicked your tongue quietly in response, and even with all the chaos around you, her ears were sharp enough to hear it.

yunjin and you were standing close together, her hands hovering over your hips, ready to grab you if something went wrong. you gave her a sidelong glance, but the slytherin ignored it. she didn't care if you were both in public; she's not going to let you get hurt. she even helped you climb the ladder, and you were hesitant to take her hand, but you didn't want to humiliate her, so you did.

"what was that?" you fumed when you met up with your girlfriend later that night. 

it was past curfew, but there was no other way to communicate with her.

"i just didn't want you to get hurt." yunjin grumbled, staring you down.

"people saw, yunjin! my fellow gryffindors were asking me what was that about! ryujin was asking!" you didn't back down even if your girlfriend was towering over you. hearing her name hurt her because you always called her by nicknames or petnames. 

it bothered her.

greatly.

yunjin scoffed in disbelief and remained silent as she sorted through her thoughts. as you watched the gears in her head turn, you fell silent. you stood there watching the moonlight shine through the nearby huge window illuminate her face, and as much as you wanted to kiss her right then and there, you were too worried about what she was going to say.

when her eyes finally met yours, you tensed up, her brows furrowing even more at the automatic body response.

"i just wanted to keep you safe." yunjin whispered. she appeared tough, but the way her eyes softened and her voice became quiet indicated that she was defeated.

"i can handle myself." you whispered, reaching for her hand.

squeezing your hand, the slytherin sighed. "i know, i just… you're the toughest gryffindor out there, but i just want to hold you. i want to protect you, too."

"we can't, yunjin-ie." you rested your forehead on her cheek. 

honestly, you didn't care what your fellow gryffindor would say, but you knew her house would have a lot of comments. you didn't mind if they made remarks about you, but you couldn't stand it if it was yunjin on the receiving end. you didn't want to add to the problems that your friend groups were already dealing with.

yunjin remained silent while holding your face. yunjin was growing tired of the gryffindor and slytherin rivalry, and she still despised gryffindors who weren't her or your friends. she despised almost all of her fellow slytherins as well. 

she stroked your cheek, her shoulders relaxing as she gazed into your soft eyes. the persona you always put up, the one in which you despised slytherins except for her friends and yours, you dropped the moment you're with her. yunjin does the same thing when she's with you, her slytherin persona melting away. 

she leaned in and kissed you on the lips. you both remained there, in silence and in each other's warm embrace.

that's how you and your girlfriend interacted, always in private and subtle ways, and away from prying eyes. you would sneak out sometimes. like usual, yunjin would have sudden urges to grab your hand, hug you, or even kiss you. but she restrained herself, remembering your argument. 

however, when you entered the great hall one day, she froze.

you were late, you still looked tired, and she knows you must have slept in. aside from the snake clip missing and your untied red necktie, what caught her eye was the pair of glasses on your nose.

her glasses that went missing the other day in the library.

yunjin's body began to move on its own, and you noticed her approaching you, causing you to pause. because the entire hogwarts was watching, you scrunch your nose in disapproval. yunjin didn't notice it or simply ignored it, both the crowd and your signal.

but before she could reach you, a fellow slytherin approached you, and you had to pull your gaze away from her. yunjin paused, glaring at the guy who was brave enough to flirt with you in front of everyone at hogwarts, including your girlfriend, despite the fact that no one knows.

when the guy stepped closer, yunjin's blood boiled, and normally you could handle stuff like this, people would take the hint if you said no, but this guy wouldn't stop and was starting to make you uncomfortable. he raised his hand to reach for your tie, as if he wanted to tie it for you. so when you cast a glance at yunjin, silently pleading for her assistance, she stormed over.

yunjin pushed him away from you after your slytherin girlfriend grabbed his wrists and threw her fist. the guy quickly retaliated, his fist flying into yunjin's face.

when your girlfriend stumbled, you had the most terrifying murderous expression on your face, but you stood by, confident that your girlfriend could handle the situation on her own. the blonde slytherin groaned, holding her jaw, and kicked him in the crotch, causing him to fall on his butt. 

yunjin quickly went to you, reaching to hold your face, and was relieved when you let her.

"you okay?" yunjin asked worriedly.

you nodded, briefly staring at the bruise forming on her cheek, and looked around, aware of the many eyes on you two. but you didn't pull away from the blonde, much to her happiness. you were about to respond when you noticed the guy standing behind her with his wand. you pushed yunjin away when he raised his wand, the spell on the tip of his tongue, but you beat him to it. you took out your wand and cast a silent spell, causing his wand to fly away and him to cower. 

yunjin was staring at you, wide eyed. she knew how difficult it was to cast a silent spell, and she had no idea how you did it, which made her fall even deeper in love. she was beyond proud, but, to be honest, you were frightening when you wanted to be.

"what is happening here?"

with the intervention of dumbledore, he took the three of you away to talk about what had happened, mcgonagall and snape were quick to arrive. you were all punished and given detention, and you tried to take yunjin's, but she wouldn't let you. she almost broke her neck when she turned her head to you and gave you a glare. you gave her a glare in return, and the headmaster intervened once more, sending yunjin and the guy to the hospital wing.

