A/N: No, this just isn’t that chapter yet. You will see an [M] if it was. I’m trying to avoid that letter, but… we’ll see.

I woke up to the softness of Yerin’s chest.

Last night’s sleep was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever had in years, and waking up entangled in an embrace made it all the more incredible. A few minutes into pretending that I was still in deep slumber, I sensed that she was fiddling with her phone, probably reconciling with the temporarily estranged lover- her ebook.

I wanted to stay there for as long as it was safely possible but I worried that I may cause her discomfort and undue delay with her academic obligations. She has missed a few classes and that will surely cause her anxiety. So, I told myself, five more minutes and I’d simulate my waking moment. No one can blame me for wanting to prolong that blissful encounter. Anyone would have done the same.

“How many more minutes until you stop pretending that you’re still asleep?”

JESUS CHRIST! I started questioning if I fell in love with a mind-reader and if it was time to regret it.

“Five…?” I bit my lips hoping for the disgrace to stop. “But can you blame me?” was the audacity that came out next. Since my cheap scheme has already been caught, I thought, I might as well just bask in the embarrassment by burying my face deeper into her cozy bosom. It was a win-win situation.

“Should I take that as a compliment?”

“There’s no other way to take it but as a compliment.” I cringed to my own shamelessness. “But eonnie, how did you know?” It was pointless to ask, I may have probably been obvious again.

“Your breathing suddenly changed.”

JUST WOW. “Sometimes your senses are frightening. You’d probably know if I cheated on you just by counting how much I blinked.” Not in this lifetime, or in any lifetime, would I plan to cheat on her. I don’t know why I even said that.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why don’t you think so?” My morning voice was muffled by her sweatshirt.

“Do you really believe you’d still be able to blink if you cheated on me?”

I didn’t think that the coldness of her tone could actually make me freeze.

“Eonnie, I-I didn’t… I mean-”

“I’m just kidding, SinB-yah.” She chortled to the trembling of my voice. “I don’t believe you’re capable of doing something like that.” And then she pulled me closer, I almost choked but I enjoyed every single second of it.

“I don’t even think I deserve you, eonnie…” I did not plan on saying that out loud in the fear of being asked why; but of course, my mouth was autopilot at that moment. “...How could I have the heart to hurt you that way?”

I meant what I said, but I was troubled by my shrouded confession. I will not cheat on her with another person but the truth remains that I was somehow cheating on her by being someone else.

“Are you aware that it’s just 5:40 in the morning?”

“It’s never too early to be telling you how much I like you.”

“I didn’t say it was.” I knew she smiled and probably had a mental giggle.

“Eonnie…”

“Hmm?” was her reply and I could not help but feel warm hearing her consistent humming response.

“Can I stay here for a while?”

“It’s just 5:41 AM.”

“Is that another way of saying soothe yourself?” I grinned and hugged her tighter but now with my leg securely fastening her onto me. The possibility of suffocation was real but I wouldn’t have missed that moment for anything.

She did not respond but I felt her lay her phone on the space above our heads before pulling up the blanket that draped us. She settled into a comfortable position and returned the embrace. That’s when I realized that when I clung onto her, her thigh was caught between my legs and it rested within a tension-generating nearness to my crotch.

Fireworks. Fcking. Uncontrollable. Fireworks.

There was paroxysmal pyrotechnics inside my chest that promptly found its way to that body part that shouldn’t be too frantic during ungodly hours of the morning.

“Eonnie…”

“Hmm?”

“You’re making me feel a lot of things… It’s making me crazy.”

“Is it something bad?”

“No, no. It’s actually... Hmmm... Pleasure-generating?” There was no word more decent to describe it especially in that hour of the day.

“Oh.”

For a few seconds, all I could do was swallow repeatedly while deciding if I should just spring out of the sofa or straddle her and give in to losing my mind completely.

Then, she spoke again. “Do you want it to stop?”

“NO! No. Please, don’t stop.” . That didn't come out right. “No, I mean, it’s not necessary that it stops. I like what you make me feel. It’s so... nice.” Dammit, so nice?! If I don’t stop, this could lead to one of the most anti-arousal conversations in the history of dating.  “It’s just that sometimes it’s too much and I feel I could combust to the unexplainable heat.”

“What do you want me to do?” Yerin replied. I expected her to tease, but she sounded worried, perhaps about the possibility that I could actually catch fire.

