"I hate you," Bomi whimpers. She sneezes for what she's sure is the hundredth time. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you." She coughs lightly, chest rattling with each breath. She just knew that Hayoung sneezing on her neck a few days ago was going to come back to bite her in the .

"Yeah, yeah. I got it the first time." Hayoung sits down in a chair beside Bomi's bed, filing her nails as she regards the brunette carefully.

Bomi groans before turning on her side and away from her tormenter. "Has Chorong returned any of my calls yet?"

Hayoung picks up Bomi's phone off her nightstand and runs through it. "Nope. But you have four text messages from Taeyeon and Joohyun."

"I don't care," she whines. "I just want Chorong to call." She flings the covers away from her body, flailing onto her back, suddenly feeling hot. "I think she's mad at me because I couldn't take her on that date I promised her."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Hayoung asks doubtfully. "She's been avoiding you for days."

"Why else would she avoid me though?" Bomi asks before breaking out into a coughing fit. "Ouch," she grunts, having hurt herself with the simple effort of coughing.

Hayoung hands her a glass of water. "I'm not sure," she muses. "Leave her a voicemail not a text. If she has half a heart then hearing your disgusting, congested voice will send her flying over here."

"What if she's sick too?"

Her eyes widen at the question as Hayoung leans closer to Bomi. "And why would she be sick, Bomi-ah?" she asks, already knowing the answer.

Bomi reddens and Hayoung admits it's hard to tell if the girl is actually blushing or if her fever's spiking again. "We made out–"

"! Why didn't you tell me?" Hayoung exclaims with a wide grin.

"It was only for the play!" she continues. "Our characters have a love scene together and Chorong thought it would be wise if we tried out the scene with no one around–"

"So she could jump your bones."

"–So I wouldn't be nervous when I had to perform the scene in front of someone."

Hayoung's quiet for a moment as she runs over the situation in her mind. She her teeth. "Sounds like she just wanted to you and use that scene as an excuse."

"Well, things did get out of hand really quickly."

"Did you her?'

She colours again and Hayoung can definitely tell it's a blush. "No, I didn't sleep with her. Miss Soonkyu came in at the last second."

" block."

Bomi nods her head along with what Hayoung says before her words register. "Hey, wait, I wasn't going to have with her in there."

Bomi sighs as she lies back against the sheets. She takes shallow breaths through , rib cage hurting but the only thing she can think about is Chorong. "I wonder what she's doing," she whispers a second later.

"You're sick," Hayoung tells her. "You got something that's making you really weak when it comes to that Chorong girl and I'm not sticking around for you to give it to me."

She stands up and shoves her nail file into her back pocket. Hayoung's eyes fall to Bomi again and she wants to kick her own for feeling sorry for the brunette. She looks sad and lonely and the fact that she's sick doesn't make it any better.

"Leave the voicemail."

Bomi nods before weakly reaching for her phone. Hayoung rolls her eyes before handing it to her.

"Gotta bounce, Bomi-ah."

"Later," she rasps out before dialling Chorong's number.

"She's so annoying Naeunie. You should hear how much she keeps talking about that Chorong girl."

"Leave her alone, Hayoung," Naeun says softly, attempting to eat the remaining meat of her soup. Her brow furrows in confusion before she looks back up at Hayoung. "She really likes Chorong. I think it's sweet."

"You're sweet, Naeunie," Hayoung says sincerely. She offers the blonde a small smile before gently prying the bowl from her hand. "You can have mine. I'm not gonna eat my soup anyway. I've had enough of that stuff."

Naeun smiles gratefully at her before continuing to eat her soup. Hayoung looks around the dining hall, suddenly realizing why she came to dinner in the first place. "Wait right here, Naeun. I gotta take care of some business real quick."

She scours through the throng of people trying to find seats in search of a short black-haired girl. When she finds her, she breathes a sigh of relief. "Damn, Bomi really does have a type," she mutters. Then much louder, "Yo, Taeyeon!"

Said girl's head snaps up from the book she's reading to stare at Hayoung. "Hi," she says cautiously.

