Dahyun makes her way across the cramped hallway, passing by various dorm rooms. She looks at the numbers, in search for her dorm, room 180. Normally, things like this would make her feel so nervous to the point of fainting, but she figured she'd have to learn how to become more stronger in college. Especially in a new city. 

After a few minutes of walking, she finally arrived at her dorm room. She let out a breath as she stared at the door. Dahyun wondered if her roommate was here yet, she wondered if she was waiting for her. Now the nerves were beginning to kick in. All she desired was to make a decent first impression towards her roommate for the rest of the year. Insecurities began to rush into her head as she thought about the many reasons one would find Dahyun's personality 'too much'. She felt her heart begin to pound faster at the possibility of her roommate becoming annoyed by her, then again that was only a worst case scenario. She decided she should not be scaring herself in the middle of something like this. Plus, she was afraid that someone would come out into the hallway and see her have a mental breakdown while staring into the door. 

Dahyun shook away all of the intruding thoughts, and firmly placed her pale hand on the door knob. She turned it and opened the door, slightly moving her head to peek into the room. She didn't see a single person in sight. She opened the door fully, and quickly realized that her roommate wasn't here. Dahyun let out a sigh of both relief and disappointment. Her initial thought was that her roommate was just running late, though as she analyzed the room, she saw that her roommate had already been here. All her belongings were sprawled across the room and her bed. It wasn't particularly in a messy way, so Dahyun didn't get agitated. Instead, the girl wondered why the other person had gone instead of waiting for Dahyun. Not wanting to intrude by looking through the other girl's belongings, Dahyun placed all of her luggage near her bed, and began organizing everything. 

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. Dahyun's heart skipped a beat, was it her roommate?

The pale girl practically skipped her way across and opened the door, suddenly excited to meet the other girl. 

As the door opened, it revealed a taller girl on the other side. 

A girl with long, dark brown hair, sharp eyes, and what could only be described as a perfect nose. Her face was petite, her lips a perfect feature that contributed towards her entire look. She wore a plain white tee tucked into blue jeans, a black leather jacket on top. 

Dahyun hadn't realized she had been staring, until the girl cleared to get her attention. 

"Um, can I come in?" she pointed into the room. 

Dahyun's eyes went wide, heat rushing to her cheeks due to embarassment. 

"Y-yeah of course, I'm sorry about that," Dahyun said as she moved out of the other girl's way. 

She heard the girl chuckle, and Dahyun hopes she didn't think she was a complete weirdo.

The taller girl made her way towards a bag placed on her bed, and turned to look at Dahyun. 

"You're my roommate, right?" 

"Yeah! My name is Kim Dahyun, what's yours?" The pale girl fiddled with her fingers in attempt to calm her nerves. She didn't know why she had become so nervous, the other girl didn't look like she was capable of anything malicious. In fact, she looked pleasant, maybe a little too pleasant. 

Her roommate slightly smiled, as though she hasn't fully smiled in a long time. Dahyun didn't like how she looked a little lifeless, then again maybe she was tired?

"My name is Minatozaki Sana, I hope we get along well, Dahyun," she said wistfully.

Dahyun full on smiled, glad that her roommate also wished the same thing as she did. She replayed her name over and over in her mind, trying to get in engraved in her brain. 

Sana on the other hand, thought about so many things all at once as she saw Dahyun's smile. She didn't have the heart to make this innocent looking girl another victim towards her trust issues, but she knew it was the only way. It was the only way Sana knew how to live. She had to get out of here.

Confusion filled Dahyun as she saw Sana's smile falter, had she already messed this up somehow?

"I'm sorry Dahyun, I have to go. Make yourself at home," Sana quickly mumbled as she made her way out of the dorm, taking her bag with her. 

Dahyun was left standing in shock as she heard the door close. She figured it wasn't so bad, it's not as if Sana had told her anything rude or out of line. If anything, she was polite in a peculiar way. The pale girl couldn't help but think that her roommate was hiding something. She didn't come here to play detective and try to intrude on other's personal matters though, she shrugged it all off and continued what she had been doing before Sana came. 

She neatly stacked all of her notebooks at a side of her desk, and placed her pens and pencils in her pink pen holder. She placed her laptop next to them, knowing that soon she'd be swarmed with homework and needed study sessions. 

For the second time that day, Dahyun heard a knock at her door. She curiously glanced towards the door, wondering who it could be. It couldn't be Sana, she had just left, and sounded as though she wouldn't be coming any time soon. 

Dahyun walked to the door and opened it, revealing a face that was the most calming sight to Dahyun at this point. 

"Chaeyoung!" Dahyun exclaimed as she wrapped her best friend into a tight hug. Chaeyoung quickly wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to not lose balance and let them both fall. 

"I can't tell if you're happy to see me or not," Chaeyoung joked at her slightly clingy best friend. 

Dahyun let go of the shorter girl, and revealed a pout. 

"You know I get nervous with these kind of things!" Dahyun whined in false annoyance. 

