Plucking the last series of chords, Wendy finally decided to call it a day.

The sun was already setting outside the wide glass windows of the music room, painting ivory walls with splotches of gold and orange. Wendy stared for a bit, admiring its beauty.

She had hated the music room at first, if she were to be frank. Upon seeing the wide, glass windows and the buckets of sunlight it allows to spill in, she had felt tremendously disappointed. She didn’t fancy sunlight. It burns; leaving scorches of yellow hues across her skin and dancing white lights in her eyes.

Enchanting views like this, however, made it all worth it.

Wendy stared at the horizon, dazed. Her eyes filled with awe, lips already humming a tune of lilac skies and scattered gold. She watched the sun rest beyond the hills, resuming putting her guitar back into its case after it did as though taken out of a trance.

She shouldered the case and started toward the door. Time to go home.

Wendy stepped out of the music room and paused, turning to the door to the other room, an idea forming in her head.

“I wonder…” she muttered to herself as she advanced toward the door, fingers curling around the brass knob. She didn’t bother knocking. It wouldn’t be heard over the loud beats reverberating inside anyway. Slowly, quietly, she opened the door.

She had never been in the practice room. Mainly because she had no reason to. She was greeted by booming music and darkness as she closed the door—dark grey walls, black floor, dim lighting—and felt a tinge of jealousy. How come dance people get to have a dark room while music people have to suffer the light?

She carefully walked through the foyer, hand skimming the dark grey wall. Surprisingly, the air didn’t smell of sweat. The place even smelled neat. Like flowers. It was probably because it was the girls practice room.

Up ahead, Wendy could see her reflection from the mirrored wall, creeping forward like a stalker. The place seemed empty except for a purple towel hung on a rack. She continued on, peeked around the corner, and held her breath.

There she was.

Target sighted.

Sure, she wasn’t on duty now but she felt like she should use even her free time just to make some progress because she had an inkling that Irene Bae was going to be a tough nut to crack.

She silently watched in wonder and interest as Irene Bae moved passionately to the music, dancing around a chair, untied black hair flying about and coming back down unruly. The choreography was flawless; just the right mixture of sultry and class and the girl executing it was just as perfect.

Wendy continued to watch, captivated by the art.

Art. This has to be art.

“Who’s there?”

Wendy snapped out of her trance at the silent voice that somehow carried through the loud music. She didn’t realize Irene Bae had stopped dancing, looking at her direction with tousled hair and short breaths. Wendy tries not to be shaken by the sinful sight.

Work. Think about work. Wendy reminds herself, Think about the kids.

The image of Joy and Yeri’s evil smiles along with Seulgi’s wide-eyed innocence always did the trick.

Taking a deep breath of miraculously odorless air, she stepped out of her hiding place, sporting an unsure grin and an awkwardly raised hand in poor substitution of a friendly wave. Irene Bae ran her fingers through her hair, narrowing her eyes at her. Wendy swallowed, ears feeling hot.

“Wendy-ssi?”

“H-Hi, sunbae,”

She watched as Irene Bae run a hand through her dark locks again with a sigh. The girl turned around, crouched over the music player, and the loud beats stopped.

Irene Bae straightened up and started towards her.

Suddenly, it was too quiet. Wendy wished the music kept going instead.

“What are you doing here?” Irene Bae asked, voice quiet yet echoing in the still room.

“Nothing.” Wendy shrugged, thankful that she was an expert on making impromptu scripts. The musicals helped. “Just heard the music and decided to go check if you’re here,”

Irene Bae tilted her head to the side yet Wendy still couldn’t read her unchanging stoic expression. She didn’t know if she was curious or just had a stiff neck.

“Why?”

Looks like it’s the former.

“Well,” Wendy started, looking elsewhere to think because looking directly at Irene Bae would make her neurons promptly combust,

“I just wanted to check on you.” she said, the words forming easily now, “I meant it when I said I wanted to start over,”

Wendy’s not expecting the scoff that spilled out of Irene Bae’s lips and marvels at how it doesn’t change her expression one bit.

