In the fall, Yujin moved into her dorm with little to no expectation of who her roommate would be. 

When Yujin asked Eunbi about it, all she got was a horror story about a girl who didn’t wash her dishes or tidy her space once in the span of eight months, so all Yujin got was a sense of trepidation.

So she didn’t expect anything good. And she surely didn’t expect Wonyoung. 

Wonyoung had already moved in, but her side of the room was barren save for a few boxes piled in the corner and a set of silky blush-coloured sheets covering the small twin-sized mattress. At her desk were a few books and on the rolling chair was a canvas tote bag. Everything about her seemed simple, from her sweater down to her slippers. 

Fresh out of secondary school, they got along well. Yujin also had few belongings, which they momentarily bonded over, but that was all their first day had in store. 

Not a month earlier Yujin had broken up with Minju, which was a shot to the heart, but she was working past it. That was the excuse she gave for why Wonyoung kept magnetising her attention for the following weeks.

Especially when she changed or walked around in nothing but a t-shirt. It wasn’t that Yujin tried to look—if anything she tried to look away—but Wonyoung didn’t seem to pick up on any of it. Seeing herself as a glass closet, Yujin didn’t understand how Wonyoung was comfortable doing those things in her presence. She figured Wonyoung was just oblivious to how wilfully Yujin kept her eyes locked on her phone the moment Wonyoung entered showing a bit too much skin. It only got worse as time went on, but Yujin wasn’t too delusional that she couldn’t shove the worst of her thoughts away.

By the time winter break came, Yujin considered them friends. They shared enough meals to at least be that close. Plus, since neither of them opted to return home for their brief vacation, it was just them and a few other stragglers left in the dorm.

Yujin returned to their room after working to see Wonyoung pacing the room, typing away at her screen before glancing up. “Yujin,” she said, sighing as if relieved. “There’s a leak.”

“A leak?” 

Wonyoung pointed toward the roof, and beneath it was the centre of Wonyoung's bed, which had a plastic bin collecting the droplets. Beneath it, her sheets were soaked, which meant Wonyoung must’ve also returned from work to the sore sight.  

“Oh. That .”

“Yeah. They said no one from maintenance can fix it until after Christmas, and I can’t hire anyone either, so it’s just stuck like this.” 

It was Christmas Eve already. Without ever discussing it, it was obvious to at least Yujin that both of them didn’t like the idea of returning to their respective homes. Wonyoung didn’t ever call her parents or talk about them, so that meant she also never mentioned missing them. 

“Everyone’s out of town.” Wonyoung returned to her phone, to her messages, which Yujin now realised must’ve been the source of her anxious pacing. “I don’t know where to stay.”

“Stay?”

“Yeah. I can’t stay here.”

“Oh, I guess not.” Yujin bit her lip, shaking off her ridiculous anxiety about doing a favour for her friend. All she had to do was offer. “Unless you stay here, you can have my bed. I can take the floor.”

“I’m not making you sleep on the floor.” 

“Just until you find somewhere to stay.”

“I’m not taking your bed.”

“Then we can share,” Yujin blurted out as if she were talking to Hyunso and not Wonyoung, the girl for whom she felt things she shouldn’t have. “Just for tonight.”

It was already late, and the idea of Wonyoung running away to any place else on Christmas Eve made Yujin feel bitter. 

“Are you really okay with that?” Wonyoung’s brow furrowed. “You make Rei sleep on the floor.”  

“That’s different.”

“How?” Wonyoung laughed, still confused. “You’re closer to her.”

“She’s… her girlfriend doesn’t want her sleeping with me.” 

“Oh.” Wonyoung blinked a few times, then clicked off her phone. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah…” Rei didn’t have a girlfriend. “Are you tired now?”

“I still have to shower, but yeah.”

“Ok, same.”

As painfully awkward as it was to move in the in silence that followed, Yujin collected everything she needed and left down the hall to the showers before Wonyoung could leave at the same. She wasn’t sure if waiting would’ve been the normal thing to do or if that would’ve been weirder—but asking was the worst course of action. So she just followed her heart and hurried into the shower, then out to the sink to brush her teeth, and finally into bed so she could try to sleep before Wonyoung came back.

But no, sleep didn’t come even after half an hour of lying in darkness, with the only sound the sound of a water droplet plopping into the plastic bin.

The door opened and closed. Seconds later, Yujin felt the bed dip and held her breath.

Yujin scooted into the wall, pressing herself against it to give Wonyoung more room.

“You can stay, I’m fine.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s your bed.” Wonyoung d around and found her arm in the darkness, tugging it, shocking Yujin’s eyes wide open when she felt Wonyoung’s legs touch hers. “Come here.”

It was innocuous—Yujin knew it was. Wonyoung shared her bed with Jiwon all the time despite how small it was, always huddled up. The cold made it even more reasonable.

“Ok.” 

Yujin scooted back and felt Wonyoung against her, arms wrapped around, their legs touching, and everything felt warm. For Yujin who didn’t let anyone touch her, it was all a bit overstimulating, and she knew she wouldn’t sleep anytime soon.

“Is this okay?” Wonyoung backed away suddenly, sitting up, her voice a whisper. “You’re so stiff.”

“It’s fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Want to switch?”

“Switch…?” Yujin was so glad it was too dark for Wonyoung to see how red her face was. She didn’t realise how big her crush was until they were in this position.

“Yeah, spoon me.”

“Spoon…?”

Wonyoung giggled and laid back, damp hair against Yujin’s extra pillow, and pulled Yujin into herself. Yujin gasped quietly, hoping Wonyoung didn’t hear it, and couldn’t breathe when Wo