Sana skipped down the hallway, swinging her Sailor Moon lunch box with confidence only a newly-minted eighth grader could possess. Pausing in the doorway of the cafeteria, she scanned the crowd for her friends. She only needed to scan for about two seconds before spotting them, because Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s argument was loud enough for her to zero in on even from across the room.

“I can’t ing believe you think Digimon is better than Pokemon!” Jeongyeon’s cousin taught her what meant over the summer and she was liberally sprinkling it into her daily vocabulary.

Nayeon’s smirk widened. Sana could see from yards away that her true interests clearly did not lie in discussing the opposing attributes of cartoon monsters, but rather in getting Jeongyeon as riled up as possible. Jeongyeon, however, had yet to catch on. 

“All I’m saying is that Pikachu is a little lightning rat and any single digimon would absolutely wipe the floor with him.” Nayeon shrugged.

“YOU THINK EVERY SINGLE DIGIMON IS BETTER THAN ING PIKACHU?”

“You two are so cute together,” Sana cooed as she arrived at the table. If synchronized scoffing was a sport, Nayeon and Jeongyeon would’ve taken gold at every Olympics.

“Please keep your voice down, Sana,” Jeongyeon said. “If people start to think I find Nayeon attractive, no one will take me seriously ever again.”

“Oh please, you wish you could get with this.” Nayeon rolled her eyes at Jeongyeon’s look of disgust. “What, are you worried Bona will think you’re taken? You should be more worried that she’s going to find out you’re a massive nerd with a Bulbasaur obsession.”

“Bulbasaur is a solid starter, and for your information, Bona showed me her completed pokedex just the other day.”

“Oh, you’re already showing each other your dex? Moving a bit quickly, don’t you think? Which one is her favorite, I bet it’s worse than Digimon.”

“Do you even know anything about Digimon?”

“Irrelevant, Jeongie.”

Sana watched them as a mother cat watches her kittens squabble, passively concerned and slightly inconvenienced. She decided it was time to pick them up by their necks and remove them from the situation before it escalated to a real cat fight.

“Aw, and here I was thinking I would have to wait until our sleepover on Friday to experience the joy of a Nayeon v. Jeongyeon cagematch. This is just the cherry on top of my already excellent day.”

Jeongyeon squinted suspiciously. “You’re being awfully chipper. Did your mom pack you pocky or something?”

“Nope,” Sana shook her head, good attitude unwavering. “I’ve just had a great idea.”

“That’s a first,” Nayeon said. Sana sent her a little pout. “I mean, wow, Sana, I’d love to hear your great idea.”

“Your enthusiasm is noted and appreciated,” Sana said. “But you’ll have to wait until Momo gets here before I tell you.”

They both groaned at being kept in suspense, but they didn’t have to wait for long. Just seconds later, Momo appeared at the table, bearing a tray laden with food and a dopey grin.

“Hey, you guys, you’ll never guess what,” she greeted them.

“All of these guessing games are really getting to be too much,” Jeongyeon griped.

Momo frowned, confused. “What?”

“Nothing,” Sana said. “What’s up?”

“There’s a new girl in my math class,” Momo said, dopey grin spreading across her entire face. “She just moved here from Japan. She’s super quiet, but crazy smart, and she likes dancing.”

“She sounds perfect, Momo,” Nayeon said. “She just needs to let you eat her leftovers and I’d say you’ve found the one.”

Momo flashed them a grin through a mouthful of food. Disgusting, to say the least, but Sana carried on, unperturbed.

“She does sound perfect, Momo. In fact, you should ask her to join Japanese club.”

“What’s that?” Jeongyeon asked.

“That, my friend, is my great idea,” Sana declared. “It’s a club for teaching the Japanese language and studying Japanese culture, run by yours truly and Momo here. And I guess her new friend, if she’s willing.”

Momo swallowed thickly. “Uh, was anyone going to ask Momo if she was willing?” 

“Well, aren’t you?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, it seems kind of… boring. Like I’m already Japanese, why do I need a club?”

“Yeah, and how do Jeongyeon and I fit in?” Nayeon asked. “We can’t really contribute in any meaningful way. I’m sorry to say this, Sana, but I think your first great idea... might actually kind of .”

“You all have too little faith in me,” Sana sniffed, in mock offense. “It’s not really going to be a Japanese club. Listen, you all must have noticed, the flirting game has been getting a bit stale recently. I mean, we’re almost in high school, it’s time to step it up a notch. This club will merely be a front for getting as many people as possible who are interested into one space. And maybe, if, accidently, in between teaching them verb conjugations, we happen to make a connection, well, who can blame us?”

Nayeon raised her eyebrows. “You are… an evil genius, Minatozaki.”

“I’m well aware.”

Lunch carried on, and they talked at great length about the logistics of setting up their club, then segueing into their sleepover that weekend, and maybe cycling back around to Digimon whenever Nayeon felt like striking a nerve. Jeongyeon made a well placed snarky comment and chocolate milk came pouring out of Momo’s nose. The table was alive with laughter, and the fluorescent glare of the cafeteria could hardly compete with the glow of warmth settled in Sana’s stomach, or the smile on her face.

Sana awoke with a start to the click of the front door opening. Before even opening her eyes, she furrowed her brow, discomfort piercing through morning serenity. Her arms were still asleep, pins and needles dancing from the tips of her fingers to the top of her shoulder, and her cheek was pressed against something soft and warm. In fact, her entire body was pressed against something warm, moving subtly with the ebb and flow of this something’s breathing. She cracked one eye open.

Inches from her own was Dahyun’s sleeping face, calm and unblemished, bearing no remnants of the emotional night they had shared together. Sana gazed up at her with heavy eyelids, studying her peaceful complexion as the sunrise lit it up in pink and orange, and the compulsion to cuddle even closer was impossible to resist. 

