Born This Way: Prequel to “Coffee and Criminals”

A giant picture filled up the wall at the end of the corridor. Jieqiong paused and looked up at it curiously. There were six women, four of whom she recognized.

Minkyung x Kyungwon, featuring members of Pledis Girlz/Pristin

A/N: While this is a prequel, it may be read separately from "Coffee and Criminals." Nothing from the main story is needed to understand this side story.

Minkyung’s eyes twinkled watching her sister shoot boxes out of shelves and making the chair skid across the wooden floor of the shop by accident. The small girl was always so timid. For such a young child, she was awfully polite and apologized for the mess after every failed attempt. The shop owner laughed it off genially before giving her another product to test out.

“Hmm… How about this? Thirteen inches, inflexible. English oak and a Phoenix feather core.”

The small girl eyed the towering boxes of unfit wands before glancing over at her sister.

“Go on, take it,” said Minkyung encouragingly as she had been doing since they first walked in.

Yewon took the sixteenth wand Ollivander offered her. She blindly poked at the air. She heard a gasp from her right. Opening her eyes, Yewon followed Minkyung’s line of vision towards a book. Yewon was successfully levitating it. A second later, it smacked itself against the wall, creasing three pages. Yewon’s smile waned into a pout and she uttered a meek apology.

“We’re close! I believe this one should do it. Eleven and a quarter inches. Beech with Unicorn hair. Pliable.” Mr. Ollivander seemed more excited than ever.

“Seventeenth time’s the charm,” winked Minkyung, never losing her bright demeanor.

As expected, Yewon perked up at her sister’s words. She happily took the wand and this time with confidence, she waved it dramatically. The entire pile of boxes that had been tossed aside levitated in the air. Sixteen wands shot up to meet their respective boxes and the lids closed neatly over their other halves. With another wave, the boxes zoomed towards the shelves lining the cramped shop, placing themselves snugly between their brethren.

“Merlin’s beard! That’s incredibly advanced Miss, and term hasn’t even started! Wise beyond your years, a fitting owner for a wand of beech wood. Jolly good!” Exclaimed Mr. Ollivander.

Minkyung felt her heart swell with pride. She had never seen Yewon look happier. Hearing the jingle of coins in a pouch, Yewon skipped over to Minkyung and received seven gold Galleons. Minkyung ushered her sister back towards the center of the shop. Mr. Ollivander bent down to Yewon’s height and presented her with her new wand packed in its elegant box.

“Here you are, Miss Kim,” he said cheerfully.

“Thank you, Mr. Ollivander,” she squeaked adorably and dropped the coins into his hands.

Yewon held the box gently but securely, as if nestling a precious egg. She began walking towards the door, expecting Minkyung to follow.

“Miss Kim, I feel the need to apologize again,” Mr. Ollivander said with a sad smile.

Minkyung shook her head. “You really don’t have to, Sir. I’m getting used to it. Have a good day.” She waved and opened the door.

Just as she stepped over the threshold, something crashed into her. Minkyung couldn’t see anything at first. Panning her eyes down, she saw a small girl sitting at her feet. They blinked owlishly at each other before Minkyung helped the girl up. She looked to be about Yewon’s age, but only came up to chest level. Minkyung often forgot how much her growth spurt had put her above other children. Not that she was around other children much.

“Oh my God, Yebin!”

Minkyung saw someone scurrying over. Surprisingly, it was a girl about the same height as her.

“I’m so sorry about that. My sister’s just super excited to get her wand,” said the newcomer.

“No worries, I understand.” But not really. Minkyung put that thought aside and smiled.

“Come on! I’m going to buy you a birthday sundae! With mum’s money!” Called Yewon from the front of Fortescue’s renovated ice cream parlour.

Minkyung gave a thumbs up then held the door open to Ollivanders.

“Thank you!” Said the tiny girl called Yebin. Minkyung nodded.

“Thanks,” said the girl’s sister, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Minkyung couldn’t help but think this girl possessed an undeniably alluring quality. She wasn’t part Veela, was she? But did Veela magic work on other females? Minkyung snapped her head up when she noticed the girl was still talking to her.

“Sorry?” Minkyung coughed awkwardly. She thought the airy laughter was as pretty as its owner. Wait, what?

“I said, happy birthday.”

“Oh, t-thanks,” said Minkyung, still in a daze. She didn’t think she should be this elated over a stranger wishing her happy birthday.

“I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you.” Minkyung could have sworn she received a wink.

“Come on, I want a chocolate scoop on your sundae!” Said Yewon excitedly, tugging on her sister’s sleeve.

Minkyung laughed at how Yewon was taking this opportunity to eat her honorary dessert.

~|~|~|~

There was an unusual blockage of patrons crammed between the three bookshelves on cooking and baking. Then again, it was summer. People probably wanted to get some barbecue parties going before everyone left for vacation, or had no vacation left.

Minkyung bypassed the congested area and made a beeline for the gardening section. She plucked out two thick hardcover books. One was on various flowering plants of Great Britain. The other described the most common aquatic flora in Europe. She then strolled a few aisles down, skipping the hunting section. Two more books on vertebrates and invertebrates joined the stack in her arms.

“Doing some light reading?” Said the librarian brightly while sorting the shelves.

“Just a bit,” grinned Minkyung. “I can’t seem to find the one I had over the weekend, though.”

“Was it about the medicinal uses of herbs and bones in indigenous tribes across the world?”

Minkyung’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s exactly the one!”

“Here you go. Someone’s just returned it.” The librarian handed over the book leaning on the cart with a smile. “I saw you reading it over in the corner by yourself. You’re here quite often.”

“I, um, try to learn as much as possible on my own. This library has a fantastic collection,” said Minkyung shyly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“I don’t recall any student being this avid about reading. I honestly thought you had a school project to do over the summer,” said the librarian, straightening a pair of bookends. “Most other kids your age would rather play outside or go to the mall. Get some coffee that’s loaded with sugar to feel somewhat mature, yet still have a tasty drink,” she laughed.

Minkyung shrugged but kept a polite smile on her face. “I don’t really have anyone to play with. And I wish I had a school project to do. I wonder what it’s like,” she mumbled.

“Oh, are you homeschooled?” Asked the librarian.

“Sort of,” said Minkyung hesitantly. There was only so much she could learn at her house.

“You were wearing the school colors over the weekend, I thought you attended there. My bad.”

“It’s alright. But, what school are you talking about?” Said Minkyung slowly, genuinely intrigued. She didn’t know whether or not to feel guilty for asking.

“Berkshire Academy, just down the block. It’s the only one in the district.” If the woman found Minkyung’s lack of knowledge about the area odd, she didn’t show it.

“What’s the school like?” Minkyung pressed on in a casual tone.

“It’s a lovely place. My own daughters went there. They have great academic programs. Their fine arts department isn’t half bad either. Very high retention rates,” babbled the librarian happily.

Minkyung glanced down at the stack of books in her arms. Her chances couldn’t possibly get worse. She spent enough of her days holed up in her room. It was time to get her hands dirty.

“Would you like me to check those out for you, dear?”

Minkyung left the library with five new books in her bag and a leaflet in her hands.

~|~|~|~

“Attention everyone! There’s a syllabus and homework schedule being passed around now. I assume everyone has their books already?”

The class groaned in response. Several students were sweating profusely despite all of the windows being open. Minkyung was lucky enough to get a desk in a shaded corner.

“Wonderful,” said the teacher, mustering up some enthusiasm. “Take five or so minutes to introduce yourselves to your desk partner. You will be working together for the rest of term. When you are done, you may begin Activity One in your manual.”

