Life was full of crazy turns. Sometimes you spent so long trying to ask someone out and then you ended up on a date with someone else entirely. A date set up by your best friend because she'd finally given up on you finding love on your own, but still a date.

Seungwan sighed and pulled her bag strap up on her shoulder. The stupid fancy handbag kept slipping down and nearly dropping to her elbow. At least she was almost home, finally. She'd be able to drop the bag, step off her heels and into something comfortably flat and maybe go out for a taco or something, if she was fast enough.

It was a terrible date. The guy ordered a salad for her before she could even look at the menu, then launched into a 20-minute monologue about investment banking. He was so wrapped up in it that he didn't notice Seungwan picking up her phone to text Seulgi under the table.

Seungwan: «How did you find him??? »

Seulgi: «A friend of a friend said he was really nice. Are those question marks excited or upset? :D »

Seungwan: «He's the worst. Save me »

Her phone immediately started ringing and she answered it with an apologetic grimace aimed at her date. “Mom? Why are you calling this late? Is everything alright?”

“Okay, so it's a bad date,” Seulgi replied without hesitation, obviously catching on to Seungwan’s plan. “That's an experience too. I'm sure the next one will be better and -”

Seungwan interrupted her friend with a surprised gasp, her free hand shooting to grab the table cloth. “Oh no, and at dad's age! Is it serious? What do the doctors say?”

Seulgi sighed. “All I'm saying is, I still think it's a good idea to have some dates. You might meet someone you like and even if you don't, you'll -”

“Surgery? But that sounds so dangerous! Hold on, I'm coming over. What hospital did you say you were at?” She started gathering her things and pushing her chair back. She covered the phone with her hand and whispered to her date “I'm so sorry, I'm going to have to leave early and deal with this. I am so sorry.”

He muttered some words of assent, but she was already walking off. Seulgi continued to speak. “You'll be less nervous around the idea of dating,” she finished quickly, before Seungwan had a chance to end the call. Seungwan scoffed as she exited the restaurant.

“I've dated before, you know?” she pointed out sarcastically, since they were both well aware of her romantic past. She was on her way to the subway, which wasn't ideal, but she had to get home somehow.

“Yeah, in college. This is adult dating. It's different”

“Wait, I'm getting into the subway, I'm losing you.” Seungwan walked down the steps carefully, trying not to fall and break a leg on those stupid heels. She faked some crackling noises then hung up on Seulgi with a sigh.

And now she was finally home and still coping with the tragedy of all the time she'd wasted on her make-up. She stepped into the elevator and watched the doors close just as someone walked into the building holding a couple of pizza boxes. Out of reflex, she quickly reached out to hold the elevator, her gaze lingering jealously on the pizza.

As the pizza stranger entered the elevator, she realized with a start that it was Joohyun. She simply hadn't recognized her in her distracted mood because her neighbour was wearing a pair of oversized glasses she'd never seen before. That and her large sweater that half covered her hands made her look ridiculously cute. Seungwan's heels generated a height difference, so that she found herself looking down at that perfect face as she mumbled a greeting.

“You look nice,” commented Joohyun. Suddenly, her make-up didn't feel like a waste of time anymore. She smiled nervously and looked at the elevator panel.

“I had a, um, date.” She gripped the strap of her handbag tighter. “It wasn't very good, so I faked a family emergency and left like 30 minutes in.” She shrugged and Joohyun raised an eyebrow wisely, as though they were acknowledging the inevitability of bad dates in this economy.

They rode the elevator in silence, until Joohyun seemed to suddenly recall something. “Oh, you must not have had dinner.” Seungwan nodded silently, trying to avoid looking too pointedly at the pizza, whose smell had already invaded the small compartment. “Would you like a slice of pizza? My friends and I won't eat it all anyway.”

Seungwan was about to politely refuse when her stomach growled, making its intentions clear. Before either of them could speak, the elevator doors opened on their floor and they both walked out. Joohyun stopped in front of her own door, putting down the pizza boxes to tug at Seungwan's arm before she could get away. “Hold on, I'll give you a slice before I walk in.”

