Telling the kids about Kahei had been her first mistake. Her second mistake is buckling under Sooyoung’s intense gaze after she walks over to the kid’s study session looking a bit too happy.

“I know something happened,” Sooyoung says, crossing her arms and sending Haseul a look that she tries to ignore, flipping the page of Hyejoo’s psychology paper instead of looking back at her. The library is crowded today, so she really doesn’t want to talk about this here.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Haseul’s voice breaks as she speaks, betraying her.

“Don’t lie,” Jiwoo says as she squeals, and Haseul shushes her with the vigor of a long-time librarian, if only because they’re much, much closer to the cafe today and she doesn’t need Kahei walking by and hearing one of the girls saying something stupid and not because she’s actually on the clock this time. “Come on, something happened with Kahei, right?” Jiwoo leans her head on Sooyoung’s shoulder, and Haseul knows that she can’t stay mad at her. The girl is just too damn cute.

“Fess up,” Jinsol says, suddenly pushing away her books and leaning forward, apparently giving up on her poetry essay. Her eyes are sparkling, like she’s just reached the big romantic scene in one of the anime she’s been obsessed with recently. “Did it have anything to do with what I told you the other day?”

“You told Haseul something? You, giving advice?” Jungeun looks a little skeptical as she peeks over her laptop, and Jinsol elbows her and huffs, shaking her head. Her girlfriend grins and reaches out to give her hand a little squeeze, and Haseul doesn’t like the voice in her head that tells her that she wants what they have.

“Believe it or not, I gave good advice! At least, I think I did. I didn’t really sleep the night before so it might have been better in my head.”

Haseul smiles and reaches across the table to pat Jinsol’s free hand, a reassuring gesture. No matter how much of a handful Jinsol was, she always meant well. “Your advice was good. Thank you.”

“So it did have something to do with my advice?” Jinsol perks up, and the rest of the table turns to look at Haseul with wide eyes. She figures that she walked right into that one. On one hand, she doesn’t want to tell them because she knows what will happen. But on the other hand, Jinsol looks so happy at the idea of helping and Sooyoung is still staring holes into her head, so she caves.

“Well, yeah, kinda. I talked some to Kahei after you left.”

“What? How? You didn’t explode of awkwardness?” Yeojin is much too loud for the library, but what’s new. Haseul is used to shushing her at this point. But Sooyoung joins her this time, reaching to put her hand over the youngest girl’s mouth.

“Yeojin, this is a library, please shut the-.”

“Nope, we aren’t saying that,” Haseul says, interrupting Sooyoung and reaching over to separate the two. “No cursing in the library unless it’s finals week.”

“Fine, mom,” Sooyoung says, pouting a bit, but almost immediately she perks back up. “So, you were telling us about talking with Kahei? How did that go? Did you get her number? Did you ask her out?”

“Ah- no. We just talked. And I helped her with an essay.” Haseul can feel the girls staring at her, and she sinks down into her chair, refusing to look at them. She feels a bit like a teenager again, nervous with sweaty palms and all. “That’s my job.”

“So boring,” Yerim whines, letting her head fall onto Hyejoo’s shoulder. Hyejoo looks like she wants to shove her off, but she doesn’t, restraining herself and just sighing as she turns back to her homework, and Haseul feels like a proud parent before she remembers what’s happening. “I was expecting something bigger! Better!”

“You have to step your game up or you’re going to be a crazy cat lady,” Hyunjin says, still staring at her phone.

“I don’t even like cats.” Even as Haseul mutters it, she knows it’s not true. That doesn’t stop her from sticking to it, even as Sooyoung hits her with another look.

“That was seriously all?”

“Yes, we had a very nice talk!”

“A very nice talk isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

“Listen, I know you kids like to take things fast these days-.”

“You’re younger than me!”

“I’m still not comfortable with moving that fast, Sooyoung. Let me take this at my pace.”

Sooyoung huffs and crosses her arms again, but sits back, and Haseul believes for a minute that the topic might be dropped. Then Heejin clears .

“So, I talked to Mimi.”

Despite Haseul’s better judgement, she can’t help being a little bit curious. She resists asking for barely a second before sighing and giving away to the curiosity.

“And?” The table collectively “ooo”s and she shushes them again, face burning. This is a bad idea.

“Mimi said that Kahei told her that she is interested in someone, but she got all flustered and wouldn’t say a name.” Flustered. She’s never seen Kahei flustered, so it’s hard to imagine. And since Kahei didn’t mention a name, it could be anyone, including the pretty tall girl from days ago. So it’s useless to get her hopes up. “But Mimi said that she thinks the person Kahei likes works in the library because she always catches Kahei looking out the window into the library instead of outside.” Heejin is grinning now, and Haseul can feel her face heat up again. Pretty tall girl doesn’t work in the library, does she?

“Sounds like you,” Yerim says cheerfully, and Haseul has never been so happy to hear the bell ringing at the help desk.

“Sorry, gotta go! Work calls!” She stands up so fast that it makes her dizzy, but she only stops long enough to slide Hyejoo’s paper back over to her before fast-walking away from the table, her customer-service smile plastered onto her face as she greeted the student at the desk, trying to ignore the fact that she could feel her friends still watching her go.

