Only two weeks in and Seulgi is already bored out of her mind. Who needs a three-week break anyway! What happened to prioritizing school!? She thought out of pure bitterness. The whole school is empty save for a few students who came and left for personal reasons. She misses her suitmates. She misses her teammates. But most importantly, she misses Joohyun. Sure they have been texting back and forth and facetiming each other whenever the older girl has time but it is just not the same.

Just when she was about to bang her head against her desk and complain on how bored she is, her phone rang.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“You have time? Of course you do. Come pick me up from the airport!”

“Wah? You’re here? In Seoul?”

“I was getting tired of you complaining about how bored you are and since someone decided not to come home, I thought I might as well come to you instead.”

“OMG WEN!! YOU’RE THE BEST!” Seulgi screams into the phone as she ready herself to go pick up her best friend. She can hear Wendy laughs softly in the background at her excitement.

---

It didn’t take long for Seulgi to pick Wendy up from the airport and brought her back to her dorm. She figured since no one is at the suite right now and probably won’t be for the remainder week, it’ll be okay for Wendy to stay with her in the male dorm.

It’s been awhile since Seulgi last saw her best friend. 5 months to be exact. And she misses her dearly. She would have gone home too like every other student if not for the fear that her parents might accidentally notice a transaction for a flight back to Jeju on her brother’s credit card. Knowing her parents, they might actually fly back to Jeju thinking that he is home for the holiday.  

But she's glad that Wendy decided to come visit her instead. Seulgi gives her on a tour of her university right after she settled down. More like dragging her out right after she put her luggage down. The bear was excited to show her best friend where her classes are, where the basketball court is, and all the places she frequents. 

“I’m glad you’re having fun Seulgi-yah.”

“Yea! College is so much fun. You get to meet so many people. There’s so much freedom. Go to class if you want to. Skip if you don’t. There are no curfews, no restriction. Midnight snacks at 3 am in the morning because you lose track of time talking.” Seulgi explains to her friend with excitement in her voice and not noticing the slight downcast in the other girl’s mood. Wendy feels like her best friend is moving further and further away. She’s having so much fun with her new life that she didn’t even notice who she has left behind.

Wendy tucks away those feelings and tries to enjoy the time she’s spending with her best friend. It feels just like old time. They share silly stories and laugh at each other's stupidity. They stroll through street vendors and taking bites out of each other's food. Wendy watches Seulgi aim for the hoop as she retrieves the ball for her. Seulgi posing for the new camera that Wendy had just bought. And at the end of the night, they snuggle next to each other in bed and reminisce about their childhood. 

"Goodnight Seulgi."

"Goodnight Wen."

The past three days have been a lot of fun for Wendy. She is reminded of the time when they used to roam the streets of Jeju as kids, following Seulgi on her quest for adventures. She is sad that she couldn't stay longer. Winter break is ending and her flight back to Jeju is tomorrow afternoon. With that in mind, She cuddles closer to Seulgi and holds her tighter so she can remember the feeling longer when the said girl is no longer there. 

---

While the two girls are snuggling tightly in bed, a certain girl who misses her bear dearly decided to take the early morning train from Daegu back to Seoul. She knew that Seul has been bored on campus by himself since he only texted every other 5 minutes to say he misses her and that he's bored.  

After she dropped off her luggage, she walks over to the male's dorm with Teokbokki and Kimbap that she had made the night before to surprise the bear. Her steps quicken with excitement as she neared the suite. Sure she hasn't said it as often as Seul but she has missed the dork a lot over break.  

Her heart races as she stands in front of his room. Her smiles widen at the thought of how happy he would be to see her. She blushes at the thought of maybe giving him a good morning kiss. The last one was still lingering in the back of her mind. His lips were so soft and tender. She wants to taste it again.

"SUUURPRRISE!" Joohyun flings open the door with her leg while raising the two bags of food in her hands. She smiles at the lump on the bed and chuckles to herself. I guess he's still sleeping.

