The choir competition is only open to first year students, presumably because everyone more senior has more pressing matters to worry about. This is literally their only shot before the torch is passed onto the next set of first years who may, Seulgi hopes, do a little better.

Since Seungwan is class president, the decorum of the overly complicated systems of hearchy and authority in the school dictate everything requires her approval. (It’s weird, but, even excluding that, Jiyoung would still probably want Seungwan on board for the purposes of influencing class moral and general sentiment.)

Soojung plays a piano accompaniment over some synthesised voice tracks that come blaring out of Jiyoung’s phone, a whole chorus that only knows how to sing a single syllable. Seungwan, though, musically inclined as she is, can fathom something more out of it that she can.

Jiyoung’s eyes burn like fire. It’s not just Soojung’s piano that they were practicing, she realises. Jiyoung wrote out a whole new arrangement for them to sing.

Seungwan’s eye match that spark, that crackle of flame. Determination. This alliance, unholy or holy, may be the death of them all if they’re not careful.

Seungwan and Jiyoung lock hands, elbows bent, a promise. Resolution overflows in the air, an overwhelming charisma that can’t be rejected.

“We’re going to win.”

God help them all.

It’s good that the preparations for the choir competition are underway. Even if Seungwan had initially been set on delegating all responsibilities to Jiyoung, her newfound competitive spirit has driven her into helping out (somewhat to Jiyoung’s distaste, she’s guessed by the way the other girl’s face crinkled at Seungwan’s declaration of intent to do so) and where Seungwan goes, Seulgi follows with neat print outs and flyers.

Soojung’s been wondering if she can finally start slowing down with the practice now, but Jiyoung insists she needs to be present anytime they rehearse and, in a inter bit of mirroring, has mandated Soojung follow her around the same way Seulgi trails after Seungwan. She doesn’t think their circumstances are quite the same, though.

Seungwan interrupts their errand running to make a little conversation as they walk. Well, time is a precious resource after all. It’s to be expected from Seungwan to milk every second of time for all it’s worth with as much multi-tasking as possible.

“Hey, Sseul,” Seungwan says. “Do you like apple juice or orange juice more?”

“Orange juice.”

“What kind of milk do you like?”

“What kind of milk?”

“Like, chocolate or banana or strawberry?”

“I like banana milk, I guess. Why?”

“I was just thinking about it and realised I didn’t know.”

“Oh,” Seulgi says. What more is there to say to that? She’s only ever seen Seungwan drink water, sports drinks or green tea.

“What about between banana milk and orange juice? Which one do you like better? Wait, is orange juice even your favourite kind of juice or do you like something else?”

When you put it that way, it’s really kind of hard to think about it. Seulgi herself has never even thought this hard about her drink  preference. It’s usually dictated by whatever’s left in the fridge or whatever is at eye level in the store fridge. (Seulgi is hopelessly susceptible like that.) Her brow furrows in thought.

“Orange juice, but I’d rather have banana milk.”

“Got it,” Seungwan says. Her smile reaches her eyes and Seulgi can see something click in them, like a piece of information has just been filed away in a priority folder. The intensity is at once intimidating and flattering.

Should… Should she ask back…?

“Buy me green tea whenever you have to, okay?” Seungwan replies for her before she can ask. “I like orange juice too, but it’s actually really high in sugar even though it seems healthy. The acid is a bit strong on the teeth too so after you drink juice it’s actually good if you can rinse it down with a bit of water too, so the acid doesn’t wear down the enamel of your teeth, okay?”

Seulgi nods dumbly. 

Seungwan tilts her head, one finger poised on her chin, creeping up to her cheek again.

“Do you have a drink you really hate?”

“I’m not really good with bitter tasting things.”

“Coffee milk?” 

“Not a fan.”

“Anything else?”

“I really don’t like Sujeonggwa either. It’s too strong.”

“You don’t like cinnamon?”

“It’s not that I don’t like cinnamon, it’s jus that it’s way too much…” She looks at Seungwan. “And, okay, I might not like cinnamon that much.”

“Jujube tea?”

“That’s a little…”

“Corn silk tea?”

“Ew.”

“Barley tea?”

“I know that’s supposed to be refreshing but I’ve never liked that.”

“So, you’re basically a little here and there on all the teas, huh?”

Seulgi pauses. “I like green tea. And black tea.” 

“But none of the healthier ones.”

Pause. “I guess not.”

Seungwan laughs a little.

Seulgi says, “I didn’t think you’d be so into that. Is it like health stuff?”