-

Haseul doesn’t usually work the late-night shift, so she’s not used to how empty the library is this late at night. Most people have already packed up their things and left the main area, the café closed hours ago, and the only students left in the library are packed into the study rooms, finishing up last-minute projects and essays while they still have the time. It’s eerie, almost, being alone in the artificial light surrounded by books, but she’s already locked the doors and closed down some of the unused floors, so now she’s just watching the clock, waiting for the overnight guy to clock in.

The library is always quiet, but being able to hear the clock ticking is unnerving, so she sighs and stands up, stretching. It wouldn’t hurt to go on another round, so she walks around the desk and shoves her hands into her pockets, heading over to check the doors. Just as she gets over to them, the far right door buzzes, signalling that someone has unlocked it with their student ID, and her brain helpfully tells her that it could be a murderer. She probably shouldn’t have watched that Ted Bundy documentary the night before because her brain goes crazy, and she’s about to back away when she catches sight of pink hair, and her heartbeat picks up for an entirely different reason.

It is, in fact, Kahei, and she looks surprised when she steps in and sees Haseul awkwardly standing there against the wall.

“Haseul?”

“That’s me. Hi Kahei.” It’s lame, and she grimaces as the words come out of , but Kahei just smiles like the angel she is. Somehow, even in the ugly yellow artificial lights, she looks gorgeous, and Haseul thinks that if Kahei was a murderer, she’d still let the girl do whatever she wants.

It’s a weird thought.

“Are you working late tonight?”

“Yep, the girl working this shift called out so Amber had me come in to cover for her. The overnight librarian should be here soon, but I was just, uh, checking that the doors are locked.” She gives Kahei a smile in return and runs her fingers through her hair. “Did you forget something?”

“Well, kind of.” Kahei twists her hands together, and for the first time, Haseul notices the nervous look on her face. “I lost my ring but I didn’t realize it was gone until I got home. And then I had to turn something in, so I didn’t have time to come back until now. I’m glad it’s you who’s working tonight, though. The other girl makes me nervous....”

“Soyeon is pretty intimidating,” Haseul says, glancing back at the front desk. Nobody was going to need her help this late at night. There were three students in the library now, tops. Plus, even if they did need help, Youngjae would be there soon enough. “I’ll help you look for it. It’s the pink one you usually wear, right?” As the words leave , she realizes that it might sound weird that she knows what jewelry Kahei wears every day, but the other girl lights up, so she figures it’s okay.

“That’s the one! You’ll really help me?”

“Of course, what kind of person would I be if I made you look by yourself? Plus, I have the keys to get into the cafe.”

Kahei giggles, and Haseul feels her heart soar. “Good point. Still, thank you, I appreciate it.” Taking the keys from her pocket, Haseul leads the way over to the cafe door, heart pounding inside her chest. A risky idea pops into her head, and she clears as she takes out her phone, turning to the other girl.

“Hey, why don’t we exchange phone numbers? That way if something like this happens again, you can just text me and I can come help you out.”

Kahei looks at her with wide eyes and Haseul wonders for a moment if she’s passed a line before she smiles shyly. “I wouldn’t want to bother you....”

“You wouldn’t be bothering me, trust me. I’m always happy to help, that’s why I’m a librarian.”

“If you’re sure it’s no problem.” Kahei pulls out her own phone, and Haseul smiles at the sight of the cute cat charm on it. It’s just how she’d expected Kahei’s phone to look: cute. Her hands are sweaty as she takes the phone, and she hopes that Kahei doesn’t notice when she quickly wipes them on her shirt before putting in her phone number. When Kahei gives her back her phone, there’s a little smiley emoji beside her name, and it makes Haseul smile. Cute.

“There we go. Text me if you ever need anything,” Haseul says with her best smile (it happens to also be her ‘mom’ smile but she tries not to think about that as she approaches the cafe door). Kahei slips the phone back into her pocket as Haseul opens the door, stepping forward.

“Thanks again, Haseul. I really appreciate you helping me search. I panicked a bit when I noticed that it was gone.” The nervous look is back, and Haseul quickly flips one of the lights. They buzz and blink to life above the cafe counter, and she squints a bit at the sudden light.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find it. Was it a gift from someone?”

“Yes. It was a gift from my mom. She gave it to me for Christmas when I went to visit.” Kahei twists her hands together again as she moves towards the counter, and Haseul quietly follows her. “I really can’t lose it.”

“It must be hard to be away from home for so long,” Haseul says softly, putting a hand on Kahei’s shoulder. She almost seems to lean into it as she looks down at the floor.

“It is. Although I really like it here, it’s impossible not to miss home sometimes, you know? But whenever I had the ring on, it made me feel close to my mom. It’s kind of stupid, but it helps.”

“It’s not stupid at all.” Haseul’s voice is still soft, yet firm, and Kahei looks up, locking eyes with her. “Missing home isn’t stupid. I understand. My parents aren’t as far away as yours, but it’s still a long train ride away. And having a photo of my family in my room makes them feel closer.” She swallows, nervous but determined. “I’m not going to leave until we find that ring for you, okay?”