The clanking of pots and pans from the kitchen announced the presence of the cook, who must have just come in to prepare breakfast. Squinting to read the clock that sat on the side table, Sana groaned internally when it read 6:30. School started in an hour and a half. Reluctantly she disentangled her limbs from Dahyun’s, trying not to disturb the sleeper, but to no avail. Dahyun grumbled sleepily, grasping for Sana’s body as she pulled away. When her fingertips were met with only empty air, her eyes fluttered open, searching for what her hands hadn’t found. They flew wide when she saw that Sana was right there, giggling just slightly. Dahyun pulled her hands back quickly, coughing as if it would dislodge the embarrassment from . 

“Good morning,” Sana greeted, her usual cheer sedated but nevertheless present. 

“Morning,” Dahyun responded. 

“Mrs. Lee is making breakfast.” Sana stood, taking Dahyun’s sluggish gaze with her. “How do you like your eggs?”

Dahyun blinked slowly, the simple question too much for her sleep-addled mind. 

“Uh, scrambled. I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I think. Probably.”

Sana giggled again, the sound chiming through the morning like a bird’s song. “Would you like some coffee with those scrambled eggs?”

“That would be very appreciated.”

Sana padded through the dining room and into the kitchen, squinting as the sunrise shone through the windows and slashed at her eyes. Mrs. Lee was a blur, moving about the room with more energy than anyone had the right to at the crack of dawn. When she saw Sana, her face curved into a smile, arms not stilling for even a second. 

“Good morning, Miss Minatozaki. Breakfast will be ready in about half an hour.”

“Thank you,” Sana said groggily, shuffling over to the coffee maker, where a pot had already been brewed. “Mrs. Lee, where are the mugs?”

“To the right of the stove, dear.”

“Thank you.”

She poured two cups, filling one with cream and sugar, and then frowned. She poked her head out of the kitchen.

“Dahyun?”

“Hmm?”

“How do you want your coffee?”

“Just milk is fine.”

Sana hummed her response and fixed the drink at a snail's pace, precision taking precedence over speed. Mrs. Lee watched her sluggish attempts at accuracy with unconcealed amusement. 

“Dahyun will be eating breakfast with me,” Sana said, stirring milk into the coffee. “She wants her eggs-”

“Scrambled, yes, I heard,” Mrs. Lee was already whisking with one hand, sparking the flame on the stove with the other. “And I brought in the drycleaning when I came in, Dahyun’s uniform is on the dining room table.”

“We don’t pay you enough, Mrs. Lee.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Sana headed back to the living room, now toting two mugs and a drycleaning bag. She laid the uniform next to Dahyun’s slumped-over form, setting the coffee down on the table. The smell seemed to pull Dahyun back from the brink of unconsciousness. She picked up her cup gratefully and drank deeply, taking care even in her drowsiness to not spill on the couch that cost more than the clothes on her back. Sana’s clothes on her back. She was nearly swimming in them, but the sight left Sana charmed nonetheless. It was almost upsetting that Dahyun had to be uniformed again. 

“You can change in the bathroom,” Sana said, and Dahyun nodded, murmuring her assent into her coffee cup. When she returned from the bathroom, the caffeine seemed to have kicked in, Dahyun’s traditional infective rambunctiousness returning to her eyes. She joined Sana at the kitchen table, yawning broadly.

“I slept so deeply last night,” Sana remarked. “The deepest sleep I’ve had in ages and it was on my living room couch. My neck is killing me.”

Dahyun’s mouth dropped open, apology on her lips. “Oh, I’m sor-”

“Don’t you dare say that you’re sorry,” Sana sent her a gentle glare. “It’s my own fault. You wanted to move last night and I didn’t let you.”

“That’s a nice way of saying ‘held me in your grasp for hours, attempting to squeeze all life out of my body’.”

Sana shrugged, unapologetic. “What can I say? You were very comfortable and sleepy me is clingy.”

Dahyun scoffed, taking a sip of her coffee. “‘Sleepy you’.”

“Okay, maybe all forms of me.” Sana grinned. She pulled Dahyun into a hug that made her choke on her coffee. Spluttering, she wrest herself from Sana’s grasp, avoiding the girl’s delighted eyes and trying to clear her airway. 

Mrs. Lee emerged from the kitchen, carrying two steaming plates. She eyed Dahyun’s current condition and smirked, sending Sana a knowing look. Sana pouted innocently, and received an exasperated eye roll in response. Dahyun noticed none of this, as she thanked the cook graciously for her efforts and dug in, clearly starving. Sana picked up her fork, but was far more intrigued watching Dahyun devour her meal than eating her own. 

Dahyun groaned, bits of toast and egg overflowing from . “This is so good,” she said, mouth so full that it came out as little more than grunting. Under Sana’s amused gaze, she seemed to realize that she was not displaying proper table etiquette. She swallowed, dabbing at with a napkin. “I mean, this meal is delicious, thank you.”

“I’ll pass along your compliments to the chef,” Sana said.

“Heard them loud and clear!” a voice called from the kitchen. “Sana, tell your cute friend she is welcome any time.”

Dahyun ducked her head, blush blooming across her face at the compliment. 

“She’s always like that, pay her no mind.” Sana took a bite of her breakfast. “When we’re done eating, I’ll go change and we can drive to school.”

“Okay,” Dahyun agreed. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Well, I’m not going to leave you in my apartment all day,” Sana joked. “Although clearly Mrs. Lee wouldn’t mind some company.”

“No, I mean…” The sentiment seemed stuck in Dahyun’s throat. “Thanks for everything. For last night, listening to me, even letting me come over at all. It means more than I can say.”

Sana was taken aback. “Well, you’re welcome. I only did what anyone else would’ve.”

“No, you didn’t.” Dahyun insisted, eyes wide and sincere. “You did so much more.”

“Ah, well.” It was Sana’s turn to duck her head, bashful still an unfamiliar color on her. “You helped me too, more than you know.” Dahyun quirked her brow in question, but Sana waved her off. “It’s hard to talk about, I’m not really ready.”

“That’s okay,” Dahyun said. “I know one day you’ll be brave enough to face whatever it is. I believe in you.”

