Heejin POV

 

“Are you seriously that bored that you're using the register as a pillow?” An all too familiar soft, scolding tone weaseled its way into my ears. I didn't even bother to look over my shoulder; I knew it was Haseul, someone who could always seem to keep busy even when the store was empty. The girl was my best friend and she had strong maternal instincts for me despite being only a year older than me.

 

Lifting my head, I turned to look at her with an expression of exaggerated annoyance. “There's no one even here, unnie,” I complained with almost a childlike pout. Even my lips curled downward and brow furrowed to add to the act. “Besides, how many times are you going to sweep the kitchen?”

 

Haseul’s grip on her broom tightened a moment, her fingers curling around the handle tensing up before she let out a cleansing breath. She just smiled and shook her head, her chestnut ponytail swinging side to side. I really seemed to test her patience sometimes, but I think she enjoyed having to boss me around. “As many times as it takes,” was her even-toned reply. “Where do all these dust bunnies even come from?” She looked around the gray linoleum floor in mild irritation, spotting yet another clump of dust and cake flour, shuffling over to sweep it away.

 

“Must be the dust fairies I hired to keep you busy while I sleep on the job,” I answered cheekily, earning a small “hmph” from Haseul. Standing up straight, I surveyed the store once again as if a customer had appeared out of thin air to buy something while I zoned out and shot the breeze with Haseul. As I scanned the quaint, cheerily decorated room, I absentmindedly tapped on the top of the glass display case in a random, unmetered rhythm. God, was I bored. It was a few minutes past eight in the morning, meaning I’d been standing around doing nothing for an hour. I couldn't complain, really, since this job was pretty straightforward and easy enough to snag with Haseul’s help. Her family owned this bakery as well as another location on the other side of town. This was the smaller and newer of the two and was left in the care of Haseul’s older sister who rarely showed her face in the kitchen or store, instead spending most of the day upstairs in her office managing finances and whatever else general managers do.

 

Of course, Haseul and I weren't left to run rampant down here. Ha Sooyoung, the Smiling Dove’s chief pastry chef and cake decorator called the shots when it came to running the kitchen. I’ve been waiting for her ever since I clocked in to get to the only part of the job I actually enjoyed: pastry decorating. I always enjoyed art in school, but I was no good at sketching or sculpting. Piping icing onto a cupcake on the other hand, came naturally to me. But, because of seniority rules, I couldn't get to work without Sooyoung on the premises. Can’t have me botching a batch of cupcakes because I used magenta icing instead of pink icing! Why did she always have to be late?

 

Boredly, I flapped my lips like a horse and figured I should probably do something before Haseul blew a gasket. She was never one to be angry, but she seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, and I wasn't helping much. I opened the drawer beneath the register, pulling out a small, worn notebook and opened it to the latest page with writing on it. I looked over Haseul’s immaculate writing sprawled out in a neat hand drawn chart. Her sister insisted on doing everything by hand and that included listing all stock and sales in ‘The Book’ as we all affectionately called it. This was the second time I'd checked it this morning, the first being when I stocked the display cases with a variety of traditional and seasonal pastries. Another sweep of the product wouldn't hurt, after all, so I ran my finger down the page, mouthing the names of product and looking over to the case it was listed under.

 

The sound of bells ringing caused me to sharply look up and I smiled in case a customer had entered. My grin only intensified when I laid eyes on the tall woman walking with purpose into the kitchen, her heels clicking with each step. “Sorry, I’m late,” Sooyoung apologized in an annoyed voice, appearing out of breath. Flecks of snow dusted her dark brown hair and her coat and a small scowl presented itself. “No one knows how to drive in the damn snow all the sudden.” Haseul let out a small laugh and offered a brief greeting to the final member of our team. I just waved politely. “Heejin, get that wedding order ready. I’ll be there in a few.”