"You're coming with me." She yanks the girl from her seat and Taeyeon barely has time to put her book down before she's being tugged behind Hayoung. "Now those two girls that came to talk to you. What were their names?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Hayoung," the girl replies nervously.

Hayoung looks back at her with a wry expression. "People talk, Taeyeon. I know all about you blabbing on Bomi and I'm not mad. In fact, that's something Bomi has to deal with, not me. I just want you to give me names and help me find the two girls you were talking to."

"Um…"

"Perhaps I should refresh your memory. They both have huge mouths and small bodies. Bubbly. Listen, I don't have all day here, Taeyeon. Either help me or get lost."

She stops in her tracks to whirl around and face the girl, placing her hands on her hips. "What were their names?"

Taeyeon's eyes find the floor as she nervously shifts from foot to foot. "Eunji and Namjoo," she mumbles.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Hayoung grits out before grabbing her arm again. "We're going to walk around this entire dining hall through every row and when you see them you point them out to me, got it?"

She doesn't even wait for the girl to respond before Hayoung is dragging her around again. "What did you tell them?"

"N-nothing." She adjusts her glasses before looking around to see if she can spot them.

"I'm not an idiot, Taeyeon and I wasn't born yesterday. What. Did. You. Tell them?"

"I told them that Bomi isn't really the type to commit. And that's not a lie because Bomi's told me that herself."

"What else?'

"That she and Taejoon might have…" she trails off.

"Do you know that for a fact?" Hayoung growls.

"No, but he flirts and–"

"Taejoon flirts with anyone. And here's a fact for you. Bomi and Taejoon have never had , hell they've never even made out before. So before you go spreading around get your facts straight."

She nods her head, not quite meeting Hayoung's eyes. "They're over there," she points.

Hayoung looks over at the table. "Small bodies and huge mouths, bubbly. Matches the description. Good job, Taeyeon." She sends the girl an evil grin that would make the Grinch jealous before sauntering off.

"Namjoo and Eunji."

Hayoung sits down beside Eunji, opposite Namjoo, making herself comfortable. "I'm Hayoung. But I'm sure you already know that considering how much snooping you've both been doing on Bomi and me."

"We finally meet," Eunji says easily as she side eyes her. "I have to admit you aren't nearly as intimidating as your peers make you out to be."

"Forgive me," Hayoung says flippantly. "I've been sick and haven't filed my talons in a while. But make no mistake, I can and will end you if you push me any more than you already have."

"What do you want, Oh Hayoung?" Namjoo asks from across the table.

"Keep your big noses out of mine and Bomi's business," she sneers coldly.

"Sorry but no can do. Chorong seems to like Bomi for whatever reason and we don't want to see our friend hurt."

Hayoung scoffs as she leans forward in her seat. "Bomi can't even hurt a fly in her condition right now. She swears she's on her death bed which is the second reason why I'm here. Tell Chorong to stop ignoring my friend's calls and get her over to my apartment to visit her!"

"Chorong wants nothing to do with Bomi," Namjoo retorts. "All we've ever heard of Bomi is how she it up at this school."

"Watch yourself," Hayoung growls as she stands up to threateningly lean over the table. "You don't know the first thing about Bomi so I'd shut my mouth if I were you before I stick my foot in it."

"And what? Get expelled?" she asks while lifting a challenging eyebrow.

Hayoung deflates a little, knowing that if she actually did lift a finger then she'd be sent back home by the end of the night. "Chorong needs to visit Bomi," she grits out.

"Why?"

"Because Bomi's crazy about her! And it's driving me crazy! I didn't know she could spend so much time droning on and on about one person. I've never seen her like this which is how I know she really cares for Chorong. I don't know what date they would have been today but I know Bomi. She's sentimental on the inside so I know whatever she had planned was going to be special."

Eunji catches Namjoo's eye with a meaningful look. They're both ers for romance and sappy stories.

"We'll see what we can do," Eunji offers a moment later.

Hayoung nods. She quickly scribbles her building name and room number on a sheet of paper before handing it to Eunji. "If she isn't by Bomi's bedside before the day is over I'm finding both of you guys somewhere off campus and ripping you a new ones," she promises before storming away.