Kahei smiles suddenly, and before Haseul knows what’s happening, the other girl’s arms are around her in a hug. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.” She pulls away quickly, but Haseul feels a little bit dizzy regardless, heart going nuts in her chest. Did this girl not know how gorgeous she was? That was dangerous for Haseul’s sanity. “You’re really sweet, Haseul.”

“I try.” She takes a deep breath to steady herself. “So should we start looking?”

As small as the cafe is, the ring is even smaller, and Haseul had only the lights above the main part of the counter, so the further back she goes, the darker it gets, making her wish she’d flipped on all the switches. It’s much quieter than she’s used to, and she wonders if Kahei can hear how hard her heart is still beating, still not recovered from the hug. Her mind is clogged with thoughts of Kahei (like always) but her eyes catch a glimmer on the floor near the back fridge and the counter. It’s just a small glimmer, stuck between two surfaces, but when she walks over to investigate, a flash of pink can be seen, and she quickly gets down on her knees to get a closer look. Even in the dark, she can tell it’s the ring, and she hopes that there aren’t any bugs as she reaches into the crevice to pull it out.

Thankfully, the ring is still intact, and she dusts it off as she stands up, feeling relieved. “Kahei! I found the ring!”

“You found it? Thank you!” Her voice comes from the other side of the counter, and when Haseul looks up, Kahei is standing right outside the ring of light. In the dim lighting, only her face is illuminated, pink lips slightly parted and dark eyes big and round, and her hair looks like it’s light red instead of pink. She’s beautiful, and the sight makes Haseul a little breathless until Kahei tilts her head, confused at her prolonged silence. Clearing , Haseul walked over with a smile, hoping that the light wouldn’t show the blush on her cheeks.

“Your hair looks kind of red in this lighting, I almost didn’t recognize you,” she jokes as she holds out the ring, and Kahei raises her eyebrows as she takes the ring, gently sliding it onto her finger.

“Is my hair color the only way you recognize me?”

“Of course not. But I think red would look good on you.”

“Yeah?” She reaches up to tug gently at her bangs. “I’ve never thought about red before.”

“Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something.” Haseul’s words make Kahei laugh, and she touches the ring again.

“Maybe. Thanks for helping me find this, Haseul. It means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome. I told you I’d find it.”

Kahei tucks her hair behind her ears, and Haseul’s mouth goes a little dry. “Your next coffee is on me. As a thanks.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Haseul says, but the other girl just shakes her head.

“I’m going to, though. Because I want to.” She pulls out her own keys and smiles, and Haseul is probably imagining things, but it suddenly seems a little brighter in the closed cafe. “See you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow. Be safe getting home.”

“You too!” The older girl gives her a little wave as she turns to go, and Haseul waves back, watching her as she left. Her heart is still beating hard inside her chest, and she swallows, clutching her keys as she heads back to the light switch to close up again. Something in her head tells her that she’s whipped, but she tries not to think about it, because she knows what the feelings in her chest mean: she’s head over heels for Kahei, and there is no way she can go back now.

-

Once again, Haseul finds herself staying late at the library, but this time, it isn’t with Kahei, and she’s not on the clock. Instead, she’s tucked at the back of the library with Hyejoo, reading her textbook as the younger girl clicks away on her laptop. They’ve been here for hours, ever since Haseul got off, but she doesn’t mind, glancing up every other page to check on Hyejoo’s progress. At one of the glances, Hyejoo sighs and stretches her arms out in front of her, looking over at Haseul with sleepy eyes.

“You can go home, Haseul,” Hyejoo says as she yawns. “I don’t want to keep you here all night.”

“I’m not leaving you here to walk home this late at night,” Haseul says fondly, giving the younger girl a smile. “You’re getting close. You only have two pages left, right?”

“Yeah.” Hyejoo is obviously tired, and the Red Bull no longer seems to be working as she blinks at her laptop, fingers stalled over the keyboard. Haseul knows how she must be feeling, so she closes her book and reaches over to put her hand on Hyejoo’s wrist.

“It might be better if you get some sleep and finish tomorrow morning.”

“But what if I sleep through my alarm? Then I won’t be done in time for class....”

“I’ll come wake you up, don’t worry. You want to write the best paper you can, and you can’t write a good paper if you can barely keep your eyes open.”

Hyejoo stares at her laptop, thinking for a moment before she saves the paper and shuts it down. “Okay. If you don’t mind waking me up, I’ll do it in the morning.”

“Of course I don’t mind, silly.” Haseul slips her textbook into her backpack and zips it up. “Ready to go, then?”

Hyejoo gives her a sleepy smile. “I’m ready.”

Haseul’s car isn’t far outside the library, parked in the employee parking, and she makes sure that Hyejoo gets safely into the passenger seat before getting in herself and starting it up. For Haseul, it’s still pretty early and she’s used to working this late only to get up early in the morning: it’s the unhealthy sleeping habit of a longtime university student. But for Hyejoo it’s much too late, and she’s already almost nodding off in the passenger seat. It’s cute, Haseul thinks as she pulls away from the library, headed for their dorms at the other end of campus.