 

My mood instantly improved as those words left Sooyoung’s lips. Finally! I had been looking forward to this all day. Well, for the past hour. After carefully taking the chilled layers of cake from the fridge in the kitchen, I set them down on the decorating table and gathered all the types of icing and frosting we’d need. I could hardly contain my excitement. and Haseul took notice. “How can you go from tired to...this?” She gestured vaguely at me, eyebrow raised in playful suspicion.

 

“Passion, mon ami!” I answered, puffing out my chest and imitating a French accent. Haseul rolled her eyes for a moment and then suddenly covered with her hand, stifling a series of snickers as she looked past me to the woman standing in the entryway to the kitchen. My cheeks flushed with a faint rosy color when I turned to see Sooyoung with an unimpressed expression painted on her face and arms crossed across her pristine white apron. I let out a small string of nervous laughs as I let my chest relax and set down the small plastic container of piping tips I was holding on the table.

 

“Let's put that passion to use,” Sooyoung said after a moment. For what felt like an eternity, she trained her stoic gaze on me, eyes narrowed intensely. I could feel a lump forming in my throat but then the big, bad pastry chef’s steely expression deteriorated into a small fit of laughter. That about summed her up. She was a hard ninety percent of the time, but sometimes you could catch her in a good mood, and in those moments she's like a big teddy bear. She made the job just a bit more interesting when she was in the kitchen.

 

Not much later, we were already getting to work, beginning to pipe a velvety white buttercream frosting all around the bottom layer of the cake. Sooyoung and I always seemed to be on the same wavelength when we worked. We knew what utensil the other needed and when, and almost always could work in complete silence. It was serene, almost like meditation as we turned three layers of cake and some icing into a pristine work of art. I mostly worked on coating the sides and piping borders while Sooyoung was in charge of more fine details. A rose here or there, an immaculate border of silver icing on the edges. She was a true artist, and I only hoped I could reach her potential someday.

 

At some point during our cake decorating session, the bells on the door rang, causing all three of us to look towards the store. Standing in the doorway was a taller young woman with skin as pale and smooth as the icing on the cake I worked on. Dark, doe-like eyes and straight chocolate hair caught the sunlight shining from the window and were accented by full lips that moved from side to side inquisitively as she perused the various pastries, rolls and other treats in the display case closest to the door. I couldn’t believe my eyes, blinking a few times to process the absolutely gorgeous patron that had found herself in the bakery. I felt almost like someone had socked me square in the jaw when I looked at her. It was a few moments later that she finally spoke up, slowly pacing up to the counter.

 

“Hi,” was her only word, but it carried on the air and made my chest tighten up with an indescribable warmth. She was so...ethereal. I was still unconvinced that she was real. I lifted my hand to my face, wiping down from my forehead to my chin in hopes to wipe away the delusions I was most certainly having. I gazed in the girl’s direction again. She was still there, and she was still beautiful. My lips parted and my jaw slacked the more I looked at her. This isn’t real.

 

“Good morning!” Haseul chirped from the far end of the kitchen, setting down the sheet of raw cookies she held. “I’ll be right with--”

 

“I’ve got this, Haseul,” I interjected almost immediately, my voice cracking slightly at the end. My voice never cracked. Why did I speak up? The girl on the other side of the counter turned to look directly at me and offer a nervous smile. Did I make her uncomfortable? I took all of my willpower to keep my mouth closed as it fought to fall to the floor. I could feel my palms sweat as I tightly gripped the tube of white icing I was holding, a small amount of it squeezing out of the tip from the force exerted on it. Haseul looked to me with a quizzical expression, tilting her head like a confused puppy. She gave a look that seemed to say, ‘what are you doing?’ I reassured her nonverbally with a smile and looked to the chocolate-haired customer, setting down the icing tube and walking over to the counter. Sooyoung was silently working and was probably so in the zone that she hadn’t noticed I’d even left the work station.

