The sound of an alarm rings through one of the rooms in ITZY’s dorm. Almost immediately, Yeji’s eyes crack open and she lets out a yawn. Yeji always starts her day with stretching for a few minutes. She gets on her tiptoes and peeks into Ryujin’s bunk. The group center is still sound asleep, her glasses barely hanging off the tip of her nose. Yeji pulls the specs off and shakes her roommate awake.

                “You fell asleep with your glasses on again.” Yeji says as she moves away from Ryujin’s bunk. Ryujin sits up and rubs the sleep off her eyes. She mumbles a thank you to the leader and hops off her bunk, sleepily walking towards the bathroom to get ready for school. Yeji takes a brush from their bathroom before Ryujin gets in the shower. Yeji steps out to wake the rest of the group.

                The moment she enters the living area, she sees that Chaeryeong is already dressed for school, sitting in the kitchen and having breakfast. Yuna is eating with her but hasn’t put her uniform on properly. The two youngest members are enjoying an omelet they prepared together.

                “Good morning, Yeji-unnie!” Yuna happily greets with a mouthful of eggs.

                “Good morning, unnie.” Chaeryeong echoes.

                “Yuna, why is your tie like that? They’re gonna tell you off at school.” Yeji warns as she walks towards the tall maknae, fixing her uniform’s necktie for her.

                “Sorry, Chaeryeongie was rushing me because she wanted to have breakfast together. Don’t worry unnie!” Yuna reassures with a big grin.

                “Where’s Lia?”

                “She’s still sleeping, I think.” Chaeryeong answers. Yeji thanks the two and reminds Yuna to get ready one more time before heading to the final sleeping member of the group. Once she arrives, she slowly pushes the door open and spots Lia fast asleep in her bunk. The girl does have a tendency to sleep in so this is nothing new. Yeji takes a seat next to the sleeping girl and gets a good look at her.

                Lia is curled up on her side, tightly hugging a pillow against her body. is slightly parted and soft snores escape her lips. Yeji notices that the area of Lia’s pillow around is damp and can’t help but laugh at the sight. She tucks a part of Lia’s messy hair behind her ear. She’s always been vocal about her admiration for Lia’s shoulders and how perfect they are but she would never let anyone know how much she loved Lia’s little ears. The second eldest member of the group preferred to be called Lia even in private but in moments like this, Yeji couldn’t help but see her Jisu.

                “Lia? Do you want to come with me take the others to school?” Yeji whispered as she gently tapped Lia’s shoulder.

                “Hmm?” Lia mumbles in reply, holding the pillow closer.

                “The others are going to school soon. I wanted to go with the managers to take them. Do you want to come?”

                “Hmm.” Lia mumbles again, still half asleep. Yeji decides to try and tap her again but as soon as her hand lands on Lia’s shoulder, the sleeping girl takes hold of it and pulls the leader in. Yeji yelps as she loses her footing, landing right next to Lia. Yeji’s usually cat-like eyes are now wide open in shock and staring at Lia’s lips. It’s been a long time since their faces have been this close. The last instance was during a prank they were playing on Chaeryeong on her birthday. The four of them decided to all hide inside Chaeryeong’s closet to surprise her when she came home and the cramped space forced Yeji and Lia to get very comfortable with each other.

                Now, Yeji has always been affectionate. She’s never afraid to tell her members she loves them through hugs and hand holding and even the occasional cuddle. But for the past few weeks, skinship with Lia has felt different. She knows to herself that it hasn’t changed for Lia because she still smiles the same perfect smile every time but Yeji can’t help but feel the pace of her heartbeat change whenever she touches Lia. It speeds up any time Lia gets a little too close. It slows down when Lia holds her hand. It was like the crescent-eyed girl was a conductor and Yeji’s heart was an obedient orchestra.

                Her heart was pounding against her chest, as if to try and escape to get even closer to the sleeping beauty. But the longer Yeji stares, the calmer she feels. It’s comforting to see Lia in such a peaceful state. They’ve been under a lot of stress and excitement for the last few weeks of promotions. They were finally here. They were living their dream. They were finally together as five before the world as ITZY. Yeji couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else. Especially not anyone else other than Lia.

