It takes a whole night of restless sleep, Nayoung passed out beside her and the living room light peeking through the bedroom door left ajar. It takes a few hours of trying to sleep, a whole lot more of giving up on sleep, and all those hours together spent thinking of the jellyfishes.

Truth be told, Sejeong has never really met a group of friends so much like family like them, not in college anyway. Even the swim team’s not as close, they rarely ever meet up outside of practice. (Though, Sejeong thinks that might be the break up’s fault, and now with another break up on the plate, they’re definitely not even second to the jellyfishes.)

But they’re messy too, with all these pasts that like to barrel down the door and make themselves home. These little feelings and little mistakes.

She thinks she’s annoyed at Nayoung for kissing back, but she isn’t sure she’s allowed to be. They’re not exactly friends. So, she needs to be real friends with her, first.

She formulates a plan over a cup of coffee, leaving a note for Nayoung as she leaves her apartment to help Mimi unpack in her old one.

She’ll make this work.

-

Sejeong has it all figured out. She’ll continue this charade, this whole fake dating mess, just until she’s sure Nayoung likes her enough to be her friend. She’ll be a friend to Nayoung, try to wriggle her way in the close-knit group of jellyfishes and make her own place there. Not as Nayoung’s fake girlfriend, but as their friend.

“So, of course, the only logical thing to do is join the agency?” Mimi deadpans, and it’s clear she’s trying to control her facial expressions.

They’re seated on the boxes in Mimi’s old apartment, balancing soda cans and Chinese take outs on their respective knees. Sejeong nods. “I have some background on acting—” Mimi snorts, “—I do. I got the lead role on a play once in high school.” She sways a little, thoughtful look on her face. “Besides, I’m not sure fake dating is that hard.”

“You have to pretend you like someone no matter what you think of them,” says Mimi, tone offended, “and you have to look at them like they hung the stars in the skies, like they saved your life twice, like they just told you unicorns exist.”

Sejeong rolls her eyes. She should’ve known Mimi would get defensive. “I know that. But what I’m saying is I think I can do it. Or, I can just be part of the background team like Hakyeon and Ha—” she pauses to see Mimi’s reaction, but the girl just busies herself with the soda, “—Hana. I can, like, send out emails, advertise the agency—”

Mimi laughs, loud, and Sejeong’s own lips lift at it. “You can’t advertise a fake-dating agency. Everyone would know about it.”

She blinks. She never really thought about that. “How do you stop former clients from spreading stuff about it, then?”

“Did you not read the contract?”

Sejeong raises an eyebrow. She didn’t. She remembers just taking the papers from Hana, flipping the pages with a frown, and signing where she should sign. “No.”

“Of course you didn’t.” A roll of the eyes and Sejeong knows Mimi’s judging her hard. “You’re so naïve sometimes. What if we made you sign a contract saying you’ll have to pay for every piece of bread Nayoung has given your teammates? Hyeyeon’s and Jaehwan’s dads are lawyers, they can easily make you pay a fine for not following the contract.”

Her eyes widen. That’s actually a lot of pieces of bread, and she’s saving up for paying the agency. “Is that there?”

“No.”

“Are their dads really lawyers?”

“Yes. It’s written on the contract too that we’ll sue if you don’t follow. We’re very professional.”

She slowly nods, trying not to show her fear so much. What if she accidentally broke one agreement? “Seriously? Have you ever gotten to court?”

“People usually pay before it gets that far. If they expose our business, they pay twice as much as they were supposed to. If they’re not a client, they don’t have proof, and if they do, we find ways. Hyeyeon’s the mastermind most of the time, even though she’s the youngest.” Mimi smirks at Sejeong and there’s a glint in her eye as she says, “I think we got more money from those than from the jobs.”

Huffing out a breath, Sejeong kicks Mimi on the shin. “You’re sharks.”

“Just great actors." Mimi looks up coyly—mischievously—and smirks. “Also, Hyeyeon’s and Jaehwan’s dads don’t approve of this business so we never told them we actually went through with it. They’re all empty threats.”

Despite herself, Sejeong laughs. “Then, I don’t see what your point is. What does the contract say anyway?”

“The contract states that you can’t tell anyone at all that it was fake-dating. You can’t tell anyone about the agency unless they’re a potential client, and even then meetings had to be in private since we can’t risk getting our names out and ruining the agency.”

