It was the weekend and Yuna couldn’t help but be excited to meet Eunbi. Finishing up her recent studies, she placed aside her laptop.

She’d been studying for... two hours? With exams coming up and everyone working their to study, she wasn’t exactly surprised. However, being the only one in the dorm actually studying made her feel a bit lonely.

Sojung started leaving the dorm more often than usual—never explaining why, just saying the words: “I’ll be off” and apparently Yerin had some “important business to do” and left her alone at the dorm as well. 

“Ahhh, should I go now?” Yuna mumbled to herself. She mindlessly flipped through her lyrics folder.

On the bright side: a burst of energy came to her over the past few days and Yuna managed to finish at least half of the song. Flipping through the messy draft, Yuna ran her thumb over the lyrics. Her eyes stopped at a patch of neat handwriting. Eunbi’s words were still there. She never got rid of it—not that she wanted to anyway.

“Her handwriting is cute.” The girl said unconsciously. “I want to show her… should I? Maybe I should—but what if she thinks I’m weird for keeping her writing?” A groan escaped her lips. Why was it so difficult to just choose?

In the end: Yuna grabbed the folder and ran out of her room. 

“, I forgot where the art building is.”

As good as she was at writing lyrics, Yuna was still horrible with directions.

In a record time of approximately 20 minutes, Yuna found the building. As she walked towards the entrance, the smell of rain passed by her nose...

and that one spring day flashed before her eyes.

The humming in her head. The soft thunderclaps echoing in the purple sky. Yuna could easily recall when she realized the pink-hair girl fidgeting next to her was the same girl who used her as a water shield. She smiled at the thought. Now that she thought of it: Eunbi was… kinda weird but cute. Yuna could remember the girl blushing for no apparent reason and when she’d ran inside to find an umbrella just to walk her home. 

“Why was I so shameless back then?!” She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. Had she not been shameless, her and Eunbi might’ve never come to know each other. 

Yuna winced as the sun’s glare reflected into her eyes. Call it an impulse if you will but she decided to look straight at the window where the sun reflected off of. 

The moment the light dispersed, a full body blush took over the girl. Her heart pounded inside her chest and butterflies came alive in her stomach. Yuna held her folder tighter.

Eunbi. She was right there. 

That bed of pink hair was unmistakably her. Yuna covered her lips with the back of her hand, attempting to hide the blood rushing to her cheeks, and watched her. Through the window, Eunbi tied her hair into a small ponytail and a pair of round spectacles laid on her nose. The girl looked deep into painting. Even from her angle, Yuna could see her furrowed eyebrows and pouting lips. She laughed at the sight.

Yuna clenched her jaw once Eunbi whipped her head towards her. Although the slight glare on the window made the artist hard to see, Yuna swore she saw a faint blush behind it. Raising her hand up, she waved to her.

The girl gave her a light smile and a  wave before resuming her painting.

A giddy smile spread across her face as she entered the building. When Eunbi smiles, it feels like the energy in her body was restored.

Yuna stopped at the entrance. “Ah… this place is too big.”

Exactly how was she supposed to find Eunbi in this massive building? She should’ve asked Eunbi where her class was but it turns out she was too dumb to do so. Yuna facepalmed and quickly messaged the girl.

“Hey um… do I go up the stairs?”

Yuna frowned. Now all she had to do was wait—

“Yes, then go to the room with double glass doors. It should say 2-B.”

That was quicker than she expected. 

Yuna held her phone tight, reading the message over and over—just in case she somehow lost the double glass doors. The more she read Eunbi’s message, the more her stomach stirred. It felt off. Yuna widened her eyes. Was Eunbi texting more formally than she usually did? Compared to the other conversations they had, there was a clear difference.

“No smiley faces?” Yuna pouted as she entered the room labeled 2-B.

A stench of bitter paint washed over her like a wave. Yuna covered her nose. God did paint stink—how could Eunbi go through this everyday? Yuna held back the urge to run out of there, scampering around the room before finding Eunbi around the corner.

The artist’s hair was still up in a short ponytail—a bit messier than before but somehow, she made it look good. Her lips were pursed while she leaned forward and stared at her painting with intense eyes. Though, even as intense as Eunbi looked, the girl still managed to look adorable while glaring at her canvas.

