The room was still, save for the light breeze that wafted through their half-open window and against the curtain. Yuri’s scroll lit up as it buzzed on schedule. 6 A.M. sharp. It didn’t reach her the first time and by the time that it did, it was already past six-thirty.

She untangled herself from her blanket and Jessica’s pillows, and slipped into her uniform as fast she could, knocking over something that was supposed to be standing upright on the bedside table. She didn’t bother to check, having been too preoccupied with lacing her boots while dragging herself toward the door. She sensed movement by their joined beds and saw Jessica sitting up and stretching an arm over her head. They exchanged passing smiles before she remembered that she was late for her training with the General, and she was out the door at twice her normal speed.

Jessica lazily d under her pillow and grabbed her scroll. The screen read ten to seven in the morning, too early for her to be required to function. So she lied back down and hoped to return to the state of unconsciousness that she worked so hard to reach late into the previous night. She tried to empty her mind again, tricking herself into feeling that she was relaxed and calm enough to shut her senses down. When all she got was a hint that a headache was coming on, she rolled on her side and tried again. When that didn’t work, she lied flat on her stomach and buried her head under a pillow like Yoona usually did. That didn’t work either. Determined to get more sleep, she changed positions faster and more often than burger patties were flipped on a grill. That is until Yoona was shaken out of her slumber.

“Unnie, what are you doing?”

“Trying to sleep,” Jessica said with a pillow on her face.

Yoona let out a yawn then pulled her blanket over her head. “Oh. That’ll be easy for you then, you sleepyhead.”

Out went a groan from Jessica’s side of the bed. “I haven’t gotten much sleep actually…”

“Woah. Wait. What?” Yoona’s head popped out from underneath the blanket and if Jessica didn’t have a pillow over her face she would’ve seen the deep frown. “Don’t tell me… You guys didn’t do anything funny last night while I was asleep, did you?”

“What?! No! God, Yoong!” The pillow over Jessica’s face flew in Yoona’s direction and joined the stack of pillows that Yoona hoarded for herself. “Why would you even think that?”

“I dunno. Seems like something the two would do even if I was in the room.”

Jessica took a moment to answer. Admittedly, she and Yuri had done their share of kissing while Yoona was in the shower, which was in the same room. Technically. “We didn’t do anything while you were asleep, okay? She was probably already sleeping too while I was up doing some thinking.”

“Thinking? Unnie, if this is about what you told me last night then maybe you should talk to Yuri unnie about it already. She probably wants to talk about it too, you know?”

“Maybe. I was also thinking about that last night. But really, what if talking makes things complicated between us? What if I find out that there’s nothing more to this kissing thing?”

Yoona felt the frustration rising within her again but instead of breaking chopsticks she just gritted her teeth and out went a sigh. “Well, fine. I can’t force you to do something you’re not comfy doing. Maybe we’re not meant to find out who won the bet…” The latter half came in a whisper and was partially shrouded by another sigh.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Did you say ‘bet?’”

“What? No, I didn’t.”

“Yoona… tell me!”

“Only if you talk to Yuri unnie!”

“Ugh! I’m handling it at my own pace, okay?”

“Tell her, tell her, tell her!” Yoona chanted, bouncing slightly on Yuri’s side of the bed.

Jessica sat up and rolled her eyes at her dongsaeng, knowing that the teasing wouldn’t stop any time soon. “Don’t you have to leave now to give Seohyun a good morning kiss or something?”

“Hm? Should I?”

“You’re her girlfriend. Isn’t that what girlfriends do?”

“Wow.” Yoona let the word drag on for as long as one breath would let her, making her sarcasm as noticeable as possible. “Unnie, you said that like you know exactly what you’re talking about. Basing it from experience?”

“Uh…”

“Then again, I assume that Yuri unnie gets something more than a good morning kiss—”

Dodging out of instinct, Yoona saved herself from a snowball to the face. It went straight out the window, dragging part of the curtain with it only to be carried back in by the wind.

“Stop saying things like that!” Jessica said with urgency in her voice. “You’re starting to sound like Soo and Hyo. Goodness.”