Seungwan acquiesced silently, acutely aware of Joohyun's fingers wrapped around her arm, turning to stand awkwardly by the door while Joohyun opened a box and pulled a slice free. She gave it to Seungwan, then grabbed one for herself. She chewed a bite in silence, leaning against the wall, then finally asked “Are you... upset? That your date was disappointing?”

She took another bite as she waited for a response, then paused to push up her glasses with the back of her hand. It was absurdly adorable. “I've never felt better in my life,” Seungwan blurted out, immediately feeling like an idiot. “I mean, I don't mind, or whatever. It was just a blind date.”

“Why would you do that? Go on a blind date when you're barely invested.” That was a fair enough question, but Seungwan couldn't help but feel judged. Now Joohyun probably thought she was so desperate for love that she would subject herself to nights with absolute strangers just to avoid being home alone. It wasn't entirely untrue, but she felt the need to explain.

“My friend made me go. She says I have to start somewhere, but honestly it feels more like a punishment.”

“Punishment for what?” Joohyun asked distractedly, attempting to keep a piece of mushroom from falling off her slice of pizza.

“Oh, because I won't... Ask...” Great, she'd gotten carried away. Obviously she couldn't just blurt out the truth and tell Joohyun she wanted to ask her out while eating a slice of pizza in a hallway. In general terms, she couldn't ask her out anywhere at any time because she was too scared. But especially not at that moment. She had to improvise. “Ask this girl out. That I kind of like.”

So the number one rule of pursuing someone romantically was probably to not act like you were interested in someone else. Maybe not number one, it might be behind stuff like not cutting off your own ear, but it was definitely up there. But hey, Seungwan played by her own rules. Bad, terrible rules that would work out terribly for her.

Joohyun paused her chewing, looking thoughtful. “So, why not ask her out? It would save you a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?”

“Yeah, but what if she says no?” Seungwan retorted, only half joking. To her surprise, Joohyun simply nodded in agreement, apparently satisfied with this justification, and continued to eat.

Seungwan felt that this conversation was heading towards an opportunity that she had to seize. Not asking Joohyun out, no, that was ridiculous. But she could inquire into her love life without seeming too obvious. “So, what about you?” she asked, trying to seem casual. “Do you usually go on dates? Like, with a boyfriend or...”

Once again, Joohyun waited in silence for a few moments just in case Seungwan intended to finish her sentence. Then she replied simply “I've never been on a date.” She continued to eat, almost at the end of her slice now.

Seungwan was jealous of the ease with which she said it, like it didn't make her feel insecure at all. She couldn't even imagine that kind of confidence. But most of all, she was surprised by the statement itself. “Why's that?” she asked, curious.

Joohyun shrugged “Oh, nobody ever asked.” She'd finished her slice and was wiping her fingers on a napkin which she then stuffed in her pocket.

Seungwan was speaking before she had time to filter her thoughts. “How is that even possible? You're the prettiest person I know.” She paused in horror at her own words, but then Joohyun smiled shily, looking down while she tucked her hair behind her ear with her right hand. Suddenly, they were the best words Seungwan had ever said.

“I doubt that very much.” Joohyun laughed a little, then pushed her glasses back up. “But whatever the reason, I really haven't been asked.”

Seungwan tried to control her smile, which was a little embarrassing with its persistence. She was already done with her slice and it didn't escape her notice that now they were simply chatting for no reason while Joohyun's friends awaited her. “So... Why don't you ask someone out?”

Joohyun smiled mysteriously. “Because they might say no.” Then she giggled conspiratorially. Seungwan felt warmth blooming in her chest. Were they really joking around so easily? Maybe Seulgi had been right and their previous conversations were the start of something more. Maybe she still had a chance.

Joohyun's apartment door opened suddenly, startling them. Out peeked a familiar head wearing a look of concern that quickly turned to amusement. Sooyoung stepped out to poke at Joohyun's side, teasingly calling out “Did you get lost on your way home, little girl?”

