6:45.

Joohyun eyes the wall clock and lets out a short puff of air. She is standing outside the girl’s locker room, waiting for the Seulgi. With an earphone attached to one ear, she can still hear the low murmurs and giggles from within the room.

The doors open and a series of girls stream out. Joohyun adjusts her bag and keeps an eye out for Seulgi. A few of them bow and give out greetings to her, and she bows back, plastering on a polite smile. Most sport the customary lumpy bags that students who are member of a club of some sort tend to have.

“Hyun!”

Finally.

Seulgi approaches her with a smile on her face, bouncing to where Joohyun is. Joohyun smiles back. Her happiness is always infectious.

However, when Seulgi reaches Joohyun, a slight confused frown is on her face. She tilts her head adorably at Joohyun, and reaches out to grab the girl’s wrist, to where she knows her watch is.

“It’s nearly seven!” she exclaims comically, “what are you still doing here?”

Joohyun bites her lips to stop herself from laughing when Seulgi looks up at the wall clock, as if to confirm the time. As if Joohyun’s watch is incorrect.

“I was waiting for you.” Joohyun breathes in. She carefully removes and places her earphones in her pocket.

She steps back and gently pushes Seulgi’s hand away, immediately regretting the action and missing the comfortable warmth. No matter how sweaty Seulgi’s hand is.

“Ugh. You stink.” She doesn’t really, but Joohyun could never resist having a go at Seulgi.

Joohyun wrinkles her nose, and finally laughs out loud when Seulgi gives her a shove. The look of innocent confusion in her eyes now had a flicker of mild annoyance.

“Joohyun! If you’re here just to annoy me—“

Seulgi stomps her foot, in mock frustration, but Joohyun could trace mirth dancing from within her features. “I’m not,” Joohyun makes a move to approach Seulgi, then dances back, in feigned disgust, pinching her nose.

Seulgi whines in frustration, and Joohyun practically cackles.

After several failed attempts of approaching Joohyun, Seulgi pouts, adjusts her bags over her shoulder, and marches away.

Joohyun giggles and follows Seulgi.

She really is too cute for her own good.

“Seulgi-ah.” She calls out, as they walk to the entrance of the building. Her eyes glance over to the windows, and she sees how dark it is. A teasing smirk graces her lips, when she sees Seulgi determinedly ignoring her.

“Seulgi-ah.” No response.

It takes all of her willpower not to grab Seulgi right then and there and hug her. Joohyun resisted.

 Seulgi would humor Joohyun whether she wanted to or not. After all, it was nearly an hour of silent patient waiting that Joohyun had to endure (not that she minded, she hardly did when it came to Seulgi).

“I’ve got your school work from Park-sunsaengnim already.”

She grins when Seulgi pauses, and Joohyun catches up with her. Her smile widens even more when they resume walking, together.

“Thanks,” Seulgi mutters, knowing she can’t leave Joohyun behind, without getting her much-needed school work.

Yet.

Somehow, Joohyun knows that even without that, Seulgi would not leave without her.

It is just how it is.

How they have always been.

They resume walking, in comfortable silence this time. Well, comfortable for Joohyun. She never was one for constant chatter.

Seulgi broke the silence, as they made their way down the front steps of the building.

“You didn’t have to wait for me, you know?”

Joohyun rolled her eyes. She knew Seulgi knew the answer, but being the dumb bear that she is, constant affirmation is needed to know that Joohyun would never go home without her on Fridays.

“Idiot.” She nudges Seulgi’s shoulder with hers. “It’s a Friday today.”

Joohyun considers herself a responsible student who liked to be constantly organized. She keeps schedules for herself, and she would not dare, break them. Friday’s the only time she is free. And Friday’s really, the only time she gets to slow down and enjoy moments like this with Seulgi.

“I know, but,” Seulgi pauses for a while, “it’s really late now.”

“I know.”

“Your Student Council work ended an hour ago.”

“It did.”

“You know I could have just gone home with Sooyoung, or something.”

It is Joohyun who pauses this time, and she turns to look at the girl. She could not believe Seulgi just said that! She is pretty sure indignation is written on her face, and she hopes that the involuntary (and definitely unwelcome, Sooyoung is just a friend, but still) pang of hurt isn’t too clearly seen.

“What—“

Seulgi’s face is dead serious when they stop under a street lamp. In a way, it is eerie, and Joohyun wants to tear her eyes off her. Her mind goes blank, and she is pretty sure she has stopped breathing. She can feel her chest tightening.

Not in a good way.

Joohyun breathes in, and out. To calm down.

She does it again and—

“Oh God!”

Seulgi bursts out laughing, and Joohyun is left with a confused expression on her face.

“Your face!” Seulgi chortles out loud, and Joohyun bristles. She can feel anger welling up within her, and she is pretty sure tears are starting to gather at the corner of her eyes. She hates how Seulgi can so easily provoke these unwanted emotions within her.

“I was kidding!”

Hates how Seulgi, whether intentionally or not, can so easily mess with her feelings.

“Ah, unnie, don’t be like that.” Seulgi giggles when Joohyun stalks away from her, a few paces ahead of the younger.

“.”

Joohyun mutters out loud, leading to more snickers from Seulgi. She soon catches up, and places a hand on the crook of Joohyun’s arm.

“Don’t be mad anymore, Hyunnie.”

Joohyun doesn’t look but she knows Seulgi is staring at her with that annoyingly attractive smile, and those eyes she could never seem to resist. Instantly, her apology is accepted.

She knows that no matter what Seulgi does, she can never stay mad at her.

So she crumbles, with one final whine from Seulgi.

“Yeah, yeah.”

She rolls her eyes at Seulgi’s awkward attempts of acting cute (not that she enjoys it. Well, not too much.).

“Don’t joke about stuff like that.”

She glares at the girl. She doesn’t want to think of how Seulgi carelessly throws those words out. How she makes it sound so easy. That she can find someone who will replace Joohyun as easily as taking a walk in the park.

Heck, she probably can, Joohyun thinks.

And it scares her.

She hopes Seulgi did not just hear the crack of emotion in her voice, and she tries to cover it up with a soft cough.

“I won’t.”

Joohyun averts her eyes from Seulgi’s.

“Why’d you tell me I stunk, though? I did take a shower!”

Joohyun’s eyes go back to Seulgi’s just when the younger childishly sticks her tongue out.

 Joohyun laughs.

So eager is she to distract herself, that she barely notices it when Seulgi glides her hand down to Joohyun’s.

Joohyun doesn’t see Seulgi’s soft smile when she automatically twines her fingers over hers. Or the way her eyes seemed to linger on Joohyun’s face, before turning back to the path ahead.