Chorong wakes up at 5:30 in the morning the day Bomi is supposed to arrive.

Her first concern isn’t Bomi though. As Chorong gets ready for the day, she dons a pressed suit and pins back her hair. With a quick stop to the kitchen to grab a granola bar, Chorong begins her day by stepping into her father’s office. It’s at exactly seven in the morning that Chorong sits beside her father and observes a business video call, smiling at the foreign investors that leer at her through the grainy footage.

The call leaves a sour taste in and a twist in her gut, but Chorong’s father praises her with a bright smile. It makes Chorong feel even worse.

After her father leaves for the day for more meetings, Chorong goes to change into more casual clothing. She checks her phone while she’s at it and sees a text from Bomi around the time Chorong was in the video call.

Bomi’s texts reads: Leaving now! We should get there around 9:30 but knowing us it’ll probably be closer to 10. Can’t wait to see you!

Chorong is relieved that her father isn’t present to see the dark blush that rises to her cheeks as she reads the text. She clutches her phone to her chest for a moment then shakes her head with a sheepish smile. When did she become such a lovestruck girl?

Dressed in shorts and a flowing top, Chorong goes to the miscellaneous room to paint while she waits. To be honest, Chorong isn’t very good at painting at all, but she finds it infinitely soothing to put paint to a canvas, repetitive and smooth almost able to put her to sleep. Not to mention, Chorong likes control, and painting is just one thing that Chorong finds she has complete control over.

When it’s close to nine, Chorong finds a stopping place with her art. She admires it for a moment then wonders if it’ll join the rest of the burned canvases that end up as ash in her mother’s garden. It has potential.

Chorong checks her phone again, but there are no new messages. She shrugs to herself then grabs her house keys before walking over to the other lakes houses. Maybe she can wait with the other girls.

Except, Eunji and Namjoo are nowhere to be found.

Neither of their mothers know where the girls are, and Chorong can’t find them anywhere in the central area of the property.

This shouldn’t be a surprise at all, but Chorong still finds herself annoyed and blames Eunji for their disappearance. It’s no doubt a childish rebellion to Bom and her friends’ presence, but she’s disappointed that Eunji managed to drag Namjoo into her antics too.

Resigning herself to a quiet morning, Chorong grabs a book from inside then seats herself on her porch. She reads the book without really processing anything, finding her mind wandering more than anything else.

As she often does nowadays, Chorong wonders if she made a mistake in inviting Bomi and her friends out here. The glaring answer is yes, but Chorong clings to the small part of her mind that whispers no. It feels like some days Chorong rarely gets anything to herself. Not only that, but it often feels like everything she touches is tainted. However, Bomi is outside of Chorong’s world in a way, so far removed from Chorong and her past that she almost feels unreal.

Chorong wonders if she owes it to herself to let herself have one thing. Or rather, one person.

Part of her rationalizes that she already has Eunji and Namjoo, but they’re another matter altogether.

Eunji is dangerous in the most tantalizing way. She challenges Chorong fearlessly but also loves her tenderly. She’s a mess of contradictions that Chorong finds herself drawn to, and Chorong isn’t blind enough to miss that Eunji’s banter with her is just a form of affection. Eunji can be an , but she protects and cares for Chorong and Namjoo above everyone else. Chorong asks herself frequently what it would be like to let Eunji truly love her because there’s no doubt that Eunji’s love is all-consuming. A dangerous thought.

Meanwhile, Namjoo is the closest thing Chorong has to a confidant. Chorong imagines Namjoo is what it would be like if Seunghee was older. The two of them click so easily. They can spend hours together either chatting about nothing or simply enjoying each other’s company.

Chorong wouldn’t trade either of them for the world, but they still aren’t what she wants. She isn’t sure what she really wants, but she does know when she’s around Bomi it feels almost tangible.

With thoughts like these, Chorong barely notices the time past.

It’s almost ten in the morning when a creaky sedan pulls into the driveway of Chorong’s lake house, and Chorong can’t help the way her heart leaps into at the sight of Bomi in the driver’s seat. She’s up and out of her seat before she can even process what she’s doing, hurrying down the porch steps.

“Chorong, this place is beautiful!” Bomi exclaims as she gets out of the car. She gives her this huge smile and says, “Thank you so much for inviting us.”

