Slowly coming to a stop in front of an apartment unit, Joohyun pushed the doorbell, hearing a familiar, lively tune playing on the inside.

A shivering Hyuna stood beside her, teeth chattering slightly, “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here? Won’t your parents get mad at me for dirtying up the place?”

“Don’t worry, Hyuna unnie. I think they’d be more angry if they found out I let a friend go home all cold and wet because of me,” the girl answered before giving the buzzer another push.

A few tries later, Joohyun figured that her parents were probably out. Fishing out a bunch of keys from her bag, she quickly unlocked the door and led the way inside. “Please, come in.”

Hyuna followed, heaving a sigh of relief when she realized the house was indeed empty. The last thing she wanted was to get into an awkward situation with the girl’s parents. After all, it was her first time here and she was not exactly in a presentable state. She looked like a beggar at best.

“I’ll get you a towel and some dry clothes. You can take a warm shower,” Joohyun hurried into her room and emerged with the items mentioned soon after.

After a quick rinse off, Hyuna threw on the t-shirt she was given, giggling when she saw the reflection in the mirror. There was a cat printed on the shirt and it had one of the dorkiest expressions she had ever seen. She left the washroom briskly and soon found Joohyun in the living room.

“Are you all warmed up?” The younger girl smiled at the sight of her.

Hyuna nodded, “Yes. Thank you, Joohyun. So, you like cats, too?” She looked down at the shirt once more.

“I love them! They’re so cute and fluffy!” Joohyun gushed. “If I could I’d keep ten of them. Too bad my parents won’t ever allow it.”

Her enthusiasm put a smile on Hyuna’s face, “Well, maybe you can do that when you get your own place.”

“Oh, I definitely will.”

“Anyway, I’m really sorry for causing this inconvenience. I’ll get these clothes washed, pressed, and back to you by next week.”

“Please don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have taken your umbrella in the first place. I’m sorry,” Joohyun mumbled, still feeling guilty for allowing the older girl to get caught in the mad rain.

Sighing, Hyuna grinned, “Okay, let’s just stop apologizing. I should probably be on my way home.”

“Are you in a hurry? Please at least have something to drink before you go,” Joohyun was already on her way to the kitchen before Hyuna could say anything.

They were soon settled on the couch, Hyuna sipping on black coffee, Joohyun savoring a mug of hot chocolate.

It started to become unusually quiet so Joohyun attempted to start a conversation, “Hyuna unnie?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

It was a loaded question that could mean so many things. Clearing , Hyuna set her cup down onto the coffee table. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Why did you lie about having a ride home?” Joohyun took another drink from her mug slowly.

Hyuna laughed nervously at the question as she racked her brains for an excuse that would not sound dumb. Denial seemed like her best bet, so she refuted, “I, uh… I didn’