Chorong knocks quietly on the door, double checking that she has the right address before shoving the piece of paper into her pocket. She waits for a moment, sighs quietly and raises her hand to knock again but the door flies open.

"Thought I'd make you wait like you've been making Bomi wait for days now," Hayoung says as she looks down at Chorong. "You're short."

"Are you going to invite me in?" Chorong asks. "I would introduce myself but it seems you already know who I am."

"Yeah, pretty much." She leans back against the door and Chorong stays where she is on the doorstep. "You're really short."

"Yes and you're rude," Chorong counters peevishly, choosing to once again ignore the comment about her height. That's not an argument she sees herself winning. "May I come in now?"

"Why should you?"

Her brow furrows and Chorong vaguely wonders who made a worse first impression, Bomi or her roommate. "Because you asked me to come."

"Wrong answer. Your answer should have been I want to see how Bomi is doing because I actually give a damn about her."

"I do care about her," Chorong says softly. "How is she?"

Hayoung turns her back and walks into the room. "Find out for yourself." She gestures to her right towards Bomi's door and Chorong steps inside and closes the door behind her before walking into Bomi's room. She silently closes the door behind her before making her way over to Bomi's bedside.

"Bomi?" she asks timidly.

Bomi groans before turning over slowly. She sluggishly opens her eyes to see concerned chocolate eyes staring back at her. "You're here," she rasps.

Chorong huffs out a weak laugh at how the brunette greets her with a warm smile as if Chorong's the only thing she's been waiting on all day. "I'm here," she whispers back.

"How are you feeling?" she asks as she places a gentle hand on her forehead. Instantly alarmed, her eyes widen as she stands up. "You're burning up, Bomi! We must take you to the on campus nurse or with an actual doctor–"

"I'm fine, really." She sneezes painfully and Chorong sits back down in her seat, quickly rummaging through her purse.

"I already went to the nurse and I have my medication," Bomi assures. She gestures weakly to the medicine on her nightstand. Chorong gently grabs the brunette's hands and dabs hand sanitizer on it. "You have to be proactive against this infection, Bomi. Rub the hand sanitizer in thoroughly."

Bomi looks at Chorong with a pitiful expression that the black-haired girl can't help but be charmed by. She rolls her eyes playfully before grabbing the brunette's hands and helping her rub the hand sanitizer in.

"She's charming. That's the biggest difference between her and Hayoung. The difference that puts her on top and Hayoung just below her."

Eunji's words replay loudly in Chorong's mind and she frowns softly, remembering all of the things she learned about Bomi a few days ago. She's still on the fence about the brunette. She knows she has feelings for her but she's not so sure about Bomi's feelings or how faithful Bomi would even be in a relationship.

Stop getting ahead of yourself, Chorong tells herself. She never asked you to be her girlfriend, just to go on a date with her. A date that she probably hoped would end with .

She feels a warm hand, a very warm hand gently touch her face before Bomi places her thumb against the middle of Chorong's forehead to smooth her wrinkles. "What's wrong?"

Chorong forces a tense smile as she gently grabs Bomi's hand and settles it in her lap. "Nothing. What did the nurse diagnose you with?"

Bomi tightens her hand against Chorong's grip as much as her weakened state would allow. "Mono."

Chorong's mouth opens and closes in her best in personation of a fish and Bomi feels she might short circuit. "Mono? Mono as in mononucleosis? The kissing disease?"

Bomi pauses, knowing exactly what's implied when someone calls mono the kissing disease. "Hold on," she coughs out as she struggles to sit up against her headboard. "It's not like that. I got it from Hayoung."

Chorong's out of her seat in an instant, standing with her arms across her chest as she looks down at Bomi. For her part, Bomi just gulps quietly, knowing she's just dug herself into possibly the deepest hole. "Have you been engaging in activities with your roommate that would warrant an exchange of bodily fluids?"

"No but–"

"Then how, pray tell, would you contract mono from her, Bomi?" she asks evenly.