The lump on the bed stirs but poking out of the blanket was not Seul's silky black hair that she would run her fingers through absentmindedly. It was an unfamiliar wavy long brown curls. 

Wendy peeks her head out to see what the commotion was and was surprised to see a beautiful, young female staring back at her with a broken expression. Hurt, betrayals, disbelief, anger, jealousy, and layers of emotions painted her face as tears well in her eyes. Is that Bae Joohyun? Wendy thought to herself before nudging Seulgi to wake up. 

"Hm? 5 more minutes," Seulgi mumbles into the blanket hoping that her best friend would her alone. But the nudging just persists and with more force. "What is it, Wendy!" Seulgi finally pushes her head out of the blanket and into the cold air, clearly grumpy at being woken up before the alarm. 

Seeing Seul in bed with another girl did nothing for Joohyun but confirmed the fact he is cheating on her with another girl. Her heart shatters at the sight of Seul wrapping his arms snuggly around the girl's waist. Jealousy overwhelms her. Hurts and betrayals clouded the happy memories they had together. Angers boil deep within her where she can no longer hold back the tears and turmoils that are currently consuming her. 

"Kang Seul! I never want to see you again!" Joohyun said with a soft and broken voice. So raw and hurt. Like she doesn't even have the energy to yell at him. Seulgi is now fully alert at the voice of her love breaking down in tears. They lock eyes for a second and Joohyun mistaken the shock in Seul's eyes as the fear of being caught.

The tears in the older girl's eyes are flowing endlessly now and she is too tired to process the image in front of her. She drops the food in hand, turns around, and runs away from the hurt, from the lies, and more importantly, from a certain Kang Seul.

"H-hyun!! It's not - " what you think... Seulgi tries to explain but it was too late, Joohyun has already turned away and left. 

The stunned Seulgi sat on her bed without a clue what to do until Wendy smack her in the arm and yelled, "What are you sitting there for!? Go after her!!" She half-pushes and half-shoves the bear off the bed and out the door. 

Seulgi slips on her shoes in haste and runs after her love. Luckily, Joohyun hadn't run far. Seulgi found her slumped against a picnic table in the corner of the school lawn. She approaches her with careful steps as if approaching an endangered species. The shoulders of the girl trembles slightly and Seulgi can hear light sobs and hiccups as she neared. Her break hurts to know that she's the cause of it.

Seulgi approaches the girl with its steps and wraps her from behind in her warm embrace while nesting her head between her neck and shoulder. "Hyun. It's not what you think." Seulgi whispers in the girl's ear as sincerely as possible. The girl jerks a little at the sudden contact. "Wendy and I, we're-" she struggles a little to find the right word. 

Joohyun struggles in his arms to run away but his strong grip traps her in place. She used her hands to cover her ears and shakes her head to let him known that she doesn't want to hear any of it. It was clear as day for her. She saw them with her own eyes; they were snuggling in bed together. What other explanation can he give? "You were in bed with another girl Seul. What else can I think?" but she can't help but asked in a raspy whisper, hoping that he has an explanation. A reason for her to forgive him. 

"Hyun. She's my best friend! We didn't -" 

Best friend? That's the best he can come up with? Anger boils up and she finally lashes out as more tears roll down her face. "Seul, a guy, and girl don't share a bed even if they're best friends! You don't see me sharing a bed with Byul just because we're good friends!" she turns around and faces him eye to eye, daring him to give her a better explanation. 

"I - " she hesitates a little, unsure how best to explain the situation. She had wanted to tell Joohyun the truth after the holiday but she hadn't expected this scenario. She was hoping to find a better opportunity when they were both calm and ready. She pulls her into a right hug hoping that that will ease her anger a bit before saying. "W-we...we're both girls, Hyun!" in one quick breath. 