Minkyung quirked her head to the side. Her new teacher was rather short and had a cheerful, somewhat squeaky tone. He reminded her of a professor she met at one of her parents’ dinner parties. The sudden buzz of conversation brought her back to the present. She raised her hand.

“Sir, I don’t have a partner.” She pointed at the empty seat on her left.

“That’s odd, I have a full roster. Ah, I see who’s missing. Well, would you like to work with—“

The classroom door creaked open, revealing a frazzled girl panting with her hands on her knees. Some of the students at the front waved and chortled. The girl whispered her greetings bashfully, then walked to the back of the room in about four long strides.

“Sorry I’m late, Sir,” she huffed.

“It’s quite alright, but do try to be punctual in the future. Miss Kim here will get you up to speed.”

Minkyung watched the teacher hop away to oversee a rather boisterous group of students. She turned to face her new desk-mate. Seeing who it was, her eyes widened and her jaw fell open.

“I’m sorry, I hope you weren’t waiting long. I’m usually on time. Are we doing Activity One? He always starts with the manual.” The girl spoke so rapidly while shuffling through her bag for her workbook that Minkyung couldn’t respond, even if she wasn’t in shock. “Oh, we haven’t done introductions yet. I’m—”

The girl finally looked up and, as Minkyung expected, froze just as she did.

“So we have met before,” muttered Minkyung.

The girl’s lips stretched into a broad grin with two perfect rows of white teeth. “How was your birthday sundae?”

Minkyung mirrored her expression. “Couldn’t tell you. My sister left nothing but the cherries.”

The girl threw her head back in laughter. For some reason, Minkyung felt the need to savor this moment. The sun filtering in from the screened windows hit the girl at just the right angle, making her brown hair glow golden.

“So, does Miss Kim have a first name?” The girl asked, completely disregarding the assignment.

“Minkyung.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Minkyung. I’m Kyungwon.”

~|~|~|~

“So when is your usual punctuality going to kick in?”

“Very… Funny…”

“Oh, come here.”

Minkyung fussed with Kyungwon’s tie and blazer while the girl attempted to tame her own windswept hair. Term started a month ago and Kyungwon was reliably late at least twice a week. No matter how many times the girl skidded into the room, panted an apology through the door crack, or crept in the back, their teacher would always tell her to be more punctual in the future. Minkyung assumed by the tone of his voice that this was a regular occurrence. Kyungwon enlightened her that this was pretty much routine for the past three years in his homeroom. The apologies and exasperated replies were more of a formality at this point.

“There.” Minkyung fastened the final knot in the tie and straightened it out.

“Thanks,” whispered Kyungwon.

Minkyung’s hands froze for a fraction of a second. Her eyes flickered up to Kyungwon’s, whose voice sounded awfully close. The girl was wearing her signature grin. Her breathing seemed unusually calm for someone who just ran to her seat. Minkyung, on the other hand, had stopped breathing completely. She cleared awkwardly, let go of the tie, and fixed her eyes on the board. But she would have bet ten Galleons Kyungwon was smirking at her from the side.

An hour later, the bell rang and crowds of students flooded the corridors. Minkyung packed up her notes and walked out of the room with Kyungwon in tow.

“At least we don’t have chemistry first period. Imagine you bursting into the lab and someone squeezing a pipette of acid in surprise,” sighed Minkyung with her arms crossed.

“Aw, you care about me getting burned?” Cooed Kyungwon teasingly, prodding Minkyung’s arm.

“Do you hear yourself when you speak? Of course I’d care,” muttered Minkyung, trying to sound like a nagging mother rather than a worried nutter. “Why are you always late anyway?”

“I’m not a morning person,” Kyungwon shrugged.

“Five minutes. If you just woke up five minutes earlier, you wouldn’t hyperventilate next to me every Monday and Thursday.”

“You’ve already learned my habits. Am I that distracting?” Kyungwon winked.

Minkyung didn’t answer. Her ears were already pink. Thankfully, they were hidden by her black hair. But she didn’t need her whole face burning, especially not in front of Kyungwon Kang.

They entered the room and walked to their bench, stowing their belongings in the cabinet underneath. Minkyung crossed the room to grab two pairs of sanitized goggles. When she returned, Kyungwon was holding open a lab coat like a gentlewoman.

Minkyung couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face. “Thanks,” she said and slipped her arms into the coat sleeves.

To return the gesture, Minkyung gently pulled a pair of goggles over Kyungwon’s eyes. As punishment for being late that morning, she snapped the strap around the back of Kyungwon’s head. She sniffed with sadistic pleasure and set up their equipment. Once class officially started, Kyungwon knew not to mess around. She wasn’t the greatest at chemistry, but she followed Minkyung’s instructions well. After fifteen minutes of recording the mass of this powder and measuring the volume of that liquid, they set a time for their boiling apparatus.

Minkyung leaned back in her chair and stared at the bubbling beaker thoughtfully. She supposed this wasn’t all too different. It was a bit more work, but much cleaner. The corner of her lips twitched as she thought of her sister. Yewon might just as well be allocating spoonfuls of Flobberworm mucus into her cauldron at that very moment. And here Minkyung was, simply boiling a test tube in a water bath.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Kyungwon’s voice broke through the comfortable silence.

Minkyung turned her head to the left where Kyungwon was fiddling with a glass stirrer. In thinking of Yewon, she remembered something she had been meaning to ask Kyungwon. She leaned closer and so did her lab partner. “Are you a witch?”

Kyungwon tilted her head. “You get straight to the point, don’t you?” She grinned. “Well, seeing as I’m here with you, that’s a big fat no.”

“Then, are you a—”

“Muggle,” Kyungwon nodded. “Just plain ol’ me. No sparks, no pizzazz,” she said quietly, brandishing the glass stirrer like a wand with a cheeky smile.

Minkyung paused. That wasn’t what she was going to say. But either way, she confirmed Kyungwon’s background.

“I assume you’re also one?” Asked Kyungwon casually, setting down the stirrer before it broke.

Minkyung’s eyes shifted back to the beaker. “Sort of.”

“Sort of? Either you are or you aren’t. If you are, I don’t see why you wouldn’t go there.”

“I, um, can’t,” said Minkyung uneasily.

“Really?” Said Kyungwon curiously, not noticing anything odd. “Is something tying you down?”

“Yeah…” Kyungwon stared at Minkyung until she continued. “I’m… I’m a Squib.”

“A squid? Fascinating powers you have. Where do you hide your tentacles?”

Minkyung couldn’t tell if Kyungwon was joking or not. The girl searched Minkyung’s hair as if tentacles would suddenly tumble out from under a wig. Minkyung slapped her hands away.

“Not a squid! A Squib,” she emphasized while trying to whisper.

Kyungwon looked back at her innocently. “So what’s the significance of the reversed letter?”

Minkyung blinked. Right, a Muggle wouldn’t know. She inhaled sharply, for this felt like a confession of her deepest, darkest secrets. “I have a wizarding family but don’t possess any magic of my own.” She held her breath and shut her eyes, waiting for the barrage of ridicule.

“Huh,” hummed Kyungwon. “So you’re like the opposite of my sister. Muggle family and she’s the first one to get the letter.”

Minkyung was still waiting.

“Wanna get coffee after school?”

“What?” Said Minkyung dumbly. Where were the derisive guffaws? The hissed insults?

“Coffee.” Kyungwon curled her fingers into air quotes. “You know, drinks that are half ice, half syrup so that teens our age can feel slightly mature but not have to drink disgusting espresso brews?” Said Kyungwon, bobbing the thermometer up and down in the beaker of hot water.

Minkyung blinked. Right, a Muggle wouldn’t know what a Squib was, nor would they care. She smiled, her heart feeling lighter than ever. “I think the reaction’s done.” She pulled out the test tube with a pair of tongs and inserted it into a cooling rack. When she looked up at Kyungwon to discuss the next step in the procedure, she found her friend grinning back at her.