“Why did you let me in so easy, then? And you literally have a phone number and you greet with Hire-A-Jellyfish, make your heart go dugeun dugeun in fake beats.”

“True.” Mimi shifts, dropping her can on the floor. She sweeps it up before it makes a mess, tsk-ing at herself. “But no one knows where Hire-A-Jellyfish is, no one knows what it actually is. So if you just accidentally dial it, you won’t know for sure.”

“You weren’t so subtle in the phone call,” Sejeong shoots back, scowling.

Mimi raises her hands in surrender. “So we’re not so good at the discretion. But we did managed to last three years without any major problems, and I don’t think we’re going to have one anytime soon.” As an afterthought, she adds, “Unless you join the agency.”

She tries not to look as offended as she is. “I just want to, you know, be friendly with Nayoung. The whole friendship thing got interrupted when you asked me to come home with you,” Sejeong says in what she hopes in a teasing tone, eyes wary of Mimi’s expression.

Mimi shrugs. “Thanks for that, by the way. And for this,” she gestures towards the mess of boxes in her living room. “And… Nayoung’s not that hard to be friends with. She’d befriend anyone, even though it rarely goes deeper and she knows how to shut people out without making it so obvious. How about… oh my god, I hate this word but… how about you friendzone her.”

“What?”

“She tends to act all girlfriend-ish even when she’s alone with her client, or when they’re with us. So, what if you turn down her girlfriend acts and be a friend?”

“Friendzone my fake-girlfriend?” Sejeong muses amusedly. Even the thought alone is enough to make her chuckle. “Sounds… messy. But okay.”

“You can start by not joining the agency,” Mimi tries with a smile.

Sejeong groans, throwing her head back in frustration. “Why can’t I join the agency? I’ll be a really good addition, I promise.”

“It’s harder than you think, okay?”

“Can I… be an intern for a while, then?” she asks hopefully, batting her eyelashes at Mimi and leaning towards her with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Mimi swats at her arm, disgust in her features. “You’ll have to ask Head Girl and Head Boy.”

“Are you using Harry Potter terms? And do you all do this, like, just because? I think I heard Mina call Hana Head Girl once.”

Mimi grins as she stands, placing her can and empty box of takeout in the garbage bag near them. “Did I mention Hire-A-Jellyfish is full of nerds?”

“Even if you didn’t, I noticed.” She remembers the stack of manga on the table, some wands in a cup sitting on top of the fridge, a poster of some sci-fi movie taped to the back of the door. She laughs. “I definitely noticed.”

-

“No.”

She blinks, taken aback at the immediate reply. Mina snickers behind her and she almost whirls to glare, but Hana’s eyes are on her and they’re so intense she can’t look away. “Excuse me?”

“We don’t need interns. As you can see, we already have three dead weights,” she gestures to Sanghyuk, Mina, and Wonshik, getting an offended look, a roll of the eyes, and a hurt look from them respectively, “we can’t bother with another one.”

“I’m not even asking for income. I just want to try and learn. It looks fun—” wrong word, Hana looks even more irritated now, “—and, well, I… like you guys. I want to be… friends. Be part of this.”

Hana’s face softens subtly, but Sejeong notices it and bites back a smile. Hana sighs. “One week, and then we’ll have a vote on whether or not we’re taking you.” She flicks her wrist towards Sojin. “Sojin, teach this one screenwriting.” And then she’s turning her recliner and focusing on a tutorial on the computer.

Sejeong beams at the back of her head and skips over to an unimpressed Sojin. “Hi.”

“I was studying,” Sojin drawls, sending a pointed look towards her open book.

“And now you’re not.”

Sojin raises an eyebrow, and Sejeong likes to think she’s amused. She scoots over and pats the space on the couch beside her. “Fine. But since you’re an intern, are you supposed to bring us coffee and stuff too?”

“You’re going to take advantage of this, aren’t you?” she grumbles to the girl, who seems to always be either extremely amused or extremely unamused.

“Of course,” Sojin scoffs, rolling her eyes. “First, we need coffee.”

“You have one,” Sejeong counters, nudging the cup on the table. It topples over and no liquid comes out.

Sojin smiles smugly. “Obviously empty.”

“I swear this place is full of coffee drinking zombies,” she grumbles under her breath, standing and making sure to ‘accidentally’ kick Sojin. She walks over to the sink, the coffee maker beside it with its pot half full.