It took awhile for Joohyun to process what Seul just said. She was in disbelief at his attempt at an explanation. Its like he's not even trying to cover up his track. "Both girls?" she scoffed at his lie. "Who are you trying to fool, Seul?" She is so tired of this already. 

She was about to walk away from the guy in of her, away from the lies and hurt without looking back when Seul grabs her hand and held it to his chest where Joohyun felt a lump near his quicken heart. She tries her best to hold the shorter girl back, to make understand. 

"I'm not lying Hyun! I'm a girl!" Seulgi anxiously explains to her. Her eyes glossy with tears fearing that the girl in front might not accept her new identity. "My name is Seulgi. Not Seul. I'm so sorry for lying to you." she pulls the girl in front in for a hug. She held onto the older girl tightly as her voice trembled in the explanation. She lets the strong male facade crumbled for the first time in front of the women she loves as the tears threatened to fall down. 

"I'm sorry Joohyun. Please forgive me." her voice cracks and tremble as she begs the older girl to give her a chance. "I didn't mean to lie to you. Please don't  hate me." 

It breaks her heart to see Seul, Seulgi, so vulnerable and scared. She pulls away and reaches out to brush away the tears on her face. "I can never hate you, Seul." She tries to sound strong for the both of them. "It's just..." She pauses, trying to find the best words to describe her feeling. "It's a lot of take in. Give me some." 

Her request breaks Seulgi a little. She expected it but it still hurts to know that Joohyun hasn't accepted her yet. 

---

Two days of cold silence between the couple and Yongsun returns to the dorm to find a tired and beaten Joohyun in the corner of the common room. 

"Ah! You scared me!" Yongsun walks over to the ghost-like figure in the corner. "What's wrong?"

"Yongsun!" Irene immediately jumps into Yongsun's embrace and asks the question she's been lingering on her mind. "What would you do if you find out that Byul is a girl?" 

"I would pull her into a kiss and tell her I love her still," Yongsun said matter of factly and that earned her an incredulous look from Irene. 

Sensing the seriousness in Irene's question, Yongsun changed her voice to a more solemn tone and said "Look. I don't know where this is coming from but it doesn't matter whether Byul is a guy or a girl, I love him for who he is. He's greasy but sweet, sloppy but considerate, clingy but cute and that doesn't change just because of his gender. Not like I can just stop loving him once I find out he's a she." She says it as if it was common sense. 

"You're right." Life returns to Irene's eyes after hearing what Yongsun said. "I love him for who he is whether he's a girl or a boy," Irene mumbles to herself. 

Yongsun hears the mumbles but didn't want to probe any further. She's just glad that Irene is out of the slump and looks like she is surer of herself. 

"Can you imagine how adorable Byul would be with his scrunched nose if he was a girl?" Yongsun tries to joke and giggles at the image. 

But instead of imagining Byul as a girl, Irene imagine how cute Seul would be in a dress with long hair. Her beat flutters at the image and smiles herself to silly thinking about it.   

 ---

It didn't take long for Irene to contact Seulgi and said that they needed to talk. The younger can't help but fidget nervously as she explains the whole story under Joohyun's intense stare.

The violinist tries her best to look as intimidating as possible but she can't help but let a smile slips here and there looking at the nervous bear in front of her. Somehow Seulgi is even more adorable in Irene's eyes now that she knows that she's a girl. How is that even possible!? 

When she deems that the younger has had enough of a scared, she leans over the table, cups her puffy cheeks and pulls her in for a sweet and innocent kiss, letting out a playful laugh afterward at the sigh of the wide eyed-stunned bear. 

"H-hyun? So you're not mad at me anymore?" That kiss and playful smile should have said it all but Seulgi still wants Joohyun to confirm it. 

"No silly. I realized that I love you and I won't stop loving you just because you're a girl." Joohyun confesses bravely with new found confidence for that fact that she's an unnie to the younger girl.  

Seulgi's eyes teared up at Joohyn's truthful confession. "H-hyunnie~!" She reaches over to grab Joohyun's hand, honestly touched by what the older girl just said. "I-I love you too!" and confesses with those three words for the first time before looking down at the table shyly. 