"thank you." you murmured as you pressed the ice pack madam pomfrey had given you against yunjin's bruised cheek. 

yunjin cocked her head and reached for your free hand, interlacing your fingers. you both remained silent, occasionally looking over your shoulders to cast a glance at the guy on the other side of the room. yunjin would laugh and lean in to kiss your forehead before realizing her glasses were still on your nose.

"you look good with it on." yunjin commented.

you smiled lightly. "i know."

yunjin burst out laughing and you watched her throw her head back. the moment was cut short when two of your friends arrived, dressed respectively in green and blue robes. yunjin looked up, and teasing grins directed at you were the least expected of all the expressions she imagined your friends would wear when they found out. 

you hid your face behind your hand, refusing to let the ice pack slide off yunjin's cheek. "why are you here?"

"a slytherin, huh?" yeji, yunjin's fellow slytherin, teased and you remained silent, blushing heavily under your friends' gaze. yeji shared a glance with yunjin and they gave one another a nod.

"oh, please. we don't mind who you date as long as you're content and they can protect you." lia, the only ravenclaw in your group, stated. 

lia had a sweet smile on her face, which helped to calm you down. yunjin reached for your thigh to rub her hand up and down, causing you to completely relax. you melted in her comforting touch as she squeezed your knee, and the two of them stood there silently smiling at you.

"seems like she can." yeji threw yunjin a teasing glance, who scoffed at her fellow slytherin, but was relieved that she had their approval. 

yunjin was aware that she had caused quite a commotion back there, but she had no regrets. she'd do it all over again for you, and yeji knew that as a fellow slytherin, she understands how they work. besides, she'd met yunjin a few times before. despite their limited interaction, she knew what yunjin was capable of.

lia gave yunjin one last warning before they left. "hurt her, and we'll come for your ass, huh yunjin." the ravenclaw said.

yunjin thought the ravenclaw smiled a little too sweetly, but the blonde stood her ground, which impressed your friends. yunjin was proud because, aside from her gryffindor girlfriend sitting next to her, no one could scare her.

lia was the first to leave, and yeji cast a glance at the guy who had flirted with you. he'll definitely get something from her, and it'll make him regret coming to hogwarts at all. the cat-eyed girl fixed her gaze on you. "by the way, ryujin is fighting everyone."

not again, you sighed and nodded.

"do you mind if i go fetch ryujin first?" you asked the blonde, who shook her head with no hesitation.

you met yunjin halfway, allowing her to plant a small kiss on your lips. she smiled against your lips, overjoyed to be kissing you in public. you sensed it, and a smile appeared on your face as well. 

her group of friends came in when you stood up. you smiled at them, and they returned it before skipping over to yunjin, who was watching you leave with painfully obvious heart eyes. a fellow slytherin, sakura, pinched yunjin's arm, causing her to yelp in pain.

"how long have you been together, unnie?" eunchae, the hufflepuff, asked.

"eight months."

their eyes widened in shock. "eight?!" they yelled in yunjin's ear, causing the slytherin to cover her ears and madam pomfrey to shush them.

"how the hell were you able to hide your relationship for eight months?" chaewon, their hufflepuff leader, asked, disbelief lacing her tone.

yunjin shrugged. she just liked you ever since, and now she loves you. she would never let you go just because you wanted to hide your relationship or because you were a bloody gryffindor who often behaved like a slytherin.

"so no one won?" kazuha, the slytherin, queried innocently.

"what do you mean?"

sakura and chaewon looked defeated at the ballerina, while eunchae facepalmed and stood up, ready to flee. yunjin arched her brow, urging them to explain. chaewon then explained that they had bet on how long you'd been together.

her face fell as she heard their wagers: one month, four, three weeks, and four months.

the final one is kazuha, the ever-kind slytherin she is.

yunjin didn't mind them betting, but their implication that she couldn't wait for more than a month irritated her. the lack of trust in her caused yunjin's eye to twitch.

the girls immediately fled for their lives when the blonde slytherin dropped the ice pack.

"Y/NNNNNNNN!"

when a bloodcurdling scream echoed down the corridor, you stopped pulling on ryujin's robes and let chaeryeong and yuna, both hufflepuffs, handle the still angry gryffindor. someone, a slytherin, was speaking badly about you, and ryujin overheard it, which sparked her rage deep within. 

if yunjin finds out, they will undoubtedly collaborate. 

you turned around to see yunjin's friends fleeing like a cheetah, your girlfriend hot on their tail, eyes blazing with rage. when eunchae grabbed you and used you as a shield, the other girls joined her behind you, you blinked.

"step away, ma chérie. let me give these shitheads what they deserve."

you sighed. "help me with ryujin and i'll come with you to chase down your friends."

the girls looked at you in betrayal as you spoke and you smiled quickly at them. yunjin liked your offer and quickly agreed, approaching ryujin and yanking her away. she tossed the short-haired girl to yeji, who was waiting at the side with lia, the two of them smiling gratefully.

but they were both a little disappointed because they wanted the slytherin who made comments about you to suffer more.

yunjin grabbed your wrist, gentle as ever, and pulled you along with her, determined to find her friends, who had fled when yunjin was dragging ryujin away. "let's find them."

