“Well, this is our room… sorry about the mess”, Seulgi scratched the back of her head. “Yerim and I aren’t really the neatest people out there…”

Joohyun’s gaze travelled over the place.

A few shirts were laying in the middle of the room as well as the pillows that were supposed to be on the small couch. Blankets hanging on the edge of the beds instead of being folded neatly. Dishes waiting to be washed.

Messy might have been an understatement.

“So I’ve noticed…”, Joohyun frowned.

“Yeah…I bet your room looks like the complete opposite huh?”

“Not when a girl like Park Sooyoung exists. She is even more unorderly than you and Yerim combined… which makes me a bit scared to return to the room tomorrow to be honest’’, the raven sighed.

“Why think about tomorrow when you can live in the now?”, Seulgi grinned.

“That’s a nice attempt to distract me from how chaotic all of you are with a cringey statement”, Joohyun raised one eyebrow.

“It was worth the try”, the monolid girl chuckled. “Now come on, let’s go watch a movie instead of focusing on less important stuff like how orderly this place is.”

“Less important stuff? Orderly? I beg to differ… Besides, wouldn’t it be better to first tidy up things around here before watching a movie?”

“Oh, come on… don’t spoil the fun”, Seulgi pouted.

Joohyun bit her lip at how insanely adorable the monolid girl looked and she almost gave in.

 

Almost.

 

“Work hard, play hard. Figured it was a good cringey quote to match with yours. Let’s just at least wash the dishes and throw those shirts on a chair… since it’s better than them lying on the… ground.”

Seulgi let out a small sigh accompanied by a smile.

“Fine…”

“That’s settled then.”

“So… rock, paper, scissors over who is going to do the cleaning and who is going to do the drying?”, the monolid girl suggested with a smirk.

“I’m assuming we both would rather do the drying than the cleaning huh?”, the raven crossed her arms.

“Yeah… pretty much”, Seulgi laughed, her eyes in the shape of the crescent moons Joohyun adored so much.

“Loser cleans”, Joohyun said lifting her hand ready to play the game.

“Bring it on. I am more than ready”, the taller girl smirked while lifting her own hand.

“Well you’ve got a lot of confidence for someone who is about to lose.”

“There is a 50% chance of winning, so I’ll focus on that part.”

Joohyun chuckled.

“How naïve.”

 

***

In the end, as Joohyun had predicted, Seulgi ended up being assigned the role of cleaning the dishes after having chosen scissors against rock.

“Well, I guess you were right about me being the loser”, Seulgi scratched the back of her head in disbelief.

“What can I say? I never lose”, the raven laughed.

“This is not over Bae Joohyun!”, the taller girl narrowed her eyes as she pointed her finger at the raven.

“Sure, it isn’t”, Joohyun smirked. “I would love to kick your more often. Now come on, let’s just do the dishes and be over with it.”

Seulgi nodded in agreement.

“Alright. But first…”

Joohyun frowned in confusion before her eyes widened at the taller girl’s sudden proximity as she stood just a few inches away from her.

The sound of her heartbeat was loud in her ears and her cheeks were burning.

The raven tilted her head upwards and she found herself looking into Seulgi’s eyes.

Brown eyes which seemed to have been greeted by the sun, gleaming with warmth and reflecting life, their darkness capturing her and leading her away from a sense of reality.

She could only focus on them.

Just like she had seen in those romantic movies she didn’t believe to be possibly true.

Yet, here she was.

Experiencing the impossible.

 

Joohyun solely got pulled out of her trance when she felt the taller girl’s fingers brush against her shoulder as the latter took a hold of the strap of her bag.

“Here, let me take that. If you keep it on your shoulder like that it will get sore.”

The raven blinked once. And then twice. And then another few times.

“But it’s not heavy at all though”, she said, her voice merely above a whisper.

“Even the lightest things can get heavy if you carry them for too long.”