“Jung. Eun. Bi.” Yuna jumped in the air with her arms up. “I’m here!”

She stopped her actions, putting down her paintbrush and smiled. “You’re more cheerful than usual.”

The taller girl frowned, pulling a stool next to Eunbi and sat down. “It’s because you invited me! I was so lonely at the dorm by myself… Sojung-eonni and Yerin-eonni had to do something.”

Eunbi visibly stiffened. However, Yuna paid no mind to it.

 “Is that so?”

Silence filled the air. If anything, Yuna was comfortable but it looked the complete opposite for Eunbi. She took a moment to stare at the pink-haired girl. Her eyes were shaking—as if she was nervous. Yuna’s eyes darted to Eunbi’s bouncing leg and her fingers fumbling with something in her pocket. A frown etched on her lips as she offered the girl her folder.

“I’ve… made some, uh, progress… by the way—if you want to read it.” Yuna muttered. She cringed at the way her voice cowered—why did that even happen in the first place?

Eunbi looked down at it before picking her paintbrush back up.

A weight dropped in Yuna’s stomach as the girl went back to painting.

“Is it okay if I read it after I finish?” Eunbi said blankly. “This piece is kinda important.”

She understood all too well. Yuna understood that her painting was important so why did she feel disappointment? A part of her hoped the girl would be a bit more excited. Yuna pressed her lips together—the weight transferring to her chest as she nodded slowly.

“Yeah, take your time.” 

It was like ice filled the room. Yuna watched Eunbi as she her brush across the canvas. She never understood art. From her view: the girl was simply painting a red rose and a yellow tulip with intertwined stems. Yuna flinched as Eunbi lowered her brush.

“Yuna, do you like flowers?” The girl hummed and resumed her painting.

The beating in her chest was abnormal—oddly sppartic. 

“Yeah I guess.”

Eunbi dipped her paintbrush into water. “Do you know what red roses symbolize?”

A simple question really. Everyone knew what the deep red of a rose meant. Yuna looked down at her hands and  frowned. Flowers symbolized emotions she wouldn't be able to say out loud. Would it be cheating if she gave Yewon a red rose?

“I guess love... but I'm not really good with flower meanings.” She laughed awkwardly.

The girl simply continued her painting, switching to a more golden tone compared to the deep red she was using earlier. 

“What do you think a yellow tulip means?”

This, Yuna can confidently say she knows. One time: Yerin made her buy yellow tulips for her prank against Sojung. The florist ended up telling her the details of the flower and she left the shop with new knowledge.

Nodding, Yuna leaned towards Eunbi’s shoulder. “The yellow means cheer and friendship.”

Eunbi frowned. “I thought you said you weren't good with the meanings of flowers?"

The look on the latter’s face was too cute. Yuna grinned, refraining from poking Eunbi's fluffed-up cheek. “That’s the only meaning I know.”

“Hm.” Eunbi hummed. “You know, I was told once yellow tulips meant hopeless love.”

“Oh.”

The cogs in Yuna’s brain creaked. As she continued to stare at the girl's paintings, the gears in her head start to shift. The red rose was wilting. Yuna's heart clenched at the sight. There was one specific detail she'd missed. It was the sun shining on the yellow tulip while the red rose wilted in the dark, enveloped in the shadows.

“Yuna,” Eunbi’s voice was quiet. “Have you ever been hopelessly in love with someone?”

Yuna flinched at the sudden question. She was never one for telling others her feelings. Even Yerin—who miraculously read her even in her empty state of mind, had somehow found out before she could say anything. Everything she felt and all her feelings she felt for Yewon, was she able to tell Eunbi? Was it wrong to keep it from her?

Yuna's stomach churned and the urge to puke grew in . Holding back from putting up a wall, she simply frowned.

“Why do you want to know?” Her voice came out colder than she intended. 

Eunbi’s left hand stopped fumbling with the object in her pocket. “I want…” she balled her left hand into a fist, squeezing the object between her fingers.  

“I want to know more about you.” Eunbi breathed out. “I want to understand you, Yuna."