 

I gently set my hands on the countertop, feeling a sense of relief as the cool marble met my hot, sweaty hands. I needed to calm down and act normal, like, yesterday. “How can I help you?” I asked, my voice coming out smoother than I’d anticipated. God, she was even more breathtaking up close, and I felt my heart begin to gallop as if the Kentucky Derby was being held in my chest.

 

The girl offered a shy smile to me but didn’t speak right away, her eyes flitting to the array of treats and delights on display. I could tell she was hungry by the way her big, round eyes almost seemed to glaze over as she browsed the baked goods. There was an earnest, elegant aura about her, yet a nervous energy seemed to accompany all of her actions.

 

I looked back to Sooyoung to make sure she was still neck deep in her work and luckily she was still intensely focused on piping tiny pearls of icing onto the cake. Turning back to the customer, I met her gaze and felt my stomach churn. She was looking right at me. I couldn’t look at her without my legs turning to jelly, so I looked out the large windows to the snowy downtown street. “So, is it still snowing out?” I asked, knowing full well the answer to my question. I just wanted to hear her talk. I wanted to talk to her, even if it was small talk.

 

“Mhm,” she mused, slowly stepping further down the long display case to look at more of what the bakery had to offer. I let out a breath of relief as the vise grip of her gaze focused elsewhere.

 

“We’ve been getting quite a bit of snow. I hope you had a safe drive over here.” I was terrible at small talk, but I just couldn’t shut up right now. Something was compelling me to over communicate. I never did that.

 

She looked up at me again and my breath got caught in my throat. How could one look make me feel so strongly? It wasn’t like she was winking at me or making y poses. She was just...looking at me. I blinked confusedly as her brow knitted together and looked more closely at my forehead. “Sorry, but I think you have some icing on your forehead.”

 

Seriously? I raised my hand to gently sweep across my forehead and surely enough, I felt the sweet icing stick to my fingers. I let out a nervous laugh, feeling my face warm up like someone had flipped a switch. I usually made a mess of myself, but this was just embarrassing. “I, uh-- thank you,” I stammered, lifting my apron to wipe my face of the icing before looking back to her. She’d also let a hum of a laugh, her pouty lips curving up into a slight smile. God, that was mortifying. Of course I had to look like a fool in front of the really pretty girl.

 

She didn’t seem to mind at least. “Don’t mention it.” The smile remained for moment longer and I savored every millisecond of it, feeling it imprinted in my brain. Seconds passed by at a glacial pace as she tried to make up her mind. Eventually she looked back to me, choking me with her stunning brown eyes. “Are the croissants good?” She asked, looking back to the case a second and then back to me.

 

I tried my best that I could breathe and function like a normal human being and nodded with a smile that hopefully didn’t seem too forced. “I like them! They’re based on a French recipe that the owner brought back to Korea in her travels,” I said, adding that random bit of trivia for no reason at all. I felt so foolish. Just. Calm. Down.

 

“Ah.” She didn’t seem fazed by my word vomit. In fact, she seemed to brighten up a bit. “Can I, um...try one?” She asked, her face and body posture practically screaming at me to say yes.

 

I peered over my shoulder to my coworkers before leaning forward letting an impish smile creep across my lips. “Technically, no,” I said, already feeling her expression falter. She was so cute! I couldn’t just say no. I could get in trouble for this, but...maybe it would be enough to make this conversation more interesting. “But, for you, I can make an exception.” It was a literal miracle that I was able to get that sentence out of my mouth. It seemed like my confidence -- or my ability to act confident -- grew as her nervousness declined, so much that I was... flirting with her?  

 

She was smiling wide now, eyes widened a bit in intrigue as I grabbed the flaky, buttery croissant with a small piece of parchment paper and set the pastry down. After breaking off a piece, I handed it to her, silently praying my hands weren’t shaking. As she chewed the buttery French delicacy, she hummed in delight and nodded eagerly. “I’m gonna need, like, three of these,” she said the instant wasn’t full of croissant. It was endearing how quickly her mood changed by eating it, and it made the heat in my chest rise even more. If this kept up, I’d start sweating.