Mimi’s by the office desks beside it, swiveling in her chair and looking up at Sejeong like some kind of evil villain, mockingly one of the stuffed toys Mina had brought to the office. “Hello.”

Sejeong rolls her eyes, ignoring her and watching as the coffee drips to the pot. She feels a kick on her ankle after a few more moments and sends Mimi a look over her shoulder. “What?”

“Get me coffee.”

“You don’t drink coffee.” She turns back around, busying herself with trying to figure out which one of the many mugs is Sojin’s. Mimi huffs behind her and she chuckles, taking a mug with watercolor jellyfishes everywhere and placing it on the counter, she doesn’t know which one is Sojin’s but she might as well mock her.

She feels another kick and turns around fully, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. She spies Hana sneaking glances at them and rolls her eyes. “What now?”

Mimi smiles and the mischief is gone. “Are you having fun at your new intern job?”

“I started a few minutes ago but one of the employee’s already getting on my nerves.” The coffee’s finally all in the pot and Sejeong frowns. “Two of them. I’m sure the others are just as annoying.” She fills the mug with the coffee, wondering briefly if Sojin likes creamer and sugar.

“She likes two sugars and some milk,” Mimi says loudly, leaning back on her chair. She smiles wider at the indignant whine from where Sojin is. “I’m serious. She just likes to pretend she likes it black. Like her soul, or some edgy .”

Sejeong chuckles, nodding. She puts the exact amount of sugar and stops when Mimi tells her to stop while pouring the milk. Then she mixes it well with small spoon and winks at Mimi. “But I like them. They’re a family I’d love to crawl my way into.”

She places the mug on the coffee table by the TV, pushing it towards Sojin carefully so it doesn’t spill. “I didn’t know which one’s yours.”

Sojin takes the mug, blows on it, and takes a little sip. She closes her eyes and hums appreciatively. “This is mine.”

She bites back an adoring laugh. She doesn’t think Sojin likes it much when she’s adored the same way Mina and Hyeyeon are, but she’s just so… cute. “You have a jellyfish mug.”

“We all do,” Sojin replies dismissively before blowing on her coffee again. “It was a gift from Hakyeon last Christmas.”

“There was only one jellyfish mug.”

“They all took theirs home. Hakyeon’s was broken when Sanghyuk accidentally pushed it off the table.” Sojin laughs, eyes crinkling as she turns to look at Sejeong. “The poor guy was grounded for two weeks.”

“Grounded?”

Sojin shrugs. “Hakyeon’s a mom.”

-

“We keep contracts in this folder, date ideas in this folder, character ideas in this—”

“Character ideas?” she interrupts Hakyeon, eyeing the blue folder.

Hakyeon nods, not at all irritated at the interruption. “Character ideas. We don’t stick to one character, you know. Even if Taekwoon’s known for his cold but sensitive guy characters, he doesn’t stick to it. He once played someone who was very bubbly and Mina-y.”

“He did?” She laughs amusedly. The things you learn.

“He did. Worst job of his life.” Hakyeon heaves a sigh and he’s immediately back to his business voice. “These are script ideas, for the films. And we have a drawer of scripts for plays and films, they’re different, we try to keep those organized too…” He looks around, lip turning down at each crumpled paper his gaze grazes. “We have a drawer for assignments and books too, since we’re all students, but those rascals keep their stuff out of the drawers anyway and scatter it all around the place.”

“You’re old enough to be out of college, aren’t you?”

“Taking masters,” Hakyeon replies, stacking the papers on the table. He shuffles through them, putting them in different piles. “Taekwoon too.” He looks up at Sejeong, finger pointed at the papers. “They’re stacked, please put them in folders.”

-

Taekwoon stares blankly at her, lips pursed in a thin line. He blinks every now and then but he’s just staring. And Sejeong’s just standing and they’re not doing anything Hana had told them to do—which is mostly sort out the characters into categories of kind of works (for jealousy, for a family gathering, etc. Sejeong’s learned that people hire fake lovers most for those reasons).

She shifts on her feet, gnawing on her lip as she stares expectantly at Taekwoon. “Are we—”

“We’re done,” he says, standing up and moving to the couch, taking a blanket with him and curling up at the far end.

