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"I knew for the first time, I'd stay for a long time...I like me better when I'm with you."

-Lauv

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“Welcome Freshmen of Faculty of Pharmacy and Related Sciences, the entire faculty and student body welcomes all of you!” The head dean began greeting the crowd of first year Science students who are grouped according to their course in the atrium of the oldest Spanish inspired building of Seoul National University – the Saint Thomas Aquinas.

 

Almost all the students were fervently cheering the dean and were ecstatic of their new journey that was about to start.

 

Pre-medicine, the very first step to their long journey of becoming a Doctor of Medicine.

 

Well, except for a girl who was standing almost at the end of the line of the Laboratory Science students wearing her expensive in-ears slightly bopping her head to the upbeat music she was listening to - Kang Seulgi.

 

Most students who gets accepted into the Science courses in Seoul National University are clever if not intelligent and usually comes from middle-class to wealthy families with a medical background or from a family of doctors, and Seulgi is not so different from them. She’s the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kang, a couple who owns numerous medical supply stores in both Seoul and Ansan. The couple were both former Pharmacists turned businessmen who were never given a chance to pursue medicine anymore that’s why they are eager to make their only daughter to become one.

 

Seulgi is a smart girl but she’s never the studious type and she’s fond of arts and dancing though she has not made any decision on pursuing it. She’s undecided and just let her parents choose her career path. Her parents have planned and secured her future anyway. And all she has to do is to follow whatever they say, be it to become a Doctor of Medicine or to simply bum around in their house, it will never change the fact that she’ll inherit their family’s business alone. She not a bad daughter and she loves her parents a lot so she agreed with the first option.

 

Almost an hour has passed, Seulgi got really bored and decided to leave the atrium and roam around the vicinity of Aquinas.

 

 

 

Joohyun made sure that she’s three hours earlier to arrive in Seoul so that she will never be late to their freshmen orientation in Seoul National University.

 

It has been her third time around the big city but she’s never good memorizing ways because she is a total homebody and was never fond of going into places even back in her hometown Daegu.

 

She looked at her wrist watch and it’s already 7:30 am, she was still confident an hour ago that she will have plenty of time to find her way to her new school. She didn’t know that an hour passes by so swiftly in Seoul compared to Daegu, and her sluggishness won’t work in there. Now she only got thirty minutes left and the place where she’s currently at was eight stations away from the said school. Technically she’s got twenty minutes subway travel time and ten minutes to roam around the perfect square 21.5 hectares vicinity of SNU to find the St. Thomas Aquinas Building and be at its atrium for the freshmen orientation.

 

 

 

“I like me better when I’m with you…I knew from the first time I’d stay for a long time -” Seulgi hums and bops to a clandestine EDM song as she walk past through a hall in Aquinas where old Spanish paintings and sculptures were displayed. And if there are things she is excited about studying in SNU and particularly in the university’s science building, it’s mainly the historical vibe in it aside from the big allowance that her parents promised her. She was still uncertain if she’s going to enjoy life as a college student, since she needed to make adjustments again.

 

“Uhm, excuse me.” A shy voice spoke behind her back but Seulgi was too immersed on singing with the music she was listening into. “Excuse me.” This time she literally hops in front of the other girl to get her attention, desperate enough to know the directions to the Aquinas atrium. Because heck, she was almost an hour late.

 

“I like me better when I’m with you ~ ahh!” Seulgi was in her perfect tune but the creature who precipitously jumps in front of her made her squeal out her own soul out of her body for a millisecond.

 

Or was she wrong?

 

Because it’s a beautiful girl wearing thick round specs. Her clothes were a bit (well just a little bit) off and old-fashioned for Seoul kids’ liking. And what makes it even worse was the huge hiking backpack she’s carrying on her back.

 

But regardless of these few minor imperfections of the girl in front of her, she’s still an exceptional beautiful sight to behold.

 

She wouldn’t mind singing the song she’s currently listening into to the girl who suddenly appeared in front of her out of nowhere.

 

She wanted to take a look at her face closer and to stare at her for at least ten more seconds.