"She sneezed on me!" Bomi shrieks suddenly, surprising them both. "I didn't kiss her, Chorong. I was taking care of Hayoung after a class before Naeun would come and take over and Hayoung sneezed on me. I didn't kiss her, Chorong. I wouldn't lie to you," she explains, a slight whine in her voice that she can't control.

Chorong takes a deep breath as she allows Bomi's words to sink in. She wonders where the hell she's coming from with so much hostility. Bomi isn't even her girlfriend. They're not committed to each other. Yet Bomi's quick to defend herself as if they really have made the transition from friends to girlfriends.

She watches the brunette take laboured breaths and she hands her the water on the night stand. "You need to lie back down," she tells her in a surprisingly gentle voice considering what's just transpired. Bomi only nods and Chorong carefully pulls back the covers as Bomi sinks back into bed. She places the covers back over her body and tucks the blanket neatly under the brunette's chin. "You believe me, don't you, Chorong?" she asks as Chorong pulls back.

She heaves a heavy sigh before sinking back into her seat. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Bomi," she mutters.

Her eyes catch Chorong's and for the first time since she's showed up, Bomi can see the conflict and turmoil swimming in Chorong eyes. "Someone's said something to you," she says in a controlled voice.

"What would there be to say, Bomi?"

"Okay," she says quietly. She removes her hands from under the covers, suddenly feeling defensive. "Let's have this conversation because apparently we can't move forward until we do."

"Tell me everything you've heard. And I'll either tell you if it's true or it's a lie," she continues, meeting Chorong's gaze with a burning intensity that Chorong almost shies away from. Almost.

Chorong leans back in her chair and crosses her legs in an attempt to act aloof as if this conversation doesn't have the potential to break her heart.

Bomi's chest feels tight and compressed and she isn't so sure it's because she's sick.

"You haven't had a girlfriend since attending this university. Is that true?"

"That's true," she admits easily.

"How many girls have you had with, Bomi?"

She blushes at how bluntly the question is delivered but soldiers on. "I've had with two girls, Chorong," she responds honestly.

She nods. After having talked to Eunji and Namjoo she thought the number would have been much higher. She mentally rolls her eyes at her friends and their gossiping but still believing that ever rumour contains at least an iota of truth.

"How many men have you had with?"

The questions are fired at her one by one and Bomi's trying her best to make sure that she doesn't hesitate or slip up because she knows that one false move and Chorong's out of the door. Plus, she has her own integrity on the line that she's fighting for. "One."

"Is that man Choi Taejoon?"

She snorts indelicately but sobers up at Chorong's grave expression. "Not ever."

"Have you had since school began?"

"Uh…yes."

"Did you have at Choi Taejoon's most recent party with a girl named Joohyun?"

"No, I didn't have with her at that party. I was going to," she continues honestly. "But I didn't go through with it."

"Why?"

She looks over to Chorong with cloudy, expressive eyes and exhales quietly. "Because I was thinking about you. And how I treated you. And how I acted like a complete . I was wondering if I had lost my chance to go on a date with you."

Her words weigh heavily in the air and Chorong swallows against the lump in , feeling smothered because of all the tension in the room.

"Why don't you do relationships, Bomi?" Her voice sounds a lot more pleading than she'd have liked but the question is out now so she just waits for Bomi to answer it.

"Chorong, where are you getting your information from?" Bomi asks with exasperation. "Who told you that?"

"Apparently you told Taeyeon that," she retorts.

"I–" She cuts herself off, suddenly remembering her conversation with Taeyeon. "Oh, I remember," she mutters. She sits up quickly, wincing as her aching muscles protest before patting the space beside her. "Come here."

"I like where I am just fine, thank you."

"Chorong, will you please just sit down with me? I'm trying to have this conversation properly and you're not making it any easier."

"Well maybe I'm not easy."

Bomi smirks as she shakes her head back and forth. "I don't think truer words have ever been spoken."

Chorong looks at her then. "Well then if you know I'm not easy why are you trying so hard?"