                For a moment she loses her train of thought and her face instinctively moves closer to Lia’s. She was terrified of waking the girl up now but she couldn’t fight the urge to be closer. Suddenly, Lia shuffles in her sleep and inches closer, burying her face into Yeji’s neck. Yeji reflexively pulls away but Lia’s grip on her hand tightens. She’s doomed, she thinks, but she wouldn’t mind this doom at least.

                Yeji honestly hasn’t confronted her feelings about Lia in a while. These days her mind has been flooded with thoughts around their debut. She worries about whether or not she’s doing well as a leader. She worries about the quality of their performances. She worries about what their fans think about them. There’s almost no time for anything else. But right now, in this moment, none of those thoughts exist. All her mind can comprehend is that Lia is in her arms and that her hair smells like strawberries.

                “Jisu?” Yeji whispers. Lia doesn’t respond.

                The door to Lia and Yuna’s room then swings and is immediately followed by the maknae’s loud baby-like voice.

                “Unnie! The van is here! We’re going to be late- Oh!” Yuna cuts herself off once she sees the two eldest members. Yeji’s head shoots up and turns back to look at the doorway. Yeji’s face is painted with a pink shade of embarrassment. She gives Yuna an apologetic frown and Yuna shoots her a knowing grin.

                “It’s okay, Yeji-unnie. We’ll see you guys when we get home. Bye~” Yuna sings as she closes the door. Yeji sighs. Yuna is the first and only person to figure out that she likes Lia and has never let her live it down.

                “You smell nice.” Lia chirps. Yeji can feel Lia’s breath against her neck and it sends shivers down her spine.

                “Thank you. Your hair smells like strawberries.”

                “Mm. I’m sorry.”

                “What for?”

                “I know you wanted to take the kids to school.”

                “It’s okay. I don’t mind being here with you.”

                Yeji feels Lia smile against her.

                “Let’s wake up later.”

                A couple of hours later, Lia finally wakes up. She opens her eyes to see a sleeping Yeji. She smiles because Yeji is really cute in her sleep. The leader’s eyebrows are furrowed tightly and her jaw is clenched. Sometimes Lia can’t help but worry that Yeji carries a heavy burden on her shoulders as their leader. She tries her best to support Yeji, even in the smallest ways. When she can, Lia speaks for the group during promotions and even rallies the girls during rehearsals. She always asks how Yeji is doing just so she knows that she can lean on Lia too.

                “Yeji-ah.”

                “Good morning, sleepy.”

                “Good morning. Do we have food?”

                “I’ll make breakfast.”

                Yeji finally pulls out of the embrace and the both of them can’t help but feel disappointed in the loss of contact. Yeji makes her way to the dorm’s kitchen while Lia heads to the bathroom to freshen up.

                By the time Lia gets out of the bathroom, Yeji is already frying eggs and waiting for toast. She takes a seat at the dining area and watches as Yeji prepares their late breakfast. Yeji always has a certain grace in the way she moves, no matter what she’s doing. Even when she’s just standing by the stove and cooking, she’s still mesmerizing. At least, that’s how Lia sees it.

                Yeji turns around with the pan and slides the eggs onto she and Lia’s plates. She grabs the toast and splits it between them.

                “I also prepared hot water. Do you want some tea?”

                “Yes please.” Lia responds in English. Yeji gets up and grabs two mugs and a bottle of honey.

                For a few minutes the two sit next to each other and eat in silence, their tea steeping in the mugs before them. Yeji grabs the honey and pours some into her tea and then into Lia’s. Lia is surprised to see that Yeji knows just how much honey she wants. Yeji takes her mug and leans on Lia’s shoulder, blowing on her tea in an attempt to make it cool faster.

                “Thank you, Yeji.”

                “No problem. It’s just eggs and toast.”

                “Not just for breakfast. For being so reliable. I’m really glad that you’re here and that you’re our leader. You take care of me and the other girls so well.”

                Yeji is stunned at the sudden appreciation from Lia. She feels like a huge weight was just lifted from her shoulders. At least now she knows that she’s fulfilling her role as a leader.