Joohyun looked confused for a moment, then she exclaimed “Right, my friends!” She leant down for the pizza boxes, which Sooyoung quickly snatched out of her hands.

“We have to get some slices for ourselves before you eat it all.” She turned to Seungwan then. “Oh, the neighbour. You look... less short.” Seungwan narrowed her eyes, but Sooyoung was beaming brightly before she could be offended. “Was our drunk little Joohyun keeping you from a date?”

“No, I'm already back actually.” Right. Drunk. She looked closer at Joohyun, noticing her slightly flushed cheeks for the first time. Not blackout drunk or anything, but definitely drunk enough to become chatty. That... actually made a lot more sense than sudden friendship. She glanced awkwardly between Joohyun and Sooyoung. “I should get home. Don't want to hold up your party any longer.”

Someone called Joohyun from inside and she walked off with a wave and a dazzling smile. Sooyoung lingered behind. “It's not really a party, you're not interrupting anything. I'd invite you in but she gets a little clingy when she's had a few. Probably not how she'd want to make a first impression.” She flashed a conciliatory smile, then glanced at the pizzas. “Do you want a slice? We won't eat it all.”

“I'm good, thanks. Have a nice not-party.” She smiled back at Sooyoung and walked to her own apartment, stepping in with a sigh of relief. She took off her heels and flopped onto the couch, followed moments later by a purring ball of fur. In the silence of the apartment, she suddenly heard a buzzing. Taking her phone out of her handbag, she noticed the missed calls from Seulgi.

“I'm fine, I'm fine,” she quickly said into the receiver, cutting off Seulgi's concerned questioning. “And forget about the date, I'm over that. So…” She readjusted herself until she was sitting in a comfortable position with Mr. Fluffers on her lap. “I ran into Joohyun just now and she was a little drunk but she was super nice and gave me a slice of pizza and I told her she was pretty and she smiled. It was amazing.”

There was a moment of silence then some muffled sounds of movement. “Okay, I'm sitting down. Now tell me everything that happened.”

(…)

Seungwan sat on her couch, willing herself to get up and walk out the door. Everything had been fine while she dragged herself from bed to breakfast to bathroom, but she'd blown it when she’d decided to sit down to put on her shoes. Now she wasn't sure any force in the world could pull her back up. Mr. Fluffers watched from the corner in silent judgment. “Shut up, Fluffers, remember who buys your food.” He blinked slowly, then turned around so he was no longer facing her. “I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean that. I'm just grumpy because it's so early.”

She took a deep breath and lifted herself up, groaning. Then she gave Mr. Fluffers a quick apologetic pet before grabbing her coat and finally stepping out. It was all Seulgi's fault, of course. She wanted to go to a friend's concert later that day so they'd rearranged their work schedules to get in earlier and leave in time for the concert. Unfortunately, that involved leaving the house at an ungodly hour, which was firmly against Seungwan's life philosophy. But letting down her best friend was even more against it, so here she was, bumping into the door frame and wearily shrugging into her coat.

At that moment, the door across the hallway opened and Joohyun stepped out in athletic gear. Seungwan stopped in her tracks, then headed uncertainly towards her neighbour. They hadn't spoken since her failed date and she wasn't sure whether she should pretend it hadn't happened, given Sooyoung's words about first impressions. Still, the memory of Joohyun's smile pushed her forward.

“Hi, neighbour.” Joohyun looked up with a start, only then noticing Seungwan. After she’d recovered, she nodded in acknowledgment and ran her fingers through her hair to catch it in a ponytail. Seungwan tried not to stare at her exposed neck, which seemed almost sculpted.

“You're up quite early,” Joohyun remarked, stretching one leg behind her, then the other, maintaining perfect balance. “I don't usually run into anyone at this hour.”

“It's definitely a one-time thing. I tend to avoid being up at dawn.” Joohyun had begun to stretch her arms over her head, to one side and the other. She didn't seem interested in eye contact and Seungwan lingered uncertainly, wondering if she should just go. “So, you're going running?”

