Jeongyeon slammed onto the horn as she glared upwards, her head bent awkwardly as she tried to peer up their apartment stairs.

Suddenly the door burst open as two younger girls scrambled out of their room, a blur of blonde hair and pale skin sped down the stairs while Chaeyoung hopped after her while also stuffing her foot into one of her shoes.

 

A few moments after the door swung open behind them and Jihyo watched with a poorly hidden smile as the two younger girls clambered into the back seats.

 

Chaeyoung sat quickly and then flashed them dumb smile while her eyes nearly shut, she took deep breaths before speaking. “I’d just like to say we’re not as late as Jeong was on Dahyun’s birthday.”

 

Jeongyeon groaned loudly as she slammed her head onto the steering while the other three’s skull shaking laughs echoed throughout the car.

 

“Okay but Jihyo was thirty minutes late.”

 

“I was getting the cake!”

 

“Sure you were.” Jeongyeon said with a pursed lips as she pulled her head from the wheel.

 

---

 

“So….” a voice peeped from the back. “How was Sana?”

 

“Was she ethereal, heart stopping?-”

 

“Did she rock your like a damn boat?” Jeongyeon asked with a loud laugh.

 

Jihyo’s head spun to face the smirking older woman, “No, that’s how you got an STD and we had to spend rent money so your didn’t explode.”

 

Jeongyeon’s finger flew up as dropped ever so slightly. “First off, it wasn’t an STD, it was an infection unrelated to -”

 

“Sure,” Jihyo replied quickly with a hidden smile, “All I know is that you must be a mutant with all that damn medicine you took.”

 

“Shut up before I knock the titty out of you.” Jeongyeon threatened as she playfully swatted at Jihyo’s chest.

 

“If we talk about Jeong’s at Sana’s house I’m literally gonna throw myself out the window.” Chaeyoung informed them as she popped her head through the small space between the two seats.

 

Jeongyeon’s fingers thumped against the steering wheel as she grinned in the darkness.

 

“If they bring up anyone’s cooch I’m gonna throw up.” Dahyun piped up.

 

---

 

“Hello!” Sana greeted happily as she opened the door, instantly the smell of cinnamon flooded the hallway and nearly tugged them into the apartment.

 

“You two must be Chaeyoung and Dahyun.” Sana chirped as she patted the duo’s head.

 

Dahyun smiled widely as she nodded. “I’m Dahyun.”

 

The Japanese woman smiled in return and squeezed her pale cheek before pulling the older two in.

 

“Mina and Tzuyu are getting some food ready, till then make yourself at home.

 

Jihyo entered the living room with slight caution, her eyes scanned the room as her friends followed shortly behind her.

 

The night sky filled the opposing wall, it was pure glass and it stretched from both corners. A sharply made couch shined in the glory of the night sky while shades of indigo and violet crept into every crevice of the room.

 

A large tv hung from the wall and played a show in a language Jihyo couldn’t understand.

 

It wasn’t hard to tell that the room was made by and for the luxurious. Modernly styled furniture that combated Korean minimalism and adopted a certain complexity from a region unknown to her.

 

She felt a gentle tug on her sleeve and sat onto the couch, despite its sharp angles and bold colors, it was comfortable.

 

Soon the three women entered the room, the two shyer ones let Sana pave the road into the living room, they said their hellos and sat quietly while Sana chatted away.

 

“What’re you studying Chaeyoung?” she asked while smiling.

 

“I’m an art major.” she replied with a hint of pride, her eyes gleaming while her lips curled at the end.

 

Sana clapped happily as she further asked Chaeyoung more questions, Jihyo smiled and she could feel Jeongyeon’s prideful grin burrowing into the back of head. They watched as Chaeyoung boasted about her new showcase and immediately recoiled in feigned embarrassment as Sana praised her.

 

“Chaeng-casso.”

 

Chaeyoung felt a light burst from her lips as she turned to face the tanner girl who had sat quietly before but now sat with a wide smile.

 

She spoke with the slightest of hesitation, the girl’s endless tanned skin and dark cascading hair had caught her tongue by surprise. “I’ll take it.”

 

Tzuyu flashed her a quick smile, her shining teeth catching the scarce gleam from outside.

 

Sana smiled proudly before walking towards the kitchen, her hand barely flicked in the air; catching Jihyo’s attention, she quickly followed after the Japanese girl, her nose instantly filled with the scent of her sweet perfume she felt her lungs twitch and beg for the airy scent of cherry blossoms with the scarce smell of citrus.

 

“Tzuyu doesn’t like to talk.” Sana explained quietly as she began to pull plates from cabinets with sharp edges and a gentle gleam.

 

Sana turned and faced Jihyo with a wide smile. “She’s even shyer when she meets people for the first time,” she laughed to herself quietly,”But she’s talking to Chaeyoung just fine.”

