Seulgi thinks that she's set a new record for how long a person could possibly go without talking to the other person they're sharing a rent bill with.

In all seriousness, she's talked to her roommate exactly once in the month they've lived together? Maybe twice— that is, if she's counting the time they had a joint meeting with the landlord to talk about the lease. Seulgi's lucky to even know what her roommate looks like at this point. The only reason why she remembers the other girl's name – Irene Bae – is because it's written out in stylish cursive letters on the door opposite Seulgi's bedroom.

At the very least, they acknowledge each other's presence, even if it's only in the little things. Seulgi makes dinner (or orders/heats up take-out, but semantics,) and leaves enough leftovers for Irene to snack on when she stumbles into the apartment in the early hours of the morning, back from doing god-knows-what. Irene's surprisingly an amazing cook, and makes Seulgi meals and cleans up when Seulgi's out at work. They've got a system, and although they don't see each other, it works.

So yeah, it's probably unsafe and unideal that the only thing Seulgi actually knows about Irene personally is that she's older than Seulgi (by how many years, Seulgi doesn't know), but eh. It is what it is. Seulgi's about 91% sure that her roommate isn't a serial killer, so that's good enough for her. And sure, maybe she is dying for some company at 4 AM in the morning, when she's binge playing video games in the living room, her insomnia kicking in at full effect, but again, it is what it is.

Also, Seulgi's roommate just so happens to know that Seulgi loves sushi, and on most days, Seulgi returns home to rolls of sushi waiting for her on the counter.

She really has to give Irene credit for thoughtfulness on that one.

--

Perhaps it's because it's been two-and-a-half months since Irene's moved in and Seulgi's still yet to have a proper conversation with the older girl, but Seulgi impulsively buys a magnetic whiteboard and sticks it unceremoniously onto their refrigerator.

Seulgi's a pretty positive person, like, 75% of the time, so she starts by writing some uplifting messages and waits to see if her roommate will notice. Because everyone needs a little bit of sunshine in their life, right?

Keep smiling! her whiteboard reads before Seulgi leaves for work at 7 AM.

How on earth are you supposed to keep smiling when you wake up before the sun rises? is what it says when Seulgi returns home from her job at the dance studio at 8 PM, thirteen hours later. The words, lazily scrawled on the board, make her positively burst out laughing after a hard day of teaching. 

Yeah, Seulgi's definitely using this whiteboard more often.

She's actually determined to make this their thing— communicating through writing, that is. Seulgi always gets up before Irene, so she has the time to spare to jot down a little something down on the board. She can't help but realize how primitive it all is, communicating via whiteboard and marker, but it's really the best they can do at this point, and pretty much the only form of communication that they've got, so Seulgi doesn't complain. At least it's less awkward this way.

The second day, Seulgi continues with the whole "positive reinforcement" theme that had been started the day prior.

She writes nobody's perfect in the center of the whiteboard before eagerly leaving, wondering what snarky response Irene will leave for her this time.

And Irene really is creative, Seulgi has to give her that, because she comes home to her writing still smack dab in the middle of the board, but now there's more writing that's been added to it, and truthfully, Seulgi likes this new phrase better:

i am nobody
nobody's perfect
therefore, i am perfect

Seulgi snorts at how fitting it all is— after all, Irene is virtually "nobody" to Seulgi. They don't even know each other, and they're actually living across a shared hallway. Nevertheless, Seulgi decides not to erase the quote, instead tacking on her own clever remark: 

i'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong

Later that evening, when Seulgi exits the shower and enters the kitchen for some juice, to her shock, she finds the refrigerator cluttered with sets of colorful magnets in the shape of letters – both uppercase and lowercase – and Seulgi chokes on her juice at her roommate's weird, ironic aesthetic. 

Beneath their witty whiteboard exchange, spelled out in letter magnets (because there's no more room on the board), are the words:

okay, but ur short, and im petty

And Seulgi grins because it feels like Irene's accepted her (and someone has finally acknowledged her wit).

--

Seulgi's not dumb. She knows that Irene brings home... guests on a weekly basis.

She doesn't actually care much, though. She's been prepared for this from the very first day. The only reason why Seulgi actually put out that notice that she was looking for a roommate was because she knew that the walls of the bedrooms were already soundproof, and she needed someone to pay the other half of the rent.

Still, while the bedrooms are soundproof, it's not like the other rooms are. Seulgi still briefly wakes up in the middle of the night on the weekends to moans and gasps and screams as Irene and whoever else she's with fall into their humble abode, probably hitting their heads on the front door frame, only for the noises to all but disappear once inside Irene's bedroom. She doesn't care that Irene brings home a weekly guest, but Seulgi can't help but notice, in her sleepy stupor, that she never hears the same moans or gasps or screams twice. It's different every week, and Seulgi wonders if it's healthy, but doesn't dare question anything.

After all, she doesn't even know Irene.

On occasion, she rises in the mornings to hushed voices talking, then the sound of the front door closing, and Irene sighing before retreating to her room. Maybe these guests are more emotionally tolling than Seulgi initially thought. It makes her wonder just what Irene is after.

Still, that doesn't stop her from writing, you're pretty loud. wanna be quieter? on that whiteboard.

She finds the magnets rearranged into i'll try but no guarantees ;), with the ;) on a sticky note, later that day.

Oh well. It was worth a shot.

--

Everything changes one evening, when Seulgi comes home from the dance studio per usual, and she's snooping around the kitchen to find something to eat. She doesn't realize that someone else has entered the room until a soft voice comments,

"Hey, I left you some Thai takeout in the fridge."

Seulgi whirls around, eyes wide and a hand over her heart. She jumps in surprise when she sees the lithe form of Bae Irene standing behind her, watching Seulgi curiously with her head tilted to the right ever-so-slightly from where she's propped up against the far kitchen counter.

A small smirk works its way across Irene's lips as she watches Seulgi open and close like a fish, no words leaving her lips.

"What?" She teases the younger girl. "Cat got your tongue?"

"More like a bunny," Seulgi says without thinking, because Irene looks like the cutest rabbit Seulgi's ever seen, bathed in the soft yellow light of their kitchen, clothed in an over-sized band t-shirt and sweatpants as pajamas, and Irene furrows her brow.

"Hm?"

"You actually exist!" Seulgi exclaims instead of answering, and then she clamps shut because nothing is coming out right and god, she's making a fool of herself, but when she sees the way Irene's beautiful doe eyes are twinkling, she thinks that it all might be worth it.

"I'm real!" Irene agrees easily, her words being consumed by a sound that reminds Seulgi of clear bells chiming, and oh, that's Irene laugh. "And you are too!"

This doesn't feel real, is what Seulgi thinks. By this point, Seulgi thought that she and Irene were doomed to skirt around each other's lives for the rest of their years as roommates. And since when was Irene so pretty? It almost makes Seulgi wish that she could go back in time and befriend Irene from the beginning— face-to-face, actual conversation, skipping the whole communicating-through-writing-because-we're-way-too-awkward-to-talk-in-person phase. 