"Oh, I don't know, Chorong-ah. Maybe because I like you for your personality, no matter how stubborn and annoying you are. Maybe I want to get to know what's behind this air of confidence that you've painted on over the years. Maybe I want more from you than just but you've allowed people to fill your head with so much about me that now you've convinced yourself that all I want from you is ."

Her chest heaves up and down rapidly, voice lower from exertion and Chorong's stuck between being upset about the whole situation and swooning over the brunette.

"Maybe I don't want to you at all."

Chorong tries to keep the wounded look off of her face. Just a second ago she was upset with the brunette for wanting to get into her pants and now she's even more upset that Bomi doesn't seem to find her desirable at all.

"Maybe…I want to make love to you, Chorong."

She smiles despite herself, once again charmed by the brunette. She recovers quickly, her lips pressing into a firm line as she continues to stare at Bomi. "Come sit down."

Reluctantly, or so she makes it seem, Chorong sits down beside Bomi on her bed, staring straight ahead.

"I told Taeyeon that I couldn't be in a relationship with her. She asked me why and I told her that I didn't do relationships. But that's a lie. I didn't start a relationship with her or any girl here for that matter because I didn't see anything in them that interested me enough to stick around. I didn't want to tell Taeyeon that because she's really sweet and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. That's why I told her that I wasn't the relationship type."

"Why weren't you interested in them? Is it because they gave it up to you so easily?" Chorong asks as she turns to Bomi. "Is it because you got what you wanted? What would have happened if I had engaged in with you in the theatre? Would you have even asked me out that night?"

"Okay, I'm just going to go down the list of your questions," Bomi says hurriedly, eyes wide at the flood of loaded questions Chorong just asked. "I honestly don't believe that the reason I didn't enter into a relationship with them is because I had with them so early on. I just…I didn't feel anything. Taeyeon and I had intellectual conversations but there was no…spark, I guess. There was nothing about her that screamed at me to stick around."

She sees doubt in Chorong's eyes but she forges on, hoping that something will strike a chord within the older girl. "To be honest Chorong, I wouldn't have had with you in that theatre. I wanted to. You have no idea how much I wanted you but I would have stopped it. I didn't want our first time together to be on a hard, wooden stage. You deserve rose pedals leading to a bed of silken sheets with candles everywhere." She blushes at her own flowery language and reaches out to grab Chorong's hand, smiling when she doesn't let go. "And I really did want to take you on that date," she continues. "I even bought you flowers and chocolate."

"I –you what?"

"They're over there," Bomi says as she points to a table in the farthest corner of her room.

Chorong slowly walks over to the table as if one false move would cause the flowers and chocolates to disappear. Her eyes mist over as she gingerly picks up the dozen roses and box of chocolates, carefully reading the label. "Dark Chocolate Truffles," she murmurs. She bites her lip softly before turning back to Bomi. "Oh, Bbom-ah…" she whispers with so much emotion. "I hate these."

Bomi groans loudly before rolling over away from the black-haired girl. "This isn't at all what I was expecting," she mutters.

"No, you misunderstood," Chorong tells her before carefully setting the flowers and chocolates back on the table and walking over to Bomi.

"It's okay, Chorong. Just let me bask in my failure for a little bit."

"No, Bomi listen to me."

"I don't think I've ever felt this low."

"Bomi, this is important."

"I wonder if suffocation is painful because I can easily turn my face into this pillow and wait for death to take me."

"Okay, now you're just being dramatic."

"And you," Bomi turns back around, ignoring the pain in her body to point an accusatory finger in Chorong's direction. "You…are crying. Chorong, honey, what are you doing to me?" she asks wearily.

She wipes her eyes roughly before offering a watery smile. "I can ask you the same question, Yoon Bomi."

Bomi peels her covers back to reach her arms out towards Chorong who instantly takes the offer, sliding under the covers and into Bomi's arms. "It's okay," Bomi whispers as Chorong curls into her body, tucking her head under her chin. Bomi kisses the top of her head before gently her hair. "Some couples argue a lot. I think we'd be one of those."

