A/N: i do my best trying to spot mistakes before posting but it's very common that one or two slip through. i'd like to apologize for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors that this chapter might contain.

*Jinsol's POV*

  "Whoa," I blurt out, louder than I intended. Jiwoo and Sooyoung must be way too drunk, or way too involved in kissing, to hear me.

  I hurry over to them, prying them apart with only minor difficulty. Sooyoung immediately reaches forward and tries to free Jiwoo from my hold. When I don't budge, they desperately grab at whatever they can, attempting to get past the 'barrier' my arms have created between them.

  "Sooyoung," I say. She doesn't look at me as she's still trying to get to Jiwoo. "Sooyoung."

  Her hands fall to her sides and she looks up at me. "What?"

  "I'd appreciate it if you stopped trying to kiss Jiwoo and went to sleep," I tell her. When she nods, I let out a sigh of relief.

  Then Jiwoo clings to my arm, bringing it to her chest before nuzzling it. 

  I forgot about her, I think. I try to yank my arm away but her grip only tightens. This girl attains superhuman strength whenever she's drunk and I know that I'm not going to be able to escape her hold. With a huff of frustration, I wrap my arms around her, successfully lifting her up. As if automatic, she snakes her arms around my neck and brings her legs around my waist.

  Ignoring how my legs lightly shake beneath me, I take the few steps to her bed and place her on the soft surface. But she doesn't let go. I shake her, indicating she can let go now, yet she continues to hold on.

  "Jiwoo, let go," I grunt.

  "No, I don't want to," she responds and I can hear the smile on her face.

  "Jiwoo," I say in a firm voice.

  "Jinsol," she mocks. "You can't make me let go."

  I poke her side and her grip slackens until she falls to the bed.

  "You're mean," she whines before pulling a blanket over herself.

  Thankfully, Sooyoung is already fast asleep on my bed, splayed out in an awkward position. I shuffle over to her and drape a blanket over her unconscious body. When I turn back to Jiwoo, she's placed herself in the middle of the bed, effectively taking up nearly all the space. 

  "Scooch over," I whisper once the light has been turned off and drowsiness has begun to take over.

  She obeys and moves over so there's space for me beside her. I crawl underneath the blanket and immediately regret it when I feel her arm wrap around my waist. If I wasn't so worried about her and Sooyoung making out, I'd force them to sleep on the same bed. Except that I am worried so I'm stuck here.

  "For 's sake, can you not?" I ask, restraining myself from flinging her to the floor. We've established multiple rules about affection and she's breaking every single one of them.

  "If you don't want me to touch you, then I'll just sleep with Sooyoung," she says and begins to pull away.

  I clench my jaw. "No, it's fine. You can stay."

  "Good," she says, bringing her arm to its previous spot. She places her other arm over me, pinning my arms to my side and restricting most movement.

  It's insane how tight she's clutching me and I'm not sure if she's aware or not. If she is, she doesn't show it because she snuggles into me, burying her face into the crook of my neck. I manage to get one text out to Haseul before she stops the blood flow in my arms.

  Meet me in the library at 2:30. I need some advice.

*~*~*

*Jiwoo's POV*

  "Wake up," a voice says. God, isn't it too early to be this damn loud?

  "Go away," I mumble, pulling the blanket over my head in a poor attempt to drown them out.

  "Jiwoo, wake up," they repeat, even louder than the first time. I don't move until I feel someone repeatedly poke my side.

  I roll away from any further unwanted strikes and peek my head out. The sunlight spilling from the window assaults my eyes and I wince, shielding them. When the room comes into focus, Jinsol is looking down at me, arms crossed, expression seeming mildly irritated.

  "Jeez, you sleep in so late," a voice that is undeniably Sooyoung's says from the other half of the room.

  Jinsol scoffs. "You just woke up ten minutes ago," she comments.

  "Yeah, yeah," Sooyoung says and I can tell she's waving her hand dismissively.

  I bring myself into sitting position but my pounding headache makes me want to retreat underneath the covers. Slowly, I rub the sleep from my eyes, trying to adjust them to the too-bright-lights. Jinsol looks wide awake but she has bags underneath her eyes, indicating that she slept later than she should have. Sooyoung also has bags under her eyes, but she still manages to look flawless.

  Her skin is clear of any makeup and strands of hair fall from a messy bun, making her look even more attractive. Is it fair for someone to look this good upon waking? Cool it, Jiwoo. I avert my gaze from the girl I have a hopeless crush on, turning my attention back to Jinsol.