Sana looked up at her. “Thank you, Dahyun.”

“Hey, no, that’s my line.”

Sana giggled, the serious tone melting into something softer, and Dahyun responded with a smile that made the rising sun jealous. They finished their breakfast, singing praises to the chef the whole way out of the apartment. When they reached the lobby, Sana skipped over to the desk, Dahyun trailing meekly behind. 

“Good morning, Mr. Kim.”

“Good morning, Miss Minatozaki.”

“Can you call my car around?”

“Of course.”

Sana turned around, only to find Dahyun all but cowering behind her, eyes fixed with equal parts confusion and fear on the pleasant smile that graced the attendant’s face. 

“What?”

Dahyun straightened, suddenly very fascinated with the cuffs of her jacket. “Nothing.”

A valet drove the car up to the front of the building, before stepping out and offering the driver’s seat to Sana with a slight bow. She got in, looking to her right for Dahyun, only to find her still standing next to the car, mouth agape as a confused valet held the passenger door open for her. 

“You’re allowed to get in,” Sana prompted gently.

“Am I supposed to curtsy or…”

“Just get in the car.”

The ride to school was a breeze, the sky a pale blue and picturesque background to their jaunt. Sana gave Dahyun yet another shock when she lowered the convertible hood and wind came dancing between them, carrying Sana’s laughter at Dahyun’s expression up into the morning. 

Sana’s parking space was at the front of the school. Nayeon and Momo’s cars were already parked on either side of hers, but their owners were blessedly absent, allowing Sana some time before their imminent collision. Dahyun stepped out of the car, a little dazed. 

“Different from the bus?” Sana teased.

Dahyun scowled playfully. “Yeah, little bit.”

They stood there for a moment, neither knowing what to do now. They were at school earlier than usual, neither of them knowing how to fill the time at Sana’s apartment, so there was no pressing need to get to class. Dahyun’s arms were cradling her torso, puffs of breeze playing with her hair. 

“I should go,” she said. “I think I’m going to talk to Chaeyoung and Tzuyu before class starts. I just… I want to clear all this up.”

“Alright,” Sana said, trying to be encouraging. “You can do this.”

Dahyun nodded, but she didn’t move. She clung tighter to her body, nerves sending shivers down her spine. Sana stepped over to her, placing her hands on her shoulders, making her stand up straight. 

“You can do this,” she repeated. 

Dahyun bit her lip, squaring her frame. “I can do this.”

Sana’s face lit up with a smile. She pressed a kiss to Dahyun’s cheek, then spun her around and prodded her forward. “Go get ’em.”

Dahyun’s steps faltered, her feet losing all coordination for a second. Then her shoulders rose with a deep inhale, and she took another step towards the front doors, steadier this time. Her determination seemed to increase with every pace, and Sana watched as she marched her way into the building, jaw set and courage lining every muscle in her body.

It was a strange sight. Sana wasn’t used to seeing Dahyun as bold or daring. But it agreed with her. Bravery fit Dahyun like a well-tailored suit, and to see her transformation was almost awe-inspiring. 

Sana looked down at the phone in her hand, at the two cars on either side of her. She made herself stand up straight, squared her own shoulders. With as steady of fingers as she could manage, she navigated to her messaging app.