“Nothing, eonnie. I just wanted you to know how much you affect me. I want us to do things… I mean more than this. That’s normal, right? But that can wait…! I can wait… I’m just happy you’re here. So, please stay.”

“Okay, close your eyes then and go back to sleep, SinB-yah.” But even when I told her she need not do anything, it seemed that she knew where all the lewd hysteria was originating and so, she pulled herself away before our legs switched positions. Now what got trapped between her thighs was my thigh! And it wasn’t just resting near the area that shouldn’t be bothered, I could actually already feel it.

The fireworks stopped… but only for a nuclear explosion to begin. Mind you, I have not forgotten that she barely wore anything under those shorts.

I tried my best to divert my attention to anything that wasn’t connected to her thongs. But there was just her softness, her addicting scent, her chest that rose and fell onto my face, her strong but caring arms, the sound of her breathing and an infinity of hormone-induced thoughts. My morning couldn’t get any more ually frustrating.

After a few minutes, it seemed like she became aware of the struggle that escalated within me.

"I uhhhm… I think that was a bad idea.”

Or she may have shared the same struggle because when she laid on her back, she was more flushed and embarrassed than I was.

Even so briefly, I had to enjoy the view of nervous Yerin. With just that, I was already happy seeing her feel the same way.

“Good morning, eonnie…” Then I started falling asleep again.

* * *

Sowon walked to the sofa and poked Yerin twice.

“Sowon-eonnie, I ahh…” Yerin woke up flustered by Sowon’s sudden intrusion but made sure she did not rouse SinB from her sleep.

“Shhh… I know… I mean you and that rascal, I know.” The tall lady reassured. “I’m just worried about Eunha. Can you check on her?”

“Of course, eonnie.” Yerin slowly and carefully slid off of SinB’s rather possessive embrace.

“Her oxygen level actually improved; her vitals are normal; and her eyes are reacting the way they should. We have to wait for some bloodwork. They will surely have to draw blood soon.”

“Why is she not waking up yet?” Sowon’s voice could not conceal her devastation.

“She lost a lot of blood. At some point, eonnie, she was in a critical condition. We just didn’t want to tell you until she was safely out of the operating room. You were also not in a good shape to receive that kind of news.”

“But when will she wake up?” The once reluctant tears finally fell as she took again the chair beside the motionless girl.

“I wish I could tell you.” She held Sowon by her shoulder. “She’ll be alright. She’s tough and she’s the most stubborn person I know. Imagine, she remained in love with you…? If that’s not stubborn, I don’t know what to call it.”

“Yah.” The other girl brusquely wiped her face. “Leave my love life alone and mind yours, will you?”

“We both know she still stubbornly loves you.”

“I hope that stubbornness could get her through this.” She held Eunha’s hand before turning to Yerin. “You can go back to your blanket now.”

Yerin left but she did not return to the sofa. She walked to the bed where Umji and Yuju were. She moved Yuju, who was at the edge of the bed, closer to the other girl that they were almost hugging, and then she carefully raised the side rails on both sides.

She did not lie down when she got back on the sofa but she took SinB’s head and laid it on her lap before resuming her reading.

* * *

“Hey…”

I woke up to a warm brush of breath on my ear. The call was musical that even when its purpose was to stir me up to wakefulness, it gave me a wave of serenity.

“SinB-yah…” Now the warm breath was accompanied by a gentle on my forehead. “I think Umji is about to wake up. You wouldn’t want to miss this.”

I smiled even before I opened my eyes. Her demeanor was soft; this was absolutely another side of Yerin. It was playful and mischievous.

I stretched and scrunched my face while rubbing my eyes before I beheld Yerin’s face. Like reflex, I puckered my lips hoping for a miracle of a morning kiss. Of course, miracles rarely happened and all I got was a glower from her. So, I just cutely lifted a peace sign up my face and beamed wider. I got abruptly lifted up after that.

I fixed my disheveled hair as we walked toward the bed across us. I had to control the amusement when I understood what Yerin was pertaining to. I almost tripped on my way back to the sofa to get my phone so I could capture the rarity that featured Umji face-to-face with Yuju while in a snug, exhausted embrace.

