˜”*°•.˜”*°• 07•°*”˜.•°*”˜
_________________________________________________

◉●❀●◉

“You know this is really a rare sight; Sakura unnie never does a job without pay let alone model for someone for a favor.”

Chaewon looks at the pouty girl beside her. She tries to remember who this girl is to interrupt her from planning the stage for this shoot. She vaguely remembers Chaeyeon introducing her but, the name seems to slip from her mind.

“Who are you again?” Chaewon asks, ignoring the girl’s ramblings effectively stopping her.

“That’s the third time today Chaewon ssi! It’s Yena! Choi Yena, Sakura unnie’s manager.”

Chaewon shrugs still indifferent at the exasperated look Yena was currently wearing. She’s too busy planning the photoshoot that she can barely register anything else. When Chaeyeon called the other day, she did not know what to expect. She thought for sure that she would get the job. But the call was not what she had thought.

“As I said, this is really-“

“A rare sight, blah blah, without pay, blah blah favor, I know.” Chaewon replies, “That’s the third time.”

Yena looks at her, bewildered, “So you were listening after all!”

Chaewon rolls her eyes as she walks away towards the other end to presumably do something when it was clearly to avoid the chatty girl. Chaewon does not hate the girl; she just can’t keep up with her. Chaeyeon was talkative too, but this Yena person seemed to run miles more.

Yena stares at Chaewon’s back. “That girl is really aloof. I wonder how she and Chaeyeon are friends” Yena shakes her head as she walks towards Sakura and Chaeyeon who were busy talking about something she is sure she can’t relate.

Yena was clearly happy that the two seemed to have patched things up. When she got home that night, she hears the animated talks and laughs before she even opened the door. Once she stepped in, the two were too engrossed with whatever they were talking about, that they didn’t notice Yena come in.

She was surprised to see how comfortable Sakura looks as she smiles and laughs along with Chaeyeon. Not that she isn’t when they are together but seeing her mannerisms around Chaeyeon is just so rare and different. When she made her presence known, she saw how Sakura was trying to hide it.

“Hey, Yena!” Chaeyeon greets her.

“Oh, hey you two,” She replies. Eyeing the older, smirking. “It seems you guys are okay now?”

Sakura rolls her eyes but, smiles when she met eyes with Chaeyeon’s who was also timidly smiling. Yena watches them curiously, asking - “So what’s going on here?”

“Well, you see Yena…”

Chaeyeon proudly exclaims she got an offer to work for one of the upcoming companies and Sakura kindly offered to be her subject for the portfolio she’s building. So this is why Sakura called Nako.

“You offered to model unnie?” Yena looks at her unbelieving. She never thought Sakura would say yes to modeling for a portfolio. She even asked Nako for a favor to see Chaeyeon in the first place.

Sakura shrugs.

“Really? You would model for a portfolio? For free?” Yena asks in a high-pitched voice

Chaeyeon is clearly uncomfortable with the questions that the duck is asking.

“I could pay you for the trouble” Chaeyeon offers, now hesitating if she should pursue the plan. “I mean if it’s any trouble, I’d be willing to offer up a compensation.”

“Are you kidding me? I’d be glad to do it for free.” Sakura faces Chaeyeon and then back to Yena, “Can you stop quacking? She’s a friend. I mean, I’d do the same for you.”

“Do the same for me?” Yena lost in her thoughts, knew that this was something special. Sakura was not like this, and she knows that she’d only go the extra mile for certain special people. She was not jealous or anything; in fact, she’s getting butterflies in her stomach. She’s just trying to tease them both and maybe get a better sense of how deep their relationship has become.

“Really, I can find the money to pay” Chaeyeon fills out the silent air as Yena kept swimming in her thoughts.

“How are you gonna pay me then? You’re barely making it out alive with just two jobs; so now you plan on getting a third? You’re beating yourself out. Just think of it as a favor I owe you. “Sakura insisted.

When Chaeyeon remains silent, the tension was getting a bit heavy as the two girls argued about compensation. Yena felt that this was unnecessary tension and shifted her thoughts, thinking this was all her fault. Sakura, on the other hand, starts to sense that this is going to end up in another argument and she would like to avoid that at all costs. Fighting with Chaeyeon leaves a bad taste in . She starts to calm herself down before it gets bigger.

“Come on, Chaeyeon, we just started putting things behind us, I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Just think of this as an apology favor. Please?” Sakura kept on insisting genuinely.

Truthfully, Chaeyeon couldn’t pay the model, at least not right away but the way Sakura was looking at her with so much warmth, she could see her sincerity. “Fine. If you insist so much, I suppose you could throw in a free lunch with your apology?” Chaeyeon jokingly says making the model laugh.

“Deal”

“Heh.” The duck quacked once more and snapped back to the present, at the photoshoot.

As Yena got closer to the two, Chaeyeon was the first one to acknowledge her presence.

“Everything okay, Yena?” she asks.

Yena nods but looks on at Chaeyeon with uncertainty, as if she wants to ask a question.

Chaeyeon tilts her head, “What is it?”

“How did you and Chaewon become friends?”

“What do you mean?”

She pauses and notices Sakura’s suspicious look “You two are completely different people, it’s surprising” Yena explains, justifying her claims.

Chaeyeon pauses and thinks “You know that’s the second time I heard that question, but the first one was between me and Saku chan” Chaeyeon playfully recalls the first time she’s heard the question.

“It’s that woman from the coffee shop, right?” Sakura suddenly interrupts.

Chaeyeon and Yena look at her. “Yeah. You talked to Sunmi unnie?”