 

“Is that a good thing?” asked Jihyo.

 

“It’s an amazing thing.” Sana assured with a grin.

 

Her words barely spilt out of her lips, they fell gracefully before rising to Jihyo’s ears, bringing a newfound world of sweetness for her to explore.

 

“You don’t know how much it means to me that you came,” she said softly, her hand traced across Jihyo’s arm, it twitched as it slowly moved up her arm, but her hand wavered for a second as it barely hovered above the intense heat radiating off Jihyo’s flesh before she pulled her arm back with a quiet gulp. “They need people like Dahyun and Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon-”

 

She paused for a second, her eyes grazing across Jihyo’s face, absorbing every laughter line and every pool of color that had spread across her face. “Like how I need you.”

 

Strained laugher pressed their way through the gaps between Jihyo’s clenched teeth, “We’re… We’re happy to help.”

 

Laughter erupted from the other room, it wasn’t airy like Jeongyeon’s nor was it staggered and filled with youth like the younger duo’s. It was a quiet giggle that came to an abrupt stop.

 

Sana sighed before smiling again. “I don’t hear that often.”

 

Jihyo laughed awkwardly as she pressed herself against the cool counter, desperately trying to shave off some of the incessant heat that was radiating off her.

 

“Hear what?” she asked.

 

“Them laughing like that,” Sana mumbled with a distant smile, “It’s a nice sound.”

 

Jihyo nodded, “I like it.”

 

“Hearing them laugh- your roomates I mean,” Sana began, “It makes you happy right?”

 

Jihyo dramatically rolled her eyes in the darkness of the kitchen, “Hearing Chae and Dahyun’s loud laugh at the crack of dawn has made me question my sanity multiple times.”

 

“And Jeongyeon’s laugh isn’t half as loud, but she folds in on herself like a damn chair,” Jihyo paused to sigh, “But for some reason it’s the same thing I want to wake up to every morning for the rest of my life.”

 

Laughter erupted again, cackles and giggles floated through the air and found their home within Jihyo’s lungs.

 

“They make living easier.” Sana said softly, her voice had dramatically lowered, her words had been swallowed by the laughter but Jihyo could still find their remains within the air.

 

“They’re absolute fools, complete idiots- But I’m a er for es.” Jihyo replied with a quiet laugh.

 

Within their shared silence a quiet voice from the living room spoke.

“Are they ing or something? What’s taking so long?”

 

Sana smirked at the younger woman before whisking the plate of snacks off into the living room.

 

“Sorry it took so long.” Sana apologized as she flashed the group a bright smile.

 

---

 

“Who’s your favorite artist?” Tzuyu asked as she lead Chaeyoung to her room.

 

“Van Gogh.” Chaeyoung replied as she looked around Tzuyu’s room in curiosity.

 

“Hm, I thought it’d be Picasso.” said Tzuyu as she rummaged through her desk.

 

“Now that you’ve mentioned it. I’ve always been a fan of cubism, but I’ve always liked surreal and post impressionism art... “ Chaeyoung murmured as her mind began to rummage through the countless paintings and sculptures lodged into every crevice of her brain.

 

“Do you like impressionist artists?” Tzuyu asked as she glanced back towards the shorter girl.

 

“Like Monet?... Pissarro? Sisley?...”

 

Tzuyu laughed as she walked back towards her with a white envelope tucked between her fingers. “I meant more like Kang Seulgi.”

 

Chaeyoung’s eyes stretched as they tried to contain the weight of her name, slowly hung open as choked words scrambled out of .

 

“Kang…. Kang Seulgi… The Kang Seulgi…. The same Kang Seulgi who’s known for creating all beauty on Earth?...” she mumbled.

 

Tzuyu glanced at the envelope as she smiled. “Well I don’t know if she created all beauty… But yeah, that Kang Seulgi.”

 

Chaeyoung let out a dramatic sigh as her eyes seemed to bubble with pure admiration. “She’s amazing, her art echoes all the beauty in the world.”

 

The taller girl flipped the envelope towards her, “You should go, and you know, see all the beauty with your own eyes.”

 

She blinked for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing as her brain began to run at full speed. “I’ve wanted to go to one of her showcases ever since I saw her first portrait.”

 

She tilted backwards and peeked out the door quickly before she leaned forward. “Jeong and Jihyo worked overtime to get the cash to buy me a ticket, but it ended up being sold out before they could buy one.”

 

Tzuyu handed the envelope to her, “Consider it gift from them, I hope you have fun.”

 

The shorter woman looked up hesitantly, Tzuyu watched as she trembled ever so slightly before her voice slowly began to crawl from between her lips.

 

“Are you sure?...” she asked slowly, “Her art isn’t something you should miss out on.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a reassuring smile, “I have classes then anyways.”

 

Chaeyoung’s lips pulled to reveal a youthful grin, “I’ll make it up to you.”

