After almost two weeks, Chorong thinks they’ve finally figured out a sort of routine between the six of them. 

In the morning, Chorong will cook breakfast for herself, Bomi, Naeun, and Hayoung. It feels oddly domestic to cook for Bomi so often, but Chorong doesn’t mind, especially when Bomi eats her food and praises it so excitedly.

“You’re like a professional chef!” Bomi told her one morning. “You could open up your own restaurant!”

After breakfast, the four of them usually get ready and meet Eunji and Namjoo down by the lake for whatever activity they have planned for the day. Sometimes, it’s simply hanging out by the lake, but recently, they’ve also used the tennis and volleyball courts for the first time in years. Also, just the other day, they played hide and seek, using the entire property. They had played in pairs, and Chorong remembers hiding in the old storage shed with Bomi, talking quietly and playing games to pass the time until they were found. 

Chorong can’t remember a summer ever being this much fun.

Today starts off like any other day, except for when she comes down the stairs in the morning, Eunji and Namjoo are already there and dressed for the day. Eunji has her hair thrown up haphazardly with flour dusting her cheeks while she flips pancakes. Beside her, Namjoo is diligently cutting up fruit and gently bobbing her head to the music coming from her phone.

“What are you doing?” Chorong asks curiously as she walks into the kitchen, still dressed in her pajamas.

Both Eunji and Namjoo look up at her with bright smiles, and Chorong feels weirdly taken aback by the warm welcome. It feels like it’s been a few days since she’s seen them smile at her like that. Eunji has been avoidant lately, especially whenever Bomi is around, and Chorong sees her hanging around Naeun more often than not. Meanwhile, Namjoo simply doesn’t talk to her as much, instead playing with Hayoung. Chorong wonders if it’s her spending all her time with Bomi that caused this, or if it’s because her friends have simply found other people to spend their time with. It’s a strange thought.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Eunji replies easily, “so I went for a run and saw Namjoo awake and on her porch. We decided since we were already up we would come surprise everyone with breakfast.”

“We figured you could use a break from cooking,” Namjoo adds with a wink.

My best friends, Chorong thinks fondly. She walks over to them and gives them both a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” Chorong tells them with a shy smile. “It smells great.” She notices there’s bacon in the oven and a huge plate of scrambled eggs sitting on the counter, and she wonders just how long they’ve been here. 

Chorong is banned from cooking for the time being by her friends, so she sits by the bar to keep them company while they finish up. She watches as Eunji tries to show off by tossing the pancakes in the air to flip them and Namjoo punches cute shapes out of the fruit with small cookie cutters. They chat as they finish, and Chorong is reminded why they’re close. Although their families and circumstances have forced them together, Chorong loves Eunji and Namjoo and has always sort of clicked with them in a way she never really has with anyone else. Well, except for… 

“Breakfast smells great!” Bomi yells as she enters the kitchen. Her eyes widen when she realizes it isn’t Chorong cooking for once, and she gives Eunji and Namjoo an appreciative look. She walks over and wraps her arm around Eunji’s waist casually, and Chorong can only watch. “Eunji, I had no idea you could cook!” Bomi says, tone playfully accusatory. 

“You’ve never needed me to cook with Chorong around,” Eunji replies with a smirk, but her eyes flicker over to Chorong ever so briefly.

Chorong shifts uncomfortably in her seat while Bomi just laughs and says, “You’re right. Chorong spoils me, but I’m excited to try your food.”

“Will you help me set the table, Bomi?” Chorong cuts in. She can’t explain why she feels so uneasy seeing Bomi and Eunji interacting. She knows they’re friends, and Eunji has been nothing but nice, albeit a little touchy, but Chorong doesn’t like it. “Then we can go wake up Hayoung and Naeun.”

“Oh, I’ll go wake up Naeun!” Eunji volunteers brightly. She plates the final pancake and smiles in a way Chorong notices she usually only does for her. Chorong isn’t sure how to feel about that either. Eunji washes her hands then nudges Namjoo. “Want to go wake up Hayoung?” Eunji asks her.

“Sure,” Namjoo nods with a smile of her own.

As the two of them leave, it really hits Chorong just how little she’s talked to them lately. She has no idea when they got so close to Naeun and Hayoung. She hasn’t heard them tell her about the butterflies in their stomach in hushed voices and how cute they think they are. Do her best friends have crushes and not told her about them?

Bomi taps her on the shoulder and asks, “I’ll do silverware if you gets the cups and drinks?”

“Oh,” Chorong says, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts. “Sure.” It’s not that serious, she tells herself. It hasn’t even been that long. Her best friends aren’t moving on from her. Chorong grabs six glasses and places them around the dining table before going back to get a pitcher of orange juice and some coffee mugs. 