Group Chat: Ain’t nobody messing with my clique  

Sattang (* ^ ω ^) : Will you guys meet me in the office today during lunch? We should talk.

~~~

The halls of the high school were more deserted than Dahyun had ever seen them. Students were sparse, the few that were present in the building opting to sequester themselves away in classrooms rather than linger in the hallways. The tapping of her steps on the linoleum played a steady metronome to the erratic beating of her heart. 

Rounding the corner that would bring her to her locker, she almost stopped in her tracks. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu leaned against the wall next to the locker, deep in conversation with twin looks of worry on their faces. The sight of them crested a wave of emotion in the pit of her stomach, but she took a deep breath, let the waters calm. She walked forward with shoulders straight and head held high, nerves a heavy but contained knot in her stomach. 

It was Chaeyoung that spotted her first, eyes lighting up in recognition, then dimming again in shame. Tzuyu turned around, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Neither of them spoke as Dahyun approached.

She came up to her locker, looking between her two friends anxiously as the silence dragged on. Maybe they weren’t here to fix everything. Maybe they were okay having her gone. Dahyun cleared . “Hello.”

“Oh, god, Dahyun, we’re so sorry.” Chaeyoung’s voice was rough, pleading. It was clearly difficult for her to meet Dahyun’s eyes, but she tried, her gaze flickering between her friend and the floor. 

Tzuyu was more outwardly calm, but no less imploring. “We should have told you at the beginning when we got together, but we really didn’t want to put pressure on you. But the longer we waited, the more the pressure built up, until we didn’t know how to explain it. We know we made mistakes, but we never wanted it to come to this. We never meant to lie to you.”

Dahyun didn’t say a word, relief flooding her body. They were apologizing, they didn’t want to lose her as a friend. But she held the tide of emotions back, held herself back from pulling her friends into a hug, forgiving everything without question. This was a good start, but she knew it couldn’t be the end. 

“I know you never meant to lie,” she began. “I know that you’re sorry. But do you know how it felt? Seeing you guys, in that coffee shop, like you didn’t even care that I wasn’t with you? I was hurt, I felt betrayed, but really, I was just terrified. I just got so scared, about our friendship and what this meant for it. Listen, I don’t want you to break up or anything, but you can’t keep stuff like this from me, okay? I need you to trust that I can handle it, I can handle myself.”

They nodded fervently, their posture beseeching. Dahyun had to clear again.

“Good,” she said. “And I’m sorry too. I lost my temper yesterday, and you didn’t deserve to be on the other end of it. There’s just… a lot happening, and finding out pushed me over the edge.”

“It’s alright,” Tzuyu said. Chaeyoung nodded in agreement.

“Great,” Dahyun nodded, demeanor shifting from conflict to comfort. A smile sneaked its way on to her lips. “Now, on to what really matters. Chaeyoung finally found a girl willing to go out with her.”

Laughter had returned to its customary place in the group, lighting up the nearly empty hallway. Chaeyoung frowned, affronted, but Tzuyu was chuckling the loudest between the three. 

“How did this even happen?” Dahyun asked.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised, you know,” Chaeyoung protested.

“She asked me at our sleepover on the last day of school,” Tzuyu explained. 

Wonder filled Dahyun’s voice. “In my own home.” 

“It was two in the morning. She asked if I was up, and when I didn’t respond, she threw a pillow at me and blamed the moonlight for waking me up. Then she started stammering, about how much I matter to her and how she didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“Aww,” Dahyun cooed. “Chaeng, you romantic loser.”

“Shut up,” Chaeyoung said. “She’s telling the story wrong. I had written her a heartfelt speech, with imagery and symbolism and everything, and I was reciting it, with perfect confidence, and then she had to go and interrupt me right in the middle.”

“It was to say yes!”

“I spent a lot of time on that speech!”

“Wow,” Dahyun shook her head. “You’re perfect for each other.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Tzuyu wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders. Chaeyoung returned with a broad smile, but then her brow furrowed, and she looked to Dahyun, abashed.

“I’ve got more to apologize for,” she said. “I was out of line with what I said yesterday. I had no right to bring up Sana, I was deflecting and it wasn’t okay.”

Dahyun exhaled, bringing her hand up to Chaeyoung’s arm. “You are forgiven, Chaeng. That actually reminds me, I need to tell you guys something.” She started fiddling with the lock on her locker so that she wouldn’t have to make eye contact. “You know how I ran out of the coffee shop yesterday?”

Her friends nodded. Dahyun opened the locker door casually. 

“I went to Sana’s apartment.”

Dahyun ducked behind the door so she wouldn’t see the looks on their faces, but nonetheless she heard their telltale sounds of shock and surprise. Chaeyoung freed herself from her girlfriend’s arms and pulled the door back, exposing Dahyun to demand answers. 

“You what?”

She met Chaeyoung’s steely gaze, refusing to slip back into silence. “No, come on, this is what I was just talking about. Let me explain.”

Tzuyu pulled Chaeyoung back, defusing her with an embrace and a whisper in her ear that Dahyun couldn’t make out. Chaeyoung took a deep breath and relented, a skeptical look still glued on her face as Dahyun continued. 

“After we fought, I felt like I had nowhere to go. I was scared and alone and I just wanted comfort and someone to talk to. Sana gave me all of that. She was kind and thoughtful, she listened to everything I told her and never passed judgement or made me feel unwelcome. And she didn’t,” Dahyun paused. “She didn’t try anything. We just talked. She made me feel safe. I know this is hard for you two to believe but she helped me, okay? She’s a better person than anyone gives her credit for.”

The silence that followed was heavy with anticipation. Chaeyoung’s face scrunched up, like she had things to say but was keeping herself quiet. Tzuyu looked deep in consideration, mulling over the words. 

“So,” Tzuyu said. “What does this all mean then?”

Dahyun bit her lip, but didn’t look away. “I think I like her. Like, really, genuinely like her.”

Chaeyoung’s shoulders slumped as though she’d taken a physical blow. She looked between her best friend and her girlfriend, unplaceable emotion in her eyes. The other two watched her cautiously, waiting to see how she’d respond, and the moment dragged on, unbearably charged with tension.

Chaeyoung took a deep breath. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just don’t get it. She’s always been so…” She let the sentence trail off. “But I don’t have to. It’s your life, Dahyun. And I trust you.”

“Thank you,” Dahyun nearly whispered. 

Chaeyoung forced out a chuckle. “You’re welcome.”

The two girls fell into a hug, and it felt to both as though a great weight had slipped off their shoulders. Chaeyoung pulled back from the hug, heaving a sigh of relief.

“Ugh, that felt great,” she said. “I was worried we’d never do that again.”

“Hey, you have a girlfriend now, what do you need my hugs for?” Dahyun nudged her jokingly.

Chaeyoung stopped her. “Nope, it’s too soon for you to be making jokes about me not needing you anymore. We gotta have at least two weeks of straight Dahyun love before we can do that.” 

“Fine, whatever you say,” Dahyun acted dismissive, but she appreciated the gesture.

Tzuyu peeped up from the side. “So, Dahyun, speaking of girlfriends. When are you going to confess to Sana?”

Suddenly a new weight slammed down on Dahyun’s shoulders.

“Confess?” she asked. “Who said anything about confessing?”

“I mean, I just assumed…” Tzuyu trailed off, watching as Dahyun seemed to have a very intense internal battle with herself. 

“I mean, I hadn’t even thought, I don’t know if she’d,” Dahyun stumbled, her mind tripping over itself as it tried to compute the idea of actually confessing to Sana. “I mean, do I even? Do you think she’d?”

As Tzuyu and Chaeyoung struggled to think of answers for their friend’s half baked questions, the warning bell rang out. They tried to say goodbye, but Dahyun wandered off as if in a trance, the questions swirling around her mind plainly obvious on her face. They shared a look.

“God, it’s nice to have her back, isn’t it?”

“It really is.”

~~~

It is entirely possible that an earthquake could have shaken the school, a fire could have broken out in the science labs, and Dahyun would not have noticed, because her mind was entirely occupied. The thought of confessing to Sana was so daunting, but so exhilarating at the same time. But that was just how everything about Sana made Dahyun feel. The tiniest bit of fear mingled with indescribable excitement. She started to wonder if that sort of sustained feeling was healthy for the human body, but then she remembered the concept of confessing to Sana, and her mind refused to wander to anything else.

It was a miracle she found her way to the cafeteria at all, let alone that any food made it into . Tzuyu and Chaeyoung watched her sternly glare at the tabletop, lips moving subtly in a silent-but-furious dialogue. 

“Listen, it was cute this morning but now I’m a little concerned,” Chaeyoung interrupted. 

