She throws the outfit on her bed, silently deciding that it's not appropriate to wear it today. Not that she knows what would be appropriate for today's outing with Bomi; the blonde hasn't supplied any information about what the surprise is other than giving her a meeting place at Starbucks.

The meeting place is the reason why Chorong is leaning towards more casual attire.

Maybe she should wear a novelty sweater; Bomi seemed to like the last novelty sweater she had worn. When Jinsol was distracted by the Christmas tree, Bomi had sidled beside Chorong and whispered that not many people could look cute in a sweater with reindeers on yet she managed to.

Although most of the novelty sweaters she owns are more suitable for the festive period so now she comes to think of it, maybe that's not a viable option.

Her eyes land on the little black dress which hangs at the back of her closet. The dress isn't something she would normally buy for herself but the dress had been in the sale and Sana promised her that people would be powerless to resist her if she wore it.

Despite Sana's compliments when she tried it on and her constant promises that she had looked y, her lack of self-confidence in her body means that after buying it four years ago, the dress has never left her closet. She runs the item of clothing through her fingers, wondering whether it would still fit her and whether today might be the day to wear it.

It can't stay in her closet forever.

She's just about to throw the dress on when her cell phone rings. She drops the dress on her bed, allowing it to join the several other outfits she has already disregarded and answers her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey babe, are you busy?"

She sends a fleeting look in the direction of her bed, her clothing concealing the furniture. "Not right this minute, why?

"Well my mom decided today would be a perfect day to have lunch together and go shopping for dresses for my cousin's wedding and I was wondering if you wanted to join us," Eunji asks. "I know my mom wants to see you and she's not the only one."

"Oh. I mean, I'm spending the afternoon with Sana. She wants to talk to me about Momo and you know Sana, it will take the whole afternoon."

The lie falls off her lips before she can even think about it. She doesn't know why she lied, there's nothing wrong with her spending the afternoon with Bomi. She's just spending the afternoon with a friend, Eunji wouldn't be angry at her for it.

Although if she really believes that, then why did she lie?

She hears Eunji sighs sadly into the phone. "I guess it's just me and my mom then. How many times do you think she'll ask me about you?"

Chorong chuckles into the phone. "Since Mijung adores me," she replies cockily. "I'm going to be over-confident and say seven."

Eunji laughs, knowing full well that her girlfriend is probably going to be right. Her mother does adore Chorong; her mom says Chorong reminds her of what she was like as a child. "I'll undercut you and go for four then, although you'll probably win. You always do."

"I'm sorry I can't come with you today."

"Don't worry about it; if Sana needs to talk to you, I'm not going to ruin your afternoon with her."

She feels guilt surface in the pit of her stomach. "Have fun with your mom."

"Have fun with Sana."

"I'll call you later, babe."

She waits for Eunji to say her goodbyes before hanging up the phone and throwing it into her bag. The guilt still lingers in the pit of her stomach as she hangs the dress back up in her closet, grabbing one of her oversized shirts instead and shrugging it on.

Chorong with the dress on may be ier in Sana's eyes but she still feels more comfortable as just Chorong.

She takes a sip of her latte, her eyes trained on the entrance to Starbucks. She had texted Chorong earlier this morning and told the brunette to meet her at half 3 in the coffee shop. Even though the audition wasn't until 5, Bomi saw an opportunity to spend time alone with the woman and she wasn't about to pass that up. After witnessing Eunji kiss Chorong on New Year's Eve, Bomi had returned to one of the Kim's spare bedroom, Namjoo's parents kindly allowing her to stay the night with them rather than have her pay for a hotel.

The text she sent Chorong this morning had been her first form of contact with her since New Year's Eve and all she received in response was a one-word answer, Okay x. At least Chorong had returned the kiss that Bomi had sent her way. She doesn't like sending texts without at least one kiss; she thinks the text message sounds too blunt and harsh without it.