“You’re befriending me,”

“Yep!” Wendy chirped, smiling bright.

“Even if I told you not to,” Irene Bae takes a step forward, expression still unchanging.

Wendy blinked, “But you didn’t exactly—h-huh?” she staggered back when the other girl continued to walk forward, eating up her personal space, and backing her to a corner, lavender assaulting her senses. At the back of her mind, she wondered how this girl could still smell good even after hours of practice.

“S-Sunbaenim?”

Her back hit the wall, leaving her with no room to back up to, yet Irene Bae still continues forward, intense gaze locked with hers. Confusion then turned into panic as palms plant themselves on the spots beside her head and all she could see was Irene Bae’s face in all its beautiful glory, proximity too close that she notices the tendrils of ebony sticking on the sides of her face, tiny beads of sweat trickling slowly down carved jaw, and pink dusted cheeks.

“You’re quite stubborn, aren’t you?” the older girl drawls, minty breath hitting Wendy’s lips.

She couldn’t bring herself to answer, rendered speechless. Her mind had long stopped working. She stares back into Irene Bae’s pools of dark brown, however, eyes wide with panic, her expression communicating for .

The older girl ignored the look on her face and leans even closer, lips ghosting over hers, their noses brushing. Wendy takes in a sharp breath, heart racing thrice faster she was almost dizzy. What the heck was happening?

Wendy never thought Irene Bae would react like this. She expected a cold shoulder and a few sugarcoated snide remarks. But not this.

She could have pushed the girl off. Her hands were free. But at the moment, the option didn’t come to her supposedly brilliant mind, too caught up with alluring beauty and dizzying lavender.

“I’m not looking for friendship, Wendy-ssi,”

Irene Bae says, every move of her lips making Wendy tremble, their mouths separated by hairsbreadth. She wanted to ask her what she meant by that and why she was doing this but she didn’t trust herself to speak, scared their lips would make contact.

And then Irene Bae’s tilting her head to the side, leaning in past her lips and straight to her ear, lips near yet not touching, the warmth of her presence sending shivers down Wendy’s back. She stilled for a moment and all Wendy could hear was the roar of blood in her ears, the frantic beats of her heart, and Irene Bae’s quiet and annoyingly even breathing.

“I’m warning you one last time, Wendy-ssi,” the girl whispered, hot breath turning Wendy’s ear red, “Stay away from me,”

— And she was gone, stepping away lightly with grace, leaving the air she once occupied cold and Wendy’s skin warm.

As though everything wasn’t enough, Irene Bae just had to look at her over her shoulder as she sauntered away, lips stretching into a rare smile that cradled secrets and mystery for a miraculous second before it drops, and Wendy caught her breath.

It lasted for a split-second, even shorter than her smile, but Wendy was sure it was there.

For a split-second, Irene Bae’s eyes reflected broken glass.

 

***

 

Never, in her entire dating agency career, did Wendy wish to give up. People she dealt with were sometimes difficult and everything didn’t always go according to the plan but she never thought of backing out.

And she won’t start now.

(Not when Irene Bae had given her that look in her eyes. That intense gaze that carried too much pain)

She had thought it over through a sleepless night of tossing and turning and despite being sleep deprived, got up the next morning feeling more clearheaded. In ten hours of thinking, she had come up with a conclusion:

Irene Bae was trying to scare her off.

Wendy had no idea why the girl was too bent on avoiding people but she clearly didn’t want companions. She said so herself (“I’m not looking for friendship, Wendy-ssi”) though Wendy didn’t really understand why she had to tell her in such a suggestive position. Perhaps it was to make her listen. Irene Bae was probably aware of how her beauty renders people speechless and used it against her. How clever.

However, the girl’s threat only made Wendy more vigorous than ever. She thought it was sad that Irene Bae didn’t want friends and had none of them. Now she wants to try even harder in breaking down those walls and maybe after all this was finished, she could still be her friend.