“What?” For the first time, Dahyun seemed to notice that other people were there. 

“You’ve just got to confess to her,” Chaeyoung stated, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

“I can’t ‘just confess’ to Minatozaki Sana,” Dahyun replied snappishly. “I have no idea how I would do it with a normal person, let alone her. I mean, where do I even begin?”

“Well, you’ve finally admitted that you like her, so that’s a good start,” Tzuyu said. 

Dahyun squinted her eyes. “What do you mean ‘finally admitted’?”

“I mean, you’ve clearly been crushing on her for a long time, you just wouldn’t let yourself believe it.”

Dahyun was affronted, but it was nothing compared to Chaeyoung’s reaction.

“Wait, you knew that she liked her?” Chaeyoung gasped. “What? For how long? How could you tell?”

“Yeah!” Dahyun said. “For how long? How could you tell?”

“Well, you got all flustered whenever we saw her and you kept defending her for no clear reason.” Tzuyu looked a little bit amused, as though this should have been plainly obvious. “So I guess I’ve known since the party? Maybe a little bit before that, but definitely when you agreed to go to a party hosted by the best friend of a girl you claimed to be annoyed by.”

“Huh,” Chaeyoung frowned. “Well, when you put it like that, maybe I shouldn’t have been this surprised. But I always thought she was just being ‘seduced’ or whatever, I didn’t think it was serious.”

“I can’t believe you knew about my crush before I did,” Dahyun bemoaned. 

Chaeyoung’s frown deepened. “But hold up, you wanted us to go to that party too.”

“Yeah, well,” Tzuyu shrugged, “I did think it would be a cool experience. Which, I mean, it’s a little debatable whether it ended up being more cool than traumatic, but it was an experience. And, I don’t know, maybe I hoped you’d make a move with Sana. Or at least move a little bit. I believed in you guys.”

“Aww, Tzuyu, I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” Dahyun cooed. Tzuyu rolled her eyes. “I wish I had the same confidence in myself that you have in me. But I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to tell her how I feel.”

“Hey, come on,” Tzuyu said. “Don’t say that. Of course you’re gonna tell her how you feel, why wouldn’t you?”

Dahyun shrugged self-consciously. “I don’t know, she’s just so… intimidating. And she has so many people who like her and I’m just me. For God’s sake, the closest interaction we’ve ever had was me crying on her for hours on end. That doesn’t exactly scream ‘dateable’.”

“Don’t say that about yourself,” Chaeyoung objected. “You’re the best, Sana would be lucky to date you.”

Dahyun was a little shocked. “This is quite the turn around, Chaeng. I thought you didn’t want me to date her.”

She took a deep breath. “Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled, but I’ve done some soul-searching in the past few hours, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I just want you to be happy. If Sana will do that, I’m going to do everything I can to support your relationship. And if she doesn’t, I’m gonna break her kneecaps.”

Dahyun chuckled, the stress abating if only momentarily. “How do you plan on doing that exactly?”

“I’m gonna get Tzuyu to break her kneecaps.”

“I don’t think I signed up for kneecap breaking,” Tzuyu said.

“You clearly did when you decided to be my girlfriend, you should have read the contract more closely.”

“Back to the topic at hand,” Dahyun interjected. “I don’t know, I do think that I want to confess. But I’m just so scared. Like how do I even do that? How do I make the words come out of my mouth? And are words even enough to express how I feel for her? Maybe I should compose a song and-”

“Oh my god, you gay loser, just tell her how you feel,” Chaeyoung interrupted. “All those words you told us, about feeling safe and happy? Just say those to her. And for what it’s worth, I might not have noticed you having a crush on her, but I’d bet my life she feels the same way.”

Dahyun looked up hesitantly. “You really think so?”

Chaeyoung nodded solemnly. “Unfortunately I do.”

Exhaling deeply, Dahyun nodded. “Alright. Alright, I’m going to tell her how I feel.”

“Yes!” Tzuyu heaved, great relief evident in her tone. “When are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know, there’s all this energy in my body now,” Dahyun replied. “I feel like I’m just gonna blurt it out the next time I see her. We’ve got Japanese club this afternoon, maybe after that? Or, she should have lunch right now, right?”

Dahyun scanned the room, but the table by the window was deserted. As she looked around, more frantic than she might have wanted to admit, something else pulled her focus back.

Mina and Jihyo approached the table, both red-eyed but smiling. 

“Hey guys,” Jihyo sniffed. “Sorry we’re late, but we just had a very emotional apology session and I sort of had to restructure my entire worldview so it took some time.”

“You guys are friends again?” Dahyun asked.

“Yes,” Mina responded, clearly incredibly happy. “Her apology was heartfelt and meaningful, and the powerpoint slides were really well produced, and the cupcakes were fantastic, so how could I refuse?”

“You really went all out, huh?” Chaeyoung asked.

“I am thorough in all things,” Jihyo replied. “And I realized that I’d been treating my best friend in the world like garbage, so cupcakes and an apology presentation felt warranted.”

“I feel like we should apologize too,” Tzuyu said. “I’m really sorry that we didn’t stand up for you, Mina.” Chaeyoung nodded in agreement.

“That’s alright, all is forgiven,” Mina said. “Mostly because I don’t think I have any tears left. And I want to thank you again, Dahyun, for listening to me and helping me out when I was down.”

“I should clearly be the one thanking you, but I’ll accept nonetheless.” Dahyun beamed. “Does this mean we’re all good? The dream team is back together once again?”

“And hopefully for good,” Jihyo said, with her customary determination only slightly softened by the little bit of crying still left in her voice. 

“Perfect,” Chaeyoung said. “Now we can move on to the new development, which is that Dahyun wants to confess her love to Sana.”

Mina gasped happily. Jihyo just blinked.

“You’re really going to confess?” Mina asked.

“I’m certainly going to try,” Dahyun said. “Which reminds me, have you by chance seen her today? She’s not here.”