Sejeong blinks, thoroughly confused. She sends a helpless look towards the nearest one, Haebin, who only shrugs in return.

-

“All I really do is cook,” Haebin tells her, both of them by the kitchen set. It’s unreal how much of a real deal Hire-A-Jellyfish is, with all these equipment and little details and kitchen sets. And they have a bathroom. There’s actually a shower in the office. You could live here if you wanted.

Haebin laughs as Sejeong voices this out. “It’s all because of the first five.” Sejeong nods, prompting her to go on as she slices the potatoes into strips. “They like to throw away their money. The thing is, most of our parents don’t really approve of our passion for drama.”

“Really? I thought that was just Nayoung’s parents.”

Haebin shakes her head as she takes the chopped potatoes and drop them in a pan. “About half of us have parents who don’t approve. That’s why we’re mostly all in majors our parents picked for us. Although, some of us are happy with their majors—one of them me—we’d all shift to Film in a heartbeat if we were allowed to.”

“But they’re okay with you guys making all these films?”

“I think they’re okay with us having film as a hobby. That’s why they let us go to an arts high school, since high school doesn’t really determine your job.” She shrugs. “They sometimes donate money to help us with our films, too. As, like, reward for stuff.”

“Reward?”

“Most of us were raised with the thinking that you’ll only get something if you work for it. One good deed, one reward. Nothing’s… just because.” Haebin pauses, blinking as she stares at the potatoes in the pan. “I think it’s a pretty ed up thing. We thought people did stuff because they needed us to do something in return for them.”

Sejeong in a breath, curling her eyes into crescent moons as she leans closer to a doubtful Haebin. “I’m doing this for friendship, does that count as ed up?”

Haebin stares down at her, looking like she’s trying hard not to smile in the slightest. “I guess not. I guess you’re just ed up for wanting to be our friend.”

“You’re all great,” Sejeong counters, offended, as she lightly punches Haebin’s arm. “Nerds, dorks, losers, but… okay.”

Haebin laughs. “Don’t get all sentimental on me, now.” She looks around the empty office, the others either out in errands or in classes, a small smile playing on her lips. Her gaze drops to the watch on her wrist, then she looks at Sejeong, smile now not as small. “It’s time for the shoot, let’s go.”

-

“So, I hear you called us nerds,” is the first thing Xiening says to her as a greeting as soon as Haebin and Sejeong arrive at the rooftop, other jellyfishes busy with equipment and makeup, no ‘I hear you’re our new intern’ or ‘hello’. Just an icy glare and lips curled downwards.

Sejeong attempts a smile. “Who told you?”

“Hyeyeon sent it to the Jelly Chat.”

“Which, I assume, is a group chat with you guys?” Sejeong asks sweetly. “And which, I conclude, supports my argument that you jellyfishes are nerds.”

Xiening raises her chin with a snobby sniff, which prompts a snort from Sejeong. “Calling everything related to the agency ‘Jelly-something’ was Mina and Mimi’s idea. Not all of ours.”

“Did you do anything to stop it, at least?”

“No,” is Xiening’s short reply.

Sejeong smiles. “Then you’re not entirely against it, aren’t you?”

“It’s… cute,” Xiening says like the term burns her tongue.

Hana walks by them, eyeing them. “Xiening, didn’t I tell you to practice improve with Sejeong as soon as she arrives?”

“We’re doing it right now,” Xiening replies with wide, innocent eyes, returning Hana’s gaze easily. “I’m pretending to be tough and Hana-like, and Sejeong’s pretending it isn’t scaring her.”

“It’s not.”

“Are you really practicing your improvs? This is a way for you to master your Korean, Xiening.”

“I mastered my Korean three years into living here in Korea, thank you very much.”

Hana quirks an eyebrow teasingly. “I don’t think you’re past the basics yet.”

“I can recite all Korean curse words, I think I’m way past the basics, Shin,” Xiening says, raising her chin. She grins proudly at Sejeong, “Hyeyeon taught me.” She stares at something behind Sejeong, then taps Sejeong’s shoulder. “How about you try to practice improv with that nerd over there?”

Sejeong turns, eyebrows raised, and finds Nayoung arriving with a huge plastic bag full of snacks, she presumes. She raises her hand after seeing Nayoung’s searching gaze, and smiles when it lands on her.

-

Nayoung sits beside her, offering a can of coffee. “You’re not mad.”