Yoona laughed at the comment and stopped when she noticed the time. “Oh. We should grab some breakfast now. Hyunnie hates it when I eat brunch instead.” Yoona set her blanket aside then headed for the bathroom but before she entered, she turned around and added: “And just so you know, unnie, this is what a girlfriend does – make her girlfriend happy even though it means getting up a bit earlier than usual to eat breakfast instead of brunch.”

There was a swirling in Jessica’s stomach and she didn’t notice that she was already smiling. What Yoona said made sense. And maybe if it was me, I’d say the same thing. It felt good to know that it was possible for her to have what Yoona had but it was equally devastating that the alternative was also just as likely and before she knew it she was already hugging her dongsaeng, probably to comfort herself with another person’s warmth.

“Unnie? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking of how adorable you are when you talk about Seohyun like that.” Jessica squeezed her dongsaeng one more time before pulling away.

“Ah.” A smirk stretched across Yoona’s face. “I know right~”

“Ugh! Why did you have to use that voice all of a sudden?”

Yoona offered a wide smile instead of an explanation and opted to retreat to the bathroom like she intended to in the first place. While waiting for her turn, Jessica finally got a bit of sleep. What happened after that was hazy and other than having a bowl of noodles and rice balls wrapped in a to-go bag at the cafeteria, she couldn’t remember much else, not even walking to the training rooms with Yoona until the latter pointed it out.

“I think Yuri unnie mentioned that they usually use this one. Oh! Sooyoung unnie and Hyoyeon unnie are here too.”

Sooyoung was by Jessica’s side in a fraction of a second, exaggerating how she inhaled. “Oooooh! Is this food for me?”

Jessica replied with a flat no and hid the to-go bag behind her back. “Why would I get you food anyway?”

“Uh… because you’re a good person?”

“Don’t even bother. The food is for Yuri unnie,” Yoona cut in, all too happy to quash Sooyoung’s hopes of getting free food for herself.

“Of course you’d bring food for your girl—” Hyoyeon let out a grunt then forced herself to quickly recover from Yoona’s sudden nudge to her gut. “Your partner,” she said instead, her voice slightly strained.

“Speaking of your partner…” Sooyoung wrapped an arm around Jessica’s waist and tried to snatch the dangling bag of food. “You should give this to me and she can have you for breakfast!”

“What the hell?” Jessica took a big step to her right and continued to guard Yuri’s breakfast from Sooyoung. “What are you two even doing here?”

“Hoping to see the General kick Yuri’s , of course!” Hyoyeon answered while Sooyoung sulked away from Jessica and turned to Yoona who patted her on the back. “We snuck a peek earlier and she was totally getting owned. Now we’re just waiting for them to finish so we can rub it in her face.”

“How nice of you guys. You two are the best friends she could ever have huh?”

“Glad to know that you noticed, Sica,” Hyoyeon said, beaming with pride.

“That was a joke!”

+

Another round of shots came in Yuri’s way and all she could focus on was dodging. She knew she had enough aura to send a repelling force toward them but she could barely see straight, much less aim at the small projectiles right where their central force could be countered.

She zipped across the room, successfully dodging each of the General’s attacks except for when he stuck a leg out while she sped past him and she tripped on it. She fell to the floor and clutched her ankle in immediate reaction to the pain. What the hell kind of insane muscle is that?! It’s like I hit a wall or something. Before she could figure out whether the General had metal for limbs, she saw him offer to help her get up.

“I see that you didn’t get enough rest, Yuri-ssi. I didn’t think you would fall for that trick so easily but you did. No pun intended of course.”

Yuri saw the General smile at his own joke. Unintended or not, he seemed amused with himself. She bowed deeply after she got up and apologized. “I’m sorry, General. I did have a lot of trouble sleeping last night but I don’t want to make any excuses. I’m also sorry for making you wait this morning.”

“Being late is one thing but coming to a fight unprepared could cost you your life. Remember that.” He holstered his revolver and straightened his tie. “That aside, you’re improving steadily. Your aim has gotten better for one. At least, during the first part of today’s session.”