 

I chuckled a bit, reaching down into a drawer to grab a box for the croissants. Moments later, I’d gathered three of them into the container and taped it up, handing it to her with a smile. She reached over to grab it and I couldn’t help but notice her long, pale fingers and manicured fingernails painted a vibrant yellow. Everything about her was just so gorgeous. I was sure that if I was just a hair less confident of a person, I’d deteriorate into a blubbering, rambling mess. Fortunately, I was able to get through the rest of our interaction without showing too many nerves and as the girl walked through the doors and out into the chilly air, I leaned my elbow against the counter and held my head in my hand, a stupid smile painted on my face. I knew absolutely nothing about this girl, not even her name, and yet I felt so different. Everything inside of my seemed to flourish, and I felt an energy in the air that threatened to choke me with emotion. I’ve never felt like this before...ever. I needed to know more about this girl. Her name, her favorite color, anything. Everything within me yearned to see her again, to hear her--

 

“Heejin!!”

 

With the sharp shout from Sooyoung, I snapped out my euphoria and turned to her, brow raised in feigned confusion as I tried to reign in my racing breaths and pounding heart. The pastry chef looked at me with a furrowed brow and splayed hands that seemed to convey, ‘What the hell?’ Took her long enough to notice that I’d wandered off. As I returned to the decorating table, I felt Haseul’s eyes on me as my friend restrained her laughter. I rolled my eyes at her before getting back to work, my thoughts full of that girl and what I felt from her. Was I just startled by how gorgeous she was? Was that it, just shock? Or was I actually flirting with her -- well, trying at least? Whatever it was, I felt different, and hopefully for the better.

 

***

 

I spent the remaining six long, dragging hours of my shift thinking about that girl. I really wished that I knew her name and didn’t have to call her ‘croissant girl’ in my head. I often found my eyes drifting over to the door hopelessly wishing she would walk through it, but I knew the chances of that happening weren’t very high. Occasionally Sooyoung or Haseul would notice that my attention wasn’t focused on my work and ask what was wrong, I was usually pretty aloof, but that day I was in another universe. I dismissed them each time they inquired about me and if I felt alright and eventually, the clock struck three in the afternoon and I was finally free.

 

As I hung up my apron on my assigned hook, Haseul had appeared behind me and I could feel her eyes on the back of my head. I prepared to once again assure her that I was feeling fine when she held up her phone to me. “Chaewon wants to hang out. How about a game night and sleepover?” How could I say no to that? It would be the perfect distraction from...whatever was plaguing my conscience. Plus, Haseul’s excited face was convincing enough on its own. That girl had me around her dainty finger and she knew it. I’d fall apart without her in my life.

 

“That sounds great,” I said, accenting the ‘t’ for emphasis and returning an energized grin. “I’d like to stop home and change into something that isn’t covered in flour or frosting first, though.” I let out a chuckle, gazing down at my icing-splattered clothes.

 

Haseul’s clothes, on the other hand, were spotless. She snorted and shook her head in slight disappointment mixed with amusement. “Why do you even bother wearing an apron, Heejin?” She teased, poking my stomach.

 

I jolted back, giggling a bit from how her touch had tickled me. She knew how freakishly ticklish I was and exploited every chance she got. What more could I expect from my best friend? “Shush.” I brushed some of the flour that clung to my pants onto the floor and then grabbed my phone from my locker. “Now let’s get going before Sooyoung makes us stay for overtime,” I insisted, flashing a glance at the pastry chef who was hard at work finishing with frosting sugar cookies for the incoming Christmas cookie rush.

