Eunwoo first meets Zhou Jieqiong at the start of her second year in college. Her microeconomics professor goes over the ten-paged class syllabus, ever so slowly, and Eunwoo finds that she'd rather look around her lecture hall and gauge the kind of people her new classmates will be. Maybe she could spot a potential study buddy or two. They're always helpful. She glances to her right and she is instantly struck with awe at the sight of the girl sitting beside her. Well, she is slouched over the desk actually, out of very apparent boredom. She's resting her chin on one arm and doodling in a notebook with the other. Her long, straight hair flows down her shoulders and the tips barely brush against the table. Eunwoo is mostly amazed by the fact that she has pink hair - not the shocking shade of pink that would offend the eyes, but a darker, almost silver-y pink that is quite pleasing (to Eunwoo's eyes, at least). Eunwoo can't help but say something about it.

"Your hair color is really nice. I like it." She says loud enough for the girl but not their droning professor to hear.

The pink-haired girl turns toward her, a smile gracing her thin lips. "Thanks, me too." She sits up and leans back against her chair. "I'm Jieqiong. Nice to meet you, Eunwoo." Eunwoo can't mask the visible surprise in her expression and Jieqiong's smile grows a little wider. "Attendance. I heard you respond when the professor called out your name."

"Oh. I don't think she called out your name..."

Jieqiong breathes out a puff of air as her lips curl downward. "Yeah, I'm waitlisted. I don't think I'll get into the class though." They peek over their shoulders at the students sitting at the back of the lecture hall, on the ground, because there aren't enough seats for everyone.

"." Eunwoo murmurs with a sympathetic smile as Jieqiong nods in agreement.

(Jieqiong doesn't get into the class, but she and Eunwoo exchange phone numbers.)

Eunwoo spends a lot of time with Jieqiong, before classes, between classes, after classes. They see each other often since their dorms are close and their roommates are usually out. They hang out on the weekends sometimes too, like when they both have to study for an exam and it's too much of a pain to head back home. Jieqiong brews coffee for the two of them at one in the morning and they study for their separate exams in her room. Eunwoo doesn't like coffee but it looks like it'll be a secret she'll take with her to the grave.

Eunwoo would take anything Jieqiong gives her, from ugly matching Christmas socks to drunk-ish, toothy smiles at 4AM when they're both on the verge of losing their minds. Eunwoo finds out that Jieqiong likes to smile, and she smiles a lot. Eunwoo doesn't mind, because Jieqiong's smiles are cute and sometimes pretty. Sometimes they take her breath away and she realizes in those moments that Jieqiong is just pretty altogether, inside and out. She couldn't be happier that they were able to meet and become friends.

One day, they're finished with midterms and totally exhausted, mentally and physically. Jieqiong insists that they binge-watch some show that everyone's been raving about, but it turns out that neither of them are into slow-burn melodramas and now it's lulling both of them to sleep. They're sitting on Jieqiong's bed, side-by-side, barely awake as some crying-shouting emerges from the small television screen sitting on Jieqiong's dresser. Jieqiong is resting her head on Eunwoo's shoulder (as always, she smells really good) and she absentmindedly tugs and twirls the drawstring of Eunwoo's shorts around her finger. Eunwoo can barely keep her eyes open, but she regains a bit of awareness as she hears Jieqiong speaking to her.

"Hey, Eunwoo?"

Eunwoo blinks and slightly shifts her head toward Jieqiong's direction. "Yeah?"

"Can I suggest something you might find weird?" Jieqiong suddenly stops fiddling with the drawstring but she still holds onto it.

A million things race through Eunwoo's mind, but Jieqiong is unpredictable. "...what is it?"

"Let's be cuddle buddies."