“I guess I got a little into it,” Seungwan admits. “Seohyun-unnie is always going on about this or that and why it’s good so I got a little curious. Besides, tea like that is supposed to be good for weight loss.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about,” Seulgi says.

Seungwan looks taken aback in something that might be a flinch but also might be a surprised little jolt. Seulgi realises maybe she doesn’t know as much as she should to always be going ‘as expected of Seungwan’ I her head. Seulgi realises she should be asking questions too, however mundane. At least Seungwan is trying to plug the jabs with whatever she can.

Seungwan, a little hesitant, says, “You’re just a blatant flatterer. You need to get more subtle about these things.”

“Do you not like it?”

Seungwan snickers. “Maybe it’s not that I don’t like it, but I’d like it better if you weren’t so obvious.”

“But you like that I’m obvious.”

“That remains to be confirmed.” Challenge glints in her eye.

“You better figure out a way to confirm it then.”

“I would, but it’s really unfortunate I don’t have anything more subtle to compare it to.”

“Ah, that’s really tragic.”

“Super tragic.”

“You should really start looking for some more data on that.”

“I’m trying very hard to do that, but my research subject isn’t being very compliant.”

“Wow, sounds like a really difficult research subject. Have you considered switching to a new one?”

“Well, it’s crossing my mind now you bring it up. Research subjects are just so hard to come by, though.”

“Maybe that research subject just needs a stronger incentive to comply with this mad scientist’s investigation plan.”

“You think? But maybe all that research subject needs is a more direct handling.” Seungwan holds both hands out, finger and thumb at right angles, making an invisible frame. “Let’s a imagine a case where Kang Seulgi is faced with the lamentable choice of beverage and laid out before her, there, Son Seungwan is—”

“Wait, why are we referring to everyone in the third person?”

“Because it’s more properly formal. Like an exam question.”

Okay then. That kind of makes sense.

“So, say Kang Seulgi is offered a choice between two drinks. One is her precious and much loved banana milk, and the other is her much despised—” Seungwan taps her cheek with her index finger, once, twice, “—green plum tea!”

“But you didn’t even ask me how I felt about plum tea—”

“But, plot twist, the tea is being served by Kang Seulgi’s even more beloved Son Seungwan! What will she drink?”

“What’s the banana milk being served by?”

“Um,” Seungwan say. “S—” She just hisses out the S as she thinks about something that’s probably nonsensical and ridiculous. “Something… Something… Something super awesome and fantastical but at the price of taking the banana milk, then—”

Seulgi decides to just play along then before the hypothetical situation get more complicated. “Then in this hypothetical world, I’d drink the tea anyway since that was what Seungwan is giving me.”

Smile, smile, smile. That’s definitely the right answer. Seungwan’s too happy.

“Better promise that.”

Her lips quirk up into a smile back. She’ll drink whatever gross health tonic Seungwan shoves in her way if she can see that smile again. “Of course.” 

“Jiyoung gave me a coupon for new bicycle tires,” Soojung says, apropos of nothing, holding a piece of paper between her fingers like a playing card, no thumb involved. It’s impractically cool, like something out o a music video. “Apparently, her cousin works part time in a place and they have some cool ones that would suit my bike frame.”

“That’s…” Seulgi struggles to bring out the word. “…That’s nice of her.”

Soojung is too coordinated to notice that the way she flicks the paper between her fingers, index to pinky, is beyond the scope of a great number of others. Seulgi finds it fascinating and distracting.

“Not really,” Soojung says, eye downcast, but corner of turned up in a wry smile that doesn’t quite match the meaning of her words, “but I guess it’s something.”

“You think she’s just trying to drive up family business?”

Soojung stares at her for a second, it’s startling and probably reminiscent of the way she looks at Soojung when she gets taken aback by her inability to read the mood, and explode in a contradiction of quiet laughter, like a bomb set off underwater. She composes herself. “No, it’s nothing to do with that.”

“Then…?”

Soojung doesn’t give her an answer. She examines the coupon, speeding it out neat and crease free on the table, running her thumbs over the glossy paper and feeling out the edges, rubbed a little white and worn against the colourful background that’s the rest of it. It doesn’t look like something that’s very new, rather, something that’s been bashed about in a pocket or a bag for a while.

Maybe she means Jiyoung just finally got around to clearing out her unwanted stuff? When Seulgi’s brother worked part time for all sort of odd-end jobs, he’d keep trying to convince her to bring her friends to restaurants or buy drinks or pencils or paper or whatever else he was flogging.

But Soojung’s eyes twinkle mischievously with some sort of secret.  Seulgi hates that she doesn’t know. She hates that it’s something private between Soojung and Jiyoung even if it’s as ridiculous as an inside joke about always drinking green plum tea.

