Heehyun had never felt more tired in her life. If there was anything that she hated in this world more than anything—it would be being someone’s secret. And that’s exactly what she was. Someone’s dirty secret.

From the rushed and spontaneous make out sessions, to having to slip out in the wee hours of the morning, to having to carry out a facade. Heehyun found it draining to have to keep up with the lies.

But Heehyun was no stranger to secrets. In fact, she spent most of her life being one.

Heehyun trailed kisses down the unmarked porcelain skin and stopped to look up when a sigh escaped the younger girl’s mouth.

“H—Heehyun-ah,” she moaned, clearly out of breath.

Heehyun smirked. “I think we should end it here for today. What do you think Chaeyeon?”

Gritting her teeth, she whispered, “don’t you dare stop Ki Heehyun.”

Heehyun bent down and kissed Chaeyeon’s inner thighs, dangerously close to pushing the younger girl over the edge.

Chaeyeon whimpered. “Don’t tease me,” she groaned.

The corner of Heehyun’s lips twitched in amusement as she watched the girl squirm underneath her. Sighing she leaned forward and kissed Chaeyeon’s neck, lightly on it, careful not to create a hickey on Chaeyeon’s pale skin.

This elicited a soft sigh of pleasure from Chaeyeon, who brought her hand to the older girl’s head, running her fingers through her hair.

Heehyun brought her lips close to Chaeyeon’s ear, brushing a strand of her hair back. “I hate to end things here—but,” she paused, “you’re going to be late for tutoring, Princess.” Heehyun leaned back, rolling off the bed. “I still don’t get why you have to get tutored in the summer.” Heehyun sighed.  “I mean it’s summer break! It’s called a break for a reason.” She muttered under her breath.

Chaeyeon’s eyes widened, and she swore under breath, cursing herself for forgetting the time. She glanced at the clock. I have 30 minutes. I can make it. She quickly ran into the bathroom to wash up and get dressed.

Heehyun laid back in bed and watched Chaeyeon fuss over her hair with a lazy smile on her face. After touching up her makeup, Chaeyeon grabbed her schoolbag and checked herself in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she turned around to see a now fully-clothed Heehyun smirking while watching her.

Chaeyeon felt the heat creeping up to her face and turned around briskly, feeling self-conscious for no apparent reason. Heehyun’s gaze was piercing and she could feel her heart flutter from all the attention she was receiving from the older girl.

Heehyun couldn’t help but smile at Chaeyeon’s apparent shyness as she looked away after noticing her staring. Heehyun got up and grabbed the keys that were on the nightstand and walked towards the door. “I’ll give you a lift there.”

Chaeyeon nodded and followed the older girl.

Heehyun handed Chaeyeon a motorcycle helmet and after getting on, she proceeded to help Chaeyeon ride the bike. “You ready?” Chaeyeon responded by nodding and squeezing Heehyun’s waist tighter. She kicked the kickstand and revved the engine before speeding off.

If there was one thing that Chaeyeon loved, it was the feeling of the wind on her skin as she tore through the streets of Seoul on Heehyun’s motorcycle. The adrenaline that came with the speed was just a bonus. She enjoyed the feeling of freedom that the motorcycle offered her, and especially the owner that came with said motorcycle.

She loved wrapping her arms around Heehyun as she skillfully weaved in and out of traffic. She was able to feel that abs that the older girl developed over time as competitive swimmer, and being on her bike was a convenient excuse for her to feel them through Heehyun’s thin jacket.

It was also one of the only ways for the two of them to really be together in public and close to one another. The helmets hid their identities from prying eyes and allowed them a brief taste of what it was like to be free. They were—in their own ways, caged to their fate.

Chaeyeon tightened her grip on Heehyun’s waist as the latter made a sharp turn into a busy street. The wind whipped against the face shield as they began to pick up speed. Chaeyeon closed her eyes and let herself feel the wind brushing on her skin. She leaned in closer to Heehyun and smiled. Small everyday moments like these were what she considered perfect.

The motorcycle came to a gradual stop, as Heehyun parked in front of a fancy restaurant. Kicking the kickstand, she let the bike lean on it as she turned off the engine. She got off the bike and helped Chaeyeon get off as well. She gently took off the helmet off Chaeyeon and put it in the hidden compartment of the bike. Chaeyeon smiled gratefully and straightened her clothing.