 

Joohyun felt her heart ache at those words, knowing how much truth they range when it came to herself.

But what pained her the most was the brief flash in Seulgi’s eyes. A small moment in which they did not sparkle and reflected sorrow instead of their usual liveliness.

A moment so miniscule one could have easily missed if one hadn’t been paying attention.

But Joohyun did.

Because when it came to Seulgi she couldn’t think or look at anything or anyone else.

 

Just as she wanted to ask the taller girl whether there was something wrong, the usual specks of sunlight in her eyes reappeared along with a small smile.

Seulgi walked towards a chair at the end of a bed and laid the bag down.

“I’ll put it here next to Yeri’s bed if that’s okay with you?”

“Hm… I guess that’s orderly enough…”

“Good. I was a tiny little bit afraid you would scold me for being messy again”, Seulgi laughed.

“You’ll get away with it… for this time”, Joohyun smirked.

“Does that mean that there will be a next time?”

“… most probably yes.”

The taller girl chuckled, and the sound played with the strings of Joohyun’s heart.

“I can’t wait for it then.”

“Do you like being nagged that much?”

“Not really”, Seulgi smiled. “But it’s fine if you are the one to do it.”

“Y-yah! Kang Seulgi! Don’t say things like that”, Joohyun averted her gaze anywhere except for the monolid girl, feeling a wave of heat hit her, her cheeks burning in the colour of red and pink.

“Why not?”, the taller girl frowned sounding genuinely confused. It made the older girl want to place a few small kisses on the frown lines of her forehead.

“N-nevermind. Let’s just wash the dishes otherwise we won’t have any time left for the movies”, the raven said, immediately walking towards the sink.

She grabbed a towel to dry the dishes and threw over her shoulder, leaning against the wall as she waited for Seulgi to come over.

The latter pouted as she observed the big number of unwashed dishes.

“This is too much…”

Joohyun grinned.

“And whose fault is that?”

“Have mercy on me please.’’

“Is that a request for me to help you clean?”

“…maybe…”

The older girl found herself almost giving in to Seulgi’s pleading, nearly unable to resist the look on the younger girl’s face.

“Not a chance. Now hurry up. Unless you want to stand here all night long.”

“Okay, okay… you win”, Seulgi smiled.

“When don’t I?”

 

***

Joohyun observed the taller girl’s every movement as the latter washed the dishes, completely focusing on her task, while she dried the same plate over and over absentmindedly.

Seeing the usual bright girl being serious and concentrated while doing chores played with the raven’s insides. Something so simple and yet the older girl couldn’t help but fall more for the monolid girl because of it.

She found herself staring at her, until the latter locked suddenly locked their eyes.

“A bit more of drying the same plate and you’ll make a hole in it”, Seulgi chuckled.

Joohyun wished she could bury herself under the ground being caught red-handed staring at the girl for the second time that night.

“Oh… yeah… sorry.”

Seulgi averted her gaze to the plates in front of her and continued to wash them with a small smile on her face.

The raven bit her lip as she stole glances of the girl.

“So, what were you thinking about?”, the monolid girl asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… you looked like your mind was drifting somewhere far. Specially since you have been drying the same plate for like five minutes.”

Joohyun tilted her head slightly to the right in confusion.

How did Seulgi notice something like that when she was so utterly focused on the plates in front of her? For as far as she knew, the taller girl had never once looked at her.

“Uh, I wasn’t thinking of anything.”

 “Really? Didn’t look like that.”

“I really wasn’t.”

She was actually telling the truth, since she had been more focused on staring at the monolid girl rather than really thinking about anything.

“If you say so…”, Seulgi chuckled, obviously not convinced. Joohyun rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh, before grabbing another plate and drying it.

The raven jolted at the feeling of a few drops of water being thrown at her face.

She quickly wiped it off and looked with widened eyes at the taller girl who seemed to be very amused with her own deed as she laughed at the raven’s reaction.