 

Beautiful. Seulgi felt her own face becoming warm as she plugs off her in-ears out from both her ears. “Oh hi, what is it?”

 

“Do you know where the Aquinas Atrium is located miss? Because I have to attend the Freshmen Orientation and I am a bit...well I am really late.” The belle spoke in a rather ‘good-odd’ tone. Seulgi thinks her severe Satoori accent was cute.

 

“Bae Joohyun, 3/29/91. Laboratory Science section 1A Batch of 2013.” Seulgi reads the former’s temporary identification card. She eventually laughs at the fact that they actually belong to the same class but the pretty stranger is three years older than her and apparently a year or two older than anybody else in their section.

 

“A-Are you laughing at me?” Joohyun asks. Seulgi was the third person who laughed at her, because of her severe Satoori accent that morning, ever since she arrived in Seoul.

 

“No! No!” The younger girl tries to stop herself giggling but the former’s Satoori accent made it even worse.

 

Rude, she thought. The girl was offensive, contradicting the amicable exterior she has. Joohyun just quietly walks away from the former going to the opposite side of the hall.

 

She huffs in disappointment, she never thought that Seoul people were really different from the warm folks of Daegu. The belle decided to not ask anyone and will just find her way on her own going to the Aquinas atrium where the freshmen orientation was being held.

 

“Hey… let’s go together!” Seulgi calls her attention from behind as she walk-sprints going to her. “Sorry, Bae…Bae-unnie?” She hesitates for a moment whether to address the Daegu-belle as an older sister or not. Because obviously, they have just met a minute ago and they are completely strangers to one another.

 

“Never mind, I can manage.” Joohyun declines, still a little upset by the former’s behavior towards her a moment ago. She tightens her grip to the straps of her semi-mountain backpack and up surged her pace.

 

“Seriously, you can go with me, we belong to the same course and I think we’re also from the same class… Laboratory Science Section 1A.” Seulgi insisted, worrying that their other classmates might notice how big her back-pack was. All of them did not bring any school stuffs since it was just Orientation day. It will become a total embarrassment if she’ll let Bae Joohyun go to the atrium alone, she will surely get people’s attention not because she is a belle but because she has a hiking knapsack on her back.

 

 

As both of them reached the hallway going to the atrium, Seulgi quickly got the knapsack from the older girl’s back and quietly led her to the line where they belong to.

 

And as expected, Joohyun’s huge knapsack kept grabbing attention. Almost all the students they walked past through either became distracted or began laughing.

 

Because seriously, who's the sane person who would bring such kind of bag on the very first day of school or even in a mundane school day? It will be either an insane student or a student without a sense of taste. And by the looks of it, Joohyun might be the second option.

 

“Kang, are you too bored you wanna go hiking now?” One of their male classmates whom Seulgi just knew few hours ago , and the small group of students began laughing at her.

 

The bear-looking girl ignored them and pulled Joohyun’s hand to rush their pace. Seulgi’s grip was rather aloof, she immediately removed her hand from the latter as soon as she felt that the older girl also increased her pace and just clung her index finger with her pinky until they reached the end of the line of the Laboratory Science students where she was standing moments ago before she got bored and left the atrium.

 

Seulgi is not rude at all. She thought as she silently glances at their linked pinky and index fingers from time-to-time as the orientation went on. No one initiates to retreat from the contact all throughout the remaining time.

 

Maybe, both of them were shy to initiate a move or make a single gesture.

 

Or it just feels so comfortable to hold onto each other?

 

Perhaps if they aren’t strangers with one another, it will not feel so bad to hold hands for hours.

 

Seulgi just realized that wall-flowers can be beautiful, and perhaps they exist to make the already beautiful things stand out, out of the bunch of other beautiful things out there – like her.

 

And they might just be hiding their real beauty with their unfashionable sense of clothing, just exactly like the Daegu-belle - Joohyun. Hence, her days will never be mundane and boring anymore.

 

Joohyun just met the girl with the prettiest “idiotic” grin. The human bear who cannot easily give bear hugs just to anyone yet the warmest person she might ever have in her life. Kang Seulgi, the person who will shun the gloomy moments away from her with her innate dense nature, romantic but ‘not-so-romantic’ ways which will make the countryside girl feel ever so special.