"I was really starting to doubt your existence," Seulgi breathes out, not really knowing what to say. She should really stop thinking with . "I thought that you hated me for one reason or another."

"Really? I thought we were getting along quite well," Irene drawls, motioning in a noncommittal fashion to their latest refrigerator conversation (Seulgi spelled out i only take insults in the form of compliments and Irene had replied with wow ur short <3 in magnets.)

"Wait." It's like a lightbulb goes off in her head, and from where she's ducking her head into the refrigerator to get that Thai takeout, Seulgi suddenly stiffens, straightens her posture, and points accusingly Irene. This is unfair and not even true! "Hold up a sec. I'm taller than you!"

"I know." Irene looks incredibly amused.

"But you said–"

"So what if you're taller than me?" Irene grins wickedly, and Seulgi knows where this is going. "You're still considerably short in the whole grand scheme of things, Seulgi."

Seulgi doesn't reply with words. She just groans and bangs her head against a cabinet, Thai food still in one hand and chopsticks in the other, as Irene snickers under her breath. Irene's too pretty, Seulgi decides. Her roommate's probably the prettiest girl that Seulgi's ever laid her eyes on, and she always gets weak in the knees around pretty girls, so she'll just it up and let Irene win this round.

--

Seulgi's not expecting things to change after that, but for some reason, they do. She sees Irene around more often now, and it's a nice change for both Seulgi's eyes and the apartment's atmosphere (Seulgi thinks that everything looks lighter for some reason; maybe it's the acknowledgment of companionship). But speaking of atmosphere, that is something that Seulgi's bedroom does not have. Their apartment is charming, especially with Irene. Seulgi's bedroom is not.

She frowns as she lies in bed one Sunday afternoon, staring at the blank, off-shade white walls that seem to just stare back at her just as blandly. Her room is pretty boring, no doubt there. Nothing like her bedroom back at her parents' house, which just screams character. When she was seventeen, Seulgi and her friends had cleared her room and splattered colorful splotches of paint on the walls. It had been spontaneous, fun, and aesthetically pleasing, much like Seulgi's overall personality during that age.

Now, five years later, Seulgi's still close to those old friends (hell, they still meet up, like, every other day,) but while doing that was fun, Seulgi's not looking to repeat history again. Staring at her bland apartment walls, she's looking for something a bit more... mature. But still aesthetically pleasing, of course. (It's a good thing their landlord lets them practically have free reign over their apartment. Seulgi knows that not all of them are as nice.)

It's not until she looks out her open bedroom door and glances at Irene's closed one that she's suddenly hit with inspiration.

In the back of her mind, Seulgi vaguely registers Irene's footsteps gently padding down the hallway as she's moving around her bookcase, wardrobe, desk, and drawers. She really should pay more attention to her roommates whereabouts, but at least this time she isn't startled into oblivion when Irene pipes up after a minute of quiet observation.

"What are you doing?" Irene asks, cocking her head (Seulgi notices that Irene does that head tilt often when she's curious about something, and it's cute.)

"Moving around my stuff to make space on this wall," Seulgi replies, motioning to the far wall where her furniture once leaned against.

"Why?"

Seulgi shrugs, digging into her closet where she had shoved all of her art supplies when she'd first moved in. She's unfortunately been busier than ever since then, and hasn't had the time to paint while still adjusting to her schedule as a dance instructor, but whatever. Now's as good a day as any to crack open the paints again.

"My room's boring. I want to spice it up a bit."

"I didn't know you paint," Irene says, her voice light and inquiring. "I thought that you were a dance instructor."

Seulgi smiles. So Irene has been paying attention to her...

"I am," Seulgi replies. "Dance has always been my first passion, but art is definitely a close second. My old room was full of canvases and piles of paper and sketchbooks. Give me a few more months and I'll get there again," she chuckles, shaking her head at the organized chaos of her old room.

Irene nods, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I can't wait to see what you paint, Seulgi. Though honestly, I thought you would've done something with these walls by now, given how... lifeless they are."

Seulgi looks at Irene with newfound interest. "Have you done anything to your walls, Irene?"

Another nod. "I hated the way they looked when I moved in, so I sorta started a project the next day. It's... coming along pretty nicely, actually."

"Can I see it?" Seulgi tries not to look too eager, but it's hard when the roommate who's been edging around your very existence suddenly shows interest in your oh-so-exciting personal life. (The reality is that Seulgi's been curious about Irene from the very beginning.)

"Sure," Irene says, and giggles as Seulgi tries to discreetly fist pump. "Follow me."

Irene's room is, for the most part, exactly how Seulgi imagined it to be— overall pretty neat and tidy, with a made-up bed (that surely wouldn't be that made-up tonight, given how it's a Saturday and Irene definitely will have a guest over), and a slightly messy desk.

The highlight of the place, though, is Irene's not-so-blank walls.

There are quotes everywhere, starting out from the top of Irene's bed frame and blossoming out like a geyser of words, all written in that same elegant cursive handwriting; the very same handwriting that Seulgi recognized from the "Irene Bae" written out on Irene's door. It's wordy and beautiful and very Irene, and that's the only way that Seulgi can truly explain it.

"I'm a writer," Irene explains, watching carefully as Seulgi steps close to the wall and traces some of the letters. It makes sense; explains the messy desk. "These are all just things I like; mainly quotes from songs, books, movies, tv shows, and even things I just happen to overhear in everyday life. I like to write anything memorable down. What better way to remember than make a mural out of it?"

"I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary." Seulgi reads from one quote, and Irene smiles. "I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was."

"That's from the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," the older girl says. "A favorite of mine."

"I'll remember that title," Seulgi says. Which is true. She will. She likes sitting down for a good book to read every once in a while. And Irene is a writer, so all the more reason to. Maybe she can gain Irene's favor and get into her permanent good wishes. "I haven't sat down to read a good book in quite some time."

"You won't be disappointed," Irene assures her, and Seulgi thinks that it's incredibly cute with the way the older girl looks so confident in her literature choice. Irene is definitely passionate, if anything.

Seulgi steps around the bed to the other side, and she an eyebrow in surprise when she recognizes one particular quote.

"Wishes can come true, but not if you just wait for miracles. Miracles are things we make for ourselves. Here, and now," she reads aloud before looking up at Irene in excitement. "This one is from Final Fantasy XIII. I love that game! Do you play video games?"

"I'm a pretty big fan of role-playing video games myself," Irene admits, and her smile grows wider at how Seulgi seems to brighten considerably at her humble admission. "Again, I'm a writer, and I'm a er for those video games that can really hook you into a story. Final Fantasy is one of my favorite franchises, but I haven't gotten to play them recently."