"do i even want to know what happened, jen?"

indeed you took a long time to give in to yunjin, but all you needed was time, persuasion, and assurances, which yunjin would gladly provide time and time again. she's overjoyed at the prospect of being able to approach you openly in public from now on.

yunjin leaned down and kissed the top of your head. "nope, don't worry."

nikko note: so, uhm, my works kinda blew up and thank you so much for everyone's support. i'm just actually bored, that's why i came here. but, yeah, i like writing so i'll keep writing if i have time. thank you so much again! i'm filo, btw.

and i don't know how this one turned out, but i hope it's okay. i love yunjin these days so she's the one i keep writing for. i write for others though!

it's common for people to lose their belongings. it's either because they're extremely clumsy or forgetful, or because of the soulmate phenomenon, in which you lose your stuff and they end up in the possession of your soulmate. the phenomenon began earlier this year, at least in your case, and this is the fourth time you've exchanged items with your soulmate, the identity of whom you discovered through your members.

how? well, let's recap.

first, pen and paintbrush.

when it first happened, you assumed it was nothing out of the ordinary. the first thing you lost was a pen. of course, you'd think it was a common occurrence. everyone lost a pen at some point in their lives. the only strange thing was that you discovered a paintbrush in your bag where you normally keep your pen.

you looked around the van, noting that everyone was sleeping except the manager, who was driving, and soyeon, who was in the front seat.

"unnie, oppa, has anyone touched my bag?" you queried, keeping your voice light so as to not disturb the other girls. soyeon looked at you, puzzled, while the manager shook his head.

"you hate having your stuff touched." he observed, fully aware.

"is there something missing?" soyeon asked, ready to throw hands if ever.

you rummaged through your bag for the last time. "no, actually, yes. it's just a pen, anyway. but i have a paintbrush and don't remember bringing one with me, and i know i'm artistic, but it's with words rather than painting and drawing." you showed them the aforementioned paint brush.

"it must be the soulmate phenomenon."

you and soyeon looked at the manager as if he had two heads, causing him to be concerned with how quickly you turned your heads at the same time, almost as if willingly breaking your necks.

"there's a phenomenon like that?" you inquired, your tone skeptical, and soyeon's expression mirroring it.

he nodded. "it's rare, but it exists. really odd, too. when you lose an item, it ends up in the hands of your soulmate. you would lose your possession, but gain items that were never yours to begin with."

you exchanged a puzzled look with soyeon before shifting your gaze to the paintbrush in your hand, wondering who your soulmate might be. although not everyone is gifted with their hands, there are far too many people who can paint and draw, and the world is far too large.

meanwhile, your soulmate is staring at the lone golden pen in her collection of paintbrushes. she was curious about how it got there and unintentionally spaced out. when her short-haired leader poked her head around the doorframe, she snapped out of it.

"everything okay?"

your soulmate nodded. "yeah, i'll be there in a second."

she left, casting one last glance at the golden pen before pulling out her phone to call her parents and inquire about something she remembered them telling her.

second, a random book borrowed from the library and a notebook containing french lessons.

your day started out really well because you were planning to return the book you borrowed from the library near your house, but instead found a notebook on the table. despite being annoyed that you now have to explain to the librarian that you unknowingly and unintentionally lost the book, you picked up the notebook and scanned the content. your brows raised, impressed and shocked by the french lessons written in it. you couldn't speak french, but you knew a few words and phrases.

pardon, excusez-moi. (pardon, excuse me.)

parlez-vous anglais? (do you speak english?)

je ne parle pas français. (i do not speak french.)

je ne comprends pas. (i do not understand.)

"that's some fine penmanship." you whispered to yourself.

with a defeated sigh, you went to the library, waving goodbye to yuqi and shuhua and promising to bring back food. when you arrived, you explained your situation, and the librarian almost gave you an earful, but she saw how guilty and irritated you were, so she let it slide and instead made you promise to return it once you met your soulmate.

"i'm really sorry. i'll bring it back, i swear." you bowed deeply.

"you better, child. now, go, i believe you're in a hurry. you have a schedule?"

you smiled apologetically. "if bringing food back to yuqi and shuhua is considered a schedule, then yes."

with that, the librarian ushered you out of the library. 

your soulmate, on the other hand, was in a state of panic. clutching the random book that had appeared on her table in one hand, she stormed around her room in search of her notebook but knowing her efforts would be futile.

"shit, shit, shit, shit."

when the oldest member of the group, who was passing by, heard her muttering curses, she peeked inside the room while knocking on the door to announce her presence. she spun around, a frustrated expression on her face.

"unnie, have you seen my notebook?"

"no? why? it's not here?"

your soulmate's shoulders sagged, showing her the book. "no, it has to be with my soulmate."

heads popped out from around the door frame. "soulmate?!"

third, a scarf and a brown beanie.

this time, you gained something other than the item your soulmate owns.

"you're not wearing your favorite scarf?" miyeon inquired, her gaze drawn to the white scarf wrapped around your neck. she recalls you saying you'd wear your favorite scarf that soojin had given you, but instead you had a white scarf around your neck and your gloved hand clutched a brown beanie she'd never seen before.

"yeah, well, my soulmate has it." you grumbled. the disappointment and panic you felt when you discovered the scarf was missing sent you into a tailspin. minnie found you panicking and immediately calmed you down because she knew how important that item was to you.

"don't let shuhua hear that." yuqi passed by with a cackle, nudging you.