Hyejoo must not want to sleep yet, though, because she shakes herself awake and yawns again, turning to the older girl with sleepy eyes. “Hey, how’s everything going with Kahei?”

“You sound like Sooyoung,” Haseul says, but she humors the younger girl. “We’ve been texting recently, but we’re both busy. It’s nearing finals season and since we’re both working on our masters now, it’s a lot of work.” Hyejoo hums from the passenger seat, and she’s quiet for a moment, so Haseul thinks she might drop it. But as they pull into Haseul’s parking spot, she hugs the backpack in her lap closer and clears .

“You should have more confidence in yourself. You’re really nice and really pretty. And I know you don’t think you’re cool, but everyone else thinks you’re cool. We all admire how good you are at school and how you always try your best to help people, and how you can do anything you put your mind to.” Haseul’s eyes are wide as she looks at her, but Hyejoo continues. “You’re a catch, Haseul. Stop thinking that Kahei wouldn’t want to date you.” She opens the door, and the car dings, snapping Haseul out of it and making her quickly kill the engine and get out, grabbing her own bag. She’s not used to the compliments, and it makes her feel a little awkward, but also fond as she reached over to gently ruffle the younger girl’s hair.

“Well. Thank you, Hyejoo. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yeah.”

Haseul doesn’t get that much sleep that night, Kahei’s smile behind her eyelids and Hyejoo’s words echoing in her ears.

-

When Haseul finally has enough time to take a break and walks into the cafe a few days later, the first thing she notices is the auburn-red hair behind the counter. The words she said that night in the cafe replay in her head and butterflies begin to go crazy as she slips her hands into her pockets and walks up to the counter.

Sure enough, it’s Kahei, and she smiles widely when she sees Haseul, tying her apron as she walks over. “Did you finally come in for your complimentary coffee?”

“Yeah, I finally had a break between students over at the desk. It’s a busy time for us librarians.”

“I can imagine. I’ve been serving twice the amount of caffeine I usually do. Finals season is upon us,” Kahei says, and there’s a sparkle in her eyes. Haseul loves it, but doesn’t say it, biting her tongue. “Your normal again?”

“Yes, please,” Haseul replies, and tries to ignore how Mimi is staring at her with a grin from the espresso machine. Kahei stalls, like she’s waiting for something, and Haseul clears , trying to seem nonchalant. “I like the new hair color.”

It’s what she was waiting for, because Kahei breaks out into a shy smile as she ducks her head. “Ah, thank you. I thought about what you said the other night and decided to try red. Does it look as good as it did before?”

“It looks great on you,” Haseul says truthfully, and she doesn’t miss the flush on Kahei’s cheeks as she tugs at her hair.

“Good, I’m happy.” For a moment, they’re both silent, just smiling at each other, before someone behind Haseul coughs, breaking the moment. “Oh, I guess I have other guests to serve. And you have struggling students to help.” Her words make Haseul laugh, and she seems happy. “I’ll have your drink up for you soon. Good luck with the rest of your day.”

“Same to you.” As Haseul steps out of line, she glances back at Kahei. The red really does look great on her, and she’s happy she suggested it. The ring on her finger glitters as she tucks her hair behind her ears again, and Haseul quickly looks away, heartbeat picking up like it always did around Kahei.

“I have a latte for Haseul?” Mimi calls from behind the counter, like she doesn’t know who Haseul is, and Haseul sighs as she walks up to take it, shooting the other girl a polite smile.

“Thank you,” she says, and Mimi winks at her.

“No, thank you.”

She doesn’t want to know what that means, so she just nods awkwardly and escapes back to her help desk, cup clutched tightly in her hands. Amber looks up at her with raised eyebrows, and Haseul knows she’s been watching through the window.

“So, Kahei has red hair now. Did that have anything to do with you and her in the cafe the other night?”

Haseul jumps a bit and looks at her boss with wide eyes. “How do you know about that?”

“Youngjae told me.”

“Youngjae, what a snitch,” Haseul mutters, and Amber looks like she wants to push further, but another group of tired and wide-eyed students walk up to the counter, and she turns away reluctantly. Relieved, Haseul happily greets the students, but when she glances towards the cafe, she notices a certain red-haired girl looking right back at her. Kahei quickly turns away, but that doesn’t stop Haseul’s brain from short-circuiting, leaving her on pause in the middle of checking out a student’s books until the student awkwardly calls her name, snapping her out of it.

Amber snickers from beside her, and Haseul wonders when she became the useless gay of her friend group.

-

If there’s one thing that Haseul’s good at, it’s helping people. She’s confident when it comes to homework, no matter the subject. Tutoring comes naturally for her. So when Kahei texts her asking if they can study for finals together, Haseul immediately agrees. Somehow, she isn’t nervous when it comes to studying with Kahei. Maybe it’s because she knows that it’s something that she can do, but she feels comfortable sitting by Kahei’s side, quietly explaining anything she needs. Books and homework are familiar. And at some point, Kaheibecame familiar too.