“Yes, I try to go before work. Gives me energy for the day.” Seungwan tried to imagine running before work and the thought alone made her exhausted. Or maybe it was just the current lack of sleep. She wondered if she could sneak in a nap at work. Maybe if she ate fast enough on her lunch hour.

“I think I'd die if I tried to do that,” Seungwan admitted with a chuckle. Joohyun finished stretching, which Seungwan took as a cue to stop pretending not to stare and walk to the stairs. They walked in silence, as her usual urge to babble uncontrollably appeared to be suppressed by the early hour and Joohyun herself seemed uninterested in conversation.

Downstairs, she prepared to walk out when Joohyun called her name. “Seungwan, I'd like to... apologize for my behaviour the other night. I worry I might have made you uncomfortable. I wouldn't want to... impose,” she ended gravely. She looked very serious, giving her a strangely severe aura for such a petite woman. It made Seungwan feel like she was the one who should be apologizing.

She shrugged with one shoulder, unsure how she should respond. “It's, uh, really fine. And, you know, you gave me pizza, so...”

Joohyun furrowed her brow. “I apologize for the pizza as well,” she added hastily. Her furrowed brow and tiny clenched fists made Joohyun look more cute than serious, but Seungwan couldn't help but feel like she was being blown off.

“I meant, the pizza was good.” She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Probably Seulgi making sure she hadn't fallen back asleep. She had to go or she'd be late. “I really have to get going now, but it's totally fine. Don't worry about it.” She tried to smile reassuringly but it probably just looked awkward. That was the general direction all her gestures tended to go. Then she waved at Joohyun and hurried off.

She managed to stay awake all day, although she did take that lunch-time nap she'd hoped for. Seulgi showed up just as she was getting off work, beaming brightly and looking as energetic as ever. Seungwan needed a post-work coffee to get there, but Seulgi provided it helpfully. Then they hurried off to the concert, which was followed by a few rounds with the band that left Seungwan just a little past tipsy. She giggled her way through the goodbyes, then was guided to a taxi by Seulgi, who got in beside her. On the way home, she finally described the events of that morning to her best friend, ending with a careless “So maybe she never wants to talk to me again or whatever,” and another giggle. Seulgi patted her back and assured her that it probably wasn't the case, but Seungwan was just too euphoric on the heels of a great night out to really care either way.

Seulgi escorted her all the way to her apartment door, like the chivalrous little bear she was. Seungwan wrapped her in a tight hug, then turned her around and pointed at the door across the hallway.  “That's where Joohyun lives,” she whispered with a giggle, her chin resting on Seulgi's shoulder. “She's the prettiest fish,” she added with a dreamy smile. Then she gasped slightly. “Oh no, what if she never wants to talk to me again?”

Seulgi patted her back some more and made sure she got in safely, taking the opportunity to greet Mr. Fluffers, who had deigned to make an appearance by the door. Then she left for home and Seungwan returned to her long-awaited bed. As soon as Seulgi texted that she'd arrived home safely, she tucked herself in and fell asleep.

(…)

The next time she met Joohyun, she was coming back from taking out the trash just as her neighbour stepped out of the apartment. Once more, Seungwan was wearing old, shapeless clothes and no make-up while the already beautiful Joohyun glowed in a simple ensemble of jeans and a shirt. Seungwan waited while she locked the door behind herself, hoping for at least a short exchange of words before she left. Joohyun turned around, then promptly released a small yelp of surprise at the sight of Seungwan.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” Seungwan said, smiling apologetically. Joohyun's face was already back to its neutral state and she waved her hand dismissively. “I was just going to say hi. Since we're both in the hallway.”

Joohyun nodded thoughtfully, as though she was absorbing her words. Then she turned her gaze to Seungwan for a second and flashed a polite smile. “Hi.”

Seungwan jerked her thumb towards her apartment “I was on my way back home. Just taking out the trash.” She smiled nervously, a bit unsettled by Joohyun's passive expression. “But you're going out, huh? Anything special?”

“A friend's party,” Joohyun replied after a short pause. She stood in place, eyes lazily scanning the region around Seungwan and occasionally landing on her face. Seungwan suddenly felt cold sweat run down her spine at the strange atmosphere. Should she try to say something else or just let the woman go?