 

Those gray days of hers are over now.

 

 

-----

 

More than a month has passed and Joohyun was coping well in her new life in SNU. Well in her new life setting in Seoul to be exact. Thanks to her new found friend Seulgi who’s always there to assist her whenever she needed to.

 

She’s still a wall-flower though. Not that she dislikes still being one, in fact, she prefers remaining being one, but her new friend is a total celebrity wherever they go that it’s also inevitable for her to be unnoticed.

 

Seulgi’s a really talented girl, both her dancing and singing wasn’t left unnoticed despite planning on having a normal life in the university. Having an extremely adorable face resembling a bear, superior dancing skills and a developing vocal skill who will not notice her even if she says that she’s just playing around and messing up with Joohyun and her other new friends?

 

It’s a bit difficult on Joohyun’s part to keep up on Seulgi’s circle. Well, not really with the younger girl but with her other friends – Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Chaeyoung, who are also rich kids mostly coming from family of doctors. If only Seulgi is not fond of her being around, she will rather hang out with their other classmates and live a normal life of a pre-med student quietly.

 

“Joohyun-ah!” Seulgi calls the older girl’s name beckoning her to occupy the seat she reserved for her. It was their laboratory session in Anatomy and it’s not just enough for the bear-like girl to be just group mates with the former because Jisoo and Lisa were too fond occupying the vacant seats near her often leaving Joohyun a bit left out as always and she doesn’t want that to happen at that particular moment.

 

The wall-flower immediately occupies the seat beside Seulgi like what the younger girl wanted to happen. “Thank you Seulgi-yah…” She shyly thanks the former with her Satoori accent. The bear-like girl has been helping her to minimize her tone so that their other classmates will not make fun of her.

 

“Joohyun-yah…” the former teased imitating her Satoori tone. “...just kidding!”

 

The older belle cutely pouts at the former’s jest. Apparently, she’s also fond of the younger girl. There’s this special invisible connection pulling them together, they are comparable to magnets.

 

 

Opposite attracts.

 

 

“Wait...” The bear-like girl quickly got her backpack and got a small transparent sack of assorted French chocolates and handed it to the belle. “…for you!”

 

“Really?” She smiled opening the small sack of chocolates and began calling their other group mates so that she could share the sweets that the former just gave her, “Jisoo, Y –“

 

The bear-like girl immediately covered shushing her. “T-that’s just for you, Hyun.” She shyly admits, as her cheeks colored slightly crimson.

 

“This is a bit too much Seulgi. I don’t mind sharing these to them.”

 

“But, that’s intended for you.” The bear-like girl reasoned out insisting.

 

“Or you already prepared for each one of them?” Joohyun thought. Because it’s Seulgi she’s talking with, the only daughter of the infamous medical equipment merchants in both Seoul and Ansan. In short, a rich kid. She called their other friends again beckoning them that they should already gather together so that they won’t have any difficulties having their own seats once their laboratory class starts and their other classmates started to lock inside the room with their respective groups. Because seriously, lack of seats is a major problem in a laboratory class, it’s either other sections get extra chairs inside the lab or their other classmates make use of chairs as their desk since it’s complicated to answer laboratory sheets on top of the sink table in front of the experiment materials.

 

“Hyunnie-yah!” Jisoo acknowledged the wall-flower’s signal as she playfully jump-hops going to their direction. She loves imitating Joohyun’s Satoori. Well at first, she meant to mess around with Joohyun seeing how her former high school batch mate Seulgi is fonder her despite knowing each other for more than just a month. But it eventually turns into endearment as she knows how kind and approachable the countryside belle is.” Yes, Hyunnie-yah?”

 

“Kim Jisoo!” the bear-like girl sternly calls her name to stop teasing the older belle.

 

“What is it Hyun-unnie?” the four-dimensional belle asks.

 

“Well, it’s almost laboratory time…aren’t you guys going to reserve chairs for yourselves? You know…once our other classmates arrives it will be difficult to find a descent chair. And yes…” Joohyun opens the small sack bag of chocolates and beckoned the younger girl to get some sweets.”...please have some.”