Chaeyoung laughed at her whining, and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, leading them both inside after closing the door. 

The shorter girl looked around the room and noticed two pairs of belongings, and yet no sign of Dahyun's roommate's presence.

"Have you met your roommate yet?" Chaeyoung looked at the pale girl questioningly.

Both girls sat on Dahyun's bed in order to be more comfortable, the shorter girl made herself even more comfortable by laying down completely; still attentive to Dahyun.

Dahyun struggled to piece together what she would say to her best friend, how could she describe Sana's actions to her? 

"I did, her name is Minatozaki Sana. She wasn't here when I first came in, but she came a few minutes after. She was only here for a few minutes though. We talked, and she was friendly and everything, but she looked as though she was... trying to hide something," Dahyun looked down at her fingers, unsure about her own theories towards Sana. 

Chaeyoung furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean?" 

Dahyun sighed deeply before explaining herself. She chose her words carefully, wanting to convey her thoughts accurately, "When she smiled, she looked like it was unfamiliar for her. Her eyes looked empty, when she left she looked so pained. Almost as if she forced herself to leave, her tone was apologetic".

Chaeyoung nodded along as Dahyun explained her encounter with Sana. She thought about her best friend's words carefully in her mind. By what she gathered, Sana indeed sounded as though she was hiding something. Chaeyoung hoped it was nothing that would affect the pale girl negatively, she knew it was the last thing Dahyun needed. 

Dahyun was growing nervous at her best friend's silence, she knew Chaeyoung was probably currently plotting ways to protect Dahyun from potential danger. She could tell because Chaeyoung's eyes had this look of determination, a look she knew all too well. 

The pale girl reached her hand out and placed her hand on Chaeyoung's shoulder, awakening her from her deep thought. "Don't worry about it Chaeng, whatever it is that Sana is hiding, I'm sure I won't be hurt from it," Dahyun smiled to comfort the younger girl. 

Chaeyoung pouted, "But what if-"

"Chae, you've spent our entire friendship worrying about me, and although I greatly appreciate it, you have to let me grow now."

If possible, Chaeyoung's pout became bigger. "Fine, but if anything happens you better call me as soon as possible." 

Dahyun giggled, "Of course, what else would I do?"

Dahyun met Chaeyoung by sheer coincidence, they didn't have the typical first meeting memory most best friends had. Ever since they met, Chaeyoung took it upon herself to protect Dahyun from anything. Dahyun thought she was some kind of guradian angel at the time, she still somewhat feels the same. The shorter stuck by her side throughout their entire friendship, and Dahyun grew more grateful as each year passed. She truly didn't know where she'd be if she never met Chaeyoung.

"By the way Chaeng, I don't think Sana's gonna come back tonight, can you please come around night time?" Dahyun said nervously. 

"Of course, I'll make sure to remember."

Dahyun smiled at her best friend. Although she was learning how to fend for herself without Chaeyoung's help, she knew this certain thing would still desperately need her help. 

Dahyun wishes she wasn't so scared of the dark.

...

Sana sighed as she made her way to the familiar bar. She thinks back at what occured in her dorm, when she met Dahyun. She didn't expect her roommate to look so, pure. Sana couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Dahyun made her feel comfortable. It was incredibly scary to her. If there was anything Sana dreaded, was when others made her feel comfortable. It meant she'd have trouble setting up her walls as high as they usually were. Then, she remembered Dahyun's smile, and how it made her want to take a chance for once in her life. Sana physically shook her head, trying to get the dangerous thought out of her head. It doesn't matter how innocent or pure Dahyun looked, Sana had no intention of letting her guard down for anyone. No, she wouldn't make that mistake again. Now she just needed to figure out why it pained her so much when she decided that she had to push Dahyun away. 

The bar finally came into view, it's bright lights intruding Sana's eyesight. She entered the bar, and caught sight of the swarm of college students, it practically smelled like hormones.

Sana tried her best to avoid as many people as possible, the last thing she wanted was to interact with random drunk or high strangers. She pushed if necessary, and quickly escaped any male advances. Which was hard considering the fact that she was  highly attractive.

What seemed like after a battle, she finally caught sight of her two best friends. Quite possibly the two only people that she actually trusted.

She huffed as she sat down inbetween them. 

"Had a great time trying to pass through all of these gross frat boys?" Mina lightly smiled in amusement. 

"I hate how packed it gets when classes are just around the corner, the stench of men is ruining everything." 

Both Momo and Mina laughed at their friend's dramatic words. 

"We could've gone somewhere else to drink, you know," Momo took a sip of her margarita. 

Sana pouted, "But this is our spot."

Mina patted Sana's shoulder in attempt to comfort her, "It's fine, it won't be as packed by tomorrow, it's Monday."

Sana grinned as she called for the bartender to order her drink. She needed this, especially after meeting Dahyun. The girl was taking up too much space in Sana's mind, and she wasn't sure if she liked that. 