 

We got in Haseul’s car and after I was able to change into a red flannel shirt and some simple jeans, we made our way to Haseul’s house, A.K.A. my second home. It was much more inviting and homey than my cheap one bedroom apartment. I’d spent almost half of my time in high school at her house with Chaewon, my other best friend. Since our first year of high school, the three of us have been inseparable, bonded by our love of junk food, dumb board games and incessant hijinks and shenanigans. We laughed almost constantly and we were a menace when we went in public. Chaewon and I would probably have gotten us kicked out of stores and restaurants with how much we laugh and scream if not for Haseul, or, as Chaewon calls her, ‘Momseul.’

 

Chaewon was already there, blasting loud rock music from her car as we pulled into the driveway. She spotted us and immediately got out of her car, half jogging, half skipping towards us. She was a short, petite girl with bleached hair and a face so pretty that it could cause the faint of heart to weep. Dressed in a stylish black leather jacket, black leggings and boots, she subverted all expectations of what people would think her fashion sense would be. She also wore a pair of big square-framed glasses that were, as she would put it, ‘for the aesthetic.’

 

“Hey mom, hey loser,” she greeted nonchalantly, flashing a wink at the both of us. Haseul simply rolled her eyes, but I would not accept such talk from her!

 

“Who are you calling loser, dweeb?” I shot back as I got out of the car and stared intensely at Chaewon, approaching her.

 

“Dork.”

 

Time for a low blow. “!”

 

Chaewon didn’t even flinch. “!”

 

A devilish smile formed on my lips. “Weeaboo.”

 

Chaewon appeared physically hurt by my retort, clasping her hands over her heart like she’d been shot and stepping back a bit. “Too far, Jeon Heejin...too far,” she said dryly, shaking her head before pulling me into a tight hug. “Nice to see you. How was work today?”

 

I hesitated to answer as I returned the amiable embrace, feeling a lump in my throat just by thinking of croissant girl. “Uh…” I trailed off for a moment before catching myself. “Boring as usual. Got to decorate a wedding cake, though!” I emphasized the last bit with some excitement to compensate for the weird pause.

 

Chaewon let go and hummed a bit of a snide laugh, starting to walk towards the house. “You’re such a nerd.”

 

I rolled my eyes, looking down to her with a smirk. “You’ll eat those words some day when you need a wedding cake and come crawling to me.”

 

Haseul was laughing softly throughout what was distinctly a Heejin-Chaewon interaction. But, as usual, she had to be the one to halt the fun. “Come on, guys, I’m cold!” She called to us, clutching her arms to her chest for warmth. Now that she mentioned it, I did notice myself shivering a bit as the icy chill on the wind pricked at my exposed skin. Taking Chaewon’s hand, we practically ran into Haseul’s house and into the comforting warmth.

 

I was surprised that Yeojin had not already assaulted us with a hug when we walked through the door, but that just meant I could actually remove my shoes and coat in peace. Yeojin was Haseul’s younger sister and she couldn’t be any more different than her. The highschooler was a ball of energy, mischief and cuteness that could hardly ever filter her words and actions. Sometimes she annoyed the three of us, but she was too precious to dislike, especially since she looked up to us like we were all her big sisters.

 

After migrating to the living room, Chaewon and I sat down to talk a bit more about her day while Haseul prepared us a quick meal of leftover kimbap. She really was like a mom, doting on us like we were her children. We, of course, weren’t going to complain. It gave Chaewon time to express her excitement over her upcoming gig with her band this Thursday. The Eden Girls as they called themselves were a local rock band consisting of Chaewon on guitar, Kim Jiwoo as their vocalist, Choi Yerim on bass and Son Hyejoo on drums. Most of the girls were still in high school but their talent was undeniable. Haseul and I have been supporting them for two years and they’ve finally begun to gain some traction, landing a few gigs a month. There was no doubt I’d be there Thursday to see my best friend and her band kick on the stage.

 

About an hour later, we had just settled down to a high stakes game of Uno when the sound of footsteps clambering down the stairs caused us to shoot our heads in the direction of the sound.