 

“Are you sure you are giving me some not just one?” Jisoo confirms before getting some chocolates.

Unfortunately, the four-dimensional belle is a known ‘’choding’’ and is also a ‘’shikshin’’ (big eater) like Seulgi. And in case of being a big-eater, Jisoo is a more severe case because Seulgi is still a bit picky at times.

 

Joohyun nods.

 

 

Oh my, good lord. Seulgi inwardly face palmed herself knowing Jisoo.

 

 

Jisoo grabs a handful of French chocolates for herself and started unwrapping about seven of the said sweets in front of them one-by-one without eating them yet.

 

“Hey Jisoo-ah, what are you doing?” the older belle asks.

 

“Thanks unnie!” She kept unwrapping a few more pieces of chocolates.” Well, obviously I’m going to eat what you gave me.”

 

“Eh? But you’re opening –“

 

Both Joohyun and Seulgi got baffled when the four-dimensional belle shoved every pieces of chocolates inside in one go like what she ate were just tiny bits of M&M’s.

 

Joohyun looks at the small sack of her chocolates and it looks like one-third of it were consumed by Jisoo. Note that she haven’t tasted a piece of it yet.

 

Subsequently, Jennie, Chaeyoung and Lisa also came to join them while Jisoo and Seulgi were bickering with each other about Jisoo’s incurable savageness, while Joohyun tries to stop them.

 

“Jisoo how come you haven’t changed one-bit? I gave it to Hyun…your parents are both shareholders of Dongguk-H, right? Why do you still eat like a beggar?”

 

“Beggar? Why? Hyun-unnie offered me chocolates I just got what’s enough for me!” Jisoo retorts.

 

“Enough!!! Are you a pig?”

 

“Seulgi, Jisoo quit the –“

 

“Gom! Gom!” Jennie intercepts, calling the bear-like girl’s attention as she sits herself on the sink table behind Seulgi resting her left arm on the latter’s shoulder.” Have you seen Nike’s release of the limited edition Salmon Pink Huarache? Because the Nike’s official site says that they just made 500 pairs of it in the world and they’ll sell it until the end of this month.”

 

Seulgi’s a dancer and apparently an avid collector of shoes of certain brands. And like her, Jennie is also fond of collecting shoes.

 

“Ah yes Jennie, I immediately told my appa to buy me one the day after Nike announced it in their U.S. official site. Fortunately, they were still in Guam that time and were able to purchase a pair for me…but I’m not sure if it will fit me well because appa told me he got a size 8 for me instead of 7.5.”

 

“If you don’t like the fitting, sell it to me. I won’t mind if you’re going to sell it to me with additional fifty- no a hundred bucks…just please sell it to me!” Jennie eagerly responds.

 

“Eh? A hundred dollars for a pair of shoes? How much is the original prize of that pair of that Salmon Pink Huarache again?” Joohyun asks, a bit surprised of how immoderate Jennie is willing to leash out for a mere pair of shoes.

 

“Three-hundred seventy dollars? I’m not really sure unnie…that’s what I saw on the internet.”

 

“Huh!?!?” Joohyun completely got bowled-over on how expensive the pair of sneakers was. And yet, the former was still so willing to pay additional to Seulgi in order to obtain it. “You girls can buy almost four pairs of sneakers with that!”

 

“Unnie, chill!” Chaeyoung tries to calm down their mentally calculating eldest friend.

 

“Yes, Hyun-unnie…understand that Gom is a dancer and she’s definitely fond of shoes. And Jennie-unnie as well.” Lisa seconded.

 

“But you said, your mother just bought two pairs of sneakers for you along with a new knapsack last week when both of you went to a duty free sale, Seulgi.” Joohyun spoke to the bear girl and averts her attention to Lisa once again. “And you, you’re also a dancer but you’re not too fond of shoes.”

 

“Well, lipsticks are my collection unnie.” Lisa responds.

 

“Those were walking sneakers Hyun, and I’m planning on using it in our dance audition for SNU Street… I need street shoes for dancing, right Lisa?”

