“I’m not interested.”

Yeri’s always been that type of friend who enjoys other people’s relationships unfold and bloom into something even better. She’s that one supportive friend who’d always cheer for others, because she’s just that. Yeri’s always been fascinated with the idea of love and the way it happens to others, but she only enjoys it when she thinks about how others experience it.

When it came to herself, she dismisses love.

Even though she’s enamored with her friends falling in love with one another (yes, she knows that she’s a brilliant third wheel), she’d never try to be out there in the market, to try and fall in love herself. It’s true that she enjoys others being in their happiest state, but she knew that love was a double edged sword. Of course it was obvious to her that if ever someone were to fall in love with her, she’d be the happiest with them.

But they’d be the ones who’d make her the saddest, too.

So Yeri will just settle with being happy.

But for some reason, she didn’t know why her friends came to her apartment complex at 2 AM, storming inside her space while being giddy and excited to break the “good news”.

“Yerimmie, why don’t you go and try things out? I swear, I’ve met her. I know she won’t bite,” the girl pushing to convince her, Wendy, tries. On Wendy’s left was a taller beauty that kept close beside her, Irene.

“Wendy’s right, kid. Unless you’re into that stuff, then I guess that won’t be a proble—“

“UNNIE!” Yeri runs her hand into her brunette hair out of frustration as the two girls in front of her chuckle at her dilemma.

As much as how “parental” Irene and Wendy were to the youngest, she’s always been happy that there are people like them to guide Yeri in her different walks of life. Whether it was company, advice, or anything out of the blue, either one of them or the both of them would be there for her.

The two have been together for so long, yet Yeri remembers seeing both of them having their first meeting and being awestruck with one another. Yeri had been friends with Wendy first, but once her friend saw Irene for the first time, the youngest knew that there was something else that was about to stir between the two of them.

“I think I’ve fallen for Irene, Yeri.” Yeri remembers Wendy’s vulnerable confession a few years ago.

And now, Yeri never sees one of them not holding the hand of the other.

“But seriously, give her a chance. It’s not like you’ll lose something. I can guarantee that she’ll be good. We’re her friends, after all,” Irene reaches out to hold Yeri’s forearm.

“Your friend, not mine. I don’t know her, and I don’t do blind dates,” the youngest retorts. Wendy sighed at her stubbornness, but it looked like the older girl wasn’t ready to give up on their friend yet.

“Yerim,” Wendy starts, as if she were about to give an inspirational speech. Irene was using her left hand to fix the loose brunette strands behind her girlfriend’s hair, gently patting it down to cover them and put them back properly on Wendy’s hair.

“Listen. She’s a close friend of Irene. If my girlfriend right here is already convincing you to that person, that means she’s THAT good.”

“She’s got that Irene and Wendy stamp of approval,” Irene raises her left hand to make a thumbs up. Wendy chuckles at her girlfriend’s gesture, kissing her cheek which stimulated a faded pink tint on Irene’s skin.

These two..

“How do you even know I’m interested in girls? It’s not like I’ve stated my preference to you guys.”

The duo simultaneously blinked, dumbstruck at what the short-haired girl had just said. Yeri’s laugh suddenly filled up the entire room, not holding anything back because she’d only seen the two like this for the first time caused by her.

“Huh.” Wendy says.

It’s not that Yeri was opposed to dating people of the same gender as hers. She had not thought about it herself, really. She’s just too busy watching other people fall in love while she keeps living her life as a working student in Seoul, paying the bills on time and maintaining a passing grade (which is something she still needs to work on) all by herself.

Her family lived in Seoul too, and they had a good relationship with each other. But one day, Yeri decided that she wanted to try being independent and not become an extra burden to her parents, considering that they had Yeri’s younger siblings to deal with as well. Even though her parents did not approve of what she desired at first, they came into agreement at some point, but her parents had made her promise to let them know if something different will happen in her life.

She really didn’t know what her parents meant, but she shrugged and just went along with it.

So Yeri packed her bags, went on a journey to find a cheap yet decent apartment, and a job that will help her survive. And now, here she is.

“Go home, the two of you. It’s late, isn’t it past your sleeping time already? Last time I checked, both of you were halmeonis,” Yeri jokes, only to receive a smack on her arm from the violent Irene. She rubs the affected area playfully and gasps an “unnie!”

“Please, Yerim! We’re not forcing you, but we won’t take no for an answer,” Wendy pleads which made Yeri’s eyes roll.

“Unnie, don’t you realize that what you said was contradictory?”

“Seungwan, sometimes I really don’t know why I’m dating you, pabo.” Irene deadpans, keeping a straight face. Her pretend stoic doesn’t last long as soon as she saw Wendy pouting while attempting to wriggle her hand off of Irene’s. She leans in to Wendy’s ear to whisper “i’m kidding, I love you” that raises the hairs all over Wendy’s body which Yeri can definitely see.

“Anyway, this isn’t about us, kid.” Irene exits her and Wendy’s own world to go back to reality, the reality where they’re trying to make Yeri date someone whom she has no clue as to who it was.

“You haven’t even told me her name yet, unnie. At this point, I feel like the two of you are hiding something else from me.. something bigger,” Yeri analyzes the couple carefully.

The two look at each other, breaking away from the headstrong gazes that they had on Yeri initially. When both of them refused to glance or meet Yeri’s eyes, the youngest knew that she indeed was right about her speculation a few seconds earlier.

“Oh no.”

The two remain silent.

“What did you guys do?!” Yeri slaps her face, walks over to the kitchen area to sit down on her wooden stool.

“We may or may not have set up the date already..” Wendy starts approaching Yeri, dragging Irene alongside her.

“Is this why the two of you have been so insistent of me dating this girl?” Yeri groans, trying to connect the dots altogether.

“No!” Irene quickly replies. “We actually like her for you, and we really think that if you go try things out with her then maybe you’d finally find the love that—“

“Unnie, you know I’m not that type of person,” Yeri apologetically smiles at them as she continues. “I’ve both told you that already, haven’t I?”

As much as she appreciated the effort of her unnies finding what they think is best for her, Yeri’s not completely sure if love is really something that’s going to happen to her. She’s gone on plenty of dates, only to end up not establishing a connection on her side. There were times that she’d only see most of her past dates as her friend, which made her feel guilty because she knew that some of the