With that ambitious goal in mind, Wendy walked into their music class, armed with her glasses and earpiece, and sat next to Irene Bae without hesitation.

Wendy beamed at her.

Irene Bae looked at her as though she had lost her mind.

“Good morning, sunbae,”

“What are you doing here,”

Wendy shrugged, “The same reason as you. So, class, maybe?”

Irene Bae stared at her.

Wendy stared back, defiant.

And then the other girl was leaning closer and it took everything in Wendy not to bolt.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up, Wan,” Seulgi went off in her ear. In the background, she could hear Joy and Yeri squealing in alarm. “Hey, why aren’t you moving?”

Wendy ignored her and stood (sat?) her ground, staring back at intense black orbs that stopped a short distance from her. Her mind was sending red alerts and alarm bells and the fact that Irene Bae smelled so good wasn’t helping.

Those dark eyes seemed to be reading off hers. Wendy felt exposed which was ridiculous. This girl couldn’t seriously see through her, right?

“You don’t look like you’re going to take my warning seriously,” Irene Bae spoke, her voice quieter than usual that it gave Wendy chills.

“Warning? What warning?” Yeri asked.

“Unnie, did something happen yesterday?” Joy added, “What is she talking about?”

Wendy pursed her lips, hoping the voices in her ear would learn to shut up and actually help her out. They were supposed to give her scripts, for heaven’s sake, not give their reactions on everything like Wendy’s life was a freaking TV show.

“I took those very seriously. Thoughts of it replaced sleeping, actually,” Wendy replied, surprisingly not stammering, “And I decided to take the risk,”

“And why is that?”

Thoughts of what could be flashed in Wendy’s mind.

Irene Bae and Park Bogum would make a good picture.

(Maybe then this girl wouldn’t be so alone and gloomy.)

(Maybe then her eyes won’t look like shattered glass; beautiful but broken)

“You’re worth it,”

The pink that lightly dusted Irene Bae’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed. It was comforting, since Wendy herself felt her cheeks heating up at the unstoppable cheesy remark as well. The older girl finally leaned back and out of Wendy’s circle of comfort, frowning.

(In her ear, her reaction paper of friends howled like a bunch of monkeys. “Damn it, Son. You’re supposed to befriend her! Not flirt with her!” “Ah, I’m cringing!”)

Ignoring the noises in her ear, Wendy watched the girl beside her. Irene Bae had turned to fix her things. Well, not really fixing them. She was arranging the pencils, and then disarranging, only to arrange them again. She wore a frown all throughout, lips pursed in thought.

So I’m dismissed now, huh? Wendy thought, wondering if Irene Bae had silently given her permission to become her friend.

“So, sunbae,” she spoke, leaning her cheek on her knuckle, “Can I call you ‘unnie’ now?”

Irene Bae didn’t even look at her.

“No,”

Wendy groaned, throwing her hands up to the air, “Oh, come on!” she whined then shifted, leaning on her elbows, towards the girl, “Irene-unnie,” she tried, testing the name on her tongue.

Irene Bae stiffened up.

“No? Joohyun-unnie, then?” Wendy tried again, cocking her head to the side, “Joohyun-unnie?”

A low growl escaped the girl’s lips. In a blink of an eye, Irene Bae’s face was all over Wendy’s again, skin painted red. In fury, she wagered. Just how much did she hate being called unnie?

“Don’t you dare call me that again,”

Wendy gulped.

“…Y-Yes, sunbae,”

Irene Bae went back to her seat and Wendy looked around, wondering if someone saw them and thought they were being weird. Apparently, no one did. The lecturer then arrived.