 

The Thai girl nods, while Chayeong and Jisoo laughs at Joohyun’s reaction.

 

“What’s the difference between those sneakers? And why don’t you use your other shoes instead? Chaeyoung mentioned me that you have a collection of shoes, why not use a pair from your collection instead?” the older belle questions the bear-like girl with in an obvious scolding manner.

 

“Well, I can’t still call it a collection yet Hyun.” Seulgi responds a little shy. To her, the number of shoes she have can’t still be called a collection because she haven’t reached a hundred pairs yet.

 

“Why? How many pairs do you exactly have Gom?” Chaeyoung asks.

 

“Well…it’s still few though…”

 

“How many?” Joohyun pries this time.

 

“Around 80? I’m not sure Hyun…I’ll count it again later.”

 

What the hell is wrong with these rich kids? Including you Kang Seulgi. Are you even bragging right now?

 

Joohyun got internally perplexed with her rich children friends’ kind of thinking. She thinks that it’s good to be well-off but it’s not good that they are splurging like they don’t care. Because after all, they were still students and their means of income still comes from their parents. At this aspect, she can’t also fathom Seulgi. The bear-like girl is really, really thoughtful and kind towards her but she’s also one of the splurge peeps second to Jennie and in the same level with both Chaeyoung and Lisa.

 

“Anyway, we’re just talking about going to Bangkok with Lisa this long weekend. We’ll start having our long weekend this coming Thursday and it will be St. Benedict’s day next week Monday still a holiday, so technically we’re going back to school next week Tuesday ...want to join us guys?” Chaeyoung segues asking both Seulgi and Joohyun.

 

 

Unbelievable! A spontaneous out of the country trip during a long-weekend?

 

 

“Seulgi-ah, game?” Chaeyoung and Lisa chorused expectantly waiting for the bear-like girl’s answer.

 

“Game!” Seulgi playfully fist bumps both Chaeyoung and Lisa.

 

“Of course that bear will be game, she might get to meet princess Pattie again, right bear?” the four-dimensional belle remarks in a rather scornful manner feeling a tinge of jealousy as she averts her attention to Joohyun. “How about you Hyun-unnie?”

 

“What the - I haven’t spoken with Pattie for almost a year now.” Seulgi reasons out perplexed with Jisoo’s statement, was she jealous or was she just teasing her?

 

“Pabo! Of course your dear princess is now a celebrity!” the four dimensional bear stuck her tongue out. She’s definitely teasing the human bear.

 

“Huh? Pattie? Pattie Ungsumalynn? What the ~ the girl protagonist in Hormones series? She’s in the same circle with Seulgi?” Lisa mouthed in disbelief.

 

“Huh? Seulgi, circle? Gom doesn’t belong to any circle of friends during high school but she and Pattie are inseparable stooges during our sophomore and junior years until Pattie-unnie decided to return to Thailand and become an actress there.” The four-dimensional belle explains.

 

Pattie? A Thai celebrity? Seulgi is close to a celebrity? Heol! But why are these two arguing? Joohyun got internally intrigued by Seulgi and Jisoo’s bickering about that certain girl.

 

Joohyun declines, she doesn’t have the monetary means like these other girls in front of her. “You girls have lots of fun there. And don’t forget to tell me stories about your adventures there in Thailand!”

 

When Seulgi met Joohyun’s eyes it was obvious that she was a little sullen. But what could she do when she’s not as well-off as them? That her allowance is just enough for her to thrive every single week and sometimes she have to skip a meal if there will be a sudden school expense? All she needs is a set of friends who will accept her for the overall personality she have and will not require her to always fit in.

 

“The fun will be perfect if you’ll come with us Hyun-unnie. If you want I can lend you some bucks.” Jennie attempted to persuade the oldest belle.

 

Joohyun shook her head again briefly leaving her eye, contact with the bear-like girl. “No Jennie, I won’t be able to pay you.”

Seulgi dislikes the way the beautiful wall-flower looks at her.