“A party, cool.” She nodded for emphasis, feeling a little idiotic. “Cool, cool.” Maybe more than a little. “Sooyoung or... another friend?”

“Another friend.” Okay, no, this was definitely the time to abort the conversation and go home.

She nodded again, muttered “cool” a few more times like a complete then pointed at her apartment door once more. “So, I should probably go and check on some stuff. At home. Have a nice party.”

Joohyun smiled stiffly for a fraction of a second, then headed to the stairs. Seungwan leaned against the wall to watch her leave, shoving her hands deep in her hoodie pocket with a sigh. At this rate, they'd be on speaking terms by the end of the century. Maybe it was time for her to get a crush on someone who was at least interested in talking to her. The only conversation when she hadn't felt like Joohyun just wanted her to leave was when her neighbour had probably been too drunk to remember she hated her. Seungwan peeled herself off the wall and walked home, once more debating the merits of dying alone with cats.

(…)

As much as Seulgi wanted to convince her otherwise, Seungwan was increasingly certain that her neighbour hated her. She understood why Seulgi would want to give it the benefit of the doubt, but she hadn't seen the way Joohyun looked at her, and Seungwan was pretty sure Seulgi thought she was exaggerating when she described her curtness. It wasn’t like Joohyun was being rude or anything, she was prompt enough to answer any questions Seungwan asked. She just didn't volunteer any information whatsoever and always seemed ready to end their conversations and leave. Every time they crossed each other in the hallway, Seungwan would make increasingly feeble attempts at chatting until they reached the inevitable awkward pause, followed by a strained goodbye as she made her escape. One time, when she was listening to music loudly on her headphones, she pretended not to notice Joohyun leaving her apartment, just to avoid another embarrassing encounter. It wasn't her finest moment, but she figured Joohyun would be relieved to escape the interaction. Seulgi wasn't pleased with that, but she did agree that if they were having such trouble talking, regardless of whose fault it was - “Joohyun's,” Seungwan muttered sullenly –, it might be for the best not to push it.

“Don't ignore her,” she added in a warning voice, “but maybe stop trying to make small talk, for now. Let her do the talking.”

Seungwan huffed, her small frame sunk deep in Seulgi's sofa and her arms crossed. “There won’t be any talking.”

Seulgi shrugged next to her, shoulders brushing hers. “There’ll be as much as she's comfortable with. Then you can build up from that,” she concluded, trying to sound optimistic. Seungwan sank a little deeper, becoming one with the pillows around her as her head fell back to look at the ceiling. She opened to speak, but Seulgi cut her off, turning her body to lay her head on Seungwan's lap. “You'll get your pretty fish. Nobody can resist my cute Wannie. Look at those cheeks.” She raised her hand to poke at Seungwan's face, grinning up at her. Seungwan swatted her hand away with an exaggerated grimace, but there was no force behind it and she eventually gave up, letting her cheeks be prodded by Seulgi's finger.

“Stop,” she drawled out with a whine, trying to hide her smile behind a hand. Seulgi giggled and withdrew her hand, rolling around to reach for the remote.

“I'll let you pick what we watch if you cook dinner.”

“Deal.”

It wasn't often that she was right and Seulgi was wrong, so it felt like a personal affront that it happened exactly when she didn't even want to be right. As soon as she let Joohyun guide their conversations they shrank to greetings and goodbyes. It barely gave her the time to sneak a glance at Joohyun's pretty face. She had the consolatory satisfaction of saying “I told you so” to Seulgi but, well... Overrated, really. It wasn’t like confirming that her neighbour hated her was a great victory. And it honestly wasn't very fun to dread meeting the person who lived across from her.

So all that made it a little awkward that she now had to go knock on Joohyun's door. She really didn't want to, but it had been over an hour and the loud music emanating from the apartment didn't show any signs of stopping. It wasn't exactly the neighbour's fault, as it wasn't that late for a Saturday, and usually Seungwan wouldn't want to spoil the party, but she'd left her work reports until the absolute last minute and now she really had to get them done before Monday. And that meant she needed some peace and quiet or she'd never get rid of the headache that she already felt forming.

