Yubin loves the season of Summer  

 

It's simple. Summer is when the sun shines bright yellowish-white and the clouds float ever so rapidly on the skies like they're chasing each other. Summer is fun. Summer is when you can hang out with your friends and spend the day doing your favorite things with your favorite persons with fewer responsibilities from societal rules and mandatory schooling requirements.

 

Yubin loves summer. 

 

Summer was when she gets chased by Shiah on the hallways to their apartment. Summer was fun.

 

This summer though, Shiah is instead running after her as they make their way to their university grounds-- for the additional summer classes they signed up for. 

 

"Hey! That's cheating!" Shiah shouted when Yubin threw her backpack on Shiah's front, leaving the slightly smaller girl no choice but to carry two bags at the same time while running.

 

They're not late for class, it's supposedly a morning jog but Shiah loves competition. Now, they look like idiots running after each other.

 

"Tired?"

 

"Tired?" Shiah mocked her, eyes rolling like she's about to riot but she might have lost track of her breathing count, she had to sit down and slam her face on the two backpacks that sat at the seat's desk.

 

Yubin waited, she wanted to get her water bottle from her bag but Shiah was holding it. Knowing her-- Shiah's still not done complaining after she lost the morning jog.

 

"You jackass! How dare you leave me alone on the road?" Shiah hits her shoulder after, her slight pants between her words sounded so cute in Yubin's ears. Like an ant's bite, quick pain that started to itch because I want to kiss her now and apologize. 

 

But that's not how things work between them. They're bestfriends, simple glances, nods, and smiles can resolve things between them. No need for sentimental moments. 

 

Yubin just sat quietly, finally able to catch her breath. Her bag's still on Shiah's lap and she has no plans to take it back yet. Although, she feels extra thirsty now.

 

Shiah started ping Yubin's backpack. Of course, the owner panicked.

 

"Hey- There's nothing in there!" Yubin couldn't take her bag back because Shiah was holding it, it's not like there's actually something interesting in there.

 

Anyway, she was not so surprised when Shiah pulled out the purple tumbler from the bag. 

 

"Drink. I know you're thirsty."

 

Yubin wished she could change their label from bestfriends to girlfriends but it's not that easy. She tends to have a hard time initiating anything romantic when she's with Shiah.

 

Once you've fallen in love, there will be those moments when you can't control yourself; where there are sparks stinging around you and the person you fancy about. It's an amazing feeling yet troubling.

 

Can't look at her in the eye.

 

Can't utter words correctly.

 

Can't stop her heart from thumping out loud.

 

Sometimes, Yubin wonders why her heart is too weak for this. Why her? Why can't it just be anybody else? All she wanted to do is have a normal life like normal teenagers. Luckily, Shiah seemed unaware of what was going on in Yubin's head while they sat together. 

 

"Good morning!" Seunghee greeted both of them with a wide smile. Meanwhile, Yewon was walking behind her looking like a corpse. Yubin and Shiah both chuckled while waiting for them to join them in their seats. 

 

It's the second week of their summer classes. Unlike the regular semesters, these classes are often chill and easy. 

 

You can just sleep at class like I do and you'll still ace this. As Shiah said.

 

"Morning, Seunghee." Yubin greets her back, then came Yewon's pouting lips into her gaze. "Good morning, Yewon."

 

The youngest hasn't said a word since they approached them. Once they're seated, another set of students came into the room. Two tall girls walking straight towards the seats on the back, and a smaller one who has this similar bright smile Seunghee had earlier followed behind them.

 

Mihyun, Jiho and Hyojung.

 

"What's with the face, Yewon?" Shiah teases before getting up from her seat. She gave Yubin a glance and mouthed I'll be back to her. Yubin knew where she was going.

 

"Oh, where's your girlfriend going?" Seunghee asks her. An obvious teasing Seunghee and Yewon won't ever get tired of. It's pretty normal for the three of them to tease each other like this. Or specifically, to tease Yubin about Shiah. 