Yerin placed a pillow behind our soon-to-be distressed maknae just between her and the side rail; I knew exactly what she was expecting to happen. I was already clutching my belly in a hushed eruption of laughter just imagining the look on Umji’s face when she wakes up. And not even a minute passed of musing over the sweet but comical occurrence, Umji’s eyes started to flutter.

I stood behind Yerin biting the sweatshirt over her shoulder in my attempt to muffle my impending cackle. And then the expected happened.

Umji’s eyes opened widely inches away from Yuju’s peaceful face. Yerin tapped my arm three times like she was counting, and right after,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Umji let out a hoarse but shrill scream that startled everyone except Eunha. It was so loud that even when Yerin and I anticipated her panic, we still jerked in surprise.

As predicted, Umji jolted from her position and immediately turned away, leaving Yuju half-deaf and petrified by the unconventional alarm tone. As she rolled, she was trapped by the pillow that was waiting to prevent a definite concussion.

“WHAT ON EARTH, UMJI-YAH!” That would be Sowon’s voice.

Like a pressed metal coil, she sprang to a sitting position with her hair all up in the air and her face aghast but obviously drenched with a scorching blush. When she saw us silently explode into a convulsive laughter, she dug her face with her hands and continued the shrieking. She was so mortified that I thought for a second that she started crying.

Yerin approached her and lowered the rail that kept her from falling off the bed. “Good morning, Umji-yah…” Umji just lifted a fist and ran to the washroom. After she locked herself in, another scream was heard.

I don’t recall exactly the conversations that ensued because that time, I was already breathless from laughing; I was stomping my feet and preventing myself from peeing my shorts. I actually lost my balance and collapsed flat on the floor.

“I think I woke up to a migraine. What happened to Umji?” Yuju sat up next, holding a finger in her ear, trying to clear out the imaginary remnants of the auditory assault.

When Yerin found me on the floor, I became even more breathless as she looked at me with her crescent eyes also in tears from laughing. The happiness on her face was genuine that her elusive dimples adorably etched into the mounds of her cheeks; it was the loveliest thing (next to her entire being). I swear, I could have reached  that moment just by looking at her, but it was uncalled for especially that I didn’t know how actually happened that time. YEAH, SERIOUSLY, I DIDN’T! So, I just took her hand and stood up beside her.

* * *

Yuju had to go to the voice talent work that morning. This was deeply opposed by Sowon, but with her persuasive weirdness, she somehow convinced our leader to agree to let her work provided that she carried a tracking device and that a security personnel would have to accompany her everywhere. None of us would need the car and so, we ensured that she was driven to the location safely. Following Yuju’s tracks was what presumably occupied and entertained Umji that day.

In my case, I was automatically preoccupied with Yerin who studied undistractedly beside me. I used all my energy to prevent myself from causing her any bother and just quietly sat on the sofa.

But to satisfy the irrepressible desire to maintain physical contact, I kept her hand locked with mine. She didn’t complain and just continued to maneuver her textbook with the other hand. That was my cue that she also wanted to hold hands.

To practice and hopefully improve my self-control, I directed myself to observing Sowon who traveled back to Neverland while leaning over Eunha’s bed. I can only imagine if their situation happened to us. It would have been different; it would have been far from this calmness. Yerin surely wouldn’t be sulking while waiting for me to wake up; she would have probably spent hours scouring the whole of Korea, exhausting all of Uncle JD’s connections to search for the culprit who rendered me unconscious. The other members would have been worried sick for the both of us. I would have understood if Yerin was out of sight when I woke up, but somehow, I admired that Sowon chose to be with Eunha during the trying times. She had her undivided attention; I would have wanted the same.

“You have been looking at eonnie for the past five minutes.” Yerin lightly squeezed my hand.

“I just… I haven’t seen this side of Sowon-eonnie. I’m so used to her reprimanding everyone, evading Eunha-eonnie’s affection...”

“… And throwing trash.”

“You noticed that too?” That’s when I stopped looking at Sowon and turned to Yerin who suddenly took a break from reading.

“I practically am always with Sowon-eonnie.”

“What’s with her and trash anyway?” I asked while scooting closer to her.

“She's never obsessed with cleanliness like I am. I’m guessing it might be an unconscious thing. About the past. Regrets. Forgetting. Throwing them away.”

“Ahhh… She might have a lot of things she wanted to forget then.”

“Probably.” Yerin was looking into my eyes and I just sat there looking back at her unable to say another word. We were suddenly caught in a heavy magnetic field of attraction.