“Okay, everyone shut up now,” Professor Jang hit his pen against the desk repeatedly and the chatter quieted down. He pushed his thick glasses up, “I’m going to give you your project for the preliminaries so you cupcakes better be paying attention. It’s simple, really. You brats should be thankful. I just want you to pair up with whomever and make a song composition. Nothing fancy. I’ll give you a week to finish that. After that, you need to do a performance. Add a dance, breathe fire, shoot yourself, whatever. I’ll give you the rest of the time to discuss,” with that, the professor hobbled out of the class and noise erupted, students claiming their desired partner.

Wendy expected everyone to go after the Irene Bae. Surprisingly though, the girl didn’t get even one offer which was weird. Even Wendy got her share of requests.

“Wendy-ssi, let’s partner up?”

“I’m really good at composing, Wendy-ssi!”

“Wendy-ssi! Partner up with me!”

In her ear, Joy tutted, “Ah, pathetic. They’re clearly going to you to get a free ride. Being a genius has its downside too, huh?”

“Ignore them, unnie.” ordered Yeri, “Go pair up with Irene Bae. Because—what was it?”

She could hear the -eating grin on Joy’s face when she said, “Because she’s worth it,” and they both cackled away.

Wendy fought the urge to scream NOT TODAY, SATAN and tear the earpiece off and throw it out the window.

“I was going to do that without you telling me to,” Wendy murmured under her breath, through a gritted smile as she declined her eager classmates.

She turned to her seatmate only to find her seat empty. She stood, trying to look over the bunch of students that had started to crowd her. Her small stature, however, made it difficult.

“Wendy-ssi! We’re classmates in calculus, remember?”

“Wendy-ssi! We already paired up once! Let’s be partners again!”

“Wendy-ssi! Wendy-ssi!”

The sheer amount of students was overwhelming her. Everyone spoke at the same time it was driving her nuts. For some reason, the crowd never subsided even as she had already declined countless requests.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her wrist, scaring the wits out of her. Had these brats finally resorted to physical abuse?

“Seungwan-ah,”

Everyone’s calls immediately reduced to hushed murmurs at the voice. Wendy looked up and her fear melted down.

There, in the midst of everyone, shining like a beacon was Irene Bae. She had parted the crowd by her presence alone and had a way paved for her to walk through. Everyone stood a good distance away, as though afraid they’ll get burnt-

Wait a minute, Seungwan?

“S-Sunbaenim?”

A tug on her arm, “Aren’t we going to discuss the project? What’s taking you so long?” another tug on her arm got her standing, “Come on, partner.”

“Y-Yeah,” somehow, Wendy managed to gather her things and shoot an apologetic smile to everyone while Irene Bae still had a hold on her arm, impatiently tugging and insisting they go while sending death glares at everyone.

The older girl only let her go when they got out of the classroom.

Wendy followed her in a daze, still disoriented because what the hell just happened?

“Sorry about that,” Irene Bae suddenly spoke, voice almost inaudible Wendy had to walk closer to hear, “I just had to get you out of there. You looked uncomfortable,”

Wendy smiled. Was Irene Bae perhaps finally warming up to her?

“Thank you, Joohyun-unnie,”

Irene Bae halted in her tracks and glared at her, “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

Wendy raised her brows, feeling confident with her cards, “No one told you about the name Seungwan as well. At least I didn’t,”

For a second, Irene Bae’s jaw went tense, eyes widening slightly before going back to normal, “A friend told me,”

Wendy couldn’t hide her surprise, “You have a friend?”

Irene Bae narrowed her eyes, “What are you implying? That I don’t have any?”

“Er, don’t you?” she carefully answered, “I mean, you did say you’re not looking for friendship,”

Irene Bae stared at her point blank before snorting humorlessly. It was the most serious snort Wendy had ever heard, “How naïve,” she continued walking, “You can find another partner. I wasn’t serious about all that,”

The switch of topic was as discreet as an elephant but Wendy decided to let it go.

“Do you have a partner?”

“I’m going solo,”

“No, you’re not,” Wendy beamed at her, ignoring the frown she was receiving, “Not anymore. I’ll be your partner,”

“What if I decline?”