It’s not the most fun thing to do on Friday nights, but studying with Kahei late into the evening becomes a habit that Haseul wouldn’t trade for the world. They usually use the library, an easy place that’s both safe and practical. But this Friday it’s apparent as soon as Haseul steps inside that their practical space is going to have to change. With finals creeping closer, the library has progressively gotten more and more crowded, now to the point of overflowing with stressed students desperately trying to get ready for the end of the semester. As a librarian, it doesn’t take long for her to realize there’s no space left but the floor, so she sighs and pulls out her phone, finger hovering over Kahei’s contact.

Until now, the library has been their safe space. But Haseul knows that there’s only one place left to go as she takes a deep breath and presses the call button next to the other girl’s name, slowly bringing the phone up to her ear.

“Haseul? What’s up?” The other girl sounds sweet even through the phone, and Haseul can hear the smile in her voice as she walks outside.

“It looks like the library is completely full today,” she says, playing with her hair with her free hand. “So I was wondering if you’d mind just studying at my dorm. I have a bigger room and my roommate won’t be home until late, so it should work out.” Her heart jumps around in her chest and she chews on her lip, holding her breath as she listens to Kahei hum in thought.

“That should be okay. You’ll have to walk me there, though. I don’t know where you live.”

”Oh, I’ll drive you! I always use the employee parking behind the library so we can just meet here.”

“You have a car? Nice!” Kahei laughs softly on the other side of the line. “I’ll be right over.”

“See you soon.” As she hangs up the phone, Haseul sinks onto one of the benches outside the library, letting out a sigh of relief. She doesn’t know what this means, but she also doesn’t have the time to think about it, so she busies herself reading her textbook until a gentle hand touches her shoulder and she looks up to see Kahei smiling at her.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Ready when you are,” Haseul says as she stands, returning her smile. “Sorry for springing a last-minute change on you.”

“It’s okay. I kind of thought it would get too busy in the library eventually.” It’s already getting late, and Kahei’s hair glows in the evening sunlight as she turns to look at the library. “This is a big campus, after all.”

“True.” Haseul knows a lot of words, big and impressive words. Her essays are perfect flows of impressive sentences strung together with professional language. She’s never gotten anything below a perfect grade when it comes to her writing. But somehow, she forgets all those big words when she’s with Kahei, stuttering over a tied tongue as she tries to find the right things to say. For now, she just pulls out her keys and settles on “the parking lot is this way” with a shy smile, stomach twisting as she finally realizes that Kahei is going to be in her room.

Her crush. In her room. Alone with her.

She can only hope that Hyunjin has cleaned her side of the room recently.

“I’m still amazed that you have a car,” Kahei says as the walk around the side of the library, breaking the silence. “I don’t think I know any other students with a car.”

Haseul feels herself blushing, a bit embarrassed. “It was a present from my parents about a year ago. It’s nothing special, but it does the job.” It’s true, her car has no bells and whistles to speak of. It’s plain and a bit ugly, but it’s hers, and she’s happy to have it. It looks a bit plain, now that she looks at it, bit Kahei smiles so she figures it can’t be that bad.

“I think it’s nice. I wish I had my drivers licence. It seems like it would be convenient.”

“I could always teach you to drive.” Haseul doesn’t know where all of her confidence today came from, but she’s not complaining as she snaps her seat belt into place and looks over at the other girl. “My car is relatively easy to drive anyway.”

Kahei’s face lights up and she raises her eyebrows. “Really? I don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s nothing. After finals, just remind me and I can teach you a little.”

“I’d like that.” The red-head’s smile is contagious, and Haseul finds herself smiling the rest of the way to her dorms, happy to listen to the other girl’s soft voice as she tells her about her day.

Her dorm isn’t anything too special, but she’s proud of it. Still, Haseul can’t help but feel a little nervous as she opens the door and steps inside, making room for Kahei to come in behind her. It’s a bit bigger than some of the other dorms, with a private bathroom and tiny little “kitchen” area that consists of a sink, fridge, and microwave. There’s also enough room to have a small table with cushion seats pushed up against the wall, and Haseul motions to it as she kicks off her shoes.

“That’s usually where we do our homework. Go ahead and make yourself at home, I’ll grab some waters.”

“Thank you,” the older girl says, voice still soft as she closes the door behind her and steps inside, looking around curiously. Thankfully, the table is clean, and as Kahei sits down, Haseul arrives with two cold water bottles in hand. There’s a little bit of something in the air, but Haseul does her best to ignore it and push down her feelings as she sits down and gives the other girl a smile. It’s time to study.

“So, should we get started?”

They don’t get very far. Hardly thirty minutes pass by before Kahei’s stomach rumbles and Haseul looks up, eyebrows raised. The older girl looks a bit embarrassed as she shifts in her seat, and Haseul’s mom instincts kick in before she can even pause to think that maybe showing this side of her to her crush might not be the best idea.

“Are you hungry?”