Yup! Female version of Kang Seul is definitely much cuter. Joohyun admits to herself when she saw the blushes on the younger girl's cheeks. 

"Hyunnie? Shouldn't you be calling me unnie?" She teases the basketball player some more. 

Seulgi can't help but pout at the thought of having to call Joohyunn anything but Hyun and Hyunnie. "There's unnie in Hyunnie." She tries to bargain. 

Joohyun can't help but lets out a loud laugh at the silly bear's bargain. "How old are you actually?" She asks once she finally calmed down.

"19. Almost turning 20 though." Seulgi adds quickly wanting to let Joohyun know that she's not a kid.

The violinist lets out a sigh of relief after hearing that. "Good thing I'm not dating a minor." She says softly to herself but the words did not escape Seulgi. 

"What? What are you thinking of doing to me?" Seulgi crosses her arms over her chest in a protective manner, pretending to be scared of the older girl. 

"Yah!" She slaps the bear on the arm. "It's not anything like that!" She tries to explain but the more she tries the more flustered she gets. 

"You're so cute Hyunnie!" the girl just laughs at her reaction. 

Sigh. So much for being an unnie. Joohyun thought to herself. 

---

Normalcy returns on S.M.U as classes resume and students return from their Winter vacation well fed and rejuvenated. All was normal except for a certain bear has now unofficially moved into Joohyun and Yongsun's dorm. Seulgi is pretty much living there except for the few occasions where she would go back to grab clean clothing. 

"I don't want you living with the guys. I trust Byul and them but still..." Joohyun had trailed off midway when she explained to Seulgi why she should be sleeping over that first night. Except, it became every night that Joohyun would give her that half-explained reason and the girl just couldn't bear to say no to the little puppy pout face or the "Seulgi-ah~!" whine that Joohyun always adds at the end.

But truthfully, Seulgi has been having trouble sleeping with Joohyun so close by. Their proximity on a twin size bed would set her mind on high alert and keep her up all night with a pounding heart. And the way Joohyun nuzzles her head in the space between Seulgi's head and tickles her neck with her soft breath after she has gone into deep-sleep would send a band of drummers to pound of her already-beating heart and alert her of the current position she is in.  It would be an understatement to say that Joohyun likes to link onto Seulgi's arm, the girl pretty much cling on to her arm like a Koala to a branch.  

Though the drummers are unwanted, the closeness also sends butterflies to Seulgi's stomach and makes her grateful that they have gotten so much closer, as if the wall has been torn down, and she's grateful to Joohyun for that. Often she would look at the beauty next to her and can't help but kiss her on her cheek and sometimes even on the lips, something that she is too shy to do when the older girl is awake. And even then, red flushed cheeks can still be seen under the moonlight.  

Seulgi returns to her dorm on the fifth night, but her eye bag was already dangling down to her chin and the whole basketball team can see that she hasn't been getting sleep. 

"Fancy seeing you here again, Seul!" Byul said sarcastically before wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Seulgi's dark circles. "Haven't been getting sleep, huh." He stated, not even questioning.  

Seulgi just throws her backpack at the guy, too tired to even defend his playful accusation, and staggers into her room for some needed sleep. 

--

The routines continued on and almost becoming a ritual. Seulgi is getting more comfortable snuggling next to Joohyun and often time, she would find herself being the one cuddling close to the older girl. 

Something Joohyun can definitely get used to. 

A topic that had been lingering in the back of Joohyun's mind came up one night while the two were snuggling next to each other with the bear's her arm around Joohyun shoulder forming a nice comfy pillow for the violinist's head. 

"What's going to happen after this year is over..?" Joohyun finally found the courage to ask. Her question was met with silence. 

