As someone who shops for Christmas presents in early May and wear a full on kaonashi costume for a high school Halloween party, it's a bit disconcerting to see the Son Seungwan along the hallways in school with not a shred of red or pink on her person, walking like nothing was wrong with the world.

It hasn't been a year since she's transfered schools and yet most of the kids already has a reputation established for her.

Her schoolmates openly stare at her as she waves her morning hello's and Seungwan wonders if she has a ketchup stain on her shirt or something. Again.

Seungwan goes to her locker to leave her books so she can check out her clothes in the bathroom mirror in peace. But of course, things hardly happen the way we expect them to. Her plan gets thwarted and forgotten immediately when she finds Seulgi leaning on her own locker next to Seungwan's, flowers and candies in hand.

"Wan!" She exclaims, eyes turning into cute little crescents as her cheeks bunch into a smile.

"Hey..." Seungwan responds uncertainly. She looks at the pink and the reds on her friend's arms an raises an eyebrow.

Seulgi looks at her for bit before finally catching on and laughs.

"Oh, these?" She unwraps a candy and pops it into . "I got them from Sooyoung."

"Isn't she a year younger than you?"

Seulgi shrugs and on the hard rock of sweetness in in lieu of a reply. Seungwan sighs and opens her own locker to finally put away her things.

Only for several letter envelopes to start falling from the cold metal box to the floor, earning another laugh from Seulgi.

Seungwan gives her a look and Seulgi immediately raises her hands up in mock surrender, summoning her most innocent look. The flower and candies certainly help with the image too.

"Don't look at me. I know how you feel about Valentine's day. I would never write you one of those."

Seungwan groans and starts to pick them up one by one. It would be rude to throw them away but it would also be a pain to read them.

She ends up putting them in a neat pile and slipping them inside a compartment in her bag with a sigh.

"What's your beef with Valentine's day anyway?" Seulgi asks her as they walk together to their first class of the day.

"It's a manufactured holiday," she tells her. She could go deep about hallmark greetings and capitalism and overpriced everything but the same can be also said about Halloween and Christmas. And she loves Halloween and Christmas.

"It's annoying," Seungwan says instead.

Honestly, Seungwan doesn't really know why she doesn't like Valentine's day. It's not like she had a traumatic experience or awful confessions. It's just... not her favorite day.

"Looks like Joohyun unnie's getting confessed to again."

Seungwan snaps out of her inner thoughts. She follows Seulgi's gaze and finds their senior standing in the middle of the field. Their school's shaped like a castle, you see, with fields in the middle of stone brick buildings and overlooking balconies. Joohyun's suitor apparently has taken advantage of the layout to hang banners and arrange flowers around the open area.

It would have been impressive if Seungwan didn't feel so annoyed.

She looks away. Her expression shifts and she immediately links her arm with Seulgi's to pull her along before her friend can start asking questions.

"Let's go."

They had a class to get to, after all.

💕

The bell rings for lunch and Seungwan books it out of the classroom before Seulgi can even get up from her own seat to get to her. She rushes through the throng of students and sneaks up to the rooftop.

"You're late."

Seungwan pants as she locks the door behind her, brows furrowing as she regards the owner of the voice sitting by the rails on a comfy looking picnic blanket. Bae Joohyun, her senior.

"The bell literally just rang," she says in defense.

The girl shrugs. "I've been waiting for a while."

Seungwan rolls her eyes good naturedly as she makes her way to her. "It's not my fault seniors have a lot of free time today, unnie."

Joohyun giggles. She hands Seungwan a packed lunchbox as soon as the younger sits next to her.

Seungwan takes the lunchbox with a tight smile. She opens it and finds her rice decorated with a big pink right heart in the middle, the side dishes in different colors forming cute tiny hearts around it.

"Umm..."

Joohyun laughs from her belly, slumping herself on Seungwan's frozen form. She pretends to wipe a tear from her eyes as she sobers up, poking the younger girl on the cheek to make her move.

Seungwan furrows her brows and looks at Joohyun, bewildered.

"Why."

Joohyun takes a chopstick to pick up a heart shaped egg roll and taps it on Seungwan's lips. The younger girl obediently opens to eat it, chewing her senior's cooking deligently.

Her eyes widen for a fraction of a second but the she remembers she's still being sulky. Seungwan pouts as she chews, making Joohyun giggle as she watches her.

"What's up will all the hearts, unnie?" she asks the older girl.

Joohyun hums and picks up another side dish to feed Seungwan with.