"I just got Final Fantasy XV," Seulgi exclaims, jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas, if Christmas came a few months early. She stops abruptly, suddenly rocking in her heels as she bashfully looks at Irene through her lashes. "Do you... do you want to play it with me sometime? The storyline has gotten amazing reviews, and I... I think you'd like it, Irene."

Irene's already wide smile only seems to get wider. "I'd love to, Seulgi."

"Great!" Seulgi beams, her heart racing at Irene's acceptance. She then turns back to the wall, scanning over it once more before laughing upon seeing a familiar line.

There, placed strategically in the middle of the geyser of quotes, is Seulgi's pride and joy.

I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

Seulgi's laugh echoes through the room, loud and unapologetic in its volume, and soon enough Irene joins her as realizes that she's been caught.

"Gosh darn it, I thought that you wouldn't notice!" Irene snaps her fingers half-heartedly, and she's not even trying to act anymore. "It was a good quote, okay?" She playfully glares at Seulgi. "Don't give yourself too much credit!"

Seulgi shakes her head, still trembling with laughter. "How much money would I have to pay you to write my greatest comeback in the history of all comebacks in the middle of my wall for everyone to see, in that great handwriting of yours?"

Seulgi doesn't receive a verbal answer, just Irene picking up a pillow and chucking it at her head.

(Irene misses. Of course she does, and Seulgi grins and throws it back at her harder.)

--

"Can I add something?" Seulgi asks, and Irene slowly nods in confirmation, kneading the pillow that she caught in her hands.

And Seulgi's literally just finished writing the closing parenthesis in ur short(er than me) in the smallest handing writing she can manage on Irene's wall when a second pillow comes flying her way, and "Kang Seulgi!!!" is shouted throughout the room.

Irene chases a laughing Seulgi back to the other girl's bedroom, where she tackles Seulgi onto the floor, nearly knocking the taller girl into her pile of brushes, and proceeds to hit her repeatedly with Seulgi's favorite stuffed teddy bear, threatening to dip the toy in a bottle of paint. 

"Apologize, you idiot!" Yet Irene's positively radiant, and Seulgi can tell that's she's not actually as mad as she's letting on. But once again, Seulgi is struck by how pretty she looks, and once again, Seulgi's weak against pretty girls. So this time again, she'll just up and let Irene take this one. Again.

--

It's a Friday night somewhere down the line and Seulgi's chilling with her friends in some bar, kinda-sorta drunk but not black-out drunk (yet), and be about life in general (as one typically does while drunk at a bar when they're forced to leave the house by friends.) She's been questioning why she agreed to come since the beginning of the night, and now isn't any different.

"Why the hell am I here?" Seulgi groans, lying her head down on the round table. It's a bit difficult, considering how she's squished between Yeri and Joy, who are both more than a little bit out of it. "I could be at home, without a throbbing head, playing video games."

"You're obsessed," Wendy, the good, sober mom-friend, scolds from across the table. "You need some air."

"Ah, yes," Seulgi retorts dryly, forcing herself to lift her head and somewhat-drunkenly stare Wendy in the eye. "Because the alcohol-diluted, smoke-induced air is just what I need on this lovely Friday night. I still don't know why I'm here."

"Since when did Seulgi get so sarcastic?" Yeri asks, giggling— or is she hiccuping? No one seems to be able to tell. "We couldn't even influence her that much, and Joy and I bothered her every day since high school."

"Since Irene!" Seulgi groans out again, slamming her head down on the table with a little bit more force. "I gotta keep up with that beautiful brain of hers." She pauses. "It's harder than you think," she adds as an afterthought. "Irene's a writer. All of her words are pretty. Her face is pretty too. Everything Irene is pretty. Even her backside."

Wendy raises an eyebrow, asking, "Irene? Your roommate who you never see?" at the same time Joy snickers, "her backside too!"

"I see her a lot now. She's real," Seulgi insists almost in an accusatory tone, like her friends won't believe her. She can't really blame them, especially with her buzzing mind. She can hardly believe that Irene exists either. "She's a writer, and she likes to write on her wall. She also likes video games too. We're gonna play one together sometime... why the hell am I here? I could be playing video games with Irene! She's also shorter than me."

"Who's to say that she isn't out doing the exact same thing as you right now?" Joy challenges, and Seulgi shakes her head.

"No, she doesn't go out on Fridays. She goes out on Saturdays. Today is Friday... right? Or is it Saturday already?"

With a quick peek at her watch, Wendy chuckles, reaching over the table to pat Seulgi on the head. "Just barely Saturday. Twelve-thirty. Close enough, right?"

"I wanna go home and sleep," Seulgi mumbles into her the sleeves of her sweater, where she's buried her head in her arms. "I'm tired."

"Right," Wendy laughs, standing up and moving to the other side of the table, forcing Joy, Yeri, and Seulgi to stand. "Let's get you guys home. All of you."

--

Seulgi gets home safely (much thanks to Wendy, for being the best designated-driver ever, with painkillers in her car and everything), and the first thing she does is collapse on the couch. She's not feeling as bad now, since she slept during the car ride home, when they were stuck in traffic and it took practically double the time than the usual. Wendy's painkillers helped too. Still, she's dead tired, and pretty hungry too, but she can't find it in herself to move to the kitchen.

She's been lying facedown on the couch for maybe a minute when, to her utmost surprise, Irene walks out to the living room, an oversized hoodie on that goes over her shorts. She smirks at Seulgi, leisurely making her way over to the couch and perching herself on the arm.

"So..." Irene begins, and Seulgi quietly lets out a high-pitched noise of apparent suffering before burrowing her face into a couch pillow. Irene chuckles. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"

"No." Seulgi grumbles. "I feel like death."

She can't see it, but she knows that Irene has what can only be described as a -eating grin on her face. 

"Really? Like, real death?"

At the playful tone, Seulgi rolls over slightly to glare at the older girl. "Yes."

Irene chuckles again, and Seulgi scrunches her nose up and sticks her tongue out at the other girl.

"So why are you on the couch and not lying in bed?"

"Because I'm hungry," Seulgi moans, fruitlessly reaching out for the kitchen, which is quite literally seven feet away from her, and she acts like she might as well be traversing mountains to reach her destination. "But I'm also tired, and I don't wanna move. Also, I think the painkillers I took before are wearing off."

Irene rolls her eyes, but there's a hint of a smile on her face, and Seulgi also thinks that she might have heard a tinge of affection in her voice as Irene stands up, lightly pats Seulgi's arm, and says, "Okay then, you lightweight. Wait here a second."

And with that, Irene pads over to the kitchen. Seulgi can hear the opening of the refrigerator, the clank of their utensils cabinet, and the rush of water from the sink faucet.

Seulgi's eyes brighten considerably when Irene regresses back to the living room, a plate of sushi in her right hand, and a pair of chopsticks with a tall glass of water in the left. She sets them down on their coffee table and gently nudges for Seulgi to sit up, helping the younger girl do so in a way that doesn't hurt her head. As Seulgi gets comfortable, Irene produces a bottle of Advil from the deep pocket of her hoodie and places it down on the table, next to the water.

