(Listening to Lost Stars cover by Pristin Roa)

Author POV

Stepping through the crowd, while holding paper in the hand, her brown eyes wondered around. Among hundred of students, one of them will be the roommate, that is the current thinking.

"Hello, may I help you, junior?"

A tall girl, wearing thick-black glasses kindly approaching, smiling wide on her face. "Kim Minkyung at your service,"

As response, she just raised the paper she's holding casually.

"O-oh, searching for your room?"

"Yeah,"

"Let me see," Minkyung asked for the paper which the latter gladly gave.

"The block not far away. 10 minutes from here,"

"On left wing, walk through the end and turn right. There's signboard to guide you,"

Looking at the blunt new student, the senior mentally asked why only she's the one who talking.

But when the deep voice muttered, she was surprised a bit.

"Thank you, Minkyung-sshi," the latter said.

"I'm going right away now then. See you," curving a little smile, she walked out from the space after bowing politely.

Standing at the same spot, Minkyung frowned. She wished, she heard right what the newcomer just addressed her.

Minkyung-sshi? Shouldnt I be Minkyung unnie or sunbaenim???

Weird.

"Unnie!" one voice roaring from the crowd attracted her attention. A tiny girl with pony-tail hair running happily towards her as she smiling as sweet as she can.

"Looking happy huh?" Minkyung asked the other, "You know how I wish we are not in the same faculty,"

"Aish, you're mean. Isnt you should be happy because we're going to meet more regularly after this?"

Minkyung pursed her lips,

"Hmm, bless only you,"

The younger girl threw herself on the latter's tall figure, hugging her with all her strength.
"Unnie, I miss you so much,"

"Yebin, this is not a good time for reunion. Unnie have work to do. You see these bunch of lost people? They need me," although she quite annoyed by Yebin's exciting state, Minkyung still can put a smile, hugging back her high-school junior. "Have you meet your new roommate?"

"Of course. A foreigner, named Kyung something," Yebin replied. She released herself, chin up to see the tall girl's face. "Her Korean is quite good and she's pretty too,"

"As pretty as me?" Minkyung put an evil smile.

"Aigoo..." Yebin flinched.

"Full of yourself,"

"Well, you always said I'm the most beautiful,"

"Yeah, but right here, right now. You're not the most beautiful girl alive anymore,"

"Says who?"

"I say, there's one girl with perfect face. Staying in the room next to mine. Her visual is not a joke,"

"Really?"

Yebin just hummed.

"Name?"

"Rumor has it. She is the younger sister of the prom queen Jessica Jung,"

Furrowing her eyebrows at the junior, Minkyung shot her curious look. "Jessica-nim has little sister?"

Nodding her head in confidence, Yebin added,

"And the name is Krystal Jung Soo Jung,"

***

Laying her body down on the smooth mattress, she takes a deep breath and close her eyes.  In mind, she can't stop thinking, what next will she must go through.

That day, officially, she's a university student.

Officially, she's free from parents' observance.

Officially, she's fully independent in decision making.

And officially, she's taking the next phrase of life.

As a real adult.

The sound of knocking door snapped out her daydream. Lazily, she rose from the bed and headed straight, opening the door.

As when the other face caught her view, she was amazed for a moment.

"You... Dahyun?" the deep voice asked, staring at the pretty figure despite of the awkward air among them.

"No..." she denied.

"Uhm..." hesitating, the short-hair glanced at the paper. "This is room 3, I am right?"

"No, its room 1. There's room 3," she replied, pointing at the other door. "You knocked the wrong side,"

"O-oh," rubbing the unitchy head, she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry,"

"Its okay,"

The figure bowed before stepping away, leaving the other girl watching her back secretly.

Wait,

She asked herself,

Did I just see a boy getting through girls' dormitory????

***

Stealing glances on the short hair- girl doing, while tidying her own desk, Dahyun can't stop wondering why the latter only appeared with backpack and a paper bag.

Mostly, girls bring a mountain of their belongings to new place but it seems different for the roommate.

Her small head also lingers a question, why in the world that girl looks really like a boy.

"You have extra pillow?"

Dahyun snapped out from her thinking.

"Y-yes?"

The boyish smiled as she looked at the white-skin girl. "I forgot my pillow. Do you have extra?"

"Oh..." she moved toward the cupboard. "I have, but really small. You want?"

She nodded and Dahyun passed the stuff directly.

"Thank you, Dahyun,"

"You know my name,"

"Yes, its written clearly in the form. Kim Dahyun, Fine Art student. Right?"