Chorong smiles back and says softly, “Of course.” She must stare because then there’s a cough, making Chorong’s gaze snap to the other two girls who also got out of the car.

“Right!” Bomi says to herself. She reaches and grabs Chorong’s hand, pulling her closer until their sides are pressed against each other. “Chorong, these are my friends from middle school, Naeun and Hayoung!” She waves from a girl with black hair and a cold look to a girl with brown hair and a shy smile. “They’re my best friends,” Bomi adds in a playful yet conspiratorial whisper.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Chorong says to them sincerely.

“Nice to meet you too,” Naeun says while Hayoung beams at her and says, “You too! Thanks for inviting us.”

“Come on,” Chorong says, eying their bags, “I’ll give you a tour.”

Chorong gives them a tour of her house first, letting them put their bags in the guest rooms and showing them where everything is. All three of them have wide eyes as they walk around, and Chorong feels a sudden pang at Eunji and Namjoo’s absence. At least with them there, it would’ve have felt so awkward to see the other three girls so in awe of what she has as her everyday life.

After her house, Chorong walks them around Lake Orion. She points out Eunji and Namjoo’s houses but doesn’t mention where they are or why they’re missing. She points out the houses of a few other families then walks them down to the dock. She talks about spending most of her time out by the lake since there really isn’t that much to do around here. Chorong does point out the tennis courts and the sandy volleyball set-up not far from the lake itself, but she admits she’s never really used them.

As Chorong plays tour guide, she also gets a better feel for Bomi’s friends.

“Do you have kayaks?” Hayoung asks curiously as they walk around the lake. “Oh, or horses! Rich people have horses right?” It’s easily her twentieth question asked, but Chorong answers them indulgently. Hayoung is a fun mixture of bright, curious, and blunt. It’s refreshing.

“I know some families have kayaks,” Chorong says. “Some families also have horses, but nobody keeps their horses here. I don’t think it’s suitable for horses in this area.”

“What, you didn’t ask for a pony when you were a little girl?” Bomi teases, bumping their shoulders. She’s been doing that a lot since she’s arrived, initiating little touches here and there. It’s more distracting than Chorong would like to admit.

“I actually asked for a kitten,” Chorong replies.

Hayoung peers at her with a grin. “Did you get one?”

“No, my parents didn’t think I was responsible enough,” Chorong says.

“You, not responsible enough?” Bomi repeats incredulously. She waves her hands around dramatically as she continues, “Chorong, you’re class president! Everyone says they’ve never seen a student board govern as smoothly as yours, and everyone knows it’s because of you.”

Chorong can’t stop the way her cheeks heat up, and she looks away. She catches Naeun, who’s barely spoken, watching her, and Chorong loathes the way Naeun smiles in amusement and breaks eye contact. Chorong had been hoping no one would notice.

“I wasn’t always like this,” Chorong answers finally. “I grew up, just like everyone else.”

“I always thought of you like that though,” Bomi replies. “I pictured, I don’t know, itty bitty Chorong having tea at exactly three o’clock every afternoon with her stuffed animals and being very stern about starting on time.”

Chorong can’t help but laugh at how Bomi’s mental image wasn’t entirely that far off the mark. She shakes her head with a smile and says, “I was a well-behaved kid, but I was still a kid.”

“You aren’t a kid anymore?” It’s Naeun who asks this, voice soft and lilting. She’s watching Chorong curiously, but her interest is much less playful than Hayoung’s.

Chorong hesitates before she answers, “No, not anymore.” She hasn’t been a kid for a very long time.

Naeun just tilts her head and says nothing, so it’s Bomi who says, “Don’t worry. You still look like a kid at least. I’m sure you’ll be fifty and still look like some kid fresh out of college.”

“I don’t want to look like a kid though,” Chorong replies with a scrunched up nose.

“Too bad,” Bomi tells her solemnly. “Even Hayoung looks older than you, and she’s two years younger than us.”

Chorong doesn’t even hesitate when she pushes Bomi into the lake. She does regret it though, jaw dropping as she watches Bomi stagger to her feet with water dripping from every inch of her body. Beside her, Naeun and Hayoung are both hunched over with laughter, leaning on each other to keep from falling over.