 

“Oh I’m sorry guys, but I think...I have to back out. I almost forgot it’s my mom’s birthday this coming Friday. So, I’m sorry.” she lied.

 

 

 

It will only be fun if you’re there, Hyun.

 

 

 

 

When their last subject finally ended, Joohyun silently followed Seulgi on her way to car-park. And since Jisoo was sticking with the human bear like glue, it became a little wearisome task for her.

 

They are close, but not that close enough to be called ‘close friends’. It will be weird to others if they already call themselves that. Two months of friendship is too short and insufficient to get to know each other very well and to assume that both of them are already close, and can be called ‘close friends’. Maybe getting closer but still not appropriate to be dubbed close friends yet. Those things have difference.

 

 

 

Beautiful and lasting things take time, and so is their friendship.

 

 

 

 

Or whatever is the term most appropriate to be used with their ‘weird’ connection.

 

 

 

 

Joohyun hid herself behind a huge family car which was a few meters away from Seulgi’s vehicle, where she could still see them and hear their conversation.

 

“Gom!” Jisoo mused her palm in front of Seulgi as the bear-like girl puts her things inside the passengers’ seat.

 

“What is it Jisoo?” Seulgi’s tone was rather flat. Maybe because of her almost failed mark in their last subject’s quiz. To cut the chase, she’s game to mess around with the former.

 

“Chocolate!” the four-dimensional belle retorts in a demanding tone.

 

“Huh? Chocolate? I have none.” Seulgi closes the door of the passengers’ and walks to the opposite side of the car. “Why do you suddenly ask? Are you hungry?”

 

“But you gave chocolates to Joohyun-unnie.”

 

“Uh, yeah. I gave her, why?” Seulgi’s have foreseen it to happen that’s why she told Joohyun to keep it to herself. But Joohyun still offers the chocolate to their other friends though.

 

“Where’s mine?”

 

“Huh, where’s yours?” Seulgi shrugs her shoulders, she’s so used to Jisoo’s childish antiques.

 

“You mean you got nothing for me, really?” the four-dimensional belle huffs in disbelief. Seulgi can’t still see that she’s been making efforts since the school year began for them to get closer since they are schoolmates from before and yes, she feels this indescribable attraction towards Seulgi ever since. She wanted to get closer to her since high school but they were never in the same class since the bear-like girl was a consistent section-A student, while she kept slurring from sections B and C from first to fourth year. And yes, there was this foreign student Seulgi have become really close with from their sophomore and junior years that completely left her with zero chance during high school, a Thai girl named Pattie.

 

And now that she has the opportunity, it seems that Seulgi’s too drawn to someone else this time.

 

Maybe she really wanted to be friends with her.

 

Or maybe it’s a silly girl-crush.

 

Perhaps, more than the two earlier choices.

 

Weird and nerve-wrecking. But heck, terminologies are not important. To her, it is to become another level closer with Seulgi.

Unfortunately, there is this wall-flower who Seulgi’s becoming so fond of - Bae Joohyun.

 

“You’re really are too much Kang!” Jisoo jabs Seulgi’s arm.

 

“Okay! I get it, I’ll bring you a sack of chocolates tomorrow!”

 

"Never mind!” the four-dimensional belle retorts.

 

“You’re too complicated to comprehend Kim!” The bear-like girl shots back.

 

“Never mind because I know you’re just being forced to do so!” the former scoffs this time. “Joohyun there, Joohyun here...” Jisoo tuts as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. “...you think I didn’t notice Kang?”

 

“Why you...loud mouth!” Seulgi immediately shuts the former’s mouth by covering it with her hand. She suddenly became alert that others might hear them.

 

Jisoo removes the latter’s hand away from her face. “Get off me Kang! Tch...You’re too obvious!”

 

“Obvious of what?” the bear-like girl ripostes, her cheeks flustering crimson.

 

“Stupid bear, you’re blushing!”

 

 

 

Unknown to both of them, Joohyun heard everything.

 

 

 

-----

 

 

Friday came, and both Seulgi and Joohyun agreed to meet in a mall near Joohyun’s place as the bear-like girl promised her to show her around the city of they have a free time. Apparently, that long weekend was perfect for their plan.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Seulgi panted apologizing for arriving almost ten minutes late in their meeting place.