As soon as she's downed two pills of Advil, Seulgi shoots Irene a grateful look.

"Thank you for this," Seulgi says sincerely, gingerly holding the the chopsticks and picking up a roll of sushi. "Thank you so much, Irene. My hangover tomorrow won't be nearly as bad thanks to you."

Irene smiles and shrugs. "No problem. It's always nice to have someone there with you at the end of the night— whether you're stumbling into your room with them, or if they're waiting for you at home."

"I'd gladly be at the other side of the problem, waiting at home," Seulgi mutters, and she receives another giggle from Irene. "No, I'm serious! I'd take care of you, Irene – that is, granted that you're alone and need to be taken care of – not that I wouldn't take care of you if you weren't on your own or anything, and... and... and I'm rambling again, aren't I...?"

Oh god, why can't I just learn to shut my mouth...

But Irene's eyes are twinkling, just like they had been when Seulgi was running when she and her roommate first actually became acquainted in the kitchen that one night, and after that, everything had changed. Seulgi wonders how Irene managed to capture the sky on a clear night in her eyes, especially since they live in the city and the lights of stars are usually pretty hard to see.

"Thank you, Seulgi," Irene says, her voice clear, and honest, and just as sincere as Seulgi's gratitude from earlier; as if Seulgi hadn't just been swallowed up in her own embarrassment. "I think we're on our way to becoming pretty decent roommates," she jokes.

Seulgi laughs but agrees nonetheless. She likes Irene a lot. She likes how Irene makes her feel; like she's worth something, like she's someone worth taking care of.

They sit on that couch and they talk for awhile, but after about thirty minutes, both girls find themselves in a battle to see who can yawn more than the other, and both concede simultaneously, feeling sleepy.

Seulgi goes into the kitchen to put away the plate and chopsticks as Irene heads over to their hallway, about to retreat to her room. Suddenly, she older girl pauses and turns to look over her shoulder and into the kitchen, where Seulgi is washing her plate.

"Seulgi? Are you doing anything Saturday night— tonight? Like, are you going out?"

Seulgi barks out a laugh, accidentally splashing herself with water and getting a few soap bubbles on her face.

"Yeah, I don't think so," she snorts as she wipes the suds off her face. "Don't want another headache. I only went out tonight – yesterday night? It's 2 AM, so I don't know anymore  – because my friends dragged me out the door earlier. I'm probably going to stay here and play video games."

Irene slowly nods, a slight smile on her face. "Okay, good to know. Goodnight, Seulgi."

"Goodnight, Irene."

--

Seulgi sleeps well past noon, waking up a little past 2 PM. She blinks sleep out of her eyes, rubbing them blearily as she steps out of her room. Irene's left her door open (and it makes Seulgi glad, because they've gotten to the point where they can be comfortable with each other), and Seulgi's not surprised to see that the older girl is not in her room. Irene usually is out all of Saturday anyways, though Seulgi still doesn't know what she does.

She spends the day cleaning the apartment up (although there really isn't much to clean because Irene takes good care of the place when Seulgi's away) and then adding on more to the growing mural on her bedroom wall that she had started two weeks before.

After hours of painting without rest, when her hands have been properly stained with pink and orange paint, Seulgi goes the bathroom to viciously scrub her hands, muttering under her breath about how she should just scrub them with a metal sponge.

By 11 PM she's situated on the living room couch, playing her current favorite video game, Overwatch, with her headphones on and resisting the urge to yell at her incompetent teammates AKA some fellow dance instructors from her studio. On the TV stand, just beneath the screen, sits Final Fantasy XV. She's had the game for awhile now, but hasn't even thought of starting it without Irene in the room. They haven't found the time yet, but it's fine. Baby steps, after all.

Seulgi fully expects Irene to burst into the apartment with someone accompanying her at some point during the night. It always happens every Saturday without fail, so Seulgi's learned what to expect, and she's completely ready to make a mad dash for her bedroom. (That doesn't mean that she's ready to see Irene actually engaged in some sort of romantic/intimate action with a stranger, but what can Seulgi really do about something like that?)

So she's neck deep in a competitive match, and an enemy player just killed her for the nth time. Seulgi curses under her breath, completely disregarding the quiet opening of the apartment door. By the time the game finishes in her team's victory five minutes later, Seulgi heaves a sigh of relief and takes her headphones off—

— before proceeding to nearly jump out of her skin when she hears a quiet giggle coming from the spot on the couch beside her, and what do you know? An amused Bae Irene is observing her, biting her lip while trying to stay quiet.

"Oh shi—!" Seulgi shrieks, leaping from the couch, a hand clutching the fabric over where her heart would be. She lands on the living room floor with a thud, breathing heavily and staring up at Irene, who's now openly shaking with laughter.

"When did you get there?!" Seulgi gasps. Then her eyes widen. "Wait." She looks at Irene, in her black dress, high heels, and red, red lipstick, then at the calendar full of Van Gogh paintings hanging on their wall, then back to Irene— or rather, the lack of another person, most likely a stranger, with Irene. It was definitely Saturday night. So then why...?

"You're home early," Seulgi says instead, and Irene nods cutely. "You never come home early on Saturdays— not that I'm not pleased to see you or anything. And you're alone...?"

Irene laughs and shrugs her shoulders. "Didn't feel like doing anything else tonight."

They both know what Irene means by "anything else." (More like "anyone else," Seulgi thinks, a hint of bitterness sneaking into her heart.)

But younger girl can only nod slowly, blinking in surprise. "Oh... okay. You're... you're not drunk either...?"

"No, I'm not." At the questioning look she receives from her roommate, Irene shrugs helplessly again. "I don't know... wasn't feeling it tonight. I told my friends at the bar that I was tired and I wanted to go home, but I'm not actually tired, I just didn't feel like being there."

Seulgi bites the inside of her cheek, still nodding slowly. "I can totally understand that."

"I don't know..." Irene trails off, as if she's contemplating something. "I thought that we could... I don't know..." There's a frustrated look in Irene's eyes, as if she has something stuck in that she can't seem to get out. Seulgi has the feeling that she knows what Irene wants to ask, and decides to save the older girl from her internal battle.

"Do you want to play Final Fantasy XV with me?" Seulgi asks gently, getting up from where she'd been paralyzed on the ground and sitting next to Irene. At her proposal, Irene's face lights up like Seulgi had just presented the world to her on a silver platter. She can basically see the relief in Irene's eyes.

"Could we?" Irene asks through her lashes, almost shyly. "You're not tired?"

Seulgi smirks. "I slept in until 2 PM today, Irene. I'm wide awake. I'd been planning on pulling an all-nighter."

"What would you have done if I had brought someone home and my guest and I were...?" Irene doesn't finish the end of the sentence, but Seulgi has the feeling that is has something to do with each other's face off.

