A bit over 1 year ago.

 

 

It was a chilly Sunday morning and Soojung really wondered why did she agree to come along after so much hesitation. She was supposed to buy some things too, but she knew she wouldn't find anything and that Irene would make her hold her shopping bags for her at the end.

 

 

"Cheer up a bit, won't you?" Irene pleaded before interlacing Soojung's arm with hers. "It's Christmas! It's fun!"

 

"It's not even Christmas yet," Soojung grunted.

 

"Well it's still Christmas season."

 

"Before Christmas, it's finals week," the younger girl reminded Irene who was well done with high school's formalities and was now onto her last year of University. "And this is why I don't understand what I'm doing here when I have a lot to study."

 

"I'm sure you're almost done with them," Irene said with an eye roll before dragging Soojung into their third store since this morning. "Plus, you need a break from those textbooks and to get gifts for your family."

 

"We don't even celebrate Christmas and you know it, so why mention it?" Soojung asked with a frown.

 

"Have you bought Jessica's gift yet?" Irene distractedly asked while checking a few earrings.

 

"She's in New York."

 

"And she's not coming back?"

 

 

Soojung shook her head and sighed.

 

 

"Then have you bought Jongin's gift? I'm sure he will like anything you give him."

 

"Why would I get Jongin a gift?" Soojung frowned even more. "He has money, two legs to walk around town and he's a grown man."

 

"Come on Soojung, that's not cute," Irene nudged Soojung as she dragged her further down the store. "Look at all this," she said while pointing to the many shelves in front of them. "You should give Jongin and Sehun something for being your friends for so long. It's been like seven years."

 

"Sehun would burn it and Jongin would lose it, what is the point—"

 

 

Before Soojung could finish her sentence, Irene quickly turned around in surprise after she felt something on her shoulder. The older female let out a short high pitched shriek that made Soojung groan before regaining her composure.

 

 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't want to scare you like that," a lean girl wrapped under many layers of clothes apologized with a slight bow.

 

Soojung remarked that the girl in question was taller than Irene but shorter than her and had a laughter that looked more like a giggle with how soft and childish it was. She had long brown hair tightly kept under a large multicolored scarf that hid half of her face and rosy cheeks caused by the winter cold.

 

She apologized one last time to Irene who finally came back from her shock and greeted her before taking off her bonnet.

 

A bit too much, Soojung distastefully thought after looking at the mix of bright colors the stranger was sporting through her winter clothes.

 

"Gosh what are you doing here Seulgi? You surprised me!" Irene said before slightly hitting the lean woman. "I thought you were supposed to hang out with Wendy."

 

"I am," Seulgi said while unwrapping her heavy scarf to speak more comfortably. "I was waiting for her to finish sending letters to her parents when I saw you walk down the streets. I just decided to come say hi," she chuckled.

 

 

Seulgi turned her attention to Soojung who had stayed quiet the whole time and only stared at her curiously. Seulgi gave her a bright smile that she didn't return. Instead, Soojung looked at Irene like a helpless kid.

 

"Seulgi, this is Jung Soojung, a good friend of mine," Irene presented with a warm smile. "She doesn't talk a lot and she isn't of much help to buy Christmas gifts but she can be nice when she wants."

 

Soojung let out a tiny scoff that went unnoticed by Seulgi because Irene quickly moved onto introducing her.

 

 

"Soojung, this is Kang Seulgi, an old neighbor of mine from Busan with whom I grew up," Irene concluded. "I do believe you are the same age but correct me if I'm wrong. 1994 for the both of you, right?" Irene asked as the two girls nodded.

 

 

There was a tiny awkward silence that followed and although Soojung was completely used to it as it always happened when she met new people, Seulgi looked a bit uncomfortable.

 

 

"It's nice to meet you, Soojung," she smiled before handing out her hand.

 

 

A handshake, really? In this century? Soojung thought.

 

 

Soojung hesitated to take it but Seulgi seemed pitiful with her awkward hand hanging in the air and Irene kept nudging Soojung's side as if it would make her hand move.

 

 

"It's nice to meet you too," Soojung replied before reluctantly grabbing Seulgi's hand.

 

 

It was probably out of relief or maybe even genuine happiness that Seulgi let out an inaudible sigh accompanied with the warmest smile Soojung had ever seen.

 

"Maybe we can become great friends," Seulgi said as she took back her hand. "I am not the most interesting person to be with but I heard that I can be a good friend and a nice listener," she chuckled.

 

Friends? Just like that?

 

"Yes! Befriend her Seulgi," Irene jolted in happiness. "I keep telling Soojung to talk to the girls from her school but she only hangs out with the two same boys," Irene said with a bit of concern that made her look like a young mother for a millisecond. "It's not that it's bad but it lacks variety if you know what I mean."

 

 

Seulgi laughed although she couldn't relate to it in the least for having only female friends.

 

 

"Sometimes the most comfortable friends are the only ones we need," Seulgi only answered.

 

"Or a hindrance into getting new ones," Irene continued.

 

"Or maybe you could mind your own social life, unnie," Soojung said with a sarcastic smile that made Irene's eyes roll. "Anyways, Seulgi, right?" to which the shorter girl nodded with enthusiasm. "It's not that I don't trust people I just met but I would rather wait a bit before calling us friends," she explained with a polite smile.

 

"Of course," Seulgi replied. "I might have been a bit eager to getting to know you better, it's totally fine with me."

 

"Better? Have we met before?" Soojung asked.

 

"Not really," Seulgi laughed, a bit embarrassed by her slip. "Do you know St-Mary's?"

 

"Never heard of it. What is that?" Soojung said.