Kahei rubs at the back of her neck. “I haven’t really eaten since lunch time, but I kind of forgot until now...”

“Since lunch?” Mom alarm sirens go off in her head, and Haseul immediately reaches for her phone. “Kahei! You can’t do that, you need to eat! I’ll order us some takeout.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Kahei says, a flush on her cheeks, but Haseul just shakes her head.

“I do have to. I’m hungry too anyway. And it’s bad to study on an empty stomach.”

The older girl bites her lip and clasps her hands together, an undecipherable look on her face, and Haseul wishes she knew what she was thinking as she looks away. “I’ll pay you back.”

“My treat.” Haseul misses the way Kahei’s flush gets deeper, looking through her phone contacts instead. “So, what are you in the mood for?”

They end up settling on chicken, and Hyunjin returns to the dorm to find them snacking on chicken while they study, notes scattered all over the table and Haseul’s phone playing some lo-fi playlist. The younger girl raises her eyebrows, but says nothing, just giving Haseul a discreet thumbs-up as she passes them to head to her bed. Kahei glances towards her when she flops down on the bed before turning back to Haseul. Suddenly, her shoulders are a little tight and she sits up straight, seeming almost nervous.

“Should I go? I don’t want to be in the way.”

It’s Hyunjin who answers from the bed, voice muffled from the pillow she buried her face in. “You aren’t in the way. Stay as long as you’d like.”

“Just pretend she doesn’t exist,” Haseul jokes, and the older girl humors her with a smile, but she still seems nervous and shy, shifting around in her seat.

“Maybe I’ll stay for a little longer, then.”

Despite her words, Kahei only stays for about a half-an-hour longer before insisting she should go.

“I have the morning shift at the cafe tomorrow,” she explains, and Haseul winces, feeling her pain. Morning shifts .

“I’ll walk you back, then.”

“You don’t have to. My dorm is just a couple blocks down.”

“But I want to.”

Kahei’s expression is unreadable, but she agrees, something twinkling in her eyes and a smile tugging at the side of . The night is crisp and quiet, and Haseul shivers a bit as she steps outside, though whether it’s because of the night chill or because of Kahei’s presence, she doesn’t know. Although silence with the older girl is usually comfortable, tonight there’s a bit of tension in the air that she doesn’t know how to deal with. It’s not heavy, but it almost feels like expectation, and Haseul’s mouth is dry as they approach the other girl’s dorm building.

“This is it,” Kahei says, clutching at her bag straps as she turns to look at the other girl. “Thanks for walking me back.”

“I couldn’t just let you walk alone,” Haseul says in return, and Kahei stalls for a moment. Silence hangs in the air, stars twinkling in the sky and artificial lights throwing shadows across their faces as they stand there on the stairs, stuck on pause. Kahei looks gorgeous even in the bad lighting, her red hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and her face bare, mouth slightly parted, and Haseul wonders what would happen if she kissed her. But the idea barely touches her mind before Kahei clears and breaks eye contact, smiling awkwardly.

Haseul missed her chance, and she feels her heart flop in her chest as she shoves her hands into her pockets and tries her best to smile back.

“Um, would you like to come in and warm up with some tea before you leave?”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

-

When Haseul gets home, Hyunjin is waiting for her on her bed, eyes wide with curiosity. Haseul almost doesn’t have the heart to tell her the truth, because she knows exactly what the younger girl is thinking.

“So, what happened?”

With a sigh, Haseul tugs off her flannel and sinks into her own bed, closing her eyes. Behind her eyelids, the scene on the steps plays again, and she feels her heart pang. “Nothing. I walked her home and she invited me in for some tea and we chatted a little. And then I came back.” At the sound of Hyunjin’s groan, she opens her eyes and looks at the bed opposite hers. “What, were you expecting something?”

“It was the perfect time to kiss her! And you missed it! How emotionally constipated can you be?” Hyunjin groans again and falls back onto her bed, and Haseul looks back up at the ceiling. Had she messed up by not kissing Kahei back there? What would have happened if she did? Why didn’t she have the courage to just confess?

“Yeah,” Haseul says, closing her eyes again, voice soulless. “Yeah, I know.”

-

Finals are hell. Not even years of experience can soften the blow, and between doing her own finals and helping other students with theirs, Haseul is exhausted. After her last essay is done, she collapses into bed, skips her last class (it’s pointless, anyway) and sleeps until her alarm goes off to let her know that she needs to go to work.

Thankfully, the library is pretty much empty now that almost everyone is done with their finals, so when Haseul drags herself in five minutes late, Amber isn’t mad. Instead, she pats the younger girl on the head with a sympathetic smile and tells her that she can do the easy job of manning the front desk today, meaning that Haseul can probably nap in the office later if she’s lucky. It’s still early, though, so she settles into her chair behind the desk and tries not to doze off.

