Jeongyeon swallowed nervously as she fumbled for her keys in the dimly lit hallway of her apartment complex. Mina—god, ing Mina—stood primly beside her, but Jeongyeon didn’t dare look at her face for fear of seeing the disappointed and disgusted expression that came from those able to afford thousands a month on rent, or worse: that sweet, understanding smile that made Jeongyeon’s legs wobble like Jello and her heart beat like it was trying to escape her ribcage. She already had enough trouble acting like a normal human being. Her fingers finally got the memo and secured the keys, and she let out a shaky breath as she managed to jam them into the keyhole on the first try. Mina, to her credit, hadn’t yet, probably sensing Jeongyeon’s nerves; she only patiently waited as Jeongyeon pushed open the door on its squealing hinges (they’d yet to find enough wiggle room in their budget to do anything about The World’s Most Annoying Door, though Jeongyeon suddenly wished she’d spent her portion of their last weed purchase on fixing it). The ever present smell of wet paint became noticeable as the door slammed—goddamn it, try some gentleness, Jeongyeon—behind them, and though she was practically nose-blind to it, Jeongyeon immediately noticed and became self-conscious of it, wishing she’d texted someone to light a candle before she brought over the girl who was increasingly becoming very important to her.

“So, uh, this is the main area.” Jeongyeon gestured broadly at the living space that was (thankfully) the cleanest it had been since they moved in, for once free of pizza boxes, random articles of clothing, and Chae’s half-finished artwork. Unfortunately, no amount of cleaning could ever touch the dingy mess that was the Couch of Unknown Origin, or the paint-stained monstrosity they called a carpet.

“It’s very… homey?” Mina was obviously a bit out of her element, as she had been from the moment they left Manhattan, but she seemed to be taking it well, despite that. Of course, Mina was never one to let her emotions show very easily on her face, and Jeongyeon’s inner panic started revving up. She decided to continue with the tour and push through her growing anxiety, hoping Mina wouldn’t run screaming by the end.

“Um, over here we have the kitchen, which is basically just the room with the fridge, since that’s all we use it for, and on the left is Chaeyoung’s room.” As if summoned by her name like some kind of demon (the jury was still out on that), the youngest member of the apartment opened her door, startling them.

In a paint-covered sweatshirt and shorts, Chae leaned against the doorframe and ran her hand through her hair, taking in the visitor. Jeongyeon was thankful that this was the first roommate encounter, as Chaeyoung was typically a lot easier to handle for people outside their friend group than Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Speaking of, Jeongyeon really hoped they’d be on their best behavior, as promised. She already had enough of a stress headache from letting Mina visit her here.

“Wow, you’re like, a lot prettier than the pictures Jeongyeon showed us,” Chae said, crossing her arms.

“Shut the up, Chae,” Jeongyeon snapped, shoving her roommate’s shoulder.

“What? She is! Can’t I compliment a pretty lady?” Chaeyoung huffed, turning to Mina. “I’m Chaeyoung, by the way, but you can call me Chae. I’d shake your hand, but mine are pretty messy,” she explained, showcasing the splatters of blue and purple paint all over her fingers.

“It’s nice to meet you. Jeongyeon told me you’re a fine arts major like her, but she didn’t tell me she was showing pictures of me to you,” Mina greeted with a smirk, looking toward Jeongyeon’s now bright red face.

“Okay, I think it’s time for the rest of the tour now, goodbye Chaeyoung.” Jeongyeon pushed Chae back into her room and shut the door before grabbing Mina’s wrist and pulling her to the other side of the apartment. Mina, greatly amused, followed along willingly, her smile only growing.

“Anyway!” Jeongyeon’s voice cracked slightly. She dropped Mina’s arm and took a deep breath as the door they were standing beside opened, revealing a newly-awake Sana and half-asleep Momo hugging her from behind, using her as a support.

“You’re so loud Jeongyeonie,” Momo grumbled, not bothering to open her eyes. Sana reached up to pat her head, smiling at her Jeongyeon and Mina.

“It’s 4pm Momo, you shouldn’t be sleeping anyway, and we have a guest, so wake the up,” Jeongyeon responded, prompting Momo to finally open her eyes and see the stranger standing next to her roommate, before closing them again and nestling her head into Sana’s neck.

“Forgive her, she stayed up late studying last night. I’m Sana, and you already know Momo. You must be Mina, we’ve heard a lot about you.” Sana reached out her hand and shook Mina’s, making Momo protest as her human pillow shifted.

“Studying, my ,” Jeongyeon scoffed, rolling her eyes. When she saw the mischievous glint in Sana’s eyes, she realized what she’d set herself up for, and braced herself.

“Actually, she was studying mine,” Sana shot back, earning a sleepy chuckle from Momo, surprisingly still conscious, and a startling bout of laughter from Mina. The three roommates jumped at the sound, staring wide-eyed as Mina bent over from laughing so hard. Jeongyeon had never seen Mina so expressive, and it rattled her to her core.

“Wow, your girlfriend has a great sense of humor, but I’ve gotta get this big baby back to bed. Nice meeting you, Mina!” Sana pulled Momo back and slammed the door, locking it before Jeongyeon could grab her like she was reaching out to do. Jeongyeon pushed her body weight against the door, wiggling the doorknob and trying to open it so she could give Sana a piece of her mind.

“Sana get your  right back out here! She’s not my girlfriend!” she yelled as Mina finally composed herself. Upon seeing Mina, Jeongyeon immediately remembered she had an image to protect, no matter how tarnished it might be, and straightened herself up while smiling awkwardly at her. They stared at each other, taking in the excitement from seconds before. After a few moments, Mina decided to speak.

“I really like your friends.”