"I was prepared to make a beeline for my bedroom," Seulgi says with a lazy smile, reclining back on the couch as Irene playfully hits her arm. "I don't have to worry about that now, though. But no joke, I was totally prepared. I even wrote a witty comment on the whiteboard and taped it to your door."

Irene rolls her eyes but chuckles regardless. "Do I even want to know?"

Seulgi grins. "You'll see. Go change out of that dress and get into comfortable clothes. I'll boot Final Fantasy up while you're at it."

Irene complies, heading over to her room. Seulgi knows that Irene's seen the message when she hears a loud guffaw of laughter and shout of "KANG SEULGI!" from the direction of their bedrooms. When Irene returns, typical shirt and sweatpants on, whiteboard in hand, Seulgi has the Final Fantasy XV starting screen flashing on the TV.

"Seriously, Seul?" Irene asks, laughter bubbling in as she holds up the whiteboard that reads:

Hi Irene and Irene's "friend!" Can I get you guys anything? Some snacks? A ?

Seulgi's grin turns wicked, "Oh, there's more! Tomorrow, I was going to text you that gif of those two guys holding a cake that says Congrats on the !"

"You're horrible!" Irene squeals, picking up a couch cushion and shoving it in a cackling Seulgi's face. "And here I thought we were getting along!"

"I don't recall anything of the sort," Seulgi jokes, picking up a PS4 controller and beginning to move between options in the game, and Irene sticks her tongue out at her.

"Didn't you start the game already?" Irene asks in confusion as Seulgi selects the New Game option on the main menu screen.

"Nope," Seulgi says, popping the 'p' on 'nope.' "Didn't want to start it alone 'cause then you'd miss out on the amazing story. I thought that this could be our game, or something. Y'know, we only play it when we're together and both of us are free and whatnot."

Irene is silent for a moment, biting her lip, and Seulgi almost thinks she said something wrong before Irene gently bumps her shoulder against Seulgi's.

"Thanks, Seul," Irene murmurs, shifting slightly closer to Seulgi.

Seulgi gulps at the touch, shivers running down her spine. She bumps Irene's shoulder back.

"No problem, Rene."

--

"Wow, you look dead," Wendy comments from behind the counter, picking up her notepad and raising an inquiring eyebrow at the deep bags under Seulgi's eyes. "Don't tell me you went out again last night...?"

Seulgi shakes her head, unsuccessfully fighting back a yawn. "Nah. I pulled an all-nighter playing video games. I've only gotten an hour of sleep since then."

Her best friend's eyes widen. "Why on earth would you ever do that?"

"I wasn't tired at the time," Seulgi pouts. "Irene kept me up. We were playing through a game together, and we wouldn't sleep until we beat the first boss."

"You both were up so late?" Wendy asks incredulously. "And where is Irene? Sleeping?" At then nod from Seulgi, she frowns. "So what are you doing here?"

Seulgi shrugs. It's not that she had left the apartment without a purpose, but it was on a whim (Going out for a bit, she'd written on the whiteboard, I'll pick up some pizza for dinner). After that single hour of fitful sleep, her thoughts just couldn't stray away from Irene and how nice it felt to have her roommate pressed up against her side, keeping her warm. Now that Seulgi knows the feeling, she can't seem to have enough of it; Irene even plagued her dreams.

Being in their shared space, just being in their apartment, was making Seulgi's head spin. She'd never felt this way before; she'd never caught feelings of longing so fast. She figured out that she likes girls in high school, but this is something completely different. Seulgi's learned a lot of things during this past month of bonding with her roommate: first, she loves seeing Irene around their apartment, and she loves their playful exchanges and the attention Irene gives her. Second, she finally understands the reason why her stomach churns whenever she hears someone else causing Irene to gasp or scream or moan.

A prompt snap of fingers in front of Seulgi's face causes her to jerk out of her reverie.

"Earth to Seulgi?" Wendy calls lightly, waving a hand in front of Seulgi's eyes. "You good, buddy?"

"Uh, yeah," Seulgi nods, swallowing hard. She shoves her hands into her pockets and sighs. That's right. She came to Wendy's bakery for a reason.

"I need, uh, I need a carrot cake," Seulgi says, biting her lip. "A decorated one for Irene's birthday. She doesn't usually do anything to celebrate, but she let it slip that it's this coming Friday, and I want to at least get her favorite cake."

"She likes carrot cake?" Wendy notes, scribbling the order down on the notepad with a slight smile. "Good choice. I love it too. Did you ask her?"

"Um, no," Seulgi mumbles. "Not exactly? She has this wall of quotes, you see — well, not all of them are quotes, but you get the idea. She's got carrot cake written with a big heart next to it under a list that says Things That Make Me Happy, so I kinda just assumed... I mean, if it's not her favorite, at least it'll make her happy, right?"

Wendy chuckles knowingly. "I'd guess so, KangSeul. Y'know, I really want to meet this Irene at some point. I bet Joy and Yeri do too."

"I'll introduce you all some time," Seulgi promises with a nod. "She likes cooking and baking, like you. You'll love her."

"I bet I will," Wendy agrees kindly. "Anyone who can make you fall so deep must be special."

Seulgi pauses at that, furrowing her brow.

"Am I that obvious?"

Wendy laughs. "You've got the same lovesick look on that Joy had when she met Yeri."

Seulgi ducks her head, flushing. "Oh gosh... I hope Irene can't tell..."

"Don't worry," Wendy says, reaching over the counter to give Seulgi a comforting pat. "It looks good on you. The cake will be ready for you by Friday, and you can surprise Irene at night. So don't worry about a thing, and go home and sleep! You have dance classes to teach tomorrow!"

--

When the night of Irene's birthday does roll around, Irene leaves her room after a long day of writing to find all the lights in her and Seulgi's apartment turned off. She frowns as she cautiously makes her way over to the kitchen. Seulgi had just knocked on her door to call her for dinner, right? So why we're all the lights... oh.

And there's Seulgi in the kitchen, a carrot cake with the writing Happy Birthday Irene! decorating the white frosting in pink gel, some lit candles in front of her, illuminating Seulgi's face.

Irene can feel herself tearing up as she slowly walks over to her unbelievable friend of a roommate. There's no way a girl like this actually exists. No one should ever be allowed to be this perfect. Yet here's Seulgi running through all expectations like nobody's business, weathering down Irene's walls like the most refreshing rainstorm and the softest sandstorm.

She swipes her eyes as Seulgi starts singing to her, "happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." her voice low and sweet and melodic, and there's no way a girl this perfect actually exists.

Irene blows out her candles, and Seulgi beams at her.

"Happy Birthday, Irene!"

Irene smiles back through her wet eyes. "Thank you, Seulgi!"