A light pink tint dusted across the girl’s cheeks. She was blushing. But why? Yuna didn’t understand Eunbi’s nervous glances or her hand that resumed fidgeting with the thing in her pocket. 

She sighed and grasped the edge of the stool, leaning backwards to look at the ceiling. The lights were unusually bright in this art studio. It almost blinded Yuna if not already for her bad eye-sight. 

“Yeah, I have.” Her heart thrashed in her chest. It punched against the inside of her rib-cage, screaming at her to come out and shut . “Or I should say, I am hopelessly in love.”

Ice cascaded down the walls and covered the floor. It was cold. Yuna let out a soft breath, fully aware of the protective shield forming around her heart. Ice slowly crystalled around the beating organ yet the cold from it seemed to calm it down—even if it was just a few beats slower. 

Eunbi slowly turned around, her eyes wide. 

“With who?”

It was two words but Yuna could hear everything. The shakiness. The trembling that Eunbi fought to hide but failed miserably. She looked at the girl in her eyes and smiled sadly. Her starry eyes were shattered to remnants of ice—sharp and cold.

“First: explain a bit more of your painting please.” Yuna stalled. She didn’t want to have to reveal her feelings about Yewon. It hurt just to say the words—just to admit what she felt. 

Eunbi gave her a look of disbelief but slowly gave in and pointed to the wilted rose on her canvas.

“I’ve explained everything that’s needed to be explained.” She sighed. “Now, what do you think it means? Yuna?”

The girl eyed the canvas carefully.

At first glance: Yuna would say the things anyone else would say. It was two intertwined flowers painted beautifully. Looking deeper into the painting, you unravel the meanings of the flowers. A red rose symbolizes love and, by Eunbi’s explanation, a yellow tulip symbolizes hopeless love. Yuna gazed at the yellow petals. Her heart clenched in her chest as another image of Yewon’s smile flashed through her mind. 

“The red rose wilting is an expression of sadness and the tulip tells me that the love from the rose  is now turning hopeless.” Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. While yellow tulips could mean hopeless love, it also had many different meanings. Yet the one that stuck out to her most was the word: friendship.

Yuna widened her eyes.

“Eunbi, are you in love with someone?” 

Someone who is a friend, Yuna wanted to say but shut itself before she could say the words. Although she was glad that she didn’t say it as Eunbi’s eyes widened into saucers.

The girl turned towards her canvas, breaking their eye-contact as she began painting once again.

“What—don’t try to change the subject! I was asking you the questions first!”

A grim smile flashed across her face. “I assume you still want to know who I’m in love with?”

Eunbi’s breath hitched. By the looks of it, she was more than nervous. Yuna eyed the girl’s left hand as it fidgeted with something in her pocket. 

Of course, she didn’t realize it was her handkerchief that she'd given her.

“...Of course I do.” The artist said with a hint of hesitation.

Her bottom lip trembled. It shouldn’t be hard to say her name yet Yuna couldn’t find the words. The second she opened , went dry. Why was it so hard to confess? Yuna scrunched her hands into balls and lowered her head.

“I’m—uh…” she stuttered quietly. “I’m… it’s—I mean she—“ Yuna groaned out of frustration. Her brain told her not to say anything—to keep the burden of her emotions to herself. Yet her heart screamed at her to finally release it. Yuna placed a hand against her chest and laughed awkwardly.

“I’m embarrassed.”

The clacking of Eunbi’s shoes seemed to echo in her ears. She looked up for a brief moment and saw that the artist walking towards her.

“It's okay. You don't have to tell me." Eunbi whispered softly. Her arms wrapped around her neck, pulling Yuna into a hug. 

Yuna found her face buried in her chest. Eunbi’s heart was beating fast—even faster than hers. She didn’t realize how tense she was before but now that Eunbi was urging her to hold her back, Yuna could feel relaxation wash over her. 

“But I want to.” Slowly, she pulled Eunbi’s waist closer and let herself be embraced in her arms.

The warmth was a change from the cold in her chest. The ice melted away. Yuna breathed in Eunbi’s scent and the smell of lavenders, similar to the lotion she used, filled her nose. She never realized her own longing for contact. Yuna was never one for hugs yet Eunbi might be able to change that. 