“There’s no such choice,”

Irene Bae’s stoic face moved no muscle, staring at her blankly through a curtain of ebony fringe.

“Whatever,” she started to walk faster.

Wendy rushed to follow her, “I’ll take that as a yes?” she inquired when she caught up.

“Do whatever you want,”

Wendy beamed, “So where are we going?”

“I’m going to a coffee shop and you’re going to leave me alone,”

Wendy blinked, bewildered yet again. She thought she could do whatever she wants? “Wait, aren’t we partners now? Like, are we not going to discuss about the project or something?”

Suddenly, Irene Bae abruptly halted her steps and Wendy had to skid to a stop. The older girl then held out her palm. Wendy stared.

“What’s that?”

“Give me your phone,”

Frowning in confusion, Wendy complied. The older girl started to tap around.

“No, no, no, unnie, take it back!” Yeri warned.

Too late.

Irene Bae had suddenly stopped tapping, her brows creasing her forehead. She looked at Wendy and the latter had to step back at its intensity. She felt nervous without knowing why.

“Why do you have my number,”

Uh-oh.

(“The only number that I have, however, is her phone number. Save it. Might need it later.”)

Damn, Yerim.

“Oh, um…” Wendy rummaged her supposedly brilliant brain for an explanation that would seem realistic but not stalker-ish but her rising panic made it hard to think. “I…uh…”

HELP ME!!! She desperately screamed in her head, hoping the idiots at the HQ could hear.

But there was only silence in the other line and Wendy wanted to pull her hair out in frustration because where were her spy-movie-worthy friends when she actually needed them?

“Well, my, uh, friend gave it to me,” she finally answered, wincing at how it sounded so much like the excuse Irene Bae gave earlier.

Irene Bae’s eyes narrowed, “Who is this friend and why did they have my number,”

Think, Wendy! Think! “She’s a kid who’s good at gossiping around and gave me your number just for fun. Something about going back out there? But I recognized you so I told her no because you’re a senior I really respect. I only kept it in my contacts because I thought I might need to contact you someday. Because, you know, maybe emergencies?” she rambled, unable to stop, “Oh, and don’t worry! She won’t give it to anyone else. I’m sure of it.”

Irene Bae didn’t look like she believed her and any of the bull she was spouting. She gave the phone screen a glance before looking back up at Wendy.

“Then will you please tell me why my contact name is ‘Target’?”

Oh crap!

“Yerim! Kim Yerim wrote it!” Wendy blurted out, “That kid’s really messed up I don’t know what goes in her head sometimes,” she tried for a casual chuckle but ended up sounding like a choking frog.

“Oh, wow, thanks Wendy-unnie,” Yeri’s voice reminded her that she was still wearing her earpiece.

You’re supposed to help me out, you s!

Irene Bae’s furrowed brows furrowed even more, “Who’s Kim Yerim?”

“Tell her Kim Yerim’s a really pretty girl,” Yeri suggested.

“No, tell her Kim Yerim’s a spawn of the devil,” Joy countered.

Her friends were hopeless.

(Though Wendy seriously contemplated on following Joy’s suggestion)

“She’s the friend I was talking about,”

Irene Bae’s dark eyes studied her warily and Wendy wondered how someone could have such tall barriers around their heart.

“Contact me. We’ll talk about the project next time,” she finally said, shrugging off the incident, and walked away, letting Wendy finally breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Hey why didn’t you tell her I was pretty?”

Breathing loudly through her nose, Wendy grumbled through gritted teeth.

“You are stupid cupids,”

 

***

 

“Hey, it’s Irene Bae,”

“Wow, she’s really pretty, isn’t she?”

“Yeah but she’s a bit of a . A pity, really,”

Joohyun silently sighed, trying to tune out the loud whispers around her as she put her things in her locker. She was used to it; used to the compliments and the criticisms that she didn’t really know where came from. People often say she’s pretty but she herself personally thinks her looks were so-so. People often say she’s a and maybe she was. Whatever, she didn’t care.