"shut it." you hissed, but only received another cackle from the chinese and a pat on the head from miyeon. you wore the brown beanie that your soulmate most likely owns while trailing minnie, who had ushered you two outside.

later that day, just after your schedule ended, the group was waiting for food, bored out of their minds and tired from work for the day, but the sound of a unique ringtone echoing through the living room had your members crowding around you. you answered the call, ignoring the chaos that your members had created all around you.

"soojin unnie!"

"unnie!"

"soojin!"

a chuckle was heard from the other end of the line, clearly amused by everyone shouting her name. "calm down, it's just me."

you exchanged pleasantries, almost tearing up at soojin's check-ins and reassurances. you noticed shuhua wiping her eyes discreetly, so you drew her into a side hug, the maknae leaning her head on your shoulders. yuqi attempted to lighten the atmosphere and was successful on her first attempt. however, that was quickly broken when soojin asked you a question that had shuhua looking at you with accusatory eyes.

"did you just lose my scarf, y/n/n?"

"you lost it?!"

you raised your hands in defeat and proceeded to explain what had been going on for months to soojin while shuhua scolded you, causing minnie and yuqi to cackle in the background. miyeon and soyeon attempted to reduce casualties, but gave up and simply watched the chaos unfold in front of them.

"i'm sorry, it just disappeared!" you argued back to shuhua.

soojin giggled. "i'm not mad, i knew something was up."

everyone, including shuhua, stopped talking and exchanged a puzzled look. "how did you know?" soyeon asked.

"you know le sserafim, right?" soojin started.

"yeah?" you answered in unison, urging soojin to continue.

"well, one of the members was wearing the scarf during a live, but i'm not sure who."

soojin was only half way through her sentence when yuqi already found a clip on twitter. when she played the video, your gaze was drawn to the blonde, who had the scarf draped over her shoulders. you froze for a moment, admiring the girl's cuteness when she scrunched her nose at whatever it was that eunchae said and already enjoying the sound of her laugh in her ears.

huh yunjin.

"y/n is in love~" minnie sang, noticing your frozen figure.

you sank back into the pillows, muttering angrily. "am not."

"you sure are~" the members sang, including soojin over the phone.

after discovering that your soulmate was huh yunjin from le sserafim, you were relieved but worried at the same time. despite the girls' encouragement, you didn't approach her because you were afraid she wouldn't like you. fortunately, the group was so preoccupied with the award show and year-end performances that they couldn't push you any further, but it didn't slip your mind.

this leads us to the fourth item, your microphone and her phone.

"fuck!"

yuqi turned her head at the sound of your cursing, amused at first because she was sure the camera had caught it, but worried when she saw you on the verge of yanking your hair. your manager stood in front of you, ready to prevent you from messing up your hair. she approached you, one hand resting on your shoulder to relieve your frustration, and you turned to face her with furrowed brows.

"what's wrong?" the chinese asked, her voice quiet.

"did you see my mic?"

shaking her head in response and already knowing where this was going, yuqi picked up the strange phone next to yours, and it was only then that you noticed the familiar keychain attached to it. so that's what i lost last month, you thought. the chinese grinned at the lockscreen photo and turned the screen to you. you paused, your face flushed red, as you looked at the photo of yourself wearing yunjin's necklace from the 'nxde' music video.

you cleared your throat and ignored her in order to speak with the manager, cursing as the girls crowded around her. "it appears that my soulmate has my mic."

"do you want me to get it for you?" he asked.

you opened your mouth but quickly closed it to think. your meeting with your soulmate was long overdue, and you couldn't really avoid her forever. seeing her set you as her lock screen makes you think she might like you after all. everyone else does think that, except your stubborn ass. furthermore, you'd keep losing your belongings, which would be a major inconvenience for the two of you.

while you were preoccupied with your internal conflict, the le sserafim girls crowded around yunjin, staring at the microphone in her hand. your microphone was customized, so no other idol had the same design as yours. it wasn't the average black one. even if you misplaced it, you'd be able to locate it quickly.

"shit! this is y/n sunbaenim's mic!" yunjin panicked.

the girls panicked and squealed, unsure of what to do. yunjin looked around, trying to figure out what she had lost, and panicked even more when she found her phone missing.

"my phone!" yunjin yelled in realization, causing everyone to jump in surprise. "my phone's missing!"

"sunbaenim has it for sure." eunchae reassured, but yunjin shook her head.

"that's the problem! she's my lockscreen!"

they couldn't think about it any longer when they heard a knock on the door. the room fell silent as the staff turned to look at the girls, particularly yunjin.

the american hesitated at first, but with a push from chaewon, she made her way to the door. she came to a halt in front of it, fingers curled around the doorknob, and turned to face her members, who gave her encouraging looks. yunjin took a deep breath, pushing down the gay that was about to erupt from her throat, and then opened the door.

you were standing there, dressed for your stage performance. when her gaze met yours, you flushed profusely, and her face did the same. your manager was nearby, filming you two, but you were both too caught up in your own world to notice. 

yunjin couldn't believe you were standing right in front of her, just an arm's length away. you were slightly shorter than she was. you'd gone blonde for the sake of your latest comeback, and she swooned the first time she saw you, and she's melting all over again now that she's seeing it up close.

you were admiring her as well. she towered over you, her pink face revealing that she, too, is shy. her blonde hair fell over her shoulders, framing her face, and you couldn't help but think she looked stunning in that black dress. you opened your mouth to speak, but she spoke first.

