"Chanmi, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow!"

"I know, Seolhyun."

Chanmi let out a sigh as her best friend plopped down in the desk beside her. Seolhyun cleared loudly before turning to Chanmi with her face in her hands, smiling shyly at the younger girl. She fluttered her lashes rather cutely, but that had no effect on an otherwise blank-faced Chanmi.

"Guess what Hyejeong unnie and I are doing?"

Oh gosh, here it comes.

Eyes gazing out dreamily into the distance, Seolhyun began to describe her Valentine's Day plans with her girlfriend - and just like any other plans that Seolhyun describes to Chanmi, this was going to take a while. A long, long while. "First, she's going to pick me up from my house, and I'm pretty sure that she's going to bring me something to start the day. I hope she brings chocolates. I love chocolate, especially the ones they make in the shape of roses. Then we're going to go into her car and probably make out for a little bit or maybe a lot - "

Silently, Chanmi snuck out of her seat while Seolhyun was still talking, and she walked out of her classroom, heading toward the upperclassmen section. She didn't really have any business there, being an underclassman, but she just wanted to see a certain someone. Even a brief glimpse of this person would satisfy Chanmi and send her heart racing away like a high speed bullet train.

Chanmi sauntered through the hall until she stopped in front of a room with a sign that read: Band Practice Room. After making sure that her surroundings were absent of possible onlookers, she peered into the room's window and instantly swooned. She felt her face heating up, but she just couldn't look away.

Sitting alone in the Band Practice Room, practicing ever so diligently, was none other than Seo Youykung - the talented drummer of the school's most popular band, AOA Black. Chanmi had developed romantic feelings for Youkyung ever since she met her backstage after a school performance - she was just so kind and cool that Chanmi couldn't help falling for her. Who wouldn't fall for Youkyung's charms anyway?

That was why Chanmi decided that she'd confess to Youkyung during Valentine's Day. Before classes began, Chanmi had placed a letter in Youkyung's locker asking her to meet her at the large tree behind the school once classes ended. Hopefully, the girl would show up and Chanmi would be able to successfully confess to Youkyung. She wasn't too concerned about the drummer reciprocating her feelings - she just wanted to let her know how she felt so that she wouldn't regret it later.

Chanmi wouldn't say that they were close - they had more of a friendly upperclassman - underclassman relationship. They weren't really friends, but they weren't exactly strangers either. Acquaintances - that's how Chanmi would define her current relations with Youkyung. That would possibly change after Valentine's Day, but that was just her own wishful thinking.

While Chanmi was preoccupied with the thoughts in her head, she didn't realize that the girl on the other side of the window was staring straight at her. It wasn't until there was light tapping on the glass in front of her did Chanmi realize that she had been caught. Her heart nearly shot out of her chest as Youkyung stood directly across from her on the other side of the glass, making a gesture to Chanmi - asking her if she wanted to come in.

Too surprised to actually consider the offer, Chanmi wordlessly shook her head and walked away as quickly as her legs could carry her. She couldn't believe that she actually got caught spying on Youkyung. Now the older girl probably found her creepy or weird.

How embarrassing. Ugh, I totally messed up.

Underneath all of the embarrassment and anxiety about the situation, Chanmi also felt quite happy. Youkyung offered her entrance into the Band Practice Room while she was practicing. What would have happened if she actually stuck around and accepted the offer? They would be alone together, in that room... Chanmi watching Youkyung play the drums... Youkyung teaching Chanmi how to play the drums... The two of them doing other things...

Just the thought of that made Chanmi want to squeal aloud - that is, until she was sitting in her desk again, with Seolhyun still talking about her Valentine's Day plans. The growing smile on Chanmi's face dropped almost instantanously. Apparently, Seolhyun didn't even realize that Chanmi had been gone for most of the time. 

" - and we're going to spend the night together at that hotel room she rented out. It's a really fancy place, I've heard. I'm kind of nervous, but I'm honestly really excited too. What do you think, Chanmi?"

"...that sounds like a really fun time."

Seolhyun suddenly faced Chanmi, grabbed her hands and squeezed them in hers. "I know right?!" 

Her best friend could be a bit too much sometimes, but she was cute nonetheless. Chanmi couldn't resist giving Seolhyun an amused smile. "Good luck."

"Thanks, you too. By the way - what are you planning to do tomorrow?"

"I'm going to make homemade chocolates today and give them to someone on Valentine's Day."

"Ooh, that sounds nice. Who are they for? A certain AOA Black drummer?" Chanmi's lips remained shut while her cheeks visibly reddened, and Seolhyun cooed at this adorable reaction. "So you're going to confess? Do you mind if I watch from the shadows? If anything goes wrong, I can jump out and beat that drummer up."

"No, don't do that. Don't even think about it."

Seolhyun paused for a moment. "Then I'll send Hyejeong unnie over to beat her up - "

"No one is beating up anyone, regardless of what happens. This is just between me and her. I appreciate your support though."

"If you say so... Keep in mind that I always got your back. Good luck out there, I'm hoping for the very best - because you deserve no less."

"Thanks, Seol."

"Mmhm. Anyway, I was wondering what I could do for Hyejeong unnie for Valentine's Day. I want something cute, but I also want something y too. I was reading this one couple magazine - "

Just when I thought she was done...

After a trip to the grocery store, Chanmi returned home with all of the necessary ingredients to make homemade chocolate. She laid out all of the utensils and ingredients she would need on her kitchen counter, then tied an apron around her body. This would be her first time making chocolate by herself, but she was determined to put her very best effort into making the chocolates for Youkyung - so the older girl could practically taste the love and care that Chanmi put into them.

At least she had prior experience in chocolate-making, so it couldn't be that bad, right? They were just simple chocolates. It was practically a rite of passage for high school students taking their first steps into adolescent romance. Everybody does it, so it should be okay, Chanmi reassured herself. She even went over the recipe and directions repeatedly to make sure that she wouldn't screw up - and she had her phone beside her just in case she needed to check.

The first step to making chocolates was to prepare a pot of water and heat it up - but don't let it boil. Chanmi did just that, turning the knob to medium. Then she grabbed a box of cocoa powder and a stick of butter. She mixed the two ingredients in bowl until they had a smooth, creamy texture. By the time she was finished, the water in the pot was hot, so Chanm