After a long pause, Seulgi finally spoke up. "I'm..." her voice trails off. "I'm going to have to go back to Jeju and finish high school." She turns over to look at Joohyun in the eyes before continuing. "But I'll come back, Hyun! I promise we'll be in the same school again after one year!" She declares as sincerely as possible. She wants Joohyun to know that they won't be apart for long. 

Joohyun stares back at the girl next to her and gazes into her sincerity. Kang Seulgi. Her Kang Seulgi. What is she going to do when the girl is going to be away for a whole year! Instead of worrying about the future, she indulges herself in the present and presses herself closer to the cuddly bear after giving her a gentle kiss on the nose. 

No more words are said but promise to be together and to be together again are whispered silently by gentle caresses and sincere eyes, and the occasional pecks seal those promises for the future. 

---

Too soon did the end of the school year looms around. While other students are preparing for final exams and presentations, the basketball team is preparing for the final game again Y.G. University.

Since it's a home game for S.M.U, the whole stadium is filled mainly with S.M.U supporters but fans of Y.G.U still occupy a large space in the stadium. Fan chants can be heard from both sides of the team and everyone is tense to see who will come out top for this year's tournament.   

Unlike before, the girls arrived especially early to reserve a space for themselves in the stadium knowing that it will be a full house for this game. Joohyun, Yongsun, Tiffany, and Jessica managed to occupy seats on the second row, close to the benches where the guys will be seated. They cheer along with the rest of the crowd as both team warm-up before the start of the game.

And of course, Moon Byul can never start a game without sending hearts and kisses to his girlfriend as a declaration of love. You would think Yongsun would be used to this by now but she still shies away from embarrassment and blushes profusely everytime the greasy guy does something like that. And it doesn't help that all eyes are on her! 

Byul chuckles at his girlfriend's embarrassment. The girl is just too cute not to tease and her reactions are the best! His attention is fixed on his cute girlfriend when he hears a scoff coming from behind. 

"Jeeze Byul! I still don't know how Yongsun hasn't dumped you yet!" Seulgi sneaks up behind her sunbae and laughs at his grease. 

"What can I say. We're drunk on love!" He yells out loud with a silly grin on his face. Loud enough for the people nearby to hear him. Especially the people in the second row. At this point, Yongsun is ready to dig a hole and buries herself in it while all her friends and people in the stadium is just laughing at Byul's confession. 

"Not everyone can confess their love loud and proud, you know." Byul faces Seulgi with a smirk on his face as if to challenge him to do the same. 

Seulgi glances at the adorable girl next to Yongsun, laughing at her best friend's dilemma before returning the same smirk that donned Byul's face. 

Challenge accepted. 

Seulgi strolls toward the benches where the girls are sitting and that earned a loud squeal from the audience nearby. She walked up the stairs to the row where Joohyun is and squeezes pass all the people to get to where the girl is seated. 

She stands in front of the girl and looks her in the eyes. "Bae Joohyun! I love you so much! I don't know what the future has in store for us but I promise we will overcome them. Together." Instead of yelling, Seulgi confesses her love softly and earnestly. She leans in to give the violinist a peck on the lips before running away shyly without even waiting for the girl's reaction.

Not everyone can embrace the greasiness as well as Moon Byul but, nonetheless, Seulgi returns to the court with a proud smile. 

---

S.M.U put out their five best players to start off the game. Soo as defense, Yoong, and Yul switches off as point guard, and Seul and Byul tag team to shoot both in the inner court and outer court. The game between the two best schools is close. Even though S.M is leading but they are leading only by a small margin. After the first quarter, S.M is only up by 3 points. 23 to 20. 

Before the second quarter, Soo was switched out for Sowon and the team continues for a more aggressive approach. Yul drives the ball toward the opponent's basket before passing it to Byul, who dribbles slowly before making a dash past the two defenses, he fakes a layup while passing the ball to Seul mid-air. Standing right outside the three-point line, Seul catches the pass and shoot the ball toward the basket. "Beautiful shot by Kang Seul! Nothing but net!" the commenter commented. 