“It must be nice, being that pretty,” she heard someone nearby say and fought the urge to roll her eyes because it wasn’t nice at all.

Just because she’s pretty, people often looks down on her. Everyone thinks that everything she had achieved was all because of her looks. Like, if she wasn’t pretty then she’d be worthless. As if without her face she’d just be a random failure.

And.It.Wasn’t.Nice.At.All.

She closed her locker and dragged herself to the practice room. It was her vacant period and she spends every second practicing as much as possible. It wasn’t wise, as she would feel tired and sleepy afterwards and she still had classes to attend so she makes sure to drink coffee, though she hated the bitter stuff.

Passing along the corridor, Joohyun couldn’t help but shoot a glance to the door of the music room just beside their practice room. It had become a habit. When she shifted her eyes back in front, she recalled a certain incident that happened just a few days ago.

A certain incident that involved bumping on to a girl, having coffee spilled on her t-shirt, incessant apologies, wide, pleading eyes and blinding smile: Wendy Son.

The mere thought of the girl could give Joohyun a migraine.

Ever since that fateful coffee spilling day, Wendy Son had been a thorn to her side, an itch she couldn’t scratch, a stain that can’t be removed no matter how many times the cloth was washed. The girl had been so bent on paying her back for spilling her coffee to befriending her that Joohyun started to think she must be obsessed with getting even. She was like an obstinate wrinkle her iron couldn’t straighten up. It was driving her crazy.

It wasn’t because she hated her or anything. Joohyun was just annoyed. She was used to being alone, sitting alone, eating alone and she enjoyed the peace and calm of solidarity. However, when Wendy Son came along, it was all ruckus and chaos of garbled thoughts and spilled coffees. Her days were filled with Wendy Son here, Wendy Son there, Wendy Son everywhere.

“Joohyun-sunbae!”

Joohyun almost groaned. Speaking of the devil.

And Joohyun-sunbae? When did she permit her to call her by her real name?

Oh whatever, Joohyun doesn’t really care.

(It sounds nice anyway)

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the girl, “Wendy-ssi,” she greeted with a curt nod, “How can I help you?”

The girl then looked confused before starting to laugh; a sweet, tinkling sound, “Oh, no, no, I was just passing by when I saw you so I thought I should go and say hello or something,”

“I see. Hello then,”

“Yeah, uh, hi,”

Awkward silence.

Wendy Son cleared and adjusted her glasses, “So, uh, when are we going to practice?”

Joohyun mentally groaned, reminded of her latest regret in life: agreeing to be Wendy Son’s partner in their music project.

She had no idea what went into her when she pulled the girl out of that crowd. Maybe it was because Wendy Son looked so small and helpless, giving rejections that ironically weren’t accepted. Maybe it was because of the obvious fact that they were only trying to be Wendy Son’s partner for a guaranteed A+.

Whatever it was, Joohyun just remembered feeling angry before she marched her way through the throng of students, grabbing Wendy Son’s arm, and getting her out of there.

And there was her slip-up.

God, why did her tongue have to be so slippery?

“Sunbae?”

Joohyun blinked out of her daze.

 “I didn’t think you’d remember,” she admitted.

Wendy Son laughed, irking Joohyun. Her laughter always did. And her smiles. Damn, those smiles. It’s always those disarming smiles and tinkling laughter so pure and sincere that got Joohyun wavering.

How annoying.

“How could you possibly think that? Of course I’d remember,” Wendy Son said in that smooth voice of hers, “How about we do it right now? Are you busy?”

Joohyun stared at her smiling face.

“Stop smiling. It causes wrinkles,” she said before brushing past the younger girl, going straight into the music room.

“What—Where are you going?”

Joohyun shot her a look over her shoulder, “I figured we’ll be doing the project here and not out in the corridor. Unless I thought wrong?”

Wendy Son started to spout nonsense the way she always does when she’s flustered. Not that Joohyun paid attention. “Oh, uh, yeah, that’s-um, yeah. Project. Right.”