Organising this audition for Chorong had seemed like a fantastic idea at first but she had been too focused on pleasing the woman that she had forgotten about the implications. She's went out of her way to help Chorong achieve her dream, a woman who she's only known for a couple of months, a woman who's she's developing feelings for.

She's tried to ignore these feelings, when Chorong had helped decorate her tree with her and Jinsol; she had refrained from kissing her even though she had wanted to because she knew it was wrong. No matter how hard she tries to fight her feelings, they only fight back stronger. She's unable to pretend anymore that she doesn't like Chorong.

Chorong is Eunji's girlfriend. Eunji is her best friend.

That's the way things stand now but if Bomi was to act on her feelings, the dynamics of the trio would change.

If Chorong was her girlfriend, Eunji wouldn't be her best friend.

The two are mutually exclusive; Bomi can't have both. Either way she's going to lose somebody.

The day after Hayoung proposed to Namjoo, she had told Bomi that Namjoo was the one for her and she knows that Namjoo would have always been the one for her regardless of when or how they met. If they'd both been dating other people, Namjoo would still have been her soul mate, if they were old and decrepit, she still would have been her soul mate and Hayoung would have always pursued her.

She was just fortunate they both met whilst they were young, free and single.

If Chorong had been single, Bomi would have definitely chased her, the fact that she's in a relationship wouldn't have made a difference either. The only thing that does make a difference is the fact that her girlfriend is Eunji.

It kills Bomi that she is secretly coveting her best friend's girlfriend but what kills her even more is the knowledge that her mom is right. No matter how hard she tries to fight her feelings, at the end of the day she's going to pursue Chorong even though she shouldn't.

"Is this seat taken?"

Her head whips up at the words and her eyes land on the very person who occupies most of her thoughts these days. Chorong's dressed appropriately for the weather yet still appears to be shivering. Her brunette hair which is decorated in snowflakes and the pink tint filling her cheeks due to the cold make her look even more beautiful than usual.

"I was saving it for Dua Lipa," Bomi jests lightly. "But I suppose you'll do."

Chorong scowls at her before sitting down in the available seat. "If Dua Lipa comes in, I'll be sure to move."

Bomi chuckles before pocketing her phone. "Can I get you a drink?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

Chorong removes her coat and places it on the back of her chair before running a hand through her hair to rid it of snowflakes. "On whether we have time to stay and have coffee. Since you told me to keep my afternoon free I presumed you had something to show me."

"The surprise is coming later, I just thought it would be nice to grab a cup of coffee first and talk," Bomi replies lightly.

"Well in that case, I'll go buy a coffee."

"My treat," Bomi replies, standing up before Chorong even has a chance to move. "What would you like?"

"I'm more than capable of buying a cup of coffee for myself."

Bomi shakes her head with a smile. "I'm sure you are, what you do seem to be incapable of however, is letting somebody do something nice for you. I want to buy you a drink, not because you're incapable but because I'm trying to be nice."

Chorong blushes; it's becoming a habit around the blonde. "If you're sure, I'll have a latte please."

"Anything to eat?"

Chorong shakes her head and with a bob of her head, Bomi heads towards the counter where Nahyun is working, luckily there's no queue so she's able to order straight away.

It's a couple of seconds after Bomi leaves that Chorong closes her eyes in realisation; she'd forgotten to tell Bomi to order her latte with soy milk due to her diet. She spins around in the hope she'll catch the blonde before she orders but Bomi is already on her way back.

As soon as she sits down Bomi catches the brunette's worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot to tell you I need soy milk rather than regular, I'll just go ask them to make another."

"There's no need to do that, it's coming with soy milk."

Chorong frowns slightly. "It is?"

Bomi nods before drinking some of her latte. "Of course, although you told me you're lacto-vegetarian I could taste the soy in the eggnog you gave me that one time so I took a wild guess."

"You remembered."

Bomi tilts her head to the side with a lazy smile. "Did you think I would have forgotten?"

She's not sure whether Bomi's genuinely looking for an answer. She hadn't forgotten anything she knew about Bomi so logic would suggest that Bomi wouldn't have forgotten what she knew about her.