She tears her gaze away from Sojin being the of the joke and takes the coffee from Nayoung, popping it open. “Why would I be mad?”

“I just thought you’d be disappointed in me, you know. I kissed my best friend’s ex-girlfriend the day they broke up,” she whispers, looking up cautiously for someone who might be listening in. “Did you tell Mimi?”

Her gaze lands on a laughing Mimi. She’s not happy yet, not this soon, but she’s trying. And Hana’s trying, too. Trying not to let their personal break up break the group apart. “No,” she answers before taking a sip of the coffee.

“Thanks.” For a moment, Nayoung’s quiet. They sit on the bench, Nayoung’s long legs stretched on the floor, Sejeong’s crossed, just watching the others have fun, lips curling subtly every time they notice Hana and Mimi being too wary. And then, Nayoung laughs. “You know, she pushed me away.”

Sejeong looks back at her. “Hana?”

“Yup. And that’s what made Hakyeon believe she didn’t like me anymore.” Nayoung sighs a little and Sejeong drapes an arm over her. She smiles her thanks. “She doesn’t. She really doesn’t. Hana actually really likes—loves—Mimi.”

“And you?”

“What about me?”

“You still like Hana?”

An enigmatic smile curls on Nayoung’s lips, eyes somehow twinkling. “I thought I did, you know. I believed I did. But after she pushed me away, I wasn’t that hurt. Of course, I didn’t realize it that much when I was drunk and thinking of how much I must’ve hurt Mimi, but…” she shakes her head and Sejeong knows.

“That’s good. Great, I mean.” She bounces excitedly, nudging Nayoung before leaning her head against her shoulder. “That makes this mess a little less messy.”

“If only they know, though.”

“Tell them, then,” Sejeong says.

“Even if I did, Mimi would never believe me. She has always been insecure about Hana’s feelings, doubtful. She just doesn’t believe Hana’s capable of loving her. Or, maybe, she just doesn’t believe she can be lucky enough to have her.”

“You talk like Hana’s a god or something.”

Nayoung laughs. “She’s very much human, yes. But when you’re in love with someone, you start to think they’re the best thing to ever happen on this earth.” She glances at Sejeong sideways and Sejeong sees shyness where there was always arrogance. “I’m starting to see Hana as human again. It’s been such a long time.”

Sejeong nods against Nayoung’s shoulders, arm dropping and hugging Nayoung’s waist. Realization kicks in as she adds breathily, “I’m starting to see Chungha as human, too.”

“That’s great news. You’re on your way to moving on, I guess. Maybe already did?” Nayoung suggests, nudging Sejeong a little.

Sejeong turns and grabs Nayoung’s face, the latter’s cheeks squishing between her palms. “Let’s break up,” Sejeong says firmly, keeping Nayoung’s gaze locked with hers.

“What?” Mimi exclaims, immediately appearing beside Nayoung, fingers circling Nayoung’s wrist as she gapes at Sejeong. Nayoung also gapes at Sejeong, but she doesn’t look shocked or anything, just… funny.

Sejeong snorts at her before turning to Nayoung. “Let’s end this fake-dating thing.”

Nayoung frowns as soon as Sejeong lets go of her cheeks. She rubs them thoughtfully, still eyeing Sejeong. “You sure? You’re almost there, Sejeong.”

“I want the real deal.” Nayoung’s eyes impossibly widen even more, looking like she just saw a ghost as Sejeong merely grins at her. “Friendship, Nayoung, nothing else,” she says, jabbing a finger to Nayoung’s forehead. “Let’s start with the basics, okay?” Sejeong holds out a polite hand, ignoring Mimi’s distasteful stare. “I’m Kim Sejeong, you are?”

“Um,” Nayoung sends Mimi a helpless look, getting a shrug in return, then she hesitatingly takes Sejeong’s hands in hers, “I’m… I’m Kim Nayoung.”

Sejeong happily bounces on her feet, grinning up at Nayoung. With the easiest smile she’s ever had since this whole fake dating thing, Sejeong says, “Nice to finally meet you.”

A/N:

consider this an early Christmas gift, and see you all in 2019! Basically busy trying to get my together, so I just posted what I wrote without rethinking. Comments are still appreciated, ideas, too. Might fix the transition of this chapter some time else. Thanks for reading. Title from LANY's current location btw.