 

"It's a school, my high school," Seulgi answered bashfully. Truthfully, she was used that not many people knew about her school but she always had the same the reaction.

 

"It shouldn't be too far from your school Soojung if I remember correctly," Irene said.

 

"It is exactly a few meters away," Seulgi specified. "You know, down the main street. No? It's probably because it is a small school with only 500 students."

 

"That's right! You go to an all-girls school Seulgi," Irene finally remembered.

 

 

Soojung unconsciously grimaced.

 

 

"That must be horrible," Soojung said. "The name sounds catholic too."

 

"It's not that bad," Seulgi innocently shrugged. "It is a bit strict but it is comfortable to be around other girls. We all know each other and help when things are rough."

 

"Girls helping other girls out? Really?" Soojung asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

"That's what friends do."

 

 

Seulgi gave Soojung another refreshing smile that sent shivers to her back and made the hair on the back of her neck rise. What the hell was that.

 

 

"I saw you a few times walking back home with your friends after school," Seulgi explained. "It's nothing really incredible but I always thought you looked nice and wanted to be your friend."

 

 

 

Soojung couldn't help it and let a laugh escape her lips. Now that was a first.

 

 

 

"Did I say something wrong?" Seulgi asked before turning to Irene who could only shake her head at the younger girl.

 

"Sorry, that was just, really weird," Soojung said between two laughs. "You don't know me at all but you want to be friends?"

 

 

Seulgi curiously looked at Soojung before hesitantly nodding. What could be so wrong with her that Seulgi couldn't befriend her anyways?

 

 

 

"Fine, let's be friends," Soojung said.

 

 

. . .

 

 

"What are you doing, Jung Soojung? Let's go home," Sehun whined to the girl who had refused to move for over 10 minutes.

 

"She said she saw me go home after school," Soojung answered before crossing her forearms on her chest. "I'm just checking if she is a liar or not."

 

"Who is she?" Jongin asked with a frown.

 

"Shouldn't you actually go home if that's when she sees you, whoever the hell that person is?" Sehun scoffed.

 

"Shut up and let me be," Soojung spat back. "Nobody is forcing you to go home with me."

 

"Come on Soojung you've been waiting for 10 minutes when we usually leave right after the bell. If anything you probably missed that person," Jongin reasonably thought before putting a hand on Soojung's shoulder. "And we're freezing."

 

 

She scrunched her nose before letting out a tired sigh.

 

 

"Fine let's go," she gave up.

 

"Finally," Sehun groaned.

 

 

The trio started making their way down the street in their usual formation: Soojung leading at the front while Sehun and Jongin talked at the back. It had always been like that since their childhood.

 

"Is the she someone else you plan to bully?" Sehun asked with a smirk.

 

"I don't bully people Sehun," Soojung retorted. "It's not my fault they don't understand that I don't want to join their stupid cliques."

 

"Okay but you literally have zero friends beside us and that's pathetic," Sehun continued.

 

"Exactly so I do wonder why you stick around such a pathetic loser like me, Sehun. I heard birds of a feather flock together," Soojung smirked.

 

"Enough with this," Jongin tried to interfere. "Maybe she doesn't need new friends because she is comfortable with us."

 

 

At Jongin's comment, Soojung was suddenly reminded of Seulgi.

 

She didn't look like a liar… Maybe I really missed her like Jongin said. Or she has club activities… She looks like the type to actually sign in to a club because her teacher asked her to. She looks innocent to the point where it's not an exaggeration to call her dumb, Soojung smiled on her own. 

 

 

Soojung's train of thought was cut when she recognized a multicolored scarf from across the street moving swiftly in the cold air of December.

 

There she was. Seulgi waved enthusiastically at Soojung with a bright and refreshing smile before quickly getting inside the bus. The chauffeur had been waiting for Seulgi to finally greet her friend who wouldn't notice her until the last minute.

 

Even inside the bus, Soojung was sure Seulgi kept smiling. At least, that's what she wanted to believe.

 

 

"Who was that weirdo?" Sehun asked to Soojung who had suddenly stopped walking.

 

"My friend."

 

 

 

. . .

 

 

 

Seulgi never lied once in her life. Well, she never said a lie that would hurt others because she believed that it was always best to not do to others what she wouldn't like them to do to her. And although she herself was a really empathic and understanding person, she did her best to not offend anyone with her actions.

 

So this is why she always waved to Soojung whenever she saw her from across the street, whether it was early in the morning when they met by pure luck or every afternoon when they both went back home.

 

She noticed that Soojung and her bumped into each other more and more often in the morning the second week and that Soojung went back home alone 2 to 3 times after school even if it never happened before.

 

Nevertheless, on rainy days, on sunny days, on cold days, Seulgi waved warmly to Soojung. It almost became a habit for Seulgi while Soojung thought her day wouldn't be complete without it. It wasn't that deep, Soojung just became used to it and felt weird when they didn't greet each other during the day. But once again, that's what she wanted to believe.

 

Because she wasn't so sure and Soojung hated feeling uncertain about something, she requested the help of her great friend.

 

 

"You love a girl?"

 

"No I don't Sehun don't be stupid," Soojung said before taking some chips out of the party size bag she bought from the convenience store earlier.

 

"But what's so wrong about that? Is it the weirdo who always waves at you?" Sehun asked before taking place next to Soojung on his bed.

 

"She's not a weirdo, she is nice," Soojung corrected before kicking him in the shin. ''Too bad you never heard of that word."

 

"If that's what I get for helping you, you can go home," Sehun spat back.

 

"You don't understand," Soojung said with a loud sigh. "She is not like everyone else, you know?"

 

"Everyone is the same to me