--

"Are you going out with your friends to celebrate tomorrow?" Seulgi asks, digging into her slice of carrot cake. She's expecting a simple yes and that's that, but Irene continues to test her expectations when the older girl shakes her head, mouth full of carrot cake, cheeks puffed up like the most adorable rabbit Seulgi's ever laid witness to.

"No," Irene says. Her places her fork down, and her hands start fidgeting anxiously, as Seulgi's noticed they do when Irene hesitates to say something. "I was wondering if we could play Final Fantasy XV again tomorrow instead? I... I got really into the storyline last time, and it would be really cool to progress since we haven't had any other time this week— but you don't have to agree if you can't or don't want to! But I just really had so much fun playing with you last weekend, so..."

"I had fun too!" Seulgi feels her heart racing, and she clenches her sweaty palms as she nods vigorously. "Lets do it!"

--

It continues like this. They're no longer dancing around each other, not even close. Seulgi still writes down messages on the whiteboard for Irene, and Irene still finds some way to make a snarky remark back at her. And Seulgi still orders takeout and leaves leftovers for Irene whenever the writer is out late for meetings with her editor, or when the older girl meets with friends late into the night. Irene still cleans up around the apartment when Seulgi is out.

Except now, Irene wakes up earlier to catch Seulgi before she leaves for the dance studio, and they talk about their schedules over breakfast. They make time to spend together. Seulgi finds out about this new library that opened a few blocks away and eagerly asks Irene to visit with her. Irene hears about this gaming convention coming to the city and gets them passes before Seulgi even has to ask. They laugh at each other doing mundane things, like how Seulgi dances when she uses the vacuum cleaner, and how Irene likes to hardcore rap along to boy groups as she washes the dishes, using a spoon as a microphone.

And they go out of their way to do things for each other too. When Seulgi gets an offer from SM Entertainment to choreograph a new girl group's single, Irene is the first person Seulgi calls, and Irene screams along with her and jumps up and down. That day, Irene picks Seulgi up from work, and they go eat dinner at Seulgi's favorite sushi place.

Irene secures an amazing deal with a publishing company about her writing, and Seulgi is there to hug Irene tightly when the older girl sobs in happiness. This time, Seulgi picks Irene up from the building, and they go out on a walk through a traditional market, Seulgi declaring that she'll pay for any food Irene likes.

But the best part is that at 4 AM in the morning, when she's binge playing video games in the living room, her insomnia kicking in at full effect, Seulgi no longer is dying for someone to keep her company as she defeats foes and completes achievements. Instead, Irene rests her head on Seulgi's shoulder, fervently watching her roommate get into her games, even asking Seulgi to teach her. And Seulgi doesn't think she'll ever get tired of reaching over to show Irene how to move the character around, or adjust her position to demonstrate how to aim— because it's just an excuse to get closer to Irene, to touch Irene, to just be with Irene. And Seulgi will never get tired of Irene.

Saturdays are Irene and Seulgi days, and it's officially become Seulgi's favorite day of the week.

So, it continues like this.

--

Until for some reason, it doesn't.

It happens on one random Monday, when Seulgi eats breakfast alone for the first time in what feels like forever, writes a message on their whiteboard (you are beautiful, no matter what they say~), and there's no response from Irene when she returns at night.

She doesn't see Irene at home that night, and it's almost funny, because Seulgi had just realized that this is what her home is. Irene is what makes their apartment not just "their apartment," but rather "their home." Seulgi liked to think that she made Irene feel something similar— this was her theory, of some sorts.

Except now, Seulgi's theory is all out of whack, because by Tuesday, it's clear as mud that Irene is avoiding her like the plague.

It's like the past few months never happened.

Like all those mornings eating breakfast, those nights chatting about their days, those walks around the city, and those Saturdays playing video games together were all just fleeting dreams. The beautiful castle of a relationship they built hadn't just been knocked down. No, instead, it was like it hadn't even been there in the first place.

Irene's right there – literally right there – in the room across the hallway (Seulgi knows for a fact that she's in there), but to Seulgi, it's like Irene never existed in the first place. And it makes Seulgi feel nauseous. Ten times worse than car sickness.

The churning feeling in the pit of her stomach only gets worse as the week goes on. And Irene is nowhere in sight to make her feel any better.

On Friday, Seulgi just feels sick. Sick and weak. She can't bring herself to leave her bedroom; she doesn't want to see Irene's closed bedroom door across the hall, with the beautiful Irene Bae in cursive letters. So she calls the dance studio for a sick leave (she doesn't know how she keeps her composure during that phone call) and stays shut up in her room all day.

The morning is spent hugging her knees to her chest, the words what did I do wrong? echoing through the depths of her mind.

By the afternoon, Seulgi decides to drown herself in painting instead, in a feeble attempt to take her mind off Irene.

"So much for taking my mind off of her," Seulgi mutters to herself hours later, standing back to observe her work. (She's stunned that she can still be sarcastic, even in this state of mind. She supposes that it's the bitter taste in working.)

Seulgi had painted a bear pushing a bunny on a swing set attached to a tree, a beautiful pink and orange sunset in the background.

So much for taking her mind off of Irene.

--

That very Friday night, there happens to be a thunderstorm. Seulgi's never really been bothered by them much, but she knows that Irene hates loud noises. In the back of her mind, she wonders how the older girl is faring against the booms.

She's just drifting off to sleep when the door to her room bangs open, causing Seulgi to fly upwards, eyes wide as she sits up straight on the bed.

Suddenly, another body crashes into her, arms wrapping around her waist tightly.

It's Irene, in her casual pajama glory, eyes watery and absolutely shaking.

"I'm sorry!" Irene sobs into Seulgi's chest, and the younger girl shakes her head softly. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Seulgi doesn't know why Irene avoided her the past week. She doesn't know what's going through Irene's mind at the moment. What she knows is that the girl she's been so very in love with is now scared and lonely. What she knows is that she's so in love with Irene that she would do anything to keep the older girl in her arms.

"Irene, it's okay," she says soothingly. Seulgi briefly wonders if Irene will go back to avoiding her tomorrow.

"It's not though!" Irene gasps, pulling away from Seulgi, eyes brimmed red. "Seulgi, you know that I've been avoiding you! You know that I've been doing it, and it's hurting you!"

Seulgi shrugs, smiling slightly. "But you're here now."

"Why are you so perfect!" Irene exclaims, hands going up to tangle in her own hair in frustration. "God, Seulgi, you don't... You don't get it..." Irene's voice drops to a whisper, hands dropping back down.

Seulgi cautiously grasps Irene's hand.

"So tell me about it," she coaxes gently, and it's then that she sees just how shaken Irene looks about all of this. "I don't want to go back to dancing around you, Irene. Tell me what happened so that we can fix it."

"Oh, Seulgi, it was never anything you did wrong," Irene says, voice cracking. "If there's anyone who needs to fix anything, it's me."

Seulgi nods. "Okay... So let's start fixing things then. Help me understand."