Yuri returned to an upright position and nodded. “Thank you, General—”

“But you can do better. I’m sure of it. I’ll see you tomorrow, Yuri-ssi. Get some decent sleep this time or I’ll have to trip you again. And then you’ll really have to get your ankle checked.”

Yuri didn’t know what he meant by that or whether he was joking. She watched as he left for the door and saw him greet her friends as he passed by. They bowed and greeted him back before walking toward her.

“I thought you were training with him. Not being his personal punching bag,” said Sooyoung. Hyoyeon was beside her, laughing.

“It’s not funny,” Yuri mumbled with a pout. She brightened up when she saw Yoona holding a bag with the cafeteria logo on it and then she realized that it was the person next to Yoona who was actually holding it. She blinked a few times to refocus and saw Jessica who smiled slightly at her. All she could do was nod. She looks tired. I wonder if something happened.

“Sica unnie brought you some food!” Yoona said as she clapped Yuri on the shoulder, waking her from her thoughts. Then she turned to Jessica who seemed to have forgotten how to talk and move. “Don’t just stand there, unnie! Get over here.”

Jessica took a step forward, unaware of her own hesitation. Sooyoung and Hyoyeon looked at each other and shrugged.

“Uh, they didn’t have much left earlier so…” Jessica handed the bag over and watched Yuri examine its contents.

“Awww… You shouldn’t have. But thanks Sica.” Yuri smiled and did her best not to look away despite feeling that she would lose the feeling in her legs if she didn’t tear her eyes from Jessica’s dark hazel ones. Tsk. Why is this suddenly happening?

“Maybe we should go so you two can—”

“No, it’s fine. I have something I need to do anyway.” Jessica was quick to interrupt Yoona, knowing that their dongsaeng was attempting to get her and Yuri to talk by themselves again. She knew she wasn’t ready and she figured that Yuri wasn’t in a talking mood either. She’s probably better off being with her friends for a change.

Quietly sighing in relief when their eye contact was broken, Yuri waved goodbye before Jessica left. It was all kinds of awkward and she didn’t know just how much.

Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and Yoona, on the other hand, were beyond bothered. Sooyoung was about to ask about the sudden shift through a poorly made joke but before she could start, Yuri told them she would rather eat her breakfast in their dorm room. “I have to get some sleep afterwards anyway. See you later guys!” She said.

“So… What just happened?” Hyoyeon’s arms flailed frantically above her head and she gestured at the empty space where Yuri and Jessica were standing a few moments ago.

“Ugh! Those two!” Sooyoung said, similarly frustrated and clueless. “It’s like they went from cuddling on a bench to ‘kay-thanks-bye in, what, a week?” She turned to Yoona with a shrug.

“What? I dunno what’s going on with them,” she said immediately. She was dying to tell their friends what was really going on but she knew that it wasn’t her call to make.

“Okay kids… It’s time to bring out the big guns.” Hyoyeon stood in between Sooyoung and Yoona and brought them closer into a huddle.

“We have guns?” Sooyoung asked, obviously excited.

“No! I mean it’s time to bring out our secret weapon!”

“We have a secret weapon?!”

“I mean Tiffany’s plan, you idiot!”

“You could’ve just said that, you know?”

“Yeah but—” Hyoyeon didn’t even bother. She knew that arguing with Sooyoung was a colossal waste of time. Instead, she sent Tiffany a message and called for a meeting.

+

It turned out that Tiffany, Taeyeon and Seohyun were in a meeting of their own. Something about a new strategy that Seohyun came up with after she finished that book she was reading. She was actually still thinking about it while everyone else was talking about Yuri and Jessica as per usual.

“So maybe now is a good time to test that plan of yours, Fany-yah,” said Sooyoung after she and Hyoyeon told them what happened in the training room earlier.

“Hm… Interesting. But what if they’re just pretending not to be touchy-feely ‘cause they know that we know what they’ve been up to?”

“As if that would stop you,” went a mumble from Taeyeon.

Tiffany let out a giggle. “Oh TaeTae! You’re so right. This is gonna be so much fun! Where is Jessi anyway?”