Heehyun noticed the static in her hair, and proceeded to fix it, patting it down and brushing her hair with her fingers. Satisfied with her work, she gave Chaeyeon a thumbs up. Chaeyeon blushed shyly and smiled. Heehyun wanted desperately to rip off her helmet and kiss Chaeyeon goodbye with a forehead kiss, but she restrained herself. Instead she patted her head, and watched the younger girl enter a high-end café while clutching her schoolbag. Chaeyeon turned back before entering the café, and waved a shy goodbye.

Satisfied that Chaeyeon arrived to her tutoring destination safely, Heehyun got on the bike and rode off back to the direction they came from.

Chaeyeon pushed the doors open into the café and greeted the workers with a smile. She scanned the room quickly. She spotted a well-dressed woman with chocolate hair sitting in the back corner of the café.

“Mimi-unnie!” She walked up to the table with a grin.

“Oh Chaeyeon-ie~ You’re here!” She smiled. “Here. Unnie got you your favorite—a strawberry latte with extra whipped cream!”

“Unnie~” Chaeyeon said it with aegyo, causing the older girl to cringe slightly. Chaeyeon sat down and opened her bag to take out her books.

Mimi took a sip of her coffee before asking, “So, who’s the girl who drove you here? The one in the motorcycle?” She asked curiously.

“Oh… no one, just a neighbor of mine who was kind enough to give me a lift here.”

Mimi looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “She said it was on the way for her.” Chaeyeon added quickly.

“Ohh… So is that why she just took off back in the direction you just came from?” Mimi asked incredulously, with a sly smile.

Chaeyeon pretended not to hear the last comment and began searching her notes for a question she could ask to change the subject. However, she couldn’t seem to hide the blush on her cheeks as it betrayed her pokerface, as her pale complexion gave everything away.

Mimi smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your parents.”

Chaeyeon looked up with a poker face, “What do you mean? There’s nothing to tell them anyways.”

“Sure,” She hummed, “Is that why you’re blushing?”

Chaeyeon’s eyes widened slightly, now painfully aware of her reddening cheeks. “N-no I’m not. It’s just—really hot in here.” She took a sip of her latte, trying to calm herself down.

Mimi let out a laugh, “Girl if you’re going to lie, you really need to work on your poker face.”

Chaeyeon frowned, “I’m not lying Unnie! Honest!”

“Yeah, yeah.” The older girl brushed her off casually, “Whatever you want,” she smiled.

Chaeyeon puffed in frustration, crossing her arms and pouting.

“Aigo~ You’re just so cute~” Mimi leaned over and pinched her cheeks, causing Chaeyeon to yelp in surprise. “Was that your girlfriend?” She teased. “Aigo~ My Chaeyeon-ie is all grown up now!” She brough her hand to her eye and pretended to wipe a fake tear.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Chaeyeon glared.

“Whatever you say my cute dongsaeng~ Whatever you say.”

Chaeyeon groaned. “Why are you like this Unnie?”

“Like what?” Mimi asked innocently.

Chaeyeon wanted to reach over the table and grab Mimi by the collar. But common sense brought her back to her senses. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down.

“If you’re not girlfriends, then perhaps—a friends with benefits?” Mimi made an O with her lips, bringing her hands to cover , pretending to gasp in shock.

At that moment, a red-haired girl stood behind Mimi and whacked her on the head with a notebook.

“If you have that much to say, why don’t you actually tell her something useful and teach her something new instead of teasing her all the time?” The red-haired girl growled.

Mimi looked up and frowned, “I’m not teasing her. I’m just…playfully prodding.”

The other girl rolled her eyes and sat down in the booth next to Mimi.

“Sorry I’m late Chaeyeon, I should’ve known better than to let this idiot,” pointing at Mimi with her thumb, “cover for me. I was running late since the meeting took longer than expected.” She smiled.

Mimi huffed, muttering something under her breath about punctuality. The girl nudged Mimi in the stomach, and watched as Mimi doubled over in pain.

Chaeyeon couldn’t help but smile at the two’s antics. “It’s okay Hana-unnie, you came just on time.”

“Thanks Chaeyeon-ie.” She shot a smile at Chaeyeon, before turning to look at Mimi. “I still can’t believe I’ve dated you for as long as a have.” Hana sighed rubbing her temples.

“I know right? I’m such a great catch. Where else could you find someone so perfect like me?” Mimi smirked.

Hana rolled her eyes and ignored the other girl. “Don’t listen to her Chae, she’s just being… detestable.”

“Hey!” She shouted in protest. Mimi reached over to cover Hana’s mouth, while Hana playfully swatted Mimi’s hands’ attempts to silence her.