"I'm sorry but  I didnt notice that," Dahyun replied. "Yeah, I'm Kim Dahyun. Very nice to meet you,"

Looking at the shorter streching her hands out, she took it gladly then.

"The name is Amber. I'm major in English literature. Nice to see you too, Dahyun,"

"So you're not a Korean,"

"Yes, I'm from LA. Born in Taiwan, growing up in America and moved to Ilsan after high school graduation," while telling her roommate a bit of her background, Amber abled to arranged some of her stuff on the rack. "I learn Korean dilligently just to enroll this university. I chose English since its my native language,"

She shifted to Dahyun, asking,

"You? What about you?"

Dahyun slurped the juice box before settling herself on the single bed. She replied casually, "I'm pure Korean. Born here, growing up here. Like what you know already, I'm Fine Art student, major in Painting. Well Amber, your Korean is not bad. I'm proud to know a foreigner like you talking in our language,"

"And just to say, at first I thought you're a boy,"

That made Amber chuckled as response.

"Short-hair with boy outfits, can't blame you for that," she stated, looking at Dahyun with a smile. "I'm not into girlish style, sorry to disappoint you,"

The fair skin girl nodded.

"Oh, have you meet other housemates?" she questioned, slurping the liquid until the last drop.

Amber, still immersed tidying her place, shook.

But then she remembered at first she had knock the wrong door. Which a long hair girl opened, with face she found is incredibly pretty.

"Yes, I've met one but... consider it was not ofiicially meeting,"

The younger girl raised from her bed and tied her long hair to bun-shape. She said, "You know tonight, there's assemble for us, the newly freshmen at the reading room, right?"

"Oh, really?? I dont know,"

"Yeah," Dahyun began to fold her undies but stopped as she stared at the older girl. "You... okay if you see my underwear?" she pointed at the scattered outfits.

Half-laughing, Amber replied, "What's wrong with that? Absolutely I am okay!"

"Well, I dont know, just to ask," Dahyun casually muttered, shrugging.

The smile from Amber's slowly faded as she awared, at some point, there's meaning from the latter's question.

She is a tomboy meanwhile Dahyun, as she can clearly see is a feminine girl. Their opposite appearances could be the reason she blurted out.

Perhaps, she's not comfortable.

Amber mentally have thought.

"Dahyun,"

"Yes?"

"I will just say this," the boyish shifted her body around, managed to face the other girl more comfortably. "I dont mind if you want to do anything. Uhm, let's just consider we have borders as roommates. Common sense is very important since we are going to stay together for a year, like in the deal with dormitory residence. I am older much than you if you wanna know but its okay to speak casually,"

"If you need any help, dont hesitate to ask. I mean no harm to people,"

Listening to the firm tone from Amber, Dahyun gave her perplexed look.

"O...kay,"

Why in the world the soft side of her change in a blink of an eye? Did I say something wrong anywayyy??? Dahyun monologued.

"Amber, err I'll call you unnie because it is more respectful. Here in South Korea we the youngest must addressed the oldest formally,"

The boyish smiled a little.

"I know, I'm used to it too,"

"So, you are my little sister from this moment. Is that okay?"

Wah! Now being soft again!

Dahyun forced a grin on her face, "Yeah-yeah, of course, I dont mind, Amber unnie,"

She continued folding the clothes and furthered, "Are you okay if sometimes I can be super crazy?"

"Crazy?" Amber shot a frown then. "You mean, the sudden foolish action which you dont know why you behave like that?"

Dahyun's mouth went agape instantly.

"Err sorry?"

"Haha, no, its nothing," Amber laughed. "Once you know me better, you'll know the other side of me too, Dahyun,"

The brunette stopped what she's been doing, glancing curiously at the boyish. "Dont say you'll turn to monster at night please,"

That made the latter laughed even more.

"Of course not! I'm a pure human as you can see. I'm... normal too," she stated,  shaking her head afterward. "Now I sense you're crazy side already. That's escalated quickly,"

"Oh wait until few days, unnie. You'll see more," Dahyun added, grinning.

"I hope you'll stay as my friend until we graduate. You... seems so nice,"

"Thank you," Amber muttered as she avoided to make an eye contact.

"I hope that too, Dahyun," she said- looking at the girl once again with lips clamped tightly together.

Maybe, this is the beginning to forget my awful past.

Maybe, I should work harder to be a good friend.

I may seem nice at first, Dahyun.

But I'm not sure either I can be this nice for longer time.

Whatever you think of me, I hope you will always see me as regular person. As one of your friends, as one of people who you know.

Not as the girl with boyish side.

Not as the girl who act and behave like a boy.

Or not as the girl who once had fallen for a girl romantically.