~|~|~|~

Minkyung bounded down the stairs, her hair straight and her skirt perfectly pleated. She strolled into the kitchen and sat down at the table where her mother was buttering some toast.

“Good morning, dear,” said her mother cheerfully.

“Morning, mum and dad,” said Minkyung, her eyes curving into crescents.

“Happy Halloween!”

Minkyung laughed as her father flicked his wand upwards and three strips of crispy bacon flipped over in a pan. He waved his wand over the stove and a pile of bat-shaped pancakes piled themselves onto a platter, which floated to the table. Minkyung served two to her mother, placed two on her father’s empty plate, then took the last two for herself. She closed her eyes to savor the sweet cinnamon flavor. Her father’s cooking was the best, especially during a holiday.

“Honey, your sister sent you an owl this morning,” said her mother, folding up the Daily Prophet.

Minkyung scarfed down her breakfast and hurried to the back porch where their family owl usually dropped off the post. She slipped off the card tied to the top of the package.

Minkyung,

I hope you’re having fun at school! I can’t wait to come home for the winter holidays and talk about what you’ve been doing. Classes have been great for me. Except for History of Magic. I know I promised mum and dad that I’d do well, but I’ve fallen asleep at least three times in that class. On the other hand, Potions is fantastic! Professor Slughorn says I’m a natural. I’ll tell you more about it later. Here are some treats the upperclassmen in my house put out in the common room. They’re from Honeydukes. I got as much of your favorites as I could, but a few of them escaped. Happy Halloween! I’ll see you in December.

With love, Yewon

Minkyung beamed at no one and took the package up to her room. She stowed the card safely in a box designated for anything her sister gave her. Then she sifted through the package and laid out an array of sweets across her desk. Not a bad haul, thought Minkyung appreciatively. There were some pastries, bubble gum, sherbet balls, jelly beans, and spun sugar.

“Yewon, you are my savior,” groaned Minkyung in satisfaction.

She pulled out a neatly arranged set of twelve Chocolate Frogs. Brushing aside her near obsessive need for the sweet, she marveled at Yewon’s thoughtfulness. Her sister had made sure each box had a different Chocolate Frog Card, all of which Minkyung did not have in her collection yet. She always suspected Yewon drank Memory Potions as an infant.

The clock on the wall chimed and said, “Better get crackin’, time’s a wastin’!”

Minkyung stuffed some of everything and the box of jelly beans into the pocket on the inner lining of her bag. Her mother had put an Extension Charm on it as Minkyung was rather attached to this bag, though it didn’t hold much else besides her notebooks and pencils.

With a wave to her parents, she was out the door. She came to the edge of a forest and stepped between two large boulders. A path revealed itself every few feet she traveled while it disappeared behind her. When she came to the opposite side of the forest, she stopped to let a car pass then stepped out into the open area. She walked for ten minutes along a sidewalk before pausing at the gates to her school.

Minkyung squinted ahead of her. “Kyungwon?”

The girl spun on her heels at the sound of her name and waved Minkyung over.

“You’re early,” said Minkyung in disbelief.

“Are you proud of me?” Said Kyungwon cheekily, nudging Minkyung with her shoulder.

“For once,” said Minkyung brightly and she walked briskly towards the front doors.

“I knew you— Wait. What did you say?” Kyungwon ran after Minkyung, who was already inside.

“Happy Halloween,” smiled Minkyung as she leaned against the locker by Kyungwon’s. On the days she wasn’t literally running to school late, Kyungwon forgot her textbook in her locker and arrived in her seat exactly on time. She was always huffing and puffing though.

“Hallow’s Eve,” Kyungwon corrected, wriggling her eyebrows in superiority.

Minkyung rolled her eyes playfully. “Whatever.”

“Are you doing anything tonight?” Asked Kyungwon.

“Uh, n-no,” stuttered Minkyung, caught off-guard by the sudden question.

“Come over,” said Kyungwon, pulling out her trigonometry textbook and graphing calculator.

“Over where?”

Kyungwon snorted before dropping her smile at Minkyung’s confused expression. “Seriously?”

“What?” Questioned Minkyung.

“Come over to my house, silly. It’s Friday, let’s hang out. My parents are going to a Halloween party with some colleagues. They’ll probably talk about taxes or whatever adults do for fun. What’s with the look? You don’t want to?” Kyungwon furrowed her eyebrows at Minkyung’s unnaturally blank face.

“I’ve never been invited to anyone’s house before.” Minkyung wanted to slap herself for how pathetic she sounded. But strangely, her friend’s appalled expression was uplifting.

“Why wouldn’t anyone invite you over? You’re awesome,” scoffed Kyungwon.

Minkyung rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “You live around wizards long enough, children start getting antsy if you don’t prove you have magic. They don’t like Squibs much.”

“Who cares about those losers? If they won’t get to know you, they’re not worth your precious brain power. Now the important matter at hand is, will you come over?” Said Kyungwon.

Minkyung smiled. Kyungwon always had the ability make Minkyung’s wayward view of life appear right-side up. But noticing all of the passing students glancing at Kyungwon, she thought of something. “Don’t you have a party you would like to go to?”

“Me?” Kyungwon asked incredulously. “Not that I know of. Why?”

Minkyung shrugged. “You’re, um, kind of popular around here. I would’ve thought…”

“Meh, those kinds of social events aren’t really my thing. Too many people, too little space. Teenage hormones pumped up with EDM mixes? I’ll pass. So, my house. Yea or nay?”

“Hmm…” Minkyung pretended to think hard as if she were deciphering tea leaf omens.

“Oh, come on,” Kyungwon whined, pulling and pushing on Minkyung’s arm like a child.

“I guess I’ll come,” Minkyung sighed dramatically, then burst out laughing when Kyungwon did a jig in the middle of the corridor.

The day flew by. Chemistry was fun as their teacher had them make a strange substance that acted like a liquid but possessed some solid properties when exerted under pressure. Every group used different food coloring. Kyungwon threatened to smother goo all over Minkyung’s hair. Minkyung nonchalantly offered to stuff some up Kyungwon’s nostrils. Their giggles melded harmoniously as they exited the lab, all goo in a plastic bag, their hair and nostrils clean.

For lunch, the cafeteria served a choice of pudding with Halloween themed sprinkles, or orange, green, and purple dyed apple sauce. Minkyung was about to take the green apple sauce, but Kyungwon advised her to keep away from the desserts and shoved half of her homemade peach strudel into Minkyung’s hand without another word. Minkyung was confused, but followed Kyungwon outside to a stone bench and shared her Pumpkin Pasties from Yewon’s package.

Trigonometry put a slight damper on Kyungwon’s afternoon. She didn’t care for it much and always asked during group work why anyone would need it practically. Minkyung couldn’t answer. She didn’t grow up thinking math was a core subject. Nevertheless, she picked it up at an alarming rate upon enrolling at Berkshire and helped Kyungwon with the worksheet as usual.

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of their history lesson, Minkyung stretched out her long arms and yawned. If Yewon’s history class was this boring, she felt sorry for her sister.

“Come on! Let’s go,” said Kyungwon, dragging out the last word and shaking Minkyung’s arm in the air. She already had her bag packed and for once, her seat was pushed in.

Minkyung pushed her chair out and made a show of stretching her long legs too. Then she cracked each of her knuckles and cricked her neck on both sides. She stood up slowly, pushed her chair in so that it dragged along the tiled floor, fixed her skirt which didn’t need fixing, and placed her notebook and pencils into her bag one by one. When she turned around, she had to stifle her laugh. Kyungwon was tapping her foot impatiently and had her arms crossed.

