===

“Unni, take a picture of me!” Joy exclaims as she straightens her hair carefully. It’s the day  they got their hair dyed blonde for their Ice Cream Cake promotions, and Joy has been the most excited one among them so far. Seulgi takes her phone out and captures the figure of the smiling girl posing in front of her. “One-two-three.”

*click*

“Let me see! Let me see!” squeals Joy as she runs to snatch the phone out of Seulgi’s hands. Seulgi then swiftly dodges the tall girl and hides her phone inside her pocket.

“No, I’ll send it to you later.” She hisses as she shoves the girl away.

Joy stomps her feet in frustration and whines, “I’ll just look at my face! I won’t look at other stuffs! What? Are you hiding something disgusting in th—

“No!” She retrieves a retreating sigh. “I just don’t like people going through my phone.”

--

Later that day at their dorm, Seulgi realizes that her smartphone is missing when she reaches for it in her pocket. She feels her heart race over her ears in nervousness as she searches for it in every single corner.

After numerous failed attempts to find her smartphone, Seulgi decides to take a rest for a while to recall the events that took place that morning, in hopes to remember where she had misplaced it. She leans her back against the couch and lets her head fall back, staring blankly at the ceiling. 

A tall shadow falls over her.

She looks up and sees a squinting Joy with arms crossed over her chest.

“You know I underestimated your weirdness when they said that you were weird. You really are the weirdest.” Joy says as she  retreats herself down on the spot beside Seulgi.

“Yah! You have my phone?!” exclaims Seulgi, then snatches the phone from the younger’s hands. “Wait—when, where, how did you take it?! Howdid you even know my password?!”

A grin spreads on Joy’s face. “I know everything.”

“Aishhh!” Seulgi scoffs as she puts Joy in a headlock. “You sneaky rascal—

“Oh, look who’s talking about being sneaky…” Joy protests as she tries to wrestle under Seulgi’s grasp. Seulgi then lets go of the latter and let her speak.

Joy straightens up and looks at the older one firmly. “You still owe me an explanation. How do you do that without us knowing? There were so many pictures of Irene unni, gahh, it’s still sending me the creeps.”

“…”

Joy asks. “Are you some kind of a crazy fansite?”

“No!” She replies, looking at her ridiculously.

“Do you post pictures of her online?”

“What? No!”

“Then why do y—

“Because she’s beautiful!” Seulgi blurts out in annoyance, which was replaced immediately by a feeling of regret.

“That’s still not a valid reason to take pictures of her—.”

“Why are you making such a big deal out of it?!”

“Because it’s very creepy and wrong and stalker-ish and going to get you kicked out of the dorm and have I mentioned creepy?” says the younger girl as she turns to see a wounded, dumbfounded Seulgi.

Joy sighs after a brief moment of silence. “So when are you going to tell her?”

“Tell her what?”

“That you like her, stupid.”

“What?!” Seulgi shakes her head in frustration. “Wait—when did I say I like her? And since when do you decide whether I like someone or not?!”

“I think that you unnis are all very beautiful, but I never thought of taking hundred pictures of you secretly.” Joy says nonchalantly and pauses to think. “The way you look at her; the way you get so nervous when she’s near—it all makes sense now. I mean, yes, I’m stupid but I’m not blind.”

Seulgi gulps nervously.

“What’s making you so hard to admit? It’s so obvious now.”

“It’s not that easy. She’s a girl, Joy.” Seulgi’s voice is now weak.

“Umm, well, yeah I’ve noticed. Tell me something I don’t know.” Joy rolls her eyes.

Seulgi whines in desperation. “You know what I mean, It’s not right. It’s Irene unni. I’m-I’m not supposed to feel this way. I mean, I’ve tried so hard to put a stop on these feelings but…”

“You’re such a cute dumb bear.” Joy stifles a giggle and then ruffles Seulgi’s blonde hair. “Don’t think too much, admit your feelings to her before it gets all creepier than it already is.”

“I’m not even that sure yet. It might just be a stupid little crush or infatuation. It may go away over some time.” Seulgi mutters under her breath as if trying to convince herself, although she knows perfectly well that what she feels towards the older girl is more than mere admiration and infatuation.

Joy casually shrugs. “Dunno, unni. But one of these days, Irene unni has got to know.”

There really are times when Seulgi doubts whether Joy is actually the youngest among them, because the way she speaks slyly and knows absolutely everything suggest strongly against it. That night before going to sleep, Seulgi makes sure to change her passcode and keep it hidden under her pillow.

--

Morning came in earlier than she expected.

Sunlight blinding her eyes seeped in from outside the window while her phone’s alarm goes off in rage. She checks the time. 8:15 am.

Her forehead creases in confusion as she realizes, Wait, I didn’t set an alarm, right?  And why is my phone sitting on the table when I can clearly remember that I hid it under my bed last night?!

Seulgi’s mind races. She reaches for her phone, terrified and typed in her new passcode.

The wallpaper reveals a selca of Irene beaming quite possibly brighter than the sun shining past her window. Her stomach and chest twist into knots. She thumbs the phone to her Camera Roll filled with even more selcas of the pretty girl.

“Good morning.” A familiar voice comes in the room.

Seulgi freezes.  

“Unni, did-did you go through my phone?” She asks panicky, her mind circling with questions.

“Don’t get angry.” A sly grin forms on Irene’s face. “Joy was the one who showed me everything.”

“You mean Joy to-told you about everything, ab-bout m-my feelings—“

Irene can’t help but to giggle towards the stuttering of the younger girl. “I threatened to cut off her chicken supplies if she doesn’t spill everything.”

 “I’m-I’m sorry…”

Irene smiles widely. “You could’ve just asked me.  You know how I like taking pictures.” She chuckles a slight laugh.

“You’re not angry at all?” Seulgi’s cheeks flush pi