“So why do you think neither has confessed yet?” Hayoung asks Namjoo, pointing the straw of her smoothie at her sister and then Eunji. They’re on opposite sides of the counter: Eunji fumbling with blender and Chorong pretending like she doesn’t notice.

“Because they’re just two fools in denial,” Namjoo answers simply, nodding as if to agree with herself.

Hayoung takes another sip of her drink, eyes narrowing in focus when Eunji finally drops the entire blender and Chorong just flinches away, “I don’t get it.”

“They’re just too scared to admit their feelings which is probably why they don’t even bicker anymore.”

“They bicker.”

“Well,” Namjoo looks back over at Chorong who is red in the face and practically throws a rag at Eunji’s chest, “They bicker when they talk, so I guess they chose to stop talking.”

“But they’ll get together eventually,” Hayoung spins around to face Namjoo, “won’t they?”

Namjoo just shrugs and gets up from her seat, motioning for Hayoung to follow. They catch Eunji on the side, eyeing Chorong who is off in her own world and out of earshot.

“What’s up?” Eunji greets them casually, throwing the damp rag over her shoulder.

“Hayoung and I were wondering if you’d like to have dinner with us tonight.”

“Tonight?” Eunji scratches her chin and Hayoung swears she sees her look back at Chorong for a second, “My best friend is actually coming into town today so I’m throwing a party at my place. Maybe you guys can come?”

“Cool, a party!” Hayoung jumps out in excitement.

Eunji chuckles at the reaction, “I’ll text you the details then.”

When Chorong gets home after some time at the library, she finds the apartment littered with clothes. Hayoung is in her room shoving through her closet, a pretty white off-shoulder clasped in her hand as she scans the floor.

“Um, are you going somewhere?” Chorong asks, picking off a pair of jeans thrown haphazardly on a lamp.

Hayoung doesn’t give her much of a glance before telling her, “We’re going to a party tonight.”

“Sorry, we?” Chorong repeats in disbelief, “And what party?” Chorong doesn’t even get a chance to hear an explanation because she’s snatched by Namjoo sneaking up from behind, Hayoung assisting her as they drag a squealing Chorong to her room.

“What are you doing!” Chorong shrieks for the fiftieth time and is only answered by Namjoo and Hayoung bustling around her room. She watches helplessly as Namjoo spills out her makeup case while Hayoung tears apart her closet, torn between which to save from the mess first. She doesn’t get a chance to decide who to stop first because Namjoo is tearing off her clothes, yelling at Hayoung to hurry up.

“We’re going to Eunji’s party tonight whether you like it or not!” Namjoo shouts, snagging the short top Hayoung finally picks out.

“Okay, but is there really a need to go looking like… like...” Chorong glances down at the tight jeans Namjoo is forcing onto her, “like this?”

“You’re alway so afraid to show some skin,” Namjoo complains, then smiles when Hayoung slaps her sister’s hand from reaching at a cardigan laid on next to her, “We’re just helping you look drool-worthy for Eunji.”

“For the last time, I’m not in love with Eunji!” Chorong wails, but it only serves to make Namjoo and Hayoung smile at each other wider.

“You said it, not me!” Namjoo teases then moves over so Hayoung can start applying the makeup. Chorong ends up interfering with that part when she realizes her little sister has no idea how to use half the tools in her makeup bag. It’s a whole lot more of disagreeing, yelling, and forcing Chorong to stop trying to cover up until they get her out the door, but not before Chorong manages to snag her black cardigan.

“Wouldn’t you guys rather party on your own?” Chorong says when they’re snug in the cab and she realizes what’s even happening.

“And let you stuff yourself with buckets of popcorn as you watch every cheesy rom com in existence?” Hayoung asks, innocently staring at her sister’s scowling face.

“I don’t watch that many rom coms.”

“You do.”

“She just likes insulting all of them,” Namjoo points out and the three of them finally reach some mutual agreement. 

They pull up to Eunji’s place during their small talk, though Chorong is still unconvinced about the whole thing. She drapes her cardigan over her bare arms, heart beating a little out of excitement. It’s true that she doesn’t want to be there, but there’s also this strange adrenaline at the thought of Eunji being there. No matter how hard she tries to push those thoughts out, they prick her unknowingly, sending somersaults in her stomach.

Except the party turns out to be a wild show, packed with people, alcohol, and booming music in the dim light. Namjoo’s eyes glitter with excitement, pulling Hayoung and Chorong through the crowd.

“Excuse me!” Namjoo yells while tapping the shoulder of some unknown boy leaning against the wall, “Do you know where the drinks are?”

“The kitchen’s on the left,” the boy grunts and walks off before Namjoo can get clearer directions.