"you look amazing." yunjin blurted out, switching to english out of habit, and the american cringed when she realized.

you both turned even redder, the people around you either grinning or facepalming at yunjin's painfully obvious admiration for you. you cleared your throat as you noticed your members approaching behind your manager. they were beaming because they had heard yunjin's remark. you returned your gaze to the taller girl, who turned to her members for assistance, but they shook their heads in amusement, before she turned to face you with a shy smile.

"thank you. you do, too." you smiled genuinely and yunjin didn't know how to keep the gay down. "i believe you have something that i own."

you both looked down at the microphone in her hand, and she rushed to hand it to you, nearly hitting you and causing yunjin to curse herself. you took it, your fingers brushing against hers, and handed her her phone, chuckling at her flustered state. yunjin blushed at the brief skin contact before returning her attention to your face.

"it's nice to meet you, yunjin-ssi." you bowed, causing yunjin to frantically shake her hands to stop you and return the bow.

"it's nice to meet you, too, sunbaenim." yunjin replied, smiling widely despite her embarrassment. "please take care of me."

you smiled. "i will."

a crew member appeared and announced that le sserafim will be on in fifteen minutes. you noticed yunjin's shoulders sagged, sad that this would have to end soon, so you reached for the american's hand. she looked at you as you leaned up against her ears.

"good luck, ace it."

with that, you quickly walked away, not giving her time to respond. she couldn't anyway. when you grabbed her hand, she stopped functioning. she watched as you walked away with your members and manager, all of whom were teasing you. chaewon tapped her on the shoulder, and yunjin returned to reality. she saw the teasing glint in her members' eyes and knew she'd be subjected to the same teasing.

yunjin looked at you one last time, and you were already looking at her, a promise in your eyes that you'd talk later, and she couldn't wait. she was both excited and nervous about the fact that you, her soulmate, would be watching from backstage.

that night, yunjin nailed her habanera opera solo and group performance, just as you had instructed. she can only hope that you were impressed.

she was friends with a lot of older girls when she was younger. most of them babied her like she was their own child, some of them even integrating her into their family due to how often they would see each other because of their activities.

that's how she met you.

you were chaewon's little sister, and it had been the middle of august. she had just gotten back from her soccer practice when chaewon had told her the girls were sleeping over at her house, and that yujin should come despite being 'a literal child who has yet to form thoughts'.

yujin glared at the shorter girl.

still, yujin agreed, not wanting to pass on the opportunity to hang out with her (basically) older sisters (plus wonyoung).

chaewon and yujin had gotten to their house first, and when yujin entered, part of her was sure she had met an angel.

you turned around to hear when the door open, your eyes immediately meeting yujin's. you sent her a curious look. she had been the one on the field that usually got scolded for tripping her members as they walked on. you remembered it clearly.

besides, her face was hard to forget.

"she's my little sister." chaewon pointed at you. "say hi, y/n."

you frowned and shook your head. "no."

chaewon glared at you, turning back to yujin with a smile. "sorry, she's going through puberty."

you scoffed, your eyes tearing away from yujin's as you turned your head to the kitchen.

"mom!" you yelled as loud as you could, your voice echoing throughout the house. "unnie said she wanted me to die!"

"you bit–"

"chaewon!"

"i didn't!" she whined, throwing the soccer ball in her hand at the back of your head. "i seriously hate you."

you stuck your tongue out.

yujin felt herself getting dragged away as her eyes locked onto your figure. she didn't know who you were back then, but she would do everything in her power to get closer to you.

yujin saw you at every single club game the following year.

the shift was noticable. she had found herself becoming more serious on the field, no longer having the playful energy that she once carried. instead, she found herself wanting to be the star of the show, at least for the shows that you watched. even their assistant coach, kwon eunbi, had commended yujin for her drastic change.

still, she didn't talk to you until she found you waiting outside of the changing room in one of their many games during spring break, waiting for chaewon.

she didn't notice you, not until you called out to her.

"oh." she heard from beside her, her heart nearly stopping. "your unnie's friend."

she frowned, upset at the fact that you didn't know her name. "my name's yujin."

"you look young." you observed, looking her up and down. yujin was sure her heart was beating faster than it had ever had. "aren't you prehistoric like unnie?"

her face twitched into a smile. "i was born in 2003."

"you're only a year older than me?" you looked at her, shocked. "why are you hanging out with unnie then? shouldn't you be hanging out with people your age?"

"i don't really have friends my age." she explained, slightly blushing at her confession. "besides, we're on the same team."

"ew." yujin watched as your nose scrunched up. "sports."

the older girl found herself walking towards you. "you don't like sports?"

she stood beside you, leaning on the wall as you looked at her with curious eyes. she brushed her hair out of her face, hoping that she didn't seem to nervous.

yujin was sure that was when you smiled at her for the first time.

"no." you shook your head, your smile still intact as she watched you closely. a light blush dusted your face. "i like acting, like plays on broadway."

"oh." yujin nodded, not really sure what that was. "what's your favourite?"

"i really like hamilton but that's basic." you shrugged, turning to her. "probably phantom of the opera. i really like that one too."

she blinked. "oh."

yujin heard you laugh, and she swore she would do whatever it took to hear it again.