“Probably training with Krys,” said Yoona. “I can call her if you want.”

“Well, well, well… Look who’s suddenly on-board with the idea!” Tiffany scooted over next to Yoona but was careful not to get too close because she noticed that Seohyun was watching. She had seen Seohyun get angry over Taeyeon getting hurt before and, judging from that experience, she didn’t want to know what Seohyun would do out of jealousy.

“What? I’m just acknowledging your… unique skill. I’d do it myself but I’m in a committed relationship.” Yoona placed an arm around Seohyun’s shoulders and leaned in close, trapping her in a side hug. Then they both giggled and touched the tips of their noses together, oblivious to how everyone around them reacted.

Sooyoung pretended to gag while Hyoyeon awww-ed like she usually did whenever Yoona and Seohyun did something sweet. Taeyeon had gotten a bit used to Seohyun being like this with Yoona but she felt like gagging all the same. And not the fake kind at that. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and saw Tiffany mouthing what looked like: “I’m proud of you for not freaking out.” She smiled in response and shrugged. Tiffany smiled back then announced her leave.

“I’ll send you guys a message once I find something out. Laters!”

After she left, she remembered that she didn’t know where Jessica was and it was plain, dumb luck that they ran into each other while she was thinking of how to go about the whole flirting thing. It wasn’t supposed to be hard but with Jessica it just was. “Hey there, y!” she said in a bit of a panic, meriting a loud groan. She ignored it and rushed to Jessica’s side to link their arms together, hoping to salvage the situation.

“Uh, Tiffany… What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m just… Being friendly.” Tiffany never thought she would stoop down to using such a lame excuse but this was Jessica and she admittedly overestimated herself in the wooing department this time. “I just figured that we haven’t really gotten to spend time together. Just the two of us, I mean.”

“You do realize that you called out to me and called me y just now, right? That’s not you being friendly. That’s you flirting with me. Obviously.”

Well, at least she’s as smart as she looks. “Oh pshaw! Never mind whatever I said. I say a lot of things. So do you wanna go shopping with me?” She was worried that she sounded overly eager and that Jessica would shun her for coming on too strong again but to her surprise, Jessica lit up at the mention of shopping. Heh. Gotcha.

“Shopping… I guess it’s been a while.”

“You know you want to~”

Jessica wanted to slap herself in the face, feeling as though she was making a deal with the devil. But out came the words anyway: “Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

“Yay! Oh Jessi, I promise we’re going to have the best date ever!”

“Woah. This isn’t a date. It’s shopping. Also, you can hide your bra now. It’s not I’m gonna fall for that trick either. Not today. Not ever. Just so we’re clear.”

Giggling to herself, Tiffany did the top three buttons of her uniform top and hid her black bra from view just as Jessica requested. “Come on, admit it. You liked that little bit, didn’t you?”

Jessica scoffed. “Not as much as I liked seeing you fail at flirting with me.”

“Awww… Why must you be so hurtful, Jessi?” Tiffany faked a sob.

“Shut up and get ready to shop til we drop.”

And off they went, arms linked and giggling like twelve-year-old best friends on their way to the mall on a Saturday afternoon.

+

When Yuri woke up from her nap – if more than three hours of sleep could still even be considered a nap – Jessica was putting her blazer in their laundry bin. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Jessica must have heard her because she turned around and their eyes met.

“You just got here?” Yuri asked, her voice slack from having just woken up.

“Yeah. Tiffany talked me into doing some shopping. It turned out to be pretty fun.”

Yuri watched Jessica reach for her towel and couldn’t say much else after she heard ‘Tiffany’ and ‘fun.’ Jessica didn’t seem to notice her go mute and headed for the bathroom. She heard the shower moments later.

Now thinking to herself after she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, she felt the need to know what Jessica and Tiffany really did together. For some reason, ‘shopping’ didn’t make sense. Shopping? Just shopping? The other possibilities came to mind, mostly because she knew first-hand how clingy Tiffany could be.