 

Tzuyu marvelled at the smaller woman’s bright smile, the way the light shined off her abnormally sharp canine and the way her eyes were beginning to glimmer. Her skin pooled into colorful shades of a pale rose, the slight shades of red that had begun to flood into her cheeks when she caught Tzuyu staring.

 

The words came out awkward as they stumbled out of . “I look forward to it.”

 

---

 

 

Jihyo looked up from her textbook and yawned.

 

“Tired already?” Jeongyeon said as she smirked and flipped through the pages of her notebook.

 

Jihyo scowled as she absentmindedly flipped the pencil between her fingers.

 

“How about some drinks?” Mina suggested, she turned to Sana and smiled softly when the older woman nodded in agreement.

 

“Well… We’ve all worked hard, haven’t we?” said Sana as she got up from the floor and stretched lightly before walking back into the kitchen, Mina trailed closely behind her.

 

Jeongyeon lifted her notebook to expose the phone sitting on her lap, “Jokes on her, I’ve been researching the ways implants can go terribly wrong for the past two hours.”

 

The younger duo snickered from the ground, Chaeyoung flipped onto her back and glanced upwards towards the older woman. “So how can it go wrong?”

 

“Why?” Dahyun asked as she faced her younger counterpart, “You interested?”

 

Chaeyoung hid her smile as she spoke. “Perhaps… Maybe they have a two for one deal, like if Jeongyeon and I go together, it’ll only cost as much as one implant.”

 

Jihyo looked up from her book, “Are you getting these implants in the middle of a farmer’s market?”

 

“I’m just saying, it’d be a nice deal.”

 

“I’m not getting my pumped Chae.” Jeongyeon muttered back as she continued to scroll on her phone.

 

Sana returned with Mina, they carried a large bottle with seven glasses being balanced within their arms.

 

Jeongyeon’s eyes widened as she leaned forward in her seat. “That’s no ing soju…”

 

Sana laughed lightly as she began to pour a dark crimson liquid into their glasses, it spun within the clear glass as lighter shades of red began to shine under the light.

 

“Mina’s a big fan of wine. I prefer sake myself.” Sana explained as she continued to pour.

 

Mina nodded, “It’s getting quite popular in Japan, I’m surprised it’s not more popular in Korea.”

 

Jeongyeon’s eyes remained wide as she stared at the spinning liquid. “Most people in Korea can’t even afford good soju, let alone wine…”

 

Jihyo stared at the older woman and pressed into her thigh until her head snapped backwards.

 

Jihyo’s eyebrows flew upwards as she motioned towards the two women staring awkwardly back at them.

 

She chuckled weakly as she rubbed her hands across her pants. “It’s a joke, plenty of Koreans can afford wine… We just prefer soju.”

 

“I have some in the fridge if you’d-”

 

Dahyun flew from the ground and gripped onto her glass, the table shook slightly as she quickly began to speak. “We’re fine! Wine’s great- Wine’s amazing.”

 

A small hand slithered onto the table and lowered a glass below the table.  

 

“It’s empty.”

 

Sana blinked slowly as she lowered the bottle to below the table and the sound of liquid clashing against glass and then swirling endlessly filled the quiet living room as Jihyo rubbed her forehead in embarrassment .

 

Chaeyoung’s voice echoed from under the table. “Thank you for my life ma’am.”

 

“No problem.” Sana said with an awkward but shining smile.

 

Jihyo shut her eyes as she cringed slightly. “I’m so sorry Sana, I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into them.”

 

“It’s alright, you should see how Mina acts when we run out of wine too,” Sana said with a loud laugh, “It’s something completely primal, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hissed at us one day.”

 

Mina laughed before a tanner hand slid from under the table and gently tapped the glass against the wood. “Mine is empty too.”

 

Sana continued to converse with the older duo as she tipped the bottle towards the glass and the air exploded into a tidal wave of grapes raised with the Spanish sun beating its flesh while the bare hints of vanilla and bitterness rushed into their lungs. All while the younger three sipped on their glasses and occasionally giggled.

 

---

 

A continuous stream of words slipped from their lips, Sana told endless stories about their adventures together in Korea, laughs left their lungs easily, this marked a first for Jihyo, her lungs no longer constricted the way they always did when the air flooding her body simply couldn’t be used to make laughter.

 

There was a point in her life where laughter had become foreign to her, the way it made her lungs ached burned more than it ever had, and laughter quickly became a brutal invader.

 

The sounds of Sana’s voice, Chaeyoung’s giggles and the occasional thumps against the table all blended into one soothing ballad that lulled her into a state of calm.

 

But the airy gasps as strained laughter pushed through shining teeth was missing from her world, the younger woman turned to face Jeongyeon, her eyelids had slid over her eyes as she lazily followed Sana’s excited arm flappings in the distance.