“You’re such a troll,” pouted Kyungwon.

“Excuse me? I am not!” Minkyung replied in an affronted tone.

Kyungwon’s foot stilled in mid-tap. “Wait, are those legit? It’s slang in Muggle lingo. Sorry.”

“Is it? A troll to me is a foul beast with nearly nonexistent intelligence and a stench as big and bold as its twelve-foot figure,” explained Minkyung.

“Ew.” Kyungwon scrunched up her nose as they walked towards the front gate. “Well, I guess that’s accurate for a Muggle troll, just on the inside. Eh, some are that on the outside too.”

And again, Kyungwon had managed to turn something absolutely horrid into a lighthearted joke. “Can we change the topic?” Minkyung said, crinkling her own nose in amusement.

Kyungwon linked her arm with Minkyung’s and led the way to her house down curvy residential streets. “What do you want to do at my place?”

“I have some treats. My sister sent them from school. I think you’ll have fun with those.”

“Ooh, are they enchanted?” Probed Kyungwon with interest.

“Yeah. You’ll see,” grinned Minkyung. “Other than that, I don’t know what to do. What do Muggles usually do for fun?”

“We could watch a movie. Or play some video games. I’ve got a nice stash to choose from.”

“Do you usually do those things with your friends?” Asked Minkyung. Kyungwon just titled her head in response. “All those people you talk to at school.”

“Oh,” said Kyungwon, frowning slightly. “They’re not really friends. I mean they’re nice and all, but we’re more like acquaintances. Just people I know from school and would say hi to, but I wouldn’t really say we’re close.”

Now that Minkyung thought about it, Kyungwon greeted a lot of people at school, but she never stuck around them.

“Not like you and me,” added Kyungwon with a shining grin that contrasted with the autumn leaves fluttering to the ground around them.

Minkyung smiled unconsciously and trained her eyes on the sidewalk. She noticed their feet stepped in sync and their arms were still locked tightly at the elbows.

In no time, they had reached Kyungwon’s house, a simple two-story building with modern decor. They settled on the floor of her bedroom where Minkyung pulled out the various wizarding sweets from the hidden pocket in her bag. Kyungwon reached for the striped box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

“A risk with every mouthful,” read Kyungwon. “Marmalade, coffee, salmon, tripe, lawn clippings? Gosh this sounds like an intense Bean Boozled.”

“Is that the Muggle equivalent?” Minkyung unwrapped a sweet and held it in front of Kyungwon, who bit off a portion of the spun sugar, before taking a bite herself.

“Oh, I like that one,” said Kyungwon, eyeing the Sugar Quill. “And yeah. Basically you have beans that look alike and you don’t know if it tastes good or bad. But I don’t reckon I’ve ever tried earwax. We’ll save that for punishment bets.” She set the box aside.

Kyungwon inspected a box of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, which Minkyung suggested she try. They opened the box and chewed a square each. A minute later, Kyungwon’s bedroom was filled with bluebell bubbles. Minkyung said they wouldn’t pop for days, but Kyungwon thought it was funny and took a picture. She’d send it to her sister at Hogwarts.

Next they opened a pack of Fizzing Whizzbees. Minkyung didn’t bother explaining its rumored origins from Billywigs. She just said they would make Kyungwon float a few inches off the ground. Intrigued, Kyungwon popped a sherbet ball into and her levitated above the carpet. Tipped off balance, she flung her limbs out as if she were crashing to the floor and instead rose higher. Minkyung grabbed onto her ankle while laughing heartily. Once Kyungwon made herself vertical, she was tall enough to push off the ceiling with her hands and bounce back down whenever she floated too high. Eventually, the effect wore off. 

“These are my favorite,” said Minkyung. “My sister scrounged some up for me.”

Kyungwon smiled at Minkyung staring appreciatively at the arrangement of pentagonal chocolate boxes. Kyungwon mentally engraved every detail of the scene.

“These are Chocolate Frogs. They really hop.” Minkyung opened one of the lids and the chocolate sprung to life, literally bounding out of the box and into Kyungwon’s hand.

“How am I supposed to eat this now?” Kyungwon whined. She was both amazed at the enchanted treat and put off by its striking similarity to a real frog.

“You get used to the idea that it’s just charmed candy. But if you feel uncomfortable, put it back in the box and the magic will wear off after a while.”

“What are those?” Kyungwon nodded at Minkyung’s hands while locking her frog in its box.

“Chocolate Frog Cards.” Minkyung splayed them out on the carpet. “All of them have pictures and descriptions of famous witches and wizards. Some of them have defeated dark—I mean criminals, others have come up with novel potions and spells.”

Kyungwon picked up a card. “Alberic Grunnion. Inventor of the Dungbomb,” she read. “Well, that’s elegant. A true contribution to the world if I ever saw one.”

Minkyung chuckled, then continued discussing the extent of her current card collection. Kyungwon again felt the unfamiliar urge to stay silent. Minkyung looked so happy and carefree babbling on about which card was her favorite and which was valued more, or which ones she kept in mint condition. She started listing extra facts that weren’t included in the descriptions. And in her excitement, the cards fluttered out of her hand and mixed in with the mountain piled on the floor. She seemed so innocent. Kyungwon wanted to preserve that forever.

“You’re such a nerd,” she giggled affectionately, more to herself.

Minkyung stopped rambling, but her smile grew the longer she stared at Kyungwon. Finally, she broke the silence. “Look who’s calling the cauldron black.”

Kyungwon glanced over to her own treasured collection of video games. “I’m a geek, not a nerd. And neither of those equate to dork. Learn the difference,” she tutted jokingly. She stood up and plucked a case out of the neat row. “Allow me to show you the ways of Super Smash Bros.”

For the next hour, Kyungwon showed Minkyung how to choose and control characters. She demonstrated the various moves, attacks, and jumps each one could perform. She spit fire rapping the names of the characters she unlocked thus far. In the first few matches, Kyungwon won easily since Minkyung just button mashed. But later on it was evident she was losing on purpose. Minkyung didn’t say anything.

“Cloud is the OG, I don’t care what anyone says.”

“If you say so,” chuckled Minkyung and she clicked the button to choose Cloud as her avatar.

They fought what seemed like a legitimate match until Kyungwon started narrating it with enthusiasm. Minkyung thought she resembled the Quidditch commentators at the World Cup. With a quick glance to her right, Minkyung saw Kyungwon’s profile lit up by the TV screen. Her eyes were wide and attentive. Her cheekbones were showing. She had her signature grin slapped onto her face and Minkyung thought there was nothing she could do at that moment to wipe it off, not that she would. Doing what she loved seemed to bring out the liveliness in Kyungwon. Minkyung had the urge to preserve that forever.

“I love spending time with you,” said Kyungwon out of nowhere. “There’s nobody quite like you.”

They beamed at each other, their hearts swelling with emotions unrealized, not caring that their characters kept falling into oblivion. All that mattered was they were happy being them, together.

~|~|~|~

“Are you sure you can’t come over?”

“I’m on babysitting duty too. Besides, didn’t you always say you should meet new people? Here’s your chance!”

“But this is so awkward! I didn’t want my little sister to set me up with friends.”

“Yeah well, your sister sounds like an angel compared to my gremlin.”

“Maybe we should set them up.”

“And taint your sister’s pure mind? Fine, but it’s on you.”

Minkyung glanced towards the imposing door from the living room couch. She pushed her phone to her ear. “Help me.”

“You’re being dramatic. You. Not me, you. Do you see how serious this is if I’m saying that?” Came Kyungwon’s frantic muffled voice through the receiver.

Minkyung stared at the ceiling. “I know you’re holding back a laugh,” she deadpanned. She yanked the phone away from her ear as cackling filled the empty room. “Are you done?”