She imagined Jessica in Tiffany’s arms, looking as radiant as she did while she was taking her blazer off and a pang of jealousy shot through her, unable to accept that the possibility of someone other than her being with Jessica in the most intimate of moments even existed.

She stood up, aware of her own anger, and walked over to check what Jessica had so much fun buying with Tiffany. She didn’t even want to talk to me earlier and she went out with Tiffany?! Tiffany! Her of all people. She went through the shopping bag and saw a pair of shorts, a few tops and—

“Underwear?!”

Yuri let the matching underwear set fall back into the bag and sighed. The image of Jessica trying them on while Tiffany watched crossed her mind even though she knew that it would be more logical for the store to prohibit trying out underwear due to hygiene reasons. They still could’ve done it. Knowing Tiffany… She couldn’t stand finishing the thought. Tiffany had a way of getting what she wanted, one way of another. And if she wanted Jessica…

“Hey, you okay?”

Yuri lifted her head. She swallowed hard at the sight of Jessica in nothing but a towel. The water from her still-wet hair dripped down from the tips and traveled down her neck then down to the middle of her chest, a trail that had become all too familiar to Yuri because it was where some of her kisses usually ended up. She blinked, now unable to shake away the thought of leaving the said kisses atop the moist surface of Jessica’s skin.

“Yuri-yah? What’s the matter?” Jessica said as she took a step closer. Yuri didn’t budge. It was only when Jessica reached for her cheek that she showed signs of movement. She flinched at the contact and her eyes flew to the ceiling. “Oh come on,” Jessica told her, “it’s not like you haven’t seen me in a towel before.”

“I know,” Yuri said, now lowering her gaze to meet Jessica’s. “I just felt weird for a second. Sorry.”

“Don’t.” Jessica’s whispered the reply into Yuri’s mouth as their parted lips touched. She leaned into the kiss, holding Yuri’s head in place with one hand while the other found Yuri’s hand and clasped against it. Her fingers fit in between Yuri’s just as snugly as their lips did. It wasn’t long before she felt Yuri relax, her movements no longer stiff and clumsy.

When Yuri pulled away, it was only so she could look at Jessica one more time with nothing but that towel on and with a renewed hunger she pressed her lips to Jessica’s once more, their tongues occasionally touching from the hurried repeated collision.

She claimed her hand from Jessica’s grip and used it to bring Jessica closer by the hips until she could feel the water that had seeped into the towel soak her blazer and part of her uniform top. Reminded of the moist trail, she left a kiss on Jessica’s cheek then moved to her neck where she lingered for a moment longer and drew a patch of skin into , ridding it of the moistness that clung to it. She heard Jessica moan and she slowed down in reaction, being careful not to leave an obvious mark even though the mere thought of it intrigued her. Then she continued to leave a trail of kisses along Jessica’s collarbone down to the exposed upper portion of her right .

Jessica’s breath hitched and her reply barely made it out of : “Yuri-yah, wait…”

Yuri immediately lifted her head. “What is it? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s not that.” Jessica let out a sigh and bent forward so her forehead was pressed to Yuri’s shoulder. “It’s not that,” she repeated. She felt Yuri’s arms wrap around her back, trapping the wet towel against it.

“Is it because I haven’t taken a shower yet?” Yuri asked, genuinely worried that that was the reason. “Do I stink?”

Jessica laughed without a second thought. She met Yuri’s eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Babo. That’s not what I meant. Besides… you always smell nice. Even when you’re sweating.”

Yuri beamed, puffing her chest slightly in pride. “Oh really now?”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t let it go to your head. Now go shower while I get changed. I’m going to catch a cold at this rate.” Jessica took a step back and adjusted the towel against her body, wary that it had started to slip down while they were kissing.

A smirk formed along Yuri’s lips. “Want me to warm you up?”

“Oh I’m plenty warm after that stunt you pulled, Kwon Yuri. Watch where you’re kissing next time. Some areas are… sensitive.”

Yuri tilted her head to the side, feigning ignorance. “I wasn’t aware that there were limits, Miss Jung. Mind showing me where these are exactly—Ow!” She rubbed the middle of her forehead where Jessica hit her with a frozen crystal. “I was kidding! Sheesh, Sica!”