Chaeyeon couldn’t help but feel sad while watching the scene in front of her. She could never have that with Heehyun. It made her heart ache uncontrollably. So she watched the couple in front of her with slight envy. Wishing she could have that with the girl she loved.

Summer was supposed to be the time where things grew and thrived. But for some reason, inside she felt a part of herself dying.

//

Dani and Somi met up at the library over the weekend to practice physics problems for a quiz they were going to have in the upcoming week. Dani found the subject moderately interesting, while Somi died internally every time she had to draw force diagrams for a problem.

Somi groaned as she moved on to another problem. There’s no end this. She groaned mentally. She turned to look at Dani, who was focused on a math problem, she had finished the physics questions a long time ago. Somi watched her eyebrows furrow in concentration as she scribbled on a piece of paper.

Somi sighed. She had given up a long time ago on physics, so she took this time to admire the tall girl next to her. Somi started with her face, and her gaze trailed down slowly.

Dani had a slim face, with sharp features which made her look effortlessly beautiful. She had angular cheekbones, and a sharp jawline which accentuated her small chin, and large eyes that resembled a puppy. Somi thought she looked prettiest when she was working.

Somi’s eyes stopped at her lips. They were pursed in concentration, which accentuated the fullness of her lips, making them kissable. Somi nearly had to slap herself to get herself sorted straight. There’s no way she was in love with Dani—right? I need to focus, she mentally berated herself.

A voice snapped Somi out of her thoughts.

“What are you looking at?” asked Dani quizzically. She tilted her head to get a better look at Somi.

“You, duh.” Somi averted her eyes, “We’ve been in the library for 3 hours straight. I’m going crazy!”

Dani looked down at Somi’s notebook. “Som, we’ve been here 3 hours and you only did five questions.”

Somi groaned, “Dani I’m dying over here. I think I sold my soul just to finish those five questions.” She closed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair in frustration.

“Somi. You literally did five questions out of thirty. You’re not even close to being halfway done.” The older girl grumbled. “Wasn’t your resolution this year to do better in school?”

“Yes, but I’m starting to think that goal is out of my league. How about I just maintain my grades?”

“Did you forget the bet you made with your dad? Are you giving up on your Hawaiian vacation just when school started?” Dani smiled.

“Ugh, you’re right.” Somi groaned in annoyance. She had made a bet with her dad, that if she could raise her school ranking by minimum of 8 by the end of the semester, she could go on a vacation to Hawaii during winter break. She had barely managed to negotiate a plus one ticket with her dad. She wasn’t going to let her efforts go to waste. Especially since that plus one was for Dani.

With a newfound fire, Somi started scribbling furiously. Dani could only watch the younger girl in amusement. She found it cute how fired up Somi could get once she set her mind on something.

An hour had passed. Dani finished solving the extra suggested problems and turned to see how Somi was doing. She was on her fourteenth problem, and was progressing quickly. Dani took one of the complete problems and looked over it to see if there were any mistakes. After going through a couple of Somi’s papers, Dani leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes.

She felt exhausted, luckily she had become Somi’s private tutor. The work was less demanding since she only had to follow Somi’s progress. On top of it, Somi was someone who caught on to teachings easily—usually that is, which made the work less tedious.

It was also a bonus that she was tutoring her best friend. Work and play at the same time, a perfect balance of the two.

Dani checked the time on her phone. The screen lit up, and there were four missed texts. One from Im Nayoung, and the other from Chaeyeon.

Stone Captain:

Don’t forget, soccer tryouts are this week. I need you to remind Somi to come too.

I have a good feeling about this year. Don’t be late.

Dani quickly texted back.

I’ll remind her to come. I’ll meet you on the field with the equipment.

Dani scrolled to Chaeyeon’s text.

Chae-unnie <3:

Dani, you’re not staying at your parents’ house this weekend right?

Let me know when you’re going to be home so I can cook dinner. It’s your favorite! Dakgalbi <3

Dani grinned.

As usual, you’re the best unnie~

I’ll text you when I’m on the way back! <3

Dani put down the phone and watched Somi tearing through the problems. Feeling famished, and not wanting to disturb Somi while she was on a roll, she got up silently and left the library. Dani went downstairs to the hakyo maejum (school convenience store) to buy some snacks and beverages for the two of them.

Slipping into the seat next to Somi, she quietly placed the bag on the table. Dani leaned over her shoulder to see where she was at with the questions.

