"What are you talking about?"

"Oh my god, ______, stop acting. You are sooooo obvious, don't even try."

Yeri rolled her eyes. It was break, and Irene had gone with her family on a trip back to their hometown. The rest of them, who all lived in Seoul, had stayed and were hanging out at ______'s favorite place, the ice cream shop.

"Look. We know you like her, just let us help," Seulgi pressed. "Just talk to us. Don't keep it in."

______ sighed. "How did you even know, anyways?"

"Didn't we tell you? You are SO obvious." Wendy laughed.

"Well first, there was the fact that you cut off all ties with society soon after she got her first boyfriend. And you stopped talking to Irene. Your best friend since, well, forever! If you didn't tell her about it, it's about her." Joy noted.

"Wow, never knew you guys were so smart," ______ teased.

Yeri ignored that and continued. "Plus, when you came back, you tensed every time you saw Bogum-ssi, and you were normal when you hung out with us, unless Bogum-ssi was there."

"Or the fact that you stare at her every time she talks."

"Or when you're not talking or paying attention your eyes just kinda drift to her."

"Also, every time she smiles."

"Your eyes get all starry and scream 'I'm a lovesick fool' whenever you look at her."

"Which is a LOT."

______ blushed, her ice cream. "Okay, okay, I get it, I'm the worst actress in the world'. What are you going to do...now that you know?" They could sense the hesitation in her voice.

"First, you are going to talk to us," Wendy demanded. "Second, you are going to ask us for help if you need it. Third, you will NOT avoid us. And lastly, we will give our little innocent baby some love advice and help when she needs it," Wendy pinched her cheeks and ______ glared, which was more like a pout.

"Got it?"

"Got it," ______ muttered.

"So first," Joy started happily. Matchmaking was HER thing. Especially if it involved one of her friends.

"You gotta get closer to her."
______ rolled her eyes. "I don't think that's possible."

"Well-maybe not closer, in your case. But start acting more like a boyfriend, you know? Ask to hang out with her, text her often, give her food, whatever."

"Only you would say 'give her food' is part of being a boyfriend."

"Shut up. Anyways, act like the best boyfriend ever, so when you ask her out, finally, she'll be like 'Yes, you're like a boyfriend anyways,'" Joy tried to imitate Irene.

"She doesn't sound like that."

"You're even defending her now! Awww, good job." ______ her ice cream again, hiding her red face.

"And then?" She prompted.

"Wait for her to break up with Bogum, and ask her out."

"That's it?"

"Or confess to her if you can't wait," Wendy suggested.

"I don't want to break them up."

Joy sighed. "______. That 'unrequited love martyr trope' is so overrated. Do you think she'll be happier with you? Honestly, has Bogum ever done something and you thought 'I could treat Irene better'?"

"Y..es?"

"Then go for it. You're doing it 'cause you're trying to be selfless but if Irene would be happier with you..."

"It's okay to be selfish sometimes, ______-ah. Find your own happiness too," Seulgi commented wisely.

"Go for it."

______ smiled at Irene, who was sitting next to her in class.

Irene was completely focused, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. She silently mouthed the words, trying to understand what the words meant.

English class was hard for most of the class. For ______, who was fluent in English, it was a breeze. She had finished the assignment in minutes, practically whistling as she went, and now resorted to staring at her crush to cure her boredom(though she admits that it's a little creepy of her to do so).

Irene looked up and startled at the person who was staring at her.

"Woah, you surprised me! Why are you staring at me?"

"You're pretty," ______ immediately said without thinking, before her eyes widened and she turned away in embarrassment.

Irene giggled. "Cute."

______ blushed even more and turned back slowly. "Need help?" ______ offered

The older girl pouted and nodded. "What is...this?"

She pointed at a word.

"Zebra."

"Leeeebra."

"Zee-bra."

"Lee-bra."

______ giggled at her accent and translated it. Irene crossed her hands over her chest.

"Why do we need to know the english word for zebra? When's the last time you ever heard anyone say the word zebra? In any language?"

"Three seconds ago," ______ pointed out.

"Don't be a wise aleck."

They looked at each other and burst into giggles, quieting when they noticed the stares directed at them.

Class passed by fairly quickly that way, and soon Bogum came by to Irene. ______ didn't protest when they walked over to ______ and Irene's regular table together, though she was pouting in her head at having to sit two seats away from that Bogum, with Irene in the middle.

At least she got to sit next to Irene.

Lunch was pretty uneventful. The group joked around and talked like usual, though ______'s friends kept giving her eye signals and eyebrow raises and head tilts that were probably more obvious than her liking Irene.

______ glared at her friends, then silently shared her chips with Irene, placing it between them. It was casual and normal for them, ever since they were little, but her friends couldn't seem to stop giving her weird signals until she violently kicked Joy under the table for making more obvious gestures.

"Whaddaya all want?" She muttered to Yeri, who sat beside her

"Hold her hand or something!" Yeri whispered back. ______ gave her a look.

"We're eating! Next to her boyfriend."

Yeri shrugged. "I don't know what they're trying to tell you."

"Can you ask?"

The message was passed down and back.

Yeri tapped ______'s shoulder. "They just wanted to annoy you."

______ rolled her eyes and kicked someone particularly hard(probably Joy, from the way she winced).

Soon, the bell rang, and everyone groaned. ______ walked back to their classroom, class 1-2, with Irene.

They walked back mostly in silence, though smiling, shoulders brushing. Just before they walked in, Irene spoke up.

"Hey, ______?"

"Yeah?"

"Since you're good at english..."

______ could see where this was going, and she liked it very much.

"Could you come tutor me after school?"

"How could I refuse my best friend?" ______ grinned cheekily and Irene laughed.

They walked in, already feeling the depressing atmosphere of a classroom. Everyone was groaning as soon as they saw the teacher, except for one girl who was celebrating, excited for the afternoon.

A/N

Hey guys!

This chapter has a completely different mood from the chapters before it and the ending but otherwise I'm not sure if I like how it turned out so give me some feedback(and some love). 사랑해 주세요!
This story has passed 5000 words!(an achievement for me since I usually end at about 3000) Don't worry, there's still more. Thanks to all the subscribers, commenters, upvoters, etc. As always, you can always come talk to me!