When she finishes, Chorong stands in front of the table with her hands folded over her chest. Her mind goes back to her friends, and Chorong curses herself for worrying this much. It’s just that she’s thought of herself as one of the few people to know almost everything about Eunji and Namjoo, but it’s suddenly occurring to her that she might not know as much as she once thought. 

“What’s got you so frowny this morning?” Bomi asks, suddenly at her side and poking her cheek repeatedly.

Chorong half-smiles and gently swats Bomi’s hand away. She gives a little sigh then shrugs, “I just realized I haven’t talked to Eunji and Namjoo lately.”

“You were talking to them when I came into the kitchen earlier,” Bomi points out.

“No, I mean, like talk talked,” Chorong tries to explain. “Like, when did Eunji and Naeun get so close? I’ve noticed they’ve been talking more, but Eunji offering to go wake her up? Then, there’s Namjoo and Hayoung. I know they like each other, but I have no idea what stage they’re at.” The confession slips from Chorong so easily. She’d never be this upfront about her feelings with Eunji, and she’d never show this much of her doubts with Namjoo. What is it about Bomi that makes Chorong lower her guard so much?

Her question is somewhat answered when Bomi smiles softly at her and wraps her up in a warm hug. “Well, stop worrying about being a bad friend,” Bomi says, reading her mind. “We’ve all sort of split off from each other, and that’s just how it is with a bigger group of people sometimes. For Naeun and Eunji, I’ve talked to Naeun at night sometimes. Don’t let her know I told you this, but I think Naeun has a huge soft spot for her for some reason.” When Bomi tells her this, Chorong can’t help but wonder if the thing Eunji is upset about it her and Bomi.

“As for Hayoung and Namjoo, I think they’re in a weird flirty stage where they have no actual idea of where it’s headed,” Bomi continues. She pulls away and gives Chorong a reassuring smile. “There’s nothing to worry about, Chorong, and if you keep worrying, you’ll give yourself wrinkles.” Bomi grins and teases, “And if you get wrinkles, you won’t look eighteen forever, and then what will you do?”

Chorong can’t help but laugh and shake her head. She looks at Bomi for a moment then leans forward and presses a kiss to her cheek. When she pulls away, Bomi is blushing but smiling. “Thank you,” Chorong says.

“Hey, lovebirds! Cut it out! I don’t want to be sick before breakfast!”

Hearing Hayoung’s voice, Chorong practically jumps out of Bomi’s arms, turning to the stairs where the other girls are standing. Namjoo and Hayoung are holding hands, grinning at them, while Eunji and Naeun stand close together with similar, curious looks. 

“Who’s ready for breakfast?” Bomi yells out, sounding just as flustered as Chorong feels. “Let’s eat breakfast! Eunji and Namjoo worked so hard! We shouldn’t waste it!”

The other girls blessedly don’t tease them and merely get settled at the table while Chorong and Bomi finish putting out all of the food. Breakfast is a loud affair this morning with everyone there and talking. It’s after everyone is full and sipping on coffee that they discuss their plans for the day.

“I want to go into the city for the day,” Hayoung says. “Can I borrow your car, Bomi?”

Bomi gives the girl a look and says, “Can I really trust you with it?”

“I’ll drive,” Namjoo pipes up, smiling innocently. “I promise I’m a safe driver.”

“She is,” Eunji backs her up with a nod. “She doesn’t follow traffic laws as strictly as Chorong, but I don’t fear for my life when she drives.”

“No one follows traffic laws as strictly as Chorong,” Namjoo points out, making Eunji laugh and agree.

Bomi shrugs then says, “If Eunji says you’re a safe driver, then sure. What do you want to do in the city?”

“I want to go to an arcade, and Namjoo wants to go to this new cafe. We’ll be gone for most of the day,” Hayoung says.

“That’s fine,” Bomi nods. She reaches for more coffee then turns to look at Chorong. “What are we doing today?” It isn’t a question of whether they’ll be together.

Chorong finds herself looking to Eunji for a reaction, but Eunji is busy talking to Hayoung and doesn’t even appear to have heard the question. Looking down at her coffee, Chorong shrugs and says, “Do you want to paint again today? Then maybe go swimming?”

“Sure,” Bomi says, and when Chorong looks up, she’s smiling brightly at her. “I’m fine with doing whatever with you.”

It’s such a simple thing to say, but Chorong feels her blush nonetheless.

“I think I’ll just hang by the lake today,” Eunji speaks up. “It’s a beautiful day, so maybe I’ll just go read or something. There’s that huge tree, so I can hang out in the shade too.”

Naeun perks up at this and asks, “Can I go with you?”

“Of course.”

Of course, Chorong repeats in her mind. 