 

"She's not my girlfriend." Yubin corrects them, although it's useless. Seunghee continued to question her anyway.

 

"Ok. Where is your not girlfriend going?" 

 

Yubin turned around slightly and pointed at the backseat of the room using her thumb. Seunghee and Yewon followed her gaze. Yubin swears they couldn't be more obvious. She sits back and looked forward out of embarrassment.

 

"Wow. Already?" Seunghee watched Mihyun and Shiah intently. Yubin sighs at Seunghee's shameless staring.

 

"Yeah. She said Mihyun is so hot."

 

"Aww. Don't worry. You're hot yourself too, in your own ways."

 

Mihyun and Shiah only started dating one day ago. From what Yubin heard from her bestfriend-- whom she's in love with, was that Mihyun texted Shiah as soon as they got their class schedule for the summer class.

 

Yewon noted the amount of scoffs Yubin did while telling her what happened.

 

"I don't need hotness, Sseung." 

 

"I think Shiah's experimenting. How can she date someone she only knew for a week?"

 

"She said she's cute," Yewon said. Yubin nodded in agreement. Seunghee was not with them when Shiah was excitedly telling them stories about Mihyun's cute charms.

 

I thought I was going deaf from all the cheesy words Mihyun has told Shiah; that she ends up telling me about.

 

"Hm, she's right. You're cuter than her though, YooB." YooB is her nickname.

 

Seunghee is that friend who always encouraged her, helped her resist all the Yoo Shiah temptations, and called her YooB-- alongside their other classmates because of one professor who made the trend back in their first year.

 

"Mimi's the cutest. She got Shiah unnie dating her." And of course, Yubin has that friend who's always savage. Yewon is just being realistic and smart about people. It's one thing she's good at. 

 

"Shut up, Choi Arin." Seunghee hits the younger who just talked back to her for the first time since they got here. Yewon is an accelerated student, she's a year younger than them. 

 

She managed to advance one year from their elementary schooling. 

 

"Arin?" Yubin asks, it's the first time she heard that name. Did I miss something here?

 

"That's what Jiho called her." Oh. 

 

Yubin grinned to tease, finally her turn to get back to Arin. "Are you gonna change your name now?"

 

Meanwhile, Yewon shrugged it off. Still as serious as she was when she entered the room earlier.

 

"I don't know, maybe? If that's how she'll notice me.."

 

Snorting at the youngest's statement, Seunghee stood up from her seat and went to join the girls at the back- particularly Hyojung, who has been a close friend to them in the past week. 

 

"What happened to you?" Yubin rests her head on her arm, on her desk; asking Yewon although her eyes go past through her friends and straight to Yoo Shiah talking to Mihyun and Jiho at the back.

 

"How do you do that?" Yewon leaned her cheek on Yubin's shoulder. Her exhausted sigh made it even more obvious that she's serious about the Jiho crushing.

 

"What?" Yubin asks back, not a clue about what she's done.

 

"Smile even when your crush doesn't like you back?" Ah..

 

"I don't know. I don't care." She responded, giving Yewon a nudge. The younger pulled away from clinging on her and instead picked up her phone from the table.

 

"Help me get through Jiho's friend list." Yewon says while showing her Jiho's profile on her screen.

 

"No." Yubin knew she would show her the cute puppy like expression so she turned to face her other side.

 

Knowing Yewon, she won't let this go and will continue insisting. 

 

"Help me flirt Jiho. I wanna be happily falling in love with her. It's my first time! You should help me." 

 

It's true. It's the first time she heard Yewon crushing on someone but.. still, 

 

"I can't help you because I'm not happily in love if that's what you're thinking."

 

"Why?"

 

Yubin points at Mihyun's seat, occupied by Shiah, and Mihyun is leaning on the desk, they seem to be flirting-- they really are.

 

"What do you want to happen between you and Jiho?" She asks Yewon again, she's willing to help but it's not like she's actually that experienced.