But Sakura does not answer, mood dampened about the thought that she and Chaeyeon don’t seem to be good friends, personality-wise.

Chaeyeon notices this as she moves over the girl, taking both her arms, trying to make her look at her. “Hey, It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. In fact, there is a saying, right. You know that says, opposites attract” she tries to ease in, trying to make the model smile, not realizing that she is quite flirty in the process. “That literally means we naturally are perfect together,” she adds winking.

The gesture seemed to work as Sakura chuckles tilting her head, feeling elated. “So what? Are you like attracted to me then?”

“Wow, that’s smooth unnie,” Yena says under her breath.

“Wha-?” Chaeyeon moves back dropping Sakura’s arm. “I--”

Sakura’s elation dissipates as she stares at Chaeyeon’s unreadable expression. She couldn’t help feeling the slight twinge in her heart at the younger’s reaction, which she shouldn’t have to, but she clearly does. “Relax, I was kidding,” she says chuckling albeit awkwardly as she excuses herself to go to the dressing room.

“Wai...t”

Yena observes Chaeyeon’s conflicted look as she watches Sakura’s retreating back. Chaeyeon felt she should’ve said something, but Sakura caught her off guard. What did she mean by that, though? And why did she feel butterflies?

“Hey Chaeyeon, do you need me for something?” Yena tries to interrupt Chaeyeon’s thoughts. She wanted to say something, but she does not want to overstep.

“Huh? Oh right, I think we need more light on that side, please ask Chaewon about it.”

“Okay”

◉●❀●◉

“Hey”

Chaewon finds Chaeyeon sitting down by the makeup table, adjusting the settings of her camera. She has been in deep thought ever since. Chaeyeon looks up and smiles.

“Hey, Chaewon ah.”

Chaewon sits on the opposite chair without a word. She absentmindedly touches some of the makeup, before settling her eyes towards Chaeyeon who was surprisingly staring at her.

“What?” Chaewon asks

Chaeyeon hums before putting her camera on the table, tilting her head, still looking at Chaewon.

“You’re starting to creep me out, just say it.”

“We’re friends, right?”

Chaewon looks at her incredulously, confused at where Chayeon is going with this. “Yeah, I mean I’m here, right? I wouldn’t be if we weren’t friends.”

“Oh, right. I never did thank you enough for this Chaewon ah.”

Chaewon shrugs, taking the bottle of water, presumably Chaeyeon’s and drinking from it. “I was actually waiting for you to call but not because of this. It’s surprising that the Miyawaki Sakura even offered to model for your portfolio. When we had to negotiate more before she accepted our proposal the last time, tell you the boss did not like that.”

“Yeah well, I’m surprised too, you know about how things turned out” Chaeyeon scratches her cheek. “I mean, I’m even living with her.”

“Yeah, color me surprised too, but I’m sure that’s not what you wanted to ask me though, so what is it?”

Chaeyeon unfazed, Chaewon could see right through her.

“You know that there is a saying that opposites attract right?”

Chaewon nods her head, urging her to go on. Very much intrigued by this topic.

“Well, you and I are really different, right? Like the complete opposite” Chaeyon rambles

Chaewon smirks at her amused “Are you asking if we’re attracted to each other? Is this some kind of pick up line?”

Chaeyeon blushes as she covers her face, “Gosh, how are you so blunt.”

“I just am” Chaewon laughs “But where did this question come from?”

“I- I’m just confused at something.”

Chaewon raises an eyebrow at her “Something? Or Someone?”

“No! I just...”

“Take your time, I’m listening,” assures Chaewon as she waits for Chaeyeon to collect her thoughts.

Chaeyeon hesitates for a few seconds; she knows Chaewon will only badger her about it later so might as well just go with it. “Can attraction exist in friendship?”

Chaewon is fascinated by her friend’s question. “Hmm. Well as far as I know, yes it does. Attraction is after all the affinity that draws people together, right?”

Chaeyeon nods but doesn’t say anything, Chaewon seems to know that she would have to explain by looking at Chaeyeon’s dazed look.

Chaewon leans back to get more comfortable and continued to explain. “You can be drawn to someone in a non-ual or romantic nature. I think that is the kind of attraction that exists in friends.”

When Chaeyeon still does not say anything, Chaewon continues. “Say Chaeyeon, do you wanna kiss me?”

Chaeyeon’s eyes grew two times bigger, wide open as she looks at Chaewon as if she grew two heads. “What are you saying so suddenly?”

But Chaewon just nods “Right? I mean, I do find you physically attractive, but I don’t want to pursue a relationship with you, No offense.”

“None taken” Chaeyeon shrugs but clearly taken aback.

“So basically, what I’m saying is, we are just two completely opposite people drawn together as friends, nothing more.”

That gives Chaeyeon something to think about.

“Does that answer your question?”

Chaeyeon considers it a moment. She does understand what Chaewon means; she actually explained it well. But does it all depend whether you want to kiss the person or not? Isn’t that too literal?

“It does…maybe. But is kissing really the only determinant? How else do you know the difference?”

“I guess it’s the way you look at someone. It’s hard to explain, but I’ve seen people have this different glint whenever they look at someone they are romantically attracted to. You just feel it.”

Chaeyeon’s face scrunches, she is totally baffled. This got even more confusing. How do you know that look? You can’t even see yourself looking at the person. “Like how exactly?”

Chaewon was about to explain further when they can hear Yena’s voice echoing in the studio.

“Wow unnie! You look amazing!”

Both girls look toward the dressing room, and they see Sakura come out, wearing a whit