Hyunjin watched with an amused smile as Heejin rustled through the racks of dresses. She was so excited to find an outfit for their school’s masquerade ball next week. They were finally in their last year of high school; finally allowed to go to the event exclusive for seniors. 

 

Hyunjin didn’t have the heart to tell Heejin that she never planned on going.

 

“What do you think?” Heejin held up a dark blue strapless dress. “I think you would look gorgeous in this!”

 

Hyunjin’s heart fluttered. “I like it.” 

 

I like you.

 

Heejin grinned proudly as she returned to the racks to find a dress of her own. Hyunjin had no idea how she was going to let her friend down after coming this far. 

 

Heejin didn’t want to go with a date, so she asked Hyunjin if she would go with her. Or more so, demanded.

 

She just couldn’t say no. But now she was stuck.

 

Dances were never Hyunjin’s scene. She was too shy and reserved, the opposite of her best friend Heejin. She liked the idea of a masquerade more than just a regular dance, because then you can hide yourself behind a mask.

 

But Hyunjin still didn’t want to go.

 

Heejin frowned as they left the store, with only one dress she bought for herself. Hyunjin made an excuse that she was short of money and that she would come back later to purchase the dress Heejin picked out for her.

 

“Now for the best part!” Heejin dragged her into a costume shop across the street. “The masks!”

 

 

Hyunjin groaned as she threw her phone behind her. She was silently thankful that it landed on her bed.

 

It had been two days since she finally told Heejin that she didn’t want to go. Needless to say, Heejin was upset and angry that Hyunjin sprung this on her last minute.

 

Heejin hasn’t talked to her since. No texts, no calls.

 

She felt really bad, the dance was going to start in just five hours and she was just mindlessly sitting around her room.

 

She heard a knock on her room door. It was her older sister, Naeun.

 

“I thought you were going to the masquerade ball with Heejin tonight?”

 

Hyunjin grimaced as she fell back onto her bed. “I told her I wasn’t going.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“You know dances aren’t really my kind of thing.”

 

Naeun crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “So? You only get to go once. I think it would be a good time.”

 

Hyunjin contemplated whether it would be worth it to show up even for a little bit, just to make it up to Heejin.

 

She sighed. “I don’t even have a dress or a mask.”

 

Her sister gave her a sly smile. “I have just the outfit for you.”

 

 

Hyunjin met Heejin during their freshman year in gym class. Hyunjin had no one in that class that she knew, and worried about who she would partner with during games, until Heejin excitedly introduced herself.

 

They grew closer during gym class and subsequently outside of class. Heejin had a lot of friends and was an extreme social butterfly, but she would always reach out to Hyunjin.

 

It wasn’t until sophomore year that they grew incredibly closer, spending everyday together in school and outside of school.

 

Hyunjin thinks it was then that she realized her feelings for Heejin ran deeper, deeper than just friends, but she shoved them down. She was afraid that it would ruin what they had.

 

She was content on keeping it a secret for the rest of her life.

 

But things changed in their junior year. Heejin had started talking about her crush on a mysterious new transfer student, Kim Lip.

 

Nothing came of the crush, but it brought out bitter feelings in Hyunjin, and she didn’t like how that made her feel. How she felt a twinge of jealousy and longing.

 

Heejin would notice her moods and constantly ask if she was okay, but Hyunjin would always lie. It didn’t feel right to hide how she felt about her best friend.

 

Come senior year, and Hyunjin finally accepted her feelings. She made peace with it. She was sure Heejin only saw her as a friend, and she never wanted to try to jeopardize that.

 

As long as she got to have Heejin by her side she was happy.

 

 

Hyunjin fidgeted in the tight, maroon velvet dress her sister offered her. This had been an outfit her sister was saving for a special occasion, but never got around to it. The silver mask she wore was from when Naeun went to her senior masquerade ball.

 

She stood at the top of the staircase leading down towards the ballroom floor. Her eyes scanned the crowds, specifically for a pink dress.

 

Hyunjin sighed as she came up empty. A pink dress wouldn’t be so hard to spot, so where could Heejin be?

 

She stepped down the stairs and went straight to the snack table. She was going to wait. And maybe eat a snack or two out of nervousness.

 

“I wish my date was here.” Hyunjin froze at the voice coming from beside her. “I was finally going to confess to her.”

 

Pink dress. 

 

“I have no idea why I’m telling you, a complete stranger, my problems.” The girl sighed as she poured herself some soda, offering Hyunjin a cup.

 

She took it slowly, keeping quiet as she listened to Heejin.

 

“It just hurt that she would cancel on me when she knew how excited I was to finally go to the masquerade ball.”

 

Hyunjin nodded slowly, her heart tearing apart a little at Heejin’s words.

 

“Maybe she never cared about me after all.”

 

Hyunjin couldn’t stand to listen to any more. She had to leave before she ended up doing something cosmically stupid.

