Title: A Different Kind of Romance
Pairing/s: Seola/Soobin
Summary: Seola keeps on insisting she is Soobin’s ideal type. Soobin shuts her down for the nth time.
A/N: I just wanna ramble about cute how seolbin is. Let me live. Also because I haven’t seen any (?) Soobin-centric fic anywhere. Soobin’s thoughts about Seola staring at her + Seola being stubborn as always + WJSN and cold rainy weather :)  comments and upvotes are appreciated!  i'll do bonlu next.

It happens within the fraction of a second; fragmented scenes, like a series of photographs all happening at the same time. Yet, everything is vivid.

Soobin’s dreams have always been colorful. She dreams of meeting Seola for the first time again.

It’s her strongest memory of her, a never-exhausting loop of staring at each other.

It’s spring, and Soobin’s dream-self knows this because the warmth of the morning sun peeking through the old blinds of the company’s cafeteria makes her at ease. Everything almost looks normal, the chairs, the tables, the ahjumma behind the counter with a distinct mole on the left side of her nose, except for the unnatural colors.

Everything is splashed in a motley of gradient color palettes, too bright and intense for Soobin’s eyes but she knows better than to fixate on anything other than the blank pages of a light purple and yellow book in her hand. She reaches for her hot chocolate in a neon green paper cup when the turquoise door swings open.

Seola comes in with quiet steps, a hand deep in the pockets of her white hoodie while the other, outstretched, holding a small neon red and pink plastic box.

Soobin looks up from her book. Seola stops in her tracks. She stares and Soobin stares back.  

It’s all they do until the dreamscape shifts and the walls melt in thick waves of chrome and silver and gray. Soobin looks down and sees her own fingers melting as well, flesh merging with the light purple and yellow book.

She wakes up in Seola’s arms, their fingers still laced, Seola’s leg looped around her calves. She catches Seola staring at her with a small smile on her lips.

“…I knew it.” Soobin groans, dazed and half-asleep. “Unnie, stop doing that. I dreamt of you again.”

“Then it must’ve been a good dream.” Seola mumbles. Gentle fingers tuck stray strands of hair behind Soobin’s ear. “Why aren’t I your ideal type?”

“What?” Soobin huffs, fragments of her latest dream slipping away from her consciousness. “We don’t have schedules for today, right? Can I go back to sleep?”

“I meet all your criteria. I’m tall and nice, I have a good sense of humor and I give you the warmest hugs.”

“Why do you keep trying to be my ideal type? It’s not like I’m your type either. You even said you’d date Xiao.”

“Who’s your type then? Tall, nice, funny and huggable?” Seola appears startled, and she opens her round dark eyes wide. “Eunseo?”

Soobin meets her gaze and doesn’t say anything.

There’s always something in the way that Seola looks at her. It’s more than just a stare, almost as if she’s convinced that she would be able to read Soobin’s mind if she tries hard enough.

They look at each other for a few seconds before Soobin decides she’s too sleepy to argue. She nuzzles against Seola, and wraps an arm around her waist. Seola doesn’t protest and instead, drapes an arm around her and pulls her closer.

Soobin falls back asleep but doesn’t dream of anything this time.

+

The next time she wakes up, the space where Seola used to be is empty, only to be replaced by the outline of her on the bedsheet.

It’s a cold day after a colder night of rain; the sun hiding behind dark gray clouds, crumpled bedsheets, feet shuffling in the kitchen, quiet voices and hushed chatter.

Soobin’s stomach grumbles. She makes a beeline to the kitchen where Seola is peeling persimmons and pears (everyone else is either loitering around the dorm or sleeping in). Seola immediately reaches over to feed her fruit slices which she gratefully accepts.

Eunseo walks in, taking a huge bite off of her apple, before she checks the contents of the fridge.

“Soobinie, your ideal type’s here.” Seola says nonchalantly.

Eunseo takes a bottle of energy drink before closing the fridge and looks around. “Me?”

Soobin almost chokes on her persimmon slice. “Eh- what?” She gives Eunseo and Seola a look of disapproval. “No!”

“I’m everyone’s type.” Eunseo poses and clicks her tongue before retreating back to the living room.

When Eunseo’s out of view, Soobin complains, “You’re still thinking about that? Until now? It’s been months since we did the V App.”

“I thought you were just joking but then you keep on denying I’m your ideal type even if it’s just us.” Seola pops one fruit slice after another in .

“But you really aren’t. Why are you like this? Don’t sulk.” Soobin arms herself with a huge smile and goes around the small dining table to smack Seola in the arm. She reaches for a fruit slice and hovers it in front of Seola’s pouting lips. “That doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

Seola eats the fruit slice with a huge curl on her lips, but the doubt in her eyes tells Soobin she has not won her over just yet.

+

The day progresses but the sun remains missing. The rain starts again, gradually, before it roars like last night.

“I miss playing in the rain.” Yeonjung suddenly says, absentmindedly, as she eats half of her bread in one bite.

Soobin couldn’t tell whether it was Dayoung or Exy or Bona (or someone else entirely), who pitches the idea because she’s rearranging her growing collection of cicada skins, but it spreads quickly throughout the dorm.

Suddenly there’s a moment of discussion as everyone gathers in the living room; Seola and Exy mostly going over the pros and cons, the cold weather, their wet laundry (the week’s assigned Natural Unit argues they should all split the laundry to all units just this once to be fair), and the certainty of severe punishment from their management once they find out.

“We’re not going to stay too long outside.” Dayoung says.

“Still, we can’t assume that none of us will catch a cold.” Eunseo narrows her eyes and gives a quick glance in Bona’s direction.

Luda opens the door and replies. “It’s the perfect rainy weather. It’s not even that cold outside.”

“Are you kidding me? It’s freezing!” Yeoreum runs her hands up and down her arms.

“Then don’t join.”

“It’s all or nothing.” Bona declares. “Either we do this or we don’t. We all have to have fun and suffer together in case we get caught.”

“Who votes for a yes, raise your hand.” Seola says eagerly, raising her own hand right after.

Soobin meets everyone’s eyes but Seola’s gaze holds her for a moment before they share a little smile. Her hand shoots up in the air. Many others raise their hand hesitantly. More than half but certainly not everyone.

Eunseo remains silent. Soobin thinks she’s most likely worrying about Bona who just recovered from a cold three weeks ago. Yeoreum looks undecided as well, with her arms crossed over her chest. Near the door, Luda reassures Dawon she won’t get sick since they won’t take long outside and take a shower right after.

To Soobin’s left, Cheng Xiao mumbles something unintelligible. Exy tells everyone to keep quiet and Cheng Xiao to repeat what she just said.