“Aha! I’m, heh, I’m sorry. Ahem. Really, I am. But come on, it’s just a little get-together. You said your sister’s friend’s sister’s pet dragon’s cousin-in-law twice removed was around your age. And you’re all wizarding folk. You’ve got to have something in common.”

Minkyung rolled her eyes but cracked a smile. “It stops at just my sister’s friend’s sister. Anyway, I’m a Squib, remember? I’ve got as much in common with them as Kirby the Hedgehog does.”

“How dare you. You have failed me, my pupil. It’s Kirby, and Sonic the Hedgehog. At least you grew up with magical whosits and whatsits galore. And I know you’re smiling because I’m right.”

Minkyung’s smile grew wider. “Shut up,” she laughed.

The doorbell rang and Minkyung’s smile dropped. She felt anxiety pool in the pit of her stomach.

“Relax,” said Kyungwon, assuming why Minkyung had fallen silent. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure your sister has great taste in friends. Their sister will probably embrace you and your Squibbiness just like I do. Alright?” She said soothingly.

With a deep breath, Minkyung said, “Alright. Wish me luck.”

She ended the call with a heavy heart and glanced towards the hallway. Yewon should’ve been darting down the stairs by now to greet her friend. Steeling herself to be social and polite, she pushed herself off the couch and answered the door.

Minkyung had a split second to see the silhouette of a tall figure before her vision was blinded by long, brown hair in perfect waves. This person obviously had no conception of personal space. When Minkyung didn’t hug them back, they tightened their grip. Minkyung stiffened. She knew those bony wrists digging into her shoulder blades anywhere.

“Nayoung?!” Minkyung gasped, putting the stranger at arm's length to see their face clearly.

The tall girl grinned and wiggled her slender fingers in the air. “Long time, no see.”

~|~|~|~

Kyungwon hung up her phone and shoved it in her pocket. “Yebin, do you know where we’re going? I’ve never been to this part of town before, and I’m kinda running low on data for GPS.”

“We’re almost there. I’m sure of it,” said the shorter girl in the adjoining seat.

“How?” Asked Kyungwon skeptically. They had boarded the bus half an hour ago.

Yebin held up a finger to her lips and glanced down at her open palm, hidden from the other passengers. The arrows of a small compass whizzed around as the bus kept driving. But instead of tick marks indicating the cardinal directions, this compass had labels such as “Turn Right,” “Veer Left,” “Wrong Way,” and “Keep Going.” The minor arrow currently pointed at “U-turn.” Kyungwon looked out the window and sure enough, the bus made a u-turn and continued down a one-way street. The arrow whizzed back to join the major arrow under “Keep Going.”

“A gift from your friend?” Said Kyungwon, impressed.

Yebin looked down at the compass with even more fervor. “She’s absolutely brilliant. She made this by herself and we’re not even halfway to our O.W.L. year.”

“So while you guys are prancing around showering glitter everywhere—”

“We’re not supposed to… you know, outside of school. We’re not of age,” whispered Yebin.

“Oh. But still, what am I supposed to do? My phone’s battery will only last me so many V Lives.”

“Stop fawning over idols on the other side of the world and get some friends.”

“Gremlin,” muttered Kyungwon.

“Thankfully, I, the almighty Yebin, care about you becoming an old cat lady,” said Yebin grandly.

Kyungwon slowly turned to look at her sister. “Please don’t tell me you set me up on a playdate.”

“… I set you up on a playdate,” grinned Yebin sheepishly.

Kyungwon thumped her head against the seat’s head rest. Wherefore art thou Minkyung?

~|~|~|~

“What’s that?” Nayoung pointed at Minkyung’s hand.

“It’s a cell phone. Muggles use them to talk to each other over long distances. You can use your voice or write a message. Not by parchment and owl, but by electronic buttons on the screen.”

“Do you have a lot of contacts?” Nayoung tried snatching the phone out of Minkyung’s hand.

“No,” said Minkyung, holding Nayoung’s arm away. “Just one.”

“Ah, that peppy girl you wrote to me about,” said Nayoung. “Did she buy you that phone?”

Minkyung winced at Nayoung’s staccato, monotonous voice reminiscent of a typewriter. But she knew it was unintentional. That was just Nayoung’s diction. It still sounded disapproving though. “Her name is Kyungwon, but yes, it’s her. And she did since we don’t have such things.”

“She’s the one who talks constantly and teases you, but you can’t be mad at her for longer than five minutes, you can’t stop smiling around her, and you get all shy when she’s close.”

“Must you tick those off on your fingers like they’re charges for a crime I committed?” Minkyung pulled Nayoung’s wrist down, making the swing chains creak. She ignored the chuckles.

“I wanted to ask, but it was random to put in a letter. Is she part Veela? She has you wrapped around her finger.” Nayoung’s grin irked Minkyung, though she could never be mad at her either.

“She’s not part Veela, just insanely beautiful.” Minkyung slapped her hands over as soon as the words left her lips.

Nayoung’s expression was so gleeful, Minkyung didn’t think she’d ever seen so much emotion on the stone’s face. She rolled her eyes, waiting for the teasing to come.

“When are you going to ask her out?”

Minkyung shook her head, positive that her ears were clogged with Wrackspurts. “Come again?” She squeaked.

“You obviously like her. A lot. And you said she knows quite a few people at your school. She might not spend time with them like she does with you, but that doesn’t mean they can’t ask her out and start spending time with her. Shouldn’t you tell her before it’s too late?” Asked Nayoung seriously, though with an air of comfort.

“I’ve… I’ve never…” Minkyung didn’t even know what to say.

“You’ve never even said it aloud to yourself, have you?” Nayoung sighed.

Minkyung knew Nayoung didn’t need an answer, but forced her head to shake anyway.

Nayoung stared at the side of Minkyung’s head. “It’s been what, two years? You’re quick on the uptake of all things Muggle, yet you won’t do this?”

“Preteens, teenagers, whatever we were or are. It’s puppy love. A crush,” moaned Minkyung, burying her face in her hands out of embarrassment. Why were they talking about this?

“But is it?” Nayoung’s tone grew more serious if that was even possible. “You can say a lot of relationships don’t work out when you’re young. But you know better than anybody how you feel. Do you honestly believe it’s nothing? That it’ll fizzle out to a platonic friendship?”

“Ugh! I can’t just spring this on her. What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey Kyungwon, I’ve had feelings for you since I saw you in Diagon Alley.’ Yeah, that’ll bode well,” grumbled Minkyung.

“Is it so terrifying to just ask? I’m sure she won’t abandon you,” wondered Nayoung.

“Rejection is terrifying! How can I deal with my best friend knowing I like her and telling me she doesn’t feel the same? It’ll ruin everything.”

“Ruin is a rather strong verb, no?” Nayoung winced under Minkyung’s withering gaze.

“Team Captain Im, star Chaser, prefect and shoo-in for Head Girl with your ten O.W.L.s. Has anyone ever asked you out at Hogwarts?” Asked Minkyung with a controlled voice.

“Uh, yes,” Nayoung answered tentatively. She was weirded out by how similar Minkyung sounded like Professor McGonagall.

“Pray tell, how did your admirers react when you rejected them with that stony visage of yours?”

“Well, they— Oh.” Nayoung’s face defaulted to said stony visage.

“Oh?” Minkyung prompted sarcastically.

“They cried in the toilets until Myrtle burst the pipes out of joy from others’ misery,” said Nayoung as if she was reading from a script and doing a horrible job at sounding natural.

“And those are people who have never spoken to you before. Kyungwon’s more important to me than some deranged fan!”

“There’s no reason to be rude to random Hogwarts students. But fine, I see your point.”