She rose from her kitchen table uncertainly, hovering between the kitchen and the apartment door. She really didn't want to annoy Joohyun even more, or she might have to start looking into moving in with Seulgi. She fidgeted with the end of her sweater and looked fearfully at the door. Maybe she shouldn't. Maybe she could just take some aspirin and power through it.

A new song started, the bass reverberating in Seungwan's chest. Okay, she had to go over there before she lost her mind. She took a deep breath and headed out the door, after swapping her slippers for more outside-appropriate shoes.

She was across the corridor in two steps. She stood in front of the menacing door, then raised her hand resolutely to knock. Once, then twice. Finally, the music stopped and it was only a moment before someone was at the door, then opening it. Seungwan looked up at her, steeling herself for the conversation ahead. Then it hit her. Up?

“Sooyoung?” It was her, looking slightly out of breath, perhaps from dancing. Her expression was solicitous, but quickly became amused when she recognized Seungwan at the door. “Oh, thank god.”

Sooyoung raised an eyebrow, a bit taken aback, though that didn't last long. “Oh, Seungwan, I'm flattered.” She grinned evilly at Seungwan's confusion, raising her hand to cup the side of her face. “But I'm like, Joohyun's only straight friend. I'm so sorry.”

Seungwan resisted the urge to sputter in response and attempted an eye-roll. Sooyoung giggled and patted her cheek once before pulling away. “Well, excuse me for assuming, but why else would you be so happy to see someone you barely know?”

“Well, uh... Honestly, I came over because your music is a little loud and...”

“And you're glad it was me at the door because you're afraid of Joohyun.” Sooyoung nodded as though it made perfect sense. “You've got good instincts. Stay on her good side.”

“I'm not afraid of her!” Seungwan contested instinctively, as though the concept made no sense, though on second thought she might have been a bit hasty to deny it. There was definitely something imposing about her. “Is she... here, though?”

Sooyoung chuckled. “No, it's just me. She had a thing, won't come back until later.” She raised an eyebrow at Seungwan, watching her pointedly. “So you're not afraid of her, huh?” she asked sceptically. “Then what's with all the...” she moved her hand in the air, encompassing Seungwan's entire frame. “Fear-like attitude you've got going on?”

Seungwan shrugged, a little embarrassed. “I'm just... pretty sure she hates me.”

She wasn't sure why that was so amusing, yet clearly it was, since Sooyoung's pretty lips were now open in silent laughter. Was she mocking her people skills? Seungwan was the first to admit they might be lacking, but she thought it was unfair that befriending Joohyun would be the standard. “What?” she asked, a little defensive.

Sooyoung studied her for a second. “Normally I wouldn't expose her like this, but you're so small and awkward and I feel sad for you.” She raised a hand to silence Seungwan's protests, then continued with a giggle “She thinks you hate her.”

For a moment, she was stunned into silence. Then suddenly decided to open and pour out her thought process unfiltered “I – What – But – The –“ She paused, took a breath, then proceeded incredulously “Why?”

“She says ever since that time she was drunk, you've been looking at her like she's weird whenever you meet. Then a while ago you stopped talking to her and now you just say hi and leave. Also, one time you pretended like you didn't see her? That one might just be her projecting, though.”

Seungwan looked away guiltily. In retrospect, she could see how her actions could give a specific impression. But it had been Joohyun's attitude that led her to it! It was only because she thought Joohyun didn't want to talk to her in the first place. She pinched her nose in confusion and tried to think of something to say. “I thought she hated me first,” she offered lamely.

Sooyoung laughed again, but Seungwan found that it suddenly didn't bother her at all. It might have something to do with the dawning realization that yes, she'd managed to give Joohyun the absolute opposite impression to the truth, but at least she hadn't blown it. Joohyun didn't hate her. Somehow.