“Kids, please keep your hands off each other’s pants.” Umji uttered as she walked toward us. “There are actual people who are ill and resting right now, and there’s another one getting there.”

“Who?”

“Me. I’m about to vomit just by looking at your staring deathmatch. It’s gut-wrenching.”

“You’re just jealous because you know that Yuju-eonnie would probably also want a staring contest with me.”

“You’re being proud about that while you’re clawing Yerin-eonnie’s hand??”

“Yerin-eonnie won’t even have to worry about that. She knows clearly it’s only her that I’d want a staring contest with.” I winked at Yerin but she just glared at me, unwilling to join the banter. “I’d still consider that as a yes… a somewhat brutal yes.”

“At least Yuju-eonnie doesn’t have a brutal side.”

“But my Yerin-eonnie is never weird.”

“Oh my, how possessive. So, she's not weird, just peculiar…?” Umji quipped smirking. Not willing to back down, we found ourselves having our own competition about whose future girlfriend is better.

“Peculiarly the best kisse-” Out of nowhere, Yerin’s hand was rashly and tightly covering my mouth like she was preventing water from gushing out of a broken faucet. But despite my interrupted statement, Umji caught on.

“NO , EONNIE! You already told her about the kiss at the library???”

I pulled myself from Yerin’s grip. “She did!” I swear there was a few seconds of silence before it sank in. “WAIT! WHAT LIBRARY?? WE KISSED AT LIBRARY?! WHEN DID WE KISS AT THE LIBRARY??”

Yerin was not answering but the redness on her face told me that I may have had my first kiss not so long ago and I was just totally unaware.

“Ohhhhhwww…” Suddenly, Umji was nervously biting her nails. “I think it’s time that I go back to monitoring Yuju-eonnie’s whereabouts. Bye.”

“NO.” I pulled her back. “You stay here and endure this.” And then I turned to my discomfited Yerin whose lips were suddenly caught between her teeth. From her expression, I could tell that in her mind, she has already considered resorting to just keeping my head me between her legs again so I would shut up. But that would be too uncharacteristic of her to do especially in the presence of Umji.

“Eonnie, I’m sorry…” Umji’s voice conveyed a non-savage sincerity.

“Yerin-eonnie, did we really kiss at the library?”

“Yes…?” Yerin maintained her straightforward face but she started aimlessly touching the tip of her fingers. It was so cute I couldn’t get myself to become upset.

“When?! How??”

“Lips connecting? I don’t think there’s any other answer to how a kiss happens...” Umji interjected.

“SHUSHH! I’m talking to eonnie.”

“Well, technically, we didn’t. There was intent, which was probably mutual, but it wasn’t consensual since one was unconscious; hence though deliberate, the contact was substantially one-sided. And so-”

“Eonnie, there’s so much words! Was there a kiss or not?”

“I kissed you.”

“Okay. So… I didn’t kiss back, right? I don’t remember ever kissing you before last night.”

“WAIT, YOU KISSED LAST NIGHT?!”

“Zip it, Umji-yah. I’m not done with you yet. And yes, we did, a really long one.” I sneered trying to ruin her feigned innocence before resuming the interrogation. “Eonnie, when exactly did that happen??”

“Morning after Eunha’s birthday party.”

“Really? That day I fell asleep??”

“... On her legs. Then you returned to the apartment and enjoyed carrying her around.” Umji chimed. And she definitely received a scolding look for that.

“Yeah, that day.”

“Holy sh… Now, I know I wasn’t just dreaming! Did you know I spent days thinking if what I felt was a real kiss??”

“Are you upset?”

“I want to be. But only because I didn’t know. I wasn’t even aware of my first kiss! Eonnie, how could you have done that? I mean I’m happy and all, but still.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you haven’t ki… I mean that it would be… No, I mean it is a big deal now that I’ve realized how much you wanted to know about it. I’m really sorry.”

“Did you think it wasn’t my first kiss?”

“I don’t think my gut was built to endure a conversation with this degree of sappiness. The effect of this trauma will be exponential. Please let me be excused.” Umji ran back to reclaim her chair before I could protest.

“After last night, I realized that it was your first.”

“O… kay. So, I’m not sure if that was a subtle insult to my kissing skills.” Was she implying that it was obvious that I’ve never kissed anyone before??