                “But I’m also really thankful that you’re here with me. You make things feel less scary. Every time I get anxious, I just look at you. Remembering that you’re by my side helps me keep it together, you know?  Without you and the other members, I don’t think I would have made it this far. “

                “Lia, I-“

                “Sorry to get mushy so soon in the day. I just wanted to say thank you.”

                “You honestly pulled the words out of my mouth.”

                “What?”

                “Lia, everything you just said to me, I could have just as easily said to you. You’re the reason why I get through even the hardest times. Sometimes I feel bad that I depend on you so much but it makes me want to try even harder to do my best. I worry so much about being the leader but every time you hold my hand, all my worries go away. You make me happier than you know. You always have.”

                Without missing a beat, Lia takes Yeji’s hand in hers and holds it tightly. She rubs the back of Yeji’s hand with her thumb and the two bask in the warmth surrounding them. Yeji feels it again, that familiar thump in her chest when Lia holds her like this.

                “Jisu…” She pulls up and Lia’s face is inches away from hers for the second time today. This time their eyes are locked. Yeji can’t decipher Lia’s expression. Her eyes are filled with a mix of concern and confusion. Then it melts away into a look that makes Yeji feel like she’s all Lia can see right now. They start pulling in together until their lips are barely touching.

                “Yeji-ah.”

                “I kind of want to kiss you right now.”

                That’s when Lia puts her free hand on Yeji’s cheek and closes her eyes. Yeji leans into Lia’s hand, kissing the palm of it with tenderness that she’s never expressed. Lia pulls Yeji in, finally bringing their lips together. Yeji immediately sighs into the kiss and feels her whole body melt. Lia lets go of Yeji’s hand to cup both of her cheeks as the kiss deepens. Before they know it, they’ve found a rhythm that feels natural to the both of them. They pepper gentle pecks between heated exchanges, their breaths getting shorter as it goes on. Finally Yeji pulls away, resting her forehead against Lia’s chin.

                “Wow.” Lia mutters.

                Yeji pulls away and buries her face in her hands. She’s too scared to look at Lia. She’s terrified that she’s ruined their friendship because she couldn’t fight back against her long disregarded feelings.

                “I’m sorry. I went too far. We can pretend this never happened. I shouldn’t have unloaded on you like that-“

                “Stop. It’s okay.”

                Lia pulls Yeji’s hands away and forces the other girl to look at her. Instead of regret and disgust, Yeji finds comfort and reassurance in Lia’s smile. She feels tears welling up in her eyes while they look at each other. It’s overwhelming; just how happy she is that Lia knows and isn’t turning her away.

                “Is it really?”

                “Yeah. Please don’t cry.”

                “I’ve liked you for so long, Jisu. I haven’t thought about it because I’ve been so focused on the group.”

                “I think I’ve always known deep down.”

                “How do you feel about it?”

                “Thankful. I’m glad that I didn’t take away from your capability to be our leader. I think that would’ve made me feel guilty. ITZY always comes first.”

                “I know. But you always find a way to sneak into my heart.”

                Lia chuckles.

                “Well, I am pretty great.”

                “You really are. I mean it.”

                The two smile at each other and share one more brief kiss. Yeji then envelopes Lia in a warm embrace and Lia happily sinks into it.

                “What are we gonna tell the others?” Yeji jokes.

“I think they’ll figure it out eventually, don’t you think? It definitely won’t take Yuna long.”

“You’re right. She managed to figure out my crush on you even before I did.”

At this, Lia lets out a loud laugh.

 “For now, let’s just enjoy the rest of the day.” Yeji suggests before standing from her seat and putting their dishes in the sink.

“That sounds good. The dorm is quiet right now without those three running around.”

The two find their way to the couch and turn the T.V. on, Lia browsing through the channels. She sits on one end of the couch and Yeji comfortably lies down, resting her head on Lia’s lap. It’s no different than the way they always spend their time together. They’ve sat together like this more times than they can count but now, they have a deeper understanding of how they feel about each other.

Yeji has always leaned on Lia and Lia has always leaned on Yeji. The same two girls. The same affectionate gestures. The same feelings. But needless to say, what they mean to each other now is different.