"By the way, why were you late?" Momo looked at her intently. Sana was never late to one of their bar outings, in fact she was always the first one there. The girl had always enjoyed these kind of indulgences more than Momo and Mina.

Sana furrowed her brows as she tried to figure out the best way to explain the inner struggle that one mere smile created. 

"I forgot my bag, so I went back to get it at my dorm. My new roommate was there," she began. 

Mina's eyes were now filled with sudden interest. "Really? Was she a or something?"

Sana quickly shook her head, "No nothing like that, actually the exact opposite." The bartender had come back with her drink, and she quickly took a sip, wishing she could somehow drink away the image of Dahyun.

Knowing her friends were both staring at her in order to urge her to continue, she knew she wouoldn't be able to forget Dahyun anytime soon. 

"She...stared at me when she opened the door. I thought maybe I looked bad or something, but then she stuttered and let me pass. I was just going to leave without saying anything, but she looked so nervous. Her name is Kim Dahyun. I told her I hoped we'd get along to try to calm the poor girl down, then she flashed this wide smile as though I had just made her whole day," Sana trailed off as she stared into her drink, she imagined Dahyun's smile in the reflection. 

Mina furrowed her brows at the sight of Sana. She thought about it for a while, and a light bulb lit up in her head. After all, it didn't take long for Myoui Mina to piece things together. 

She turned to Momo, with a smirk. As if on cue, she saw Momo was smirking aswell. Both knew just what was going on in Sana's head. 

Mina took a sip of her beer as she prepared herself for what she was about to ask Sana. She knew the girl was definitely not going to like what she was about to imply.

"So, do you like her?" 

Sana's eyes went wide, and her imaginary reflection of Dahyun disappeared. Had she heard Mina right? She looked into her eyes, and saw mischief. Mina knows Sana can't trust anyone apart from her and Momo, what game was she playing? Whatever it was, Sana wasn't one to back down. 

"I kind of have to, I'm gonna be living with her for the rest of the year," Sana easily answered as she took another sip.

When she swallowed, she added in another line, "But that doesn't mean I have to let her in my life, now does it?"

Mina knew this was coming, but it didn't stop her from sighing in both frustration and disappointment.

She knew Momo felt the same way, as she heard her groan even over the blaring club music. 

"Come on Sana, what are you going to lose? It won't hurt to atleast try to let Dahyun in-"

Sana quickly cut her off before she could finish, "And how am I supposed to be sure I won't be hurt, huh? You've known me long enough to know that trusting people has done nothing but me over." Sana didn't mean to snap at Mina, she just wanted to get her point across. Sana immediately softened in order to not get too heated up. 

Mina rolled her eyes, "But-"

"Enough Mina, I'm really not in the mood to talk about how I should be living my life. Momo defend me!" Sana childishly whined. 

"I'm sorry Sana, but I agree with Mina on this one. You're stunting your personal growth by doing this. Both you and that poor girl don't deserve it." Momo wasn't one to interfere with the way Sana chose to deal with life, but just like Mina, she had grown frustrated at just how stubborn Sana could be. 

Sana looked at her in disbelief. She wasn't shocked of course, her friends had been trying to get her to try to put her walls down for the past few years. Yet, Sana's walls haven't budged.

Mina sighed as she placed a hand on Sana's shoulder. "Look, Sana. I know you have perfectly good reasons for having your guard up, but just imagine all the happiness you could achieve if you let others apart from Momo and I in your life," Mina said sweetly, almost motherly. 

Sana sighed deeply at her friend's words. Sana didn't want to go through what she did throughout her life again, she was scared. Scared that if she tried to let someone into her life again, she'd end up back at square one. She also knew deep inside that she couldn't live like this forever. She figured that if she was gonna start learning how to trust again, it would be good to start with her roommate. Her roommate, Kim Dahyun, who looked as though she'd never hurt a fly. Kim Dahyun, who had a smile that looked like home. 

"Okay Mina...I'll try."

Both Momo and Mina immediately squealed in delight. Sana almost knocked over her drink at the sudden noise. 

"It doesn't mean my guard is gonna disappear quickly you know," Sana said in the midst of her friends' small victory. 

Mina smiled widely, "I know, but I'm happy that you're at least going to try."

"You deserve to live life freely, Sana," Momo said encouragingly. 

Mina called for the bartender and ordered them all a few shots in celebration for Sana's new goal. 

When the bartender arrived with their drinks, they all made a toast.

"To Sana!" Mina shouted along with Momo.

The three girls clinked their glasses together, and downed down the shots. 

As Sana gulped hers down, she wondered if she had made the right decision. 

Would it be worth it to try to change her only method of survival?

Sana was deeply scared, terrified even of what the future had in store for her. 

Still, she figures someone like Kim Dahyun wouldn't hurt her too badly. 

So, she happilly continued drinking along with her two best friends. She wouldn't let her inner fear ruin her fun, especially when Mina and Momo looked so proud of Sana. 

Sana downed all of her drinks that night with hope for the future, and silent prayers that maybe, just maybe, the universe wouldn't her over again.