 

She simply walked away without a word, pretending that she was just a stranger who was weirded out.

Once she got up the stairs, she ran out of the venue. She sat on the bench outside and took off her mask, taking a deep shaky breath.

 

Heejin liked her back.

 

And she had no idea what to do about it.

 

 

A month passed since the dance. Hyunjin and Heejin made up, but things weren’t quite the same. They stopped hanging out everyday, and drifted apart.

 

Hyunjin pretended that Heejin’s wistful looks her way during lunch weren’t messing with her heart. If she could avoid Heejin, she could ignore her feelings for her.

 

Everything about it scared her. From the way she felt about Heejin, to the possibility of messing things up between them in the future.

 

 

Haseul gave her friend a look of pity. “It’s pathetic how you won’t just tell her how you feel.”

 

“I was planning to!”

 

“And how come you still haven’t even after your initial plan failed?”

 

Heejin slumped forward onto the cafeteria table. “She wants nothing to do with me.”

 

“I don’t believe that.”

 

Heejin stood up to leave. “Just drop it, Haseul.” She voiced dejectedly.

 

“I think you should talk to her, that’s all.”

 

 

Haseul had fallen asleep working on an essay, waking up to a deserted library and the night sky outside. She quickly got up and gathered her things, rushing out when she ran into someone.

 

More like collided. Hard.

 

“I’m so sorry.” She heard the other girl mumble. The voice clicked in her mind. It was Hyunjin.

 

Haseul looked up to find the younger girl offering a hand. “Hyunjin!”

 

“Long time no see.”

 

The older girl inspected the taller girl. Hyunjin looked tired and restless all at the same time. If Heejin wasn’t going to talk to her, maybe she could for her.

 

“Heejin misses you.” She watched as Hyunjin blinked. Maybe Haseul could have gone about it a different way, but her words seemed to trigger something in Hyunjin’s brain.

 

“Oh.”

 

“She’s over being upset about you not attending the masquerade.” Hyunjin stiffened slightly, managing to not catch Haseul’s inquisitive stare.

 

“I know.”

 

“Then why aren’t you guys speaking?”

 

Hyunjin guesses she saw this coming. Haseul was Heejin’s best friend. She expected to be asked these questions on behalf of Heejin. But that didn’t mean she had the answers.

 

“It’s complicated.”

 

Haseul frowned. “I’m sure it’s not.”

 

Hyunjin sighed as she slumped against the wall. They had been standing in the middle of the empty corridor for a minute now.

 

When she didn’t speak, Haseul spoke up again. “Spill.”

 

 

Hyunjin didn’t think this through. She barely managed to scale the tree to get up to the balcony, definitely tearing her dress up in the process.

 

Sorry, Naeun. 

 

At least her mask was still in tact.

 

She let out a shaky breath, raising her hand to knock on the balcony door when it swung open.

 

Hyunjin froze, mid-knock.

 

“Don’t tell me you thought you could surprise me after making all that noise?”

 

Heejin paused, taking in Hyunjin’s appearance. Hyunjin watched as the gears shifted in the shorter girl’s mind.

 

“You were at the dance.”

 

It was more of a statement than a question.

 

“I wanted to surprise you.”

 

Heejin didn’t think Hyunjin was talking about their current moment. She thought back to the night of the masquerade ball.

 

 

Heejin looked around at the dancing couples and pouted. She got up from her seat to grab a drink at the snack table. She noticed a girl in a maroon dress.

 

She doesn’t know why, but she was drawn to her. 

 

She had no idea why she went off about Hyunjin to a complete stranger at the masquerade ball, but she knew she definitely weirded the poor girl out, if her walking away was any indication. 

 

Heejin sighed as she thought over their one sided conversation.

 

Why couldn’t she be swept off her feet by a total stranger instead of falling for her best friend?

 

She couldn’t find the girl in the maroon dress again that night.

 

 

“You were the girl in the maroon dress.”

 

Hyunjin furrowed her eyebrows a bit. “Yes?” She was wary of her answer.

 

“I looked for you all night.”

 

Hyunjin was confused. Heejin should be questioning her about how she did absolutely nothing after unknowingly confessing to Hyunjin at the ball.

 

She let Heejin continue.

 

“Why didn’t you stay?”

 

“Never mind all that, Heejin. I came to apologize-“

 

She was cut off by Heejin’s lips on hers.

 

It was like they were frozen in time. Hyunjin’s eyes fluttered shut, even though their mouths didn’t dare to make a move.

 

Heejin pulled away, a face eating smile on her face. She realized that she was drawn to the girl in the maroon dress because it was Hyunjin. It always came back to Hyunjin.

 

“You were the girl in the maroon dress.”

 

Hyunjin didn’t get it, but she nodded anyway as Heejin wrapped her in a hug.