Sensing she's not receiving an answer anytime soon, Bomi decides to change the topic of conversation. "That's a cute sweater by the way."

Chorong doesn't look down. "Thank you."

"How was the rest of your New Year's Eve?"

"It was nothing special," Chorong says. "I didn't see you after midnight though."

"Namjoo's parents let me stay the night in one of their spare bedrooms so I disappeared up there pretty much straight after midnight," Bomi tells her. "Something knocked me out of the party mood."

"She's my girlfriend; did you really think she wouldn't kiss me at midnight?"

Bomi exhales heavily. "No, I knew she would but that didn't stop me from–"

"From what?"

Brown eyes find chocolate ones. "From wanting to kiss you too."

The words linger in the air and Bomi uses the sudden silence to gauge Chorong's reaction. Part of her suspects that Chorong already knew Bomi looked at her as more than just a friend but that doesn't stop part of her from feeling terrified that Chorong is about to stand and walk away.

Surprisingly she doesn't regret what she's just said; she needed Chorong to know. That way, Chorong is either going to reject her or tell her she wanted to kiss her too.

Either way, she'll know how Chorong feels.

The question which falls from Chorong's lips however, isn't one she had been expecting.

"If Eunji hadn't appeared, would you have kissed me?"

The corner of Bomi's mouth curls upwards ever so slightly. "You know the answer to that."

And Chorong did because she can remember Bomi leaning closer to her once midnight struck. Like when they were standing underneath the mistletoe, Chorong wouldn't have moved away.

Bomi clears . "If I had, would you have let–"

"I have your Christmas presents with me today," Chorong announces, effectively interrupting whatever Bomi was about to say.

Even though she wanted to know the answer, needed to know the answer, she allows Chorong to change the topic because right now, it's what Chorong needs to do. She claps her hands feigning dramatic excitement. "Presents, as in plural?"

Chorong reaches into her bag and pulls out a tiny wrapped present before pushing it across the table towards Bomi. The blonde grins at the gift and memories of Christmas Day growing up flood over her. She rips the paper off before frowning in curiosity at her present.

"Nasal strips?" She asks before taking a sip of her coffee.

"They're to help with your snoring."

Bomi nearly spits out her coffee at that statement. She stares doe-eyed at the brunette who crosses her legs nonchalantly.

"Come again?"

"Nasal strips are notorious for helping people with snoring; they're supposed to open the nasal passage allowing you to breathe more easily through your nose rather than your mouth. They should help you."

"One latte with soy milk," Nahyun states as she places the drink in front of Chorong. "Sorry about the wait, the machine decided to be temperamental."

"It's okay, thank you."

"Thanks Nahyun-ssi."

Both women thank the barista at the same time, Bomi using his name.

"You're welcome, enjoy the drinks. See you tomorrow Bomi-ssi."

"Do you make it a habit of knowing the staff at everywhere you frequent?" Chorong asks with genuine curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you knew the waitress from the diner personally and you knew her," Chorong explains, pointing haphazardly at Nahyun who is serving a customer. "I'm not picking fault with it, I think it's nice that you're friendly with them."

Bomi trails the tip of her index finger around the rim of her glass. "I'm a creature of habit; before work I buy the same coffee every day from here and I visit that diner on a regular basis. I guess I just like to know who is serving me."

"I think that's sweet," Chorong replies, taking a sip of her drink before flinching a little. "I burnt my tongue."

"What else did you think would happen if you drank a steaming hot drink?" Bomi teases as the brunette sticks her tongue out at her. "Anyway, don't think I didn't notice the change of topic. You were fabricating a story that I snore."

"I'm sorry; did you not know you snore?"

"I do not snore."

"You do."

"I do not," Bomi states adamantly before rolling her eyes, knowing full well that this conversation could go on like this for some time. "If I did somebody would have told me by now."

"You mean like I'm doing right now?"

"I meant before."