“No, but I haven’t seen Momo all day either,” Mina said. “I bet wherever they are, they’re together.”

~~~

Even for a poorly-lit, semi-abandoned hallway in a high school, the walk to the office had never seemed so daunting before. Sana bent her head, clenching and unclenching her fists as the door got ever closer. She knew she was doing the right thing, the only thing that she could do, but that hardly eased her nerves. If she messed this up, there might be no going back. She tried to plan what she was going to say, but even in her head she couldn’t make it sound right, and suddenly she was out of hallway and out of time.

She barely heard the hinges screech as she pushed the door open, her heartbeat pounding loud in her ears. The first thing she saw was Momo, tucked into the corner of the big dusty couch, eyes wide and full of unreadable emotion. The second thing she saw was the floor, and from there her gaze did not roam. Even without eye contact, the atmosphere of the room was so pressurized it felt like her ears might pop. Sana opened , trying to string together anything resembling an apology, or even just a sentence fragment.

“Momo,” she started. “I-”

The door behind her screamed open, and Nayeon and Jeongyeon walked in, hand in hand. 

“Alright,” Jeongyeon started, shoulders squared and guns blazing. “We need to talk”

“I know,” Sana muttered, collapsing on the lip of the desk. Nayeon settled onto the couch next to Momo, watching all with a skeptical eye. 

“We need to have a discussion,” Jeongyeon continued.

“I know,” Sana almost choked.

“I’m putting on my team captain voice for this, because it’s important. Because this isn’t working. Because you can’t keep doing this, bottling up your feelings, acting passive aggressive and then blowing up at us.”

The first tear splashed down on Sana’s blazer. “I know.”

“You,” Jeongyeon paused, taking a breath and taking in Sana’s body language. “You know?”

Sana nodded, taking a deep breath. She’s going to keep it together, she’s going to make this right. “I know. I just… It’s hard to explain.”

“Well,” Nayeon said. “Give it your best shot.”

Sana paused, steadying herself, and then took the plunge. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you guys about the way I feel recently. And it’s not fair to you to hide it and it’s not fair to yell at you for things that aren’t your fault but… I’ve been feeling like our friendship is failing recently. And it started when you two started dating.” Sana looked between Nayeon and Jeongyeon, hoping her words weren't coming across wrong. “It was just that you two were spending so much time together and I didn’t understand it. You were just so close and had such an incredible bond and I thought one day you’d realize that I wasn’t good enough for you. And then Momo got into a relationship and I just saw her slipping away too. And I just, I love you guys so much and I didn’t want that to end.

“I think I started associating our whole flirting thing with our friendship to the point where I thought one couldn’t exist without the other. Because it’s what we’d always done, and we’d always done it together, and if you guys are in committed relationships, then we aren’t flirting anymore and I just thought it was a matter of time before we weren’t doing anything together anymore. And I was just so scared, but I also felt like I was asking too much of you, so I felt guilty and then I didn’t tell any of you the truth and then I ended up pushing you away because of how much I wanted you to stay close. Does that, does that make any sense at all?”

They nodded supportively, Jeongyeon coming over to gently rub her back. Sana sniffed at her in thanks. She looked up, meeting eyes with Momo through unshed tears and seeing them shine in her eyes as well. 

“Momo, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I called you stupid and that I said you didn’t care and that I lashed out at you because of my own insecurities. You didn’t deserve any of it and I,” her voice cracked, “I’m so sorry.”

Momo stared Sana down with something resilient in her eye. “Don’t apologize to me. God, Sana, I love you, you’re my best friend in the world. We both did things, said things that we shouldn’t have. But Mina did nothing wrong.”

Sana nodded quickly, clearing . “I know, I know, I’m going to apologize to her this afternoon.”

“Good,” Momo said. “Now. Does this mean I can stop being mad? Because I don’t like it and I’m not very good at it.”

Giggles bubbling over in spite of herself, Sana nodded and opened her arms. The hug was warm and firm and solid. Sana almost started sobbing with relief. 

When she broke away, Sana turned to face the other two girls in the room. “And I’m sorry for yelling at you too, for the way I’ve treated you since you started dating.”

The couple shared a look. “We forgive you,” said Jeongyeon. “But you need to start telling us when you feel this way. We can help you. Don’t leave us in the dark again.”

“I won’t,” Sana insisted. “I promise.”

“Good,” said Nayeon. “Now do we get hugs too?”

“Of course,” Sana said. “Free Sana Is Sorry hugs, get ‘em while they're fresh.”

It would be impossible to think that this group of girls had been torn apart just 24 hours earlier. The way they embraced, it seemed they’re friendship was unshakeable. And though that wasn’t true, it was certainly stronger than ever before. 

“God, Sana, I didn’t know you were holding on to all of this, all this time,” Nayeon said. “What made you finally decide to tell us?”

“Well, actually, that’s kind of funny,” Sana wiped at her eyes. “You know Dahyun?”

“Mina’s friend?” Momo asked, just as Jeongyeon asked, “Freshie?”

“Yes to both,” Sana replied. “She came over to my place last night. She was going through some stuff with her friends and when she was talking about it, I just found myself identifying with a lot of what she was saying. She helped me think through everything, without even knowing. And gosh, she’s so much braver than I am, she agreed to talk to her friends immediately. I guess I was just… inspired.”

“Wow,” Nayeon said, awed. “This girl sounds really special. Did you kiss her?”

Jeongyeon looked like she was about to slap her girlfriend, but Sana just laughed it off.

“No, I didn’t. I mean, well, there might have been a few moments where I was going to, but nothing happened. And I think that’s for the best. I only really started flirting with her because I was trying to hold on to our friendship, or what I thought was our friendship. But I’ve realized that isn’t fair, to her or to me. It’s just not healthy. I don’t think I can do it anymore.”

“Wait, what?” Momo asked. “Are you really not going to flirt with people anymore?”

Sana clasped her hands together, settling them in her lap. “I’m taking an extended break. Maybe it’s time, don’t you think?”

“Damn, Minatozaki,” Jeongyeon said. “You’re going to have to find a hobby.”

Sana slapped her shoulder lightly. “Oh shut up.”

“No, really,” Jeongyeon continued. “I’ve got basketball, Momo’s got dance. You’re gonna need some way to spend your time.”

“And what’s Nayeon’s hobby, if I may ask?”

“I’m a full-time delight.” 

Sana snorted, leaning her head against Momo’s shoulder as the happiness pooling in her stomach threatened to overflow. She hadn’t realized just how much pressure she’d been putting on herself, but now that it was gone, she felt utterly weightless. 

Far off in the distance, the lunch bell rang and the first classes of the afternoon began. But the intercom to the office had been broken for years, and the girls had no desire to drag themselves back to the school proper and be subjected to Calculus for the next hour. So they pretended that time was frozen and purely enjoyed being in each other’s company for the first time in a long time. 