  "What happened last night?" I ask, massaging my temples to alleviate the constant throbbing in my head.

  "We got drunk," she says as if it's something that should come as a shock.

  I roll my eyes. "I know that," I say. "I mean, did anything else happen?"

  She stiffens. "Well, you turned into an intoxicated koala anytime I got near you," she says with an exasperated huff. 

  "I could've just slept with Sooyoung," I say and panic flits across her face.

  "I wasn't going to let that happen."

  "Why not?" Sooyoung asks.

  Jinsol rubs the hem of her shirt between her thumb and index finger. "Just 'cause," she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. Her eyes look everywhere but Sooyoung and I. When she notices our awkward silence, she paints a small smile on her lips. "It's no big deal, okay? I'm going to head to the library right now. Can I trust you two together?"

  "Of course," I respond. Why wouldn't she?

  "Alright, good," she says. She throws her coat on and grabs her keys. Her hand reaching for the doorknob when she says, "Don't do anything dumb."

  "We won't," I yell right before the door shuts.

  I flop back onto my bed, my head hitting the headboard with a loud bang. I yelp, rubbing the back of my head to soothe the throbbing that has now been doubled. It takes a while for me to notice Sooyoung's eyes boring into mine.

  "What's wrong?" I ask, cradling my head.

  "Do you remember what happened last night?" she asks, her face void of any expression.

  I shake my head. "Nothing other than getting drunk," I respond. I narrow my eyes at her, "Do you remember something?"

  "Not really but blurry images keep popping up in my head," she says.

  Raising an eyebrow, I ask, "Of?"

  "Nothing, never mind," she says, looking away.

  Not only is Jinsol keeping something from me, but Sooyoung is too. What could have happened last night that's so terrible it shouldn't be brought up? Did we act like s or do something stupid? Both are nothing out of the ordinary when we're drunk. 

  I shut my eyes, desperately trying to remember something, anything. We were drinking and we kept drinking. Then, Jungeun started telling lame jokes that seemed hilarious in the moment. After some time, Haseul and Kahei left and if I'm not mistaken, Jungeun also left. Jinsol insisted on escorting her to her dorm, so she left too. 

  She took quite a while to get back and I was getting impatient. Sooyoung was being overly-touchy and it was becoming annoying. Suddenly, she insisted we "do something fun", yet she never specified what. It caught me off guard when she—

  A jolt goes through me as my eyes fly open.

  "Sooyoung," I say, my stomach already in knots. She looks at me and her expression shifts from confused to concerned. Should I just say it? What if she doesn't remember?

  "We kissed, didn't we?"

*~*~*

*Jinsol's POV*

  "I hope this doesn't affect anything, but Kahei insisted on coming with," Haseul says, gesturing to the groggy-looking girl at her side.

  "Not at all," I say, giving a reassuring smile.

  "What is it that you need advice on?" Haseul asks once she's taken a seat across from me. Kahei is sitting beside her but her eyes keep shutting, her body tipping to one side before she awakes with a jolt.

  I fiddle with my fingers nervously. "I have these two friends," I begin, eyeing her cautiously, "and there was this instance where they got drunk and ended up kissing. Now I don't know what to do."

  "I think it's right of me to assume that they're unaware of this happening," I nod, "but do you think they have any suspicions? Or any sort of recollection of that night?"

  "No," I say, shaking my head. 

  She looks at me for a moment before saying, "The reactions may not be positive but I think you should tell them. Don't just blurt it out, sit them down and then say it. They deserve to know."

  Swallowing hard, I let out a shaky, "Okay."

  She reaches across the table and places her hand on mine. "I know you're scared of ruining their friendship but—" 

  "Haseul!"

  Kahei nearly falls out of her chair but Haseul grabs her. We turn to the owner of the obnoxiously loud voice and I'm surprised to see what looks likes Haseul. A smaller, younger version of Haseul and her three high school-aged friends.

  "Be quiet, Yeojin. Have you forgotten this is a library?" Haseul scolds.

  "Maybe if you answered my texts, I wouldn't have to show up here and be so loud," Yeojin shoots back.

  Haseul lets out a sigh. "What do you want?"

  "Mom wants to have dinner soon," Yeojin says. "As a whole family."

  "Oh, you two are sisters?" I ask. It explains the similarity between them.

  They both shake their head. "We're step-sisters," Haseul says. Yeojin adds, "But we're practically blood sisters."

  I laugh. "You look like it."

  Yeojin's expression morphs into disgust and one of her friends slaps her arm. 