 

"I want to date her, really." Yewon pouted again.

 

"Then go to her," Yubin says. If there was one thing she couldn't do, it would be how scared she always had been when she wants to do something about her feelings for Shiah. 

 

Before Yewon could ask again, Seunghee came back. "What's going on?" 

 

"Yewon's asking me for advice," Yubin replied, taking putting her backpack on Shiah's seat on her left side so she could sit better on hers. 

 

"Aww, sad. Yubin can't help you, Arin." There. Seunghee finally backed her up. Yewon let out a soft groan once she realized how hopeless she is. 

 

Yubin can't blame her. Out of all the students in their university, Yewon ends up befriending her-- who never confessed her feelings for her bestfriend; Shiah-- who doesn't need to make an effort to be able to date someone; and Seunghee-- who isn't interested in dating at all. 

 

Seunghee and Yubin proceeded to talk about other things- mainly the last class session they had for this class they're about to attend in 20 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, Yewon continued thinking, "Should I ask for her number, then?" 

 

Seunghee chuckled, "That's what Yubin did when she first saw Shiah, actually." 

 

"What- really? You asked for her number?"

 

Yubin smiled and then nodded upon having flashbacks of her first encounter with Yoo Shiah. "Yeah, it's the worst decision ever."

 

Yewon sat down as everyone minded their own business, Seunghee started narrating what-oh-so-unpretty flashback was there when Yubin first laid eyes on Shiah.

 

  6 Years Ago  

 

Bae Yubin, with her heavy bags all over her arms, dragged herself up to the second floor of the orange building of their supposed dorms. She's from outside the city and her family is busy with their business back in the province. Her wish is to be able to study in a private place all by herself, her brother's suggestion: send her to a dorm. 

 

They shouldn't have done that, because that's where Yubin met Shiah.

 

As Yubin drag her luggage on the dorm hallways, someone suddenly stopped her and grabbed the bag hanging on her shoulder. It was Shiah, trying to help her.

 

"I'm Shiah. They told me you'll be my roommate." The girl-- Shiah muttered- oh so cool while walking ahead of her.

 

Yoo Shiah, a girl who's just like her, in her first year in high school. 

 

It's funny though. "Um, you know, I can carry all of it." Yubin decided to speak up because she could see how much Shiah is struggling while carrying her heavy bag. 

 

She couldn't help but chuckle when she saw that Shiah- the cool girl, has been sweating on her forehead and neck from carrying one (1) bag. 

 

Shiah tried, but she's much weaker than Yubin so it's useless. It's cute.

 

"What's your name? Maybe we can be friends!" Shiah exclaimed happily, could be because Yubin's baggage is off of her now or that she's just really excited to befriend Yubin.

 

Yubin, on the other hand, was in-depth-ly finding the courage to vibe with this pretty girl. Be funny. BE FUNNY.

 

"I don't want to say." She mumbled, they took a turn towards the room they're about to share for the next three years. Yubin saw a glimpse of Shiah's slight pout of disappointment at her rejection.

 

"Why not..?"

 

"Because what if we can't be friends?"

 

"I mean-" Taken aback, Shiah didn't open the door yet and clutched on her shirt, trying to explain. She's so cute. 

 

"I'm joking, it's Yubin. Bae Yubin."

 

Shiah smiled in response while finally opening the door. Yubin wanted to photograph how pretty she looks when she smiles, even though she looks exhausted from all the walking.

 

"Yubin, it is." That's the moment Yubin thought her name sounded the most beautiful, ever.

 

It's unsettling for young Yubin to be alone with a pretty girl in one room, add the fact that it won't last a day. It would be like this for the rest of their high school years. Was it a good decision to leave the province after middle school?

 

But this is what Yubin wanted, to be independent... Although sadly, it seems like she would be and can't help but to be dependent on Miss pretty girl. 

 

Should I ask for her number?