 

“It’s okay Seulgi-yah!” Joohyun’s Satoori accent came out once again. She’s been doing well the entire week, but for some reasons she feels a little nervous whenever she’s alone with her new friend that her native accent comes out.

 

“I’m really sorry, Joohyun-yah!” Seulgi taunted imitating the former’s accent. “Cute.” She pinched the older belle’s cheeks. She noticed that she has become a bit taller than the former. “Cute.” She mutters again grinning as she looks at the former from head-to-foot. “Hyun-ah, I’m now taller than you.”

 

This girl really, calling an older person cute, rude! And what’s the big deal now that you are taller? She inwardly complains. She hates it whenever a younger person calls her adorable or cute. She’s so used to being the eldest, the one who takes care. But the bear in front of her is so dense, she never seemed to get it.

 

She exhaled heavily out of her nostrils, and scrunches her nose to let the younger belle know that she doesn’t like the endearment she just called her.

 

Unluckily, it’s Seulgi, she just find her even more adorable this time. “Hyun-yah! Don’t make that face!” She squeezes the former’s cheeks like she’s playing with a toddler.

 

 

 

Earth to this stupid bear! “Seulgi, I’m older than you.” Joohyun began scolding.

 

 

 

The bear-like girl realizes that she might be crossing Joohyun’s line already. That maybe the older belle isn’t comfortable being playful up to that extent. And so, she retreats hiding both her hands to her back. “Uhm, I’m sorry Joohyun…”

 

There were instances that she addresses Joohyun as ‘unnie’. But it’s more often tha t she don’t because for some reasons she doesn’t want to call her that ever.She knows that Joohyun is way older than her but she rather want to get closer to the older belle as a friend. Scratch that, she doesn’t know exactly what she wanted to happen to them but all she knows is that she needs to be a step closer to her in each passing day.

 

1. She loves Tteokbokki
2. Purple is her favorite color.
3. She’s a cabbage (Baechu).
4. She looks like a bunny in some angles.
5. She’s fond Fabric conditioners (She beats my mother there!)
6. She’s surprisingly flexible, she can do splits.
7. She’s not really outgoing and loves household chores because she loves staying at home. And her specialty is ironing.
8. She doesn’t put a lot of make-up on but she takes care of her skin a lot.
9. She loves skin-ship (or just to me?)
10. She loves butts. (WEIRD? Is she a ert hiding underneath a pretty face?)

 

These are the ten things that Seulgi mentally notes about Joohyun while they were eating her favorite Tteokbokki that afternoon and as she has been experiencing mental note #9 because oddly, Joohyun sat beside her and has not let go of her left hand even when they’re already in the midst of eating.

 

What the hell is wrong with this girl? She thought as her left arm got completely immobilized and useless. She’s not used to skin-ship and if it’s not Joohyun who was holding her, definitely she have already jerked it off already.

 

 

She’s been offering the older belle that they could eat in a lunch buffet restaurant or she could let her try eating in a legit Irish cafe and it will be her treat but Joohyun kept insisting that they are still students and that they have to save their allowances for more important things so they ended up eating in a rice cake house. The Tteokbokki house doesn’t look anything grand compared to the restaurants she recommended to her and it will just be her second time around eating ‘street foods’ ever in her life. Her not-so-good memory of eating street foods for the first time was with Jisoo, during their sophomore days in highschool when the four-dimensional belle asks her to sneak out together for a bit during their field trip in a small preserved historical town somewhere in the province of Gyonggi-do. Both of them ended up having upset stomach but the worse dawned Seulgi.

 

“Why are you not eating yet?” Joohyun asks seeing Seulgi just playing with her rice cake while she’s already in the midst of eating her first set. “Don’t you like it?”

 

“No! Of course not!” Seulgi denies as she took a mouth full of rice cake in .

 

“Or because it’s your mother’s birthday today and your family will eat out later this day?” Joohyun remembers Seulgi’s exact reason why she declined going to Thailand with their other friends.

