“I can see the love when I look into her eyes

If everyone could see what I see inside

But she lives at night and sleeps all day

She’ll dance and drink her life away . . .”

—“Give a Damn”

Sana thinks about Dahyun. And that would have been that, except it’s not quite so simple, you know. It is like Sana knows nothing about her, though of course, that’s not strictly true.

She knows that Dahyun is much smarter than she cares to admit or even show to the public; she’s both a philosophy and an engineering major for a reason. Her gaze is almost always searching, like she’s recording people’s strengths and weaknesses in a little mental bank, to be analysed at a later date, should the need arise.

It’s both remarkable and intimidating, Sana supposes.

She also knows that Dahyun is honest, and bright, and liked by many. She wins archery awards, she gets along with all sorts of people, she listens to what they have to say.

But the thing is, those are just surface facts, you know. Kind of like saying the sun is a ball of fiery gas and the earth revolves around it, helpless in its gravity. Kind of like saying trees need sunlight and water to survive. Kind of like saying the sky is blue and oceans are deep.

And Sana . . . well, Sana would like to learn more than just surface facts. She wants to learn who Dahyun is, really, beneath all that. She wants to learn what makes Dahyun tick, what makes her happy, what makes her sad.

So she stores whatever she learns about Dahyun in her own mental bank—every little tidbit, no matter how seemingly irrelevant.

Because, you know, when it comes to Kim Dahyun, well.

Nothing is ever irrelevant.

Living with Dahyun, Sana learns, is going to be a special brand of hell.

You see, Sana has prepared herself for awkward silences or stilted conversations; that’s fine, she’s managed to breeze through those kinds of interactions plenty of times. She’s kind of expected that’s what she’s going to endure, living with Dahyun, at least for the first few weeks.

But.

She’s been worried for all the wrong reasons, it turns out.

That becomes spectacularly clear the morning after their impromptu party, when Sana stumbles into the kitchen in search of coffee, and she sees Dahyun already there, clad in nothing but a tiny pair of boxer shorts and an oversized flannel shirt with one too many buttons undone.

Sana almost had a heart attack at the sight.

The early morning sunshine peeks through the blinds, the rays bathing Dahyun in a glow that makes her seem ethereal. Her hair seems to catch fire, too, the tips dancing, sunlight making a halo.

Sana has never seen anything quite so divine.

(And that is the moment, Sana will realise down the line, when she begins falling in love.)

“Good morning, unnie!” Dahyun greets, smiling at her. “There’s fresh coffee, if you want a cup.”

“Sure,” Sana manages, feeling like a moron. She’s pretty sure her brain is missing.

“Coming right up!” Dahyun grabs a mug and fills it, and the smell of caffeine is enough to rouse Sana’s brain into some form of coherent activity.

Sana helps herself to some toast too, after taking a sip. “You’re up early.”

“Turned my alarm on last night for some reason. Classes aren’t even starting yet.”

“You have an 8:00 a.m. class?”

“Unfortunately, I do.” Dahyun sighs. “Big mistake.”

“Morning classes often are.”

Dahyun huffs a laugh. “Ain’t that the truth.”

They slip into a comfortable silence, Sana leaning by the sink and Dahyun by the kitchen table. Sana wants to openly stare at Dahyun—that face is made to be admired, you know, and not staring seems like a crime against nature—but she knows she hasn’t earned the right for gratuitous staring yet.   

Then Dahyun drains her cup, sets it on the counter, and asks, “Do you think we can set up some ground rules?” and Sana does stare this time, inquisitive.

“Ground rules?”

“Yep,” Dahyun confirms. “We’re going to be living together for quite some time, so, like, I guess we should have some rules so we won’t accidentally piss each other off.”

Sana wants to scoff at that, because the only way Dahyun could ever piss her off is with her stupidly gorgeous face, but she can’t very well tell her that. “Sure, that’s reasonable,” she says instead. “What did you have in mind?”

“Uh.” Dahyun frowns, thinking. Sana wants to squish her face. How can anyone be so adorable while frowning? That should be illegal. “I guess we should start with the obvious ones? Like no taking each other’s stuff without permission?”

Sana thinks of her literature analysis notes, of her books overflowing with post-its. Thinks of them being unintentionally displaced from her organised mess and winces. “Agreed. No loud music or movies or shows playing when we have assignments or are studying, seriously.”

Dahyun nods. “No throwing parties here without asking.”

Sana raises an eyebrow at that, knowing full well about Dahyun’s parties. “You sure you can manage that?”

Dahyun gasps in mock-offense. “Unnie!”

Sana laughs. “I’m just saying, you’re the life of the party, Dahyun.”

“Hmmm.” Dahyun grins. “I just said not to throw parties here, unnie. I didn’t say not to throw parties at all.”

“Ah, point taken.” Sana sips her coffee, now cold. “What else?”

“Eh.” Dahyun taps a finger on her chin. “How about, if one of us wants to get laid, we don’t bring the other person here.”

Sana chokes on the toast she’s nibbling on. “Wha—”

“This is a sacred place after all, Sana-unnie,” Dahyun intones quite seriously, though there’s a playful glint in her eyes, “and we can’t sully it with impure actions.”

Sana shakes her head, but she’s laughing, and Dahyun joins in too. “Well then,” she says, “understood. What else?”

Dahyun gives her a funny look—a little unsure, a little . . . adoring? That can’t be. Absolutely not. As if. No, Sana should keep her hoping to a minimum.   

“What?”

“Unnie,” Dahyun whines, “you gotta suggest something too. Most of these rules are ones I made and it makes me feel like an landlord.” She’s pouting, oh gosh. How delightful can one person be, truly? This can’t be good for Sana’s heart.

She grins. It’s a big grin—probably too big and too ridiculous, and Dahyun is gonna think that she’s living with a lunatic, but Sana can’t stop herself. “I’m sorry, Dahyun-chan,” Sana placates, “but those really are the only major rules that come to mind right now. I’ll tell you if I think of something and we can discuss, okay?”

Sana notices Dahyun’s cheeks reddening again, same as before. But before she can comment on it, Dahyun is already talking.

“Yep, you’re right, other rules will come up in the right time.” Dahyun jerkily places her mug in the sink, before backing away, avoiding Sana’s eyes all the while. “Uh, gotta head back into my room. Forgot I need to send an email. See ya!” And then she’s speed-walking away, leaving Sana frankly confused.

Huh.

sanake

hey mina

minari

what

sanake

wow try to be friendlier than that

minari

good day sana how r u

why r u disturbing me go away

bye

sanake

who hurt u

minari

uGH im sorry ok

i just haven’t been sleeping well

sanake

why what’s the matter

minari

momo is the matter

sanake

she not good yet?

minari

what do u think

sanake

right stupid question

minari

she randomly cries

my ice cream stash is gone

she smells like ramen noodles

i wanna randomly cry too but

we can’t be both randomly

crying messes ya kno

sanake

this whole thing is really

taking a toll on her huh

minari

yep and she saw the posts

from the party last night

me thinks that set her back

even more

sanake

fuuuuuccc

want me to come over

to cuddle you both

minari

hmm ok

yeah i think she’d like that

sanake

you won’t like that? :(

minari

just get over here you