At some point, she’s unsuccessful and closes her eyes, because the next thing she knows, someone is clearing their throat, waking her up. She jumps slightly, gripping at her chair as she opens her eyes wide. On the opposite side of the desk is Kahei, and the younger girl knows she’s blushing as she blinks a few times, trying to wake herself.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Kahei’s eyes widen and she takes a step forward, leaning over the desk with concern written all over her face. Embarrassed, Haseul waves her hand and coughs slightly, silently praying that she hadn’t drooled or snored or done anything else embarrassing while the other girl was there.

“It’s okay! I shouldn’t have been sleeping anyway,” she says, awkwardly running her hand through her hair and trying to slyly make sure there’s nothing on her face without letting Kahei see. Why was she always so awkward like this? “Um, is there something I can help you with?” It’s hard to force words out of her sleepy brain, sluggish from forcing herself to write all night, and she tries her best to focus on Kahei, not wanting to miss anything and make a fool out of herself.

“Um, no, not really. I just wanted to bring you a coffee since I figured you’d be tired after finals.” There’s a flush on her cheeks as Kahei smiles shyly and holds up the cup in her hand. “I guess I was right.” The older girl is framed by the ty library lights and shelves of books upon books, nothing special and nothing new, but to Haseul, she looks like an angel. She looks nervous somehow, shifting from foot to foot as she holds out the coffee, but as Haseul takes the coffee from the other girl’s hands, her tired no-filter brain takes over and words tumble out of before she can stop them.

“How are you so perfect?”

Immediately, Kahei flushes a shade of red that Haseul has never seen before, almost matching her hair as she stutters, eyes wide. It’s only then that the words register in Haseul’s mind and wake her up, and her face flushes to match Kahei’s as she wonders if she can melt into the floor out of embarrassment, mentally kicking herself. Why did she say that? Why is she like this?

“I-I’m not perfect,” Kahei squeaks, bringing her hands up to cover her face, and Haseul’s heart feels like it might explode because she’s just so cute that it hurts. “B-But thank you.”

It’s obvious that there’s not going back now. You can’t just tell someone that they’re perfect and then just pretend it didn’t happen. So Haseul takes a deep breath and wraps her hands around the warm cup of coffee from Kahei, gathering up her nerves. “This is kind of out of nowhere but, um, I like you. And you’re perfect to me.”

Somehow, Kahei gets even redder, but there’s a smile on her lips. “Like, as in more than a friend?”

“Yeah. I like you much more than I like any of my friends. I actually like you more than anyone I’ve ever met.” That’s... a weird thing to say, but she can’t un-say it, so she just goes with it. “I’ve liked you for a long time.”

“Oh.” Kahei seems to let out a breath that she’d been holding and as she pulls her hands away from her face, her smile grows. “I like you too. More than a friend does.”

“That’s good. Great. Awesome.” Haseul hates her tired brain. “Oh my god I’m sorry I’m so awkward.”

Kahei giggles and tucks her hair behind her ears, and Haseul smiles like an idiot and almost falls out of her chair because cute. “It’s okay, I’m awkward too.” For a moment, they just stare at each other, blushing and grinning like crazy, until Kahei clears and looks back at the cafe. “Um, I should probably get going. Mimi will get upset if I leave her to man the lunch rush by herself.”

“Oh, right.” Right. They’re both at work. This is a professional environment. Haseul really needs to drink this coffee.

“I’ll text you later?” Kahei looks hopeful and Haseul quickly nods her head.

“Yes! If you want, I can take you home after work.”

“I’d like that.” Kahei turns away and gives her a little wave, and Haseul waves back.

“I’ll see you then. Good luck with the rest of your shift!”

“You too. Don’t fall asleep again!”

It’s only after Kahei leaves that Haseul realizes that she didn’t ask her to be her girlfriend, and her head slams against the desk so loudly that Amber pokes her head around the office corner to shush her.

-

The rest of the evening drags by, and Haseul finds herself watching the clock impatiently, now wide awake as she waits for her shift to end. By the time her shift finally does end, she’s jittery, heart refusing to calm down as she clocks out with record speed. Amber seems to know what’s going on, because she lets her go a bit early to match up with the cafe schedule, sending her a wink and telling her to “get some” as she leaves. Haseul’s face heats up and she rolls her eyes, but she’d be lying if she said the idea didn’t linger for a bit in her head.

Kahei is waiting for her at the back of the library and she brightens up when she sees her, jumping up from the bench she’d been sitting on and clutching at her bag. “How was work?” She asks as Haseul approaches her, smiling widely.

“It dragged by,” Haseul says, truthfully, and Kahei laughs. “How about you?”

“Same here. I kept looking at the clock hoping it was time to close.”

“Me too.” Again, both of them are grinning, a slight flush on their cheeks, and Haseul clears awkwardly. “Um, I realized that I never actually asked you to date me.”

“Oh, true.” Kahei giggles again, making Haseul’s heartbeat skyrocket. “Are you asking now?”

“I am. Will you be my girlfriend, Kahei?”

“Of course I will.” The older girl reaches out to take her hand, surprising her. “I’m really happy right now.”

Haseul feels a bit breathless. “I am too.”

The whole ride to Kahei’s apartment, the older girl holds one of her hands, telling her about her day and listening with a smile when Haseul talks about hers. It’s comfortable, and even though Haseul feels giddy, she also feels right. Kahei beside her feels right, and she wishes she would have done this earlier.