~~~

The notorious four finally left their hideout when the final bell rang, because Sana had an apology appointment that she didn’t plan on missing. When they arrived at the club room, Mina was the only one there, shuffling papers around and generally attempting the futile effort of making the club any sort of legitimate endeavor. Sana asked her friends to stay outside for a second, and slipped in quietly.

“Hey, Mina,” she started, bowing her head. “Listen, I know it could never be enough to make up for what I said to you but I’m-”

“You’re sorry?” Mina interrupted. 

Sana looked up, expecting rage or at the very least some quiet passive aggression, but Mina was just smiling.

“Uh, well, yes, I am,” Sana said, trying to recover. “I was totally out of line-”

“Sana, I do really appreciate the effort but I’ve been apologized to in the past 24 hours more times than I can count.” Mina shrugged. “So let’s just say I forgive you, okay?”

“But,” Sana was at a loss for words, “I need to repent. You need to know the whole emotional backstory. I was even going to respectfully give you space after you rejected my apology.”

“And I’m sure that all would have been very lovely and respectful, but I’m tired and cried out, and we have a club to run. So, I forgive you, now can you please let Momo in the room, she’s been trying to watch us from the crack underneath the door.”

The other three girls were finally allowed in, and Momo instantly attached herself to Mina, snuggling up to her side and giving her cheek kisses whenever the mood seemed to strike her. That left Sana in charge of setting up, filling Mina in between kiss attacks on her plan for the day while Jeongyeon and Nayeon looked on and criticized. The usual attendees started to trickle in, filling up the room with chatter, but Sana kept her eyes on the door, waiting for a specific person to show up. 

Right as Sana was about to give up and start, Dahyun walked through the door, eyes fixed on the floor and hardly looking where she was going.

“Dahyun!” Sana called, startling the girl out of what appeared to have been a deep introspection. 

“Oh, hey,” Dahyun returned. She shuffled over, hands shoved deep in the pockets of her blazer. 

“Did everything go alright with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu today?” Sana asked.

“Yeah, actually, it went great,” Dahyun said. “How about you? Did you, uh, figure out whatever you were dealing with?”

“You could say that.”

Nayeon glanced over at them as they were talking. “Oh, hey, Dahyun, thanks for helping Sana with her feelings, we owe you one.”

“Oh, well,” Dahyun didn’t really know how to respond to that, but Momo jumped in before she had to.

“It sounds so weird calling you Dahyun,” she said. “I’m so used to Sana calling you Dubu and then making little squishy motions with her fingers.”

Somehow, Dahyun had even less of a response to that.

“Shush, Momo,” Sana admonished. “I must apologize for them.”

“It’s alright,” Dahyun said. “But they’re not wrong. It’s weird, you haven’t called me a nickname all day.”

“Oh, well, after last night, I thought you might not like them,” Sana explained. “You reacted kind of strongly when I, uh…”

Recognition dawned on Dahyun’s face. “Oh, you mean when I first showed up?” When Sana said the word “Dubu” and Dahyun spiraled into a flashback that caused her to cry on Sana’s floor? “That wasn’t, well, it’s hard to explain. Thank you for being considerate and all, but it’s alright.”

“So it’s okay if I call you Dubu?”

“Be my guest.”

Letting out what could only be defined as a barely-restrained squeal, Sana jumped for joy, wrapping her arms around Dahyun’s shoulders. 

Jeongyeon cringed. “Alright, that’s enough, no PDA in Japanese club.”

“Since when?” Momo asked, tightening her grip around Mina’s waist.

Nayeon inched her way closer to her girlfriend, resting her chin on Jeongyeon’s shoulder and pouting at her stoic profile. “Yeah, since when?” 

“You’re not even a club leader,” Sana pointed out.

“This is hardly even a club,” Jeongyeon retorted, steadily losing ground in the argument as the corners of twitched further upwards with every advance her girlfriend made.

Sana hummed thoughtfully. “You may have had a point there, Jeongyeon. But no longer.” She retracted her arms from around Dahyun and turned to face the rest of the assembled club members, some 30-odd students.

“Can I have your attention, please?”

Immediately, a hush fell over the room.

“Today we’re going to learn some basic Japanese phrases. Will you all get out some scratch paper?”

There was a heavy, confusion-laden pause. Then a hurried scramble to find paper.

No one was more confused than the other club leaders.

“What are you doing?” Momo asked.

“Don’t you think it’d be nice to teach for a change?” Sana asked, tone just casual enough to be suspicious but not worthy of questioning. Momo sighed.

“Mina, can you write everything on the board? I’m not going to be much help here.”

An hour later, the members of the Japanese club filtered out the door, heads swimming with kanji and hiragana for the first time in 4 years. Sana shooed her friends away, shouldering the task of cleaning up by herself. As she finished wiping down the whiteboard, a flicker of movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see that one member had lingered in the doorway.

“Hey,” Dahyun said quietly. “Can I talk to you about something?”

Sana smiled, nodding eagerly. “Yeah, absolutely. I actually needed to talk to you about something too.”

“Oh, really?” Dahyun looked relieved. “You go first.”

“No, you can say what you wanted to-”

“I want you to go first.”

Sana frowned. “Are you alright?” 