“Maybe we should just go,” Chorong stammers, gripping tightly to Hayoung’s shirt. She doesn’t know how she feels about her little sister attending such a party, but of course, this is when she spots Eunji jumping around the room. She has drinks in each hand and is cheering loudly with another group of people for a girl with bright red hair dancing in the center. There’s a brief moment when Chorong gets lost in thought and realizes Namjoo and Hayoung have disappeared. Hands balled into fists and wishing she had a larger cardigan to cover herself, she weaves through to get closer to Eunji only to find her dancing with the red-haired girl. Or better said, dancing on the red-haired girl. There’s a look of repulsion that flashes brilliantly across Chorong’s face before she’s blindly rushing away only to bump headfirst into Hayoung holding a cup of fruit punch.

“Where are you going, unnie?”

“Uh, nowhere,” Chorong recovers quickly then steals the cup in Hayoung’s hand. She takes a moment to make sure it isn't alcohol before letting Hayoung have it back. For a second she considers getting black out drunk, but reels herself back in as quickly as she had thought of the idea. She settles for watching Hayoung and Namjoo dance with each other in the living room, taking bites out of her pizza. It would be a lie to say her mind isn’t more occupied with Eunji and the red-haired girl cuddled up on the couch, whispering and giggling in each other's ears. She tries not to let her eyes stray to the pair to stop any more of the unreasonable pang in her chest, but then she spots Eunji walking over to her and her mind just blanks out.

“You came,” Eunji shouts over the music, stuffing her hands in her pockets as her eyes scan Chorong. It’s the first time she’s ever seen Chorong dressed up and it’s making her hands sweat a bit. “I’m assuming you were dragged here?”

“Against my own will,” Chorong answers cooly, but her eyes shift away from Eunji’s gaze. Eunji frowns at the apathetic response and is about to pour her a drink when Chorong points to the other end of the room. “I think Namjoo and Hayoung are calling for me.”

Eunji turns to look at the aforementioned freely throwing cushions at each other, no doubt too occupied to have called for Chorong at any point. “Right,” Eunji drawls with a skeptical eye, “You should go to them before they burn the place down.”

Chorong gives a strained chuckle and waves awkwardly before slipping away, leaving Eunji with a disappointed expression and heavy heart. She hadn’t expected Chorong to come, but seeing her here makes Eunji forget why she threw the party in the first place.

“What are you looking at?” Bomi, her red-haired best friend walks up to her with a stack of pizzas on her plate.

Eunji watches Bomi stuff three slices into at once before saying, “Just some girl I think I have a crush on.”

Bomi’s jaw drops instantly, pieces of chewed up food spilling from her lips. Eunji backs off with a disgusted look on her face. She’s never really told Bomi about her love life partly because she’s never had a real one. The closest thing she’s had was Naeun, but they had quickly found they were too similar to match each other's puzzles.

“A crush? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Bomi shouts a little too loudly and Eunji ends up having to drag her into a quieter hallway.

“I’m still figuring things out, okay?”

“Well are you going to tell her?”

Eunji pauses. She’s wanted since the day they spent together at the cafe, but even then the moment had not felt right. Eunji sighs and looks at Bomi solemnly.

“Look, if you’re waiting for a right moment, it’s never going to come so just confess already,” Bomi suddenly says as if she’s jumped right into her mind. Eunji squints in disbelief. To be honest, her best friend wasn’t exactly the brightest out of the bunch.

“Since when were you smart?”

“What?” Bomi looks startled at the comment and goes back to challenging four slices at once. 

Eunji sighs, “Never mind. I take it back.” She lets out another long breath, steals Bomi’s shot of vodka and looks back out into the crowd. She’s feeling a little queasy, but she’s got a resolution now. To confess.

No matter how hard Chorong tries to escape, she keeps finding Eunji a step behind her. She ignores her for the most part, dragging Hayoung and Namjoo around with various excuses but Eunji is always alert. Even while cracking jokes with Bomi and spending another hour grinding on each other like no one is watching (which Chorong very much is), Eunji manages to pop up over her shoulder. It isn’t until midnight that Chorong finally breaks, spinning to face Eunji with her face bright red and fuming. “What do you want?”

Eunji fumbles backward, shocked that Chorong had even noticed that she was following. She thought she was being stealthy, sneaking around Chorong until there was a moment. Though Bomi was constantly pushing her closer, Eunji kept getting a wrenching gut feeling that this was not right. Yet now, standing in front of the familiar expression full of rage and irritation, Eunji can’t help but smile casually. 