“They look like nice tires anyway,” Soojung says. “I’m going to look them up online. The last time I skimped out, the treads on the rubber wore out way too fast.”

“You’re in too good a mood.”

“You don’t like free stuff?” Soojung says. She looks around. “Where’s Wendy?”

Seulgi pauses for a second.

“Seungwan,” Soojung clarifies.

Ah. Right. That. Seulgi had almost forgotten. Seungwan hadn’t been trying to get anyone else to call her that, and there was no one around for her to hear calling her that. Soojung and Seungwan and her were rarely around in the same place at the same time these days. And even if they were, Soojung still had that tendency to just call everyone ‘you’. The more she thinks, the more she realises names are really more likely to come up when you aren’t present to be pointed at. (That’s a though that can go dark far too quickly for her taste…)

“She’s off conspiring something up with Jiyoung.”

“That’s right,” Soojung says, as if she’s just recalled something. “I guess it would make sense they’re together. We should enjoy this. It’s the last peaceful day we’ll get in a while before they kick this all into overhear.”

Soojung slumps down on her desk. Her hands slink under the table and reach for something in the depths of her backpack. She deposits it on the table.

“Want any?” Soojung offers, turning the pack of cookies in her direction so she can read the labels, flavour and all.

“Sure, why not?”

Soojung can’t actually open the packet though, so Seulgi does it for her and takes the first cookie as payment for her troubles. With all the running back and forth, a little bit of a snack isn’t out of order. At the very least, it seems like an apt reward for her behaviour.

“We should get changed soon, shouldn’t we?”

That’s right. It’s time for compulsory physical education next. Which really will just mean they’ll all fool around with a ball and take turns tossing it to each other in a circle since the only teachers who specialise in the topics have taken leave. It’s better than being made to run laps around the school field. (Only Soojung is ever any good for that.)

Seulgi pushes back her chair out from under her desk and regrettably get up. 

Soojung picks up another cookie from the already startlingly empty pack. (When did she eat those? How fast did she eat those? Did Seulgi help? She looks at her crumb stained fingers. She probably helped.)

She’s about to try and go, but she falters at the sight of Soojung looking at her. It’s that weird expression.

“This is nice,” Soojung says with an infuriating smirk. Seulgi forgot she could look that way: so hittable. Still, it’s nice enough to know Soojung feels comfortable enough to not care about acting obnoxious in front of her.

Seulgi decides to humour her. “What?”

“Jiyoung is taller than me. It’s nice to be able to see the top of someone’s head.”

“You’re on tip toes,” Seulgi hisses, and smacks (taps, really) Soojung’s stomach with the back of her hand. It prompts an ‘ooph’ that sends Soojung back to the ground but, to her dismay, Soojung does indeed remain taller.

“I can still sort of see it,” Soojung says looking up and over at the crown of Seulgi’s head.”

Seulgi decides it’s appropriate retribution to steal Soojung’s last cookie in the back of the packet and does so. She dramatically tosses the empty packet back onto the desk.

Soojung doesn’t bat an eye. She yawns. Seulgi wonders what it’s like to live life so carefree. 

“A date’s a date, isn’t it?”

“What a charming way to put things,” Seungwan drawls.

“I need to frame things like this because otherwise it just seems like you’re exploiting me for manual labour.”

“It’s easier if we just highlight the parts ourselves instead of relying on everyone to highlight their parts themselves.”

“I think you’re just a control freak.”

“I have to be! Jiyoung wrote the sheet music in such a confusing way and Soojung just went ahead and photocopied it all without double checking! If they just sent it to me first I could have—”

“What? Painstakingly rewritten everything on notation software or something? Those two already went and blew our paper allocation budget, so let’s just highlight things nice and clearly to make up for it so rehearsals can start just as soon as you like, alright?”

Seungwan deflates, pouting. “This is work too, you know.”

“Yeah, but this way you get an excuse to hang out with me and buy me weird drinks,” Seulgi reassures. Seungwan’s parents aren’t exactly forthcoming with recreational social time. At least fulfilling her ‘duties’ as class president provides something that sort of resembles an excuse for hanging out with friends. (Seulgi feels bad for her most of the time but she’s not sure what else there is she can do except smile and pat Seungwan on the back so what time she does have for herself is pleasant.)

Seungwan grins, “You better be prepared to drink that plum tea, since you said you would.”

“I guess I’d better, huh?”

“I hold all my dates to the highest standards, you know.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from a perfectionist like you.”