“I’m so sorry,” Chorong all but wails. What was she thinking? This isn’t Eunji or Namjoo. This is Bomi! Her crush! She hurries over and holds out her hands. “Here, let me help you out.”

“Thanks,” Bomi says with a smile.

Then she grabs her hands and pulls Chorong into the water with her.

The two of them topple over into the water, and Chorong can’t help but notice the way she falls on top of Bomi with Bomi’s arms wrapped loosely around her waist. Sputtering nonsense, Chorong flings herself away from Bomi as she shakes off all the water.

Now, Naeun and Hayoung are practically rolling on the ground in laughter. Chorong thinks she might even see tears on Hayoung’s cheeks. It’s barely been an hour since Bomi’s arrived, and Chorong has already made a fool of herself. She turns to Bomi with red cheeks then freezes when she sees Bomi staring at her with a kind of fondness that Chorong’s only ever associated with Eunji and Namjoo.

Bomi wades over to her and wraps an arm around her shoulders. She leans close and says, “Thank you, really, for inviting us. I think this will be a really fun summer.”

“Me too,” Chorong agrees, trying to remind herself to breath.

After that, they all head back to Chorong’s house. Chorong and Bomi go to shower separately while Hayoung and Naeun lounge in the living room, and something about it feels right. Chorong can almost forget the gaping hole left by her best friends.

Dressed in her third outfit of the day, Chorong goes about starting lunch for them. She’s just started chopping vegetables when the doorbell rings. Although it is her doorbell, it’s an unfamiliar sound to Chorong that makes her pause. No one around here rings the doorbell. With slow steps, Chorong goes to the front door and opens it just a smidge.

“I promise the only thing I’m armed with is a watermelon.”

Chorong can’t even begin to describe the relief that fills her when she recognizes Eunji’s low voice and playful humor. She opens the door wider, taking in the sight of her friends showing up like they hadn’t just ditched her this morning. Chorong should be more upset, but she missed them somehow.

“Did you get lost on your way here this morning?” Chorong can’t help but snark.

Namjoo shifts uncomfortably, but Eunji just keeps smiling and says, “Yeah, but I heard from your neighbor that Bomi’s friends are hot, so I suddenly remembered the way.”

Chorong feels a stab of jealousy at the words, but she quickly reminds herself she has no reason to be jealous. Eunji and her aren’t dating, and she likes Bomi. Eunji can find whoever she wants hot.

“Just get in here,” Chorong sighs.

Eunji peers around Chorong then promptly says, “I call the hot one.”

Knowing Eunji’s tastes, Chorong immediately knows she means Naeun and snaps, “Don’t piss her off.”

Eunji just chuckles and gives her a playful yet mocking salute before she slips inside.

Chorong sighs again and turns to Namjoo, who’s been watching them silently. She looks at the younger girl for a long moment then asks, “Are you good?”

“I’m fine,” Namjoo replies automatically. She gives a cautious smile as she steps inside and says, “I’m sorry about this morning.”

“It’s okay. I should’ve known Eunji would’ve bribed you into ditching with her.”

Namjoo gives her an unreadable look before saying, “Actually, Eunji was busy all morning attending business meetings with her father. She just finished before picking me up to come over here.” Namjoo looks down at her feet and adds, “I didn’t want to show up without her.”

Chorong isn’t sure what to say to that, feeling something between guilt and betrayal. She feels her hands clenched into fists and forcefully makes them relax. She tries to smile at Namjoo as she says, “It’s okay. I mainly just showed them around anyways.”

She reaches out and holds Namjoo’s hand in hers, her mixed feelings fading into contentment when Namjoo squeezes her hand. Chorong holds her hand while they walk back to the living room where the other girls are gathered. However, Chorong freezes in the doorway when she spies Eunji chatting comfortably with her arm thrown around Bomi’s neck. She isn’t sure how long she stands there until Namjoo nudges her with an amused smile.

“I didn’t realize you two know each other,” Chorong can’t help but say as she walks up to the group.

Bomi turns to her with a beaming smile, clearly not hearing the mildly dismayed tone to her voice, while Eunji regards her with the beginnings of a coy smirk as she pulls her arm away from Bomi. Chorong doesn’t miss the way Bomi glances at Eunji, almost like she misses the contact already.