Chorong laughs softly, wrapping her arms around the blonde and inhaling a shaky breath. "I watched a lot of romantic comedies on Friday nights in high school. While all of my female peers were out on dates with my male peers, Park Chorong was in her house, in her room, watching the latest film out."

"I –I've never received chocolates or roses before. But I had watched so many movies with the premise of girl gets dressed for a date and guy shows up on her door step in a suit with a bouquet of roses and a heart shaped box of chocolates. I'd grown immune to something that's supposed to be so romantic. Something that's supposed to woo me now has no effect. And only serves to remind me of my days in high school when I had no girlfriend or boyfriend. Or any friends for that matter."

"Well, that's not true," she continues with a sniffle. "I had a boyfriend senior year. He was captain of the soccer team. He always said that he was happy of being with me but he never took me out. He said I was no fun."

Bomi unconsciously tightens her hold on Chorong, anger flaring up at how someone could mistreat her. Chorong cuddles further into her, sighing contentedly.

"I suppose that's why I've been giving you a hard time. I'm not used to someone expressing such great interest in me the way you do, Bomi-ah. You actively pursue me every day and I've never experienced anything like that. I doubted you and your intentions. And then when I heard those rumours it only further solidified the thought that you simply wanted to bed me for whatever reason then move on."

Bomi continues to Chorong's hair, her heart sympathetically breaking for Chorong and how little faith she has in people actually being interested in her. She holds her tongue, sensing Chorong wasn't finished.

"I'm sorry, Bomi," she says remorsefully as she pulls back to look up at the brunette. "You're so sweet and you're trying so hard and I just keep giving you a hard time. The flowers are lovely and I'm sure the chocolates are splendid. I'm just so…I don't know."

Bomi tucks a lock of hair behind Chorong's ear as her eyes roam over her face. "You're beautiful," she finally says softly. "I have to say that I've been dying to see what you're like under all that bravado and now I finally get to see. You're just a little girl."

"I'm older than you, Yoon Bomi," she deadpans with a nasally voice.

"Barely," she scoffs.

Chorong hesitates slightly before leaning up and placing a chaste, lingering kiss against Bomi's lips. "I'm going to get you sick," Bomi mumbles when she pulls away.

"Improbable," Chorong responds a little too smugly for the brunette's liking before once again resting her head against Bomi's collarbone. "I take vitamin supplements twice a day, drink a glass of orange juice every morning, and I eat a banana with breakfast each day."

"Well aren't you healthy?" Bomi snarkily replies.

They stay cuddled up together like that for an hour longer, seemingly talking about nothing and everything until Bomi goes silent, her chest rising and falling with even breaths, notifying Chorong that she's asleep.

She gently pulls away from the brunette's body, noticing how much cooler she feels now that her temperature's broken. She places a gentle kiss against Bomi's forehead before silently walking across the floor to grab her jacket.

Bomi stirs and when Chorong turns around half lidded eyes are staring back at her.

"Stay the night," Bomi whines and Chorong's heart instantly melts.

"I can't tonight, Bomi," she murmurs. "I still have homework I haven't yet attended to that's due noon tomorrow."

Bomi nods sympathetically, knowing just how important homework is and not trying to guilt Chorong into getting a zero on an assignment just to spend the night with her.

"Come over tomorrow?" she asks instead.

She offers a bright smile. "I certainly will."

Bomi's eyes shut briefly on their own accord and when she opens them again Chorong's carrying the flowers and chocolates in her hand. "Chorong, honey, if you don't want those you don't have to–"

"This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me," she responds candidly. "I want them, Bomi. I'll put the flowers in a vase full of water and eat the chocolate that I'm sure tastes delicious."

Bomi's eyes close again and this time she doesn't have the strength left to lift her heavy lids. "I want another kiss," she whispers.

Seconds later Bomi feels a feather light kiss against her lips, both of her cheeks, her nose, then her forehead. "Good night, Bomi," Chorong whispers against her ear before pulling back.

And Bomi thinks she says it back before falling asleep. She's a little unsure. But one thing she's sure of is that Park Chorong is the most amazing person she's ever met.