Nayoung relented, but still thought Minkyung should be honest with herself. A girl like her had good chances of be accepted. And if this Kyungwon person was just as breathtaking inside and out as Minkyung claimed, Nayoung didn’t think she would reject Minkyung cold-heartedly.

“Minkyung! Nayoung! My friend and her sister are here! You should come meet them!”

Nayoung watched as Minkyung slapped on a bright smile and called back to Yewon, even though the girl couldn’t see them. Minkyung always wanted to be a pillar of support and happiness to Yewon. In Nayoung’s opinion, Minkyung deserved one of her own. Kyungwon seemed like the perfect candidate. But it wasn’t Nayoung’s place to convince this stranger.

“Let’s go. As awkward as you are, you boulder, both of us standing there awkwardly might somehow make it less awkward,” sighed Minkyung nonsensically, standing up from her swing.

“And yet, my gut tells me I’m going to be the awkward third wheel…”

Minkyung furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and followed Nayoung’s line of sight to the back porch. She hopped on her toes in surprise.

“I don’t think it’s safe to dispose of Muggle electronics here,” said Nayoung, though her voice sounded very distant. She picked up Minkyung’s phone from the grass and held it by the corner apprehensively, unsure of how to handle it. Its owner, however, couldn’t care less.

“K-Kyungwon,” whispered Minkyung.

For all Nayoung knew, Minkyung’s voice boomed across the yard as the taller of the two newcomers dashed forward and lifted Minkyung up by the waist. Nayoung was surprised once the girl set Minkyung down. All three of them seemed to be the same height, which was very tall.

“What are you doing here?” Said Minkyung breathlessly.

Kyungwon grinned. “What are the chances? My gremlin set me up on a playdate without telling me. As it turns out, our sisters are best friends at Hogwarts and wanted to introduce us.”

Minkyung was dumbfounded. She didn’t know whether to laugh or wheeze on the ground in meaningless tears. And after that whole talk with Nayoung, her emotions were a wreck.

A creak from the swing set alerted Kyungwon to the presence of another girl. “Oh, hello! I’m Kyungwon, Minkyung’s friend and Yebin’s older sister. Pleasure to meet you!”

“I get second mention?” Yebin shouted across the yard. Kyungwon waved her off.

Nayoung’s lips curved into a small smile. “Pleasure. The name’s Nayoung. I’m a childhood friend of Minkyung and Yewon.” She shook Kyungwon’s hand, but felt the girl’s grip tighten briefly at the last words. Nayoung tried to come up with something to relieve the tiny bit of tension she sensed. “I go to school with those two rascals,” she nodded at Yewon and Yebin.

Kyungwon’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. This was unusual, especially while Minkyung was around. The bulging muscle by Kyungwon’s lower jaw told the observant Nayoung that much.

“Rascals?” Minkyung asked, bemused. Nayoung had always called Yewon a baby saint.

“The number of times Yebin set Peeves off for fun. And poor Yewon gets dragged along in her plans. You know, I found them raiding the kitchens after hours,” said Nayoung, eyeing the pair. It was all true, but she harbored no ill feelings towards the young witches.

Minkyung’s laugh was overwhelmed by Kyungwon’s softer chuckle. Nayoung could hear the difference. It wasn’t chipper like her initial greeting nor hearty as Minkyung described it when Kyungwon would carry out her usual antics. It was strained, just barely. Nayoung then realized her mistake. She spoke of something that excluded Kyungwon. How could she backtrack?

“Hey, Kyungwon.” Nayoung bit her lip, unsure if this would work but tried anyway. “I’m really glad I can finally meet you. Minkyung told me loads about you. It makes me feel better that she has someone to lean on since Yewon and I are away for most of the year.”

“Really?” Kyungwon looked from Nayoung to her friend, who remained silent.

Minkyung’s cheeks were reddening? Check. Kyungwon’s well-hidden suspicious gaze turned into one of pleasant surprise? Check. Now to ease into something lighthearted.

“I remember her mentioning you started your own Chocolate Frog Card collection. I brought a bunch from the sweet shop by school. Want to see what cards there are? And don’t worry, the frogs have lost their magic.” Top it off with a friendly, inviting smile.

“I’d love to. We have a bet that I’ll have more cards by this Christmas,” smirked Kyungwon.

“Psh. I started my collection when I was nine. Might as well throw in the towel now,” countered Minkyung smugly, flipping her long, black hair over her shoulder.

“If I send a bag of money to Yebin, she’ll do anything for me. Including flooding my windowsill with boxes of Chocolate Frogs,” said Kyungwon deviously. “I’ve already got eighty-seven.”

Minkyung’s eyes bulged out. “Eighty… But I only have seventy-two! Yewon!” She rounded on the timid girl conversing with Yebin in the shade.

Bantering at a maximum, legitimate tension at a minimum? Check. Nayoung’s job was done.

“I’ll get the funnel ready,” teased Kyungwon in a sing-song voice.

“You are not shoveling Bertie Bott’s beans down my throat! I’ve still got another six months!”

~|~|~|~

The whistle blew, signaling the end of class. “Good effort! Everyone gets ten points. Hope you all have a good weekend. Dress warm and stay safe. You may leave.”

The students filed out of the gym, pushing and shoving each other. The boys all fled down the left passage, the girls to the changing room on the right.

“How are you sweating this much?” Said Minkyung, catching a few drops of perspiration from Kyungwon’s temple with her fingers and wiping it on her own shirt.

“You would be too if the Turner twins were against you. It’s not fair, they treat every game like a death match. Why couldn’t I be in your game? You got all the laid back people who don’t give a flick,” Kyungwon whined, leaning on Minkyung’s shoulder.

“Luck of the draw,” Minkyung shrugged, forcing Kyungwon to lift her head.

“Ugh, it’s disgusting in here. Can’t they turn on the air conditioning?” Groaned Kyungwon.

“It’s the middle of winter,” said Minkyung. She opened her locker and pulled her clothes out onto the bench nearby.

“It’s a changing room! You need ventilation for all these gross hormones wiping their grubby hands all over you year-round.”

“I’m pretty sure hormones don’t have hands. It’s more of a ligand-receptor mechanism,” smirked Minkyung. But she had to admit, the room was humid and had a lingering stale stench.

“Ligand blah blah, do you really have to do that here?” Said Kyungwon, pulling off her shirt.

Minkyung promptly faced the other direction, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down the back of her own neck. She coughed and said, “We’re going to study later anyway. Isn’t it easier if I slip it into conversations? You’d be surprised how much you can remember this way.”

“I’d much rather treasure my conversations with you than lace them with academic jargon.” Kyungwon reached past Minkyung to retrieve her pants from the overhead shelf.

Minkyung was almost squished against the lockers now, trying to avoid touching Kyungwon at all costs. Why couldn’t this girl put on a damn shirt before coming within an inch of her skin? Minkyung closed her eyes as the excruciating seconds ticked by. This only made it worse. She could feel the heat radiating off of Kyungwon’s body. And for Merlin’s sake, why did the entire room smell awful yet Kyungwon’s sweat smelled like a strawberry field? Minkyung breathed in deeply to calm herself, but she ended up breathing in more of Kyungwon.

“Isn’t it funny how you’re a Pureblood, yet I need tutoring from you in Muggle subjects?” Kyungwon whispered so the other girls couldn’t hear. Minkyung didn’t respond. “Are you okay?”

Minkyung felt a poke to her exposed waist and looked over her shoulder, shielding her chest with a shirt put on halfway. Not like it mattered, she was facing the lockers. “I’m fine,” she squeaked and hurriedly dressed. “Besides, we’re in the same boat.”