Letting out a soft breath, Yuna hid her blushing cheeks in Eunbi’s chest. 

“I’m—“ Yuna’s words stopped in . The second that it did, Eunbi her hair softly, brushing the strands down. Her conscious told her to bring the girl into a tighter hug—to be able to feel Eunbi’s warmth closer to hers. Yuna pulled the girl’s waist, forcing Eunbi to stand between her legs. A small yelp escaped the latter’s lips but Eunbi couldn’t exactly say she hated the close contact.

“I’m sorry, I’m taking a long time to say it.” She admitted shamefully.

Eunbi shook her head, continuing to Yuna’s hair. “Take as long as you need. I have all the time in the world if it means comforting you.”

She blushed at her words. “You might think I’m gross.”

“I would never say that about you.” The girl traced her finger along the crown of Yuna’s head. “You know that I care about you, right?”

“Of course I do.”

Eunbi smiled. “Good.”

Yuna nodded, humming softly into her chest. Eunbi’s arms went back around her neck, her fingers locking together as she trailed her eyes along Yuna’s hair. A part of her wanted to kiss the crown of her head—to pull away from the hug and bring Yuna into her intoxicating spell.

“Eunbi.”

“Hm?”

Two hearts beat in sync. Yuna looked down at her hands and smiled. Eunbi trusted her with her heart and she trusted her with her own. Unlike hers, Eunbi’s heart was strong. It didn’t compare to a fragile piece of glass or a storm. In so many ways, Eunbi was stronger than her.

“You… know Yewon, right?” Yuna’s heart stopped as soon as her name left her lips.

It seemed Eunbi froze as well, her hand dropping from Yuna’s hair and landing against her sides.

“Yeah, I do.”

Her voice was shaky.

“It’s her.”

She said Eunbi’s heart was stronger, but right now: it was the complete opposite. The girl had to grip onto Yuna’s shoulders to stop her legs from trembling. Eunbi lowered her head out of shame.

“Oh.”

The chains locking Yuna to the ocean floor unlocked. Bubbles swirled around her as she swam to the top of the surface. The bright sky shined down on her with a rainbow arching between the clouds. A relieved sigh left her lips as Eunbi’s grip on her loosened and their hug ended. Although Yuna would’ve liked to hide her… incredibly red face, she was fine with Eunbi seeing her this one time.

“Um, I’m sure I’m moving on from her though.” Yuna laughed awkwardly. “Yewon is kinda straight so I doubt she would ever think about me romantically.”

Eunbi stared at her with blank eyes.

“Eunbi? Are you—“

“How much… do you love her?”

Her eyes widened. If not for the red in Eunbi’s eyes, she would’ve happily answered. She was on the verge of tears. Why? Yuna reached out to pull Eunbi into a hug but the girl turned her back before she could.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Yuna immediately stood, slowly trudging towards the trembling artist. “I’m—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have burdened you with my feelings—“

“It’s not that.”

Eunbi managed to pull a fake smile and turned back to look at Yuna. Her eyes were pink, glimmering tears running down her cheeks with a smile—a smile that was full of pain. The girl herself didn’t even know why she was crying. After all, Yuna was just a friend. 

“I… I wish I could’ve helped you.” Eunbi lied through her teeth.

Yuna’s eyes softened, a small smile curving on her lips. She cupped her cheeks and ran her thumb under her eyes. Her skin was soft and warm—like a blanket. 

“You’re too caring, Jung Eunbi.”

The said girl let out a weak laugh. “How come you didn’t tell me before?”

“I didn’t think it was important.” Yuna wiped Eunbi’s tears with her thumb. “And I was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

There were many things Yuna was scared of. Heights. Thunder. The ocean. However, the one she feared the most was love—even as cliche as it sounded. Yuna wiped Eunbi’s eyes dry before moving to grab her lyrics folder. Flipping through the pages, she stopped at the unfinished song and handed it to Eunbi.

Eunbi looked at the top of the sheet and smiled. “Isn’t this the song you begged me to sing?”

Yuna erupted into a bright blush. “I didn’t beg! I was nice about it!”