Chorong scrunches her nose up and blows delicately on her drink. "You leave before your one-night stands wake up and then you don't see them again, how could they tell you? I woke up before you and I'm telling you, you snore."

"I've had a relationship before and she never told me I snore."

"Maybe she didn't want to hurt your feelings," Chorong suggests.

Bomi scoffs quietly. "I highly doubt that."

"Maybe it's a recent thing then," Chorong offers as an explanation this time. "Do your parents snore? Supposedly it's genetic."

As she takes a sip of her drink, her brows furrow in contemplation. "My dad snores like a trucker, sometimes my mom has to sleep in the spare room because he's that loud," Bomi explains before tugging her bottom lip between her teeth nervously. "Is it bad snoring?"

"Could you define bad snoring for me?"

"Is it annoying and do I snore loudly like a trucker or was it soft snores that were kind of cute," Bomi clarifies, hoping for the latter.

"It was quite loud," Chorong says and the blonde ducks her head in embarrassment. "I don't know what a trucker sounds like so I can't accurately say whether or not that's what you sound like. I didn't find it annoying, but then again, I didn't try to get to back to sleep."

"That's good to know," Bomi replies, sufficiently embarrassed by this conversation. She's tempted to throw the nasal strips away but if Chorong's telling the truth, and she has no reason to lie, they might come in handy at some point so she pockets them, "Well thank you I guess, it's thoughtful of you."

"Trust me; somebody will be grateful for those in the future." Chorong drinks some of her hot latte, thankful that it's not too hot anymore. "That is of course a joke present and not your real one."

"So I don't snore."

"Oh no, you do, it's a real present in that respect but compared your other present, it's a joke," Chorong explains. "I'm not really being very clear am I?"

Bomi scratches the top of her nose. "The nasal strips are a novelty present but real nevertheless."

Chorong taps the edge of the table. "Novelty, that's the word I wanted. I'll just give you your other present and we can move on," she says with a chuckle. Reaching into her bag again she pulls a larger present out, sliding it over the table to Bomi. "That's your real present, the more important one."

Bomi touches the wrapping paper nervously. "I'm not about to be offended again am I?"

"I shouldn't think so."

Hesitantly she unwraps the present, depositing the wrapping paper in a nearby bin before running her hands over the book that she now holds in her hands. Her eyes move from side to side as she reads the front cover before turning the book over to inspect the back.

"Ms Marvel?"

"I noticed your collection of first edition comic books when I spent the night," Chorong explains. "When I helped decorate your tree with you and Jinsol, I had a look again and noticed that you didn't have the Ms Marvel 1977 version just the 2014 one so I thought you might appreciate it and now you can add it to your collection."

"You snooped through my apartment?" Bomi teases, oddly it doesn't bother her as much as she thought it would. "Hold on, when I gave you the Rubik Tree, you told me you didn't buy me anything but if you were observing my comic book collection, you must have wanted to buy me a present."

"I observed your comic collection out of sheer curiosity but I also like to be prepared. Luckily this time my preparation paid off because when you gave me my present, I already knew what I could get you." Chorong brushes some of her hair behind her ear. "I wouldn't have bought it for you if you hadn't given me a present. I didn't know what the boundaries were."

Bomi traces the spine of the comic book delicately with her finger before opening it and carefully turning the pages. "Would it be really weird if I smelt this comic right now?"

Chorong frowns at her. "Yes."

Shrugging her shoulders, she brings the comic book to her nose and inhales. "I love the smell of old comics," Bomi tells her. "It's one of my favourite smells."

"I like freshly cut grass."

Bomi doesn't look up from the comic. "I like that too."

"You don't have this one do you?" Chorong asks quietly. "I didn't just miss it when I was snooping."

Her answer comes in the form of a shake of the head.

"I used to have it but I lost it somewhere in the move from my parent's house to my apartment. I've always said I'll buy it again but I've never got round to it."

"Now you don't have to."

Bomi finally looks away from the comic book to the brunette, a wide smile gracing her lips.