 

“Heejin! Chaewon! Haseul! I didn’t hear you come home!” It was Yeojin, unfashionably late as she charged at us, her hair in pig buns and eyes wide in glee. She hugged Chaewon first, chattering incoherently in her loud, squeaky voice. I was next and Haseul was last, the older sister giving the younger a hard time for it. After simmering down, she joined us for a few games of Uno, complaining every time Chaewon hit her with a 4+ card. It was great to unwind and laugh after a rather strenuous day of work, but every so often, I couldn’t help but think of the croissant girl and just how badly I wanted to know more about her. If she came into the bakery again, I needed to get at least her name. Getting her number would be a different story. I’d never had this problem in the past, though. According to Chaewon, I was a ‘confident gay’ and I suppose she was right. I couldn’t count on both hands how many numbers I’d charmed into my contacts list from both boys and girls. Nothing really ever came of that harmless flirting, though. None of them made me feel like a swarm of butterflies were racing around in my stomach.

 

***

 

Later into the evening, we’d sort of gotten tired of board games and after banishing Yeojin to her room, the three of us curled up on the couch to watch some dumb romantic comedy Haseul really wanted to watch. Chaewon spent most of the first half making fun of it and talking over the movie. Haseul never complained though, because why would she? She had the best friends on the planet. In the middle of a serious scene, though, my phone suddenly vibrated, causing me to jolt a bit. Pulling out my phone, I felt a heavy weight in my stomach as I read who had sent me the text.

 

Jungeun: you need to come to my christmas party next friday! 7 pm, don’t be late xoxo~

 

I turned still as a statue, processing the contents of the message. I had been actively avoiding Kim Jungeun for months since our breakup. Yes, breakup. Of all the phone numbers I’ve collected in my short life, hers was the only one that led to anything. Our relationship had been the first real one I’d ever been in, and for a while, it was like heaven. We were both crazy, wild high school seniors, going to every party in a twenty mile radius and living free. She was the most uninhibited, sensual person I’d ever met, and I was whipped. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done if she told me to do it. But eventually, I got to the point where I wanted to calm down a bit from the hedonistic lifestyle she was dragging me into. That was when everything changed. Her manipulative, guilt-tripping side came out in full force. She practically dragged me to parties, concerts… With the help of Haseul and Chaewon, I was able to break free of her toxic spell and face her. Surprisingly, she was much cooler with it than I thought she would be. Well, until we ended up hooking up a month later. She insisted that this would be a one time thing, but then on Halloween, it happened again. Each time, she devoured all my doubts and fears, making me believe that maybe we could go back to the way things used to be. But every morning after, I felt hollow. I was weak for Jungeun, and she knew it.

 

I knew I was going to regret this, but I felt my fingers working against me, replying to Jungeun.

 

I’ll try and make it.

 

Jungeun replied almost instantly and I felt a lump forming in my throat. Had I just undone months of effort in trying to get over in text message?

 

 

can’t wait ♡

 

I shook a bit as I felt Haseul’s hand on my shoulder and dropped my phone into my lap. She had even paused the movie and Chaewon was looking over to me as well, concern on her face. “Is something wrong?” The eldest of the three asked with her soothing, motherly tone.

 

I saw no point in hiding the truth from them. They both knew about Jungeun and I’s complicated relationship and helped me cope with it when I needed it. “Jungeun texted me, inviting me to her party next Friday,” I sad blankly, my chest tightening anxiously as I tried my absolute best to not break down in front of them.

 

Chaewon and Haseul both physically reacted with a slight widening of their eyes, the former letting out a small gasp. “I was hoping she wouldn’t send you an invite,” she said quietly, holding up her phone. “She invited me, too.”