 

 

Screw you Kang, she remembers! Seulgi mentally curses herself for making such a lame excuse.

 

 

“Uhm, uhh…” the bear-like girl cannot answer properly. It will be odd if she tells her, her real reason for declining their other friends’ offer to spend the long weekend in Thailand, which is spending her long-weekend with the Daegu-belle anywhere and no matter what. Crazy. But she herself cannot figure out the reason why.

 

“It’s almost two-thirty, I think we still have an hour or two to go to some places, or do you just want me to help you find a gift for your mother?” the older-belle gladly offer.

 

“Actually, Hyun ~”

 

“Okay we’ll do that Seulgi!”

 

 

 

 

They were inside a formal clothing boutique and Joohyun was the one more eager in choosing Seulgi’s present for Mrs. Kang while the bear-like girl was ill at ease, mustering all the courage she’s got inside her to tell Joohyun that she lied about her mother’s birthday and that she declined Chaeyoung, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa’s offer to spend long weekend in Thailand because she prefers spending time with her more.

 

“What’s your mom’s favorite color Seulgi?” Joohyun browses an entire rack of casual-formal clothes.

 

“M-M-magenta.” She answered stuttering.

 

“What do you think of this?” Joohyun asks the former as she spotted a magenta jumpsuit dress for her mother.

 

“Uhm, uhh…of course umma will like that – “she nervously smiles. “Hyun…”

 

“Really Seulgi? So shall we get this?”

 

“Uhm, Hyun – “ The bear-like girl began getting the dress from the former’s hand and hung it back to the clothing rack. “…actually it’s not umma’s birthday.”

 

“Eh?” Joohyun mouthed in disbelief. “But why did you decline going to Thailand? Jisoo even said that you might be able to meet your actress best friend there, right? Pattie? Pattie, right?”

 

The bear-like girl couldn’t look at the former straight into the eyes. She lied. She’s screwed. But she will definitely be more screwed up if she admits her real reason for backing out.

 

Her cheeks blushes.

 

“W-why Seulgi?” Joohyun really seemed to be expecting an answer from her.

 

The former shuts her eyes as she huffs in frustration. She didn’t want to get caught with her own reasoning. The former might think she’s weird.

 

Suddenly changing plans and even lying to their other friends just because Joohyun will not come with them?

 

 

Weird. Scratch that! Another level of being weird!

 

“Aish! Don’t ask, let’s just go!” Seulgi frustratingly held onto the latter’s hand, almost literally dragging Joohyun. She doesn’t have a plan on confessing until the end.

 

 

“Seulgi, why?” the older belle asks rather complaining. Seulgi has been dragging her from one floor to another for about fifteen minutes already. She has been holding onto her from first floor and now they’re already in the indoor landscape of the mall which is located in the 8th floor of the structure.

 

And like fate, be it luckily or unluckily for the both of them, there were no people in the entire place but them.

 

“I’m sure you have your reasons why you lied. You can tell me.” Joohyun began as she looks at how tight Seulgi was gripping on her.

 

 

That’s the thing, you might freak out if I tell you my reason. That’s why I lied! Seulgi mentally retorts, remaining mum.

 

“Seulgi? Is there anything wrong?” the older belle asks once again feeling the latter’s internal tension. “No one’s going to get angry. I’m not going to get angry with you.”

 

And it even made Seulgi a lot guiltier.

 

She then, slowly clasps the older belle’s hand as she eventually interlaces her fingers with hers. She’s got three seconds to confess her real reason. She should say it fast to avoid possible awkwardness.

 

 

1…2…3…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Because I prefer spending more time with you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A/N:

Long first chapter right? I'm really sorry dear readers. I'm still contemplating whether to make this Prolouge two-parts or three-parts. Please anticipate the next chapter in the next 2 - 3 days. For those who are wondering who is Pattie, I didn't made her up. She's really an actress, sorry...author has been watching Thai dramas these days and I happen to watch the Thai ver of Princess Hours, the girl protagonist just happen to be really pretty (like a baby face Bai Fern). Please forgive my being scattered minded. Here's what she exactly looks like: click this link Pattie Ungsumalynn .