Somi felt shadow looming over her and it was progressively getting closer, so she whipped her head around to see Dani’s surprised face. Their faces were only centimeters apart, and Somi was painfully aware of how close their lips were. She could feel Dani’s breath tickling her lips as the latter was frozen in place. If she leaned forward slightly, their lips would connect instantly.

Dani’s breath was caught in . The distance between their faces was almost non-existent, and she feel herself drawn into the younger girl’s gaze. Just lean in, a voice in the back of her head whispered. Dani pushed away the tempting thought, and managed to whisper to Somi, “N-Nayoung wants us to watch the soccer tryouts—for new recruits.” was dry, making her voice came out slightly hoarse.  

A twinge of pink spread on both girls’ cheeks as they both looked away shyly.

“Oh o—okay.” Somi whispered.

Trying to defuse the now awkward situation, Dani directed their attention to the food she had gotten. “I bought some food,” Dani pointed at the bag on the desk, “I figured you would be hungry from working so hard.” She looked down, burning a hole in the floor, the twinge of pink now became a hot red.

“Thanks Dani.” Somi smiled sheepfully, while reaching for the bag, the blush still apparent on her face.

After finishing their snacks, they decided to end their day of studying.

“My brain is fried,” Somi rubbed her temples, “I hate physics.”

Dani chuckled and patted Somi’s head. “It probably hates you too.”

Somi pouted. “I’ll just get 100 in it so I’ll never have to look at it again,” she grumbled.

“That’s the spirit, Som.”

They decided to walk around after studying, and ended up bumping into Chaeyeon.

“Oh, unnie!” Dani ran to Chaeyeon, wrapping her arms around her waist, hugging her tightly.

“Dani!” The older girl yelped out in surprise, before breaking out into a laugh. “What are you doing here?” She looked at Dani affectionately. Chaeyeon then noticed Somi standing behind Dani. “Somi! You’re here too!”

Somi gave a shy wave to her upperclassman and approached the two hesitantly. She felt slightly envious of how affectionate the two were. Although she was best friends with Dani, her and Chaeyeon had been friends from when they were in elementary, meaning that they had spent more time together growing up. Time Somi wished she had had with Dani.

Dani noticed the gap between them and Somi, so she motioned for Somi to come closer. Somi snapped out of her thoughts and stood beside Dani.

“I was on my way to buy groceries for dinner tonight.”

“Oh really? I’ll come with you!” Dani smiled. She glanced at Somi, whose expression immediately soured. “Somi, you wanna come with?”

Somi changed her expression seamlessly, “No that’s okay, I uh—have something I have to do later.” She started backing up, “I’ll see you later.”

Dani frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you later. Have fun with Chaeyeon-unnie.” Somi forced a smile.

Dani didn’t seem to catch on and simply nodded, waving goodbye, then turned around to face Chaeyeon. Somi started walking away, but in a moment of spontaneity, she looked back, hoping to see if Dani would too. Instead Dani and Chaeyeon had walked quite a distance, and Somi noticed that Dani’s arm was looped around Chaeyeon’s. The distance between the two was so close, one could almost mistake them for lovers.

Somi’s heart dropped. It felt like someone pulled her heart out. Kicking at the concrete, she watched the two until their figures disappeared into the crowd. Somi couldn’t help but feel at a loss. She couldn’t really be in love with her best friend, right? Maybe this feeling stemmed from the admiration she had towards the older girl. How pathetic. Having a crush on your tutor is so cliché. But was it just a simple crush on someone she admired? Somi mulled over these thoughts as she was left standing alone in a sea of people.

I can’t be in love with her. But her insistence to deny these thoughts were met with self-doubt. This feeling will go away. It’s just temporary. I can’t be in love with her. We’ve known each other for so long. It’s just that I care a lot about her…

Somi frowned. She recounted how happy Dani looked with Chaeyeon, and it just made the sinking feeling in her heart worse. Just forget about it, Somi. Pushing the thoughts aside, she decided to walk back to the dorms. She hoped that the walk would clear her mind, and her heart.

//

Doyeon and Yeonjung were seated at a restaurant with two empty seats in front of them.

“Doyeon, why the hell did you drag me here? I don’t want to be third wheeling with you and Yoojung!” She rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her exasperated sighs.

“Listen, just do me this favor okay!”

Yeonjung narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but kept her thoughts to herself. “Fine. But you’re paying.”

Doyeon nodded, “Of course, what do you take me for?”