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. The thing is... I think you might have confessed something in your somniloquy.”

“In my somni-what??”

“Somniloquy. Sleep-talk!”

“Umji-yah! Either you're in this conversation or you're not. But you left, so, shush!”

“So, anyway, you were sleep-talking last night and you said something about that, you said… that you… uhhmmm…”

“That I what? What did I say?”

“You said… Wait, are you sure you want to know, SinB-yah? Because I’m sure you were just talking in your sleep. We can let it pass”

“Yes, eonnie, I want to know.” At the back of my head, I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to know; because according to Eunseo, I have had a few episodes of sleep-talking and on all those episodes, I said something utterly self-degrading.

“You said that…” She looked at me again for some sort of absolute confirmation. “You said, you almost came... to think it was just your first kiss.”

. I should have just shut up. I knew I might have said something but I didn’t think it was that bad. No, it wasn’t bad, it was terrible!

“… I said that?! I ahhh.. I don’t even know how to com-” I had an immediate mental breakdown. “No, I mean I haven’t-, how to-” WHY CAN’T I JUST STOP? “I mean what it feels like. No, not that I-”

“SinB-yah, shut up!” Umji yelled from the other side of the room.

Suddenly, I found myself enfolded by Yerin’s arms. “Stop. It’s okay.” She started to warily brush my back.  “And if it helps… At the library, with you... It was also my first kiss…”

“Oh.”

“… And who knows you could be my first in everything.”

I gasped to what she said, but I managed to respond. “And your last...?”

“If so, then everything in between.”

Okay, that’s where I got a heart attack.

I don’t know how I survived that moment without spontaneously disintegrating. It was probably Yerin’s hug that kept me together. I probably should ask her soon to be my girlfriend and start ticking the boxes of her firsts, of our firsts. But that means I also have to come clean. I think revealing myself should be the first one on my list.

* * *

“So, eonnie, how about that night on Eunha-eonnie’s birthday, did you know that was me?”

“SinB-yah, you've been interrogating me for the past hour now. I need to study.”

“Come on, eonnie… You stole a kiss from me. I deserve some answers.”

Yerin just gave me a deathly side-eye.

“So, eonnie, did you-”

“From now on, I’ll only answer one question a day-”

“Ok, it starts now! Eonnie, can I kiss you again??” I asked without letting her finish.

“… questions that will NOT require me to do anything but answer.”

“But I’ll DO all the kissing.”

“But that would require me to allow you to do so, which is technically doing something.”

“Sometimes, I hate that you’re smart.”

“You should be thrilled that I am. That says a lot about you.” Yerin stood and walked toward the bed to check on the bottle that was tethered to Eunha.

She left me confused and far from thrilled. With our conversation, only the eavesdropping Umji was amused. “SinB-yah, you’ve unleashed eonnie’s sweet side.”

“Which part of that was sweet?? It felt more like a threat.”

“She was complimenting you.”

“Where exactly was the compliment there?? Why did it feel like she just butchered my confidence?”

“The only thing she butchered here was her standards.”

“What standar-.”

“Nevermind. It's hopeless. I still can't fathom why she likes you.” Umji retreated again to the chair that she implicitly favored, put her earphones on and resumed stalking Yuju.

“Tsss… I better just shower.” I went to the bathroom still thinking about the supposedly sweet compliment.

* * *

1 missed call

ES: Bi-ya. I’m on my way to the hospital. Bringing lunch.

ES: 5 mins. You better be out the door when I get there.

3 missed calls

ES: Are you still alive?? You’re making me worry.

5 missed calls

ES: Food for 5 people is not easy to carry, you know. Better get your out

ES: I’m at the freaking door. I don’t have the whole day.

ES: If you don’t answer my call, I’ll leave the food outside.

ES calling…

SinB’s phone turned black. Yerin turned it off.

After Eunseo annoyingly recorded a voicemail, the door swung open.

“Bi-ya! God. Finally. Why the he-” Eunseo almost dropped the paper bags that partially obstructed her line of sight. “Oh… Good morning Yerin-ssi. I thought it wa-”

“By Bi you meant Hwang, right?” It was a question but it didn’t sound like one because she knew exactly the answer. “She’s in the shower.”