 

Would it be too much?

 

I'm hungry.

 

"You know, I'm not really good at cooking," Shiah spoke from the kitchen. It's after Yubin finished unpacking when Shiah invited her to eat dinner together so here she is, waiting for Shiah to serve dinner.

 

Unfortunately, Shiah seemed like she was just being nice about the invitation and had no plans about what to cook, what to serve, what to give Yubin for her first day here.

 

"It's okay. I can just have your number instead." WAIT. Oh no. Yubin smacked herself after realizing what she said. Number? Really, Yubin? Can you eat her number, Yubin?

 

Shiah, on the small kitchen isle of their apartment, stopped fiddling with the cabinets finally-- and turned around to face her with the same cute smile she had earlier.

 

"Yes, of course! I can give you my number. It'll be easier to contact each other."

 

Good. Yubin didn't regret how she took an accidental shot, but it was worth it. No, it isn't.

 

Being with Shiah wasn't awkward. Yubin knew it's just her being her gay self, unable to comprehend things in an instant because she was distracted.

 

"Should we just buy?" She suggested, only realizing now that it's been 20 minutes of Shiah going through the cans and vegetables present on their refrigerator. 

 

Shiah looked at her, giggling while nodding. It's like I granted my girlfriend a wish.

 

Girlfriend-- where did that come from? Yubin can't deny it, she really thought of Shiah that way.. how can I not? 

 

In summary of her first day with Shiah, 

 

They met.

 

They joked around.

 

They talked.

 

Yubin asked for her number, this is an embarrassing moment. Shiah may think it's just the normal stuff but for Yubin, it's almost like asking her out. 

 

Yubin suggested they get their food delivered and Shiah picked what to buy, Yubin paid for both of them. I insisted. 

 

"Goodnight, Yubin! It's gonna be a great day tomorrow!" Shiah shouted-whispered from her bed. The lights are off and both of them are settled on their respective beds. What's gonna happen tomorrow?

 

Do we have a date or whatever? 

 

No, it's their first day of classes tomorrow and Yubin has not stopped thinking about Shiah-- romantically. She's whipped, it's pretty obvious for her at this point but Shiah remained clueless.

 

Yubin tried to sleep, but before she closed her eyes, she glanced at Shiah's bed spot- thinking, My pretty roommate is sleeping. 

 

It's gonna be a great day tomorrow. So she closed her eyes, covered herself with her blanket. My girlfriend is sleeping. 

 

Girlfriend?? Yubin sat up and brushed her hands over her face, almost like slapping herself. It's just not good, I had it bad. She's down bad.

 

"Yubin, are you okay?" Shiah asks, must have sensed her moving on her bed. Her voice was sleepy and Yubin felt bad she disturbed her.

 

"Yes.. Yes, sorry. I'm gonna sleep now. Goodnight, Shiah."

 

No worries, Yubin managed to sleep. She even had a dream, a dream about her being woken up by Shiah- her girlfriend, not roommate, but girlfriend. 

 

So there it is, their first encounter. They became roommates since first-year high school. Shiah is a charming classmate who is just so cool about everything. Except that she makes Yubin feel warm. 

 

"Can I ask something?" Yewon interrupted when Yubin was about to talk again. Seunghee chuckled beside them, amused at how curious Yewon really is. 

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Do you still dream about her?" Yewon asks, staring at Yubin like she's looking for answers on her face; as if she would get enough courage from the never courageous Bae Yubin to help her romantic adventure towards Jiho's heart.  

 

Yubin only nodded, she takes back her bag from Shiah's seat as she saw her pretty bestfriend approaching back at them. 

 

"Countless times, constantly."

 

Shiah came, their professor entered the classroom as well. Yewon and Seunghee had to pull away from them and return to their proper seats. But before that, Yewon leaned close to her ear and whispered, teasingly, 

 

"There's your girlfriend, Yoo Shiah."

 

Yubin does not like summer that much now.