Yeonjung rolled her eyes again and turned her attention to her phone.

Doyeon tapped on the table nervously, waiting for the two empty seats to be filled.

After waiting for more thirty minutes, two figures entered the restaurant—one short and the other tall. Yoojung led the way while Eunwoo followed. She spotted Doyeon and Yeonjung sitting together near the back of the restaurant.

Yoojung walked up the table slowly—embarrassed for being late. “H-hey guys…” She waved shyly.

“About time Yoojung! We literally waited almost an hour for you!” Yeonjung growled. She looked past Yoojung, and narrowed her eyes. “Cha Eunwoo?” pausing, before remembering to add honorofics, “-ssi…?” She frowned. She didn’t know Yoojung and Eunwoo were friends.

Eunwoo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before composing himself, “Ah, yes… Yoojung invited me to eat with Doyeon for lunch today. I didn’t know she was also bringing someone else.” He smiled politely.

Yeonjung hummed in response, finally understanding what Doyeon was stressing about this whole time. “Mm, well, plans change I guess.” She replied curtly.

Doyeon watched the stare down between Eunwoo and Yeonjung. Eunwoo seemed to sizing up Yeonjung, while Yeonjung looked at him without much interest, only mildly annoyed at being dragged into this “double date” scenario.

One thing that Doyeon loved about Yeonjung was her ability to catch on fast to things and her perception. She was pretty sure that the older girl knew what was going on now, which made things easier for Doyeon. Yeonjung was pretty much already unimpressed with Eunwoo.

Wanting to diffuse the situation Doyeon motioned for the two to sit down, Yoojung sat in front of Doyeon, while Eunwoo sat in front of Yeonjung.

Awkward silence filled the table. Yoojung kept looking nervously between Eunwoo, Yeonjung, and Doyeon. The two girls were shooting daggers at Eunwoo. More accurately, Yeonjung looked bored, but slightly annoyed, while Doyeon looked plain angry. Yoojung bit her lip nervously.

A voice cut through the silence.

“Imo! We’ll have two servings of samgyeopsal, two servings of galbi and two serving of bulgogi please!” Yeonjung shouted.

Her order was met with affirmation from the owner, who shuffled in the kitchen to retrieve the orders.

Doyeon was grateful for Yeonjung’s presence. The girl carried on like nothing was wrong, even though she knew that Doyeon must have felt extremely uncomfortable. However, she knew that Doyeon would prefer for her not to say anything about it, and that she would hear from her later when she was ready.

Doyeon stared at Yoojung. She couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed at her supposed “best friend.” When she asked Yoojung to have lunch with her, the last thing she expected was a surprise invitation extended to Eunwoo—someone she had only met recently. The two of them looked awfully close to one another in the short time they knew one another. Doyeon hated to admit it, but she was jealous. Yoojung barely hung out with her at school anymore, and although being best friends didn’t mean that the two of them had to be joined at the hips, it was still a clear deviation from their usual routine.

Yeonjung glanced up from her phone with a worried expression on her face after taking a look at Doyeon. The girl was usually so cheerful and happy-go-lucky, but today she looked absolutely pissed. Yeonjung shook her head, despite knowing Doyeon for so long, it was still a scary sight to see her look so angry.

The owner brought out the orders, and left after he placed the servings of meat on the table. Yeonjung reached out for the tongs and started grilling the meat attentively, flipping the meat ever so often to make sure they weren’t burning. As the smell of meat wafted through the air, the atmosphere at the table changed from awkward silence, to uncomfortable silence. For some reason the table felt stuffier than it should have been.

Eunwoo was the first one to break the trance everyone was in by reaching in and taking a piece of meat while the rest was still cooking, annoying Yeonjung.

Yoojung was frozen in place, as she felt Doyeon’s eyes evaluating her from top to bottom. The look in the younger girl’s eyes was intense, and she suddenly felt smaller than usual.

“Doyeon-ie…” She called to her best friend affectionately, her eyes curving into crescents. Doyeon nearly almost lost her resolve right there to stay mad at her best friend. Her smile and eye-smile made Doyeon melt instantly, it was her weakness and she could feel her anger slowly subside. Yes, if she could only look at me like that… Doyeon felt suffocated. She knew exactly why she was acting like this.