Joohyun allowed herself a smile as she put her bag on a nearby table, her back to the girl. The door closed and she settled on a nearby chair, taking a look around the room.

She loved the place.

There were huge windows that were so her type. Those windows that showcase the beauty of the sky and let the warm sunlight seep in. Her eyes lingered on the sky, particularly. It was the color of clear blue with tufts of white clouds grazing around.

Beautiful.

“Yeah, it is,”

She turned so fast her neck might have snapped. Wendy Son had seated next to her, watching the view. When did she get there?

“You said that aloud,” the younger girl said when she noticed the flabbergasted look she was giving her.

Joohyun cleared , embarrassed that such a personal side was shown, “Shall we start?”

Wendy Son nodded and took out her phone, scrolling through countless notes. She started talking about which genre they should use and stated some points she had thought about and all the musical jargon Joohyun honestly knew nothing about.

She tried to listen and understand but it wasn’t easy. No, not when the clear skies behind her were reflected in soft brown eyes that lit up as she went on and on about the technicalities. Not when her voice sounded like the most distracting sound Joohyun had ever heard.

Focusing was not an option with Wendy Son.

How troublesome.

“So, what do you think, sunbae?”

Joohyun blinked. What does she think of what? “Uh, I think it’s good,”

Wendy Son’s eyes brightened up, smile widening and Joohyun knew she shouldn’t have said that.

“Really? So you agree on singing those parts?”

“Ye—wait, what?!” her jaw fell, “I don’t remember you mentioning that?”

The younger blinked, “Um, I did, actually. Quite a few times now,”

Joohyun crossed her arms, “I’m not doing it,”

Wendy Son pouted, “But you already said yes,”

“I didn’t,”

“You thought it was good,”

“I didn’t,”

“Oh, come on, sunbae!” Wendy urged, tone akin to a whine.

Joohyun stood her ground, “Wendy-ssi, I don’t sing,”

“You don’t know that!” the younger argued, determined, “You’ll never know unless you try!”

Joohyun obstinately shook her head, “How about you play some random music and I dance to it instead? Sounds better to me,”

“Sounds like a rattlesnake to me,”

“Excuse me?” Joohyun asked, pitch rising, “Is that an insult, Son?”

“Um, no?” Wendy Son sighed, “Look, won’t it be better to step out of your comfort zone? Try new things? It’s going to be fun!”

Hmm.

She leaned on her knees and interlaced her fingers, aiming for a thoughtful look, “Well then if we’re talking about getting out of comfort zones, then I suggest you dance,” a smirk crawled its way to her lips as the younger’s eyes widened comically, “What? It’s going to be fun,” she mocked.

Wendy Son pursed her lips. Joohyun could see the gears in her head turning and formulating another plan. She waited, curious on what the younger would come up with.

Finally, she heaved a deep breath.

“Okay. Let’s sing and dance then,”

Now it was Joohyun’s turn to be surprised. She only aimed to tease the girl. She didn’t think she’d actually bite. “You dance?

Wendy Son turned pink, “I don’t. But you’re right. It’s going to be fun. Besides, my partner is a really good dancer so I’m in good hands,” she gave her a smile, “You’re going to help me, right?”

Joohyun shrugged, ignoring the annoying smile, “As long as you do me the same,”

Wendy Son scoffed, “I doubt you’ll need it,”

Joohyun pretended her heart didn’t trip and gave her a frown, “What makes you so sure?”

Wendy Son smiled that gentle morning dew smile, eyes turning soft, flecks of gold scattered around soft brown, “You have a beautiful voice,”

Joohyun frowned at her reply and at herself because why the heck was she noticing insignificance such as the flecks of gold in her eyes?

“You must be deaf,”

Wendy Son laughed, shaking her head. She picked up her guitar and started to strum absently, “Should we get started then?”

Feigning nonchalance with a shrug, Joohyun mumbled, “Sure, whatever,”