“Can we talk?” She spots Bomi giving her two thumbs up from behind a two-foot tall plant and internally deadpans. “Outside? You look like you could use a walk.”

Chorong looks like she’s going to scream at her face for a second, but then she’s sighing and gives her a calm nod. “Actually, that sounds really nice.”

It’s dark out, the crickets chirping into the chilly air and the lanterns glowering a dim yellow across the sidewalk paths. Eunji wraps her jacket around Chorong’s shoulders, giving it an awkward pat before they begin to walk further into the night. It’s oddly quiet for the two of them, but Eunji is lost in her own talkative thoughts, trying to wrap her head around what she’s getting herself into at the moment.

“Were you having fun at the party?” Eunji blurts out finally. 

Chorong looks up at her and tightens the jacket around her, giving her a small shrug. “I’m mostly here to babysit.”

The uncomfortable silence settles again but Eunji doesn’t let it last long. She gives herself one last push. “Actually, I wanted to walk because I wanted to talk to you about… something.”

“Something?”

“Yeah, well I…” Eunji rubs the back of her neck shyly, “I’ve never really had a crush before so this is kind of new.”

“A crush?” Chorong feels herself break a little. Of course, Eunji would have a crush. She was popular––friends with almost everyone in school and not missing a single quality that would make her incapable of a love life. Although Chorong was willing to bet her life that Eunji was talking about the red-haired girl Eunji had spent her time at the party with. “Your first crush?”

“I think so. I’m not really sure what crushes are supposed to be like.” Eunji admits, fiddling with her fingers, “It’s just a bunch of fluttery warm feelings that I can’t forget. Even when I’m going about my day, it’s always on my mind…” 

“That sounds like it’s more than a crush,” Chorong whispers, halting in the path. Eunji stops with her, searching the endless softness in Chorong’s eyes. “I know that feeling.”

“So you like me too?” Eunji hollers, abruptly leaping into the air with joy and singing out at the top of her lungs. Chorong stands in front of her dumbfounded, more bewildered than she has ever been in her life.

“What? What are you talking about?” Chorong snaps and Eunji instantly slows down. 

“Isn’t that what you meant?” Eunji asks, her puppy-like eyes shimmering at Chorong with lost hope, “Don’t you like me?”

“W-well I do but… but.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Didn’t you just say you had a crush?”

Eunji’s eyes dart from left to right, wondering if she’s missing something at the moment. “Yeah,” Eunji confirms, then takes Chorong's hand in hers, “I was saying I had a crush on you.”

“You did not make that clear.”

“Yeah I did.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!” Eunji whines and then Chorong just glowers at her. “I win.” Eunji adds cheekily before sticking out her tongue. Chorong shakes her head while laughing at her silliness, wondering how she even ended up falling for someone like her. “Who did you think I was confessing to anyways?” Eunji backtracks, scratching her head as she racks her brains for any possible answers. She’d stop seeing Naeun and the others for over a month now and nobody else had really caught her eye except Chorong after.

“You just looked really close to that red-haired girl tonight so I thought you liked her and it made me kind of upset wh––”

“Wait, wait, wait! Hold up! You thought I liked Bomi?” Eunji breaks out into laughter, trying to stop herself before Chorong rips her head off for making fun of her. She ends up getting a kick in the shins and a deadly glare.

“Who’s Bomi anyway?” Chorong grumbles and Eunji is about to begin laughing again when Chorong says “And you better not start cackling at me again if you want to return home alive tonight.”

“She’s a friend. My best friend actually,” Eunji explains, holding up her hands in surrender. “We pretty much grew up together until Bomi had to move but she still visits me from time to time.” Eunji smiles at the memory of her days with Bomi, filled with careless pranks and unexplained laughter, “Funny thing is, this isn’t the first time people thought we were a thing. Bomi says it’s because I’m naturally flirty, but I doubt it’s because of that.”

“It’s definitely because of that.”

“What?” Eunji pretends to look offended, hand on her chest as she haughtily claims, “I’m not flirty!”

“It’s either flirty or ert,” Chorong shrugs, “You pick.”

Eunji opens to talk back, but then closes it again, smiling to herself. “You pick one for me then.” She leans into Chorong’s face, until their foreheads are pressed against each other. This time, Chorong stares boldly into her eyes. “What am I? Flirty or ert?”

“Kind of both,” Chorong answers truthfully and smiles when Eunji’s hand tangles into her hair, drawing them impossibly closer.

“We’ll see about that,” Eunji whispers then lets their lips meet, moving to the rhythm of their beating hearts. They melt into each other’s touch for what feels like a heavenly eternity but when they pull apart, it almost feels like it was over too quickly.

Because this was more than a crush.

This was love.