“Humph, the disappointment on your face that day was funny.” Eunbi giggled to herself. Her eyes trailed along the lyrics before stopping at her familiar handwriting. “You kept the ones I wrote?”

“Of course I did!” Yuna yelled.

Eunbi couldn’t help but read it over and over again. Her heart clenched at Yuna’s messy handwriting next to hers—scribbles and random drawings filled up the corners of the page. The girl was childish, but that was one of Yuna’s charms. Eunbi’s smile faltered once the puzzle pieces fell into place.

“Is this song about…?” Eunbi didn’t have to finish her sentence to know the answer. The look on Yuna’s face said it all.

“Mhm.” The latter admitted shyly. “You asked what I was scared of… it’s written here, in the song.”

She looked back at the page.

“I know it’s stupid but it really hurts, you know.” Yuna rambled to herself. “It might be dumb to let one person control your emotions like this but I can’t help it… so I had to write it into a song.”

Eunbi gave her a soft look.

“Your feelings aren’t stupid.”

Her heart warmed at her words. Yuna found her cheeks growing brighter and hotter by the second as Eunbi hid her face in her chest. The smaller girl was buried in her arms, silently asking to be held as she held her.

“I want to love someone who can love me back, isn’t that selfish?” Yuna hummed to herself.

Eunbi simply shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish.”

“Still, I feel dumb for being scared—“

“Yuna!”

Yuna’s never heard Eunbi raise her voice, not even once, but even as she did: she sounded worried rather than angry. Looking down at the girl, she smiled at her furrowed eyebrows and glistening eyes. 

Eunbi reached out. Her hands hesitated for a second before fully cupping Yuna’s cheeks.

“It’s not stupid or dumb to be afraid of love, I’m scared of it as well!” Eunbi yelled with burning eyes. “Everyone says it’s a blessing to fall in love but it’s… it’s scary. There are so many possibilities yet you can’t help but think about the worst one.”

Yuna watched as Eunbi avoided her eyes and stared into her chest. She almost looked scared to look at her.

“What if she doesn’t like me? What if she hates me? What will happen between us once I tell her?” 

Eunbi finally made eye-contact and in that moment: Yuna wanted to hold the girl in her arms. She wanted to feel Eunbi’s warmth around her. 

“In the end: all you can do is wait as your heart destroys itself.” She dropped her hand from her cheeks and smiled, with tears running down her cheeks.“There are so many things you want to say but you just can’t. Isn’t there, Yuna?”

She had made up her mind and fallen into the desires of her heart. Yuna pulled Eunbi into her chest, hugging her as if they’d never see each other again. The thought of waiting for Yewon hurt. She wanted to continue loving the girl from the shadows but Yuna didn’t know if she could do that anymore.

“Don’t cry.” Yuna mumbled into her hair. “I don’t like to see you cry.”

Eunbi cursed the girl. If only she didn’t say such words, maybe her heart wouldn’t be spiraling right now. If Yuna wasn’t such a caring person, maybe she wouldn’t be wishing she was in Yewon’s place. Eunbi was selfish. All she wanted was for this moment to never end. All she wanted was for Yuna to continue holding her like she did now.

“You were in a lot of pain, weren’t you?” Eunbi choked on her words.

The taller girl rubbed her back softly, coaxing her with quiet hums.

“Yeah.”

A comfortable silence filled the air while Yuna rubbed the latter’s back and Eunbi hid her face into her chest. There was a certain kind of warmth she had that Yewon didn’t. Yuna sighed to herself and rested her chin on Eunbi’s forehead.

“Yuna?”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask—“ she sniffled mid-sentence. “—how you fell in love with Yewon?”

A smile snuck onto her face. The memories were fond. Yuna could still remember the first time she met Yewon. However, that smile quickly fell. 

I forgot about the contract.

“I don’t really know when I began to...” Yuna paused, blushing as she remembered the younger’s worried expression.
 

“But… I guess it was because she cared for me when I couldn’t take care of myself.”

hehe I'm back ^^ I had bad writer's block and school is stressing me out... I wrote this with my brain fried so hopefully it isn't too bad ;; it time to commence the flashback sequence!!!

hope everyone is safe and remember to support gfriend ^^