Dahyun refused to meet her eye, hands shaking and gaze focused down at her feet.

“Yeah, yeah,” she dismissed. “You go ahead.”

“Okay then.” Sana collected herself, organized her thoughts as carefully as she could manage. “So, first of all, I wanted to thank you for last night. I don’t think you really know how much you helped me, which is totally my fault, because I didn’t tell you but… Yeah, anyway, so I was having some big issues with my friends that I was refusing to acknowledge, but your willingness to be vulnerable and open with me was, just, so moving. And I can’t thank you enough, for being so open even after everything I did.”

Dahyun furrowed her brow. “Everything you did? Like the fight with Mina yesterday, or?”

Sana nodded, heaving a shaky breath. “Yes, that, but also everything else. I know it’s no excuse, but the issues I was having with my friends made me do some things that I’m not proud of. I already apologized to them and to Mina, but I also need to apologize to you.”

“I’m not following,” Dahyun said.

Sana giggled self-consciously. “I’m sure you know by now about my reputation, for being a flirt and breaking hearts and all that. I can’t deny that that’s who I was for a long time, but this whole situation has made me realize just how selfish I was, and how damaging my actions were to myself and all of the girls that I would take advantage of. But when these problems with Nayeon and Jeongyeon and Momo were just getting worse and worse every day, I started to lean even further into it, into the flirting and the heartbreaking. I just dug my heels in every time someone pointed out that it might not be the best coping mechanism. And you became my main target, so to speak.”

Sana couldn’t meet Dahyun’s eye, could hardly even look in her direction, as shame colored her face.

“You were just there, and you reacted so well to all of my advances, I just couldn’t stop myself. But I know that’s not an excuse, that’s not what I’m trying to say here. I just wanted to tell you that you didn’t deserve me taking out all of my issues on you, and I wanted to apologize for forcing you into the crossfire of this whole mess.”

Risking a look at Dahyun’s face, Sana found agape, her nerves from earlier having fled in the wake of deep confusion.

“Wait,” Dahyun said. “So you’re apologizing… for flirting with me?”

Sana nodded. “And I know it probably sounds stupid and doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, because we’re something like friends now, but I just needed to apologize, even more so now because of our friendship. Because I knew you were uncomfortable and that you didn’t reciprocate, but I just kept pushing. I mean, like at Nayeon’s party, by the pool, I thought I was acting all fun and flirty, but I was just being aggressive and invasive. I don’t know if you remember that, but I do, and I want you to know just how sorry I am.”

“Why wouldn’t I remember?”

“I mean, you were pretty tipsy,” Sana smiled just a bit at the memory. “You kept tripping and stuttering over your words. Like you called me ‘stunning’? Was that like your first time drinking ever or?”

Dahyun chuckled along, shoulders uncomfortably tense.

“That’s just one example,” Sana continued. “I’m really sorry, Dahyun. I’m so happy that I’ve gotten to know you, and you’re an incredible person. You didn’t deserve any of it, you didn’t deserve me breaking your heart. I’m so sorry.”

The silence that stretched between them was deafening. Sana scanned Dahyun’s face for any sign of how she felt, but couldn’t decipher the emotions as they flashed by at rapid speeds.

“Don’t feel pressured to forgive me,” Sana tried to correct when the silence got too unbearable. “I really get it if you don’t feel ready.”

“Of course, I forgive you, Sana,” Dahyun said, as if bewildered that Sana would ever think otherwise. “Listen, regardless of what you did and why you did it, I don’t believe you would ever hurt me on purpose. I… I get it. So, you’re forgiven.”

“Really?” Sana asked, hardly letting herself believe it.

“Yeah.”

The pressure in Sana’s chest splintered and melted, and she was flooded with relief. “Can I hug you?” she asked, breathless.

Dahyun blushed. “Sure.”

Sana swept her up in a hug, reveling in the warmth that this new reality presented. Dahyun smelled clean and fresh, like laundry and open windows.

Smiling so wide it hurt, Sana drew back from the hug. “Okay. Thank you. This is just… wow, thank you.”

“You said that already.”

“I know.” The smile didn’t falter. “Now, what did you want to tell me?”

“Oh.” Dahyun’s eyes went straight back down to her feet. “I, uh, just wanted to thank you for letting me stay over last night. Again.”

“Hey, I thought being overly grateful was going to be my thing now,” Sana beamed. Dahyun laughed weakly. 

“Listen,” Sana continued. “I don’t know if this is going to be too much for you, but I do hope that we can be friends. I’ve already said, I think you’re incredible.”

“Ah, come on,” Dahyun deflected. “I mean, I appreciate you saying that. And I… I’d love to be your friend.”

Sana squealed, and there was no Jeongyeon to tell her off this time. 

“Yay! This will be great. Okay, as your friend, can I offer you a ride home?”

“That’s okay. I’ve got to wait for Chaeyoung’s Art club meeting to end, we said we would hang out.”

“Alright, well, the offer always stands.” Sana picked up her backpack, swinging it on to one shoulder. “Friendship begins full force tomorrow, be prepared.”

“Alright.” Dahyun grinned strenuously. Sana spun and left the classroom, her giddiness carrying her down the hallway and out to her car.

Dahyun grin dropped from her face. She stood in the classroom for a few minutes, trying to process. Her phone buzzed and a picture of Chaeyoung appeared on the screen. Unsteady fingers accepted the call.

“Hey dude, I just saw Sana leaving school and she looked hella excited. Congrats! I told you she liked you back!”

There was a stone in Dahyun’s throat that she couldn’t swallow.

“Dude? Why aren’t you screaming with me right now? Did you gay panic so hard that you died? Did she kiss you and now your brain’s exploded? What’s- hey.” There was some shuffling on Chaeyoung’s end of the line. “Tzuyu’s telling me that I should stop but I’m not gonna not be excited about my best friend getting her first girlfriend. Dahyun?”

She opened to speak, but only a choked noise escaped from . “She..”

“What?”

“She doesn’t like me back.”