Joohyun sat at the desk in her room trying to work on her math homework. “Trying” was the keyword. But the same sentence keeps replaying in her head and every time it does, her mind begins to wander. “Hey Joohyun!” is all she’s heard for the past week. Big brown hair, sharp eyes, and that same tender smile greeted her every morning and saw her off every afternoon. Joohyun doesn’t know why Seulgi does it but it started the day after their first meeting. And although Joohyun never responds with anything other than a shy nod and hurried strides past the other girl, Seulgi keeps it up.

 

Usually people start to get discouraged after such lukewarm responses, right? Joohyun’s experienced this with her other classmates. Many of them have approached her, asking her name, what she likes to do, what cartoons she watches, etc. They were just other kids trying to get to know her and hopefully be friends. It was normal. Unfortunately, Joohyun’s habit of stuttering in low whispers and short replies would quickly end these conversations and the kids would give up. She wonders if they found her a bit abnormal after that. It was hard.

 

She’s not exactly the social type. Shy is what she is.

 

She knows all of her classmates but only by name. She doesn’t really know any of them. Because if it isn’t necessary, she doesn’t talk to them. Joohyun typically keeps to herself. Soon, everyone learned that’s just how Joohyun is and left her on her own. She was more comfortable that way. It was easier too. At least, that's what she came to think. 

 

But unlike all the other kids, Seulgi seems to be a bit more stubborn.

 

Unlike the rest, she hasn’t given up yet.

 

//

 

“Hey Joohyun!”

 

“H-Hello…”

 

It took two weeks for Joohyun to say something back. It took two seconds before Seulgi ran up and hugged the shy girl, wearing the biggest smile Joohyun had ever seen. Joohyun jumped from the sudden contact. She didn’t like surprises. But oddly enough, Seulgi seemed so happy that Joohyun decided she didn’t mind.

 

It was weird.

 

It was different from usual.

 

But Joohyun kind of liked it.

 

//

 

Recess was usually quiet for Joohyun. She would just sit on the benches and watch the other kids play or maybe even go on the swings for a little while, though she didn’t go too high. She just liked the feeling of rocking back and forth. It was comforting. But lately, it’s been quite noisy around her.

 

Seulgi always found her during recess and she would tail Joohyun wherever she went. At first, the latter tried to walk away and hide wherever she could, hoping Seulgi would get bored and play with someone else but she should have known better by now. Seulgi was just that persistent.

 

Eventually, Joohyun gave up and returned to sitting at her favorite bench, silently accepting Seulgi’s inescapable presence. Today was just the same. Joohyun sat with her feet dangling a few inches off the ground as she watched Seulgi playing in the patch of dirt near her. She was holding a twig, dragging it this and that way, interweaving what appeared to be random lines to Joohyun.

 

“What are you doing?” Joohyun asks. She managed to stop stuttering around Seulgi but her voice was still a bit of a whisper.

 

“Drawing!”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Give me a few more minutes and I’ll show you what it is,” Seulgi’s brow furrowed in concentration. It’s the first time Joohyun saw her look so serious.

 

As Seulgi progresses with her artwork, Joohyun begins to notice the dirt accumulating on the former’s clothing. Her legs and arms had dark patches here and there. From her wrist to her hand, her skin was two shades darker.

 

So much dirt.

 

Seulgi seemed quite prone to getting dirty, she definitely didn’t seem to mind it. Joohyun wonders why that is or if it even bothered Seulgi in the first place. The sight of her now reminds her of how Seulgi crawled out of the bushes and then she remembers.

 

“Hey Seulgi,” Joohyun says softly, her voice drowned out by the surrounding screams on the playground, but Seulgi always seems to hear her anyway.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I still have your sweater. My mom washed it. I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”

 

Seulgi stops drawing and stands up straight. She scratches her chin, seemingly in deep thought as she squints down at the ground until she suddenly throws her hands up and discards the twig somewhere behind her in the process. Joohyun doesn’t jump as badly this time.

 

“Finished!” Seulgi turns to the side and waves her hand, motioning for Joohyun to come over. “Look!”

 

The shorter girl cautiously hops off the bench, patting her clothes free of any dirt as she makes her way next to Seulgi. Joohyun looks down and then looks back at Seulgi questioningly.

 

“A cat?”

 

“Yup,” Seulgi said.

 

“Why did you draw a cat?” Joohyun asks.

 

“I saw one yesterday when I was walking home. It reminded me of you.”

 

Joohyun frowned a bit, “Hmm, I don’t really like cats.”

 

She saw Seulgi’s lips pout a bit. Maybe she should have lied and just said thanks.