After Eunwoo agrees to be 'cuddle buddies' with Jieqiong, there aren't many changes in their relationship - except for the fact that Jieqiong is touchy. Much more touchy than before. But it's an affectionate kind of touchy that makes Eunwoo feel 'warm and fuzzy' inside, for a lack of better description. Whenever they meet each other in either of their rooms, they end up on the bed somehow, limbs entangled and snuggled up between the sheets, warm bodies pressed against each other. Jieqiong likes to bury her face in the crook of Eunwoo's neck and Eunwoo likes to rest her head on Jieqiong's lap as she gently weaves her fingers through her hair. 'Sometimes, we just need a nice hug.', Jieqiong told her when she had first proposed the 'cuddle buddy' idea. So when Jieqiong is feeling severely homesick or Eunwoo is particularly stressed about juggling class assignments and other obligations, they can easily find comfort and security in each other's embrace. They're even more open to speaking about things they wouldn't talk about with just anyone. They talk about anything and everything. It's nice to have a cuddle buddy she could rely on. Also, just curling up beside Jieqiong after class, breathing her in, relishing her body heat, and knowing that someone is here for her no matter what, makes Eunwoo feel happy and safe.

"Eunwoo, you have ten seconds to explain yourself before Minkyung hits you over the head with an inflatable beer bottle: who was that pink-haired girl leaving your room this morning? Where did she get her hair dyed? Why are you always with her? Are you hooking up with someone unbeknownst to us, your dearest friends?!" Yebin interrogates as she jabs a finger into Eunwoo's chest. "Why don't you tell us anything, huh?"

Minkyung holds the inflatable beer bottle over Eunwoo's head threateningly. She's pretty sure the tall girl got that from a recent rock music festival she attended. She just doesn't know how or why, and she would prefer not to. "No, we're not doing anything indecent! She's Jieqiong and I have no idea where she got her hair dyed. But she's my...cuddle buddy." Eunwoo realizes how ridiculous it sounds when said aloud, especially in front of her friends. How had Jieqiong managed to make her 'cuddle buddies' proposal to her without sounding like a moron?

"...your what?"

"Cuddle buddy." Eunwoo repeats in a smaller, self-conscious voice. "Kinda like...a PG friends with benefits. You know...without the benefits."

"So you're just friends then?" Yebin clarifies with a raised brow.

Eunwoo makes a 'X' with her arms. "No! Cuddle buddies. It's different."

Minkyung drapes an arm around Eunwoo's shoulders, waving her inflated beer bottle around as she speaks. She looks, sounds, and smells drunk. But in her own Minkyung way that isn't nearly as bad as a regular nasty old drunk. That's the only reason why Eunwoo could tolerate her, really. "So are you like, waiting to take it to the next level, or - "

"Th-That wasn't part of our original agreement and I don't think it will lead to anything beyond the cute, affectionate friendship that we have now. We are strictly platonic." Eunwoo tells her friends with a reddened face. They can tell she's flustered and they exchange sly looks but don't prod any further. Thank goodness for that.

"You're so boring." Minkyung sighs as she hands Eunwoo a cold bottle of beer from her mini fridge. She takes small sips but she's thinking too much to join her friends' new conversation about lame frat parties.

She hadn't thought about it before. She knows that she does like Jieqiong, a lot. But does she like Jieqiong that way?

First, they were just resting in their rooms and sending each other text messages talking about their day. Eunwoo complains about neck pains and Jieqiong half-jokingly offers to give her a massage. She mentions that her roommate is out at her boyfriend's place. Then, Jieqiong is suddenly telling Eunwoo to come over and here she is, making her way to Jieqiong's dorm at midnight. She doesn't even know why she's doing this. She's not really in need of physical contact or anything, but she does want to see Jieqiong, at least. They've been busy with other things all day and hadn't had the chance to hang out. But this could still be considered a friendly kind of longing, couldn't it? Eunwoo doesn't need to knock more than once for Jieqiong to open her door and greet her with the widest of smiles. It always makes her feel good, Jieqiong's 'I-am-so-glad-to-see-you' smiles.

"What is this, a booty call?" Eunwoo says as she steps into Jieqiong's room and takes off her shoes.

Jieqiong laughs. "A cuddle call." She pulls Eunwoo into a greeting hug, snaking her arms around her torso and gently squeezing her. Eunwoo notices her heart beating a little faster. But isn't this kind of reaction granted, given the nature of the gesture? Jieqiong pulls away and grins at her, her eyes scrunching up the way they do when she's particularly pleased. She's quite happy to see her. She must've felt lonely today. Eunwoo's heart may or may not have skipped a beat. That's a regular response to cute things, she reasons as Jieqiong leads her to her bed and pulls her down.

Eunwoo realizes how strange it is, to be si