“Look, I know what you're thinking,” Sooyoung said, startling Seungwan away from her reverie. “Joohyun probably gave you the impression that she hated you because she's so closed off, but I promise that she's just naturally like that.” Apparently Sooyoung gave Seungwan more credit than she deserved, because her brain was still too busy with the beautiful discovery to even start on the logistics. But she did raise a fair point.

“Is she really like that all the time? The only time she even smiled at me was when she was drunk,” Seungwan replied, more out of hope for further reassurance than actual doubt.

“Honestly? She's worse. She must have a soft spot for you, because she was just neutral. Usually, she's downright scary.” Sooyoung snorted, then looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hold on, I've got proof.” She disappeared inside the apartment, then returned moments later holding a cell phone. “One time I was visiting her at work and I took a little video.”

Seungwan leaned forward to look at the phone's screen. For a moment, she was frozen on the spot. A cold chill ran down her spine. Joohyun's face on the video, while still as beautiful as ever, seemed to be iced over, from the set of her eyebrows to the turn of her lips. When a colleague approached her with a question, the look she sent him would have made Seungwan quit her job on the spot. She seemed to go over the issue with him quite thoroughly, probably being very helpful, but her cold aura never dissipated.

“That's what she normally looks like? How does anyone ever talk to her?” Compared to this, her awkwardly stiff conversations with Joohyun seemed almost pleasant. Well, they'd always been pleasant because they included the most beautiful woman in the world, but now looking at it from the objective point of view of someone who wasn't a useless biual.

“Well, not everyone is as spineless as you, for starters.”

“Easy for you to say, whenever she's around you she smiles and probably talks enough to keep a conversation going,” Seungwan grumbled, feeling like Sooyoung was making a very unfair comparison.

“Not going to lie, it helps that the topic of conversation isn't your opinion on zoos.”

Sooyoung snorted at her involuntary grimace. Sure, that one had been kind of hard to work up from, but she'd only arrived at it because Joohyun had that difficult habit of not offering up a single word that wasn't in response to a direct question. She opened to point it out, but Sooyoung motioned her into silence.

“Okay, okay, it's hard to talk to Joohyun, I get it.” She sighed and inspected Seungwan closely. There was a moment of silence as she seemed to consider something carefully. Then she suddenly spoke up, startling Seungwan. “Alright, I'll help you. But only because I am 100% sure I could physically overpower you and I can let that threat hang over you.” Sooyoung waited for Seungwan's protests, but she was too wise by now to offer any. Also, it was probably true. “I'll let Joohyun know you don't hate her and maybe get her to talk to you actively rather than passively. I can't make any promises on that one. Meanwhile, you,” she poked Seungwan's collarbone with her finger “stop being a baby and start talking to her again.”

“Fine. Thank you. And I'm not a baby.” Seungwan crossed her arms, feeling like a petulant child. “But also seriously, thank you,” she added, because she was well aware that she'd be doomed without Sooyoung.

Sooyoung regarded her in amusement for a moment. “Want to know a secret? I'm mostly helping you because I'm hoping you'll join our circle of friends. Your whole awkward thing is really funny and kind of cute.” Seungwan perked up at Sooyoung's words, feeling strangely proud to have made a good impression on one of Joohyun's close friends. Maybe that meant that Joohyun herself wouldn't find her entirely off-putting. “I'm still straight, though. So sorry.”

She didn't even bother to deny the accusation and simply shrugged casually. “I'll try to live through the disappointment.” Sooyoung smiled, clearly pleased that she was playing along. “Anyway, I have to go back to my work now. Could you maybe turn down the music?”

“Yeah, sure, I was going to turn it off soon anyway, got some work stuff myself.”

Seungwan thanked her and headed back home, relieved at the promise of silence but mostly distracted by thoughts of Joohyun and the new possibilities that lay ahead of her. Suddenly, a reality where they were more than neighbours and actually spent time together outside the hallway seemed to grow clearer, almost tangible. Almost within her reach.

As she stepped into her apartment, she stopped in her tracks as a sudden realization hit her. “Dammit,” she grumbled, reaching for her phone to text Seulgi.

Seungwan: « So you were right and I was wrong »

Seulgi: « :D »