“True,” Kyungwon nodded sagely. “Hey, mind if we stop by that place? I want to get a cake for my dad’s birthday and he’s always wondered what those kinds of baked goods are like. He’s probably imagining the fruit to burst out and start tap dancing across the table.”

“Don’t get that one, it’s a menace to round up the fillings,” said Minkyung. She turned around to gather her scattered belongings, but her eyes strayed to the other side of the bench. “If you want to get a cake, change faster,” she said, shielding her reddening face behind her hair.

Kyungwon grinned, placed a foot on the bench, and stretched dramatically. “What’s the rush?”

Minkyung groaned internally. She really wished Kyungwon would hurry up because seeing those long, smooth legs was certainly not a joke to her. Especially not when Kyungwon was running her fingers up and down said bare, lengthy limb. After four and a half years of being best friends, some of Kyungwon’s antics have taken a rather suggestive turn. Apparently, Minkyung’s turmoil was reflected as annoyance on her face.

“Fine, I’m moving. Keep your trousers on,” laughed Kyungwon.

Minkyung sorely wished Kyungwon would listen to her own words. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding when Kyungwon finally buttoned her jeans and closed her locker. Shouldering her bag, Kyungwon casually intertwined her fingers with Minkyung’s and led them out of the changing room, through the back door of the school, and into the crisp, chill air.

Travel by the Underground was quick. Minkyung and Kyungwon walked for a few minutes, hands still glued together, and to Charing Cross Road. Minkyung tugged on their hands, making Kyungwon stop in the middle of the snowy street.

“I just realized, I don’t think we can get in. We haven’t got a wand to tap the brick wall,” said Minkyung, looking up at the sign of the Leaky Cauldron. “I guess we could ask the bartender.”

“If you’re talking about that pub that I can’t see, we’re not going through there. I use the Muggle entrance to get supplies with Yebin,” said Kyungwon, continuing down the street with Minkyung.

“There’s a Muggle entrance?”

“Yup. It’s kind of unsettling and decrepit, but I guess that’s how wizards keep people from snooping around. Here we go.”

They came up to a shop in which everything inside was covered with white tarps. A good inch of dust carpeted the wooden floor. Kyungwon opened a side door and ushered Minkyung in. They walked down a dark hallway, the floorboards creaking under their weight. Kyungwon turned right, climbed the stairs, and pulled open a door at the end of the corridor.

“This is so creepy,” shivered Minkyung, her breath puffing out in the cold air of the vacant room. It diffused and revealed a chipped, wooden wardrobe against the opposite wall. “This reminds me of that horror movie we watched, The Conjuring.”

“Ha. Ha. Uh, let’s think about it like Narnia,” said Kyungwon nervously. She jumped conspicuously when the gusting wind outside rattled the window pane. “Land of Spare Oom.”

They clasped their hands tighter and opened the wardrobe, its door creaking outrageously. After a minute of staring at an obviously solid back panel, they stepped inside and shut the wardrobe.

“Diagon Alley,” said Kyungwon clearly.

There was a whooshing sound and a click. Minkyung grasped in the dark for the wardrobe handle and the door swung open. With a sigh of relief, they stepped out together into the snowy wizarding shopping district. Minkyung automatically glanced up at the sign over Ollivanders.

“Happy that we didn’t have to play hide-and-seek to get here?” Joked Kyungwon, shutting the door rapidly before a pair of hands could emerge.

“This is where we met,” said Minkyung, still staring up at the sign.

Kyungwon looked towards the iconic wand shop, then at Minkyung. She smiled seeing the girl so serene. She took a moment to etch in her mind how Minkyung’s eyes curved into crescents. Then with a tug on their hands, she grinned and led them to a bakery nearby.

As Minkyung suggested, Kyungwon stayed away from the tap dancing fruit cakes. Some changed colors periodically, as if a shore washed over them and painted them a new shade. A few floated upside in their cases to advertise their Anti-Accident Charms to customers. Kyungwon settled for a simple cake with fruit curd filling and icing that sparkled like the night sky. The baker said the complimentary sparklers sung Happy Birthday when lit. She handed over a Galleon and three Sickles from a stash of wizarding money and thanked him.

“Can we take a quick look in here?” Said Minkyung, peering through the display window of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.

They entered the warm shop and were greeted by dancing monkey dolls, honking bubbles, and zooming miniature broomsticks. Kyungwon immediately moved towards the sweets shelf.

“Don’t even think about it,” warned Minkyung. Kyungwon’s hand halted an inch away from a Skiving Snackbox. “You’re not skipping classes on my watch, no matter how much you despise calculus. And if you try, I’m going to take all of the restorative halves.”

“I wouldn’t dream of skipping. It’s not like you would come with me. Might as well stay in class then,” Kyungwon sniffed unconvincingly. Her words still made Minkyung smile. “What about this? A Boxing Telescope would put the Turner twins in their place. Hey, where’d you go?”

Minkyung had wandered off to a violently pink section full of WonderWitch products. The poffle of Pygmy Puffs begged for her attention. They were squeaking adorably, rolling around and fluffing up their fur. Minkyung reached down into the enclosure and tickled a pink and purple pair. They seemed to enjoy it so much, they tried to tickle each other and giggled madly.

A glowing display caught Minkyung’s eye. It looked like a cross between a giant blooming flower and a fountain. Thin wisps of fog ghosted over the petals, making the bottles inside the display look as if they were floating on clouds. Minkyung picked one up and held it close to her nose. She inhaled deeply and her mind automatically drifted to a certain brunette standing at the other end of the joke shop. No, she wouldn’t dare use it. But the scent was just so alluring.

“Love Potions?” Came Kyungwon’s voice right next to Minkyung’s ear.

“Merlin! Where did you come from?” Gasped Minkyung, almost dropping the bottle.

“Who’s it for?” Kyungwon asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Nobody. I’m not buying it. Those hats look interesting,” said Minkyung.

She quickly returned the bottle to the display and briskly walked towards a group of children making their heads disappear under a gaudy pink hat. Kyungwon reached out a long arm and tugged on Minkyung’s elbow, making her trip backwards. Kyungwon deftly caught Minkyung, completely oblivious to the fact that she was hugging Minkyung from behind.

“Don’t change the subject,” said Kyungwon.

Minkyung berated herself for enjoying the feeling of Kyungwon’s arms wrapped around her waist. She stepped forward, releasing herself from the accidental hug, and turned around.

“I’m not. I already said, I’m not buying a Love Potion. There’s no use in making someone obsess over me when it’s not real attraction,” shrugged Minkyung, feigning nonchalance.

“Who’s the someone that made you consider looking at the Love Potions but then made you realize you’d prefer their real attraction?” Kyungwon spouted off.

Minkyung stared at her friend. “What?” She asked in confusion.

Kyungwon replayed the words in her head and concluded she really should organize her thoughts better. And perhaps not sound so pushy about this subject. “Ahem. Girl talk, you know. You’ve got a crush on someone? Do they go to our school?” She asked, trying to sound casual.

“No,” answered Minkyung vaguely.

“No, what?” Questioned Kyungwon, prodding Minkyung’s arm.

“No, I… I don’t like anyone,” Minkyung lied. Why was Kyungwon so keen to find out? “Now that that’s settled, we should get going. Our lab report isn’t going to write itself.”

To Minkyung’s surprise, Kyungwon stared at her for a moment, then agreed. She wasn’t going to complain about Kyungwon going peacefully. Yet the girl’s face looked oddly emotionless, which was never a word that described Kyungwon. Her friend was stunning as always, Minkyung couldn’t deny that. But without her signature grin, Kyungwon didn’t seem like herself.