After the rest of the details are discussed along with plans to meet up at Namjoo’s for dinner at seven, the girls all split up. Eunji waits for Naeun by the front door, surreptitiously watching as Chorong and Bomi giggle and playfully mess with each other as they clean up the dishes. Eunji shifts on her feet and looks away, shoving her hands in the pockets of her shorts. When Naeun finally comes down the stairs, she’s carrying a sketchbook.

“Ready?” Eunji asks with a smile.

Naeun nods happily, tucking her hand in the crook of Eunji’s elbow. “Ready.”

They stop by Eunji’s house for her to grab a book before heading out to the lake. It’s pretty quiet out here except for a pair of kids playing by the dock, but the tree they’re sitting below is far enough away that they won’t be disturbed by them.

Eunji lays out with her book while Naeun stays sitting up with her sketchbook in her lap. As Naeun’s pencil flies across the paper, Eunji spends more time looking at her than her book. Over the past week or so, after the kiss, Eunji has been spending a lot more time with Naeun. At first, Eunji was suspicious by the girls sudden willingness to spend time with her, but when Eunji asked about it, Naeun shrugged and shyly admitted, “You make me feel included.”

After that, Eunji always makes sure to search out Naeun and see if she wants to join her in whatever she's doing. Although Naeun does say no sometimes, for the most part, she gives Eunji one of those shy smiles and says yes. It’s because of this that Eunji’s been able to talk to her more and discover that Naeun is a lot more fun than she seems.

Eunji and Naeun also kiss sometimes. The first time Eunji kissed Naeun, Eunji thought that would be the only time, but to her surprise, when she walked Naeun back to Chorong’s house the night after, Naeun kissed her. Now, they often share kisses whenever none of the other girls are around. They don’t talk about what these kisses mean, but Eunji doesn’t really mind. Naeun is a nice girl, a good kisser, and a decent distraction from whatever Chorong and Bomi are doing. 

After about an hour of pretending to read her book, Eunji looks across the lake and notices the kids have gone in. A quick glance around confirms that her and Naeun are the only ones out right now. Eunji closes her book and tosses it aside. She sits up and scoots over to where Naeun has been sketching out the scenery.

“Looks nice,” Eunji comments, leaning in close to get a better look.

“Thank you,” Naeun says. She looks at Eunji, who’s very close now, and smiles like she knows exactly what Eunji is doing. “Did you finish your book?” Naeun asks teasingly. 

“Nooo,” Eunji draws out the word as she smiles back. “I just realized there’s something else much more fun I could be doing instead.”

Naeun smiles wider and tilts her head. “Hmm, like what?”

“This.”

Eunji slides her hand into Naeun's hair and kisses her. She kisses her only once before pulling away. She always does this because she’s never quite sure when Naeun is in the mood, but this time, Naeun smiles at her and says, “You’re right. That’s much more fun.”

With that, Eunji kisses Naeun more confidently this time. She takes the lead as she often does, and there’s something kind of intoxicating with how pliant and soft Naeun is under her touch. When Eunji slips her tongue in and Naeun lets out a breathy moan, Eunji forgets all about stupid Chorong and Bomi and pulls Naeun closer. 

Eunji slowly lays back down, bringing Naeun with her. Naeun’s weight over her feels oddly familiar and comfortable, and Eunji sighs into the kiss. She lets a hand wander down Naeun’s back before slipping it underneath the thin t-shirt Naeun is wearing. Eunji absent-mindedly drags her nails against Naeun’s smooth skin and revels in the way Naeun squirms against her as she does. 

They trade kisses like that for a while, kisses soft and insistent, until… 

“Eunji,” Naeun murmurs as she pulls away. She looks down at Eunji with hooded eyes before she leans down and tucks her head against the crook of Eunji’s neck. She gives Eunji’s neck a playful nip before she kisses the same spot and asks, “Can we stop here?”

This is the one thing that really about kissing Naeun. She always stops them before they get very far, and Eunji isn’t in the business of pushing girls past their comfort zones, so she always stops. However, this often leads to Eunji with her hand down her pants at the end of the day, trying to find some relief from the tension Naeun leaves her in. 

“Yeah,” Eunji says, unable to keep herself from sighing in disappointment as Naeun moves off of her.

“I’m sorry,” Naeun says immediately.

Eunji sits up and looks at the other girl, the way she’s flushed and staring at her hands, and sighs again. She rests a hand on Naeun’s leg and waits for her to look at her before she says, “Don’t apologize. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. It’s fine if you don’t want to go further. I’m just…” Eunji can only give her a tight smile. “A little frustrated,” Eunji finally says, making the innuendo clear.

Naeun’s cheeks turn a dark red, and all she can say is, “Oh.”

“Anyways, let me look at your sketch again,” Eunji says, changing the subject. “You can tell me more about your ideas for drawing the different parts of the lake.”