Irene's smile is pensive and shy, but more than willing. "Okay. I just..." She pauses. "I'm a writer. I'd never experienced the type of love that other authors write about all the time, and I wanted that. I was jealous. So I went to those bars every weekend with my friends and took home some stranger because I wanted to feel that same time-stopping, fluttering, warm love that I've read in so many of the worn, well-loved books on my bookshelf. But I couldn't find it... at least, not with those strangers who wanted me for my looks."

Irene shivers, working up the courage to stare Seulgi straight in the eyes.

"I stopped going to the bars and I stopped taking people home because I was getting these feelings in my very own apartment. Except it wasn't the butterflies that literature keeps insisting that all humans feel with hormones and whatnot, but god, Seulgi! You made me feel hummingbirds! You made me laugh with your whiteboard messages, and you gave me hummingbirds whenever you looked at me, and Seul, when you cared for me, warm is an understatement. It was like a forest fire, and everything was up in flames around me, but I never wanted to move. And the hummingbirds, the forest fire... that scared me, Seul."

Seulgi looks at Irene in alarm. "I scared you?"

Irene's eyes widen, and she viciously shakes her had in denial.

"No! No! Not you! Never you, Seulgi, never! You're perfect to me, and you always will be," Irene quickly clarifies, reaching out to pull Seulgi close to her, hands lingering over Seulgi's arms. "I just never imagined that I'd ever experience time itself shifting its flow to accommodate us, just because I wanted to spend more time talking to you. But it was more than that. You... you made me feel incomprehensible, indescribable things, and I'm a writer! I'm supposed to be able to think up the perfect analogy for anything! To suddenly have no words to explain my feelings is a bit frightening." Irene cracks a smile at the sight of Seulgi chuckling, still teary eyed.

"It was frightening, and scary, and unnerving, and terrifying, and... and vexing, and I didn't know what to do. I completely freaked out! So I ran away," the older girl says brokenly, and Seulgi frowns, shifting closer to Irene, pulling her into an embrace. Irene shudders and wraps her arms around Seulgi's neck, burying her face into Seulgi's shoulder, "and I decided to go a week to see if my feelings were mistaken."

"And were they?" Seulgi asks, breath caught in her windpipe as she waits for Irene's response.

"Of course they weren't," Irene says softly, nuzzling her nose into Seulgi's porcelain skin. "Nothing so powerful could ever be wrong. I found myself missing you even as I lay in bed at night, Seul, and you were right across the hall from me. I need you, Seulgi, and I know that nothing can excuse my actions from this past week, but..."

Irene takes a deep breath. "I am so, very much, irrevocably, undeniably in love with you, Kang Seulgi."

And Seulgi can feel the smile bursting across her face, unable to be stopped as she gazes so fondly, so affectionately at the beautiful angel in her arms. It only grows as she watches Irene timidly mimic the expression on her own.

With a whoop of excitement, Seulgi abruptly stands up from the bed, taking Irene with her, and spins the older girl joyfully around in the air. As Seulgi comes to a stop, Irene laughs, happiness just bubbling out of her, and she wraps her legs around Seulgi's hips to keep herself from falling. Seulgi holds Irene in her strong arms, and Irene thinks that she would willingly drown in the warmth.

"Seulgi!" Irene giggles, cupping her beloved's cheeks. She brings her forehead down to rest on Seulgi's; to whisper a sincere, "I love you."

"I love you too," Seulgi breathes, wonder and amazement in her voice. Irene loves me. Irene loves me! "I love you so much Irene!"

And Irene can't stop her laughter, leaning in and pressing her lips against Seulgi's for a searing kiss. Like a freaking forest fire. 

--

Those dang hummingbirds.

--

"It's Joohyun," Irene murmurs into Seulgi's skin, trailing kisses down the other girl's neck.

"What?" Seulgi gasps, finding it hard to concentrate as she grasps onto the white bedsheets beneath her.

"Joohyun," Irene says again, coming up for another chaste kiss that Seulgi positively melts into. "My real name."

"Joohyun," Seulgi repeats and Irene blushes at the unadulterated awe in Seulgi's voice before getting pulled back into yet another kiss.

--

"Joohyun!" Seulgi calls like music as she comes undone, and Irene shivers involuntarily, even as they press to close to each other, skin on skin. Her real name has never sounded so sweet, and she wants to hear Seulgi call it more.

She's the one with the nickname after a goddess, but Irene worships her own goddess all night long.

--

They wake up the next morning with their limbs entangled and their phones buzzing. (Somewhere in the night, before they passed out from exhaustion, Irene vaguely recalls slipping on one of Seulgi's oversized shirts, and Seulgi falling asleep in hers.)

Irene, from where she's tucked underneath Seulgi's chin, stirs a little upon hearing the noise. She blinks the sleep from her eyes and shifts slightly to check whatever her disruptive friends have decided to text her about this time, when Seulgi's hold around her tightens.

"Nooooo..." Seulgi mumbles into Irene's hair, eyes still closed. "Ignore it. I know I am."

Irene chuckles softly, tilting her head up to press a kiss to the underside of Seulgi's jaw.

"Might be important," Irene says, and Seulgi groans but relents, easing her embrace and allowing the other girl to move.

"So?" Seulgi asks five seconds later, when she sees Irene unlock her phone and roll her eyes. Forcing herself to sit up, she walks over to the side table, picking up her own phone and plopping back down on the bed, pulling Irene next to her. "Was it important?"

"Of course not," Irene says, resting her head on Seulgi's shoulder. "Yongsun and Byulyi invited me out to that new bar that opened a block away."

"Really?" Seulgi asks, lazily slinging an arm around Irene, bringing up her own phone to eye level before glancing at the older girl with a smirk. "What a coincidence. My friends invited me out too."

Irene laughs, turning around, possessively wringing her arms around Seulgi's neck. Their foreheads touch, and Irene nuzzles their noses. "So we're going out tonight?"

Seulgi grins, wide and bright.

"I guess we are."

--

No lie, it'd been pretty amusing to watch her friends spazz in the group chat at how unusually easily Seulgi had agreed to go to the club (All she'd sent was "Sure, I'm down to come tonight," and the entire chat exploded. "WAIT, r u actually serious, KangSeul???" "ARE WE SURE THIS IS ACTUALLY HER???" "Seulgi, if you don't confirm that you actually mean to come in a full, coherent sentence with independent and dependent clauses and , I'm coming to your apartment to investigate.")

Irene had a good laugh at that. ("This really says something about how much you get out, Seul." "Shut up." "Make me." "Gladly.")

So that leads Seulgi to where she is now, sitting at some large table in a bar, happily sober this time around, joking with Wendy, Joy, and Yeri, as well as some other college friends who'd been invited that Seulgi hasn't seen since she graduated last year. It's nice and enjoyable, and Seulgi finds that she's actually having fun catching up (Because honestly, this entire thing feels like an impromptu college reunion, for better or worse). She's laughing and sharing stories with Mijoo and YooA, who both majored in dance with her and likewise joined other dance studios, when Wendy stands up and beckons some people over.