 

Her eyes rolled to the side as she stared back at Jihyo.

 

“What’s up Thomas?” she mouthed.

 

“You okay?” she mouthed back, her voice barely raising.

 

She shrugged back in response, Chaeyoung and Dahyun’s giggly laughter cut through the air and nearly every muscle in Jeongyeon’s face twitched as her eyes sped towards Sana and watched as the Japanese woman laughed along with them, her face lighting up as the younger duo crashed into her.

 

Jihyo watched as Jeongyeon’s focus returned to her, her jaw clenched before wine fled into her gritted teeth and tight jaw.

 

A louder laugh rang through the air and a painful shudder ran through Jeongyeon’s body as she clenched onto the cup.

 

Jeongyeon stared at the bottle as envy began to eat away at her flesh, bitter hatred shot from her bones as the price sticker caught her eye.

 

Weeks of working overtime wouldn’t even be enough to buy a drop of their wine, and she knew above all how much the younger two must’ve loved how sweet it tasted as it ran smoothly down their throat.

 

The cheap beer she carried in her arms as she sprinted back home after endless shifts would never be as sweet as crushed berries. It was simply never going to be enough.

 

Jihyo’s eyes met Jeongyeon’s as she quietly muttered, “Hey, it’s alright… Just chill.”

 

She placed her cup onto the table and huffed quietly, hot air laced with the fragrant smell of berries brushed against the tender flesh of Jihyo’s face.

 

“.” she mouthed.

 

Jeongyeon smirked and ripples of warmth sped across Jihyo’s chest, “You know it.” she replied with a familiar smile.

 

She pulled her phone out of pocket, the bright light of the screen poured over her barely tanned skin.

 

Jihyo watched as her jaw barely unhinged, her eyes widened as she continued to swipe at her screen.

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she moved closer to Jeongyeon.

 

The laughter and endless side conversations came to a halt, prickly silence filled the spaces between them.

 

A few words bubbled to the surface: Local Library Caught on Fire.

 

Jihyo turned to face the huddled group of women watching them with wide eyes. “The library caught on fire.”

 

She watched as Chaeyoung’s and Dahyun’s face contorted for a few seconds before easing into a settled state of disturbance, their lives had quickly been stolen from the flames that were intent on burning them till their memories were reduced to nothing but blackened ash.

 

Sana’s face remained blank as she stared ahead, she shook her head sadly while asking. “Is anyone hurt?”

 

“I’m sure,” Jeongyeon replied, “They said there’s some injuries because students were in there studying for finals…”

 

“Was Nayeon in there?” Chaeyoung asked with worried eyes.

 

Jeongyeon shook her head. “She told me she was working tonight.”

A quiet sigh of relief slipped from the younger girl’s lips.

 

Jihyo glanced towards her roommates, Dahyun kept a steady arm wrapped around Chaeyoung’s shoulder while she glanced out the window while Jeongyeon’s slender fingers began to twirl the softest tufts of grey hair.

 

Her eyes drifted to Sana’s warm brown, her lips twitched as they formed a small frown. Sana’s eyes echoed the same concern, she placed her hand onto Dahyun’s back and rubbed slowly as she comforted the younger girl.

 

Jihyo gulped slowly. “I think we should start going…”

 

Jeongyeon quickly leapt from the couch and collected their coats as Sana helped the younger duo up from the ground.

 

Sana rubbed Dahyun’s shoulders as she helped move them towards the doorway, where Jeongyeon stood awkwardly with several jackets hanging from her arms.

 

The other three left the apartment leaving Sana and Jihyo standing in the doorway.

 

Sana’s eyes glanced towards something behind Jihyo, she cleared , catching the attention of her roommates, they promptly fled the living room and the sound of doors closing followed quickly after them.

 

Jihyo glanced towards Sana’s fluttering lips and felt herself fall into a state of bliss, the soft pink that tinged the innermost parts of her plump lips caught the moonlight as she stared back towards her.

 

A shaky breath jerked its way through her loose lips and dispersed into the cold wind. “I should thank you for saving us,”

 

Sana’s head barely cocked to the side as she looked up to Jihyo with her warm brown eyes as her lashes flickered.

 

“I mean like, we would’ve gone to the library if it wasn’t for you.” Jihyo awkwardly explained.

 

Sana chuckled to herself as she rubbed Jihyo’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, I’d save you and your friends a thousand times over.”

 

“Let’s meet again.” Sana murmured.

 

“Let’s meet again.” Jihyo echoed with more strength before leaving the apartment.

 

---

So my promise about weekly updates went out the window lmao. I'm determined to finish this story though, so don't worry about that. 

I wanted to show how the foreign line (excluding Momo) interacted vs how 3mix (minus Nayeon) interacted, and I wanted to show the budding feelings between the two groups ;). 

Let me know what you think ;).