S.M.U was able to widen the gap with the aggressive play. The second quarter ended with S.M.U leading 34 to 28. But halfway through the third quarter, Sin B and Joy was switched in to replace Yoong and Seul. Offense turned into defense and Y.G.U caught up and surpassed S.M.U with a 1 point lead. 

Five minutes left in the game and Yul decided to switch Seul and Yoong in to replace him and Sin B. The ball is being dribbled and passed back and forth between the two teams. Neither team want to relent the points. Y.G would make the shot and the ball would fall back into S.M's court. The players would dash for the basket and even the score once again. 

 The game continues with Y.G still leading but by 2 points now. 

30 seconds on the clock. 

For S.M to win, they would need a three-pointer. 

Yoong dribbles the ball past the three-point line and toward the basket but defense continues focus on Seul and Byul. Byul manages to break free and Yoong quickly passes the ball to him but arms are blocking him from getting a clear shot. 

15 seconds. 

With no choice, Byul passes the ball to Joy who takes the ball and drives it toward the basket. Two players are on him in an instant.

5 seconds.

Without even looking, he passes the ball behind him to Seul who is standing on the far left of the court, outside the three-point line. 

Seul takes the ball and aims for a beautiful three-pointer! 

SCORE!! The whole stadium went wild! Not just from the beautiful play and shot but S.M.U has won the championship for the first time in 5 years! Loud cheers erupted from the audience and they continuously chant Kang Seul! Kang Seul! 

The team huddles together in a group hug which ended up with Seulgi being thrown in the air by them. 

The girls walk down toward the court and pull their respective partner into a big embrace. Tiffany gives Yul a deep kiss on the mouth. Jessica gives Yoong a light tap in the arm. Yongsun continuously smacks Byul on the back. and Joohyun pulls Seulgi into a shy peck on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, Seul! And I love you too" She whispers into her ear softly, amidst the loud noise in the background.  

And just like that, the final chapter of her year at S.M.U is ending and Seulgi cannot imagine a better way to silently say goodbye. Surrounded by good friends and with the girl she loves in her arms. 

--- 

One year later.   

Seulgi steps out of the taxi and onto S.M University campus donning on black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and the university's basketball jacket. She put on her sunglasses and starts pulling her luggage toward the school dormitory. She takes in scenery and the building as she walks.

Seulgi continues to strolls toward the dorms as a girl with thin-rimmed glasses and hair tied in a bun rides toward her on a bike. The bun head notices Seulgi and can't help but did a double take. She was so focused on the person in front of her that she didn't even notice that she's riding toward a caution cone. 

She ramps right into the cone and tumbles over along with her bike. 

Seulgi rushes over to the fallen girl and lifts the bike off of the bun-head. She parks it to the side before extending her arm toward the girl to help her up. 

“Are you okay?” Seulgi asks while noticing the cuts on the girl’s palm. 

“Yea. I'm okay. " The girl says in the smallest voice, almost a whisper, still shaken by what happened. 

"Hi! I'm Kang Seulgi! And I see you're still as clumsy as very Hyunnie!" Seulgi introduces herself properly to the girl in front of her with such a wide and adorable grin on her face that makes Joohyun want to pinch those cheeks.

"Yah! You said you weren't coming for another 2 weeks!" Instead, the violinist yells at her girlfriend for lying to her. 

"I wanted to surprise you! I finished everything early so that I can be here with you!" She gives her girlfriend a proud grin as if asking for a pat on the head. 

It's too hard to stay mad at the cute and adorable bear in front of her. Joohyun pulls Seulgi into a tight hug, resting her head on the girl's chest. "I've missed you so much!" She whispers with tension in her voice, trying to hold back the tears. She has gone too long without hugging her bear. 

"Me too." Seulgi wraps her arms around the girl's waist and whispers back with the same restraint. 

It has been too long indeed. But at least they're together now and neither of them is going anywhere for a long long time.