And then, of course, Soojung abruptly appears out of nowhere, head sticking, literally, into their business. No. Really, actually, literally. They’re sitting down and Soojung, having strolled in tom where eve it was she came from, has just walked up to them and bent down from the waist to sort of have her head meet them at about eye level. Poof. Her head right there.

“What were you guys talking about?” Soojung says, the picture of oblivious innocence.

“Seulgi just told me she was thinking about starting to watch a new drama,” Seungwan lies as easy as drinking water. “Well, it’s not that new, but apparently it was popular, so she says she wants to check out what all the hype was about.”

“Oh. What drama?” Soojung asks, looking straight at Seulgi.

Seungwan doesn’t offer anymore help. The jerk. Dramas… Dramas… She’s watched some dramas recently, right? 

“Umm… Now what was the title again? Something to do with…” She looks around the room for inspiration. 

Mercifully, Soojung offers up a title instead. She doesn’t seem to be expecting much, so Seulgi nods her head politely. 

“Yeah, sure,” Seulgi says.

Soojung, who has enough language comprehension to understand the words, but not enough cultural comprehension to understand saying ‘yeah’ in that moment is kind of weird, just enthusiastically nods, not realising the fib. She breaks out into a wide-eyed smile and Seulgi starts to feel bad for ever going along with this plan.

“I watched that! That’s pretty old, isn’t it? But it’s good that you can go into it with a fresh look, sort of. I promised I won’t spoil you. Yeah, it was pretty hyped up, wasn’t it? It’s considered like a Hallyu-wave classic isn’t it? Hmm, I guess I think it deserved maybe eighty percent of that? There’s just something about it that really you in, even if it’s not objectively very…well…good. The characters are good even if the plot is kind of weird.”

Just her luck Soojung would turn out to be an expert on this particular drama she hasn’t even really made up.

“Be prepared for a cliche storm,” Soojung continues with her informative lecture. “That show was never that well written, but it’s just super addictive.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Seulgi says.

At the same time, “Lots of thing like that are.”

“I didn’t really want to watch it,” Soojung admits. “It’s not really my style. But my sister just insisted and I guess it was fun to spend time with her and stuff.” 

So it seems Seungwan has some sort of reputation around school as a dependable hoobae and a responsible young lady. In other words, the kind of reliable person who thinks things through and makes good decisions. Really admirable. Really forthright. Like, the up-and-coming new president who’ll succeed Seo Juhyun one day in her lofty position of arbitrary power. Seulgi is just most of this is hot air from people who are just comparing her to Seohyun-sunbaenim because they seem to hang out quite a bit on for council matters and Seungwan is friendly towards her.

Because Seungwan neither thinks things through or makes good decisions. Seungwan is an impulsive mess. 

Seulgi’s not really going to complain about it, though.

Seungwan’s lips on hers. The taste is addictive. Seungwan’s soft arms and legs, the skin between her fingers, the smell of Seungwan’s hair.

Well, being dragged into an empty (class room? Store room? Closet?) place right after the last school bell rings and people scramble to make their way back home as soon as possible to make out is kind of risky but Seulgi would also be lying if she didn’t find it kind of exhilarating. Seungwan just has that effect.

Seungwan is right there and she wants to pull her close and push her right off her at the same time. There’s the functional part of her brain reminding her that this is school and Seungwan just really just know better considering who she is and the other, weak, part of her brain saying just go with it because Seungwan clearly knows what she’s doing here, right?

Like, meaning both with the doing and because she’d never do something needlessly risky without precautionary measures, right?

(No, but like seriously could she just have waiting till they left the premises or something? But then she’d have to wait more too and..uh…well it wasn’t unpleasant, right?)

Seungwan pulls away before she can have another mental breakdown trying to figure out if she’s mad or not yet. 

She think she starts making a dejected face before deciding no this is not the time or place and tries to go for a more stern expression instead.

Seungwan has the remedy to that too.

“I feel bad that all we’ve done so far is argue and make out,” Seungwan says. “And then make you staple and hole punch stuff.”

“Don’t forget the highlighting I’m supposed to do,” Seulgi throws in. “You make me feel so used.”

A shove.

“Okay, fine! Was I supposed to say that it wasn’t all arguing? How will I ever navigate this maze of mixed signals?” Seulgi laments with a dramatic flourish of her hand sweeping at her forehead.

“The victim card doesn’t become you.”

A shrug. “I’ve got to do what I can to get the edge.”

Seungwan pouts. “That’s so unfair, though.”

“But my competition’s stiff, after all.”

“That innuendo doesn’t work with us, Sseul.”

“Innuendo? What? …Oh, no! No, I wasn’t thinking that at all.”