"you should come over and watch it with me sometime." you whispered, fiddling with the hem of your shirt. "unnie would be distracted with yena-unnie anyways."

yujin nodded. "okay."

you smiled at her once more. your sister's friends never really cared about your interests, not in the way they cared about chaewon's.

so when yujin had agreed to hang out with you, you had nearly combusted right then and there. you didn't know why, but it made you happy.

you looked at yujin, watching as she took a sip from her green gatorade bottle.

you smiled.

you and yujin had gotten close, closer than the both of you expected.

you had spent the entirety of your junior high experience either in school, sleeping, eating or hanging out with yujin, so much so that the older girl had her own drawer in you room filled with clothes just incase she had stayed there for the night.

at first, chaewon was irritated that you had stolen her friend away from her, but after realizing (i.e. out right telling her) that you saw yujin as more than 'just a friend' she calmed down.

she just went to teasing you.

now, here you were standing at the front of your house, waiting for yujin as chaewon smothered you with hugs.

"look at you." chaewon felt tears in her eyes. "you're in high school now. my baby sister is so old."

you rolled your eyes. sometimes you wondered if she was the one with the professional acting classes.

you pulled away. "shut up, you skeleton."

chaewon glared up at you, crossing her arms over her 'SNU' sweater.

"i'm still older." she threatened, shaking a balled fist in the air. "one strong punch and i'll have you bleeding from your nose like a water fountain."

you leaned your face down at your now shorter sister (by only a single inch!). "can you reach it?"

she scoffed, slapping your shoulder as hard as she could. you patted her head in response.

"y/nnie!" you heard a shout from behind you.

before you could turn around, yujin's arms wrapped around your shoulder. your face turned a bright red as chaewon laughed.

"unnie!" you smiled brightly at her.

"yujin." chaewon smiled at the sophomore. "i expect you to watch over my sister."

yujin nodded, saluting as she heard you laugh beside her. "i will."

"make sure no one goes close to her." chaewon continued.

your eyes widened. "wait–"

yujin nodded, the thought of someone approaching you making her sick to her stomach. "okay."

chaewon glared at the taller girl. "i'm serious."

"guys," you tried to but in. "what about–"

"i am too."

"guys!" you shouted, a frown on your face. "i have a friend there already."

yujin and chaewon turned to you, your sister raising an eyebrow as yujin frowned. she didn't like how she didn't know who you were talking about.

"who?"

"huh yunjin." you replied, not missing your sister's face fall. you glanced at her. "do you know her unnie? she goes to my acting classes."

"the tall blonde one in drama club?" she said nonchalantly. "i know of her."

you looked at her, knowing her uncomfortable face after seeing it multiple times (especially after her break up with choi yena in your seventh grade). she was hiding something, but yujin didn't seem to know either.

"she's a senior." you watched her closely, seeing her eye twitch.

"okay?" chaewon rolled her eyes. "and i haven't met her."

"you will." you smiled, looking between the two. "she's driving me to school for the rest of the year."

"what?"

as if on cue, a revving of an engine could be heard coming up your street. the three of you turned, finding a blonde-haired girl pulling up in what seemed to be a luxurious sports car.

you turned and smiled at yujin, almost as if you were bragging about your friend.

yunjin pulled up to your driveway and rolled down her window, flashing a charming smile as she looked through her shades.

"hey baby!" she called out cheerfully, making yujin frown. she looked beside you, your sister crossing her arms. "kim chaewon?"

chaewon rolled her eyes. "yunjin."

she looked over to you, her smile now a frown. "you didn't tell me she was your sister."

you adjusted your school bag. "i didn't think to."

"okay." yunjin licked her lips. "are you sure she's fine with this?"

yujin rolled her eyes with chaewon. she didn't know why but she didn't like this yunjin girl. she had never heard of her until today, and suddenly she pulls up in a rich sports car calling you 'baby'?

it was a big no for the soccer player.

you shrugged, going around to yunjin's passenger side.

yujin frowned. she knew how people like yunjin could be like when it came to that type of stuff. she's met plenty of older people with cars like were made of money and smiles like diamonds.

yujin felt a nudge on her waist,

"yujin's going with you." chaewon smiled down at yunjin, who frowned in return. the blonde girl nodded and turned to you.

yujin looked at chaewon. "i am?"

"you are." chaewon clenched her jaw, whispering at yujin. "keep an eye on them."

yujin watched as you laughed at one of yunjin's horrible jokes. her eyes hardened. "okay."

she didn't like this huh yunjin.

it turns out that yunjin was a hard person to hate.

throughout the school year, the older girl would not only go out of her way for you, but for yujin as well. she would make sure that the two of you were caught up on your homework and even offered her old notes in case either of you needed it.

yunjin was also on the lookout for potential suitors that came your way. she would scare any single person away that simply looked at you, even threatening to beat up any student that asked you out in front of her.

and as much as yujin appreciated it, she hated it even more.

it was her job to protect you, her job to make sure that you weren't approached by some greasy super senior that made passes on girls that were barely fourteen.

she was supposed to be the knight in shining armor that you fell in love with, not huh yunjin.

at least she knew that you and yunjin weren't dating.

until today on valentines day.

you, yunjin, and yujin were sitting at your usual table, eating as the three of you discussed some topic that none of you really cared about.

but yujin had gotten there late, making her sit across from you and yunjin as the two of you giggled away. yujin swears she even saw yunjin whisper in your ear, making you blush a bright red.

yujin shook her head. that didn't mean anything. you weren't dating huh yunjin, you couldn't be.

suddenly, you felt a presence sit beside you.

you turned around, coming face to face with a familiar person that you haven't seen since summer at one of chaewon's many soccer games.