Jessica shrugged. “Go shower before I hit you again, babo.”

“And then will you show me?”

“Yah!!”

Yuri caught Jessica by the arm and pulled her in for another kiss, this time more slowly and quieter as if she was begging Jessica to notice this swelling in her chest that she tried to pass off as part of her exhaustion. She tried to laugh it off a moment ago too, even made a few jokes. But she knew what this was. I’m jealous… of Tiffany. Her of all people.

She and Jessica didn’t say a word after the kiss and she dragged herself to the bathroom to take that shower with a change of clothes under her arm. She stood under the running water with a palm to the wall, still thinking of what to do with this newfound emotion. Scratch that. There were two newfound emotions. There was jealousy and then there was whatever she felt when she saw Jessica in a towel. She likened it to hunger at the time, or even thirst. And she had to get her fill. The palm on the wall turned into a fist and she threw one hard punch.

It didn’t make her feel better. It didn’t feel like anything. She washed up, still jealous and hungry and thirsty. She still couldn’t think of a proper word for the feeling and it didn’t really matter because all she wanted to do was go out and walk this off. Or maybe punch something. Where are the Grimm when I need something to hit?

When she got out of the bathroom, Jessica was putting her new clothes in the dresser drawer. She caught a glimpse of the underwear again and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold a decent conversation with Jessica until she cooled her head.

“Going somewhere?” Jessica asked, pausing from her chore.

“Yeah,” Yuri replied then she was out the door. She heard Jessica run after her up until the door but no one showed up on the other side so she just kept walking. Anyone who didn’t know her personally would’ve thought that she was on her way to start a fight somewhere. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled loudly through with every step, her arms swinging from her sides to chest level. She only stopped when someone stood right in front of her and caught her by the shoulders.

“Woah, woah, woah! Unnie, slow down!”

Yuri recognized her dongsaeng’s voice but it took her a while to respond. Yoona pulled her toward a corner and shook her slightly.

“What happened to you? You look like you swallowed one too many chili peppers. Relax!”

Yuri nodded and took in a deep breath. Then she felt Yoona release her shoulders. “Uh, are you doing anything right now? I kinda need to blow off some steam.”

“Is this code for you wanting someone to beat you up, ‘cause I don’t think—”

“No, Yoong. I just… I feel like I have to talk to someone about something. This thing that I have no idea how to take care of. Is that okay?”

“Sound serious but that’s totally fine with me. There’s this new bingsoo place in town. We should get something to cool you down for good.”

“You sure it’s okay? You don’t have a date to go on or something?”

“Just finished, actually. Hyunnie took me to the bingsoo place. That’s how I found out about it. That little cutie of a nerd.”

Yuri watched as her dongsaeng’s lips lifted at the corners while she talked about Seohyun.

“But once we get there you definitely have to tell me what’s bothering you, okay? For real. No going around in circles. No censoring!”

Yuri thought about that last part and she wondered whether Jessica would be comfortable with their dongsaeng knowing where she placed that last kiss before Jessica stopped her earlier.

“Your treat by the way!”

And before Yuri could blink Yoona already had a head start. Whose treat it was was no longer up for discussion.

+

They ordered a bowl each and sat next to the store window. While Yuri was sampling the mangos on top of her order, Yoona had her elbows on the table and her head on her palms.

“So…”

“It’s delicious!” Yuri said after taking in a spoonful.

“Unnie, I think you’re forgetting why we went here in the first place. You promised that you would tell me what’s up with you.”

Yuri ate another spoonful and leaned back on her chair. “I know, I know. Just promise to take it easy on me, okay? You’ll judge me for sure but please tone it down. I’m a bit on edge.”

“O-kay, now I’m a little scared. Is it that bad?”

Yuri shrugged. What qualified as bad anyway?

“I promise I won’t rub it in your face. Whatever it is.”

“Thanks, Yoong. That helps. Well… here goes.” Yuri let out a breath through a small gap in between her lips. “Earlier, in our room… I lost it.”

“Lost it? Lost what?”