 

“Oh really?” Seulgi blinked as she scratched her cheek. “What do you like then?”

 

“Actually, I don’t like animals too much. They kind of scare me,” Joohyun confessed.

 

“Well if you had to pick one what would you pick?”

 

“A bunny, I guess?”

 

“Then I’ll draw you a bunny next time,” Seulgi smiled.

 

They stayed quiet after that. Joohyun didn’t know what to say but she silently accepted Seulgi’s offer. She would have never guessed but Seulgi drew quite well. Joohyun found it contradictory to Seulgi’s messy nature. She always thought artists were more graceful and refined, the opposite of Seulgi.

 

“Oh and about the sweater, you can keep it.”

 

“A-Are you sure?” Joohyun didn’t quite know how to respond.  

 

“Of course,” Seulgi nodded. She took a few steps forward and dragged her right foot across the dirt in front of her, proceeding to erase the cat. Joohyun grabbed her arm, freezing Seulgi in place.

 

“Don’t erase it.” Her words came out stronger than before.

 

Seulgi looked confused. Truthfully, Joohyun was too.

 

“Why?”

 

“J-Just don’t,” she stammered.

 

They held each other’s stare for a few seconds until Seulgi retracted her foot and in turn, Joohyun let go of her arm.

 

“Okay.”

 

The recess bell rang signaling the resumption of classes.

 

Seulgi sighed, “Aww, I guess it’s time to go.”

 

Her shoulders slumped as she lazily treaded her way back to the main school building. Joohyun soon followed but not before taking one last look at the artwork still lingering in the ground. Joohyun managed to save most of it. Seulgi only erased the cat’s front right leg before she stopped. The quiet autumn breeze was starting to pick up a bit but it was strong enough as Joohyun watched the cat fade slowly with the wind, loose dirt flying into the air. Remnants of it still remained though, if she squinted she could still see make out its face with big beady eyes, long whiskers, and uneven ears but she could no longer discern the body. Soon, all of it would disappear.

 

Jooyhun’s not sure why she stopped Seulgi. It’s not as if they could have preserved her drawing forever. Seulgi herself was willing to erase it and maybe that’s what bothered Joohyun.

 

Seulgi looked so earnest creating it. She spent the entirety of their recess working on it, covering herself in dirt by the end. It was a cat that reminded Seulgi of her. It was something Seulgi put a lot of effort into. Yet, Seulgi was willing to let go of it so easily, to discard it herself as if it never existed. It was sad to see Seulgi’s efforts go to waste but it was even sadder that Seulgi was alright with it. Joohyun didn’t like that.  

 

Joohyun picks up the pace and catches up to Seulgi, matching her stride. She looked over at the taller girl. Up close, Joohyun could see that Seulgi even managed to get some dirt on her nose as well. The sight made Joohyun crack a small smile which she quickly masked behind her long hair.

 

“Hey Seulgi.”

 

“Yeah?” Seulgi responds as she turns to face her.

 

“Thank you,” Joohyun says, her face still hidden. She stutters a bit this time, “T-Thank you for the drawing.”

 

Seulgi beamed. The simplest things seemed to make her happy.

 

There was one more thing Joohyun wanted to say.

 

“The cat you saw, how did it remind you of me?”

 

Joohyun expected the usual quick response from Seulgi but she was more hesitant in answering this time. She studied the other girl and her anxiety grew, unsure of what Seulgi might say. The latter seemed so serious now.

 

“The cat I saw was so small and alone. It wandered up and down the street like it was looking for someone or maybe waiting for them.”

 

Seulgi looked down at her feet, “But no one came.”

 

She turned her gaze towards Joohyun and there was something about the look in her eyes that made Joohyun feel vulnerable.

 

“It seemed so lonely. Just like you.”

 

Joohyun blinked, eyes wide. She couldn’t say anything.

 

“But unlike that cat, you’re not alone anymore,” Seulgi smiled. “I’m here.”

 

Those last two words, for some reason, Joohyun felt her chest swell with emotion. She wasn’t sure if she was happy or if she felt like crying but she felt something and it was overwhelming. And this time, she was the one who surprised Seulgi as she suddenly embraced the taller girl.   

 

Seulgi was odd, messy, bold, and most of all, persistent. Joohyun knows Seulgi by more than just her name. She actually knows her. Perhaps then, Seulgi was her friend? Joohyun wasn't sure but if so, Joohyun was happy to finally have one of those. She was happy to have Seulgi.

 

Finally, someone didn't give up on her.

 

 

--

 

a/n: update~ although, it’s not much lol I just need some seulrene. Oh and quick note, in this fic seulrene are the same age, makes it easier lol just in case anyone misunderstood or wasn't sure.