"y/n-ssi."

"minju-unnie?"

minju's face twitched into a smile, gripping the note in her hands. "your kim chaewon's younger sister, right?"

you looked over at yujin, trying to figure out why her teammate was here beside you.

the older girl shrugged.

"yeah?"

the three of you watched as minju blushed. with both hands, she offered you a pink envelope that a heart sticker covering it. her hands shook slightly, making yujin's eyes widen.

she had always known that you had gotten a fair amount of attention from other students in the school (unfortunately), but she would have never expected her own teammate to give you a confession letter.

yujin felt her stomach drop as she watched yunjin fume beside you.

minju swallowed. "i was wondering if you could g–"

"back off, minju." yunjin snapped, cutting the other girl off. putting a hand on the envelope, she pushed it away. "she isn't interested."

yujin looked between you and the blonde-haired girl, feeling dread spread across her chest.

"but she hasn't even–"

yunjin glared at her. "not. interested."

you grabbed the older girl's hand lightly, pulling it away and putting it on the table.

yujin felt her hand twitch, wishing that it was her instead of yunjin.

"unnie, it's fine." you smiled calmly at her. you turned back to minju. "i'm sorry unnie, but i can't accept this."

"yeah." yunjin scoffed. "throw it away or something."

"unnie!" you slapped her shoulder. "i'm sorry."

you turned to yunjin, glaring at her to calm down.

"it was worth a try." minju muttered, turning to leave. her eyes widened, sending her former teammate a smile. "oh, hey yujin."

"unnie." yujin nodded, glaring at the girl. "hey."

minju smiled awkwardly, leaving as quickly as she could as she sensed the tension that was forming in the group.

she knew she shouldn't have asked when yunjin was around.

yunjin stabbed her food aggressively, glaring at the back of minju's head. "who does she think she is?"

yujin took a bit of her food.

you shook your head. "unnie."

"like seriously?" the older girl raised her voice. "asking you in front of me."

yujin felt her grip tighten around her fork, chewing harshly as she listened to the conversation in front of her.

you put a hand on her shoulder. "she meant well."

yujin scoffed under her breath, trying her best not to roll her eyes.

"so you would've said yes?" yunjin asked, hurt laced in her eyes.

there was no way that the two of you were dating, right? there was no reason for yunjin to act this protective for any reason.

you couldn't be dating huh yunjin... right?

"of course not." yujin watched as you gave the senior a squeeze on her shoulder. "you know i only like you f–"

yujin stabbed her food hard, making her plastic fork break in half with a snap. you and yunjin looked over, watching as the usually smiley girl had a haunting frown etched upon her face.

you were dating huh yunjin.

"unnie?" you asked softly. "are you okay?"

yujin wanted to be angry at you, but she knew that it was her fault for not saying anything.

"yeah." she muttered, glaring at the food she had just murdered. "i'm just not hungry anymore."

yunjin frowned. "are you sure?"

"i'm sure." yujin looked up, sending a deadly gaze at the older girl. "are you?"

you sent yujin a confused look as the senior scratched her head, not entirely sure what she did.

but yujin wasn't mad at her for what she did. she was mad at herself for what she didn't do.

yujin knew she shouldn't meddle in relationships that weren't hers, but she couldn't let it slide anymore.

it had been two weeks since you had basically confirmed your undying love for huh yunjin and it had been haunting her ever since.

everything finally made sense. the glares she would give the people who would try to hit on you, and the odd looks she would send yujin's way whenever the soccer player would wrap her arm around your shoulder.

but like her, yujin hated every single time yunjin would just look your way. she hated the sense of adoration you felt for the older girl, and how the two of you would hang out together, usually without her because of her practices.

it had even plagued her dreams, seeing the smug smirk yunjin would give her as you professed your love to the older girl.

yujin just couldn't take it anymore.

"unnie." she pulled chaewon aside as you and yunjin raced upstairs, trying to see who was faster.

chaewon glared at the blonde girl's fading figure before turning to yujin. "yujinnie."

yujin swallowed, wondering if she should tell the older girl.

she didn't want to break your heart, but she just couldn't see you with yunjin anymore.

she couldn't see you with someone that wasn't her.

"i think y/n's dating yunjin-unnie."

yujin watched as chaewon's face contorted into something she's never seen before.

"what?"

yujin looked away from chaewon's eyes, not sure if the anger burning in them was towards her or the senior upstairs. "i'm sorr–"

chaewon pushed yujin aside, stomping upstairs as the taller girl followed closely behind her. yujin swore she could see stray tears falling from the older girl's face, but she didn't understand why.

chaewon burst through your bedroom door, finding you sitting on the bed, yunjin resting happily on your lap.

yujin could feel herself starting to fume.

"yunjin."

you looked at her curiously as yunjin shot up, a blush dusting her face. "unnie?"

chaewon looked between the both of you. "you're dating my sister?"

your eyes widened along with yunjin's. the blonde girl was taken aback, not sure where chaewon got such information.

"what are you on?" she asked.

chaewon rolled her eyes. "yes or no?"