“We’ve known eachother since I started at Plan A,” Bomi explains. “Since Eunji is head of gym class, the coach put me with her and we’ve been friends since.”

Chorong slides her gaze from Bomi to where Eunji is watching her with knowing eyes. She her lips then says, “Eunji, you’ve never mentioned you were friends with Bomi.”

“It never came up,” Eunji replies. It sounds innocent enough, but Chorong reads it as a subtle attack. It occurs to her all too suddenly that she’s never really talked to Eunji about dating, and Eunji never brings it up herself. Chorong isn’t sure what to do with this information, so she just stands there blankly while Eunji says, “Anyways, I was just apologizing for missing out on all the fun this morning.”

“And I was just telling her it’s fine,” Bomi says with a playful roll of her eyes.

“Well, you made it just in time for lunch,” Chorong says, shaking herself out of her stupor. She turns to Bomi with her brightest smile and asks, “Bomi, want to help me?”

Laughter escapes both Naeun and Hayoung immediately while Bomi blushes and glares at her friends.

“I’d love to,” Bomi tells her earnestly.

While Chorong leads Bomi into the kitchen, Eunji makes herself comfortable on the couch before glancing up at Naeun and saying, “You might as well sit. If Bomi’s as bad at cooking as I think she’ll be, it’s going to be a while before there’s any lunch.” She smiles a little when Naeun sits stiffly on the other end of the couch, already taking the small action as a sort of victory. Eunji looks to Namjoo who’s still hovering on the edge of the room. “Yah, Namjoo, come closer. I’m sure they don’t bite,” Eunji says, flashing a teasing grin as she does.

“Is Chorong okay at cooking?” Hayoung says, also coming closer. She ends up in one of the arm chairs while Namjoo sits in the other. She grins mischievously, and Eunji decides she likes this girl. “Or should we just call and order pizza now?”

“Chorong is a great cook,” Namjoo answers, a bit prideful and ever loyal. She turns to Eunji, as if she needs back-up, and Eunji nods obligingly. Namjoo brightens then says, “Last year, for my birthday, she made this insane cake! She put, like, ten different kinds of chocolate in it!”

While Namjoo rambles about the birthday feast Chorong made for her last year, Eunji turns curiously to Naeun who’s been silent yet observing. She takes a moment to appreciate the gorgeous girl beside her, a killer body and a cold expression. Eunji always loves a challenge.

“How did you end being friends with Bomi?” Eunji asks her. When Naeun cuts a scathing look to her, Eunji smiles guilelessly and adds, “I’m just making conversation.”

Naeun glares at her a little longer before relenting and saying, “We had math together a few years ago. When she saw I made an A on a test she barely passed, she wouldn’t leave me alone until I agreed to tutor her.”

“I guess she never left you alone after that, huh?” Eunji laughs and tries to keep the bitterness out of her tone. She likes Bomi, just like everyone else does. It doesn’t mean she can’t be envious of her. Eunji tilts her head and then asks, “Do you miss going to school with her?”

“What’s with the interrogation?” Naeun snaps.

Eunji can’t help but raise her eyebrows in surprise at her harshness, and Naeun must see her honest surprise because she shrinks in on herself.

“We’re going to be spending the summer together. Forgive me if I don’t want to spend it with a stranger,” Eunji says.

Her voice is overly polite, a well-trained tone from working with her father and his business. It’s polite, but it’s also almost cutting and condescending. Yet, it’s still polite. Eunji’s perfected it over the years, practically prides herself in it, but a part of her still feels guilty at the way Naeun flinches. She normally doesn’t use it with anyone other than her father’s business associates, but something about the way Naeun spoke to her grated her nerves. Or maybe it’s the way she isn’t accepting Eunji’s friendliness. Eunji internally scolds herself. A challenge, she reminds herself. She likes a challenge.

Eunji shakes her head and gets off the couch. As she walks by Naeun, she lets a hand brush over Naeun’s shoulder as she says, “Maybe we can get to know each other better when you’re in a better mood.” Well aware she’s playing with fire, Eunji lets a filthy smile curl at her lips as she adds, “How we get to know each other is all up to you.”

Walking over to Namjoo, she sits on the arm of her chair and pretends not to notice the way Naeun reddens then spends the rest of the afternoon avoiding eye contact with Eunji. Maybe this summer wouldn’t be so bad after all.