“Did you just… throw water at me?”

“Maybe”, Seulgi shrugged, before quickly putting her hand under the tap and throwing another bit of water at the raven.

“Okay…”, Joohyun laid the small towel over the already dried plates. “You are asking for it.’

As soon as she said those words, she took a quick step towards the tap, filling her hand with water and slinging it towards the monolid girl who pressed her eyes closed and looked away in an unsuccessful attempt at escaping from the amount of water thrown at her face.

She dried her face with her bare arm and looked at Joohyun, who displayed a victorious smirk.

The raven quickly grabbed Seulgi’s wrist as the latter tried to put her hand under the tap and tried to grab a bit of water herself.

She reached out her arms and rubbed the water on Seulgi’s face as the latter return the same gesture.

Laughter filled the room along with some shrieks and the sound of water being splashed.

Joohyun had never felt as excited as this before, her heart overfull with joy.

And she loved it.

Specially because Seulgi was the one who made her feel alive.

 

***

“You’ve never watched a Ghibli movie?!”, Seulgi exclaimed dramatically putting her hands on her head in shock.

“No… I’ve heard people talk about it but I’ve never watched it myself…”

“Well, then we are going to change that today!”, she stated, immediately typing in the words on her laptop.

Joohyun chuckled.

“Sure, I’m pretty curious.”

“Ghibli movies are perfect for… any time in life. Thought I do prefer them at night and in the winter. Because it warms and protects you against the cold weather! It makes you happy and yet a bit melancholic. And the details of everyday life are caught so precisely and beautifully, it makes you appreciate them even more! Oh and the designing? Wow, breath-taking. As well as the plots. Actually, just anything really’’, Seulgi said, her eyes sparkling at the thought of the movies, a sight that always took Joohyun’s breath away.

And she was sure that no matter how beautiful the movies were, they could not compare to the girl sitting next to her.

Nothing could.

“I’m going to go with the classic of Spirited Away. It’s the most popular. Though it’s not my favourite, it’s one of my top movies and the best one to start with.’’

“Can we watch your favourite after this one?”, Joohyun asked. She was truly curious about Seulgi’s favourite, eager to know what appealed to her, what moved her.

She wanted to know as much as she could.

“Sure!”, Seulgi nodded enthusiastically.

Just as she was about to start the movie, the monolid girl suddenly stood up.

“Anything wrong?”, Joohyun frowned, slightly worried.

“I almost forgot the most important thing of tonight”, Seulgi’s said with a rather serious tone.

“What is it?”, the raven asked, her worry for the girl growing.

“We can’t watch the movie without a cup of hot chocolate, can we?”, the monolid stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Joohyun let out a sigh.

“Ah, you scared me. I thought there was something very wrong…”

“A winter movie night without hot chocolate is wrong.”

“Point taken”, Joohyun chuckled.

“I’ll go and make it quickly. Just wait a few minutes.”

“I don’t really have any other choice, do I?”

The raven knew she didn’t, because she knew that she would wait for the girl for as long as it took. Always.

Seulgi smiled, her eyes shaped like crescent moons.

“Nope. You don’t.”

 

***

Joohyun really liked the movie. Both because of its magical elements as well as their ability to portray the smaller things in life as something that needs to be appreciated.

However, as much as she really wanted to finish watching it, she felt her energy being out of her body as the day’s event began to sink in. Or more precisely, the continuous studying and tests taken.

She couldn’t remember much except for her heavy eyelids during the last moments of consciousness.

And how she slowly fell to the side, feeling comfortable warmth surround her just before she fell asleep.

 

***

Her eyes flickered open, the sight of the ceiling being the first thing she saw when waking up.

Joohyun stretched herself, arms over her head, before blinking a few times while trying to remember where she was.

She suddenly sat up straight in the bed upon realizing that she was laying in Yerim’s bed.