"Moonbyul-sunbaenim!" She calls over the noise, and at the name, Seulgi perks up and turns in her seat.

The blonde older girl approaches their table excitedly, another girl following right behind, holding Moonbyul's hand.

"I didn't know you guys would be here," Moonbyul grins, standing behind Seulgi and reaching forward to mess with Seulgi's hair. "Hey kid! It's been a while!"

Everyone laughs and Seulgi playfully groans. Out of the entire friend group, she'd definitely been the closest to the older blonde, with Moonbyul jokingly calling Seulgi her supposed "spiritual successor."

"I haven't missed you at all, Byul." Seulgi sticks her tongue out and Moonbyul does the same in return.

The brunette besides Moonbyul chuckles. "I'm guessing this is the infamous Seulgi I've heard so much about from Byul?"

Seulgi nods, throwing out a mock salute. "That's me, Byul's partner in crime."

"You make me sound like I did bad things during my time as you guys' hall head," Moonbyul rolls her eyes, motioning to the table of the now-giggling girls. "Guys, this is my girlfriend, Solar. Solar, these are my precious children from my time as a hall head during senior year. Gosh, we evaded getting caught doing dangerous crap so many times, but hey, we had by far, the most fun hall."

"I'm not even surprised," Solar laughs, resting a hand on Moonbyul's shoulder.

"We only were following you, sunbaenim," Yeri singsongs, and Moonbyul pretends to hit the small girl.

"So did you two come alone?" Wendy asks, and Moonbyul shakes her head.

"Nah, there's a few more of us. We came specifically with Solar's best friend from college. By the way, Sol, where is she? She was just here literally a second ago..." Moonbyul frowns, looking around the club. Then she shrugs. "She's probably getting hit on by someone again. Oh, there she is. Yup, she's getting hit on."

And Seulgi seriously has to fight the urge to laugh as she follows Moonbyul's line of sight and finds none other than Irene at the end of it. The older girl looks only a little apologetic (like, maybe 1% apologetic) as she sends a sorry soul away after turning down what looks like an offer for a drink. Dang, that looks like a blow to the guy's ego. Seulgi can feel her chest swell with pride.

"Poor guy," Solar says, but she doesn't sound sorry for him in the slightest. "Never stood a chance. Joohyun's been denying everyone for months now."

"I'd definitely take my chances," Seulgi finds herself saying without thinking, and she looks away from Irene to see all of her friends looking at her with wide eyes. "What?" She asks, completely weirded out by the slightly creepy looks on her friends' faces. "You don't think I can score?"

"No," Joy deadpans, and Seulgi narrows her eyes. At the reprimanding look from both Seulgi and Wendy, Joy holds up her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, I'm just speaking the truth. Seulgi is weak to girls. It's, like, a universal truth or something: water is wet, the sky is blue, and Kang Seulgi can't speak to a pretty girls."

"You underestimate me," Seulgi states calmly, earning her a laugh from Moonbyul, who hits her on the back assuringly.

"Let's see what you can do, Seulgi."

Seulgi rolls her eyes, turning to Irene once again. With a completely smug smile that appears to have no business on her face, she calls out to the girl. 

"Hey, stranger!"

--

As expected, Irene immediately turns to the sound of her voice, and a face-splitting smile overtakes her features as she leisurely makes her way over to her roommate. Seulgi gulps and pushes down the urge to snort as she notices how Irene is definitely swaying her hips a bit more than usual as she walks towards her. (It's a sight that's hot as hell though, so Seulgi can give her that.)

"Have we met?" Irene jokes, briefly eying the other stunned girls also seated at the table, her own friends included. She reaches down for Seulgi's hand, pulling the slightly taller girl up to stand in front of her. "You're kinda short, stranger."

Seulgi barks out a laugh, immediately wrapping an arm around Irene's waist and tugging her closer, close enough for their breaths to be mingling. Irene giggles, and the bar and their friends fade from view; out of sight, out of mind. It's just Seulgi and Irene, bantering like newlyweds, as though they're back in their apartment within the safety of its walls. 

"Ah, Hyunnie, I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong."

"I only take insults in the form of compliments, Seul."

"Wow! You're so short!"

It's Irene who loses her composure first, mainly because Seulgi just pretended to shoot her with finger-guns, and her laughter bursts forth from her lungs and bubbles out like a geyser. Seulgi can't wipe the silly grin from her face and she leans in, capturing Irene's laughter with her lips, and her lover willingly complies, pressing herself into Seulgi. What Seulgi would do to just keep kissing Irene forever. But then again, each kiss they share feels like an eternity (her heart still beats like she's been running for an eternity, anyways), and that's still a pretty good deal by any means.

--

When they pull apart, everything explodes again, and it's hilarious.

"WAIT!" Joy is basically hyperventilating, standing up on her seat, arms spread out, motioning for what looks like a time-out in sports or something. Everyone quiets down. "WAIT JUST A FREAKING MINUTE. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Seulgi sighs, pulling Irene into her side, gazing at the girl with unabashed fondness and love.

"This is my roommate, Irene, who just so happens to also be my girlfriend."

Irene feels the hummingbirds in her stomach again as she hears her new title exiting Seulgi's mouth for the first time. These hummingbirds... she realizes that she likes them. I'll keep you around, she thinks to herself.

And then the chaos returns. (It's a miracle that they haven't been kicked out of the club at this point, but then again, there's probably people in here doing worse things.)

They're barraged by questions from both sides:

"Okay, but I swear you told us that you and Irene never talk?"
"Never mind that, how the hell did you manage to bag someone like her? Seduce her with your awkwardness?"
"Why the hell haven't we met her before? We're your best friends, KangSeul!"

("Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out why..." Seulgi mutters, burying her face in Irene's hair.)

And:
"Is this why you always refused to tell us the name of your roommate? I know her, Irene! She's like my little sister!"
"Okay, but is this why you stopped joining us for bar runs? 'Cause you never gave us a proper explanation for that."

("Hold on, you stopped going out on Saturdays months ago," Seulgi murmurs, and Irene flushes. "I may have liked you ever since then," Irene says, and Seulgi might actually burst from happiness.)

So yeah. It's a Saturday night, and Seulgi's not at home with Irene playing video games like usual (they still haven't finished Final Fantasy XV yet, but that's okay. They've got plenty of time if things keep going on this upward trend). Instead, Seulgi's in a bar, out of her element, and chatting with the people who have become her second family. The girl who means the most to her is sitting happily on her lap, because there's too many people and Seulgi likes showing Irene off. And Irene likes placing kisses on Seulgi's forehead, so easily it's like they don't have all of their friend group watching them, and Seulgi feels the warmth like a freaking forest fire.

It is what it is, and Seulgi wouldn't have it any other way.

End.