It was that night Sakura first realized her feelings for her older friend, who she always looked up to. Being a smart girl, Sakura skipped one grade and was able to be classmates with Eunbi who was three years older than her. Eunbi never treated her like a child, despite her charismatic aura towards other students in their grade. Perhaps Eunbi always had a soft spot for Sakura.

Sakura realizes early on their friendship about her feelings harbored for the clueless girl who mentioned wanting to marry a fisherman at the age of eleven. Of course, Eunbi was partly joking because if she could, she would marry the sashimi she loved instead. She loved sashimi a lot. If there was something she loved more, it was a someone… the girl she always ate it with.

The younger of the two first realizes that she admires Eunbi when the latter dances at their school talent show. She even recalls how her rhythmic dance to her favorite piano piece, Clair de Lune, first ignited her passion for music. Sakura always envied how her friends had favorite musicians and such, but she never understood. Up until that point, all she could feel her toes tapping to was the sound of the Mario Kart soundtrack.

From that night, Eunbi is the only music her heart knows.

She’s the only music that her heart can beat along to.

Unfortunately, things only go down from there. Along with realization, comes a realization of Eunbi’s side. Sakura is reminded again and again that when she sees Eunbi in a different light, she’s the only one. Eunbi’s eyes don’t reflect hers filled with overflowing love. She keeps loving her anyway. It’s not like she has a choice and even she did, she wonders if she could choose herself. 

(Sakura knows now, that she can.)

Eunbi’s giggling next to Hyewon and slightly leans on her shoulder. Sakura feels like her eyes sting. Metaphorically and literally. Eunbi looks happy. Most of all, she looks tipsy. She’s chosen a few dares and the nice ones of the group simply made her drink a shot of soju. Sakura knows how low Eunbi’s tolerance is so she can’t help but worry. Hyewon seems pretty sober, but she lets Eunbi lean on her. She laughs along, being the nice person she is.

“Saku-chan, your turn.”

“Um…”

Eunbi bursts out into laughter again, probably remembering one of the dares she did just a minute ago, which was to show a special talent. The duck impression she did wasn’t that bad, but being drunk makes things ten times funnier so she keeps laughing in embarrassment. Hyewon catches Sakura’s gaze and something in her wants to keep fueling the intensity of it. She pulls Eunbi closer, attracting Sakura’s eyes to meet her own. Come on, Sakura. 

Yena nudges Eunbi, “Wow, unnie… I always forget how easily you get drunk. It’s quite embarrassing.” 

The others laugh along and Sakura feels Chaeyeon’s eyes on her.

“Truth.”

There are ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ahh’s’ that erupt from the room. She’d be the first to choose that option out of the secretive cowards in the room. Chaeyeon smirks, “Saku-chan… do you like anyone?”

Sakura’s chosen dare the past two rounds so she’s had a bit to drink too. Yet as she hears the question, her mind and heart are perfectly sober. She stares at Eunbi, her eyes filled with longing and sincerity. The latter’s eyes were crescent-shaped just a minute ago as she tried to stop laughing, but now her gaze on Sakura is soft and hazy. She doesn’t want to look away. (Say it’s me, Kkura. Say it…) Eunbi doesn’t even understand why she’s hoping it’s her, but she does. She’s gripping at the mat under her and Hyewon notices her tense posture.

“Me. She likes me.”

All heads turn to the owner of the voice. 

“Yujin? What.” Minju, the naive girl lets out a hiccup right after. Sakura’s eyes don’t leave Eunbi.

“Right. I like her.”

The whole room silences. Eunbi is speechless, but what Sakura says right after makes her let out the breath she’s been holding subconsciously.

“I like everyone here.”

Chaeyeon also releases the breath she’s been holding and lets out a natural laugh, “You’re so clever, Kkura-chan. I guess that’s not a lie.” 

Sakura looks away first and Eunbi blinks twice. Hyewon stares at her and at Yena, who shares a knowing stare. Due to the tension in the room, nobody else pries onto the real answer that Sakura would carry to her grave. The game carries on, but Eunbi’s reality is stuck in that moment for a long, long time.

“Chaeyeon, your turn!”

“Dare,” Chaeyeon smiles.

Nobody should ever let Yujin get drunk because the first-year student watches too many K-dramas and likes to play cupid in almost every situation. During the bus-ride, she plays cupid for Eunbi and Sakura, on the way to the pension house, she played cupid for Minju and Chaeyeon, and now, she’s playing cupid for Chaeyeon and Sakura.

“Let’s spice things up. The people on either side of you will play rock paper scissors and whoever wins… you have to kiss them on the cheek!”

Chaeyeon’s glad for once that she has the so-called Asian flush. Her face is already red but her flight-or-fight response starts reacting like crazy. Sakura, who doesn’t get drunk easily and also doesn’t feel embarrassed about kissing her friends remains unfazed. To her, if there’s no emotion involved, she handles it like a boss. On the other hand, there’s a person from her past who can’t help but pray it’s Minju who wins.

Minju grimaces as she hears the dare, “Ahn Yujin, you…” Before she can even pretend like she hates the dare, Sakura already has her fist extended in front of Chaeyeon. The latter is taken-aback at how Sakura doesn’t even try to get out of it. It makes her ten times more nervous.

“Oh, okay…”

Minju also prepares her fist and they count it down.

Sakura wins.

“Ooooh!”

Chaeyeon can’t help but grin and hide behind her palms. Sakura just smiles and places a peck on Chaeyeon’s che