She had been in love with Yoojung probably from the moment they first met, although it wasn’t obvious at the time. She always found herself dotting on the older girl, and she was fiercely protective of her. For a short time, Yoojung had been bullied in school, and when Doyeon had found out, she went on a bloodthirsty hunt for the bullies. After a couple of bruises later, a broken nose, and a lot of blood, Doyeon effectively became Yoojung’s white knight. She always chided Doyeon for using her fists when angry (she’s gotten better at restraining herself now), since it usually resulted in injury, and Yoojung didn’t like the idea of her Doyeon being in pain.

Doyeon couldn’t stand seeing Yoojung suffering, so she did whatever she could to ease it. Sometimes that resulted in her getting a little hurt, but to Doyeon, it was worth it.

To see Yoojung smile was like seeing the sun peering out of the clouds on a rainy day.

Yoojung would always kiss the parts of Doyeon that hurt, but this time, Doyeon didn’t think that her kisses could will away the pain growing in her heart this time. Doyeon wondered whether the feeling would ever go away. She knew that Yoojung probably didn’t feel the same way about her. Doyeon had watched her love others, and be hurt by them. So when she whispered that she’d always be there for her, and that she would never leave her, it made her feel trapped. Would she lose Yoojung if she told her about the feelings she had for the shorter girl? For potential chance at happiness, would she be ready to give up everything? Her feelings were killing her slowly. It was a catch-22. If she confesses there’s a huge probability that she would be rejected—or worse, lose Yoojung. But by keeping the feelings bottled up inside, and having to pretend was making her lose her sanity. Doyeon didn’t think she could handle losing Yoojung, so she tried her best to contain her feelings, pushing them aside and tried to mentally restrain herself.

Yoojung could feel herself melting away under Doyeon’s watchful eyes. If looks could kill, this was it. She shuffled in her chair, accidentally bumping into Eunwoo next to her, who only looked at her quizzically before turning his attention back to the food in front of him.

Doyeon’s intense stare was making her feel slightly self-conscious due to all the attention that was being placed on her, she didn’t mind though. She liked the attention only if it came from Doyeon. But there was something different in Doyeon’s eyes this time, was it jealousy? Yoojung brushed away the thought as quickly as it came.  Aye~ That can’t be. Kim Doyeon jealous? Why would she be jealous? There’s no way… She glanced at Doyeon who seemed to have turned her attention to the food in front of her, picking at it instead of eating.

Yoojung felt that there was something off about Doyeon today, the usually cheerful girl was awfully quiet. She had been avoiding eye contact with Yoojung for the majority of the time. Yoojung tried deciphering her thoughts, but Doyeon was exceptionally hard to read at times. She sat there slightly perplexed at her best friend’s odd behavior, she wondered what she could have done wrong lately. Doyeon had been acting weird for the past few weeks.

After finishing their meal, Doyeon suddenly announced that her and Yeonjung had to leave. Yoojung let them go without much fuss, thinking that Doyeon had to do something important, but in reality Doyeon just couldn’t stand being in the same room as Yoojung and Eunwoo. Seeing them sit together, laugh together, whisper together. It drove Doyeon nuts.

After walking a few blocks away, Yeonjung grabbed Doyeon’s wrist, forcing her to stop and turn around. “Are you going to be okay?” She asked worriedly.

Doyeon was at a loss for words, “I don’t know anymore,” she whispered, “I just feel like I’m going crazy.”

Yeonjung’s expression darkened and she turned around to ace the direction of the restaurant that they came from and said, “if you feel like your heart could burst at any moment, why don’t you just tell her? She knows there’s something wrong.”

Doyeon shook her head, “if she knew, why didn’t she say anything?” Her tone was filled with a slight resentment. “She could have stopped me.”

Yeonjung rolled her eyes in response, “Doyeon. No one is a mind reader; you can’t just assume she knows what’s wrong with you. You have to communicate,” she sighed.

“She should know! She’s supposed to be one of my best friends!” Doyeon exploded. “I thought she cared about me. But she can’t even be bothered to talk to me, and instead she spends all her time with Eunwoo.”

“You’re jealous. That’s dangerous.” Yeonjung narrowed her eyes, “possessiveness is not a good sign Doyeon. You can’t blame her for not knowing how you feel if you never even made an attempt to tell her how you feel. If you’re going to be passive aggressive, it’s just not going to work.”

Doyeon could only growl in frustration. It was driving her crazy for sure. “How can she not know how I feel about her?”

Yeonjung frowned. “Just talk to her. You guys have barely spoken for the past few weeks, maybe she’s just unsure how to approach you. You’re not exactly making it easy for her too you know. Your passive aggressiveness is just making things worse you pabo.”