She says as much, and Kahei laughs softly, squeezing her hand. “Don’t. I’m happy with how things worked out,” she says, and her words calm Haseul’s heart, making her smile and look down at their intertwined hands.

“I am too.”

The drive is short, and as Haseul pulls into a parking spot outside the dorm building, she’s struck by deja-vu. For a moment, the air is silent, and then Haseul turns to look at her new girlfriend, heart picking up at the thought.

“Kahei?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

Kahei’s lips are soft, much softer than Haseul’s own, and she smells like a mixture of rose perfume and coffee as Haseul leans in closer. The older girl brings a hand up to gently run her fingers over Haseul’s jaw, deepening the kiss. She tastes like coffee and the cookies from the library cafe, and kisses slow, taking her time to explore Haseul’s lips and mouth for herself.

When they finally pull apart, Haseul is breathless and head-over-heels in love, heart pounding as Kahei smiles shyly and tucks her hair behind her ears again. “Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea? And maybe something more?”

Haseul swallows and tries to contain her excitement, even as a smile breaks out across her face. “I’d love to.”

-

“ing finally!”

“Yeojin, language,” Haseul says, shushing the younger girl out of habit, but her hearts not in it. Instead, a silly smile stays on her lips as Kahei giggles and takes her hand under the table, moving just a bit closer to her.

“I second that statement,” Yerim says with a grin, raising her hand. “It’s great to finally see the two of you together.”

Sooyoung turns to look at Kahei and shakes her head. “I’m sorry our mom here took so long to ask you out. We tried to tell her to just go for it, but noooo.”

“Mom?” Kahei tilts her head a bit and Haseul covers her face with her free hand.

“I’m the mom friend,” she says, sighing a bit. “It’s a long story.”

“I hope you’re ready to have ten children,” Jiwoo chirps, and Haseul sends her a glare that her heart really isn’t in.

“Please don’t scare away my girlfriend, thanks.”

“I won’t get scared away that easily, don’t worry,” Kahei says with a giggle, leaning her head onto Haseul’s shoulder. “I’m ready to help you with all your adopted kids.” Haseul can feel herself flush, smiling again as she squeezes Kahei’s hand under the table, heart skipping a beat.

With a whistle, Hyunjin raises her eyebrows and looks over at Haseul. “Wow, you got a keeper. Not only is she willing to deal with your awkward self, but all of your adopted children too!”

“Jungeun is already writing the plot to a rom-com based on you,” Jinsoul informs Kahei with a smile, “she’s really great at writing, you’ll love it.”

“Does this mean we get free coffee at the cafe?” Heejin asks, and Hyejoo looks up, suddenly interested.

With a coolness that Haseul wishes she had, Kahei smiles and shakes her head. “Nope. Not even my girlfriend gets that. I have rules to follow.” That’s a lie, and Haseul has to stifle a laugh.

“Wow. Cut off just like that.” Yeojin dramatically wipes away a tear. “She’s going to be the stern parent.”

“Hey, I’m a stern parent!”

“Can we please stop referring to them as our actual parents?” Sooyoung shivers. “It’s weirding me out.”

“Sorry, they’re our parents,” Chaewon says, bouncing in her seat. “I’ve always wanted two moms!”

Sooyoung blinks and stares at the younger girl for a moment before just shaking her head. “That’s.... Super weird, thanks for sharing.”

“That’s not weird!”

“Stop shaming your sister, babe.”

“That’s also weird! Don’t rope me into this!”

As the table dissolved into chaos, Haseul sighed and shook her head, glad that finals were over and no one was around to complain about how loud they were. “Sorry about them. They’re kind of a lot.”

“No, I like it.” Kahei smiles as she looks up at her, and Haseul’s heart squeezes. “I like them. It’s fun, isn’t it?”

“I really did get lucky, didn’t I?”

“You hit the jackpot,” Kahei says, before immediately blushing and burying her face in Haseul’s shoulder. “That was so lame, I’m sorry.”

“I like lame,” Haseul replies, grinning as she looks down at her girlfriend. “I like anything you say.”

“That’s cheesy.” The older girl looks up with her eyebrows raised, smiling softly. “You’re lucky I like cheesy.”

“True.” Haseul leans in, pressing a quick kiss to her girlfriend’s lips that makes her flush and giggle, once again hiding her face in Haseul’s shoulder. The younger girl’s heart soars, and she can’t help the giant smile spreading across her face, happiness written all over her. Like this, the chaos around them fades away, and for a moment, it’s just the two of them in the room. “I like you a lot, you know.”

Kahei looks up, ignoring the squealing from the other girls. The red in her hair is fading and it almost looks pink again, and Haseul is reminded for a moment of the first time she thought Kahei was perfect as her breath catches in . And then she remembers that Kahei is actually her girlfriend as the older girl presses a kiss to her jaw and squeezes her hand, making a love-sick grin move across her lips as Kahei whispers her response for only Haseul to hear.

“Good, because I like you too.”