“Are you sure?” Naeun asks, cheeks still red and lips still swollen. 

Eunji can only blame herself for this, but it's kind of worth it, so she just smiles nods. “I’m sure.”

Meanwhile in the city, Namjoo and Hayoung stumble out of an arcade, breathless and laughing as they lift a stuffed panda over their heads in victory. After a long drive and quick lunch at a fast food restaurant, they quickly moved from arcade to arcade, playing whatever games they liked there before moving onto the next one. This is their third one, and Namjoo’s favorite by far. She totally kicked Hayoung’s in Dance Dance Revolution and air hockey, and even then, Hayoung still used all her tickets from the shooting games to get her a stuffed animal.

It’s like the perfect date. If it’s a date.

Namjoo has no idea of what to make of Hayoung sometimes. It’s like she’s content to just flirt with Namjoo for the rest of her life without making a single move. It’s been two weeks, and nothing! Hayoung will say the sweetest things and hold her hand and win her a giant stuffed panda. Then she’ll do nothing. Namjoo has lost track of how many times she’s wished Hayoung would just kiss her already.

Although she’s well aware she is perfectly capable of making the first move, Namjoo wants Hayoung to do it for some inexplicable reason. However, at the rate they’re going, Namjoo might just have to give in and make her move. If Hayoung even wants her to make a move.

“Okay, I’ve definitely worked up an appetite again,” Hayoung says brightly. She glances at her phone then says, “We have just enough time to go visit that cafe and get a snack before we have to head back for dinner.”

“Perfect!” Namjoo grins. She isn’t surprised when Hayoung shifts the panda to one arm and uses her free hand to hold Namjoo’s. As they walk to the cafe, Namjoo asks, “So, what’s up with Eunji and Naeun?”

Hayoung gives her a mysterious smile and replies, “What makes you think anything’s up?”

“Oh please, I’m not blind,” Namjoo rolls her eyes then adds, “or Chorong.”

“Chorong is too busy making heart eyes at Bomi to notice anything that’s happening,” Hayoung laughs. “It’s kind of sweet in a really nauseating kind of way.” Then she sort of shrugs and says, “What do you know about them?”

Knowing which them she’s talking about, Namjoo says, “I talked to Eunji the other night when we were roasting marshmallows and she said they’re just friends.” She rolls her eyes again and says, “I don’t think she knows we saw them making out behind the tennis courts the other day.”

“Well, they were pretty busy,” Hayoung snickers. “I hate to disappoint, but Naeun’s pretty much said the same. I did sort of imply they were into each other, but Naeun said she wasn’t into Eunji like that. Then again, she got all red and flustered when she said that, sooo… Naeun probably likes her but doesn’t want to admit it.”

“Doesn’t making out with Eunji kind of give it away?” Namjoo points out.

Hayoung frowns a little. Her eyebrows furrow a little, and Namjoo kind of hates how cute she looks thinking. Then Hayoung wrinkles her nose and says, “It could be that Naeun told Eunji it’s just a friends with benefits thing. Naeun is pretty dodgy about her feelings on a good day. Who knows what she told Eunji.”

“I see,” Namjoo hums. She hopes Eunji’s thing with Naeun means she’s over Chorong, but she’s pretty sure that’s just wishful thinking. All she can hope for now is that it won’t blow up in Eunji’s face. Namjoo looks ahead and instantly brightens. “Oh, look! There’s the cafe!” She excitedly tugs on Hayoung’s hand and smiles when the other lets her drag her quickly to the cafe.

It’s a cute little shop, and Namjoo and Hayoung find seats by the window. They order a sundae and a slice of cake to share before aimlessly talking and playing around. What Namjoo really likes about spending time with Hayoung is that she feels like she can really just goof around. Chorong is so serious, and Eunji is easier to play around with, but Eunji has been hiding behind cold sarcasm more and more lately, especially when they’re around Chorong. It’s easier with Hayoung. 

“Wow!” Hayoung cheers when their food is brought out. “It looks so good!” Like a little kid, she quickly eats a spoonful of ice cream then whines about how cold it is. “Ahh, cold!” Hayoung mutters.

Namjoo laughs at her then tries a bite of cake. It’s delicious, so without thinking much of it, she scoops another bite and holds it out to Hayoung, saying, “Here, try this.”

For the first time Namjoo can recall, Hayoung blushes as she stares at forkful of cake Namjoo is holding out to her. She stares for a moment before hesitantly eating the cake. She meets Namjoo’s gaze as closes around the fork, and they both jerk away from each other with red cheeks.

“That’s, uh, good cake,” Hayoung says, coughing into her hand. 

“Yep.”

The awkwardness fades after a few minutes, and Namjoo can’t help but smile. At least now she knows her feelings aren’t unrequited. All she has to do now is get Hayoung to make a damn move on her.