  "Tell her I can come over Saturday if she'd like," Haseul says.

  "Alright, I'll tell her," Yeojin says, nodding. I watch her eyes move from Haseul to me. She stares before asking, "Are you Haseul's friend?"

  "Yeah."

  She raises her eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't think Haseul had any friends apart from her girlfriend and Jungeun."

  "Girlfriend?" I ask, my interest suddenly piqued.

  "Yeah, Kahe—" Yeojin begins.

  "—She's not my girlfriend," Haseul interrupts, attempting to look upset but her face is starting to become a pink hue.

  "Whatever you say," Yeojin says in a sing-song voice. She extends her hand, "Anyway, what's your name?"

  I take her tiny hand in mine, shaking it. "Jinsol," I answer.

  "You already know my name but these are my friends," she says, pointing at the three girls huddled around her.

  "I'm Yerim," one of them says. Her smile easily rivals the sun, and from the lack of space between her and Yeojin, I can tell that they're close.

  "Hyunjin," another one says. She's taller than the other three and effortlessly pretty. In fact, she reminds me of a singer but I can't put my finger on it.

  "Hi, I'm Heejin," the last girl says. She's awfully cute and has an easy-going smile.

  I open my mouth to say something, only to fall silent when I hear rapid footsteps approaching. Two girls come to a stop beside Yeojin and her friends. One with black hair and the other with blonde. The black-haired girl's cheeks are a bit pink but she seems fine for the most part. However, the blonde is completely out of breath. She's hunched over, hands on her knees, trying to regulate her breathing.

  "We ran all the way from the arcade," the black-haired girl says.

  "It's not even that far, how the hell is Chaewon even tired?" Hyunjin says in disbelief.

  "Look, Hyunjin, we're not all-star athletes like you," the blonde, who must be Chaewon, says. 

  The black-haired girl glances at me. "You are...?"

  I give a polite smile. "Haseul's friend."

  "Ahh," she says. "I'm Hyejoo."

  Chaewon straightens up and finally seems to notice me. "Whoa," she says, eyes widening. "You're Haseul's friend? How come we've never met you?"

  I shrug. "Truthfully, we're not very close."

  "Oh..." she says. "What's your name?"

  "Jinsol," I say for the second time today.

  "That's a pretty name. Very fitting for a pretty girl," she says, a smile making its way onto her face.

  Hyunjin snorts and Heejin smiles sheepishly. "Jesus Christ, Chae," Hyejoo says with a chuckle.

  "What?" Chaewon says, throwing her hands up in self-defense. She glances at me, "She's pretty!"

  "And you claim that Heejin and Hyunjin's gayness hasn't rubbed off on you," Hyejoo says with a smirk.

  Chaewon punches her arm, muttering a quiet, "Shut up."

  I offer her a sympathetic look. "I'm going to get going," I say, turning back to Haseul.

  "Oh, alright," she says. "Remember what I said, okay?"

  I shoot her a thumbs up. 

  I make sure to wave at everyone before I turn my back to them. Maybe I'm hyper aware but I can feel everyone's gaze on me and I haven't even taken more than two steps.

  "She's really beautiful," says a hushed voice that sounds a lot like Chaewon.

  My suspicions are confirmed when a monotone voice responds with, "We're not blind, Chae."

  I smile to myself, feeling flattered that Yeojin's friends think I'm pretty. Although, the smile fades as I remember Haseul's advice. My stomach knots up and my hands begin to sweat. The walk back to my dorm is like walking on hot coals. It's pure torture and I know that it'll only get worse once I step foot inside.

  My brain is yelling at me, pleading that I don't tell them for the better. But another part of me is persuading me, reminding myself that it's wrong of me to keep quiet. My main concern is that I'll tell them and they'll avoid each other like the plague. I don't think I'll survive if they never talk again. 

  What if they get mad at me? What if they become awkward and stop talking in order to avoid confrontation? What about Jiwoo? I don't want this to strain her relationship with Sooyoung. I'm scared I'll screw up. Most of all I'm scared that Sooyoung will unknowingly break her heart.

  I wrap my fingers around the brass doorknob, taking a deep breath.

  You can do this. You have to do this.

A/N

  this took longer than i thought it would. the other girls have been introduced and although i didn't specify their ages, i will make sure to do so very soon. sorry about the cliffhanger but i got anxious just thinking of the conversation that's going to play out between jinsol, sooyoung, and jiwoo, so i stopped right there. let me know what you think so far, your comments are greatly appreciated :)

  twitter: @allhailhyejoo