Doyeon groaned and started to walk away, she didn’t want to listen to this anymore. Though in her heart, she knew that Yeonjung was right.

Yeonjung watched her walk away before following her. She knew that the heart and mind were never in sync when it came to love, so she couldn’t exactly hold it against Doyeon. She hoped that Doyeon would be able to confront her fear instead of being controlled by it.

//

“Sejeong-unnie?”

Sejeong stood frozen in front of the stove with a dazed look on her face.

“Unnie! The eggs are burning!” Mina pointed at the frying pan with open in surprise.

“Uh, oh?” Sejeong glanced down. “Oh my god!” She quickly turned off the stove and moved the pan aside. She smiled sheepishly and said, “Sorry… I was thinking about something.”

“No kidding, you’ve been staring at the wall for like 10 minutes.” Mina grumbled, “What happened to you last night anyways? I could hear you squealing even in my dreams.” She sighed before taking a bite of her toast.

Memories of last night came flashed through her mind in snapshots, and she could feel the heat creeping up her face. She turned to face the stove and put her head down to avoid Mina’s watchful gaze. “Oh, n—nothing, just had a good day at work.”

Mina narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and hummed in response. “Anyways, I’m going to meet up with Hyeyeon now,” she grabbed her bag, “try not to burn down the house while I’m gone.” And with smile, she left.

Sejeong gave up scrubbing the pan and plopped down on the couch. She sighed and stared at the ceiling, trying to gather her thoughts. She couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. About Hyoseol. About how she was going to face her on Monday at school. She felt embarrassed.  Even though that kiss only occurred due to the circumstances she was in, Sejeong couldn’t get rid of the tingle in her heart. Every time she closed her eyes, she could still feel Hyoseol’s breath and lips on hers. Suddenly the image of Hyoseol was replaced with Chungha’s face, making her heart sink.

She could feel Chungha’s hands cupping her face, instead of Hyoseol’s. She remembered her smile, and how clumsy their first kiss was. The memories played back in Sejeong’s mind. The sound of Chungha’s laughter after their foreheads bumped into each other on their first attempt at a kiss. The feeling of their fingers intertwined, and how warm and secure she felt in her embrace. Sejeong missed it all. It was pointless to deny it. Sejeong frowned. She couldn’t seem to forget about these feelings. And truthfully, her heart still fluttered a little whenever she would see Chungha in the halls.

It’s not like she was her first love, but Chungha had left an impression on Sejeong. She was probably the first person that Sejeong had loved with all of her heart. It was similar to a first love though, she mused. The kind of love that’s pure and hopeful, it was the kind where you gave it your all. So when they broke up, Sejeong was devastated. She had spent months moping around the house, which made Hana, Nayoung, and Mina worried. They had tried their best to cheer Sejeong up, but they acknowledged that time was what she needed for her to get over their breakup.

Whenever they would pass by each other in the halls, she could feel a sharp stab in her heart, followed by a hollow aching. It was as if her heart wanted to break free from her chest and run over to Chungha, to beg for her to come back. Sejeong wished she didn’t feel this way. Even after a year, her heart still belonged to Chungha. But her heart was wavering slightly now. And it all had to do with a certain black-haired transfer student.

To make matters more complicated, she was extremely close to her ex-girlfriend, and she also happened to be the ex-girlfriend of Chungha’s cousin. It was a complicated relationship web.  Even though her and Chungha were on civil terms now, she still wasn’t sure how to approach this newfound attraction of hers. There was still the bitter aftertaste left from her breakup with Chungha, and along with it the emotional baggage. But she couldn’t deny the physical attraction she felt to the Chinese girl. Perhaps what she felt for the girl was more along the lines of lust and infatuation? Either way, the high Sejeong experienced from her kiss with Hyoseol was crashing now. She felt more confused than ever.

//

Chungha’s eyes fluttered open. How did I get here? She wondered. Suddenly a wave of nausea and dizziness hit her like a tsunami, forcing her to clench her eyes until the feeling subsided. She felt an urge to vomit so she grabbed the trashcan next to the bed and started throwing up.

You heard the sound of rustling and retching coming from the guest room so you quickly ran into the room to a dishevelled Chungha. “Jeez, you look like ,” you looked at her worriedly.

Chungha didn’t hear a word and continued puking out the contents in her stomach from last night, which unfortunately left her with a disgusting aftertaste and a burnt throat. The acid that burnt made feel like sandpaper. Her head felt like it was going to explode. It was as if someone was squeezing her skull, and her brain was trying to claw its way out.