"Now I don't have to."

Chorong comes to a halt at the side of the road. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

Bomi shoves her hands into her pockets as she waits for a chance to cross the road. They're less than a minute from their destination but Chorong has repeatedly asked ever since they left Starbucks, which incidentally was only a couple of minutes ago. Apparently being patient was not one of Chorong's traits.

"How many times are you going to ask me that before you learn that I'm not going to tell you?"

"I don't like not knowing."

Bomi glances at her quickly. "Why not? It's half the fun."

"Maybe for you," Chorong pouts.

When the chance to cross the road arises, she bumps Chorong's hip. "Come on, we're nearly there and trust me, it's going to make that pout disappear."

Realising Bomi isn't going to tell her where they're going, she begrudgingly crosses the road behind the blonde. As they turn down Nambusunhwan-ro street, Bomi comes to a halt.

"Are we here?" Chorong asks excitedly, scanning her environment in the hope that it will tell her what Bomi's surprise is. It takes longer than it should but her eyes finally fall on the CJ Towol Theatre. "Are we going to see a show?"

"Not exactly, but the theatre does play a crucial part in your surprise," Bomi replies, grabbing Chorong's hand and leading her towards the side door of the theatre. She pushes the door open before walking in, hearing Chorong close the door behind them. She feels pressure behind her and doesn't need to turn around to know that Chorong has slowed down behind her, clearly worried about trespassing.

"Trust me Chorong," she says, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. Before they move any further, Bomi uses her free hand to hold a finger up to her lip. "But we have to be quiet." They walk a little further before coming to rest at the side steps to the stage.

"What are we doing here?" Chorong whispers as quietly as she can, whilst she draws back the curtain to glance at the stage. "Bomi! They're holding auditions, we can't be here. We need to go before somebody catches us."

She attempts to make her way back to the side door when Bomi overtakes her. "The person on the stage is their last scheduled audition," Bomi tells her. "We're not leaving, you're going to go on that stage and audition for The Band's Visit and I'm going to sit at the back of the theatre and watch you."

A look of complete bewilderment fills Chorong's face. "I'm not auditioning Bomi."

"God you're stubborn," Bomi replies with a chuckle. "The director's expecting you so it would be rude to let him down."

"He is?"

"He's an old friend from high school and I called in a favour," Bomi states, taking Chorong's hand in her own and leading her back in the direction of the stage. "I wanted you to have your shot at being on The Seoul Arts Center."

Chorong's eyes widen when she realises that Bomi isn't joking or trying to entertain her, the director really is expecting her to audition. The realisation nearly makes her collapse on the spot. "I'm auditioning."

Bomi bobs her head. "Break a leg," she announces before doubting herself. "That is what they say in the world of acting right?"

"You've never watch me perform," Chorong tells her; her focus solely on the stage. "How do you know I'm any good?"

"You told me you've been in Daehakro productions so you must be good," Bomi replies. "Besides, I believe in you."

"I don't know what to say Bomi."

Their fingers interlock for the shortest of seconds. "You don't have to say anything." Bomi spins Chorong around and gives her a comforting smile. "You just have to perform."

As soon as Chorong finishes singing, a genuine applause erupts in the theatre and Bomi gives her a standing ovation, ensuring she's clapping the loudest. Chorong had chosen to sing 'The Schuyler Sisters'; a song that Bomi has only just learnt is from Hamilton.

She makes a mental note to learn more about musical theatre.

She knew Chorong must be talented but she had no idea how amazing Chorong would be. She rapped, singed and acted in just one song. Bomi felt like she had been watching the actual show rather than just an audition.

Right now, applauding Chorong's talent, she feels like a proud girlfriend rather a friend.

She stands from her chair and moves to the aisle in order to greet Chorong when she finally leaves the stage. She can just about hear Kyungsoo tell the brunette that they'll let her know before Chorong is bounding off the stage and dashing up the stairs to where Bomi is now standing. The blonde is immediately pulled into an embrace and over Chorong's shoulder, Bomi witnesses Kyungsoo give her the thumbs up before he heads backstage with his acquaintances.