"I like looking at your reactions," the senior shrugs.

Seungwan picks up her own chopsticks and just stuffs herself. She doesn't really know what to say to that.

They haven't been friends for long, though Wendy has known about the senior for quite a while. It's not really difficult to learn her name and her face considering she's a constant talk around the school.

Bae Joohyun, competitive beauty. Envy of girls and boys alike.

It was probably after Christmas vacation when the senior approached her while she was in the school's library. Most of the kids had taken advantage of the free day to hang around the campus after exams. Seungwan, overachiever and resident worrywart, gives herself a self-imposed revision lockdown and buries her nose in notes and books.

The senior had seated in front of her, lips bitten and eyes averted, shyly asking for cooking lessons.

It's not a secret around campus how well Seungwan does in home economics class.

Joohyun doesn't tell her the reason for the request but Seungwan, being who she is, jumps at the opportunity to help.

They decided to meet up on non-school days. Seungwan finds out how quickly Joohyun learns, her compliments earning an embarassed giggle from her red faced friend.

Ever since then, Joohyun had taken to inviting Seungwan on rooftop lunches. At first she says she needs the younger girl to judge her cooking without the assistance. Soon enough, it just became a habit for them to meet and chat when they're both free while they devour Joohyun's food.

Yet for some reason, they've never really talked outside of those past cooking lessons and these hang outs. None of Seungwan's friends know about Joohyun and Seungwan doesn't know much about Joohyun's friends.

Seungwan's chopsticks don't stop moving even as she nods and hums at whatever Joohyun is saying.

Usually, Seungwan compliments Joohyun's cooking after a bite. That's why it's a little worrisome that she's being quiet right now.

Seungwan is chatty and expressive and her face always tells a million stories.

And yet she hasn't really said much since she arrived and sat down, eyes a little glazed as she stares ahead.

"Is my cooking that bad?"

Seungwan blinks, as if she's been pulled back from whatever thought she's immersed herself in. Her head turns to the senior, an embarassed smile on her lips.

"What? No!"

Joohyun wipes off a grain of rice from Seungwan's chin with her hand and brings it to her own mouth. One simple gesture spreads warmth from her neck to cheeks and Seungwan could only try to hide herself behind her hair.

"Well," Joohyun drawls, "You're not in a very happy mood."

That seems to jolt Seungwan into her senses, immediately showering the older girl with compliments and reassurance, tells her how much her skill has improved.

"I know," the senior giggles. "You've already eaten almost everything."

It's true. Not much food is left in the lunchbox on Seungwan's lap, in spite of her spaced out countenance.

"Sorry," she says sheepishly.

Joohyun shakes her head and tells her it's okay. They clear out what's left of lunch and clean up, Seungwan insisting in doing most of the work.

The senior rummages through her lunchbag and pulls out a flat little box with pretty red ribbons tied around it. She scoots closer to Seungwan until their legs touch, lifting up the box to the younger girl with a small smile on her face.

"Chocolate for your thoughts?"

Seungwan raises an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"Don't you mean a penny?"

"I don't have a penny," Joohyun chuckles, opens up the box. "Just chocolates. Would you like some?"

Seungwan humors her, to Joohyun's delight. She picks out a piece and pops it into , letting it melt in her tongue and savoring the bittersweet flavor. Joohyun picks one of her own and takes a bite.

"So," she says. "Thoughts?"

"About chocolates?"

Joohyun bumps their shoulders, nose scrunching. Seungwan finally laughs.

"About why you've been sulky for almost all of lunch."

"I'm not sulky," Seungwan pouts.

Joohyun's eyes flicker down before she could stop herself, then remembers where Seungwan's eyes are and forces herself to focus there instead.

"You kind of are."

The senior picks another piece of chocolate and feeds it Seungwan who opens willingly.

"That's two chocolates. I've overpaid, now spill."

Seungwan smiles at Joohyun's silliness. Thinking back, maybe that's what her thoughts are. Maybe she's just being silly too.

"I was just thinking..." she begins. She chances a glance at Joohyun who gives her an encouraging nod. Seungwan takes a deep breath. "It's a little silly but I was just wondering why none of our friends know about our..."

"Our what, Seungwan-ah?"

Her voice is soft and gentle and everything that reminds Seungwan of warm fireplaces and hot chocolates and fuzzy socks.

"... hang outs," she says. "I was wondering why it's always just the two of us."

Joohyun turns to face Seungwan, eyes capturing the younger's in a gaze she can't even think of escaping.