Seungwan giggles. “Well a little dirty thinking isn’t so bad. Here I was worried you didn’t like me.”

“I never said I didn’t like you.”

“It’s good to know you do.”

“Whoa there,” Seulgi drawls with a lopsided smile. “I never said I liked you. I just said I never said I didn’t like you.”

“Why the sudden push and pull? Or are you finally starting to take this relationship seriously?” Seungwan can’t keep the goofy grin off her face. 

Seulgi crosses her arms and looks away, faux-sulking.

“I think I get it,” Seungwan says, leaning her squishy cheek on her hand. “You like me but you don’t like me like me like that.” She smiles. “Yet. But I’m willing to bet I can bring you around.”

It’s a promise.

And the mood is just too cheesy because of it. It’s kind of sweet, yeah, but it also makes her want to cringe. Seungwan gets the same sort of vibe and they shyly turn away from each other.

Seungwan clears , chaining the subject. “Hey, um, is your family really religious or something?”

“Not really. I mean, I think not more that usual…?”

“Because you just kind of look like you think we’ll spontaneously combust whenever we touch. Well, if people are looking, any way. If you feel uncomfortable, I can definitely tone it down, but it’s nothing to be afraid of. Especially since you were, kind of just now—”

“Don’t bring that up!” Seulgi’s feels her face get how. “That’s embarrassing. You don’t have to say it. I was there too, you know.”

“You kind of would have to be for—”

“Oh my god.”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s nothing to be scared about.”

“I’m not scared!” Seulgi protests a little too loudly to be very convincing. “Wait, is that why you practically jumped me in this—” Seulgi looks around the room that continues to be too ambiguous to be identifiable, mostly because her brain is still preoccupied with other things “—room?”

Seungwan giggles. Seulgi feels much less inclined to let her keep Seungwan’s hands on her.

“We totally will be going at our own place,” Seulgi assures. “Whatever the pace is. It could be all over the place. You never know. I mean, I’m full of surprises.”

All their kisses up till now, all the contact—Seungwan initiated all of it. But Seulgi could do that too, couldn’t she? She could.

How easy would that be? And there wouldn’t be anything wrong with it. Nothing at all, because Seungwan would want her to and wouldn’t care. Seungwan would let her and it would be fine. It would be fine, wouldn’t it? It would just be a thing that dating couples did and if both parts of the couple were agreeable to the thing then that thing was just really no one else’s business, right?

It would be easy. It would be okay. It wouldn’t be weird. It would be fine.

Seungwan raises an eyebrow. “Really? You’re okay with everything we’re doing so far.”

“Of course. Super okay with it.” Not a lie, but she still felt the start of a nervous sweat coming on. Why?

Seungwan smirks down at her, haughty and challenging and it’s kind of annoying and hot at the same time so Seulgi tries to look just as arrogant back at her.

“If we’re starting at our own pace…”

Seungwan sits in her lap. Seulgi stops herself from laughing enough to make sure Seungwan doesn’t immediately fall out.

“What’s the matter?” Seungwan jibes while pouting. “Not taking this seriously?”

She teases Seulgi, whipping her collar up and down, rumpling it and creasing it up like they’ve been fooling around a lot more than they actually have. Seulgi laughs again.

“Hey, I’m going for a really clear aesthetic here!”

“Are you? Should I help you costuming too?” 

Seulgi reaches over and messes up Seungwan’s never once messed up tie, much to her chagrin. Seulgi snickers.

“You’re going to have to do better than that!” And then Seungwan tousles her hair. Seulgi fights back, one arm flailing around to make Seungwan look just as carelessly dishevelled. 

Then Seungwan loops her arms around the back of Seulgi’s neck and leans her face in close and the blood all rushes to her head and—

They’re at school. It’s no place for this game of skinship chicken. Even home, either of their homes, wouldn’t be a place for skinship. Would anywhere be? (The thought fills her with a feeling of dread she doesn’t want to dwell on so she buries it  under heady, impulsive want and pride.)

“Nuh uh,” Seulgi breathes. She has a stubborn streak  too and she’s going to show Seungwan exactly why it shouldn’t be summoned up so carelessly. She put her hands on Seungwan’s hips. She can feel her hipbones through her skin, pushing against her fingers. She hears Seungwan’s breath hitch a little too and pretends it’s more noticeable than her own erratic stuttering.

There’s prickling of sound that makes Seulgi tense but looking at Seungwan eyes, her gaze, makes her soften. It’s probably nothing, right? 

Too late. 

Seungwan freezes in her arms.

Seulgi looks at the door.

Soojung.

Cliche storm. It’s a warning. It’s meta, right?