"Bbom-ah, I have no idea how I'm ever going to repay you for that," Chorong gushes rapidly. She squeezes her arms impossibly tight around the blonde. "Thank you so much."

"You can give me free tickets on your opening night."

Chorong breaks the hug and ducks her head nervously. "I don't know whether I'm even going to be given a part, they said they'll let me know but right now, I actually couldn't care less," she tells Bomi. "I mean don't get me wrong, if I manage to get a part then that is beyond fantastic but just the fact that I managed to audition mean everything to me." Bomi simply smiles as Chorong rambles excitedly. "I can't believe you organised this for me."

"Merry Christmas Chorongie," Bomi replies before brushing of Chorong's hair behind her ear. "You were amazing up there."

"Why did you do this for me?"

"I told you," Bomi tells her, never bringing her hand away from Chorong's face. "I wanted you to have your chance to shine and Chorong, you –" She cups the brunette's cheek, rubbing soft circles with her thumb. "You really shone."

Chorong's mom had been the only person who ever compared her to a star by telling her that she shone and now Bomi is telling her the same thing. She's not sure whether it's due to that or just due to how overwhelmed she is by the kindness of Bomi's gesture but Chorong closes the gap and kisses her.

Bomi's lips are chapped but she doesn't care and they taste like raspberries. Before Chorong can even attempt to deepen the kiss, hands come to rest on her shoulders, gently pushing her away.

This isn't a new experience for her; she's faced rejection several times before. The first time she told somebody she liked them was in fourth grade and they had promptly laughed in her face. The first time she kissed a girl, she had pushed her away from her before freaking out.

Now eight years later, the same thing was happening again.

Except this time, the rejection really stings.

She thought Bomi wanted her, the lingering looks, the things she said, everything made Chorong think she wanted her. It may sound arrogant but she never expected Bomi to push her away.

Clearly she was wrong.

"I'm so sorry."

She brushes past the blonde stilling the moment Bomi's fingers wrap around her wrist. With just one touch, Bomi has utter control over her and she daren't move.

She daren't speak.

"Don't apologise."

With one light tug, Chorong finds herself pressed flushed against Bomi. Their noses brush together lightly before Bomi brings their lips together in a plain, chaste kiss.

Nothing more than a whisper of a touch.

It's not pushing any boundaries, instead it's setting some.

Bomi's silently telling Chorong that she wants her; she wants this whilst also giving her the opportunity to be the one who stops it this time.

Their breaths mingle together before Chorong leans forward and kisses Bomi. At the movement, Bomi grabs a fistful of the brunette's sweater, bunching it up in her hand, tugging her impossibly closer. She hears Chorong moan into the kiss and the noise only spurs her on.

Unlike with their first kiss, this isn't about .

Bomi's content to just stay like this for the foreseeable future. She doesn't care that they're in the middle of a theatre, that anybody could walk in on them right now or that she's kissing her best friend's girlfriend.

The only thing that matters is that Chorong is kissing her.

Chorong kissed her first.

Hands come to rest on her waist and squeeze it lightly causing Bomi to smile in the kiss. She teasingly her tongues against its counterpart and the shockwaves which overtake her body at the contact are reminiscent of their first kiss. Bomi didn't want that one to end either.

When Chorong pulls away, her breath ragged and lips bruised, Bomi finds her even more stunning. She leans forward to kiss her again only for Chorong to step back.

"What's wrong Rong?"

Chorong's eyes widen as the realisation of what she's just done hits her.

She's just cheated.

Again.

"I need to go."

"No, don't do this."

The brunette shakes her head vehemently, wringing her hands nervously before walking forward. "I can't."

Bomi steps in front of her of her, blocking her path. "Please, don't run away from me."

Chorong swallows nervously, the fragility of Bomi's voice devastating to hear. "I'm sorry."

This time when she tries to move past her, Bomi doesn't stop her.