“I dunno exactly. My sanity? Self-control?”

She still didn’t have a word for what came over when she saw Jessica come out of the bathroom. With a bit of hesitation, she mentioned how she couldn’t help herself from kissing Jessica from head to toe. That is, if she wasn’t interrupted when she got to what according to Jessica was a sensitive part. She saw Yoona’s eyes widen slightly and she expected a teasing remark to go with it but Yoona kept quiet and listened.

“And after that I didn’t feel like talking to her yet. I think… I think I might just lose it again. Or worse.”

“Or worse? Unnie, from what you told me it sounds like Sica unnie liked what happened. What exactly is bothering you about it?”

“What’s bothering me is that I practically assaulted her because I was jealous of Tiffany! I don’t even know why that is. They just went shopping for goodness’ sake. Plus, we’re not a couple like you and Seohyun are. Do I even have the right to be jealous of whoever she decides to spend time with?”

“Unnie, calm down. You care about her. It’s normal to be jealous when she’s with someone else. Heck, I’m surprised that she didn’t jump you too!”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you two want each other and you just don’t wanna tell each other! There. I said it.” Yoona sighed in relief, the thought of her teammates keeping things from each other no longer weighing heavy on her mind. “Seriously, you two have issues to work out and if you just put in the effort to talk then you two would be past this by now. At least, that’s how you two got things done before. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work now. You’re still the same two people. Just… with a little more emotions than when you were just partners.”

Just partners. But aren’t we still just that? “Yoong, let’s say that what you said is true—”

“I’m not lying! Sica unnie talked to me last night too and she’s been losing sleep over you, over everything that you two have done recently. I told her to talk to you but of course she hasn’t or else we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“So… she told you that she wants me? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Yes! But she doesn’t know how you feel about her exactly so she’s just as scared to ask you.”

“I don’t know either.”

“Well, that’s probably for you two to figure out. Together. But from where I’m standing, you two care about each other and you want to be together. This could be as simple as admitting that to yourselves or as complicated as trying to label what you two have, which honestly can’t have a decent dictionary meaning other than ‘it’s complicated.’”

“And if she just wants me for the petty reasons, what then?”

“Petty reasons? What do you mean?”

“I mean if she just wants me ‘cause… you know…”

“’Cause she wants your body? Would that really be a bad thing? Didn’t you feel that way earlier when you two had that moment? It felt good, didn’t it?”

Yuri slowly nodded, a bit embarrassed that she was associating ‘good’ with the primal instinct that kicked in earlier.

“That seems normal to me,” Yoona said, casually shrugging off Yuri’s awkwardness. “It also seems that you guys have pent up feelings for one another and you release it by face. Excuse the phrase. It just came to mind. Anyway, this just proves my point that you two should talk it out. Bring everything out in the open. Trust me, it’ll pay off. You’re just scared now because there are a lot of unknowns except for the fact that you like each other. Where you want to take that… well, that’s a pending issue.”

Yuri let out a slight laugh and ate the rest of her dessert before answering while Yoona just sat there and stared, no longer minding that hers had already melted.

“What?” Yoona asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I take it back. You’re not a kid anymore. Just now, you sounded really mature. Seohyun is definitely rubbing off on you.”

“Maybe. She’s amazing that way.”

“Tell me more about her then. About how the two of you are together. Maybe I’ll learn something.”

It was Yoona’s turn to laugh. “I thought we were talking about you. Or are you just trying to escape from the hot seat?”

“I know you’re dying to talk about her. I can hear it in your voice. Come on. It doesn’t even have to be the juicy bits.”

“Like hell am I gonna spill the juicy bits!” Yoona flicked a piece of crumpled tissue paper in Yuri’s direction and it fell before it reached its destination. “Or maybe I will if you buy me another bowl of bingsoo. This one is like juice now.”

“Okay, deal.”

Hey guys! Thank you again for the comments! We're sorry we can't reply to them one by one since we're so busy. But really, we appreciate the feedback and we're glad you guys gave this story a chance. :D Be patient with YulSic. They'll get to where they're meant to be.