You handed her the glass of water that was on the nightstand and watched her gulp it down desperately. You handed her a bottle of painkillers and pointed at the water bottle next to the lamp. “Here, I’m pretty sure your head’s killing you.” Then you turned to leave, “Take a shower. You smell horrible.”

Chungha nodded even though you couldn’t see her. She poured out two tablets and washed them down with water. She was still groggy and disorientated, so it took her a couple of tries for her to get up successfully. She stumbled into the bathroom and managed to take off her clothes, then entering the shower.

After an excruciating long time, Chungha came out the bathroom looking less pale and sweaty than she did when she woke up, making her look less like a corpse and somewhat more alive. She looked kind of funny wearing your clothes, since you were much taller than her, your clothes looked extremely oversized on her. You tried to stifle a laugh before Chungha glared at you, forcing you to choke by accident. You cleared your throat, “anyways I’m too tired to cook lunch for us so let’s just go out to eat.” Chungha nodded mutely and followed you out the door.

“Can I get one ppyeo haejangguk (ox bone hangover soup) and one soondubu jjigae please?” You glanced at Chungha across the table as she looked dazed, her eyes unfocused.

“What happened last night? I just remember getting there, and ordering a ton of drinks… and I think me, Heehyun and Suhyun were betting on who could drink the most…” she blanked out.

“Then you and the Hyuns were so wasted that I had to drag your sorry asses back home.” You finished for her.

She looked up at you slightly surprised, then her expression turned to one of embarrassment. “D—did I say anything weird to you? I’m sorry for making you go through all that trouble,” she smiled sheepishly. “I promise the next time I’ll make it up to you!”

Remembering her drunken, spontaneous declaration, the corners of your lips curved upwards. “Nothing happened,” you smiled to reassure her.

“Phew,” she looked relieved.

I’m guessing she doesn’t remember that far into the night. She’s a horrible drunk. Your thoughts then trailed off to Sejeong and to the kiss you shared with her, making you feel guilty for kissing her ex. But in your defense, it was to make the stalker go away. At least, that’s what you tried to convince yourself to think.

Chungha noticed you were lost in thought, so she took the time to examine you without you noticing. Her eyes trailed from your eyes to your lips. She thought you look cute with the lost expression your face.

After finishing eating, the two of you decided to call it a day. You dropped her off at her apartment and told her that you left Heehyun and Suhyun in the care of Chaeyeon.

“Chaeyeon? In our apartment?” Chungha looked shocked and slightly confused, “how did she get in? I didn’t know her and Heehyun were friends.”

You shrugged, “when I was trying to punch in the code the door suddenly opened and there she was.”

Chungha seemed to contemplate the matter, “well at least now I know that the idiot duo couldn’t have drowned in their own vomit and self-pity.” She sighed, “Heehyun my idiot roommate… Suhyun’s going to die when Eunwoo tracks her down to our apartment.”

You laughed, “well… hopefully Suhyun survives. She’s pretty funny, and I’ll be sad if she dies.” You dug your hands into your pockets, “anyways, you should probably get some sleep. You drank a lot. Don’t forget to hydrate yourself.” You gave Chungha a hug, and turned to leave.

Chungha entered the apartment and found Heehyun on the couch, but no sign of Suhyun. Girl must’ve snuck herself out before Eunwoo wakes up. Chungha had to admire the girl’s ability to avoid near-death experiences.

Chungha walked past Heehyun’s room, when something caught her eye. Retracing her steps, she stuck her head in her room. She walked in carefully and saw a sleeping Chaeyeon curled up into a ball on Heehyun’s bed.

“What the heck?” She accidentally thought out loud, unable to hide her surprise.

Heehyun was going to have to explain this.

Midterms are slowly killing me, why is university so hard?

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Let me know in the comments what you think, do you like how the story's going so far? The direction of the ships? I'd love to have some feedback. Kinda flying blind at the moment haha. Hope you all have a nice weekend, good luck with midterms if you have any!

P.S  I passed my driving exam today! Finally licenced! :D

P.P.S I watched the goodbye stage for Very Very Very and I'm so emotional. I can't believe it's their last promo stage. ALL THE FEELS. Even though we all knew they were going to disband I still feel sooooo sad :((
I love them so much. IOI forever~ When they actually have their goodbye concert I'll be drowning in my tears forsure... at least we'll get a reunion in 5 years T_T
The girls must be so sad.. sigh. :(