"no!" yunjin stood up, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "why would i?"

yujin looked between the two, feeling like she was missing something vital.

chaewon clenched her jaw. "stop lying."

yunjin let out a chuckle, glaring at the university student. "i'm not!"

you pulled yunjin's arm, and yujin saw as a rage burned in chaewon.

"what?" she took a step towards the senior, her eyes accusing the older girl. "first me then my sister? is that what you're trying to do here?"

yujin's mouth dropped. huh yunjin, the sports car driving drama kid, was kim chaewon's, the university-bound scholarship student, ex?

she looked over to you, finding you shaking your head at the whole ordeal.

"no!" yunjin whined. "i don't like her like that."

"sure." the university student shook her head. "whatever you say, yunjin."

yujin watched as yunjin's face streamed down with tears, suddenly feeling guilty about causing the entire situation in the first place. she knew she should've thought things through, but it was so hard when it came to you.

chaewon went to turn, trying her hardest not to cry.

"i'm still in love with you!"

chaewon stopped.

yujin's eyes widened. you hadn't been dating huh yunjin. she had hurt the older girl for nothing except for her misplaced anger.

yujin felt like she was going to throw up.

yunjin wiped her tears aggressively, feeling as if her entire world had collapsed on top of her. "and you're a fucking asshole for thinking i'm only friends with your sister because i want to 'round the bases'."

yunjin grabbed her keys on your bed as chaewon went to turn back around. tears fell freely on the blonde's face, roughly retracting her hand as the shorter girl tried to grab for her.

the three of you watched as yunjin left your room, hearing an aggressive slam downstairs.

yujin winced.

you shook your head, looking at your sister as she began to tear up.

"i was trying to help her get back with you." you whispered lightly. yujin felt like shit. "i didn't know that you two dated until she picked me up on the first day of school. she told me what happened."

yujin looked away, biting her tongue as she heard chaewon sniffle.

"you deserve to be happy too, unnie." you smiled as chaewon nodded, lightly wiping her tears. "yunjin-unnie is probably in her car. when she gets frustrated, she–"

"has a hard time starting it." chaewon laughed. she sent you a warm smile. "i'll talk to you later, okay?"

you nodded, hoping that everything would turn out well for your older sister. "good luck."

yujin watched as chaewon left, closing the door gently. sighing, she walked over to you, feeling your exhausted body rest against her shoulder.

you rubbed your eyes. "i wonder why unnie thought that me and yunjin-unnie were dating."

yujin gulped, looking outside your window as she watched yunjin and chaewon argue in her car. "me too."

"i don't even like unnie like that," you whispered.

"that's good." yujin hated that her chest got lighter. "i think chaewon-unnie would have a heart attack if you did."

she felt you shake your head against her shoulder. "well, she didn't so..."

yujin frowned, turning her head to you.

"you like someone?"

"seriously?" you sat up straight, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "you don't know who it is?"

"no." yujin shook her head, her stomach gnawing away in nervousness. "i never see you around anyone except me and yunjin-unnie."

you chuckled lightly, shaking your head. "yeah, i guess so."

the two of you fell in silence as you watched chaewon continue to reason yunjin from her car.

"the person you like is really lucky." yujin whispered.

she wouldn't be selfish. not this time. not after she had caused such pain for the people she cared about.

she would let you go if she had to.

"yeah." you smiled at her, watching as she winced at the two older girls kissing outside. "chaewon-unnie thinks you are, too."

"of course she would." yujin chuckled.

you raised an eyebrow.

"wait..." yujin was sure she needed to get her ears cleaned. she turned to you "what?"

you shrug sheepishly, feeling your entire face light up in a blush. "surprise?"

oh.

"you like me?"

"no, not really." you swallowed, watching as her face dropped. "i think i've been in love with you since we watched phantom of the opera together in eighth grade. do you remember?"

of course yujin remembered. that had been the first day you two had properly hung out without chaewon around. you had explained every little detail, up to the mask they had used and the actors they had chosen.

yujin didn't know anything, but she knew she loved listening to you.

"weird, huh?" you looked at the ground. "to have your best friend's little sister be in love with you?"

yujin could feel her heart burst in two.

"can i kiss you?"

"what?!"

you turned to her, finding her staring at you with glassy eyes. "i mean, yes. of course. but wh–"

she grabbed the side of your face and leaned in gently, wanting to cherish the feeling of you as she closed her eyes.

oh, she thought as soon as your lips connected, the taste of your bubblegum lip-gloss painting her lips. so this is heaven.

she pulled away, watching as your eyes fluttered open, a small but growing smile covering your face.

"i've been in love with you ever since i met you."

you stared at her with wide eyes.

"oh." you cleared your throat, trying not to feel flustered. "really?"

yujin chuckled, "yeah."

you nodded, trying your best not to smile as she looked at you fondly.

in a small voice, you whispered. "can you kiss me again?"

yujin grinned, pulling you in for another kiss, this one slightly more aggressive.

her brain wandered as she felt you against her mouth, smiling as if you had won the lottery when in reality, she was sure that she has.

the door slammed open, but it was too late for you to pull apart.

yujin heard a gasp as she pulled away.

"why are you kissing my baby?!"

chaewon laughed as yujin fell to her knees, begging for yunjin not to beat the living hell out of her.

"wait, yunjin-unnie!"