 

I said nothing for a moment, staring at the paused movie on the TV. I couldn’t go to that party. Jungeun would be there to get me drunk, charm me into bed and then act like it didn’t mean anything for the third time this year. I knew it would only be a matter of time before it would begin to wear away at me. There was a connection between us, and it didn’t matter how hard I tried to sever it. Jungeun would always be there to get me drunk, charm me into bed and then act like it didn’t mean anything. She knew she could get me to do whatever she wanted me to do, and that was how it had to be.

 

“What can I do?” Haseul asked, resting one hand on my arm and another on my back, rubbing small circles to calm me.

 

Or was that how it had to be? I turned my head over to Haseul, my eyes meeting hers in a desperate plea for her to help me for the millionth time in my life. “I want to go to that party with you guys, but I...need your help,” I said, my voice almost a whisper.

 

Chaewon got off the couch in a flash, kneeling down beside me and taking my hand. “Anything.” Her thumb gently circled on the back of my hand as she looked up at me with absolute empathy.

 

I gulped, choking back tears. “Don’t let… don’t let Jungeun get me alone,” I managed to get out, my voice cracking a bit. My head sank between my legs as I struggled against the tears trying to escape me. The comfort my friends were giving were probably the only reason I wasn’t sobbing right now.

 

Haseul nodded immediately, taking my shaking body into her warm embrace. “Of course, Heejin.” I tightly returned the hug, melting into her. I finally let a few soft sobs leave my lips and felt my throat burning from the deep emotional wound that the text had opened. I was such a mess, but if not for these two girls, I’d be lost.

 

Chaewon sat on the armrest of the couch, joining in the hug, the lavender smell of her perfume soothing me. “We’ll have so much fun at that party,” she assured. “You won’t even have a chance to escape the chaos we’re gonna cause. I’ll probably hijack the aux cord and play some rock just to piss people off.” I let out a soft, shaky laugh, looking up to the blonde. She was always able to lighten the mood. That was probably my favorite thing about her.

 

I smiled a bit and leaned back on the couch, letting go of my friends and wiping my tear-stained cheeks with the sleeves of my flannel. “Thank you guys, so much. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

 

A few moments passed before Chaewon hopped off the armrest and looked at the two of us with beaming grin. “Enough crying and cheesy romcoms!” She declared, skipping over to the TV and turning it off. “Let’s make some cookies!”

 

Haseul groaned, lazily flopping onto the empty space on the couch to her right that Chaewon had left. “I’ve been making cookies all day,” she complained, resting her hands on her head in exasperation. I just chuckled a bit at the two of them.

 

“Your cookies rock, Haseul! Pleeeease?” Chaewon pleaded, clasping her hands together dramatically. “You’re the best baker I’ve ever met, and I’m going to cry if I don’t get to eat them.” Haseul just groaned again, mumbling unintelligible complaints and burying her face in the couch.

 

“Hey!” I chimed in, furrowing my brow. “I’m a good baker, too!” I glared at the younger girl, crossing my arms with a pouty face.

 

Chaewon looked to me like I was ridiculous before returning to her onslaught of begging and pleading. “Please, Haseul-unnie! I’m...I’m wasting away!” She pretended to faint, clumsily faking a fall to the floor. “My last wish is for your raspberry-lemon cookies before I fade into the ether, never to be remembered again.”

 

Haseul turned her head, playfully staring daggers into Chaewon’s eyes as she still lay on the couch. “Fine,” she relented, sitting up straight and getting off the couch to head to the kitchen. Chaewon let out a hushed “Yes!” as she shot back up to her feet and returned to her happy nonchalance.

 

I could barely contain my laughter, giggling at the extremely over the top performance my friend gave just to get Haseul to make cookies. “What are you, a guitarist or an actress?” I teased, rising to my feet to help in the kitchen.

 

Chaewon scoffed, laying on hand on her chest in mock offense. “Can’t a girl be a quadruple threat?”

 

I rolled my eyes, deciding to play into her game. “So you’re a guitarist and an actress. What other talents do you possess, O Great Chaewon?”