“How on earth did I get here…”, she whispered to herself, scratching her head in thought.

“Did you sleep well?”

Joohyun frowned as she looked up to see Seulgi leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed and a smile on her face.

And that’s when it dawned upon her.

How she had fallen asleep while watching the movie on the couch next to the younger girl.

And she was almost entirely sure that she had not walked by herself to Yerim’s bed.

“Y-yea…”, Joohyun felt her cheeks burn. “Uhm, sorry for falling asleep in the middle of the movie…”

Seulgi shook her head.

“You don’t need to apologize for that Hyun-ah. It’s fine! As long as you rested well!”

Joohyun bit her lip at the way her name, or rather her nickname, rolled so easily of the monolid girl’s tongue.

“Now come on. I made us breakfast. Or actually… brunch…”

“What time is it?”

“12:47.”

“Oh my god, have I been knocked out for this long?”, Joohyun gasped.

She was used to being an early riser. Every time she would wake up slighter later than usual, she would nag herself for being lazy and wasting time.

Seulgi chuckled.

“Yep. Kind of surprising since I was expecting you to wake up earlier than me.”

“Sorry…”

The taller girl frowned.

“For what?”

“For staying this long in bed while you were busy cooking and stuff…”

“You really don’t need to apologize for that.”

“But I should’ve helped you”, Joohyun pouted as she played with the edges of the sheets.

“It’s fine!”, Seulgi chuckled. “Cooking can be fun. Especially when it’s for you.”

The raven snapped her head to the right, locking eyes with the taller girl.

“W…what did you say?”

Seulgi smiled.

“Nothing.”

“B-”

Joohyun didn’t finish the sentence, as she felt her breath getting caught in when Seulgi suddenly walked towards her.

She reached out for the older girl’s wrist, her fingers gently wrapping themselves around it.

“Come on, let’s eat. I’m really hungry’’, she said, her voice softer and warmer than the wool blankets surrounding the raven.

The latter gulped as she could feel the taller girl’s warmth due to their proximity, the skin of her wrist burning even more compared to last night.

“O-okay”, she stuttered, barely able to breathe.

Seulgi grinned as she nodded towards the door and softly pulled Joohyun by her wrist.

The latter instantly reacted, getting out of bed and letting herself being led by the taller girl.

And at the moment she was at least sure of one thing.

That she would gladly follow her anywhere.

 

***

“So? How does it taste?”, Seulgi asked, her eyes focused solely on Joohyun, making the latter feel extremely self-conscious.

“I haven’t even tasted it yet. And how can I eat comfortably when you are staring at me like that?”

“Sorry”, Seulgi scratched her head, chuckling at her own behaviour. “It’s been a long time since I’ve made sujebi, and last time it was kind of a failure so…”

“So, you are using me as your victim?”, the raven raised one eyebrow.

“Pretty much”, the taller girl grinned.

Joohyun gave her a playful slap on her arm as she shook her head in disapproval.

“Well… I’ll try it out then”, she said as she dug the spoon in the bowl.

She brought the spoon to and paused briefly.

“Just so you know, if something happens to me, like if I die or something, I will come back to haunt you as a ghost.”

“Okay, maybe you shouldn’t eat it after all.”

“Too late”, Joohyun smirked as she put the spoon in .

Seulgi’s eyes were glued to her as she carefully watched her every movement.

The raven actually quite enjoyed the taste. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, because to be honest, she really expected for Seulgi’s second try to be a bit of a failure as well.

“And?”, the monolid girl bit her lip.

“This is actually pretty good… I’m honestly surprised, but I really like it!”

Seulgi’s lips curled up and a wide smile appeared on her face, her eyes sparkling in joy. Joohyun reflected the smile, as nothing made her happier than seeing Seulgi being this lively.

However, her smile got replaced by a frown as two seconds later she felt burn due to the spices of the dish.

Joohyun coughed while vending herself with her hand as she felt her head burn and her eyes tear up.