"Do you not like it with just us?"

Seungwan's eyes widens, hastily shaking her head in disagreement. Of course she liked spending time with Joohyun, with just the two of them. She was just wondering why...

"Earlier–"

The younger girl cuts herself off, biting her lips and thinking if this was something she should even say. Wondering if this was something she even had the right to talk about.

Joohyun gently cups Seungwan's face, cold thumb pressing lightly on the younger's bottom lip to free it from her teeth.

"What about earlier?"

Seungwan averts her gaze, head staying where Joohyun holds her still. Her hands fold into her stomach, embracing herself.

"I saw a guy confess earlier. To you. At the field." Seungwan steadies her breath, eyes finally rising to meet Joohyun's again. "It was romantic."

"I thought you didn't like romance?" Joohyun smiles a lopsided smile, eyebrow quirking teasingly.

"I don't!" She denies, maybe a little too quickly. "Or... it's not that I hate it. It's just‐"

Joohyun brings down her hand to cover Seungwan's. The younger girl opens her palm and Joohyun takes the invitation to lace their fingers together. She gives Seungwan an encouraging squeeze, silently telling her to breathe.

"Do you like romance, unnie?"

Joohyun hums, rubbing Seungwan's finger with her thumb. "I'm not opposed to it, I guess."

"Oh."

Seungwan doesn't say anything more. Joohyun takes their joined hands and places them on her own lap, playing with calloused fingers.

They stay like that for a while, basking in the peace the small period of lunch provides them. Joohyun waits for Seungwan to talk and Seungwan feels comfortable enough to take her time.

"Unnie," she finally says. "I don't like Valentine's day."

"Yes, you've told me before."

Seungwan shakes her head, pulling away her hand from Joohyun's hold as she sits up to face the senior.

"No, I mean..." Seungwan lets a big breath out before continuing. "I'm not very good at romance."

"I agree."

Seungwan sends her a glare which only makes her laugh. It's cute how Seungwan thinks she's even the least bit intimidating. Joohyun gestures for her to keep going.

"As I was saying, I'm not good at romance and Valentine's day feels like the pressure button that reminds me how much I . It's like a holiday designed to for romantic people and people who likes romance and I don't know how I fit into all that not to mention you, unnie, like romance too and I don't know what to do!"

Joohyun takes hold of Seungwan's gesticulating hands before she hurts herself. The younger girl breathes to calm down, gives her a small smile in thanks.

Seungwan isn't romantic, Joohyun knows. She can be greasy, sure, but that's an entire planet away from romantic town where all the roses and chocolates and big grand gestures lived.

"I don't even know what I'm trying to say," Seungwan sighs.

Joohyun giggles at Seungwan's not quite a pout, raising her hand to tuck a stray hair behind the younger girl's ear.

"You don't have to be romantic, Wan-ah. I like you just the way you are."

Seungwan's eyes widen as she feels the heat on her chest throb and spread, her mind running a million miles a minute. Joohyun giggles and taps her on the nose, calling her cute. This... Seungwan feels weird and maybe...

"Unnie, are you flirting with me?"

"Have been for several months, thanks for noticing."

Seungwan opens to speak but finds her words failing her. It all makes sense now. This whole time she thought Joohyun was just a really affectionate person.

Damn.

Joohyun takes the courtesy of gently cupping her jaw to close with a teasing smile.

"So, let's make this official."

"Huh?"

Joohyun rolls her eyes fondly, taking both of Seungwan's warm hands back in her own.

"I'm asking you, unromantic Seungwan, to be my girlfriend."

"Me?"

"Are you going to say no?"

"No! I mean, yes, I'll be your girlfriend. No on the uh... other thing."

Seungwan rubs at her neck with an embarassed chuckle. She can't believe she got asked by the Bae Joohyun to be her girlfriend. And on Valentine's day at that!

Joohyun, for her part, sports a very self satisfied smile as she gathers the younger girl in a tight embrace. They're officially together. Finally.

"None of my friends even know about me being friends with you. We don't really meet up outside just being the two of us."

"That's because our class schedules don't coincide. All of my friends know about you," Joohyun shrugs.

"They do?!"

"I've had a crush on you for a year."

"You have?!"

Joohyun can't help but laugh at the increasingly incredulous expression on Seungwan's face.

She picks up a piece of chocolate from the still open box and places it on Seungwan's mouth, closing it back and sealing her lips with a kiss.

"Happy Valentine's day, you oblivious dork."