“Yeah, SinB-ssi. I was asked to bring food. I’m Eunseo…” She put effort into balancing two large brown bags in one arm to extend her hand, forgetting completely that it was not customary for the older girl to engage in handshakes. That was aside from the fact that Yerin was far from pleased to make any form of physical contact with her.

Instead of accepting Eunseo’s greeting, to have a good look at the girl who always dressed decently and carried herself well with radiating kindness and confidence, she grasped the two bags with one hand without a trace of difficulty. “I know you from the café.” She uttered with her usual unyielding and forthright tone.

“Oh, yeah… There.” Unfazed by Yerin’s expected lack of warmth on their first formal introduction to each other, Eunseo felt the need to return the intimidation. “I assumed you wouldn’t recognize me because I never really saw you practice in the basement. I apologize, I was quick to judge.” Eunseo smiled but it was almost a smirk and it made the girl in red sweatshirt clench her jaw.

Yerin would have decided to show a drop of kindness if only Eunseo didn’t present that small detail in such an insulting light. Eunseo felt the same urge, if only Yerin didn’t give her that look when she opened the door, she would have been more sensitive.

It was expected that Eunseo would be protective of SinB. Taking on the responsibility of being her sister and having to go through life almost side-by-side, anyone who wishes to take her best friend will have to go through her. But she never really gave particular attention to Yerin’s existence until that day. She felt the need to test her, it was not because she was threatened by the possibility of their separation, but it was more of a best friend’s instinct to be a bit territorial. She knew very well that SinB would have done worse if the situation reversed.

“I would remember you even if it was a split-second encounter...” Yerin’s expressionless gaze burned as it trailed from Eunseo’s hair in high pony, down to her neatly polished leather work shoes. The other girl could only raise an eyebrow while waiting for Yerin to complete her hanging statement. “… And I’m certain I won’t ever forget you now.”

“I’m sure you won’t.” Inside Eunseo’s head was a flashback of the several stories SinB has told her about Yerin. She knew perfectly the things that could tick Yerin off and she was determined to leave an impression.

Now there was thick air around them that was already impossible to escape from even if they both decide to smile and make the conversation lighter. But neither of them was willing to do that.

“Do you need to talk to Hwang? I can tell her to hurry up. She might be ecstatic to see you.” Yerin deadpanned, but before she could turn around, Eunseo was quick to answer.

“I’m sure she will be, but I don’t wish to talk to her now. I'm here just to bring food.”

“If you say so.” Yerin might have instinctively rolled her eyes. “Then don’t you have more important things to do than just stand here?”

“Absolutely. If you’re done with your head-to-toe inspection of me, I better return to the café. Oh, and if you don’t mind, please hand this to SinB-ssi, I guarded it with my life because I know it means the world to her. It was interesting meeting you, Yerin-ssi. Just give us a call if you would need anything.”

“Sure.” Yerin received the hard envelope. She wanted to say more but the other girl was already turning around totally disinterested in what she had to say.

Eunseo was about to head to the elevator when she decided to halt and turn back. “And Yerin-ssi…” The girl in red only glared at her. “… Maybe in the future, the two of us could share a few espresso shots. Maybe become friends. So, I can teach you how to shake hands.”

Yerin could only think of shooting her in the head but she knew better than to lose her temper. “Whatever pleases you.”

As soon as Eunseo turned around, the door shut behind her.

Yerin was about to punch the thick door that she just locked, but when she got in, SinB was already standing outside the bathroom door with her hair all over her face. The moment she freed her eyes from the hairy curtain of obstruction, she instantly found Yerin and smiled at her lovingly from ear-to-ear like a lovesick puppy, all that was missing was a wagging tail.

But when she realized what the older girl was holding, she automatically panicked. “Eonnie! Did you go out?? I told you-”

This was when Yerin remembered how persistent SinB was with keeping her in sight all the time, and the genuine terror in SinB’s face immediately melted the annoyance that lingered from the tension a few seconds ago.

“No, I didn’t. This was delivered from the café.”

“Ohh… Okay. I just thought-” SinB slumped her shoulders in relief and then she remembered, “Wait. Did you say café? Was Eunseo here? Did she just leave?” From a distance, she scanned the sofa for her phone.

It was reflex that SinB asked about her friend, but Yerin felt she was a little too eager to know. To Yerin, SinB seemed indeed ecstatic to learn that the café staff dropped by.

“Eonnie?”

“Tell me, what exactly is your relationship with that girl from the café?”