Kyungwon must have noticed as her lips immediately stretched into a wide smile. “Let’s go. We have to run if we don’t want to be caught in a game of hide-and-seek.” Kyungwon clapped three times in front of Minkyung’s face, who shoved them away in fright. Kyungwon grabbed onto Minkyung’s hand and pulled her out of the shop towards the wardrobe in the street.

The pair soon arrived at Kyungwon’s snow-dusted house. They stowed the cake away in the fridge, setting the pack of singing sparklers on the counter. Kyungwon offered to make them hot chocolate. Minkyung went ahead upstairs and laid out all of their textbooks and notes on the bedroom carpet. Kyungwon arrived with two steaming hot mugs and sat down next to Minkyung, leaning her back against her bed.

Despite Kyungwon’s refusal, Minkyung coaxed her into starting with calculus saying the sooner they finished it, the sooner they could forget it. Kyungwon was pleased to find the homework was relatively easy, probably because she had help. They moved on to history next, which was a simple synopsis of the documentary they watched in class. Minkyung stopped Kyungwon from writing any further because her paper had morphed into a plot outline of Pirates of the Caribbean. Kyungwon argued it gave the British Navy a more exciting backstory, but Minkyung just glared at her until she started on a fresh sheet of paper.

While they had reading to do for their literature elective, Minkyung reluctantly allowed Kyungwon to skip it. Their essay wasn’t due until after holiday break. However, she stood firm on making Kyungwon help with their lab write-up for biology as this was due Monday.

“Centrifuge this saliva. Centrifuge out that precipitate. Ugh, my brain feels like it’s been centrifuged,” whined Kyungwon. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. Her back ached from hunching over her laptop to type their report for the past hour. The sky outside had grown dark.

Minkyung’s eyes flitted to Kyungwon’s exposed stomach where her shirt had ridden up. Her smooth skin seemed to glow. And were those abs? Minkyung gained back her senses when Kyungwon brought her arms down. “Why did you sign up for advanced biology if you don’t like it?” Asked Minkyung, more to test if she was in full control of her mind again.

“Because you enrolled for it,” said Kyungwon immediately.

Minkyung paused, trying to keep a straight face. “You could have signed up for something else.”

“Like what?” Kyungwon yawned and rested her head on Minkyung’s shoulder.

“Like, um.” Minkyung struggled to think with the scent of Kyungwon’s shampoo floating around her. “Drawing,” she blurted, staring at Kyungwon’s wall of sketches. “You like art.”

“I do, but you don’t. Besides I can draw at home. I’d rather take a class you’re in than be stuck with anyone else in a class I don’t care for anyway.”

Minkyung couldn’t hold back her smile. How could Kyungwon say such things so easily? More importantly, how can such simple mundane words render Minkyung so weak?

“Shall we get back to that dreaded report?” Groaned Kyungwon, sitting up.

“Leave it. We’ll finish it tomorrow. Let’s play Super Smash Bros.”

Kyungwon’s head whipped around so fast, her neck cricked. “Did I hear wrong?” She tapped the side of her head as if expelling water from her ear after swimming. “Play games instead of finishing homework?”

Minkyung laughed and held Kyungwon’s hand still before she made herself dizzy. “That’s right. Let’s drop this awful report and relax.”

Kyungwon leaned back a bit, her eyes wide as if Minkyung had grown two new heads. “You’ve gone mad,” she said slowly. Then she grinned. “I love it.”

As fast as a Firebolt, Kyungwon shot up from her seat and began fiddling with her game console, which had grown dusty during their midterms. Minkyung happily packed up their books and set their bags aside. Leaning back, she waited while sipping her hot chocolate. 

Kyungwon spun on her heels, a controller in each hand. Her grin was so wide, she mirrored Yewon’s perpetually happy expression. Then it faltered so that she looked slightly queasy.

Minkyung looked up in concern. “What’s wrong? She asked.

Kyungwon lowered her arms slowly. She opened before closing it again, apparently thinking hard about how to phrase her words. Minkyung waited patiently. “Nothing’s wrong, but I was wondering if we could… try something,” said Kyungwon cryptically. She bit her lip, anxious to hear Minkyung’s answer. She couldn’t have meant it to look seductive, but it did.

Minkyung felt nervous. It wasn’t a kind of foreboding. It was more like excited anticipation. “Okay,” she said softly without asking what Kyungwon wanted to do.

“Scoot forward.” Minkyung did as she was told.

Kyungwon handed a controller to Minkyung, then walked around her and sat between her and the bed. She gently pulled Minkyung’s shoulder back. Her elbows rested on her bent knees. Her arms wrapped around Minkyung loosely and held the second controller in front of them.

Minkyung would have hyperventilated if she hadn’t been holding her breath. She was sitting between Kyungwon’s legs, her back flush against Kyungwon’s front. She held her controller in her lap, not daring to move. Was Kyungwon trying to kill her? At least she’d die happy.

“You’re so tense,” giggled Kyungwon.

Her voice sounded ten times louder in Minkyung’s ear. At the sound of a virtual siren, Minkyung’s eyes focused on the TV screen. She hadn’t realized the game started. She didn’t even remember picking a character. Yet there Cloud was, battling against Kirby the Hedgehog. Wait, Sonic the Hedgehog. No, this was Kirby. I’m going mad.

Minkyung tried to focus on the game. But she was finding it extremely difficult when she could feel Kyungwon breathe, the girl’s chest expanding and deflating against Minkyung’s back. She could feel Kyungwon’s biceps twitch when pressing the controller buttons. She felt the tips of Kyungwon’s hair tickle her neck.

“You’re falling.”

“What?” Minkyung turned her head to look over her right shoulder. Her eyes widened and she froze, almost bumping noses with Kyungwon.

“Your avatar. Cloud is falling,” grinned Kyungwon. When Minkyung didn’t respond, she explained, “You have to rebound off… off the falling… debris…” Her words trailed off when she met Minkyung’s stare. She was just as surprised at their close proximity.

Minkyung felt Kyungwon stop breathing. Her eyes traveled from Kyungwon’s effortlessly alluring gaze, to her perfectly straight nose, and settled on her pink lips that still held a trace of a smile.

“Kyungwon,” whispered Minkyung. Before she could say any more, Kyungwon leaned forward.

Fireworks were an understatement. Minkyung felt like the entire universe had halted just for the two of them. She didn’t have butterflies in her stomach. Instead, her heart ached tremendously. But it was such a pleasurable, primal ache. She wanted to smile and shout and dance. But at the same time, she wanted to remain perfectly still, as close to Kyungwon as possible. She never wanted to let go. She wanted to make this moment last forever.

All of a sudden, the world starting revolving again. They were both breathing heavily. At some point, Kyungwon’s left arm had circled around Minkyung’s waist. Her right hand gently held Minkyung’s jaw. Her thumb caressed Minkyung’s blushing cheek.

Minkyung dared to open her eyes. She was scared that this moment wasn’t real. But she had to know. And there were Kyungwon’s fine features, less than an inch away, her eyes still closed.

“Kyungwon,” breathed Minkyung. Her heart ached as the name left her lips.

Kyungwon opened her eyes and stared deep into Minkyung’s. Slowly, hopefully, a grin spread across her face. “Is it too soon?”

Minkyung repressed a shiver from hearing Kyungwon’s deep, soft voice. “Too soon for what?”

Kyungwon leaned in closer, her lips barely brushing against Minkyung’s. “Is it too soon to tell you, I love you?” She whispered.

Minkyung couldn’t bother answering. She was too busy kissing Kyungwon at the moment. As far as Minkyung was concerned, she and Kyungwon were the two most magical people on Earth.

A/N: Who cares about loans or finding a job? Pledis Girlz just covered “Catch Me If You Can” by SNSD. If you need me, I’ll be seizing and hyperventilating on the ground. Cheerio.