“Hyun?”, Seulgi shot her a worried look.

“Holy , this is spicy. I think I’m actually going to die”, she said as the coughing became worse.

The monolid girl immediately got off the chair and ran towards the fridge, grabbing a carton of milk and pouring some in a glass.”

“Here”, she handed it over to the older girl who downed it in one go.

Joohyun couldn’t feel more blessed with the existence of milk.

“Oh god, are you okay?”, Seulgi asked as she squatted down next to the raven, putting her hand on the latter’s back and carefully caressing her.

“I’m breathing, so I guess that’s good enough”, Joohyun quietly chuckled. She felt two tears stream down her cheek. “That was spicier than I thought.”

“I’m so sorry for that”, Seulgi scratched her head. “I love spicy food, so I guess I tend to go a bit too far with it…”

“Well I’ll keep it in mind for next time.”

Seulgi’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Next time? You would actually dare to try my cooking again?”

“Despite this…traumatizing event… I would gladly try everything that you cook.”

Seulgi’s eyes formed themselves into crescent moons upon hearing Joohyun’s words. The raven felt her heart skip a little beat at the thought of having been the one to make her smile.

“Unless it looks or smells like death itself. Then I will definitely not put that in my mouth.”

“I’ll make sure to give you only the best”, Seulgi said as she looked into the raven’s eyes with an expression that made Joohyun’s heart race, to the point she was afraid that the taller girl could almost hear its rapidly beating sound.

Just as the raven opened to answer, the door suddenly got thrown open, making both girls jump in surprise.

“Heeeeeellooooooo”, Yerim sang with a wide smile on her face as she threw her bag on the couch.

“Wow, back so soon?”, Seulgi asked as she stood up.

Joohyun couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed at what seemed like the end of their time together.

“Yea… unfortunately Sooyoungie had to go take her last test today”, Yerim sighed. “I already miss her.”

Joohyun rolled her eyes.

“Oh, she still has to take a test? That ’’, Seulgi said, feeling bad for the girl. Joohyun, however, could only concentrate on one thing.

“Did you guys keep it clean?”, she asked, crossing her arms.

“Oh come on, Hyun. It’s kind of hard to when you are both alone at night and can’t get your hands off each other. Besides, how do you expect me to be clean when she is so insanely ho-”

“THAT”, Joohyun quickly interrupted. “was not what I meant…”

Yerim tilted her head and frowned in confusion.

Joohyun rubbed her forehead and sighed.

“I meant the room…”

“Oh”, Yerim awkwardly smiled.

The raven was in awe at how the girl could switch from having absolutely no shame at all to the complete opposite in just a few seconds.

“Uh, no. It isn’t ha… sorry…”

Joohyun sighed again.

“You will hear this often from me, but… I swear you guys are going to be the death of me…”

“Is that another way of saying you love us?”

“Absolutely not”

“That’s a yes.”

“Don’t twist my words.”

“Just telling the truth.”

“…I wonder what I have done in my past life to be cursed with two devils like you and Sooyoung.”

“Probably something great.”

Joohyun sighed.

“Whatever.”

“I won”, Yerim laughed.

“But Hyun-ah… I thought you said you always win”, Seulgi smirked.

“Don’t you dare helping her out after having nearly murdered me with your spicy food, Kang Seulgi.”

“…okay, you got me there…’’

“Wait… did Seulgi cook?”, Yerim’s eyes widened at the new information. “You never cooked for me! I’ve never seen you actually cook!”

Seulgi scratched her head as she awkwardly smiled.

“Sorry for that ha…”

Joohyun bit her lip. She couldn’t help but feel her the inside of her stomach being tickled at the thought that she might have been special enough for Seulgi to cook for her.

Yerim walked towards the table and grabbed a spoon to taste the monolid girl’s sujebi.

“Wai-”

She put the spoon in , briefly chewing on the