 

Chaewon smugly crossed her arms, a cocky half-smile forming on her adorably animated face. “I’m a legendary guitarist, a profound actress, a dancer and a comedian.” She was so ridiculous it was hard at times to not just pinch her little cheeks.

 

“Dabbing ‘at the speed of light’ does not make you a dancer,” I corrected, walking into the kitchen to help Haseul zest and juice the lemons for her cookies. “You are funny, though,” I added, smirking.

 

Chaewon narrowed her eyes, raising her arms slowly and dramatically in the dreaded dab position. “Need I demonstrate my sick moves?” I just laughed, shaking my head, unable to keep up with her any longer.

 

“Come here and help us with the cookies, Miss Quadruple Threat.”

 

***

 

After the cookies were made and we gathered around the kitchen table to enjoy them, we discussed a variety of topics ranging from Haseul’s plans to save her money to buy her own apartment to Chaewon asking us what the strange mark on her elbow was. In this downtime, I was beginning to daydream about the girl in the bakery, envisioning a scene of her rushing into the bakery and demanding my phone number. Haseul seemed to notice I was zoning out and reached across the table to literally snap me out of my lovesick stupor.

 

“Heejin, what’s your deal?” She asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. “You’ve been off in la-la land all day.”

 

Looking back to her with confusion, I waved my hand dismissively and leaned back in my wooden chair. “I’m fine,” I said defensively. That couldn’t be further from the truth, though. For over twelve hours I’d been thinking about a girl I didn’t know. This was truly unprecedented, especially in the year since I broke up with Jungeun. Feelings for people were few and far between, and crushes were even more rare.

 

Haseul shook her head, not letting this go and leaned in close. She had almost a knowing expression on her face and I could feel the air thicken a bit. “Is it that girl you were fawning over this morning?” She asked, a smile daring to tease at the corners of her lips.

 

My breath hitched at the question and I suddenly couldn’t answer, instead looking away to conceal my reddening cheeks. Chaewon gasped a bit, leaning closer as well. “Wait, does Heejin have a crush??” She was genuinely shocked, not using one of her many talents this time.

 

I shook my head vigorously, turning my gaze to her. “What? No way,” I deflected. “There was just a pretty girl in the bakery today, that’s all.”

 

“Uh, uh.” Haseul shook her head, a hum of a laugh floating on the air. “There was a gorgeous girl at the bakery today,” she corrected, looking to Chaewon whose lips were parted in a surprised O-shape. “I was going to help her when Heejin butted in, deciding to be a good worker for the first time in her life. She stopped decorating the cake with Sooyoung and insisted on helping this girl. I’ve never seen her like this before.”

 

Her explanation had Chaewon’s eyes dripping with intrigue. “Oh my God! Did she ask for the cute girls number?” She asked excitedly, ignoring me completely as I sat in mortified silence and rested my forehead on the table.

 

“No!” Haseul practically shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “She just made dumb small talk and let her go! I was almost sure that she was going to try to get this girl’s number or at least her name, but --”

 

“That’s enough,” I interrupted, holding up my hand and letting out a sigh of defeat. “I don’t know what happened. I just...could barely talk or even stand up straight. This girl was so beautiful, how could I even hope to say anything like that to her?”

 

Chaewon practically squealed with excitement, bouncing in her seat. “Heejin has crush, Heejin has a crush,” she teased in a sing-song voice. “She wants to hug her, she wants to kiss her!”

 

“N-no I don’t!” I protested, fidgeting with my hands.

 

“Yes, you do,” Haseul pressed on, poking my arm. “I don’t even like girls and I want to kiss her.”

 

“I don’t have a crush on her.”

 

Hopefully I was emphatic enough to convince them because I was a big, fat liar.

 

 

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The focus of this fic will be 2Jin, and the perspective will be flipping between them every chapter so don’t get whiplash! Prepare for fluff, angst and a sloooow burn ～♡